Winter Riding
May be something I know about.
I once read, in some sort of coaching manual, to discourage people from going out when it’s less than 50 degrees. This was a theory based on road riding, combined with windchill.
Hell, most of us will be in shorts and short sleeves when it’s 50 degrees, especially in racing conditions.
So what is a threshold for cold?
Most of it has to do with the gear that you own, or what you can afford to buy, and even how much you like riding your bike.
Me, I love riding my bike!
It’s been my therapy, my joy, for years.
I remember my adolescence, having fights with my parents. I would storm out of the house and on my Peugot. My very own racing bike that I bought with my own money. I would ride from Webster Groves to Ladue, Missouri. You know, I always felt better when I got back. And I still use it for the same purpose, and the bike, to me, serves many other purposes as well.
It’s my connection to people, places, nature. It is my thing.
Yeah, I like to ski, but it’s not my thing. I do it, I use it for active recovery for my bike rides. I like skiing in the woods, on singletrack, with back country skis, I like to classic because it’s easier on the joints, and it allows our hips to be used more symmetrically. It’s not biking though.
What temperature your threshold is should be based on the gear that you own.
I went out one day last year it was -19 degrees. I think, I may have had 2 days like that; and in the end, I decided -10 degrees is my Threshold temperature.
I do own a fat bike, it’s not a fancy one, it’s not an expensive one. I got it because of the internal hub that weighs a hundred million pounds, but you know, no ice, and snow has ever built up in it, and that is exactly why I got it.
Fat Biking is HARD. Especially when the bike is so heavy and then, you add in the snow, ice, and slush, it’s a game changer. Recognize it’s different, riding in the winter is more “strength” work.
Winter training is fun. There are so many benefits to riding outdoors that just aren’t available in your basement.
Sure you can get a Computrainer (or regular trainer), and yes, I plan to as part of my long term business plan, but you’re hooked up to stationary trainer and you lose your balance, and the feel of actually riding.
Sure you can ride the rollers. Riding the rollers is a great alternative to riding outdoors! Riding the rollers is really fun once you get the hang of it. And I strongly suggest everybody owns a pair. I find for myself, it actually improves my bike handling skills, on the road and especially off road. I love riding the rollers, I put Lightening on there and get a great choreographed workout all based on power numbers. Doing it from November until May, or even from December until February as your only means of training, is going to be boring and likely keep you from doing it consistently.
The only thing about riding indoors is that you’re not outdoors, being one with nature. Any of us who ride a bike knows and understands that our spiritual beings must be outside in nature. This is exactly how the Universal Power of Love built us to be:
Out of doors.
So how do you improve your threshold for riding in the cold?
1. You dress for success:
It’s all about layering. You may or may not have a base layer. When it’s still above zero, I won’t wear a bottom base layer. I will on top. I will wear a thermal 2XU shirt, my thermal vest, my long sleeve thermal jacket, my Gortex jacket and my yellow don’t hit me yellow vest. Most rides I spend a lot of time and zipping and unzipping based on where I am on a particular ride, and what the terrain is like. For bottoms, I wear my sub zero 2XU bike pants, and my Gortex ski pants, ski socks are a must, and a very warm insulated boot. I may not always wear my mittens, I always have them with me. We know that our hands and feet are always the first thing to get cold and be cold. Nothing can ruin a ride, like cold hands and feet. When I go out with snow boots, I also go out with my Rudy Project ski helmet and Rudy Project ski goggles.
