Hey Team!

This week I’ll talk about training in the winter both indoors and outdoors. Just some basic tips to get things rolling!(see what i did there!?) ll start with indoor tips and tricks, then speak to the outdoors!

Indoor:

The biggest detriment to riding indoors is heat, and thus nutrition second. Keeping the room you’re training in on the cooler side helps, and a fan will be your biggest help. Personally, I ride with two fans, one in front and one in back. When you’re sweating that much, you’re also burning more calories. I eat/drink more on the trainer than outside. In a 90 minute workout, I’ll drink two mixed bottles, and eat a bar/chews.I said it in the last email, bonking on the trainer is so much worse than outside. At least morally lol. Winter is also a wonderful time to practice your fueling strategies as well. WHat better place to have stomach issues from eating the wrong thing than inside your own home. Staying comfortable and changing positions regularly is a big help as well. Standing up every now and then to relieve pressure will be a big help. Related is bike fit. If you’re uncomfortable outside, it’s only worse inside. Another tip is to make sure your bike is level. riding downhill or uphill while stationary is no fun. "downhill" being the worst of the two, numb and painful hands are generally the result. I usually try to limit my time on the trainer. 90 minutes is usually my max. I still don’t know how some can ride for 2+ hours on the trainer. While it may be necessary at some points, try and limit those to only when you absolutely have to. FInally, the days of spinning away in your basement to VHS tapes or just music are over. i truly love the benefits of platforms like zwift, rouvy, my whoosh, training peaks virtual etc. Not only does gamifying the ride keep it engaging but it also makes it, dare I say it, fun. For myself i findon days where I lack the motivation to do structure, I like to tick off the routes. I pick one based on time and ride the route.The coach in me also loves the lowering of the bar that zwift has had on training with power. they’ve truly made it simple for everyone. You can ride zwift with a dumb trainer and a speed sensor. Zwift has tested most common trainers on the market and has created what they call Zpower. Basically they’ve put a known working power meter on a bike on most brands trainers and for a given speed you’d have to be doing X power for that. While not the best in accuracy, it does give a very attainable way to start training with power. Like I said in my previous email, I’ve had athletes go from dumb trainers to smart trainers, then head back outside and realize how much they liked training with power and add a power meter to their bikes. I don’t mean to keep pushing zwift, but truly they are the 800pb gorilla in the room. The platform works on everything from your cell phone to apple tv. We’ll be doing group workouts as well there. It’s an amazing tool. Choosing the right gear to wear here can also make the trainer much more enjoyable. Don’t use your oldest bibs. newer chamois pads will be more comfy. To plug for our sponsor, the Pactimo 12 hour bibs are my go to for the trainer. they breathe well, the pad is a tad thicker and the pockets are great for your phone/remote/food. I usually wear the 12 hour bibs and zero weight or SL base layer. Wicks the moisture away for the fans to do their job. With this, chamois cream is your friend. I ALWAYS wear chamois cream on the trainer. even for a 30 minute recovery spin. Heather Dalfonzo makes a wonderful, all natural chamois cream. I think this sums up my most important recommendations for indoor. shoot back any more ideas or tips you have and i’ll send them out to the team!

Outdoor:
Truthfully, riding outdoors in the cold is mostly clothing related. The right gear makes all the difference. I’ll start with one rule though: i’ll ride in the wet, and i’ll ride in cold, i will not ride in the wet and cold. 75 and rain, I’m in. 22 and sunny, bundle up. 45 and rain, trainer time! ill attack the bike set up first. In decades past, we’d normally say throw some 28c training tires on. however now i run 30’s all year(they’re faster, i’ll dive into this in a tech/coaching article). Short answer: if your bike will fit them, 28c is the smallest you should ride. Fenders are your friend. Anything to keep water off you longer will only make staying out longer easier. I don’t usually have hard mounted fenders on my bike for winter, but the ass saver(yes that’s a brand name) type fender is wonderful. Along with bike set up comes maintenance. Salt is horrific for your bike(this includes sweat you trainer riders!!) so make sure you wash your bike more often. get that salt off the bike as soon as possible. If you find yourself riding in truly wet horrific conditions a good chain lube is also a huge help to prevent early wear on your drivetrain. Clothing. Again, I am a huge supporter of pactimo. I’m a brand ambassador for them. My custom clothing is through them, our team clothing is through them. I pushed to use them when the shop started the race team as well. I love the gear. I have 5 pieces of non pactimo gear, 3 of which(toe covers, shoe covers and gloves) that pactimo doesnt make. Neoprene. I love neoprene winter gear. I sweat like a pig and this is why it works for me. Neoprene works like a wetsuit. it uses the warm sweat from you to create its insulation barrier. It’s wonderful. It does have limits though. you can’t take them off when at the coffee shop and if you do they will not get warm again. You also can’t use the touch screen. Shorter rides with no planned stop neoprene is my go. If your hands don’t sweat all that much, avoid neoprene all together. The other two pieces are a deep winter jacket and a deep winter set of bib tights. I bought these because when my old pactimo ones died, they were out of stock and I ordered some through my shop. Here’s a quick suggestion list of where to start with what to wear at certain temperatures. This is just a starting point and you can add/remove layers based on how you handle the cold

