Preparing for winter :mad:

[KatzPajamas]

What do you all plan to do in the winter to stay in shape for that first spring ride?:confused:

[Biciclista]

I ride all winter. you're in Ohio, get snow tires!

[tulip]

Ride my bike outside. Ride my bike inside on the trainer. Do Pilates. Walk my dog.

Riding in the ice with studded tires is great fun and a greater workout. If I lived in a snowy place, I would probably ice skate and XC ski during the winter, too.

I used to take spin classes and I really liked them and I was very strong in the spring. But I'm focusing on improving my finances, so I won't be joining a gym any time soon, if ever again.

[westtexas]

Winter? We're still months away from winter!!! It's still 100+ every day here and will be for the foreseeable future. Winter here isn't really until January (and then that's about it).

Sorry I'm no help, it just blows my mind people are already thinking about winter!

[zoom-zoom]

I have a new cyclocross bike that will get studded tires for Winter. But I've been running for the past 4 Winters, too, so I will also do that. And ride the "nowhere bike" with movies or The Sufferfest video workouts.

[RubyTuesday]

I plan to ride when it isn't raining. I hope there are days that are like that this winter. The forecast is for another wet winter. For those of you in the snow country, I cry. I would hate snow.

[zoom-zoom]

For those of you in the snow country, I cry. I would hate snow.

Who said I didn't hate it? ;) The older I get, the better I tolerate heat and the more I detest cold/snow. NOW I get why people move South when they retire! :p

[RubyTuesday]

I get it too, Kirsten. I love the dry heat of California. Now if I could just get it to last 12months out of the year. I ride in the early morning when it is 60 degrees and swim in the afternoon. Why can't summer last longer?????

[PamNY]

I ride all winter.

I also climb stairs (real stairs; I live in a 32 story building). Also walk a lot. I keep thinking I should do something more interesting, but I haven't thought of anything yet.

[grey]

I am The. Biggest. Pansy. When it comes to riding in chilly weather. Note, I said "CHILLY" Not cold. Chilly. Below 45, I don't go. It really hurts my throat so bad. Poor lungs run in the family, and I have those, too. I've had pneumonia five times, and I'm not even 35.

I hike a lot in winter. I also found an indoor trainer for this winter (yay!) and am looking at some cool videos to help it be a little more exciting. But I have a few great months of riding left, possibly up to December, before the cold drives me to hike more. :)

[pll]

I'm with grey. With temperatures in the 40s, for me it is painful to ride. My muscles get tight, it does not feel good.

Winter: trainer + sufferfest, running. Last winter I signed up for a (running) race at the beginning of April. It was a good incentive to work out. I plan on doing the same this winter.

[roo4]

Swim and lift. Gonna get some huge quads and hammies to help me climb!

[Owlie]

Who said I didn't hate it? ;) The older I get, the better I tolerate heat and the more I detest cold/snow. NOW I get why people move South when they retire! :p

Yeah, really. I'd move to Arizona in winter if I weren't going to be detested for it by the year-round residents. (My evidence for this comes from DBF's dad...)

If it's nice and dry (so no ice formation!), I'll ride outside--bundled up, of course. I do have to be careful of icy patches on trails in the shade. Otherwise, trainer and catching up on movies and TV. Maybe I'll at least keep in cardiovascular shape by doing other things...perhaps taking advantage of my university's pool?

[nscrbug]

I will ride as long as possible, which for me usually mean until late Nov/early Dec. But I also hit the gym everyday anyways for cardio/spin/weights, so I will have no shortage of workouts to keep me busy until spring rolls around.

[Crankin]

You need to discover winter sports. The key to winter is getting out in it and wool!
Seriously, I ride until the beginning of December or so, but as it gets colder, my rides get shorter. I do some hiking in the "shoulder" season (fall). Once the snow falls, I get obsessed with cross country skiing and snow shoeing. Cross country skiing conditions are quite inconsistent around here, so I'm usually traveling at least an hour to do that, but we can have good conditions for a few days after a snowstorm. I can snow shoe out my door.
I used to belong to a gym; did spin, yoga, weights. I now have a trainer for the bike and I do yoga and weights at home. So, basically, Dec., January, February are my months to take some time off of the bike (mostly January and February). If there's a sunny day in the 30's I'll go out for a short ride, if the roads are OK. I am back on my bike by March 5-10 and most people think i am nuts for that.
I lived in AZ for 16 years and FL for 5. I hated endless summer and believe me, there is more to life than warm weather. I love the seasons and the quality of life I have here. I know I would get burned out if I rode all year round.

[Becky]

I ride outside (albeit shorter rides), ski (DH and XC), swim, and practice yoga. Winter is a great time for mountain biking because you're going slower and typically in the woods, both of which mean less wind chill than a road ride.

I'll occasionally ride the trainer, but I have to be pretty desperate for a workout to do so.

[rubysoho]

I just signed myself up for a gym membership (LA Fitness bc they don't require year long commitments) so I can swim, use weights and participate in their classes like yoga. I am also planning to keep hiking this winter with my dogs and after my first successful summer of running I am hoping to keep that going through the winter as well!

I may be buying a second bike but that depends on a few financial factors. However I could put studded tires on, etc... It would be able to continue when my road bike can't. I just need to save my pennies a bit longer (or settle for a less expensive bike but I think I have made up my mind and that won't happen.).

[Catrin]

Starting to think about this winter and what I want to focus on. I've asthma, and while it has greatly improved, cold air is about the only trigger I have right now. All of my allergies appear to have disappeared, and even riding in 95+ temps didn't bother my lungs. Cold air? Different story.

