January 2017 | 37
Ask Anita
Mind Over Frozen Matter
Anita loves discovering new places by bike , having explored many miles of the National Cycle Network , and taken her trusty Ridgeback to roughly twenty countries so far . She does the occasional sportive , commutes by bike in London and Surrey and dabbles in triathlons , mountain biking and visiting cycling cafes . She currently works for the charity Sustrans as a project officer . Anita ’ s main area of expertise is surrounding herself with experts , whose knowledge she will extract to answer all of your everyday cycling questions …
Dear Anita ;
I
locked my bike in the shed in November , and I haven ’ t seen it since . I ’ ve started to miss it a bit lately . How can I get over my fear of the cold and dark so I can enjoy some riding between now and Spring , whenever that may come along ?
Dear Reader ;
It sounds as if you ’ ve made the first step – your mind is starting to think about the bike , to miss your trips out on it . Think about what it is that you ’ re missing now that it ’ s locked away . Is it the freedom you feel as cycling along , the outdoorsy glow it gives you , the social element of riding with friends ? All of those things and many more can be just as good , if not better , over the winter months !
Red-nosed cyclists
There is no denying that your extremities feel the chill most when the temperature drops . Your everyday winter wardrobe is likely to have emerged towards the end of last year . With it you could introduce a few pieces of key cycling attire to get you through . A buff keeps your neck , head , chin , mouth and crucially , your nose warm ( I have been unsuccessfully trying for years to invent a nose warming device ). Gloves , obviously . As many pairs of warm socks as you can still get your shoes on over . Thermals to keep you toasty warm .
Mind over frozen matter
It can be hard to motivate yourself to do anything except drink tea and eat buttery toast on these cold winter days , even though you know that once you ’ re out there on your bike , you ’ ll be grinning from slightly chilly ear to slightly chilly ear . Try to see the buttery toast as an end goal . Arrange rides with friends so you all motivate each other . Once you ’ ve done it a couple of times you ’ ll be itching to be out again . Find routes that work best in the weather and lighting . It may sound odd , but depending on your bike , and your preference , more off-road rides could be more enjoyable and practical .
Indoors / outdoors ?
A lot of cyclists bring their bikes indoors over winter , and set up turbo trainers , to keep up the pedalling without the wintery conditions causing issues . I ’ ve never done this myself ( partly lack of space , partly laziness , partly because I ’ m a weirdo who loves cycling in winter ) but it seems to work for many . It could be an alternative way to maintain a good working relationship between you and your steed , without having to change your attitude to the cold and dark .
Personally , I can ’ t think of much that is more pleasing than the feeling of warming your chilled toes ( no matter how many socks I wear , they always end up a bit icy ) by a roaring fire after whizzing through some dramatic winter scenery .
A bike is after all a classic Christmas gift , and one to love and cherish . Shame they ’ re such a nightmare to wrap up !
- Some keep cycling in the snow