The other day I went out and it was a balmy 20 degrees. I didn’t want to ride the fat bike because the roads were clear so I headed out on my old mountain bike, My Boyfriend Scott. I like when I can be on my Boyfriend Scott because I’m lucky enough to have a Quarq power meter on it, I also really enjoy being on a lighter bike, with regular tires, in the winter I run the Maxxis Ardents. 20 is still pretty cold for most people. I layered on top, thermal jersey, thermal vest, and thermal jacket, with don’t hit me yellow wind vest, and for bottoms I was able to just wear winter cycling pants. I knew my feet would likely get cold, so I put in feet warmers under my ski socks in my regular cycling shoes, with neoprene booties. I was glad I had my mittens with me because my hands did not want to stay in gloves. And I got in 2.5 hours and over 2k in climbing. I wore my Rudy Project cycling helmet, with a balaclava. And of course, my Rudy Project Zyons.
2. Choose your route:
I’m not a huge advocate for riding too much trail around town on fat bike, mostly because of ice, and I love my knees. Trail is definitely the warmest place to be. When we ride in the trees we are protected by any and all windchill. The conditions on local trails are typically icy, and I’m really working on enjoying the fat biking. So if I’m not on trail, I stay in the valley; protected by the wind. It will be late spring before I ride ” on the ridge” it’s cold up there, and the wind blows across the prairie like nobody’s business. There’s plenty of riding without subjecting myself to the torture. So I stay down, and ride up the hills, doing what people will refer to as ‘fingers’. The other must for riding in cold temperatures is to stay close to home. I have screwed up a few times. Last year, did some really stupid stuff on the fat bike, and this year I am redefining what is okay for me, what is not okay for me, and what is just plain stupid to do.
I have a new route on the fat bike, it’s about 2 hours, with some descent climbing. I start at home, go up the road to a neighborhood, and back, up the gravel behind my house, down my neighborhood, and 2 other neighborhoods added on to that. I do this because it’s cold, and if I need to bail, I am able to easily. If I’m not dressed right, I can make quick changes. It is guaranteed to keep me from ever getting frost bite.
Really my favorite thing to do on fat bike is ride the road, it’s safest, closest to home, and I can easily add gravel, mega hills, and pure heaven. I do know if the local trails weren’t so subjected to ice I would enjoy more trail, but hell there’s part of MN that won’t see sun until May.
3. Choose your gear:
I like riding the fat bike after it snows, or while it’s snowing. During and after it snows the Earth is most insulated, and it’s the warmest. As long as I have my don’t hit me yellow on, and I’m smart, I have no qualms of heading out in the snow. I think, one of my best rides so far this winter (I know it’s fall some places) has actually been when it was snowing. It was so heavenly, and there weren’t many people on the road. It was awesome.
Flat Pedals so you can actually wear a pair of insulated snow boots to keep your feet warm and protected.
When the roads are dry I take out the old mountain bike. I do use the old mountain bike, because it’s imperative to not ruin anything new and fancy with all the salt, dirt, and wet, yuck.
I’m wondering if at some point this winter if I will put flat pedals on my old mountain bike so I can train power and have warm feet….the weeks and the temperatures will tell.
The most important gear for winter riding is a insulated water bottle. I’m incredibly passionate about my Polar bottle. Right now I won’t let it leave the house, unless it’s with me. The greatest thing about the Polar bottle is it has this black strap attached to it. The Polar bottle keeps my water from freezing, and the black strap handle is easy to grab with ginormous mittens on. I carry spare bottles in my back jersey pockets to keep them from freezing, and when I run out in the Polar bottle I pour from one of my jersey bottles. There is a trick, I do have to close the nipple each drink, if I don’t, it will freeze and no water will come out!!
So I laugh in the face of the cycling source who said I should warn athletes, and be cautious about coaching out doors when the temperature is below 50. If I had to next week for a “I can’t miss this workout”; I would go out in -20 again! But for the most part I will stick to -10. It’s a super happy comfortable temperature to ride in, if you’re dressed for success and have the right gear.
My favorite combination for winter, if I can’t ride out of doors everyday I want: is to mix and match with out doors, rollers, and trainer, too; if I need to get in extra long ride.
So if you want to come into spring having to start over that’s better for me and the people I train.
If you don’t then, suck it up, don’t be a wimp, and get your ski clothes out!