The EPIC “I Need A New Rapha Winter Kit” Competition

Winter Tip: Staying warm is always key. I'm a big fan of embrocations. For those extra cold days, I layer knee-warmers *over* the hot embrocation – it'll keep you cozy!

It's been raining in sydney pretty solidly for about 3 weeks now and the constant rising at 530 for a club ride only to be greeted by more rain has put me off getting out there quite regularly. So I asked one of the older guys in the club what he does on mornings like that to help him get out the door and he said “usually I make sure I haven't put on my wife's skirt”.
Needless to say i've been a bit more regular the last week!

My tip is to harden up! It's not even cold enough to break out the knee warmers yet.

The only tip I can come up with…

“Get out of bed, ya great big cream puff, or you really will end up looking like a great big cream puff”

Yeah I know… lame isn't it. That's why you write the “Cycling Tips” blog and I read it…

Man Richo…you either must be from the Gold Coast or one of those nutbars from the polarbear club I see swimming in the ocean in the middle of winter!

Ooh, Nice kit, I've been looking a Rahpa because of it's understated nature and quality reputation, I am already in saving mode, but you are right, have reasonable stuff and you can't go back (I threw on an old MG Technogym kit the other day and was shocked how crap the chamois felt after an hour)
Wade, are you going put up the answers for the Quiz the other day, what the hell is that Eagle statue that Simoni had, I know I said it was for first over the highest mountain (Cima Coppi), but that was wrong because the highest point was actually 2 days later for the Gavia

OK Tip time
1
The best way to make sure you get you bum into the Saddle is to Race, and to enter the Race early. That way you are committed and since you do not want to embarrass yourself you will do everything you can not to look like a fool… and you know that means doing the K's
2
Put the alarm/snooze button OUT OF REACH from your bed, so you have to get up to turn it off. Once you are up, well you may as well ride!
3
HTFU

When you're out there & it's raining & windy & no-one else about, just remember that's a bunch of training they're missing out on! When you rock up to the next race who's gonna feel more confident within themselves?

PS – not entering the competition, but thought I would share…

HTFU Wade! We are cyclists! We do the hard, physically demanding, soul destroying things everyday. Our sport is built around pain and suffering and he who can take it the longest. Well, you're not even trying! Get it together.

Because it's only gonna get colder.

Oooh, nothing like some help looking PRO. As a complete newbie to cycling and with your recent coverage of the Giro, I was starting to think that the only way for a girl to look PRO is to sell off the carbon and invest in twin silicone. And I wasn't looking forward to the trip to the dentist to dye my gums shades of maglia rosa either

No such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” So get out of bed, and ride!

I think I read Simon Gerrans say here that the hardest part of training is putting your socks on.

winter tip (and i just scored this one a few weeks back): before you pull on your socks, put some deep heat between your toes. no kidding. it will stop your toes from freezing.

“I Need A New Rapha Winter Kit” because this is my first season of winter riding and I've got no gear!!! It's freezing out there and I've run out of places to hide new kit from the wife. She's onto me BIG TIME so it's either stay in bed, win this kit or look like a pork chop!

Help me, Obi-Wade Kenobi; you're my only hope.

TIP: Wear your lycra to bed, so there is no cold-gap between getting out of bed and suiting up. I'm often running around the house at 5am looking for my bibs or thermal top, freezing my kahunas off!

The hardest part about going for a ride is putting on your shorts, once you've done that, the rest is easy.

TIP: Make sure you're still wearing eye protection even though it's dark and raining.

Move the alarm clock to the other side of the room so that you HAVE to get out of bed to turn it off. Have your kit sorted out the night before. Early morning fuzzy heads can be responsible for drastic mistakes such as poor sock height or mis-matched knee warmers.

A cycling cap or thin beanie under the helmet helps keep you warm

As Billy Connelly says, “There's no such thing as bad weather – only the wrong clothes!”
I work on Mt Buller each winter and I know Billy's right. (If you think Melbourne's cold in winter … you're kidding yourself!)
You have to keep your core warm! A good series of base layers to keep your torso warm will make more difference than the best shoe covers and gloves.

I won't ever be able to ride at 5.30am without that Rapha kit.

Tip: Get an alarm clock with two different alarms. That way once you've killed one you get bombarded with another 5 minutes later

The other tip, is go stay somewhere colder for awhile (eg Canberra), and Melbourne will feel positively balmy when you return!

I have a few tips.
1. Just before you go to bed have a teaspoon of Concrete and HTFU. You will be nice and hard by the morning.
2. For group ride mornings, team up with someone and agree to meet them before the ride and ride to the meeting point. Works for both of you as neither of you want to let the other one down and not turn up.
3. This is one that I do at the moment and thus the reason I need the new kit. Get a plastic shopping bag and lay it out across your chest under your jersey. Keeps the wind off your chest and when you warm up you can either ditch it, (in a garbage bin nearby) or scrunch it up and it will go in a pocket.

This is my tip: Put the alarm clock on the other side of the room. You then have to get out of bed to turn it off. Hard part done. :)

Why I need new kit:
Courtesy to peloton,
Hole in arse of bibs.

Wade, complaining about the cold, after seeing you at the Melb/Roo with the long “pro” socks I didn't think it would be a issue,

But seriously, A tip I use is to put one of those “click” hand warmers you get from the camping stores and put it in the middle rear pocket, it warms the lower part of your back on the early part of your ride, They go cold by the end but that little bit of warmth is great just when you need it.

From the home of Richie Porte where cold really is COLD a word of advice. When taking your wife for her first early morning ride in her new shimano shoes with the conveniently located air intakes upwind of the little piggy who stayed home, make sure you have a couple of soft glasses cases to stuff into her shoes after her toes have gone an alarmingly purpley-blue colour. Two benefits to this. 1. She'll come riding with you again providing you can get a warm spot by the fire in the Evandale Bakery and 2. if your mind is racing with statements you dread hearing (“I'm never riding ever again” or “You can shove my new carbon Bianci right up your #&* “) you'll fail to notice that your own feet area about to drop off and short nicks are not the best riding attire when it is -4 degrees C.

Tip: I ride through some harsh winters, and I've found the best tool to have is a thick wool sweater. If you don't live near a surplus dealer, eBay has some used military sweaters that are well suited for the task. I've stayed warm in mine up to -15 degrees F. Keep up the good work!

Park your car with the bike in the boot in a 6am clearway. I guarantee you'll be up at 0530 to move the car get the bike out of the boot and go riding.

My penguin winter tip for the day: I wear no gloves, no leg warmers, arm warmers only, one sleeve top and one sleeveless tops, no jacket during (Adelaide's) winter. My theory (and it's been pretty %$^&*$%^ painful trying to prove it!) is that the colder you get the more numb the body parts become, therefore you no longer feel the cold. Then the hot shower at work takes about 10mins to get the feeling back again and keeps the gangrene at bay for another day. The “numbness” is that state in between “hyperthermia” and “cold-but-not-numb” – it's an art-form like walking the tightrope.

If I win can you just send me a Rapha singlet (please, no thermals allowed) and a pair of Speedos.

Just smile and wave boys…………..

Buy a cheeseburger the night before, microwave said cheeseburger in the morning. No better way to warm yourself up than some good cheese.

The coldest I have ever been on a ride was when myself and a friend rode out to Whittlesea, up Humevale and across to King Lake. It just got colder and wetter as we rode. My feet were quite numb and I ended up calling my partner to come and pick me up not far from Mernda. He was not happy and I've copped it ever since. I was told that plastic bags inside the shoes would have been a good idea as well as shoe covers. I have to say the thing that gets me out of bed on cold and sometimes wet mornings to train is the fact that I could be racing in these conditions so best to train in them too! My main tip is layers… wear layers in winter so that you can take something off if you get warm and put back on if you get cold again. And don't stop for a coffee mid-ride if it's wet, go straight home and have a warm (hot water on very cold skin isn't nice) shower.

Two of the guys in my regular bunch have an intense but friendly rivalry. Towards the end of last winter, in late August, some pre-ride tough talk materialised in to a wager.

The bet was that, of these two guys, the person who finished second in a particular hill sprint would turn up to the next ride with no armwarmers and no legwarmers. The rest of the bunch ended up forming two impromptu teams, with these two guys as the protected riders.

