HELP needed for wintertrainings

[spin-up]

it's getting cold here.... I have a hard time getting my ass on the bike sometimes but I do need the training rides.....

any boosting and energising winter cycling stories to share? the ones that will warm your heart when your on the bike and give you a sort of SUPER adrenaline shot?

well, in fact, any winter story will do... did you slip? did you get wet? did you get home? did your toes or other bodyparts freeze off? and than of course end with saying HOW MUCH YOU STILL ENJOYED IT!....

any tips to keep warm feet and ears are welcome too, and what to do about your nose? :lol:

[JFK]

Hmm, inspiration: now that I've put on all this clothing, I can't stay home. The thrill of continuing to ride while everyone else has hung up the wheels for the season; woman against nature. Sorry, that's all I've got this a.m. I'm planning to go for a ride in an hour or so - once it gets above freezing. So maybe upon my return I'll have some inspiring story.

As for keeping warm. You need a good wind-blocking top that goes on over several layers. I start with a good underlayer, like Craft, but any wicking one will do. Then a long-sleeve jersey. Then I have a nice wind-blocking and insulating fleece (custom-made from www.landsend.com and still less than many cycling jackets). I had pockets put on the chest which is very convenient for riding.

A good set of wind-blocking tights (mine are from performance.com, not expensive, but very good) and I use embrocation underneath. I use an extra-warming one and it gets my legs ready to go before I even get outside. Warning: wash your hands carefully after applying - you don't want this stuff in your eyes!

Wool sock and neoprene booties over the shoes. You can also buy goretex over socks that go in the shoes. Heck, you can use plastic baggies. They will insulate, but also trap sweat.

For the head, I use a fleece cap that goes under my helmet. I have a balaclava for when it gets really, really cold - this covers the nose, too and you also look like you are going to rob a bank as an extra bonus.

I use layers on my hands, too. An inner, thin glove and an outer, wind-blocking one.

Then, I look like a snowman, but I'm ready to roll. And remember, with all those extra layers on, you are heavier and the air is denser, so you not only feel slower, you *are* slower. But you're out there riding, and that's what counts! :)

[spin-up]

Jennifer that is so COOL!! To imagine that you do your rides, struggling against the same elements, dressed like Michelin Man just as me - at the other side of the ocean, I find that TOTALLY encouraging!! See I hardly meet women on wintertrainings. You will probably be cycling when I sleep and vice versa but the idea is inspiring! And I LOVE the term 'woman against nature' - this will be my mantra for the rest of the winter..... I-am-a-woman-against-nature.... :lol:

The balaclava... sounds like Greek desert... is a good idea. Maybe I can make it from an old wool cap, put holes in it big enough so I can still blow my nose. As for the toes, I use wintercyclingsocks, shoes and overshoes but still they freeze off. maybe the plastic bags will help. Usually I only wear bags when my overshoes run out and get holes in them and start leaking. Never thought of using this for the cold.

Another problem... in wintertime.... when you have to go... hmm is there a cool cycling word for 'pee'? Anyway this is a major problem for us females... with all the clothes. It's unfair, men just move everything a bit to the side.... and we have to COMPLETELY UNDRESS and freeze to death!

Being a winterwoman on wheels also has some advantage.... men usually let you ride in the wheel and let yo stay there. Probably makes them feel like Rescue Rider or IceMan or ActionBiker or so.... And we get some comfort and a great view at back and legs... In summer they expect you to take over the lead... somehow in winter they don't. Hm... they are pretty cool, after all, men.

How was the ride Jennifer? And anyone else doing any wintertraining or did you all hang up yours wheels? :wink:

[JFK]

Hey Spin-Up,

The ride was great! It was 38 F (about 3 C) and sunny, with quite a bit of wind. I wore a long-sleeve underlayer, a long-sleeve cyclingjersey and my lands end jacket. My trunk was quite toasty. Actually, all of me was pretty comfortable. In the very beginning my face was cold, but as I got going, that resolved. It felt so great just to be outside! I didn't see a single other cyclist while I was out. Usually I see one or two, but today either they all are going later, or they're all sleeping off Thanksgiving.

As for heeding "nature's call" that's what coffee shops are for. :wink: I can't imagine trying to remove my bottom layers to go outside. Yes, men do have the advantage there, no doubt about it. I did purchase a device that allows women to to standing up (it's called a "feminine urinary director" and I got it online at rei.com) It's very useful, but still, I only take it with me on really long rides. Today I knew I'd be by a coffee shop about half-way for an espresso and a pit-stop. I tend not to be as good about drinking in the cold as I am in the heat (even though you need just as much water), so it's less of an issue in the cold. And I'm not likely to be doing 4 or 5 hour rides in this weather. Today's 2 hours was just right.

