Riding in January - bad idea?
rodgers73
Posts: 2,626
I'm planing a very long ride (c.200 miles) in January that will involve a start time of around 4am. I'll mainly be on A roads and so on and wondered how "dangerous" this plan is?
I didn't ride much last winter - how are main roads when they've been gritted? Still rideable??
I didn't ride much last winter - how are main roads when they've been gritted? Still rideable??
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Entirely depends on the weather that day, even gritted roads can be treacherous.
Hopefully it will be OK that morning but you should abort your ride if it's icy.0 -
Yes, I'm conscious it will b a bit of a lottery, but wondered how gritted roads are to ride on - ie does gritting make it safe or is it best not to put too much faith in it...0
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are you not able to do it a couple of months later? why january?
having said that i cycled all through last winter, 5 or 6 days a week, and was fine, but at 4 in the morning could be a different story!www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes0 -
It seems a strange month to plan a long ride, in this country anyway. It's not just about the roads though. You could be lucky and get a mild, sunny, dry day. OTOH you could get snow or sleet, or freezing fog. If the temperature is very low, will you be able to ride for longer than 2 hours?0
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hipshot wrote:Entirely depends on the weather that day, even gritted roads can be treacherous.
Hopefully it will be OK that morning but you should abort your ride if it's icy.
Wot he said. I get a bit confused about which winters were which but one icy/snowy year I had to swap to the hybrid with big chunky tyres and still struggled to do the odd 10 mile ride, another year it was generally ok and I kept up some decent mileage throughout with a road bike and skinny tyres.
04:00 is an early start though, my general rule is to avoid riding if there is hard frost on car windows and at that time of year and that time of the day, there won't be too many frost free opportunities...0 -
4am in january...........count me outta that one !! :shock:2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 1050
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320km plus totally possible in January - but whether it is safe - depends on the day. Hard frost or black ice - I'm out.
Route planning is critical to keep to the bigger roads and off the hills if possible.
Even then, might not be the most enjoyable day you've spent on the bike. I was out around 5am last weekend riding back from Wales. There was a fairly hard frost, but my choices for getting home were limited, so had to push on, it was a lovely day in fact with nice sunshine and so on. But come 4:30 and sunset, it was pretty grim again. Very hard to motivate. I was only riding 240km that day - could I have done another 80km? Probably. Would I have enjoyed another 3-4 hours in the dark? Highly unlikely!
You might get lucky and get a mild day/night - but that's the risk really.0 -
In the winter you often get a lot of ice in the gutter, which is something to be aware of, especially on fast A roads in the pitch darkness. Make sure you have a good set of lights!0
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Could be fine, could be a nightmare, who knows, unless you've got a crystal ball.......
Lots of Audaxes take place in the winter months, I do a local 100km series which takes place in Nov, Dec & Jan, sometimes conditions are an issue, sometimes there aren't, luck of the draw0 -
marcusjb wrote:320km plus totally possible in January - but whether it is safe - depends on the day. Hard frost or black ice - I'm out.
Route planning is critical to keep to the bigger roads and off the hills if possible.
Even then, might not be the most enjoyable day you've spent on the bike. I was out around 5am last weekend riding back from Wales. There was a fairly hard frost, but my choices for getting home were limited, so had to push on, it was a lovely day in fact with nice sunshine and so on. But come 4:30 and sunset, it was pretty grim again. Very hard to motivate. I was only riding 240km that day - could I have done another 80km? Probably. Would I have enjoyed another 3-4 hours in the dark? Highly unlikely!
You might get lucky and get a mild day/night - but that's the risk really.
The plan is to do a real sufferfest in the cold so I'm investing in some solid winter gear to keep me from freezing. The route will be Doncaster to Kings Cross Station (sleep over at Travelodge nearby and train home next day). So, I should avoid any nasty hills (or at least any extensive hilly country) and will spend a fair bit of time in the city near the end where temps should be higher and speed should be lower (both of which will be welcome!).
Conditions which would be an obvious bale out include -
1. Snowfall or recent snow still on ground (!)
2. Temps lower than zero for the whole day
3. High windchill factor
I'd risk a few miles on icy back roads while I got onto the main roads but would leave it if it was going to be risky even on the A roads.0 -
Totally understand.
I know of people who wait until the worst night possible and go and ride. Theory being you've conditioned your mind and body to the worst deprivation possible and anything else will seem a walk in the park!
Good luck.
