Road Cycling: How do you get through the winter?

For all you folks who live in nasty winter weather locations - how do you get through the winter with most of your conditioning intact?

Living in Colorado, it's hard (though not impossible) to ride much through the winter. Last winter was particularly dreadful. If you can't get on your bike, what do you do? There's no way in the world I can spend more than 45 minutes on the rollers so my long endurance rides are few and far between come winter.

Sharon

Head to the Gym its what the best thing to  past the winter time.

It's Arizona here...we ride a little later in the day...when it's about 70.

--sorry, couldn't resist!

Look at a fluid trainer. I invested in a Kurt's Kenetic because during the winter months I have no time to get on the road. It eliminates the point of failure of the shaft seal barrier by using a magnetic coupling.

Also came with a DVD containing three 30 min programs anyone of which will , each has a diff. focus, break a sweat or do all three, You will come through the winter in fine shape.

 http://www.kurtkinetic.com/index.php

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For all you folks who live in nasty winter weather locations - how do you get through the winter with most of your conditioning intact?

Living in Colorado, it's hard (though not impossible) to ride much through the winter. Last winter was particularly dreadful. If you can't get on your bike, what do you do? There's no way in the world I can spend more than 45 minutes on the rollers so my long endurance rides are few and far between come winter.

Sharon

It usually stays pretty mild here in northern Virginia, at least until mid-January.  I do pretty well with micro fiber gloves, 'excursion grade' leggings, a wool sweater under my North Face hard shell and a hat.  For temperatures below mid 30's I also carry some chemical toe/foot warmers that I put in my shoes. 

Limit your rest breaks to aboslute necessity -  you freese up fast when you stop working.  I also find using warm water in my hydradtion pack helps. Never take your gloves off - even if your hands feel hot.  Once your fingers get cold it seems impossible to warm them up again.

 Enjoy the moment -  you be lamenting the unbearable heat soon enough!

KFC

dude, suck it up, get some warm clothes, and use vaseline.  if you dress properly, you can ride  down to 0 degrees F as long as the roads are dry.

 and remember, vaseline is your friend.

Get a fixie and get stuck in.

You might only be able to ride 30mins-1hr but you'll feel like you've done a lot more.

I am in Wyoming.  I increase my spinning during the winter, but I also use the arc traininer, true strider, tread mill, elliptical machines a lot more.  When spring comes around, we gradually work up our riding outdoors to our century rides.

I personally don't believe in pretend training to get in better shape for real activities. Treadmills and stationary bike bore me beyond imagination. I don't enjoy them so I don't use them.

I ride. 

I moved to Golden, CO from Kentucky this past winter in February. The drier air made it much easier to ride on much colder days. I commuted 7 miles one way a couple days a week all winter down to the low teens and sometimes beyond.

I abstained on days when there was snow on the road or days when the wind was extremely fierce, but otherwise I didn't shy away from the cold. I did invest in some thermal tights and I have a good solid shell that I wear, as well as a balaclava and somewind resistant gloves. Oh, shoe covers make the biggest difference too.

Having said all that I must quantify it by saying that I burn hot. I have an overactive metabolism and I can stay warm in the coldest weather as long as I keep moving. But even then, the key is to dress in layers, be ready for adverse conditions and enjoy being outside when no one else is willing to do it. 

If the weather is just too nasty to ride, I run. I can run in any weather at any time of the year. It is a great fall back activity for me.

I'm in Philly and I ride through the winter.  Last year - in total - I did not miss a day of biking to work (8.2 miles one way).  Some days were pretty cold, but I grew up in the Poconos and my theory is that if I would snowboard in it, I could put on the same gear and bike.  I do have a junker bike to handle all the snow and slush and salt that wears the bike out though.  I wear: goggles (when needed due to precipitation), lands-end shoe-style boots (the only thing I found that sufficiently kept my feet both warm and dry), and my snow-boarding pants, coat, face mask, and gloves.  My 5th graders laugh if they ever stay late at school and see me leave.  I admit, I must be a sight to see.  But, I am proud to say that I do it.  With all my padding I feel even more protected against the crazy drivers of the world. I also keep extra toasty toes in my bag and use them very regularly!