So, one of the guys lost, and he turns up to the next ride wearing: a helmet cover, balaclava, beeni, neck-warmer, 2 base layers, 2 jerseys, a super-thick jacket (arms removed), thick ski-gloves, 2 pairs of knicks, a pair of long thick woolen socks, and thick shoe-covers. He looked pretty comical, like a toy-poodle in a dog show.
http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/breedinfor…

The poor guy almost froze on the ride, and could not be moved from the heater at the post-ride coffee shop.

-

And so the lessons learned from this story are:
-If you do more training over winter while your friends are hugging their doonas, you will be faster than them, and not lose stupid bets like this.
-I need some nice winter gear to motivate me to train harder, so that I don't end up looking like a stupid toy poodle again.

I need rapha kit to keep my wings from frosting up, becoming brittle and breaking off.

Ride fixed. Easier to clean, easier to fit mud guards and absolutely no where to hide. HTFU and always hide your knees the moment it gets below 15 degree C.

Following are the top 6 things about winter riding honed during those many, chilly base-miles:

6. Your face mask slows your breathing giving you the added benefit of a hypobaric workout.
5. Zero mosquito bites when you stop to fix a flat.
4. Your balaclava holds your earbuds in your ears (not around traffic though, of course).
3. Falling snow doesn't get you wet like rain does because it mostly bounces off.
2. Drivers give you more room because they figure you must be crazy.
1. Your water bottle is always refreshingly chilled!

Or better yet: win a set of rapha winter gear, you'll be so excited to wear it that the cold will never be the same

Two pairs of socks is a must. If you can make a shot of espresso without waking the house even better. Then when you hit the road and get that first icy what-the-hell-am-I-doing-out-here chill ask yourself what would Jens say….shut up fingers….shut up toes…shut up wedding tackle and shut up ears!

Easiest response – HTFU – but everyone has put that in somewhere
So instead – remember, you are not in Dhaka / Baghdad / Kabul so what's stopping you from riding
Alternatively – you are not in Ballarat / Launceston / Hobart it is not cold, so what's stopping you from riding
Lastly – you are not in Derwent Bridge / Mt. Waialeale / Bellenden Ker it is not raining, so what's stopping you from riding

Fake it till you make it, Show up at your riding partners house ten minutes early with nauseating amounts of enthusiasm and love every minute of it, maintain that outward display joy every time you pass a car in the rain, you might just believe it. Also a season of gritty wet riding is all the justification you need for all those sweet upgrades come summer.

My winter tip….change hemispheres!

time the start of your ride with the first morning bus to pass your house & follow it for the first km or 2
Ahhhh the warm comfort of diesel Mmmm.
Buy the time you require clean air you should find you've warmed up
Alternately you could just send me that winter gear !

It is already too late Wade. You need to start training for winter in spring! I do all my fair weather riding in a pair of nylon disgustings and a fishnet singlet. I have a special set of cleated thongs (notice I called them thongs, not flip flops) and I wrap the grips in terry towelling for extra sweat absorption. How does this help I hear you asking? Well, once it gets a little cooler, I just start wearing normal cycling gear.

If it gets really really cold, I might add a gold sequinned g-string (Euro cool AND areodynamic) to keep the plums warm and a crocheted boob tube to keep the nips under control.

Due to the fact you are in Melbourne, you might consider a plastic shopping bag with eye, nose and mouth holes, you keep the bonce warm.

The added advantage you will have is never having to go to the front of a bunch ride, and if you make a break, you'll nearly always be on your lonesome!

Yours, always warm in winter, and fashion cognoscente
norbs.

Ride PRO, Ride RAPHA this Winter!

Charcoal foot heaters pad are essential when below 40F. Not sure how much of that you get in Australia but it make a big difference here in the states. On top of feet, outside of socks or if you don't have the room in your shoes, on top of your shoes under your booties. Do not put them under the ball of your feet like some hillbilly hunter! You spent alot of time figuring you seat height, don't wreck your knees.

Tip: Layers. Winter sees me bring out the merino thermals. Close to the skin, they keep you warm, wick the sweat away and is such a light material.

Winter Tip: DO NOT CHECK THE WEATHER RADAR ever before bedtime or in the morning, it will only lead to you thinking that it's going to rain / be windy / be cold.

Hi Wade,

My couple of tips for getting out of bed on cold days are guarenteed. individually or in any combination.

1. Have a ripping fight with the wife/girlfriend/partner or all three over, what you think is nothing ( non-cycling related of course, if it is, they will play the guilt card).

2. Go to bed in your training gear ( trying not to freakout the missus, some you may have already tried this for another reason, but that is a whole other blog). Include your heart rate chest strap (except for the helmet, glasses and shoes that would be taking it a bit to far ((gloves optional)). It will so uncomfortable you have to go for a ride because it will take too long to get it all off.

I could demonstrate this tip wearing the new Rapha gear of course.

3. Set your alarm for 4:30, so you have to reset the clock to 5:30 and try to get back to sleep, but you have already woken yourself up, so you will keep an eye on the clock just to make sure you don't miss the alarm and wake the missus up again. Which can cause tip 1 to come into play in which case you won't have the guilt card shown and she will be happy you are out of the bed.

4. Lastly when you are drifting of to sleep, quickly check out a quality website like the cycling tips blog, which may pics of “what you might be missing tomorrow or girls.”

Cheers Danny

to get out of bed, put a picture of your mother in law on your roof

In the cold you want calories from protein and fat to keep your inner fires burning. So before you jump on the bike, drink hot liquids before you start. I drink hot water, as Tea or Coffee leave you wanting to urinate after 10km. Go Rapha

Urinating in your knicks to stay warm when riding does NOT have the same effect as urinating in your wetsuit to stay warm when surfing…

Fill your handlebars with boiling water.

I am LMAO just trying to keep up with all these comments! Some great practical info in here as well

Agree, great tip… just make sure you have a coffee first as it's painful when you confuse your embrocation with your chamois cream!

My winter tip: Its much better to spend the first 5 minutes of a ride cold that rug up like a dog and spend the rest of the ride hanging/tying/stuffing gear where ever you can.

I have to ride in 20 (Fahrenheit) degree weather during the winter here in central Illinois. My tip for winter riding is to develop a smug sense of self-satisfaction. Its very insulating. While everyone is passing you in their cars on their way to work just think about how much more of a bad ass you are for riding your bike in this weather.

One winter morning, gagging for a ride after 3 days of nothing, alarm goes off at 5:30.

Better half: “mmm…why don't you just stay in bed”

Me: “!!!! Bub, I'm really keen to ride”

BH: “it's freezing and I want to cuddle you”

Me: “…….ok……”

She snuggles up to my back, so into The Shaft I unleash a S.B.D. hand grenade…

BH: *sniff sniff* “what…was that you….NICK! OUT! GET OUT! GO RIDE! I think I'm going to be ill!!!”

Me: *smug* toddles off and gets ride

Winter tip: there's more than one way to skin a cat if the better half tries to crack the wip.

Come up to Woodend for some real sub-zero winter training – arm warmers, knee warmers, booties, bib knicks, thermal base layer, short sleeve jersey, long sleeve jersey, gilet, skull cap, two layers of gloves, It takes me so long to get dressed, I need to get up 10 minutes earlier (and I depart for the slopes of Macedon at 5.15am!).

Top tip – if the ice warning lights are on through Black Forest Drive, you don't want to ride. Trust me, I tried it once and its true. You can't see black ice but you can slide on it, at least until it hurts. Riding, bang, sliding. Watch the f**k was that?

Winter tip: HTFU! Your in Australia! It still beats getting outta bed at 5:30am in Canada during winter or summer!

I have coveted the revered Rapha kit for too long. It is the epitome of style meets function. Those in the know use Rapha and I'm sick of being ignorant… but my new wife just won't let me buy any!!

tips:

1. They say the hardest part of getting out there is putting on your bike socks (Rapha merino of course)…once you make that decision, the rest is easy… So, wear your socks to bed!

2. Meet someone or a group of someone. I find it's better if you're just meeting one ride buddy and you make the commitment to each other not to bail.

3. It doesn't have to be fun to fun. Remember that. Once you're out and warmed up you'll be glad you did it. I have to constantly remind myself that the regret at not doing a ride always far outweighs the advantage of sleeping in.

4. HTFU! You're from Canadia for fuc*s sake! What's wrong with you? It's weird, I have a Swedish mate who can't cope with Melbourne winters either, says “the cold is different” back home.

