Year-Round Cycling
John Hughes
Many of us randonneurs ride year-round for fun, to ward off the winter blues, to keep fitness and manage our weight and/or to participate in RUSA's R-12 and P-12 programs.
Nutrition is particularly important this time of year because we're burning calories to stay warm as well as move the bike forward. I've found that food that tastes good in the summer when warm, like energy bars, is unappetizing when hard and cold so I carry food that's a bit crunchy year-round like granola bars. I also carry hot tea or sports drink in an insulated bottle—depending on the temps it'll stay warm for an hour or two.
For clothing I dress in layers so I can adjust as the temps change and I don't get too sweaty. I on my torso I wear a polypro or wool undershirt, wool jersey, thermal vest and windbreaker. Like many randonneurs I like wool because it's warm even when wet. Sometimes I put a sheet of newspaper under the undershirt and then toss it as the day warms up. On my legs cycling shorts and tights and knee warmers under the tights if it's particularly chilly. I have a pair of glove liners and a balaclava both made out of silk or polypro and very light. They're a great base layer. I like the gloves because they keep my fingers warm when I take off the heavier outer layer to eat. I can wear a heavier hat over the balaclava, shed the heavier one if it warms up or pull the balaclava down over my face if it gets colder.
I've just published 15 page eArticle on Year-Round Cycling that covers: 1) Goal setting, highlighting the R-12 and P-12 programs, 2) Training, 3) Clothing and Equipment, 4) Nutrition, 5) How to ride in wet and snowy conditions and 6) Motivation:
http://www.roadbikerider.com/e-articles/year-round-cycling
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Cheers,
John Hughes
www.coach-hughes.com
PO Box 18028
Boulder, CO 80308-1028
Randon Nerd
For snowy, icy road conditions, nothing beats a good set of Nokian
Hakkapeliittas.
I've also found that my daily commute (15 miles each way) is a great
place to check out how items will perform on brevets. If "waterproof"
clothing doesn't keep me warm for 2 hours through a 28 deg. F winter
"rainstorm" I won;t have a lot of confidence that I'll be anymore
comfortable riding in 40 deg F rain through the night 40 degree rain
on a randonnee.
For clothing, I agree that nothing beats wool as a base layer when
things get wet. I'm fond of GORE-TEX for the outerwear, especially for
my socks. If I can keep the water from getting into them, they'll
eventually allow my body heat to drive out the moisture and allow me
to look forward to dry socks again. (I ride with open sandals which
allow the warm, moist water vapor to pass through.
For goal setting, my strategy is to plan to ride EVERY event I can
possibly fit onto my schedule. Unfortunately with my demands of work
and a family that includes two teenagers, this pretty much limits my
mileage to one 1000K or 1200K per month (when they are offered), along
with a brevet or permanent on one of the other weekends...too many
rides, and not enough time, resulting lately in some tough decisions
when having to choose among all of the offerings. THANKS to all of
the RBAs, permanent owners and all the rest of you in the RUSA world
who volunteer and provide all of these options for the rest of us.
Bill
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John Hughes
Thank you for the excellent suggestion that winter is a great time to be testing gear for brevets whether it's clothing, a different saddle or a new food. I've long preached you shouldn't try anything new on an important ride. That's what training rides and shorter brevets are for.
Cheers,
John