How to Survive a Winter in the Midwest or Going Fat this Winter (fat bike that is)

I wrote the article below on "How to survive a winter in the Midwest (and northern US in general)" for BikePanel, which was published today (here). Below is the English version of it with some changes and add-ons.

I could not wipe the smile off my face

While in some countries with warmer climates the fall marks the beginning of the cycling season and the season reaches its peak in the winter. In the Northern states of the U.S. most riders start to enter into winter hibernation. In Israel, where I grew up, this season marked the beginning of desert riding, the Gran Fondo events season, everything is green and blooming and other than a day of two of rain the weather is just perfect for riding. This is not the case in the Northern states in general and in the Midwest (where I live now) in particular. At this time of year everything freezes and most riders move their training from the outside into the pain caves and start spending quality time on their trainers. This makes staying in shape much more difficult.

For years, due to the cold and snowy winter, I felt that having a goal ride or race that takes place in the winter or early spring, like the Samarathon or Cape Epic was only a fantasy, as it would be almost impossible to properly train for it. In recent years, however, with the development in trainers, bikes, winter apparel and accessories, the winters became slightly more tolerable (it's all relative of course). I am even starting to think that a goal like the Samarathon could be more than just a fantasy (read about my experience riding the course back in November here).

Fresh powder at the Trails @ Andrews, Michigan

So how do I survive the winter in the Midwest? 

Generally speaking, for many riders the road season comes to an end when the temperatures drop below 40F. Call me a wimp, but even at 40F it's no fun going out for a road ride and even worse when talking about a long ride.  Accordingly, end of September beginning of October marks the start of mountain bike season and in recent years add to it gravel and cyclocross. This season of off-road riding only lasts about 2 months and with the first snow fall it usually comes to an end. I learned quickly (after about 1 attempt) that riding on 2.1" wide tires or even 2.4" in deep snow is close to impossible (although falling down is less painful) and on ice - just forget about it. I tried studded tires, but those are hard to install, heavy and don't really help when the snow is deep. So, sometime in December I would close shop until the beginning of March, and the only option for me was to get on the trainer to the sounds of a good action movie or at best a Chris Carmichael interval DVD that I played 100s of times before.

The natural solution which was only a partial solution was to learn how to ski and take advantage of the winter to do something completely different. This was a great solution, but as I said only partial. You ask why? it's expensive and requires a whole production when you live in NYC and have no car. A once a month solution at best. So what about the rest of the month or during the week? Running? yes, that is a good one and I do that, but seriously - I want to ride!

The partial solution. Skiing - Alta, Utah

So here is how I and other riders survive the winter.

Step 1 - Motivation 

It's 20F outside, windy, snow and grey ski. My basic instinct is to stay under the covers with a hot cup of cocoa and a good book or movie. The fireplace is burning and the house is nice and warm. How do I get off the couch to workout? Pick a goal/challenge/objective for the end of the winter, beginning of spring that will require staying in shape for the season. This is what works for me. In the last few year this goal was Barry Roubaix. A gravel race that takes place at the end of March in Barry County in Michigan (hence, the name). In 2016 the race date was moved to mid April.

Photo courtesy of Barry Roubaix (Photographer Julie McGraw) 

 A few words about the event. Barry Roubaix is the largest gravel event in the area and according to the event organizers in the world. As appropriate for a gravel event it is sponsored by Founders Brewery. For those who don't know, it is one of the best micro breweries in the US and is located in nearby Grand Rapids (the unofficial micro brew capital of Michigan). About 3,000 riders show up for this challenging race (not a bad number of an event that has only existed for 7 years). The riders can chose between 62 miles, 32 miles or 24 miles and will race over gravel, mud, ice or snow (or all of the above) and rolling hills (a special treat if you live in Chicago). Since this is the first big race of the season, it attracts the best riders in the area, both roadies and mountain bikers, but not only - well after all I was there too.

Why do I keep talking about a challenge you ask? True, we are not talking about extremely long distances, or miles and miles of long climbs. This is a slightly different challenge. For a lot of us (myself included) this will be the first ride outdoors since November. It is going to be a wake-up call ride to test whether all those long hours we put on the trainer paid off. Whether we are in decent shape or whether we will be paying now for all those burgers, doughnuts and beer we consumed over the winter. The weather is another challenge. March in Michigan (and Chicago) is still winter, which means crazy weather. It can be anywhere between snow, sleet, rain and freezing cold temperatures or even sunshine. In the 2 years I participated in the event (note that I am not saying raced!!) the temperature at the start was 20F and stayed below 32F for the entire day. On my first time we even got some snow in the last miles. Had I not already signed up and drove 4 hours - NO WAY I would have gotten out of the house on a day like this.

OK - so motivation - check, What's next?      

Photo courtesy of Barry Roubaix (Photographer Andrea Tucker)

Step 2 - Welcome to the pain cave world

The development in the world of trainers definitively makes winter training more bearable. Smart trainers that are controlled by computer software or cellphone apps like Tacx, Computrainer or the Kicker help make the workout more interesting and some say more efficient. Being able to ride a course with an animated video or jump into a virtual world in which you race other rides around the globe with apps like Zwift or Ergvideo, makes the workout seem more like a fun but challenging game than a chore. All this makes trainer rides to be more than just a ride.

Along with the development of smart trainers came the indoor trainer studios that sell training packages, interval rides or just course rides with friends and a movie. Some also offer bike storage for the season (for an extra fee of course), because what else do you have to do with your bike when it's snowing outside? Certainly makes it a lot more convenient.
And because misery loves company, if we paid for such studio training and can suffer with a group of friends, wouldn't we go? of course we would!        