:-)

The key to winter is utilise the quad warmer. It was designed by Frank VDB when he realised that although knee warmers are good, you really only need the extra layer of protection over your quads. You simply cut a pair of knee warmers so that they end around 1-2cm above your patella. There are endless befits to the quad warmer-
- the warmer doesn't cross your knee joint so they do not irritate the rider as the knee flexes and extends during pedalling
- the calf muscles are on the poster aspect of your leg so they protected from the wind chill during riding anyway, the quad warmer doesn't cover the calfs so you are free to use embrocation on your calfs, and who doesn't want to embrocate!
- as the warmers now have a wider circumference at the bottom, they are very very easy to remove from your legs. The smaller warmers are also take up much less room in your pockets.
- There is nothing worse than riding in a bunch ride/race when the temperature has risen and you would like to remove your knee warmers, but there simply isn't an opportunity to remove them. Quad warmers are much less sensitive to climatic changes, if the temperature increases, riding can be easily tolerated with quad warmers.
- They are also a handy solution to wanting to ride with badly sunburnt quads.

There are many many more benefits to the quad warmer.

VDB invented it while he was with Unibet, and he passed his invention on to his teammates, including Matt Wilson. You will also commonly see former pro and current Budget Forklifts rider Cameron Jennings wearing them while racing in australia. Many of the pro's are realising the advantages of the quad warmer, with Hondo picking up a 4th at the this years giro wearing quad warmers. As sene n the photo on your blog – http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2010/05/giromani…

Take a note Rapha, this is the next big thing!

I’m getting old
Now my toes get cold
And my fingers sting with pain
The only thing that keeps me warm
Is the adrenaline from catching my wheel on a slippery drain

In moments of crisis such as this you just need to ask yourself one question and one question only….What would Jens do? Answer HTFU! Give yourself a bit of shut up chilly legs treatment and get on out there.

Winter Tip: Leave your shoe covers at home as cold feet are guaranteed to make you want to get to your destination faster – improving your average speed and therefore increasing your feeling of accomplishment (or bragging rights depending on what motivates you!).

“It was pissing down with rain, 5 degrees AND I still improved my average speed by 2kph! “

It IS a different cold back in Canada! 10C here feels like -30C there. Or maybe the cushy life in Aus is making me soft…

Hey Wade I have to get up at 4:20am to do the those morning rides in Melbourne….. what are you complaining about?
The trick is decent technical clothing like the Rapha gear! Ya gotta be warm and happy at those hours.
Have a hit of caffiene before you look out side, then you wont be going back to bed(not to sleep anyway).
Oh and in your case maybe a cup of concrete too might be the go.
Cheers
Craig

The most obvious advice is to keep warm enough and dry enough while you ride. This isn't hard with good gear, although it can be expensive when you're dressing head to toe in Assos or Rapha or Giordana etc. Here's a few tips on how to dress:
- Wear an undergarment under your jersey. Long sleeved wool ones are especially warm. Cotton doesn't dry out well. There are cycling specific ones made from polyester.
- You lose a lot of heat from your head when it's uncovered. Expensive helmets with their giant air vents are especially bad for this. Cover your head and ears on those really cold days.
- In my experience on cold days, I am cold for the first fifteen minutes, then I get warm for the next hour or so, and then I start cooling down again, even though I'm going just as hard for the whole ride. Therefore, rug up for those longer rides.
- Feet get cold, especially on long rides. Get socks to go over your shoes for cold days (like DeFeet shoecovers), and weatherproof booties for the especially cold and wet days.
- A windproof and semi-waterproof jacket that folds up to go in a jersey pocket is handy (like an Assos Luftschutz jacket, although there are surely cheaper options). They're good to prevent windchill at the start of rides, and you can take it off when you don't need it any more.
- Descents are cold. You're going fast, and you can't pedal as hard. And it's always colder in the mountains. Have a good windbreaker jacket (like above).
- A good collection of armwarmers, kneewarmers, tights, long sleeved jerseys, finger-covering gloves, jackets etc. won't hurt (except your bank balance — which is why you try and win them instead).

However, as other people has said, the hardest part of riding in winter is get up and out in the first place. My tips for this are:
- Getting up in a cold house is especially hard. It's a lot easier to push yourself out of bed when your bedroom is comfortably warm. However, a warm house makes the cold outside feel especially cold. But, if you can get this far the battle has already been won.
- Getting up when it's cold and dark is especially hard when you're tired. Make sure you're well rested.

Finally:
- The satisfaction you get when riding in horrible weather is not to be missed.
- Don't miss out on training time that weaker people are missing.
- Prove to your friends/family/coworkers/goldfish that you are a hard man (or woman) by not giving in to a bit of inclimate weather.

Ha! The Rapha kit I have been considering selling my first born for..

Here are my tips:
1. Get a bunch of regulars, nothing like peer pressure to get you there.
2. Buy a can of HTFU from Chopper Industries.
3. Get some decent wet weather gear (ie. Rapha…hint hint). Even Jens doesn't shiver, unless it's from blood loss but even then he keeps on riding.
4. Have a 'rain bike' so you can't use the excuse of not wanting to mess up your good bike.
5. Have a goal, ie. a race or event to target.
6. Get your bike cleaned for $15 at cafe racer by Spokeclean so it looks inviting to get on.
7. Buy some more kit for your bike to give you an excuse to get out on it.
8. If you miss a session (ie. sleep in) make sure you do extra to catch up rather than just ride your next usual day.
9. Read Cycling Tips Blog to keep motivated.
10. Change it up, join a different weekend ride (ie. a bike store ride to the hills).

Easy for me to say though..I missed Saturday with the rain.

Winter riding tip : Have children. Their noise and constant demands will have you wanting to ride in ALL weather conditions…… Plus their eagerness and little hands and fingers are great for cleaning those hard to get to spots between the cranks and BB after your wet ride!

Why I need the Ralpha winter kit from CT? : The above tip is a financial drain and I can't afford the PRO look this winter…..

My advice is to claim that all the comments were unsatisfactory and crown yourself as the owner of the new winter kit. Now you have a whole new kit to motivate you and we all know that that's better motivation then any of us can give. Though this does hinder my chances of winning the contest.

My tip: When you haven't managed to HTFU in the cold and wet- go for a run. Wind chill doesn't factor so much. Getting muddy doesn't trash your bike and once accept you are wet it can be fun. And for some reason you don't need to be out for so long. A long run is 90 – 120min. None of this 3+ hours in the cold and wet.

1. Motivation = I'm 17 and manage to get out of bed at 4:50(hell that's an incredible story in itself) so what's the matter old-timer is that woosey little kid with pimples tougher then you? Prove me wrong p.s. what did dinosaur taste like.

2. Tips = Wear underwear under your knick's to stop your important bits and backside getting cold.

3. Story of Pity = Being young and not having a job(I am trying) my pockets aren't exactly overflowing with money and when I ask my mum if I can have a Rapha Winter Kit she just laughs at me and says “$900 you've got to be joking!” And I have lots of things to concern myself about rather then being warm like a cycling computer, physio, podiatrist, glasses, new shoes, coach, chainring and cassette.

4. Xtra Tip = move into a house next to where a new house is being built(or if you get lucky a bike shop) that way there is no point in sleeping in anyway because the builders are going to wake you up in half an hour anyway.(from personal experience)

After all WWJD (what would Jens do?)

I'm not sure if this counts as motivation Wade but, as my father use to say to me, suck it up :)

You're right it's dam cold but, in true Matrix style, there is a difference between knowing the path and riding the path.

The way I see it there is only one way to get in the base kms that will (hopefully) lead to summer glory and that is putting in the hard yards now when its wet, cold, dark and everyone else in bed. It truly sucks but when summer comes round and you are lining up to race you'll know you've done the time, will the guys standing next to you?

Worst comes to worse at least there is a coffee and friendly faces waiting at Racer for once its over.

See you out there soon, although, thinking of my plans for the summer hopefully not ;)

TM

Knowing that the Wicked Weasel store is next to Bar Coluzzi where we meet for a pre ride coffee gets me up everytime! If you don't know the store check this out wickedweasel.com/en it will motivate you.

Dinosaurs tasted like chicken.

when you're feet are freezing, wear a plastic bag over your socks inside your shoes. poor man's solution.
i need a winter kit because i use plastic bags for almost everything!

As someone who has a lower back that is as dodgy as a 3 day old kebab. No amount of concrete the night can help me HTFU or get it moving in winter… or so i thought…

When recently riding in the UK, I found an inexpensive air activate heat pack that i can stick in my middle jersey pocket and it warms my core and my back.

Cheap, quick and no drying time required!