I will stick to 200ish!0 -
Just try not to be foolhardy though, I remember last year when I was gaging for a ride after missing a couple of months with a broken collarbone. The forecast was a crisp clear and sunny 2-3 degrees so off I went...felt the back wheel slip a few times and when I eventually stopped I could hardly stand up. A runner coming the other way was doing a comedy turn with legs and arms going in all directions. I couldn't really see the ice but it was there for sure and even standing in MTB shoes was difficult. I took it real easy and made it home but it was the scariest ride I have ever done and I bitterly regretted the whole thing. I could feel my recently patched up collarbone throbbing the whole way home to remind me what a fall could do, even at low speed.0
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Yes, I'm no stuntman/maniac. I just fancy a long cold day on the bike. I'm aware that 15-20 hours of riding at lower than, say, 4 degrees is going to be borderline impossible for me as even some good gear isnt going to stop me getting TOO cold, so I'll have to keep an eye on the weather and hope for a mild-ish day0
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4am start, A roads, likely cold, maybe icy - sounds more like torture than a bike ride
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The thread title is an understatement of the reality!
Kudos to you for planning it in the first place. As has been said, though, it depends entirely on the weather on the day. I ride all year round (on ice tyres below zero) but would not contemplate that long a ride unless it was in a rare mild (10C+) January period.
The idea of having to do it all on A-roads would make it a non-starter for me.
Your comment that makes me worry is "I'd risk a few miles on icy back roads while I got onto the main roads but would leave it if it was going to be risky even on the A roads."
Sorry to be blunt but riding on icy roads without studded tyres is just stupidity. At 4am in January the chance of icy back roads is high.
If you manage to do it I'd be the first to congratulate you. My main question would be "how do I keep my feet warm?".
All the best.0 -
If there is a high probability of ice on the road, I would rather leave the road bike at home and go out for a few hours on the mtb. At least on the mtb I can go off-road and am less likely to injure myself when crashing
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Sounds brave, if you pull it off i'll bet it will be worth it!
My main worry is the risk factor and the changeability of the weather.
What if it's mild and sunny for the morning but then mid-afternoon it takes a turn? Perhaps more snow falls or there's rain which freezes quick on the way down?
What's your mentality in terms of aborting if you get halfway through?
You're guaranteed a cold long day on the bike though, which is what you're hoping for so at least you can take that to the bank!Hills are like half life - they wait until you're 50% recovered from one before hitting you in the face with the next.
http://www.pedalmash.co.uk/0 -
Best of luck to ya fella.
Personally I think it's foolhardy and putting yourself at unneccessary risk, A roads in the dark, possibly freezing conditions. I wish you well but it's beyond my ken why anyone should want to do such a thing.Tail end Charlie
The above post may contain traces of sarcasm or/and bullsh*t.0 -
You might be fine or it might be icy and dangerous. Impossible to tell. There are nicer places to ride to than London though. Will the travel lodge let you bring in a filthy bike ? If they don't - what will you do ?
Are you used to the distance ? It's a lot more tiring riding in the dark I find - good lights are a must with multiple batteries/backups and a head torch in case of mechanicals.0 -
Relax.
Plenty of people ride that sort of distance, and more, over the winter months.
As long as the road conditions are not icy, and you have enough layers, then 200 miles is just a very long day in the saddle.
If you err and the side of caution and manage to pick the right day, then it is very achievable.
Are you training for any specific? I know in the past you have mentioned a desire for doing PBP? Any temptation to ride LEL next year?0 -
There a few problems with January rides on A roads. First, black ice is more likely to be encountered. Secondly, fast traffic and tired drivers on early shifts/late shift - I'm terrified of this scenario more then anything but it could be regional to me. Thirdly, it doesn't make much sense to MTFU on a training run in January. You will only be going at a steady pace until it starts to lighten up and temperature rise.
If you can download it, try looking for the Charity bike ride done last year/few years ago in winter by celebrities. Was it for Children in need? It shows how difficult it was riding in the cold winter mornings. Some riders were literally frozen on their bikes and really suffered.
But, if you go through with it, best of luck mate.CAAD9
Kona Jake the Snake
Merlin Malt 40 -
marcusjb wrote:Relax.
Plenty of people ride that sort of distance, and more, over the winter months.
As long as the road conditions are not icy, and you have enough layers, then 200 miles is just a very long day in the saddle.
If you err and the side of caution and manage to pick the right day, then it is very achievable.
Are you training for any specific? I know in the past you have mentioned a desire for doing PBP? Any temptation to ride LEL next year?
