Winter time isn't the best time of the year to go cycling. Here in the Netherlands it has been quite cold over the past weeks. Yesterday we even had black ice. There have been some serious car accidents because some roads were turned into
skating rinks.
Today the temperature was just above 0. Due to this slightly higher temperature and the fact that the municipal road workers sprinkled brine, the roads were accessible again.
On some roads you still see some snow or ice, but most of it is gone.

The cold

Due to the cold and ice and that I have a slight shoulder injury from my recent skiing trip I hadn't done a single bicycle ride this year. And since my goal is to cycle more that 5000 kilometers this year and my fitness has dropped significantly I really had to go for a ride.
Because it is very cold you have to prepare yourself very well. Because we tend to have some cold winters in the Netherlands and I like to ride my bicycle all year round I've collected quite some quality clothing that can keep me warm on the bike.
And today with the temperature of +1 degree Celcius and some wind (which made the perceived temperature -5 ) I really needed some warm clothes.

At first I have my nice and warm GripGrab socks. I like the text on them although you don't see them. I really hate cold feet because when my feet are cold, my whole body becomes cold.
I warmed up my cycling shoes above the radiator first. I also have special isolating covers to put around my shoes. These are from BBB. This combination keeps my feet warm for quite a long time during cold rides.

I also have a thermo undershirt and a thick cycling jacket and special cycling trousers I use in winter.
To protect my head I'm wearing a balaclava.

Finally I'm always wearing gloves when I go cycling in cold conditions. Just like cold feet will cold hands turn the rest of my body cold. Last year I've bought these GoreTex so-called lobster gloves. They look a bit special, but they are so nice and warm. It keeps three fingers together which keeps them warm and the separated index finger gives you a bit more flexibility.

The ride

And then the ride itself. It was quite noticeable that I hadn't been cycling for a few weeks. Especially the parts with a headwind were quite exhausting. I did manage to make a nice round of 40 kilometers. I actually drove an extra two kilometers when I got back because I wanted to reach 40k's and 'only' had 38 when I got back.
I hope I can do some commuting rides this week, so I can build up my fitness again.

I hope you enjoyed this blog.

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FriendlyMoose

Creating blogs about photography, cycling, gardening, craft beer and more...

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