BEAT THE WINTER, RIDE MORE AND WIN!

Look after your kit… and yourself
Crashing will wreck your kit, and that’s if you’re lucky – if you’re not, it’ll wreck you and your bike as well. Winter has its own specific hazards, and it’s not just the road surface.

The worst car drivers get even worse. Many drive with frozen or misted screens, windows and mirrors, so be extra defensive at junctions. Cover the brakes and assume they’re going to pull out (watch the front wheel for clues, not the indicators!) The low winter sun can be blinding too, especially on wet roads. And to make it worse, if it’s not blinding for you, it might be blinding for drivers heading in different directions.

Lights are a big help here, and the more the better. It’s worth combining flashing modes with steady ones, front and rear, to combat complaints about both (harder to judge speed, harder to see, respectively). Make sure they’re not obscured by mudguards (yes, you do need them!), tailpacks, cables or luggage, and spread them out: one on the helmet and at least one on the bike works well. In total darkness, the subconscious implication of something very tall is that it’s also very wide.

Reflective strips are very effective, especially around your ankles or shoes, where movement relative to an approaching car is at its greatest.

A good tip for urban riders is to find a big industrial estate. After work hours their wide mazes of roads tend to be deserted, and they’re usually well lit with fairly good Tarmac too. It might be a dull route, but you can’t see the scenery anyway – and anything that helps you get out there and stay safe is a win.

Let yourself go (a bit)
Putting on a bit of winter weight isn’t necessarily bad – it’s insulation, for a start. Eating healthily and well is key to avoiding illnesses that could keep you off the bike altogether. Make sure to get your carbs and protein for recovery, and include a good variety of fruit and vegetables with meals.

Put lentil-based meals on your winter menu!

Think different
If you’re a die-hard roady and struggling to get out of the door, think radically. Try mountain biking  cyclocross racing  or gravel instead. They take you completely away from traffic, and typically rely on lower speeds which means less windchill, and muddy crashes, while more common, usually hurt less. These disciplines are all great for bike-handling building skills, core strength, balance, confidence (and thighs of steel). It also means another bike to obsess over, upgrade and fettle – and let’s face it, that’s half the fun!

And when you get back on the road you’ll feel the benefit; the reduced weight and weenie rolling resistance will have you flying along and falling in love with speed all over again.