I agree with that I have a friend from Bremen-haven, Germany on the North Sea with lots of winter Arctic blasts, and she says she has never felt as cold as when in Melbourne, the cold gets to your core.
I have been in Berlin at -15dC with a wind blowing from Siberia and felt toasty compared to a +10dC (high) Melbourne day

But then you get a day like this morning where it was still about 10 but it felt really nice, even in my poverty spec Castelli gear (so hard done by, need quality Rapha gear)

Hang your 'Shut Up Legs' t-shirt somewhere you can see it when you wake. If Jens doesn't motivate you, nothing will!

So did I, because of a hangover, but it was clear on Saturday afternoon ;-)

Wade, for motivation you should work to a structured training plan.

Call Crowie, get him to write you a coaching plan, get a mate to follow suit, then execute. You'll have something specifici to work towards and getting up when its cold will be a cynch.

Also, try going to bed an hour earlier.

CT – I need the Rapha kit because I want to hit up Donna Buang again. I've only done it once – I rode it solo in the start of Spring last year however it was still f'n cold and rained the entire climb and descent. At the top I searched in vain to find hot water (no luck) and had to descend with soaked feet/hands and barely being able to brake. It was a debacle, I made a number of schoolyard errors, no shoe covers, non waterproof gloves and a cheap-arse jacket off ebay. Definitely learnt the hardway, on reaching the bottom, I was mentally destroyed, I stripped in the carpark opposite the hardware store and jumped in my car stark naked with the heater on full blast for 15mins before I could operate normally – god knows what passer-bys were thinking. I've schooled up since then, but the new Rapha kit would complete my education – I'd also vow to smash Donna the very next weekend irrespective of the weather.

Oh and my tip for really cold mornings – wrap your cycling shoes in glad wrap – provides wind/rain protection but doesn't prevent your cleats locking in.

Yeah, you've just gone soft.

Best advice: ride.

Sure. Shit weather sucks… but it beats rollers or a trainer. Granted, for some it's not even a possibility, and trust me, I count my lucky stars I don't live in those areas (e.g. snow, ice, sub-zero temps, etc. for months on end). That said, I still am surprised by how much is out there to be seen, lived and ridden in. 40kph headwinds, heavy rain and hail, an hour 'til home and 2 burly climbs before then… somewhere, in the middle of that, you'll find something. Something that doesn't show itself midsummer, with tan lines and a promise of another century the day after. You'll find something that'll make you reenact your favorite, gnarliest Classics in your head… pretending you're there… no, it's worse than that. You'll grit your teeth hard enough to feel your fillings shift. That… that's the reason to ride in the winter. Raw, unbridled riding.

Some tips for riding in Bright in winter.
1 HTFU
2 laugh at melbournites who think it is cold in Melbourne ;-)
3 Put hot water in your bidon, otherwise it will freeze & crack.
4 Don't over dress, because you'll sweat too much
5 Ride up a mountain. Speed is slower for the first part of the ride. Freeze on the way down & tuck to reduce wind chill.
6 You know its cold when the moisture from the fog on your gloves & handlebars freezes into crystals.
7 Win Rapha kit

Wade your motivational poem below

So the Melbourne mornings are now cold and grey
Do you own Beach Rd or stay away
The old tatty doona is looking real fine
Yep you guessed it bloody winter time

So now remember the night before
Take a spoon full of concrete to get out the door
Place your alarm clock in your knicks
Cause you ride with a bunch or merciless pricks

Ahh the feel of freezing chamois cream on ya balls
It's a small price to pay to avoid the calls
You know the ones that bring your sexuality into play
All cause you decided to ride another day

So throw that doona off and head to the shed
Get that bike out when you could be back in bed
The winter training ride's not about coffee or warm food
Simply at 4:30am Mrs CT wont be in the mood

Think about the farmers milking cows for our post ride coffee. We are very lucky because we can ride!

Ha! Awesome Fox!

That reminds me of another poem that was sent to me last week penned by a woman named Deb:

Out of doona cocoon
At sparrow’s fart
Bleak, wet, cold, wind
Before you even start

Got all the gear, power-drink
and of course, beloved bike
But the legs, THE LEGS
Is what you’d really like

So you’re on beach road
With a wet stripe up your ass
as bunch after bunch
go smugly flying past

quads burning, cortisol,
the sea on your right
every car an asshole
like it’s their rego-given right

Today, just to Black Rock
So glad to see that tower
Turn around, and – oh my god -
ZERO f**king power

Speedo says 24!!!!!
What the hell’s with that?
(at least I’m not THAT poor bastard,
in the gutter, with the flat)

Into Phil’s suitcase
You’re now digging deep
Feeling all superior
Cause you’re not asleep

Getting down and grinding out
the next few hellish k’s
Your tyres – water logged
You – low sugar daze

Then you see a wheel (A WHEEEEEEL)
With one hill to go
This guy’s your lead-out man
And he doesn’t even know

Like Lance on drugs
(AS IF)
You tuck-in, spin
And catch a lift

Two riders as one
Taking every corner
Moving synchronicity
The universe in order

Then he brakes.
In mid-flight.
Skids to a stop.
A red light.

Have you left enough space?
Will you swerve and fall?
If this was a pro race
Would this end it all?

But you make it past (this time)
And to your surprise
You’ve sailed right past your lead out man
So you tuck in for the prize….

Change it down
Get in the drops
Full gas
The rain stops

Dawn’s crack
Coffee close
Doin 40
Well, ok, almost

You LOVE this sport
Your bike’s the best
Lungs exploding
In your chest
You’re a hero!
As you coast
Toward your coffee
and jam toast

And this is the point, at which you say
“I’m definitely riding” the next day

The 1st of June is drawing near,
The winter season of cold and wind,
Of frosty noses and frozen ears,
Of warm beds and sleeping in.

If you're keen to ride come winter time,
Simply join a bunch for a 6am whirl,
A start that early means no time to whine,
Or the group will think you're a sissy girl!

And when the rides over and done,
Warm in the bistro with a cup of joe,
You'll be glad you didnt miss all the fun,
Even though frostbite took your little toe.

I need a Rapha Winter Kit because it's hard enough getting out in the cold, let alone when also dealing with a 5 week old babies feeds, cycling on eurosport, work, more feeds, trying to sleep, right, bike ride – damn, the 6 year old wants breakfast, more babies feeds, “draw with me dad”, sleep, hold on, eurosport, bike ride – wait a minute, another feed, “let's go to the park dad”, i should go for a ride… mmmm rapha, i'm off…

Extra socks, extra gloves. Keep em dry and just when you are ready to crack the s#!ts and head home cos it's too cold and wet, pop em' on. Suddenly the world will seem so much nicer… :)

what about canada?

haha summer is coming!

thats how fungi grows on your man parts. seriously dude haha a sure recipe for saddle sores

Tip1: A twist on the embrocation method. A liberal coating to the eyes and “man-bits” will get you up and into the cold quicker than a poo through a goose.

Tip 2: Don't bother warming up. You don't see a dog stretch before it chases a car….

Heat your house, that ways its easier to get out of a warm bed and get your kit on

Wow awesome tips and humour here!

A recent lesson for me in being PRO – get rid of the saddle bag – the velcro strap has put holes in almost every set of bibs I own – took me a while to work out what was causing it :-( New Rapha winter kit will have me sorted out!!!

Tips:
Preparation – if it's the feet getting cold when the hit the floor in the morning – wear socks to bed! You'll stay warm until you leave the house.
Remove any barriers – make everything easy – if you have something to eat before your ride, prepare it the night before, have it waiting in the kitchen, or in the fridge. Saves time and fumbling around and waking wife and kids!
Getting cold, and you haven't even left yet? Crack out a few pushups and stretches. Will get the blood pumping to the point you'll be warm and too awake to go back to bed.

I agree with earlier comments – as soon as you're warm on the road, you'll know it was all worth it!

My tip. Enter this competition.

I have a 3/4 Rapha bibs and they are fricken awesome. Putting them on is like hopping back into bed!!

Dont wear them if it is more than 10 degrees though. You will roast pretty quickly on a hard ride!!

Also, if you want to keep your hands dry…
http://www.velodramatic.com/archives/2843

What you have to remember is when the weather is crap and your out riding its guaranteed the others will be hiding, Thats why I need a Rapha Winter Kit..

1. Small piece of duct tape over the vents in sole of shoe.
2. Have kit prepared the night before (as previously suggested) but laid out in a different room.
3. House heating timed to warm up bedroom enough to get out of bed, BUT closed vent in the room where the kit is.
4. Cheap inside/outside thermometer in said kit room, showing inside/outside temperature differential isn't much, so “.. get out there, ya wee lassie..”.
5. Just ride.

