Tag: winter cycling

Don’t Lose Sight of Your Goal This Winter

winter cycling goals
For many, winter is like Marmite – you either love it or you hate it. It’s cold, wet and dark; which aren’t exactly the most ideal weather conditions for anyone, let alone cyclists. So it should come as no surprise that you may find a considerably less amount of cyclists out on the road throughout the winter months, than you would in say spring or summer. However, poor conditions shouldn’t be the sole deterrent that prevents you from hopping on your bike, especially for those that have been regularly training all-year round. As such, here’s a few reasons why you shouldn’t lose sight of your goal and why you should continue to refine your winter cycling training plan – rather than abandon it altogether.

Train hard, ride harder

If you’re working to a training plan that’s working for you, then why stop just because it’s winter? Providing that you’re well equipped for the changes in temperature, weather and lighting, then you shouldn’t be put off from winter cycling. In fact, it will likely help you to prepare better for the subsequent spring and summer months, since you’ll be training in harsher conditions. As such, if your current training regime is a little too taxing for winter, then you should look to refine your plan rather than postpone it altogether until spring. Ultimately, if you stop cycling for winter, it’ll make it much harder to get back to the performance levels you’re used to, so it’s best to stay active throughout this period.

Layer up for winter cycling!

If being cold is one of the main reasons that you’re reluctant to get out on the road, then a quick fix is to simply layer up! Cycling clothes such as jerseys, gilets, gloves, baselayers, and neck/arm/leg warmers are sure to maintain your core body temperature and make you feel more comfortable in the saddle too. Moreover, when cycling in the rain, you should look to equip yourself with waterproof and windproof clothing to prevent your clothes getting wet and making it a much tougher ride. To keep yourself dry, you should look to wear waterproof clothing items such as overshoes, trousers, socks,

Be safe, be seen

As possibly the most common warning issued to bikers before the introduction of the darker days of winter, being as highly visible as possible to motorists can literally reduce the risk of accidents. When riding in low light conditions, though, you should always ensure that you’re wearing High-Viz or brightly coloured clothing to heighten your visibility to other motorists no matter the season. In addition, a good set of bike lights and reflectors are essential to increasing your visibility out on the road, while a set of mudguards or cycling glasses are a good idea to prevent water flicking up into your face in wet conditions.

Summary

In short, the winter months shouldn’t put you off continuing training and reaching your goals. Whether it’s a PB on your regular route or preparation for a competition in the new year that you’re aiming for, there are a myriad of products that are designed to alleviate the burden of winter cycling and training in poor weather conditions. Consequently, equipping yourself with the right items to do this will ensure that you won’t lose sight of your goal this winter. Good luck everyone!

 

*This post is in collaboration with Aqua Blue Sport Clothing

Essential Cycling Kit for Year Round Cycling

black and white bikeFirst things first! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that Santa was kind to you! Hopefully he brought you some great additions to your cycling wardrobe and kit bag. The festive period at OCG HQ has been a really relaxing one with some much needed family time and lots and lots of laughs. *cue happy face*. Needless to say, I’ve consumed my body weight in good food and all things chocolatey and I’m feeling the need to get back to some regular exercise!

I can hardly believe it’s about to happen, but as 2015 draws to a close (was this the quickest twelve months ever for you too!?), I’m thinking about what kind of cycling challenges I’d like to undertake during 2016. Traditionally I’m a roadie. I love cycling on the open road, but my head is being turned by off-road cycling and getting closer to nature. Getting to grips with a different kind of cycling and the challenge of learning a whole new set of skills is really appealing. And of course the big pulling factor, is that we have our summer holiday booked! We are planning a couple of weeks in the French Alps with some down hill mountain biking! *cue very excited face!*

Ordinary Cycling Guy (Mr OCG) participated in the Pass’Portes du Soleil this last summer so he has some first hand experience, but me? Nope, Nada! Not a bit of proper mountain biking experience! *cue research* (more…)

Women’s Cycling Kit: Fierlan Three-Quarter Length Bib Cycling Tights

Fierlan three-quarter length bib cycling tights

When I first discovered my love for cycling there was little out there in the form of women’s specific kit, particularly shorts and tights that were cut for a woman’s shape. As a five foot nine tall woman, with a 33 inch inside leg, I would opt for men’s tights so that I could be sure to get the leg length I needed, but take it from me, there is nothing more uncomfortable than cycling in something where the chamois is bulky and chaffing in the groin area. Ouch!

