Embracing the cold

Winter riding in Scandinavia is not for the faint-hearted. It is essentially the season sorting out the men from the boys. It is the season, when you meet fellow riders in -11 degrees Celsius, you know they are serious about road cycling. It is in this climate you find comfort in the company of your inner Demon and lone self on the open, icy roads.

Winter training can be a battle of epic survival and overcoming for uninitiated, but braving the cold and putting in the extra miles will see you come out a different person and in better shape for your Spring season.

Cutting a slim figure at 62kg it is fair to say that I do not come armored with layers of protective body fat. To survive you need to master the craft of layering. Never too much apparel - and certainly never too little. I have seen fellow riders misjudging their layers, and head out in too little apparel, and subsequently break down from cold 45 minutes into the ride. Usually you don’t see them for a while after that. To stay warm - you need to wear more in these conditions, but be careful not going too hard to warm yourself up as you will subsequently get cold again and freeze.

I like the season of Autumn and Winter, although at times I wonder just why my forefathers, the Vikings, decided to settle in a climate like this. When the Summer season subsides the roads lay almost empty from the Summer cycling-rush, and you are left with a sense of solitude that I enjoy, which builds gradually as Winter takes a harder grip.

To be a Winter rider you need to like your own company, if you want to uphold a certain level of training. People are not exactly knocking on your door begging to go for a ride - although company always makes things slightly more tolerable at times.

Whether you are riding in the mountains or long straight roads Winter training - for me as a non-racer - is not about going fast and hard. It is about long steady distances. Keeping the legs turning, enjoying the scenery, and the moment, while laying down a base level of fitness and kilometers from which I will later benefit.

Road cycling all year long, including the long, dark Winter months, can be monotonous. There is a danger in riding the same routes. This may be OK for a while, but come Spring you will hate yourself for keeping to same routes when everyone invites you for group rides on the route where you have been 500 times during Winter.

To keep yourself motivated - take a sharp right sometimes. Go up a road where you have never been or grab your Cycling Cross bike, or simply switch tires on your Winter bike, and go for a ride in the woods. The woods are incredible during Autumn and Winter providing you with fun, exciting gravel routes, keeping you sharp, and a scenery leaving you sometimes gasping for breath. And if you ride your bike to get lost from everything - you have come to the right place.

To brave the elements, and to embrace the cold, is about planning and understanding the conditions in which you ride. Do not take things lightly, and keep looking for black ice on the road. Prepare yourself well, dress properly to stay warm and expect your legs to behave differently than they normally do when in peak fitness Summer condition.

Keep your legs turning, have fun while doing it and care for your Winter.

Jesper

(The STAY WARM WINTER BUNDLE can be purchased under Bundles now for limited period.)