Do I like the winter?  No, I despise it!  I keep thinking of moving south to accommodate my commuting by bicycle.  However, as unpleasant as it might be, it is possible :-)

I agree with the last poster though - you must accept that the initial start will be unpleasant, and, on some days, much more than the start will be pleasant, but it won't kill you and those who must work in the cold all day wave like you are their long lost cousin!

Kristy

When it gets down to the 40s or 50s? HA..todays hi was 40, I went for a run this 5am and it was 32 degrees out...It has not even began to get cold here in good ole Missouri.

 me

 Living in southeastern MA, our winters vary between comparatively mild & absolutely NASTY!    I ride a Cannondale "Easy Rider" recumbent ; although it's primarily a road bike, it has a full suspension, uses BMX - style tires & can be ridden on hard-packed dirt.  I'm primarily a road & rail-trail rider; I live @ 10 miles from RI's excellent East Bay Bike Trail, usually prefer to ride there.  I do the "layered clothing" bit, but my lower temp limit for outdoor riding is @ 45 degrees; I finished up an 18 - mile ride this afternoon (it was 42 when I finished! ), so the hot bathtub felt really good afterwards!

 Once it gets much colder, I'll start using a stationary recumbent down at the local gym to try to stay somewhat conditioned.  (Although I'll agree with a lot of the other comments about stationary bikes; I typically go out for @ 1 hour & 25 min. to do my 18-mile trip, like to do at least one 30+ mile ride a week during the warmer months, longest ride so far in a single day has been 61 miles on the Cape Rail Trail - but I get bored silly in 20 minutes on the stationary recumbent!).

 I also swim year-round at the local gym (try to do at least 3 miles / week, more if I have the time).  Tried using an elliptical there for the first time last winter, might use it some more this coming winter.  Running, unfortunately, is not an option;  I suffered a broken right kneecap (absolutely NASTY injury!) just over 5 years ago, & the right knee is still slightly stiff (the biking helps!).  I tried running for the first time in years about a week ago (just doing laps around the gym basketball court, less pounding than a treadmill), but the bad knee started "complaining" after a single lap.  Also, I don't bike if there's any snow on the ground.  (Don't want to risk further injury to the bad knee!).

 I should also add that I'm not particuarly a "youngster" - will be 56 in 2 months!

                                                                                                      Tom

I live in Minnesota. Up until last year I did the indoor trainer thing (Kurt kenetic is the best), swam billions of laps, and xc skiied when the snow conditions would allow.

I love to ride. I live to ride. So last year I sucked it up, bought some cold weather gear and rode as much as i could when it was above zero. That was the point where I decided my gear wasn't warm enough.

I did thre studded tires thing on an old Gitane (1985 vintage). I had to modify brakes but otherwise everything was cool.  They plow the bike trails around here for the walkers so I tired to stay off the road as much as posible when commuting. When out for a fun ride I rode the dirt roads in the farm country to the west of  me. Dang that was fun.

Up keep on the bike was a lot of work but I love that sort of thing. I'm a bike mechanic wannabe.

Best advice - Nike had it right - JUST DO IT!

Shoe covers!  I have a pair of neoprene shoe covers that cost maybe 15 bucks.  They cover the tops of your feet with a strap that goes under the arch of your foot, but otherwise leaves the bottom of your shoe clear.  My feet are generally the warmest part of me with those.

 Terii

Sadly I don't get through the winter. I just got my Trek 1.2 and am Worried about damaging it by riding in adverse wather conditions. I rode my last bike through the winter and it hardly made it out the other side.

 I ride when it is dry, but I can only ride out of school time, which by this time of year is dark. This is not ideal. Sometimes it gets so cold that my fingers freeze up, I think it adds to the thrill and pure joy of cycling.

 So I can ride about two rides a week, I hate not being out.

 Weekends are my personal jesus, but they are usually icy or wet. Its like Mother nature is working against me, as usual (headwinds whatever direction you go in).

Normally Cross Country Skiing and hitting the gym this year I got a great trainer and plan to use my Swiss ball to work on my lack of abs. I may even get those abs this year! I hope to ride earlier this spring I'll have to dress better for it. More layers better outer ware. Mother Nature might be kind to us and we get an early spring.