November Rain, Part II

By Amber Pierce

Winter in Austria is spectacular. Every Hütte and Gasthaus offers gemütlich warmth with cozily intricate carpentry, fireplaces and hearty dishes, but the real party is outdoors – from the unparalleled natural beauty of dramatic mountain pistes and snowy Nordic trails, to the shining holiday markets in every town square, bustling with crowds, lights, music, hot fresh waffles, roasted chestnuts and steaming Glühwein. There is no cowering from the elements, no huddling away from the cold. Instead, people embrace the outdoors as enthusiastically in the dead of winter as they do in the heat of summer (perhaps even more so).

Prior to living in Austria, I lived in California, where the only sure sign of the changing seasons was the appearance of Pumpkin Spice Latte and Peppermint Mocha on the Peet’s Coffee menu, both of which I loved, but neither of which could replace the turning of the leaves or the first snowfall of winter. Having grown up at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Reno, I had developed a deep appreciation for each of the four (proper temperate) seasons, and as much as I loved the mild climate of California, I found myself missing the transformation of landscapes from one seasonal panorama to the next.

This transience of the seasons compels us to relish each as it comes, at the same time as promising a fresh experience with the next. When I start feeling sorry for myself that I have to train in cold weather, I remind myself how much I love having a job gets me outside (almost) everyday and allows me the opportunity to experience the world more fully than I would from a desk. Although I may occasionally pine for sunny summer days, I honestly love experiencing the Austrian countryside in full glory of all four seasons; the landscapes are just as breathtaking under snow as they are lush with spring’s retina-burning green.

Thus, as Jan pointed out with his comment on the last column, winter training isn’t all suffering; it does, however, require additional consideration when it comes to gear choice and ride planning. In the last installment of November Rain, we talked about the mental aspects of winter training – discipline and motivation – and how to HTFU and get out the door even when the weather sucks. As promised, this installment will cover the physical aspects of training in cold, wet or otherwise unappealing winter weather.

My goal here is to cover what I think are some of the most important considerations for cold weather training to get the discussion going, and I’ll leave it to you to continue the discussion with your responses, suggestions and questions in the comments section.

Protecting Your Health

Training stresses your body. After all, that is the point – training stress leads to adaptation and fitness. Training under normal conditions stresses your immune system, and training in cold weather conditions stresses your immune system even more. To keep yourself healthy and able to train effectively, you’ve got to take care of your immune system by managing the additional stress imposed by inclement weather.

Contrary to popular belief, cold air does not cause illness: germs (viruses and bacteria) cause illness. The misconception arises from the strong correlation between cold weather and illness. A decrease in core body temperature weakens your immune system, so being cold decreases your body’s ability to fight off the germs to which you’ve been exposed. Thus, keeping warm is not a question of toughness, but more importantly, a question of staying healthy to optimize your training.

Managing Ambient Temperature

Well, you can’t. None of us have the luxury of an outdoor thermostat. The only way we can change the temperature of our outdoor environment is to move to a different environment. For the sake of this discussion, we’ll assume you don’t have a private jet to sweep you off to a nice tropical climate. (If you do, you can stop reading now, and please invite me on your next trip to the tropics.)

The next best thing you can do is to plan ahead. The weather may not be within your control, but you can plan your weekly training schedule according to the weather forecast. Do the logical thing and plan your longest rides for days with relatively good weather, and shorter, higher intensity workouts on days with crummier weather, or days when you need to train indoors.

I think most riders have an “absolute lower limit” number, a temperature below which they simply will not train outside. The algorithm which produces this number includes such parameters as: how much you abhor indoor training, the number of hours you’ve already logged on the trainer, your local climate, the quality of cold-weather gear you own, the intensity of your motivation to train, or how badly you might get heckled by your training partners for skipping the ride. Whatever your number is, I hope the following suggestions will help you get the most out of your outdoor training in the cold (assuming your lower limit even allows for cold-weather training).

Extremities!

Your effort will naturally warm your core and large muscle groups, leaving your extremities most susceptible to the cold. I have found that by keeping my hands, ears and feet appropriately protected, I can deal with almost any weather conditions.

Hands: Having the right gloves can make or break a ride, and in my opinion, a good quality pair of gloves is the most worthwhile investment you can make in terms of winter training gear. Unfortunately most gloves that offer enough insulation against freezing temperatures are so bulky that shifting and braking become nearly impossible. This is why my favorite cold weather glove is Glacier Glove. The articulated neoprene keeps your hands toasty, but allows you all the dexterity you need. These are honestly the best gloves I’ve ever used and highly recommend them for those of you training in freezing weather. You can order yourself a pair online here.