On these cold and damp Melbourne mornings when, like you CT, I'm feeling a bit sissy and tired from the Giro late nights, I think about the fact that to justify reading cycling blogs/news most of the day while at work and spending a disproportionate amount of my income on cycling related gear, I should probably grow a set and just get out there.
Then I do and I remember why I love the bike and I realise this freezing cold damp 2hr ride will be the best part of an otherwise dull day!
As they say, a crap ride is still better than the best day in the office…

Here's my winter riding tip / word of motivation: Remind yourself of this year's Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne race, take a look at Graham Watsons gallery (http://photos.grahamwatson.com/RaceUpdates/0228…) and notice that only 23 riders finished the race of 198 riders started!!

For those early winter mornings i fill a small water bottle with hot, hot water, wrap it in the spare gloves or another article of bike clothing (usually arm warmers) and put it in the rear back pocket, then the rain jacket goes over top. It lasts about 1-2 hours, feels like a sauna. And your just sweating like crazy despite the cold weather (Canadian tip).

My tip is to get married and have a kid. You will be woken up at 5.30am anyway and when you have the choice of changing a freshly stacked nappy of solid human turd or jump on the bike and freeze your nuts off, the later seems like heaven!!

A scull cap covering the ears is handy too………for either of the options above!!

All the witty comments have been said. But if you don't go out and ride you will soon be dead!

Always Have a plan.

Where your going to ride, and what specific Training, if any, you are going to do.

I know if I haven't decided where I'm going for a ride the night before, it always makes it easier to stay in bed but if I have, I'm more likely to do it, so as not to let myself down.

And keep warm layers, layers, layers…..

Because I'd look so much better in a Rapha kit with road spray up my ass!

The key tip to effective Winter riding is to get good gear for your partner. Key reasoning:

1) If SHE stays warm in Winter, she'll be less likely to bail out (e.g. tonight… and it's not even forecast to rain…), you can always HTFU
2) If she's in great gear, it helps justify your own purchase(s)
3) She won't drag your PRO look down by riding next to you in a mismatching colourway..

There's nly one way to make sure you get out of bed: arrange to meet someone else so you know you're letting them down too! Try and find someone who's grumpy (like me) so you know you'll be in trouble if you cancel on them.

Hah nah I'm in Melbourne, and you can't tell me it wasn't beautiful out there this morning.

I like the gloves!

(Also, the other picture in that post is of Lance Armstrong at the 2009 TOC wearing a Giro Ionos helmet with a visor!)

One of the commenters in there gave a link to http://www.bobkestrut.com/category/low-budget-s… and I must share an interview that goes with one of the photos there, which has Oscar Freire with a pump duct-taped to his bike:

Bobke Strut: Hey Oscar, why not a mini-pump bracket?
Oscar Freire: Well…I think Ernesto Colnago would crap his pants if one of those brackets appeared on my ride.
BS: And duct tape is ok?
OF: Hell yeah.
BS: What about jersey pockets?
OF: But that would mess up the exquisite lines of my kit. Plus, don’t you know that guys like me don’t have functioning pockets? They’re sewn shut, just there for show. If I need something to eat, I just stop at somebody’s house. Everyone in Torrelavega knows Oscar Freire. If I need a tube, I flag down a fellow cyclist and he gives me his. If he doesn’t have a spare tube, then I just take one out of his wheel. Then he gets on the cell and calls to get picked up.
BS: Then why bother with the mini-pump? Wouldn’t said rider have a pump you could scam, too?
OF: I need it to whack smart-ass journalists upside the head. No more questions from you…

(From http://www.bobkestrut.com/2007/03/27/oscar-frei… )

Take up track riding (indoors of course) – nice and dry in the mornings :)

Come to Canberra and get up at 5.30am. Hell, get up at 8am when it's still less than 2deg, but at least the sun is out!

My motivation? Spite. Spite for Mother Nature.

That and I didn't shave my legs for nothing.

Tip: White looks good all year round, just don't get it wet. Not because you will look bad, because other people really don't want to see that

Winter tip for the budget conscious – the old golf socks double as arm warmers in a pinch, just cut the toes off and slide them on.
My mates won't cylce with me when I am wearing my improvised arm warmers – reckon it clashes with my kit. Keeps you toasty warm – only downside is they tend to slide down the arm and gather at the wrist.

Oh dear, you have just reminded me of Wiggens in the Giro TTT

Well, just coming off a winter in Calgary, my specific advice might be a little over the top for you, but if I warm things up a couple degrees I would probably say the top three nuggets I've pulled with me over the winter are:

1. It's all about the layers – I found all but the most brutal winter days were a lot more comfortable in a combination of layers rather than specific one piece items

2. It's all about cutting out the wind – Regardless of the temperature a high-quality, breathable wind jacket will easily warm things up by a few degrees.

3. It's all about the warm socks coming off the register – This one is my personal fav… It doesn't matter how cold it is, heading out with warm feet is a guaranteed winning combination. You'll enjoy the first 1/2 hour of your ride so much you'll forget it's 5:30 ;-)

With the right gear, darkness and cold aren't things to be avoided, but embraced, and rides can become a new adventure – The cold making your senses a little sharper, the roads a little more open.

Just think, every morning is a new opportunities to create your very own black and white hard-man Rapha epic ;-)

Totally agree.

Cold you can cover up, but when it's too hot, there's only so much you can shed, and even then the hot, humid wind smacking you in the face can be a real bummer.

Does this count as my entry?

Exactly my inspiration for this “tip”

My Tip: Oil your chain but don't clean your bike for a while. That rough and rugged look over winter shows you're not affraid of riding in the rain.

When the alarm clock rings, get out of bed – do not dawdle. Make yourself a coffee. Hold the cup in your hands. Feel the warmth. Go take a look at your bike. It should have its own good spot in the garage or inside. It should be kept clean. If you do all this right, after a moment, it will talk to you. Dress warmly – use good kit – now go ride.

Winter Tip: As you're nodding off to sleep picture the following:

You're on the LaRedoute in the 1999 Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Front group with Bartoli, Vandebrouke, Bettini, A Merckx, Vainsteins (world champ). Bartoli attacks and Vandebrouke follows and blows his doors off. You go with him.

In my view, they were the two classiest classic riders ever and the most PRO.

If you're not with me check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zenlv88feHg

Note Vandenbrouke's PRO look – overshoes and cap (the perfect winter accessories).

Summary: Picture yourself riding up La Redoute, looking PRO (note, must be in the drops).

“Are you riding or are you hiding?” -Lance Armstrong

Taught my wife this one and now when it's cold/wet outside and I'm being a bit soft she drops it on me. Works every time.

Ride the fattest tires and heaviest wheels you have. The extra weight will make you work harder and stay warmer. Plus, when you finally break out your race wheels you will be, to quote Phil “Stomping on the pedals in a most immodest way”

Place your ergo in the shower for a week of training.

Make sure the cold water is on full and you have a fan (preferably an Air Conditioner) pointed at you.

For added effect have someone throw handfuls of mud at you. (Just like stage 7 of the Giro but in the comfort of your own home)

From then on every early morning ride will seem like a pleasant dream.

Dont give yourself an excuse not to ride.
Get your bike, kit and food ready to go the night before in its order in the garage, and once the alarm goes off, go into auto pilot to get out on the road!
Dont think twice and if you complain it”s to cold in the first 20mins, you will complain you are to hot after the next 20mins.

It hasn't been long enough for you to remember how frigid it gets over here in Canada, so you've just got to help a brother out. I'm generally sporting a shaved head, but my tip for cool weather riding is to “let it grow”. A little extra insulation up top makes things easier to take. Cheers.

Give up working and ride in the mid-morning or win new Rapha winter kit and go early; snuggly warm and techie.

The biggest problem with winter riding is the rain! Sydney has just had almost 3 weeks straight and its not looking like letting up. Rain is the biggest factor for people not turning up to a ride, me included. The best way to set up for the possibility of a rainy ride occurs the night before. Everyone has their favorite PRO kit, for me it’s of my tri club, nice white bright colorful kit, white arm warmers, white gloves, white shoes and white socks this however does not work on a rainy day as white first turn see through and then brown with road muck. Therefore set up 2 sets of kit ready for your morning ride, have the rainy kit ready! Cycling cap (to shield rain out of your eyes and keep your head warm), dark coloured jersey and knicks (matching of course), black arm and leg warmers, long fingered gloves, rain vest/jacket, old socks, and black waterproof shoe covers. Problem solved – no matter what the weather for the early morning training ride you have no excuse, if it’s a clear morning you have your PRO kit ready to go, and if it’s raining you’ve got your rainy kit ready to go!

