Winter Riding Tips & Ideas
Ok so its that time of year again where bad weather and increasingly muddy trails seem to become the norm. So we thought we would compile a few useful hints for you that help beat the weather and winter blues...
1. Winter proof you and the bike.
Having the right clothing makes a huge difference to your comfort while riding. Items such as overshoes, leg warmers or thermal lycra tights may not look cool, but they are a good way of keeping warm. Coupled with wicking base layers and a good quality waterproof and you should be able to continue riding in all but the foulest weather. On the bike crud catchers again arent that cool, but they help you to stay a little drier and cleaner making especially longer rides slightly more bearable. Keeping the bike clean and well lubed is also essential to keep things working well and extend the lifetime of all your bikes moving parts.
2. Pick the right trails.
Use your local knowledge to pick the right tracks. Unless your new to the sport we normally all know which trails are the most susceptible to becoming almost unrideable over the winter. Remember the Chilterns has a lot of flint and chalk tracks - these can become very hard to ride over the winter so pick tracks away from areas like that if you can. Stay away from the worst affected areas; riding them will only ruin your bike and the trails.
3. Always end a ride feeling like you could have done more.
It sounds odd as we all want to make the most of our riding time, but ending a ride totally shattered is no fun and will only leave your motivation in taters. Ending a ride on a high note and finishing smiling makes it much easier to get out the front door next time...
4. Slow down and ride up a couple off extra hills.
This is something we try to stick by through the winter months. Why slow down? Well besides the fact that the mud will naturally do this anyway, riding at a more even pace and taking less rest breaks helps to keep warmer. Riding those extra couple of hills will both help you keep warm but also obviously help out your fitness. Doing a bit more over the winter in harder conditions means by the time the dry weather comes around again you can really make the most of your riding. Winter riding helps with both on bike handling skills (slippery tracks) but the harder going conditions do wonders for your fitness and endurance by the time those long all day epic rides start again in the Spring...
5. Try something new.
The winter is a great time to try something different, build up a bike using old parts you may have lying around, rigid bikes and single speed bikes can be great fun at this time of year and saves your expensive bike some of the wear and tear. A road bike is also a good way of still getting out riding but avoiding the worst of the trail conditions. Alternatively try some cross-training, do some running or swimming over the winter months to preserve the fitness built up over the summer, especially if your looking at racing next season.
Whatever you do this winter make sure you enjoy it and keep looking forward to the Spring and with it the lighter nights and drier trials (hopefully).
Happy Riding, and a
Merry Christmas