HOW TO DO IT

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR EVERY PART OF YOUR RIDE LIFE

F Winter riding is in full swing, and that means focusing on layering up for chilly rides. In addition to hampering your ability to stay warm, the cold air can also wreak havoc on your skin, introducing yet another thing to think about on the bike.

“If the weather is dryer, colder, or windier, [you need] more facial protection—like a neck gaiter or mask—and then definitely more moisturizer or an extra layer of sunscreen,” says Brandith Irwin,

MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of SkinTour.com.

We asked via Bicycling’s Instagram stories which dry-skin issues plague your winter workouts, and then tapped experts to help solve those cold-weather woes.

ITCHY SKIN // Most itching in the winter is caused by dry skin, related to central heating and overwashing, says Irwin. And while you should rinse off your sweat as soon as you can, if you’re plagued by itchy skin, Irwin suggests soaping only your armpits and groin unless you’re muddy. And moisturize your skin—arms, legs, face, anywhere that’s itching—while it’s still damp after bathing. “Hot showers and baths feel great, but they dry your skin if they’re too long. Try to keep them to 10 minutes max, and more warm than hot,” says Irwin.

DRY HANDS // You should apply moisturizer both before and after rides, and ride with gloves on to keep your hands warm and moisturized—and to protect your hands from sun exposure and potential skin cancers later, says Irwin.

“You’ll want to find a good nongreasy moisturizer so you can hold your handlebar without having to worry about greasy hands slipping,” says Julie Russak, MD, founder of Russak Dermatology Clinic. And if you’re wearing gloves, moisturizing right before you put your gloves on can help lock in the moisture.

CHAPPED LIPS // It’s important to remember that lips are skin, too, and they need to be treated as such. “The lips need to be exfoliated— granted, much more gently than the rest of the skin. Exfoliation helps to remove dead layers of skin, especially when dead skin builds up during the winter, and allows moisturizer that we put on our lips to penetrate through the superficial layer of skin,” says Russak.

Use Aquaphor Lip Repair on chapped lips right after exfoliating, which will help lock in moisture and hydrate the superficial layer of skin. Preride, you want to make sure you apply something with SPF on your lips. Postride, moisturize them again. Irwin also suggests carrying lip balm in your kit.—Jordan Smith