Misery loves company (at Visionquest Coaching studio)  

Step 3 - Let's man up - riding in the freezer 

Yes, it is true, you will always see one or two riders that ride outdoors in any weather. They will go on a ride when it's 0F outside or during a blizzard. You will also see those riders that wear short gloves or shorts when it's 32F outside (and I get cold from just looking at them). Most riders (and  I allow myself to generalize here) are not that hard core.

For years my personal preference was to stay indoors where it's nice and warm when the temperatures are below 40F at the start of a ride, especially when it comes to road rides. The few times I decided to go on a road ride at 35F were a nightmare for me. But, while the NYC the winter is about 3 months long, in Chicago (where I moved from NYC) 2 more months of winter were added. Add to that the fact that my plan B option of skiing is not as convenient anymore - and you have a much less tolerable winter. 5 month of the year on a trainer is hard even for highly motivated riders (like me). So when I started seeing all those pictures of riders on fat bikes in the snow, I felt that there is no choice here at all - I must try it. It may be the solution.

Let's start with a movie that shows what these bad boys can really do:

After a long time of just being a wuss, I decided to go for it and try this fat bike thing for myself. I found another victim (Michelle of course) to come and suffer with me in the cold. We picked a day with relatively tolerable temperatures, "only" 20F, we dressed up in our warmest gear and headed out to Wisconsin for a ride.

At Kettle Moraine 

What's the verdict?

It's heavy, although you can probably get it slightly lighter if you invest in a carbon frame and wheels. It's bulky and feels like you are driving a tank. But throughout the entire ride I was smiling like a little kid. I just couldn't wipe the smile off my face and not because it froze on my face from the cold. It's was much fun. Riding on the snow covered singles, trying to find enough traction on those short steep hills in the slippery snow, finding the right angle to take a tight turn between the trees with this big machine. WOW. All of a sudden a single-track that I must have ridden 100 times feels brand new. When the snow is deep, it's like riding on a cloud. Just like a skier powder day but better because it's on a bike. The bike just rolls over any obstacle, such as rocks and logs, as if they weren't even there. The traction of the tires is most impressive, and the lower you go with tire pressure the better it gets. Tire pressure of 6-10 PSI is ideal for riding in the snow. After my first ride on the fatties, I could not resist and got myself one too (N+1 is the only way).      

Heavy and bulky but oh so much fun

After only a few minutes on this bike I discovered that with the combination of the big and bulky bike and the snow covered trails, I don't go as fast as I would on my mountain bike and I have to work harder to keep this thing moving. This means, I got warm very quickly. Well at least my body did. The hands and feet (and face if it's windy) were a different story. The technology today is so much better than it was a few years ago and even for the latter there are good solutions that are better than just using plastic bags on your feet (as you'll see below).

How to dress for cold weather riding (hint, it's all about layers)

The secret of dressing up for cold weather is layers. After years of trial and error I believe I reached the perfect combination to keep my body warm. I start with a merino wool base layer, fleece lined long sleeve jersey and a wind/waterproof winter jacket. This combination keeps my body warm down to the upper teens (Fahrenheit of course). If it's colder I would add another base layer or a fleece vest. I am not brave enough to ride out when it sub zero, here I said it. Under my cycling pants I wear fleece lined long running pants and if its colder and windy I will wear pants that also have wind-block fabric on the front. To protect the face I'll use a bandanna or balaclava and sometimes my fleece ski mask. Under the helmet I find that it's enough to wear a fleece or thin merino wool hat and the most important thing is for the hat to cover the ears. I considered using my ski helmet for extra warmth but so far didn't really need it. In recent years some companies have come up with winter cycling helmets with lining (like Specialize Centro Winter). For the eyes, my regular glasses or my ski goggles if it's really windy.

New and not so new cold weather technology 

The hands and feet as I said are a different story. I have Raynaud's disease and my extremities are always cold (even in the summer). This is my main issue at any temperature under 50F, and probably the main reason that I do not ride outdoors in the cold. The best thing that was ever created for cold weather cycling are the bar mitts or Pogies. Yes, I know, it does not look good (and style is very important), but this time I don't care. My hands felt nice and warm for the first time in forever. With the bar mitts most people can ride with thinner fall gloves, but I still needed my winter gloves. For the feet, wool socks, chemical toe warmers and winter boots would do the trick at least for a few hours. Some cyclist put their feet in plastic bags for extra insulation. This winter I added an insulated insole to my winter boots to block the cold that is coming from the cleat area. Companies like 45NRTH specialize in extreme weather cycling gear and offer the perfect solution for riding outdoors even in the most extreme weather.

That's it, I've got no more excuses to ride outdoors even in the Midwest winter. I will be out there having fun.      

Trails as groomed and in perfect shape in The Trails @Andrews, Michigan 

Step 4 - Find yourself a warm destination 

Now that I own the right bike and the right gear to ride outdoors all winter, I am hoping that the Midwest winter will not look as bad. Still, 5 month of freezing cold is a lot and I do run on solar power. So for those who can afford it, I highly recommend a warm break from the cold in the form of a cycling mini vacation. Where this time? You'll find out soon in my next blog post.

Playing in the snow

  

Special thanks to Barry Roubaix for pictures from the race and to Michelle Handren for taking my photos and braving the elements with me.

Like always, thanks for reading!