I was lucky this January, I had one day to ride outside! On January 8th, we had a 50 degree day and I rode outside for an hour and a quarter.  The rest of the month has been snowy and for the nine days it is 15 degrees during the day and near 0 at night.  At times it has been extremely  dangerous to be out and the ski areas closed for a bit.  I am happy to be able to do inside training.

On this last day of January I say, "I am glad to be done with you."  I may sound frustrated, but I was pleased with using the trainer to cover over 500 miles this month.  I finally felt comfortable going longer than 30 minutes in the saddle.  The cold and snow had curtailed my going out of the house, so I had plenty of time to sit on the trainer.

I can always find interesting YouTube videos of people riding to interesting places that I will never ride. This group traveled through forest service roads to stay at a decommissioned fire tower.  The crows nest was set to accept overnight visitors. What an exciting adventure and I did not need to climb all those steps to enjoy the view.

The scene above is from a tour in the country of Equador. A friend was visiting this country and I could ride the countryside and get a sense of the experience.  This tour had four installments. All these rides did not require me to bundle up and watch out for slippery surfaces.  Right now our roads continue to be very slushy along the side of the road.

I regularly do a chair exercise group  that does stretching, uses stretch bands, tests our balance, and gets our heart rate elevated. I chose to stay home and again use the computer to guide me with a video.

As a senior, I am able to take advantage of the Silver Sneaker exercise program and I signed up for sessions. These sessions are on zoom.         silversneakers.com

Walking the mall three times a week was great.  I used the walking exercise from Silver Sneakers too.

I remembered this DVD that I had used several years ago and the separate segments work on the arms, abs, legs, butt and stretching.

I look forward to our predicted temperature of  20s in a few days, but I know the snow will be around for weeks. During the month, I spent 69 hours in exercise and the variety  was a joy. I look forward to hearing any comments or suggestions. Take care.

I am very consistent at getting on the trainer during the winter.  I will ride for an hour or two.  Usually I will be on my tour bike on the stand which holds the rear wheel. 

The unit does have a lever that will add greater resistance.  This is a feature that I do not adjust.  This tour bike has a 10 speed cog and 3 chain drives.  My strategy is to work on a steady cadence that ranges 70-90 rpm. My heart rate usually ranges from 70-100 BPM.  This level of effort is less than when I bike outside.  

During the fall I started walking in the mall three times in a week.  I started out at one mile and now I am up to three miles per session.  Yesterday my average heart rate for the hour of walking was 132, which is in zone 4 (67% of the time) for me. That level of exertion is a good workout.  I think that both the cycle trainer and the walking help keep me ready to bike outside.

It has been a month since I rode outside. We had snow that covered the roads, and the thawing left slippery spots. Plus temperatures were well below my 50 degree cut off.  Today was sunny and 50!  Out I went for a two hour ride and I felt great.

Every time I return from the ride outside after weeks of indoor training I say, "I had a great ride and that indoor work is helping me to start sharp."

Do what works for you.  If you are just starting: set a schedule, make a plan, be consistent and test it out to see if it is enough.  You may need to make adjustments.

What would be the first piece of advice?  Don't sweat.  Sweating cannot be avoided because you are exercising and you want a workout.  If you do not sweat you do not hope for improvement.  In the colder temperatures the sweating needs to be managed better than when it is hot.  Let's consider some aspects of sweating.

Why do you sweat? It is your way your body cools itself down when it gets too hot.  Your body will get too hot based on the clothing you are wearing.  You know that your body will heat up with exercise.  There are rules of thumb that may guide you: dress like it is 15 degrees warmer than the outside temperature, when you start riding you should feel cold.

Learn what helps you feel comfortable.  The extremities need your attention.  Hat for your head. Gloves for your hands and socks plus shoes.  Each body reacts differently.

The wicking capability of the material on your head cover is so important.  I tried a stocking cap first and it was too hot. I picked up a cycling specific cap that also covers my ears and that  worked much better. This item also noted that it was wind resistant.  I do not like the feel of wind penetrating my layers and reaching my skin.  There are a variety of winter cycling items to consider and it is good to read the reviews.  

How long will you be out on the ride?  When I was riding in temperatures of 20 and 30s my feet and hands would start to get cold after about an hour when using my standard shoes and  gloves. Another thing to consider is whether there is snow or rain. I will sometimes pack an extra pair of gloves and hat. 