Good luck with your training!

[Patrick]

My lowest temp outdoor ride was 6F for 37 miles. Windchill, ignore it. It is virtually impossible to get frostbite if the temperature is 33F. I don’t care what the windchill is. Also, if you start to get cold, pedal faster. "There is no such thig as bad weather, only bad clothes." Keep yourself safe and visible around traffic.

If you are serious about winter riding, visit http://www.icebike.com/

Finally, unless you live in a rural area with great roads, little traffic, and no traffic control devices causing you to slow or stop, the best training for general fitness or racing is on a trainer/rollers or a Spinning (type) bike. I don't care what the weather is outside. The only exception is developing and maintaining pack riding skills which can only be done on club rides.

[spin-up]

You really think the best training is on rollers or a spinner bike? I don't know.... teaching 9 classes a week... strength and interval, what I miss is the training that can hardly be done indoors, the duration training. Unlike you Pat I don't have a base build up in the past decades. I only sport since a couple of years, but have some ambitious rides ahead next spring and summer. So I do need to work on base building this winter and I don't see a way of doing that inside... spend 3 or 4 hours on a spinner? Only in a spin-a-thon maybe, but not for training.

With trainer/roller you mean like the Taxc training device you put on your bike? My husband has one of those and I've tried it, cycling indoors on your own bike. Well.... 45 minutes at the most than I go CRAZY!!

Outside time seems to go faster... and there is more variety, wind, corners, others bikers if you're lucky, hills, nature, but then... also the cold and the ice... Still I prefer outdoor to indoors, always.

The Icebike-site is great! We don't have that amounts of snow and ice here usually... It seems like fun!!! Like a winter version of ATB :D

Last question, you don't care for the windchill? How you do that? See I try to keep HR around 75% which isn't exactly topspeed.... windchill kills me sometimes... to the point of thinking wtf am I doing here on this bike?

[Patrick]

I agree for base building, you can't beat the outdoors. For timed interval work, you can't beat the indoors if you live in an urban area. I wish I could find a nice road where I could do 2 x 20s but I cannot.

I can easily do 90 to 120 minutes on a trainer (Tacx is supposed to be good one), if I have an interval program to follow, by focusing on counting the intervals, timing the work and recovery, and following HR. I usually do a 20 minute warm up, an interval workout, a slow cadence 15 to 20 minute climb (It’s very flat where I live -- even if I drive for two hours, I cannot find a climb for longer than 3 minutes.) and a warm-down. Watching a movie, cycling videos, and sporting events can distract me for a ride up to about 3 hours but I rarely ride that long indoors. Some of the RAAM riders do 15 to 24 hours on a trainer -- not me.

I am concerned about wind direction all of the time. Wind chill, as you know, is the effect of wind and temperature on exposed skin. The only exposed skin I have is from eyebrows to mouth. For some reason, I have never had a frost injury to my face. Most of the time I can ride into the prevailing winds on the way out and ride with the wind on my way back. That’s not to say I've never suffered cold hands or feet on a winter ride, or when overdressed, perspired so much that I soaked my clothes.

Sometimes you have to ride a little faster than 75%MHR to stay warm if you are under dressed or put another layer on. The worst is getting a flat or other mechanical problem on a winter ride. Carry a cellphone.

[spin-up]

Thanks for all the advise. I could try, like you, to make Tacx training a bit more technical or add more variety than only do the 75%. It's probably something you have to get used to... I'll take your suggestion and make a programm, see if I can stay on there longer -without getting irritated.

We also don't have hills in the neighbourhood, only further away, which makes a nice goal for an extended ride. The closest hill is 55 km away (35 miles), so I go there, take the hill once or twice and than go back. I have the wind in my face for 50% of the ride -nothing to do about that. Maybe eat more fat in winter... :D

[JFK]

I agree with Patrick that for the consistent application of power, there's nothing like the indoors. However, part of the reason I love riding is the interaction with the outdoors. So, you will almost never, ever find me training indoors in decent weather. I have some standard places for my 2 x 20's, and while they're not flat, I focus on average wattage over the 20 minutes and that works out okay.

In the winter, when it's really cold out (and like Patrick, my concern is more a flat than frostbite) I'll stick to my rollers, but as soon as it's decent out, I'm out the door. I know a lot of serious cyclists who train indoors even in summer in order to really focus their training, but I guess I'm just not that serious a competitor to miss out on good weather outside.

Icebike.com is a great site. I was going to mention it in my previous post but forgot. They are some hardcore cold-weather riders, those folk. I don't think my lungs can stand serious aerobic work below 32 F. I've done nordic skating at 20 - 30 F, so I suppose I could ride, just haven't tried it....