I ask everyone to try this method of rain preparation next time your are organizing your equipment for a possible rainy training ride. It will make putting your kit on that much easier at 5am with the Mrs in bed next to you.

to be honest you shouldn't be riding in winter… be PRO and relocate to Europe for a few months…

But seeing as that's not gonna happen, just try to act PRO and do the good old newspaper down the jersey trick. Works a treat and you'll have your own reading material at the cafe after :)

Seriously, it's always colder somewhere else in the world, stop whinging.

Alright, we all know that you wanna look good on your bike, especially when we are talking rapha (yes I am using rapha as an adjective).
And where I come from, good old Luxembourg (I am in Melbourne since september but going back soon), the winters are whiter, greyer and blacker than the ones here, rockin the rapha gear in those colors, almost makes it look like you are a rolling rapha photo ad.
Anyway, old school but helpful when its getting gnarly, newspaper under the jersey! And put tea in your bidon, makes the morning rides way better, it'll cool down for sure, but at that point, when you're warmed up, you wouldn't want to drink hot tea anyway, it's perfect.
Maybe I should just have a cup of concrete each morning and harden up, but winter mornings suck!

Another thing about early morning winter morning rides especially, I think, Is that you feel much more satisfied when you actually got up and done that ride than for example in summer. And you'll be properly awake when it's time to put the bike aside, and I am always happy about that because i find it harder in winter feeling completely awake and there when it's another grey day.
That should be enough motivation for each morning.

I should win the Rapha kit for not being stupid enough to pay for it.

My winter motivation tip-

Take up cycling when you are 150kg and everything this side of a 3yo on a tricycle kicks your butt up any hill bigger than a speed bump! Nothing motivates you to get out and ride day in day out, no matter what the weather, than the thought of yet another ass-whooping by a grandmother on a hybrid.

On the 12 month anniversary of my taking up cycling, I was hovering right on 100.8kg – so close to double figures I could taste it! So I got up at 3am and went out and did 40km of hills BEFORE my usual bunch ride in the pouring rain. Rode home soaking wet, freezing, shaking and popped a spoke just to add to the misery! Limped home even slower and colder and it took 15 mins in the shower before I could feel my toes and fingers.

But I got to 99.8kg for my morning weigh-in regardless! ;-)

I know of no better motivation to ride during winter than that!

I live and train at 3,000 feet altitude and for really cold days – that just aren't going to get any warmer – keeping your feet warm is vital. Shoe covers can only do so much so I've started using 'toe warmers'. These are little patches that when the packet is opened to air undergo a chemical, heat generating, reaction. They have a sticky side which attaches to the underside of your socks just behind your toes. Have used these on motorcycles for years and just last weekend tried them in a 100K race where the temp didn't crest 12 degrees – wind chill effect on the bike was probably half that.

They last about eight hours and with warm toes and feet, there's one less thing to worry about with the cold. They're cheapish and can be bought at most camping/adventure stores – best brand is a US version called Grabber My Coal (I know – WTF?)

I used them with synthetic shoe covers (not the full winter versions) and they worked extremely well. Was concerned they might feel bulky under the foot given the pressure applied during the pedal stroke – but no problems in that regard. You won't need them everyday but for those ugly, bitter, days, they'll help keep the tootsies warm!

Tip for getting out of bed:
Have a partner that has openly stated: “if the alarm goes off and you don't get out of bed, I'll drive over your bikes when I leave”. I guarantee that you'll either get up /or/ you'll beat the alarm and switch it off.

Tip for staying warm in winter:
Eat pleanty of beans and cabbage, Not only will the “effects” keep you warm, but your riding partners will /insist/ you don't need to pull a turn :)

Why I need the kit:
I just had a “minor bingle” and now my “warm stuff” has some speed holes [1]

[1] http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vi…

lots of people want this!

my montreal winter tip is kayaking socks for when it's cold and there's no way your feet will stay dry. for me it's slush but for you it may be continual rain. the socks provide enough insulation to keep the water around your feet warm—-just dont wear them for hours/days at a time or you'll get trench foot.

ie:
http://colinengel.blogspot.com/2008/03/spring-a…
http://colinengel.blogspot.com/2008/04/trench-f…

TIP: Winter Wife Management

As the days get shorter and the nights colder, there is one important thing to remember through the winter months to get you out on the road training or racing: Wife Management.

This is especially important during winter time, as you will now be getting up well before first sparrow's fart, in the darkness and robbing your dearly beloved of the additional body heat – as well as sleep.

To cut off any possible complaints from the love of your life about your cycling fixation, consider these tips:

1. Come home from your weekend rides with a coffee and/or roses. A coffee tray with two cups (for you and her) in it is easiest to carry one handed where your body can absorb the bumps and avoid spills. Stay away from putting the coffee cups in your bottle holders, as this will splash coffee over the pride and joy – best avoided. Roses can be carried in your hand; make sure they are well wrapped however if you want to carry them balanced in your middle jersey pocket (for when you are bringing coffee AND roses because you are late back from a ride) – the thorns are not only painful, even your Rapha kit could be damaged by them.

2. Make sure you carry out any weekend chores happily and promptly upon returning from your ride. Even though it may be wet/cold still and you could probably do with a spin down on the trainer, go out and do the lawn/walk the dog/paint the fence. Make sure that you have done enough work following your ride so there can be no recriminations pressuring you to miss tomorrow's ride. You will need to show common sense here based upon previous experience and known expectations.

3. When you choose to have a rest day, make sure that you let her know that there is a big ride organised – and that you would prefer to lie in with her and have breakfast together. Even following your training plan can have massive benefits to your Wife Management process. This also holds true for days when there is severe whether forecast.

4. Under no circumstances comment on any women that may have been on your group ride. Leave her under the assumption that this is purely a manly pursuit, otherwise you could inadvertently strike the jealousy nerve.

5. Make sure you discuss the number of days you will be heading out for morning rides with the apple of your eye. If you can get agreement over the days you will be heading out, there should be considerably less issues. Start with a high number, and graciously come down to the number of days you have in your training plan. Additional “special” rides can be brought in as well on top of your set days as “once off's” – be careful not to overuse these however!

6. Make sure to remind your significant other what friends and colleagues are up to – buying sports cars, chasing loose women, developing beer bellies – and let her know how lucky she is to have a man that is not only saving money with his chosen pastime compared to those others, but also ensuring he is not at risk of heart disease or other obesity related problems.

7. No matter what time your morning ride is, make sure you are always available for sex the night before. Not only does this have some personal benefits; it will also leave her in a much better mood the following day. It will also get your heart pumping and blood flowing before sleep which will see you able to perform better on the cold winter group ride the next morning – even taking into account the lack of sleep.

Winter comment to inspire you to get up…warm shower! I have to get up at 5.30am for work anyway, so I've never been afraid of the early morning rise. One reward I look forward to is a warm shower after a ride. It makes the world of difference to come home after a morning ride and have the steam coming off your body, thinking about how many people are sleeping through their alarms.

A warm breakfast afterwards is also the perfect compliment and makes for a steadfast way of seeing through the winter months!

Don't say its cold or freezing, just say it's fresh or crisp. Makes you feel a lot better. Tommy P, Registered Psychologist.

The key to a good winter ride are warm feet! heated insoles will give you what you need :-)

oh and by the way, I need the kit because all my winter stuff is falling appart :-(

My winter

Ahh winter riding – being in Vancouver that can be changed to year around riding. With 166 days of rain a year including 20+ day stretches in winter it can be a challenge.

