“Raining mud, from a lacerated tyre” – Slayer (sort of)
It might look ugly out there, but it’s worth looking a bit harder.
For road riders all over the northern hemisphere – and certainly here in London –
winter rolls around with some degree of menace. Our favourite club runs take on a
whole different hue when the sun doesn’t rise enough to dry the dew off the asphalt,
and the turbo looks a lot friendlier than the drudgery of Richmond or Regents Park
laps in the drizzle. Our usually svelte machines are lumbered with puncture resistant
tyres and mudguards, and it does feel like every year the conditions increase in
magnitude. But I think I’ve worked it out. Winter isn’t worse, it’s just different –
right?
Now, the inclement weather systems that traditionally accompany the seasonal
surplus of darkness are a valid concern. We’ve all heard the hackneyed phrase:
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing” – and this is true – but I ask,
“What constitutes bad weather anyway?”
Torrential rain, howling gales, and potholes materialising without warning from the
gloom do have their benefits. Velominati rules aside, riding in adverse conditions –
while unlikely to immediately provide Strava KOMs – improves bike handling, road
reading skills and fitness. Personally I am not fast enough to give any serious
competitors a run for their money, even in the summer, so a spot of rain increasing
my braking distance doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I’m still getting thoroughly
knackered out, and every ride makes me stronger. Little personal victories. And I
don’t think I’m on my own in deriving as much pleasure from reaching the crest of a
sodden peak with my frozen corpse shrinking from the headwind while trying not to
ingest too much of my own mucus, as I do cruising at 40kmh on shimmering
continental tarmac. Though I also feel like I’m cheating nature every time I use an
umbrella.
Also, a myriad of new pleasures can be discovered with a few alternative equipment
choices. The ‘winter trainer’ is all well and good, but I’d say it’s worth pushing it a
little further…
While road racers turning to cyclocross in the off-season is by no means a new
concept, for those of us who don’t race every week, ‘cross influenced bikes can be
year-round hardy commuters that come into their own at winter. My Genesis CDF is
hefty by anyone’s standards, but the full steel frameset combined with large volume
tyres, disc brakes and lowered gear ratios make for something that can be chucked
around with the kind of irreverence I would never dare submit my road bike to, not to
mention the option to ride on near enough any old surface.
That’s a whole lot of childish fun in itself – but bikes like that are true go-anywheres,
and as such there’s some exploring to be done. In my opinion, the British landscape
does rather well in the bleaker months, and with a bit of out-of-the-box route planning
(or deliberately not planning) the London rider might just find more pleasantries than
they expect.
Gems like this spot sadly tend to be a little disconnected from any real destination, but
with the right tyre choice, you can link up your favourite road sections with these
tracks through common- or heath-land, gravel tracks, canal and towpaths, and end up
with a diverse and uniquely challenging ride. The same destinations can be reached in
a multitude of ways, and making your route up as you go can bring some welcome
relief from the competition of the tried-and-tested runs – let’s be honest, few of us can
turn down the opportunity to chase the rider in front, especially when you know the
road.
So show two fingers to the wind and rain, and chuck a heavy bike up a massive hill.
Then down again. And repeat. You’ll be a whole lot quicker back on the slicks when
spring comes round, plus you’ll still have the opportunity to maintain the obligatory
roadie tan lines.
Chord+Cadence 