Riding in the Holiday Season: December Rides!

[ny biker]

Well I finally uploaded all of this year's rides from my Garmin. My total mileage for the year was just 1370. Oh well, it was what it was. As Lance Armstrong would say: Onward.

DC weather forecasters are expecting colder than normal temps for January, for the first couple of weeks at least. I got three books for Christmas and am hoping they will be good distractions while riding the stationary bike at the gym.

Happy New Year to all!

[north woods gal]

Happy New Year to all of you, too.

Won't get above zero, today, but ride I will, even for just a short one, then right back in to warmup. Will end the month with only two days missed on the biking.

[emily_in_nc]

Today was sunny and a little chilly but the warmest day of the next week, and I wanted to get my 8+ miles to make 3700+ for the year, so we headed out in layers and 50-something degrees into a north wind. It warmed to around 64 during the ride and was altogether quite pleasant, although I prefer warmer temps and fewer layers. Still, the sunshine was lovely, and I certainly can't complain compared to the rest of the country!

Ended up doing 34.45 miles today and 3726 for the year!

[north woods gal]

Great way to end the year, Emily. That's quite the comeback.

Did get a short ride in, today, so I'm done for the year. Onward to 2018!

[ny biker]

Way to go, Emily!

NWG, what do you wear for rides in such cold weather?

[north woods gal]

Thanks for asking. Okay, here goes. Way, way different than any other kind of bicycling.

For the legs, an outer windproof insulated bike specific legging with thermal underwear leggings underneath. Over the top of both, my padded shorts. It's important to use the shorts over the top to tuck in everything tight in the crotch area. Too much loose fabric, there, and the fabric hangs up on the seat when you mount the bike. This is actually a big deal, because mounting the bike in the snow is no easy feat since the tires have so little roll. You've got to hit the seat and the pedals, hard, simultaneously, with the bike almost stationary underneath you. You can't stand on the pedals, either, to get started. All that gets you is a rear tire sliding out in the snow. Have to have that weight on the seat for the sake of traction.

For the feet, standard, non-bike specific thermal pac boots with two layers of socks. This is why so many of us up here have ditched our clipless setups and gone with flat pedals. You can buy bike specific winter pac boots with the clipless setup, but they are insanely expensive and the ones I've seen are even heavier than standard pac boots, plus clipless is a regular pain the ### in the snow. Always getting clogged up. Even have a cheapo set of pacs from Wal-mart that work just fine. Even with these boots, I'm only good for two hours, max, at below zero temps.

Top is an old bike specific winter jacket I bought, years, ago, in Chicago. Use as many layers of fleece tops underneath as needed. Over-dressing, here, is always tricky. Even in below zero temps, I can over-dress and start to sweat after a time. That's a big no-no when it's below zero.

For the hands, I use standard, non-bike specific wool mittens underneath neoprene bike bar mitts. This is a super setup and has eliminated the cold hands problem, entirely. Mittens work fine with today's thumb shifters, all the more so on the 1x setups that most of my bikes have. No shifting needed on the left hand with a 1x.

Face and neck area are the biggest headaches. In below zero temps, any exposed skin is asking to get frostbite. I will use a balaclava if need be, but I hate them when riding. Always seem to need repositioning as a I ride. Can usually do just as well with the right stocking cap and a set of biking ear muffs and a scarf. I like the scarf. I can use it and adjust it to my liking easier then the balaclava. Lastly, in serious below zero, good ski goggles are an absolute must. Your eyes and face will take a real beating, otherwise. Same ones I use for my XC skiing. In fact, a lot of these clothing items are also used for my XC skiing. And of course, all this MUST be used with the helmet. Going down in the ice and snow at some point is almost a sure thing. I NEVER rode without a helmet. NEVER. No matter what the weather.

For sure, getting ready and dressed for a ride is not spontaneous just hop on the bike and ride thing. I've got it down to a fifteen to twenty minutes thing, now, though, when you're new to this, you'll need more time.

Lastly, yes, getting this bundled up and trying to ride robs you of a lot of efficiency. You will burn up a lot more calories per pedal cycle, not to mention the bike, itself, operating at very low efficiency. Trust me, a five mile ride on even hard pack snow, even with that snow on a paved road, is a REAL workout. My average speed on the same trails I ride in the summer gets cut in half in the winter. If you're out of shape, you won't last long in snow riding. My daily riding and conditioning in warm weather really pays off, here.

Okay, by now you may be wondering why on earth anyone would go to this much effort just to ride bike in the snow and cold. What can I say? I love the challenge. Everything in my technique gets trickier in the snow - turns, climbs just staying on the narrow trail through the snow. Virtually zero margin of error, now.

More than that, however, there's just something about hearing that crunch of the tires in the snow as I pedal, the enchanting solitude and quiet of the woods in the winter, that beautiful clean cold air. Heaven help me, I love it so.

[Crankin]

It all makes sense, North Woods.
So, my bike group is doing a hike on Wednesday, and the leader actually downloaded it into a Ride with GPS file. So, after downloading it, I checked my paltry mileage totals for the year.
1,884. Actually, about 100 more than I thought, but my lowest total since either 2003 or 2004.
There you go. I still did lots of rides, just short ones, as well as hiking, and going back to my old gym, with boot camp. On to 2018.

[rebeccaC]

Definitely not my best year or even close to my usual mileage…..a year of different challenges.

Nwg…I get the challenge part cuz that’s why I’ve liked climbing and long hard rides….thinking my current comfort zone means the riding in extreme cold makes me happy to live where I do though. .....you do indeed inspire though!!!!!!!!

More than that, however, there's just something about hearing that crunch of the tires in the snow as I pedal, the enchanting solitude and quiet of the woods in the winter, that beautiful clean cold air. Heaven help me, I love it so.

Quiet roads that head towards the clouds (Santa Monica/San Gabriel/Sierra mountains) with the only sounds being my breathing and bike, the beautiful surrounding landscape slowly going by and muscular effort going up and the relaxed muscular feeling going down…..then there’s the solitude and silence of riding in the desert (Mojave) and the peacefulness of riding the beach bike path at 3 am…..or even exploring the unexpected of a wrong turn….it’s all about being in the moment and feeling good about it.

[north woods gal]

Beautifully expressed, Rebecca. We can all list and appreciate the practical advantages of bicycling, but it's that soul enriching, haunting beauty aspect that makes it a lifestyle and a world of its own for so many of us.