Photo Album (multimedia portion of m y entry) and gear list from a “spring ride” is @ http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=203151&id…

10 Tips for winter riding (I have learned the hard way);

1. Have all your gear ready for the next few days rides in separate bags. That way it is wake up change and go.
2. Plastic Bags – Merino Socks, Covered by Plastic Bag, Shoes, Plastic Bag, Booties
3. Waterproof Bag – for phone, wallet, spare toque (beanie), gloves
4. Two Bottles – One with Coffee – don't get into to it straight away but after about an hour when you are getting colder
5. Layers – Instead of bulky clothing have multiple layers. I even sometimes put a descending jacket underneath rain jacket to give a secondary layer. gore tex socks are also a big winner
6. Winter = grow a beard. It may not be totally euro but heck it is another layer. If neatly trimmed at a stubble level you may get a euro grade
7. Wave – Wave to the others who are braving it and think you just need to train a little harder or longer to beat them come summer. Oh and those still in bed, you are crushing their dreams while they sleep
8. Ski Goggles – if it is really horrid out and you know you will be one of the only ones hard enough to get out there ski goggles can protect against flurries and horizontal rain
9. Light Up – If its miserable out there make yourself visible just to play safe
10. Embrace It – Come that race day were the weather is or turns crap, you know it is yours for the taking. If you train in conditions worse than you will ever race in then mentally it makes those days a lot easier.

Why do I need a Rapha kit?

1. Adelaide boy now living in Vancouver. Climate differences are extreme
2. Good Test Subject – ride, rain, hail, snow, sunshine, fog (had all these these year already) – can promise good field testing
3. Vancouver needs an injection of style that does not come form Mountain Equipment Co-op. The amount of mismatched kits and poorly chosen combinations of attire is somewhat depressing. The K.O.S would surely be disappointed with some of the efforts.
4. Did I mention live in Vancouver – suits are considered rain jackets with a pair of rubber boots it rains so much.

No great winter tip, I just need the RAPHA kit becuase I think I am about to get fired from my job because I have spent all afternoon reading the hundreds of comments posted in the hope of some free stuff!!

Nothing like free stuff to get everyone involved – Not even Flandis going postal got this many comments in a day!!

When blowing snot rockets make sure you don't get a failure to launch resulting in a snot kite!. Place one finger on the side of your nose to maximize air velocity exiting the other nostril allowing for ejection of the snot.

Party more. Rocking out all night and pulling all-nighters means no bed to get out of in the morning.
Plus the guilt of partying will make you want to ride to fix your body up.

Just organise to meet someone else. You will look like a dick and cop a ribbing if you dont show up!

There is no backing out after chocolate cake the day before!

I´m being from the northern parts of Sweden knows when it´s cold, and I mean cold. But generally when it´s colder weather I´m trying not to freeze before going out. It´s always easy that you sit down having your breakfast with little clothes on and then starting to freeze. If you do that your'e already cold when leaving your house.

Another great tip, which maybe won´t be necessary is this. I remember once when I went out with my mtb during the winter, it was -15 celcious and it was some really cold -15. I´ve got a tip from an older rider to boil some water and then put some honey into it. And then into a small thermos that I fitted into a regular water bottle. This helped me get 100 km on my bike that day. But I will also always remember it at the coldest ride I ever made.

We all need to put the hard work and time in now be rewarded.

Wade, find a spot in the hills where there is shelter from the wind (prefer Kinglake to Beach Rd when the wind starts to whip off the bay).

Thanks for the original post about wearing knicks inside out to look pro – this happened a week after I went out having done just that, and needed to strip off and swap them around in a side street in the semi-dark… embarassing….

Wear pyjamas to bed, much easier to get out in the morning. From a recently converted not-much-at-all man.

1. set up coffee maker on a timer the night before. I ride at 5AM so I set the coffee maker for 6:30 so it's nice and fresh when I roll home.
2. Set up your gear the night before also. The easier it is to get ready in the morning the less motivation it will take. I do everything in order of how I get dressed. Banana, glass of water, leg warmers, bibs, socks, arm warmers, jersey, jacket, shoes, gloves, helmet…bike (in exactly that order). When you're peepers pop open all you have to do is roll through the motion with the least brain activity possible.
3. Make sure you have lights.

Remember that fresh coffee and a warm breakfast is on the other side.

booyah!

Good post, and you mentioned something I forgot — lights.

Being visible is always important, and it's a lot harder when it gets dark and wet. That a lot of the best bad weather gear is black doesn't help either, so having good, bright, “look at me! There's a cyclist here — please don't kill me” lights may be more important than any other tip here. You might get cold without good clothing, but you might get killed without good lights.

My tips for lights are:
- Don't be cheap. Buy the best lights that you can afford.
- Don't be fooled by the price tag — some of the best lights aren't expensive. The Planet Bike/Blinky Super Flash rear light is only $30 or so, and is one of the best rear lights on the market. On the other hand, there are a few light systems (Nite Rider etc.) that cost hundreds of dollars, but are incredibly bright.
- A small torch can make an excellent front light. I have a Quark AA2 light from 4sevens.com, which is a about as long as three AA batteries and not much thicker than one, has a flash mode that is far brighter than the average bike light, and is no more expensive than many. Of course, battery life is rubbish, but that's why they invented rechargeables.
- Have multiple back lights. (Maybe mount one on your bike, another on your helmet.) More visibility, and mitigates the impact of batteries running out.
- Make sure your batteries are fresh. Lights lose brightness when batteries start to run out. Back lights appear to be especially susceptible to having nearly flat batteries, as you never look at them when you're riding, and the light will still flash for a long time. I see a lot of cyclists who have flashing back lights, but the light is so dull that it hardly makes them more visible.
- This isn't related to lights so much, but reflective material is very visible when in car headlights.

Hmm… I could almost make my own cycling tips blog ;-)

“I Need A New Rapha Kit” because I'm a poor student studying in Melbourne and living on campus and the only PRO looking kit I have is the one from CyclingTips (which I've spent my entire life savings on.) Donning this beautiful Rapha kit will give me an alternative while stepping past my half-drunk hostel mates (who think i'm nuts) at 5 in the morning, showing them that we lycra clad warriors can look extremely stylish as well.

Tip to looking PRO during winter- ALWAYS ensure that no skin is shown in between your arm warmers and jersey sleeves at all times, especially on the triceps. It is akin to wearing a pair of jeans and showing off your arse crack; un-couth and almost rude.

And of course, it doesn't hurt to put on the Rapha kit either.

Wade and other tip-seekers,
When it comes to staying fashionable (and warm) when winter riding, I've learnt there is no substitute for proper cycling-specific winter clothing from your LBS. I learnt this one the hard way after one sub- ten morning, when I was kitted out with ski gloves, a thick woolen ski beanie, and, worst of all, knee-high skiing socks! Needless to say, the odd looks and smart comments will haunt my morning rides forever… so please, PLEASE Wade, help out a fashion tragic with some proper kit and salvage some of my dignity!

My tip: get good lights.

If I can see and be seen, I have every reason to put on the warm stuff for a ride.

Easy mode have a coffee before you go out, nothing like a good coffee to start the day off =D

From my experience cold days, i rug up Arms warmers, legs. As soon as i get out, i say to myself “Sure isnt warm today” Bout half a hour into the ride i dont even feel the cold anymore….until i hit a red light.

Winter tip:
When racing in the cold, forego leg & arm warmers and socks and unzip your jersey, then about 1km before the sprint show the other riders how much your nipples are sticking out….no-one will engage in the sprint and you have it in the bag!

Tip 1- My tip is to grab a newspaper on the way to your ride, place it under your top till you warm up. Then when you all stop for coffee at the end, you dont have to fight everyone else at the cafe for a copy of the days paper.
Tip 1.1 – For all you smaller guys/ladies out there i suggest getting the Herald Sun, and for the bigger guys/ladies I suggest the broad sheat of The Age or The Australian, will keep more of you warmer.

Get good lights, if you miss the morning, make sure you ride that night.
Polypropolene thermal undershirts are cheap and effective.
Find or make a lycra scull cap.
Have a training program and make sure you get your breakthrough workouts in.
Use rollers & a trainer or ergo.

My Tip: Jens Preparation
Make commitments to riding buddies, pre-plan meeting times and locations and agree to call if more than 5mins late
Prepare your bike and get out all your clothes & gear
What gear you prepare should be guided by your Jens Factor
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37458067@N00/42437…

Call 1800 DANOZ DIRECT (Global Shop Direct) and purchase a Snuggies. They might not look pro, you will loose 10 minutes in a 40km time trial but you will be the warmest dawk in the peleton. They now come in Leopard or Zebra print. Purchase the Leopard print in you like to chase and the Zebra print if you liked to be chased

PS, love that Rapha suggest you buy the 'complimentary arm-warmers' for the jersey. What do they say to you? 'Good legs today. Glad you got out even though it's cold. Nice bike …'

I don't mind poor spelling in a blog, forum, etc. But Rapha is all about class!

@Mark Winn
What…You mean you wear a Banana and a glass of water when you ride….:P
“I do everything in order of how I get dressed. Banana, glass of water…..”

