Riding through winter
It’s no joke, cycling during winter, in the Northern hemisphere, can be a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity to try different ways of improving your cycling. By implementing the right strategies, you can maintain your fitness and even improve throughout the cold months. With the right preparation and kit, you can tackle the winter landscape and emerge ready for the cycling season ahead.
It’s all too easy to become a fair weather rider, so let’s look at some ways to keep you riding consistently, and other activities you can do that won’t mean getting drenched in the rain, or trying to find ways to keep your fingers and toes from freezing. Instead, you can explore different training modes that accommodate shorter daylight hours and colder temperatures while still keeping you motivated. This is also a great time to look at your nutrition and recovery routine, both of which will significantly boost your cycling and help you stay safe throughout your winter training.
Key Takeaways
Use goals and a variety of activities to stay on track during winter.
Use this opportunity to get into better nutritional and post ride routines and habits.
Make cycling through winter an easier choice with the right kit
The benefits of riding through winter
Endurance cycling involves prolonged physical exertion that focuses on stamina, strength, and mental resilience. Training during winter presents unique challenges and benefits, enhancing your capabilities for long-distance cycling. If you have ambitions to participate in multiday events and races next year, then there’s nothing better than riding through winter to build resilience. I can assure you, it will pay off in the summer. Training in winter conditions strengthens both physical and mental aspects. Cold weather cycling enhances your adaptability to temperature fluctuations. You develop resilience by facing harsher elements, which prepares you for variable conditions in competition.
Moreover, winter training can mean banking miles for the following summer. Building a solid aerobic base during this season ensures you maintain fitness levels throughout the year. Engaging in cross-training activities, such as running or strength training, can further bolster endurance and stave off winter fatigue.
You could also use this time to work on more technical skills. You can focus on skills like eating and drinking on the bike, pacing and fuel management, which are crucial for endurance events.
Types of training
Endurance cycling is, of course, about duration on the bike and cardiovascular fitness. Let’s not forget that we also want to increase our average speed, so that we can cover more distance in less time, and this is done by making faster easier. We need to get stronger.
How do we do this?
Weight training
If you don’t already, now is the time to start strength training off the bike. I’m not talking about throwing around 5kg dumbbells here, I mean lifting heavy shit, really heavy. If you’re not doing any off the bike exercising yet, then start with a conditioning program, then gradually introduce resistance training. I strongly recommend working with a qualified fitness professional.
Interval training
This can be done on an indoor bike set up, or outdoors. Intense workouts trigger the muscles to adapt and get stronger. This has the effect of making faster easier on your long rides. Interval bike workouts are much easier and safer on an indoor set up or gym bike, but there are ways to do these outside too, such as hill repeats, or maximum effort sprints if you have a safe stretch of road or traffic free circuit. My clients will be familiar with the instructions to do a ‘Short hard/hilly or off road ride’ on their programs around once a week. Indoor training has its benefits, but doing a hard ride out in the real world is great too. These hard rides only need to be 1.5 to 3 hours long, and you’ll be working too hard to feel the cold. You’ll be back home wrapped around a hot chocolate before you know it. If you have a mountain or gravel bike then do these rides off road. You’ll get a lot of bang for your buck, as we all know how much harder riding trails is!
Check out last week’s post on Indoor Cycling here.
Other ways to make the most of the winter months
As you’ll be spending less time on the bike, it gives you more time to work on other areas, and focus on building better habits and routines. If you’re only doing a 2 hour ride is there really any excuse to skip the post ride stretches? No, the answer is NO!! Here’s a quick post ride stretching routine you can follow on the Endurance Cycling app. It's just 5 minutes minutes long.
If commuting by bike becomes impossible due to the weather, or too dangerous with the shorter days, maybe instead you can join a gym or spin class on your way in or home from work. Check out the local classes, near home or work.
Preparing for Winter Rides
As winter approaches, try to stay consistent with your rides, so you can acclimate as the temperatures drop. This also gives you the opportunity to learn what kit you need to stay warm and dry. We are all unique in this, so what works for one person, might not work for you.