This was on one of my first cold weather rides and the rain shell was plastic.  As you might imagine, this jacket did not let out my perspiration and the layers got soaked.  You learn by trial and error.   I decided to get a rain jacket that had a breathable air transfer. This new jacket was wind resistant to 60 mph and waterproof for the rain.  The pit zippers help to regulate the inside  temperature. I very much appreciate the wind resistance. 

I found that the jacket worked well with temperatures from 60 down to single digits. The membrane is water repellent and windproof. The jacket has a two-way zipper that works to open the front and there are armpit zips.  I keep the armpit zips open all the time.  The only time I close them is on terribly cold and windy days.  These zippers allow the free flow of air to maintain a dry environment.

The fleece buff is something that I really find comforting.  I find that an exposed neck in the cold really adds to my discomfort.  This model easily covers my ears.  I need the neck gaiter to cover my mouth and warm the air that I breathe. I can easily pull it up to also cover the nose.

I am usually comfortable with just basic full fingered gloves.  I will also bring a pair of heavier gloves to warm my cold hands. I also found a pair of hunting gloves that worked great and they are orange for visibility.

What suggestions do you have? Enjoy your winter rides.

Convenience is my top factor. I like to choose a route that I can take from my house. When I have the time to mount the bike on the car rack and drive to a spot that is a treat.  

How much time do I have? You may have your bike with you and you can ride between work  and  home.  I know that some of you are commuters and your ride is part of getting home.

Safety is a big factor.  How do I feel about car traffic along the route? I prefer to ride on less traveled roads.

Am I excited about my proposed route? I think about where I will ride in advance of departure. Under this factor and several aspects.  Many of us have multiple bikes: mountain, gravel, fat tire, road, etc.  For example if my last ride was on the road, I probably will want to do gravel today.  What is my focus or goal for the ride? I want to set up anticipation and excitement about going outside. What am I looking forward to see along the route?  I like to take photos on the ride.

Will you ride with someone? I will ride by myself almost 100% of the time. I know that with a riding buddy, this becomes a major factor.  

Sunset is earlier in November and darkness comes much faster than in the  summer. Right now I am enjoying the residential rides close to home.  I can get out quickly and I am close to home to beat the dark. I also have options to keep moving and not get slowed down by late afternoon traffic.  I am familiar with various routes and can quickly make adjustments during the ride.  I can create a route that allows 20-30 miles of riding.

I am lucky that within 3/4 mile I can get to a network of gravel roads. Those rides could go for a long time.

What factors influence your ride choices.?

I have been lucky not to have to take time off for injuries.  My injury occurred from an accident during a group ride in the first week of August. 

Besides my bruise I had a sore shoulder also. 

Lesson one:  have a doctor check you out.  The accident occurred on a Saturday and there were several on the ride with me that gave me advice on what to do when I got home.  At the time of the accident I was halfway and our path meant that I would be looping back to our start. The doctor visit would wait for later, but I felt that I could go on. During the rest of the ride people kept tabs on how I was feeling. When you carry your phone you can check for advice for what to do for a "___"?  I did this at home later.

Lesson two:  If you can, keep moving. I had the option to sit and wait or do a six mile side trip. I remember from hiking days that you did not want to sit too long on a break or at lunch because you would get stiff.  I could do the loop and I felt like I could go on the remaining 12 miles.

Lesson three: This injury caused me to think about who to call if I could not ride?  There was no sag wagon that could bail me and I would need to call someone to disrupt their day and hour to get to me. This rescue plan needs to be considered more often. I guess there is always a ride service.

The return trip went without any problems. There was bruising, swelling and discomfort.

Lesson four: Carry some pain medicine with you. Ibuprofen and acetaminohen are always with me.  I also have benadryl.  Taking the pain and inflammation medicine helped with comfort during the remainder of the ride. 

Lesson five: Be Patient. Let your body heal. I took off three weeks completely based on medical advice and how my body felt.

Lesson six: When you start riding again take it slow and easy. I started inside on my trainers. Once I was outside I just went around the neighborhood. As confidence went up, I did some short out and back. 

Lesson seven: Make adjustments when you feel pain and stress. I went too fast to increase distance and intensity. Be willing to shift back and not slow recovery. When I was doing stretches I could feel tightness for weeks.

I would say that after about eight weeks I felt that I was back to normal. I am happy that this recovery plan was successful.
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Recuperating from my fall has given me time to get the bike into the REI repair shop and now I have been riding each day for 50-60 minutes.   My granddaughter gave me a tire to fix. A 65 degree day is perfect and after the short ride I was able to get more practice changing the tube.