Yes, I'm revising this plan as I go - now likely to happen only on a mild-ish day rather than any with any risk of serious ice.
My wife is pregnant and its due at the end of May so next years season is going to be pretty compressed for me. The goal will be to do the Rat Race London-Edinburgh sportive over 2 days and then see what I can cram in once the little one arrives. With that in mind I need to start getting the distances up quite early in the year and get used to being cold and miserable (Scotland in early May? I'm not banking on balmy weather!).
Longer term PBP is the eventual goal so I have a couple of years yet, but want to gradually ratchet up the level of ride that I find a challenge, then do more and more of such distances to get myself nicely used to days of agony!0 -
Awesome. Good goals.
I know you've ridden the distances before - but when you do 200 mile days back to back, that's when the fun starts! No, I am always amazed at how you roll in at the end of a long day, battered, exhausted and swearing you could never ride again; but then a few hours sleep completely revitalise you and you're off on another 200 mile day.
As I have said, get lucky with the day and it is totally possible. Get unlucky with the day and it could well be very miserable (and possibly dangerous). The same can be said for any long ride any time of the year.
Good luck with it all (especially the little arrival) and see you in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in 2015!0 -
I've deleted my message here in which I responded to a presumably now deleted (spam) message on this thread.0
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Gritting the roads won't help much as the spread can be inconsistent. A small missed patch won't matter to a car that has three other fat tyres on the tarmac but it does on a bike.
If the roads are bone dry, then you should be fine even if it's very cold. If not, I would forget the idea if it's freezing.0 -
marcusjb wrote:Awesome. Good goals.
I know you've ridden the distances before - but when you do 200 mile days back to back, that's when the fun starts! No, I am always amazed at how you roll in at the end of a long day, battered, exhausted and swearing you could never ride again; but then a few hours sleep completely revitalise you and you're off on another 200 mile day.
As I have said, get lucky with the day and it is totally possible. Get unlucky with the day and it could well be very miserable (and possibly dangerous). The same can be said for any long ride any time of the year.
Good luck with it all (especially the little arrival) and see you in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in 2015!
Cheers for that.
I'm aware that the longer the distances get the greater the proportion of people who call me mental actually mean it! I might have to make way over to yacf. . .
I'm also a fan of running and I wondered about doing some marathons to up the mental strength. Anyway, happy with these goals - just hope I don't lose too much fitness in the back end of next year.
Do the Brits doing PBP get together at all or are there too many to make it sociable like that?0 -
Riding distance is for, even very fit and fast cyclists, something very hard to fathom. Took me a while to get my head around it. It is mental. No two ways about it. YACF is definitely the hang out of the distance riders.
PBP is quite sociable from start to finish really. Starts with people riding down to Paris, good fun, meeting up with old friends on the ferry etc. You then have your registration day and bike check etc. and again, people tend to hang out (near a bar!).
There were around 350 Brits riding, so you'd often cross paths with people you know, ride along with them for as long as it works for both of you. You might meet someone you know in a control and agree to head out together etc.
It is a pretty sociable event, and to get to meet and ride with people from across the world - it can be pretty mental, but fun, hurling along in a group with no common language at 3 in the morning.
All in all - anyone who likes cycling should ride PBP - it really is the most amazing event you can do.0 -
I'm glad its like that. My imaginings of what PBP will be like includes a lot spontaneous camaraderie.
Good to hear it's like that in reality!0 -
This. Drivers are often hopeless at moderating their speed for bad conditions, especially in the suburban areas where they might be doing a routine journey.hipshot wrote:Hopefully it will be OK that morning but you should abort your ride if it's icy.0 -
***marcusjb wrote:Relax.
Plenty of people ride that sort of distance, and more, over the winter months.
As long as the road conditions are not icy, and you have enough layers, then 200 miles is just a very long day in the saddle.
If you err and the side of caution and manage to pick the right day, then it is very achievable.
Are you training for any specific? I know in the past you have mentioned a desire for doing PBP? Any temptation to ride LEL next year?
The point is that at that time of day/year it is most likely to be icy and dangerous!
If not when you start, then at some point along the journey. It is difficult to predict road conditions along the whole 200miles at that time.
You will also likely find that on the A roads, a lot of the motorists that you will encounter WILL NOT be adjusting their driving (braking distance, speed) to suit the conditions.
Too dangerous. Don't do it. Have an accident in those conditions and you are likely to spend a long, long time contemplating the consequences!0