Feet: I usually wear a thick pair of wool socks, in addition to an old pair of thermal wind-proof shoe covers. Wool socks are great insulators even if they get a little damp. As for shoe covers, there’s no need to spend a lot of money on those; you can make a very effective pair for yourself using two thin plastic produce bags – one over each shoe – and a pair of oversized socks (with hole cutout for your cleats) over those. The plastic bags are thin enough you don’t need to cut out cleat holes to be able to clip in, and they’ll keep your feet warm for hours.

Ears and Nose: A simple fleece ear-band usually suffices, but if the temp drops below freezing, you may need a skull cap and/or neck gator. A balaclava can accomplish both, but I like the neck gator, as you can use it “as needed” by pulling it over your nose and mouth on cold descents, or pulling it back down as you warm up on a climb. (As a side note, keeping your neck warm goes a long way in keeping your core temp warm, because a large volume of blood passes through the two major arteries and veins in your neck and is susceptible to cooling at the surface of your skin.)

Fenders

Where I live and train, the roads are nearly always wet during the winter, either from rainfall or melting snow, and having both front and rear fenders makes an enormous difference in the quality of the ride. The front fender keeps your feet and shins from getting soaked, while the rear fender keeps your backside from getting soaked. The drier you can stay during the ride, the longer you can ride without going hypothermic.

Thermal Bibs

If you’re riding in freezing weather, I recommend investing in a pair of thermal bibs. You can pull these on over a normal chamois, and they’ll insulate the front of your torso in addition to your legs, as opposed to leg warmers which only protect your thighs and lower legs.

Rain Jacket

I use a super cheap old rain shell, which I’ve had for years and which I take with me on every ride during the winter. If I get caught in precipitation, I’ve got myself covered (no pun intended), but I also use it on long descents to provide an extra layer of wind protection. It works wonders in the cold, as well as in the rain.

Thermal Jacket

In my opinion, a thermal jacket is really only necessary in freezing weather. Because these are so effective, wearing them during hard training sessions at temps over freezing usually means you’ll end up sweating like crazy, which sets you up to really freeze once your efforts are done. That said, if you’re going out for an easy spin, or you’re training in sub-zero weather, by all means, layer on up!

After the Ride

You may have been dreaming of a hot shower for the last 20km of your ride, but I don’t recommend you get straight into the shower. A hot shower will make you feel warm, but will actually draw blood away from your core to the surface of your skin, where it is susceptible to evaporative cooling the second you step out of the shower.

Instead, I recommend you focus first on warming your core. Get into dry clothes and drink some hot tea or broth to warm your core. This also allows your toes and fingers to thaw a bit before hitting them with hot water in the shower, which can otherwise make your digits want to explode.

Of course, these are just a few suggestions for optimizing cold, outdoor rides, and winter offers plenty of other options for cross-training and fitness. Last weekend I busted out the skis and hit the Nordic trails. I was auf den Loipen (on the trails) early enough that I got about 10 kilometers of untouched trail before I saw another skier. The trails looped over the undulating, snow-covered alms, framed by the shocking height and severity of Dachstein’s craggy snow-defined peaks, and past homes tucked deep in snow with wisps of smoke from their chimneys hinting at a cozy morning for those inside.

I remember, as a kid, putting together miniature villages lit with tea light candles and sprinkled with artificial snow as part of our Christmas decorations. As I skied through the charming, snow-nestled villages of Austria’s mountain country, I couldn’t help but think those miniature decorations must have been modeled after this scene, and I couldn’t have been happier than to be there in that moment, not fighting or despairing winter’s cold, but relishing its beauty.

Ich wünsche euch einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!
I wish you all a happy New Year!

Thanks for reading,
Amber

Please add your winter training suggestions and questions below in the comments section, and as always, let me know what topics you would like to see covered in this column.

Amber Pierce - An American expat living in Austria, Amber has made the leap across the Atlantic in pursuit of her dreams on the road. After making a name for herself as one of the top road cyclists in the US, she now faces new challenges in her life on the road in Europe.

Amber's path to full-time racing in Europe has been anything but linear. From high school valedictorian holding national swimming records, to scholarship athlete at Stanford University and researcher on the open ocean, she has found herself in countless adventures all over the globe. With 53 career victories under her belt, however, Amber appears to have found her calling on the bicycle.

Follow Amber's adventures as an American cyclist and expat in Europe and beyond, as she shares the journey through her own words on Anywhere Road.

Photos: © Amber Pierce

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• November Rain, Part I
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• Make Every Minute Count
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• To The Sea