Who are Fierlan?

That was my experience until I discovered Fierlan. Fierlan is a British women’s cycling apparel brand based in Bristol. They’re quite new to the scene and with lovely flattering designs, that are cool rather than girly and great Italian made quality, they’re really making a name for themselves. (more…)

Review: Showers Pass Rogue Hoodie

Showers Pass Rogue HoodieAsk anyone who sees me out at the moment and they’ll tell you just how often I’m wearing this red Showers Pass Rogue Hoodie, a soft shell jacket which is packed with great little features.

Before I start, you can probably already tell this is going to be a positive review; and then you may well ask why you don’t see many negative reviews on OCG. In case it’s not obvious, the items reviewed on Ordinary Cycling Girl are sent to me by the manufacturer, distributor or PR. I don’t receive payment for writing reviews. The truth is, there’s not a lot of fun in writing negative reviews about products that are far from impressive. I receive quite a lot of clothing for review purposes and in the main, I like much of it. If I do, you’ll find a write up on here telling you exactly why it’s worth spending your hard earned cash on it. It’ll be an honest and unbiased review. If there are any bad points I’ve found I’ll certainly tell you, but if it’s featured on Ordinary Cycling Girl you can be sure that overall I’ve liked it.

So, what’s great about the Showers Pass Rogue Hoodie?

I’ve been wearing this windproof, waterproof jacket for a couple of months now and since Autumn has arrived it’s really come into its own. It’s a multi purpose jacket so it’s rarely been off my back and I’ve been wearing it to anything and everything, not just for cycling. (more…)

Top Tips for Safe Winter Cycling

top tips for safe winter cyclingHello Autumn! And yes, winter, I can see you’re not too far behind. The clocks have gone back and the nights are drawing in. Hibernating is an option, and as tempting as it may be, there is still a lot of fun to be had during the winter cycling season. We just need to make sure we put a little bit more time into our ride preparation.

So, here’s my top tips to ensure safe winter cycling so you can have as much of a blast at this time of year as you can during the summer months. (more…)

Six Things I Tell Myself Whilst Cycling

Six Things I Regularly Tell Myself Whilst Cycling in Autumn...The seasons have changed and it’s getting nippy out there! If you’re anything like me, cycling suddenly feels far, far less inviting and much harder than it did when the weather was warm.

Having just returned from a sunny cycling holiday in Catalunya where the temperatures hit a rather perfect 28 degrees, getting out and cycling in temperatures nearer to eight degrees is taking a little more effort (OK, a lot more effort). Some days I need a good talking to (read that as most days). So, here are the six things I tell myself whilst cycling in Autumn. I say in Autumn; what I actually mean is here is my inner monologue all year around! (more…)

Raynaud’s Disease in Spring!

spring-flower-289844_640

I’ve had a rubbish winter of cycling. My fingers and toes have been wincing at the temperatures. Actually, wincing is massive understatement; I have Raynaud’s Disease and it’s been really bad this year – so bad that I’ve not been able to cycle at all since October and consequently I’ve lost loads of fitness from the hard work I did last summer and I’ve been like a bear with a sore head recently because of it.

Yesterday, the temperature in Notts hit a lovely warm-feeling 11 degrees; the sun was shining and I’d been to a really positive meeting about my cycling club and Go-Ride. I came back buzzing and my hubby had an afternoon off work so we thought we’d venture out together and enjoy the Spring like weather. I layered up in preparation. (more…)