Or how to survive
Britain when it is cold, dark and wet.
By Anne Fuller.
Winter is the time of
year when most of the base (distance) training has to take place. Dark nights and bad weather make running bad
enough but cycling is particularly unappealing. After years of returning from rides frozen and soaked, here are
my survival tips.
Picture the scene, you
plan to ride 20/30/40/50 miles by yourself and when you wake up the sky looks
black and it is sure to rain. How
tempting to roll over and go back to sleep.
Alternatively you plan
to ride 20/30/40/50 miles with your Saturday training gang and when you wake up
the sky looks black and it is sure to rain.
How embarrassing to admit that you are too much of a wimp to go out
training.
Training partners are
essential for cycling – the ideal person is someone who rides at a similar pace
or just a little faster. If your
training needs / pace are not identical to those of your partners, try the following:
Warm, waterproof, windproof cycle clothing is essential and it is worth spending some money on good kit. Goretex is expensive but it does provide the best waterproofing without becoming clammy inside. There are many suppliers of specialist cycling waterproofs – features to look out for are jackets which cover the lower back and are 'breathable'. Remember that most drivers are not cyclist-aware. Black cycling jackets may look cool but as they are the same colour as the road they will not help your visibility...
Windproof kit is also
a bonus – clothing can include windproof panels in
jackets, gillets and long tights.
Wear multiple layers
of clothing and avoid cotton as it holds sweat. If you are unsure of the conditions carry leg and arm warmers
with you. These are stretchy 'stockings' that can be pulled onto arms and
legs as required. They may not look cool but they are a life-saver if it turns cold
or you are riding down long descents.
The other vital piece
of equipment is a good pair of overshoes.
These come in two types – neoprene, which provide warmth but are not
waterproof and those designed to be waterproof. The latter tend to be more expensive but as a confirmed wimp I reckon that they are
definitely worth the money. On really
cold days I double up and wear both neoprene and Goretex overshoes; much better
than thawing your feet in the washbasin when you get home.
Other kit:
Warm / waterproof
gloves with padding under the palm.
Bright / reflective material will make you more visible especially when
signalling.
Balaclava / ski
collar.
For Winter riding I
recommend SPD type shoes which allow you to walk normally. Metal cleats on icy roads are far too
dangerous.
For safety reasons it
is a good idea to wear glasses – you will need some with clear lenses for dull
days. Yellow lenses improve your vision
on night rides.
Think of the beautiful
paintwork on your best racing bike all covered in mud, your best wheels
ploughing through the floods, ugh….
A cheap training bike
is essential for the Winter and your cycling benefits from riding something
which is not as light and responsive as your racing bike. Ideally buy second hand – it does not have
to look beautiful but a decent quality group set will
last longer than cheaper components.
Other tips for your
training bike:
DO NOT ride on icy
roads – it is too dangerous. Wait until
later in the day to start your ride and stick to roads which have been gritted
and had some sun on them. Avoid country lanes which are shaded by trees – these
may be icy even when other roads are clear.
Cycling on the roads
is hazardous at the best of times and cycling at night even more so. Try the following:
Riding safely in a
group requires that certain rules are adhered to – if you break these rules
when riding with a cycling club you will very soon be informed of the
transgression! The most important thing
to remember is that by riding in front of someone you are blocking their view
of the road ahead and they have to rely on you to indicate hazards.
You should use a
combination of hand signals and voice to indicate hazards. There are three important signals:
If it is not safe to
take one hand off the bars you should shout instead – e.g. ‘hole left’,
‘gravel’.
Other things to
remember when riding in a group:
If you don’t fancy the
roads at night, turbo training is one alternative. This is best done in a garage or shed as you tend to fry
indoors. Basic turbo trainers are well
under £100 or for those with money to spare you can buy the most sophisticated
computer trainers for about £1000.
Find a friend to turbo
train with if possible.
It takes a bit of time
to adjust the equipment to give just the right amount of resistance. You should then be able to use your gears to
change the work rate as you would on the road.
Leave the bike in place if possible to save time.
Always plan your
session – ideally you should have a heart rate monitor and a bike computer that
measures cadence (pedal revolutions per minute). These help you to judge your effort level and some make the
session more interesting.
Some sample sessions
are shown below:
Warm up for 10 minutes
starting with a very light gear and gradually increasing the work level. Keep the cadence at 90 or above.
Seated climbing Change
to a gear which you can just turn for one minute at a cadence of 70. Complete 10 x 1 minute in this gear with 1
minute easy spinning in between. On
completion of the 10th ‘climb’ take a 5 minute recovery spinning an
easy gear.
Standing climbing Change
to a gear which when standing on the pedals you can just turn for one minute at
a cadence of 60. Complete 10 x 1 minute
in this gear with 1 minute easy spinning in between. On completion of the 10th ‘climb’ perform a 10 minute
warm down spinning an easy gear.
This session is based
on riding a period at your threshold pulse rate – typically 85% of your working
heart rate (WHR). You really need a
pulse monitor for this one and you also need to work out your maximum heart
rate when cycling – note that this may be different from that when running
(about 10 beats less in my case).
To find your maximum heart
rate find a long continuous hill – this should take over 5 minutes to climb
when riding hard and should ideally become steeper towards the end. Wear your pulse monitor for the ride, warm
up well and then ride up the hill at 100% effort – you should be about to fall
off with exhaustion as you reach the top.
Make a note of your pulse.
If the method above is
a bit macho you could try a similar test on a turbo trainer or on an exercise
bike. Failing this you can use the VERY
approximate guide of 220 minus your age as a maximum.
Calculate 85% of
working heart rate as follows:
Warm up for 10 minutes
starting with a very light gear and gradually increasing the work level. Keep the cadence at 90 or above.
Increase the work
level using your gears until you have reached your target heart rate of 85%
WHR. Once at this heart rate maintain
it for 20 minutes. Your cadence should
not drop below 90.
Warm down for 10 minutes
spinning an easy gear.
Organised spinning
classes at your local gym are a good alternative to turbo training. Whilst you have less control over the type
of session, you can enjoy the music and you have an instructor and other class
members to keep you motivated.
Tips for spinning
classes:
This is my personal
favourite – there is nothing better than spending a week or two during the
depths if the Winter doing some training in the sun. Training camps take place in many countries including ‘exotic’
locations such as South Africa and California.
For those on a budget, Spain is good value with camps taking place in
locations such as the Costa Blanca, Majorca and Lanzarote.
A training camp is not
the place to start gettin fit – you will have a much more enjoyable and productive time
if you are reasonably fit before you arrive.
Official camps fall
into two categories:
Tips for enjoying
training camps:
Happy Winter cycling