Entries Tagged 'winter' ↓

Heated Cycling Seat

Well, its pretty cold out there, but, I can’t help but think this heated cycling seat is going to be another of those cycling inventions that just don’t catch on.

On a serious note, I suffer from Reynaulds diesease – cold hands and cold feat. I survive winter cycling through:

1. Battery operated socks
2. Hot Pads, which you push down your socks

Hotteeze Heat Pads x 10pcs at Amazon.co.uk

It’s the end of December and it’s getting pretty close to the shortest day of the year. Actually it’s still about 4 weeks a way, but, it feels pretty grim even down south here in Oxford. Sometimes I finish work at 3pm, but, it’s already starting to get dark.

Cycling is taking a bit of a backseat at the moment. But, when I can I’m trying to get the miles in. Training at this time of the year is nothing spectacular – just trying to get out as much as possible. Generally, I aim to go out 4-5 times a week. If I can cycle 150 miles, I’m pretty happy. But, this weekend I was in Germany so it is a bit more difficult.

If I miss a few days, its easy to justify it by saying it’s good to have a break at this time of the year. But, the problem with this attitude is that it is easy for a week to pass by and you haven’t done any training. However, I’m conscious of the fact I will be in Malaysia for 3 weeks. If I stopped cycling now, I could be looking at a break of 2 months – which is far too long.

When I do go out I generally enjoy it, unless it gets cold and miserable.

I’ve noticed that between 9.30pm and 3pm, traffic is much lower. I blame the school run. It increases traffic so much! Now when I was a lad, there was no question of getting a lift to school – it was walk, bus or train. Them were the days!

Winter cycling conjures up fighting through the dark mist trying to get the winter miles in, – despite the fact that your hands and feet are freezing.

But winter cycling is not all doom and gloom, desperately holding out for spring. These are some of the brighter aspects of winter cycling

• When it rains, you don’t feel guilty in taking a day off training.
• You don’t have to clean your bike, because you know it will get completely muddy the next day anyway.
• You can spend hours developing a training plan for next year on the pretext this is as good as training.
• Battery operated socks are an excellent way to avoid the cold feet syndrome
• In winter, the cafe seems even more inviting than usual. I remember some winter club runs, where the time in the cafes was almost as long on the bike.
• By cycling over Christmas, it is much easier to justify eating all those mince pies and Christmas puddings.
• By cycling through winter you can avoid that sinking feeling of getting on the bike after a 3 month break and being dropped by everyone on the hills.
• There’s no need to race up any hills or do any interval training. If clubmates start being too fast and sprinting from road signs, you can just scornfully refer to them as ‘winter racers’. – People who win imaginary races on winter training rides only to disappear once the real racing season begins.

• It can be very beautiful in winter. True, the sun is rarely out, but, on a clear, cold day, a cycle ride is more invigorating and inspiring than watching the 27th rerun of some James Bond film or visiting your relatives.
• You don’t need to worry about putting on the suncream and dehydrating.

These photos are actually taken from an Irish cycling holiday in the middle of summer. But, you could just about pass them off as winter photos.

• Cycling Through Winter
• Winter Cycling Training

Cycling in the rain is no fun. Yet, if you want to cycle in the UK, it is pretty hard to avoid it. If you wear the right gear, cycling in the rain is not as bad as it might seem from the comfort of your house. It is good to try and cycle when conditions are dry; but, if you get caught out in a shower – no harm will come.

Tips for Cycling in the Rain.

Be Prepared

I always carry around a lightweight waterproof cape. Even if it looks fine when you leave the house, British weather can be tempremental and quickly change. I actually leave a waterproof in a cut down water bottle, in a bottle cage. Note some of these lightweight cycling capes are not thoroughly waterproof. In a heavy downpour, water can soon start to creep through.

Goretex.

A cycling cape made from Goretex or similar material offers the best choice for cycling in the rain. It offers breathability combined with pretty good rain resistance. If it is combined with other base layers it can leave you feeling mostly dry, even during long periods of wet weather. Cycling waterproof jackets

Be Seen

When it is raining, it often becomes quite dark, especially in winter months. Therefore, if you purchase a waterproof top, make sure it is a highly visible colour. I don’t understand why people sell black waterproof tops. On its own, rain reduces the visibility of drivers.

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Enjoyment

Once you start cycling, you will enjoy it. The problem is that it is easy to think of excuses not to get started.

Weight.

Christmas is unfortunately an easy time to pile on the weight. More food + less exercise = Increasing weight. When the racing season comes it may not be so easy to reduce your weight. Give yourself a reason to justify eating all those mince pies.

TV is boring.

Cycling is an excellent alternative to watching the 35th repeat of the Sound of Music and whatever else gets shown at Christmas.

A Break from Relations

Of course, we all like to see our relations. – But, we can have too much of a good thing. Give everyone a bit of breathing space by saying you have to keep to a very strict winter training plan. They will be impressed at your dedication and professional approach.
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Advantages of Turbo Training

1. Avoids getting wet and cold
2. Avoids weather related accidents, much safer.
3. Can control the environment and training intensity much easier
4. Protects your bike from salty and dirty roads.

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One question which always creates heated debate amongst cyclists is how much should we train? How many miles should we cycle per week.

When asked for cycling advice, Fausto Coppi gave this response: ‘ride a bike’
Eddy Merckx was another great believer in cycling long distances. During the winter months he would have at least 3 200km training rides per week.
Recently, I read that Nicole Cooke, one of the leading female cyclists, is currently cycling 500 miles per week (with a few shorter weeks for recovery)

The theory is that riding these long distances improves a cyclists endurance and aerobic capacity. This provides the springboard for interval training later in the year.

However, it is worth noting that these are professional cyclists who are often racing 140Km plus. Therefore, it is appropriate that they tailor their cycling programs to reflect their distances.

In recent years, more scientific approaches to cycling have questioned the necessity of cycling long distances. One of the early advocates of low mileage training was Chris Boardman. In his preparation for the world hour record, his focus was on high quality, low mileage. Many professional cyclists were shocked at how little mileage he actually completed. But, again the key here is that Chris Boardman was a time trialist specialist. To peak in a one hour time trial, it is not necessary to do the extra mileage. In fact, if you spend all your time doing long distances, you might reduce your top end time trial speed.
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