Keeping warm
Layering is the name of the game. Over the years I’ve learned what layers I need for 15C, 10C and 5C. Any colder than this and I don’t go out! I know I just can’t keep my hands and feet warm below 5C, no matter what I wear, and any risk of ice is a big NO for me. I have a cycling wardrobe of short and long sleeve base layers, thermal bib tights and jerseys, and a variety of winter hats, gloves and socks.
Staying dry
Finding the right rain jacket sometimes feels like searching for the holy grail. If it's fully waterproof, it’s unlikely to be very breathable, so you end up sweating inside the jacket. Again layers can be useful here. You may not be able to stay completely dry, but you can make sure you stay warm. Investing in a good pair of gloves and waterproof socks is a good use of your hard earned readies. My Aldi waterproof socks, bought a few years back, are still one of my best bits of kit. Paired with overshoes, my pinkies stay toastie in all but the worst conditions. I have yet to find a pair of winter gloves I can recommend, but my hooded Albion waterproof jacket has been a game changer. Just knowing I have a reliable waterproof jacket means I’m more likely to go out even when rain is forecast. The ventilation isn’t perfect, but it has a generous fit, and a 2 way zipper, so you never feel like you’ve been wrapped up in a plastic bin bag!
There are a few options for your legs. A decent pair of waterproof trouser that fit well (ie. not too baggy) can be great, but also run the risk of low breathability, AKA boil in the bag. I found waterproof or resistant leg warmers and water repellent bib tights effective, striking the right balance and keeping my legs warm.
My biggest tip here is to buy the best you can afford. Merino base layers are fantastic, and a must have for your winter layering system. Lightweight, not bulky, insulating and sweat wicking, merino is great for winter activities.
Staying safe
With the dark mornings, grey days and early sunsets, having a good set of lights becomes essential. Make sure to keep them recharged, or carry spare batteries if appropriate. For your front lights, you may want to consider having two, one for being seen and one strong enough to light up the road or trail ahead. Having a separate low powered light means you can save the battery of your stronger light for when you need it. For the same reasons, choose winter outer garments that have some reflective elements and/or bright colours to help you stay visible.
It’s always a good idea to carry a pair of latex or nitrile gloves in your tool kit, but I consider them an essential in winter. If you are unlucky enough to get a puncture, then they will help keep your hands warm whilst fixing it. They can also be used as emergency inner gloves if needed on a cold day.
Talking of punctures, they are more likely during winter, as wet weather washes debris off vehicles onto the road, and in some places, flints out of the grass verges. If the roads you ride are bad, it might be worth investing in heavier puncture resistant tyres with better grip for the winter, and carrying an extra spare inner tube. You might carry repair patches, but on a cold and/or wet day it’s going to be a pretty miserable task looking for the puncture. You’ll appreciate being able to just change the tube and fix the puncture at home.
Don’t forget to look after your lovely steed. As rain can wash off chain lubricant, check it regularly and use the appropriate oil. There are ‘wet’ lubes and all weather lubes. Also check your brake pads, whether you have rim or disc brakes. All that crap on the roads or muddy trails can embed and ruin your pads if left unchecked.
Staying motivated
Set yourself some goals! An oldie but always good advice. Incorporate flexibility into your plans, as winter weather can be unpredictable. Focus on maintaining consistency, rather than pushing for mileage or duration. Perhaps this is the opportunity to master climbing or drinking whilst riding. You could also set yourself some goals for your gym workouts, such as a deadlift PB, doing a full press up or chin up, or maybe doing 10 burpees or kettlebell get ups.
There is a winter challenge, created by Rapha, that has quickly become a cycling tradition, and that is the Festive 500. If you haven’t heard of it already, the challenge is to ride 500km during the holiday season, between the 24th and 31st of December. If you don’t have to work during that time, 500km in eight days seems potentially very doable, but we know the weather it’s what makes this challenging. Signing up to the challenge can help you keep you motivated to stay consistent as the weather starts to turns. Look out for the challenge on Strava.
Have I missed anything? Do you have any tips to share? I’d love to know. Email me at alison@veloqi.cc