I will get a trainer, as much as I don't really want to. Considering winter shoes, but that is such a large investment...but I remember how cold my feet got this last winter when riding in only 40 degree temps... I've also clipless pedals on my Gunnar and that isn't going to change.

So it will likely be a combination of trainer, spinning class, weights, and probably a mat Pilates class at my gym. I will probably, finally, drop the training in December as much as I hate to and just work out on my own.

[SheFly]

I'm with Crankin'. Though I will usually ride most of the winter, this past year we switched gears and did a lot more x-country skiing. It was a nice break from the bike, and awesome cross training that translated in the spring. Around here, you can't go to a ski area without bumping into the same people you race bikes with during the season!

Of course, winter activities are always dependent on the weather. Last year was a good snow year for skiing, and bad for trying to stay on the bike outside. We have had years, though, where the opposite was true, and I logged a LOT of miles between January and March outside.

SheFly

p.s.
Catrin - if you are going to ride outside, winter shoes are the BEST investment. I have tried the Lakes, which are good, but discovered the Pearl Izumi winter shoes a couple of years ago and LOVE them. They keep your feet dry, and I rarely get cold feet with only one layer of socks.

[OakLeaf]

I ride all winter. you're in Ohio, get snow tires!

The piled up snow/packed ice left by the plow means the available road space is much, much narrower than in dry weather. Car drivers are expecting to see cyclists even less than they ordinarily do. Visibility is reduced because of poor light and dirty windshields; the effectiveness of any visibility gear the cyclist wears is reduced because lights and jerseys get coated with grime, cinder and salt. Reaction distance for cyclists and cars is increased because of the wet and/or icy and/or cinder-covered surface.

Then the salt will eat through any polished metal before you can even get home to wash your bike.

In Ohio, you join a trainer class at a LBS, mountain bike on MUPs - or on trails when it's been cold long enough that they're good and frozen and not muddy. And get most of your cardio from other sports.

[Catrin]

...
In Ohio, you join a trainer class at a LBS, mountain bike on MUPs - or on trails when it's been cold long enough that they're good and frozen and not muddy. And get most of your cardio from other sports.

This is what I am hoping to do, along with some good winter hiking ;) I am looking forward to checking out the frozen trails!

[Ja Da Dee]

I love the winter! no bugs.

If it's above 5 degrees, I xc ski, snowshoe and run. If it's colder than that I tend to stick to the gym. I also ride my horse, but we have a heated indoor arena. My husband got a fat tire bike (Mukluk) last fall, and rode the mountian bike trails all winter. We would go out and showshoe the trails to give him a nice track, then he gets to ride them. He had a blast.

[Cynedra]

Late fall, winter, and early spring are the best times to ride, but the best time to run as well. Too hot to run in the summer at least at the speed (or lack thereof) that I run. Biking, thank goodness, lets me go fast enough to create a breeze of some sort. Of course, I don't have to worry about ice (or iced bridges) here in Florida.

[sgf726]

Can't believe we are talking about winter already, it feels like summer just started.

I usually ride outside on the weekends until about mid-Nov and start up again in March. During the week I do spin classes 3x per week from about Oct-Mar.
Mostly because I don't have enough non-working daylight to ride.

I swim year round as well as run outside year round. In the winter on the weekends we x-c ski and hike.

I usually find that by doing the spinning classes and keeping active all winter I haven't really lost any fitness when I get back on the bike in the spring.

[jusdooit]

This year, for the first time, I plan to ride. It's been such a hot summer, I can't wait for it to be cooler. I have an indoor trainer I plan to use if the weather is too bad. I hope to start out next season with a good base of fitness and see where that will take me.

[Velocivixen]

I'm essentially a gym rat. I lift weights, box, Pilates, boot camps, yoga, etc. I also run outside. We don't consistently get much if any snow here in the valley. If we get 1/4" schools close, etc. It's a big deal.

[goride]

I do not ride in winter for all the reasons Oakleaf noted, and I am also farther north. Our not snowy or icy road season ends in November, and with a little luck, I might get to ride outdoors by the end of March (short rides because it will still be less than 40 degrees). Over the winter I continue running, weight classes and yoga, and add spin classes, ride on the trainer, snowshoe, and xc ski. Just learning to xc ski and last season was my first season. I am not so sure I am actually skiing as walking on skis at this point. In fact I found that in general, my skiing is much slower than my running. This seems wrong; I am definitely not a fast runner. Since I have added the outdoor winter sports I like winter much more than I used to.

[chryss]

Well, given I'm in Alaska and haven't lived through an entire winter yet, I don't know. I doubt I'll join the hard-core winter riders (there are a bunch of those) my first cold season, but do hope that until the road ices over I can ride a road bike and during times when the temperature stays around the 0°F/-20°C mark I can at least amble over some snowy trails once in a while.

But mostly I plan on taking up regular cross-country skiing. My workplace's back door goes out on a trail system: I just have to cross a parking lot. The other items on the winter fitness plan are to start weight lifting seriously (I have "The new rules of lifting for women" and am intrigued) and then there's running ... I still have a hard time believing that the human body is capable of running continuously for an entire mile or even more. Time to try it out!

[jelee1311]

I ride all winter, of course we don't get much snow. I got great rain/ wind gear last year so I could ride outside. I'd rather ride outside than on a trainer because I feel like a hamster on a wheel. I swim,do yoga and pilates,and I p
lan to try snowshoeing this year.