Do you ride a bike in the winter? Apply these 8 tips to make it more enjoyable!

1. Use warm clothing!

• Pay special attention to your hands (I recommend skiing gloves or winter cycling gloves) and shoes (thick winter covers or preferably winter shoes if you ride often)Put 2-3 layers, no more.
• Buy winter trousers – putting more than one layer on your legs is hindering your movements.
• If you feel cold in your knees, despite the winter trousers, put the knee warmers on the outside.

2. Start in comfort

• Have a hot drink (coffee/tea or even isotonic powder disolved in warm water) before going out to start your warm up in a thermic comfort.
• Warm up for 15-20min on a high cadence of 95-100 and every 5min increase the intensity of the ride to quickly enter thermic comfort.

3. Be visible

• Accessories that reflect the light, bright colors, lights at the front and back – all this helps drivers see you a lot earlier and react adequately to your presence on the road.
• Avoid: black colors, lack of reflections on clothing, riding without lights (even during the day).

4. Plan your route

• In winter, the weather does not forgive – when you get lost in the forest or get a flat far from home, the return journey is long and cold, and it gets dark quickly. Choose rather known routes.
• It is good to move around the streets near your place of residence – this will allow you to return home quickly in case of weather/ flat tire / breakdown.

5. Pay attention to the wind

• First, try to find a head wind (heat up and break the resistance of the wind when you have the most energy)
• Come back with a tail wind (avoid the icy wind in your face when you are already warmed up)

6. Meet with your friends

• Riding in a group is safer on the road, drivers pay more attention to more people than to individual cyclists.
• To share this winter effort is an invaluable experience – getting together with your friends motivates you to leave the house.
• In the event of a break down, there is a greater chance of it being more easily mitigated.

7. Take care of the bike

• It is best to clean at least the gear hub after each ride – salt and slush can decompose the iron when we do not care about cleaning and lubrication.
• If you ride a lot outdoors (2-4 x a week), it’s best to buy a cheap winter bike, cross-country or MTB (they are safer than narrow and slippery road tires), they also have more effective braking system.

8. If it’s too cold, stay at home

• I do not recommend riding on the road below -5 * C, and in the forest below -10 * C. For training reasons, exercise at lower temperatures will not bring much benefits, and the body will spend a lot of energy on heating up.
• On extremely cold days (there are not so many) choose a trainer, running, swimming pool or gym.

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