70-80* bibs and jersey
60-70* add a base layer and arm warmers
50-60* add knee/leg warmers, vest, light glove
40-50* add thick vest or jacket, toe covers, thick gloves
30-40* tights and thermal base layer, jacket, beanie, thick gloves, shoe covers
20-30* tights and thermal baselayer, jacket, thick gloves, shoe covers, balaclava

Again this is a starting point. Personally I’d wear shoe covers starting 40*. What this does not cover is intensity. If i’m doing a hard workout in 40-50, id probably wear more like the 50-60* clothing. Same scenario but a recovery or z2 ride, I’d probably dress a tad warmer than the 40-50* suggestion. Another benefit may be to wear more, lighter layers and have the ability to dress/undress as needed. I tend to do this more than a single heavy layer. That also said, once you hit freezing, the single heavy layer is all I do. Example: this past Sunday, 44* for the ride. I wore a lightweight bibtight(thermal, non wind breaking) long sleeve base layer, long sleeve thermal jersey(for the pactimo fan: alpine bib, alpine thermal jersey and the single greatest piece of clothing i own, the thermoregulator base layer. buy one in long sleeve and one in short sleeve. you can thank me later). I also got to use my breckenridge vest. I had to take it off and it got too hot. The Breckenridge vest and jacket are new to me for this season and so far. They are a huge hit. When the jacket is paired with the alpine thermal jersey, you have the alpine jacket with better wind/water protection. This is my go to cold set up now, with my full on winter bib/jacket for below freezing temps. As a rule of thumb, when you’re standing outside just about to start your ride, you should be just cold. You should feel like if you put on a hoodie, you’d be perfect. You have to remember that when you start pedaling you’ll warm up so being just slightly cold at start is perfect. The team has access to some wonderful gear this year. Use it. I’ll say it again, I highly recommend the thermoregular base layer, the sl/zero weight base layer, the alpine thermal jersey, breckenridge vest and jacket and the storm+ bib tights. point of contention: knee warmers and knickers make no sense to me, if cold enough to cover your knees just cover your legs hahahahahahaha. I also really like a balaclava instead of a gaiter and beanie. You’ll find the combo of stuff that works best for you. Start by doing shorter loops more times so you can stay closer to home in case things go south. Once you dial in your gear, venture farther. Glasses. Cold watery eyes are no good.

Other fun tips: those hand warmer packs above your shoe but below the shoe cover help to take a little bit of the nip out of the shoes. They also make bigger ones you can place on top of the base layer on the small of your back. this will heat the spinal fluid and keep the core warmer as well, kind of like the warm water bottle in the sleeping bag for those of you that camp! Skratch labs makes some drink mixes that are designed to be hot as well. They have an apple cider flavor I love! You still have to hydrate in the cold, don’t forget to eat and drink.Dan Reiss will also be mad at me if i don’t mention riding off road. Winter is a great time to ride some gravel or mountain. Being in the woods is usually a tad warmer(less winds) and gravel means you work a tad harder keeping you warmer. The Dans, Chuck, Alyson, Erik, Steve, myself and a few others do some D&R canal gravel rides in winter to shake things up. Plus, who can say no to small world coffee in princeton.Another tip is using a helmet with less venting. Older Aero helmets are awesome here. Or if you’re Steve, use your skiing helmet. I also tape the vent holes on my shoes for winter. I’ve seen riders put aluminum foil under the insoles of their shoes as well.

Hope this helps! Stay warm out there!

Rick