As a rower (who cycles for cross training as too much rowing just leads to injury) my best advice is that anytime the motivation is lacking in the morning and the frost is on the ground, just think that theres so Rowing sap out there probably wearing at most a zootie and a long sleeve top, battling the elements (bonus points if it raining, BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR). That's what gets me through my off season winter rides at least.

Bonus tip, I don't know why, but for some reason tights seem to work better at keeping the cold out if they're outside of a rowing zootie/bib shorts.

Tip 1/ Put “Chariots of fire” or “Eye of the tiger” as the alert on your phone alarm.

Tip 2/ To keep warm just sit in the bunch and let the other foolish ones sit at the front and get cold buffeting all of that artic wind. (think of them as your domesiques)

Quote -” it's not meant to be easy but when you start enjoying the pain, thats when you know your good ”

Tips- a beanie or cap for head woolen undershirt to protect chest and shoe covers are the most important pieces of clothing because if your head chest or feet are cold it will affect everything.

Also banana's and high glucose lollies have been found out to help with warmth.
and last to help not getting the flu in the winter wash your bar tape and gloves because they both very easily contribute to catching bugs.
and a reason is I'm freezing my ass of in the saddle and reckon some warm kit would go pretty good!

Good quality thermal under-shirt! Absolutely essential.

Winter riding
Tip 1: Mudguards are the new street cred (Well so said Mr “Vital Bits Bike Guy” Walker, last saturday on 3RRR. Plus they keep you dry!
Tip 2. Look out for other crazy Fitzroy cyclists on black singles, with black rims, black bar tape, and of course … black clothing, all combined with NO LIGHTS!! Especially on Canning St, just after dark.

Winter Motivation, the sun coming up as you do your dawn Kew Boulevarde laps. Perfection, plus how more deserving are you of that Brunetti's coffee!

It's all about preparation. The night before, pump up your tyres, fill your water bottles, lay out your clothes, make sure your GPS is charged & do whatever else you need. Set alarms for whatever time you want to wake up, then set another 5 mins after that and 5 mins after that. Remember that at speed, cold wind will be going through you so base layers are your friend. You can just put some latex on under long riding gloves to keep your hands warm (and dry). No need to buy winter gloves!

If all else fails, harden the truck up.

I find the hardest thing about winter riding is facing my girlfriend when I take off my knicks post ride. She stares, then starts laughing hysterically, wondering where it all went. The meat and potatoes is so shrivelled up and tucked in from the cold they look like a dried out mushroom (her word). Not good! The winter Rapha kit will surely cure my dilemma. ;o)

Hi Wade, in order for me to get out of bed on a winter morning, I make sure I have everything ready for the ride the night before, this means that you only need to have a coffee and a bit of breakfast and your practically ready to go, searching for equipment when you're half asleep can be frustrating and de-motivating, but if it's already there you've nothing to worry about, your mind will be free to concentrate on the ride!

Also, as you'll be doing mainly base level training in the winter, try new routes to keep the training rides fresh and interesting!

Why I need Rapha Kit:

Because I listen to Cycling News podcasts, and I want to be able to wear the kit and feel the part! Plus man its cold and some warm Rapha gear for the 5:30 am commute up Bridge Rd sure would help!!

My tip would be: Split your life……spent the summer riding you bike in the southern hemisphere and then move to europe, because summer is starting here! Now one could think, if summer is starting why the hell would he need this winter kit for ??? Well the best explanation is, getting up at 5:30, even if it is summer, makes you feel like winter again because the european summer is basically the same as your winter !!!!

My tip, coming all the way from soggy Scotland (yes even in the middle of summer it still pisses it down with rain!), is quite simple, learn to enjoy being soaked. Winter sucks but there is nothing that can be done about it, rain always finds a way of finding that little patch of skin that's not completely covered and punish you for it.

Why I need the Rapha Kit

I'm 16 and go to school so I don't have a job so buying a kit isn't so easy, and getting up every morning at 4:30am without winter gear is a challenge and the kit would help alot but…

There is no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.

I wanted to tack this onto my other comment but it wont let me reply

Some motivation no doubt from the book of Jens from the whiteboard above my bike with all my training

“Straws and cement pills en route”
gets me through alot of session

stuff a news paper or a few sheets of news paper down your jersey. For extra PRO points get yourself an Italian or French newspaper from BORDERS the night before.
It will not only look PRO when you warm up and remove the paper it is PRO.

Capice

Nothing in life comes for free….. so with that in mind i am willing to trade for Rapha….

One slightly used almost 30 year old female, am willing to throw in clothing, make-up and her CD collection for good measure.

How will this help my winter training you ask?
1. I will get a restful 8 hours sleep without a bed hog
2. I will be able to carbo load without fear of having to eat salad or veggies
3. No whinging when my alarm goes off at 5am
4. I can turn the lights on as soon as the alarm goes off
5. No whinging when i wear my Rapha cycling kit to bed the night before as suggested above
6. I can relax at coffee after the ride for as long as is required to warm up without fear of retribution
7. The money i save from being single due to this post will mean that i will be able to save up and buy a wattbike, a shut up legs t-shirt, a set of C-4 wheels and shop daily at Bike Force so i look PRO once summer comes around.

I shall start packing her stuff now…. tell me where to forward it to please?

You bunch of wining whimps. I actually CHECKED the weather in your part of the world, and if THAT's winter, them I'm Santa.
(nonetheless thumbs up for the blog ;-) )

I'm a Dutch student and cyclist at once, which is not your everyday combination given what our sport costs and the amount of scholarship we receive (not complaining, though). I've only got a proper short set (bibs, short jersey; arm warmers for autumn), which I once tried in mid winter (with the arm warmers and some extra shirts underneath). Temp was reasonabe (5 – 6 degrees C) and I oiled my legs and arms with some tigerbalm-like protection stuff. First 50k were cosy and warm and I really enjoyed our flatlands and the mist. Then it started raining (and I had to get home, still).

It's over a year ago now, the 'experience' sent me into bed for over a week and whenever I'm under a hot shower I still have this weird sensation in my left shoulder which wasn't there before. I've since been doing my winter training on a stationary.

So, two tips, really: check the weather & dress appropriately ;-)

A hip flask of whiskey in the jersey and HTFU !

Tips:
1. Use the water dripping off the peak of your cap to set the rhythm of your cadence;
2. Keep some beard (just short stubble, not full recumbent-style) to keep the snot from dripping on your kit.

Never thought I'd say this…but it's not all about looking PRO!

1. Consider fitting 24 or 25mm tyres to your bike, the roads are wet and slippery out there. Whilst they not be as PRO as 23mm tyres, nothing screams un-PRO more than sliding out round a corner..
2. Lights! Strangely enough it gets dark out there, whilst having the smallest possible blinky fitted to your bike looks PRO, it doesn't do much to make you seen..
3. Don't stop riding

My winter tips are Merino undershirt and socks, best things I've ever bought (short of a complete Rapha kit) and reading everyone else's tips!!

For the past three years my flatmate and I have stubbornly refused to use ANY heating whatsoever in the house during melbourne winter. The theory is that living in a constant state of numbness does away with the shock factor that would otherwise accompany opening the door early on a winters morn'..its usually colder in our spartan student apartment than it is on your bike!

Needless to say, we don't get many visitors – Im hoping some Rapha gear leads to the introduction of a small heater to the house…Surely some friends and cycling CAN co-exist?

My Tips
1) In the summer ride in numerous morning rides naked. This will acclimatise you to all weather. Hippies are tough.
2) It's hard to wake up in the morning because it's dark and cold. To fix this you must put a spotlight above your bed and on a timer. If the spotlight is the correct size it will be your very own sun, heating and lighting your world. Unfortunately this doesn't go down well with a significant other but this can be remedied by a warm glass of HTFU.

Disclaimer: I will not be responsible for any chaffing, awkward sunburn and any lack of fornication.

Selle SMP saddles and mud make for a really unique, but difficult to explain, mark on your knicks. The only solution to this problem is to become the first cyclist to voluntarily wear a Footon-Servetto kit.

two pairs of arm warmers.
neoprene gloves/socks -> bought in a diving store (note I haven't had reason to wear the neoprene socks in Australia, but in the Northern hemisphere winter, they were marvellous. )

No helmet just woolen cap worn backwards, but this is not going to happen over here in this day and age.

eats -> fruit cake

arabic keffiyeh – worn as a neck scarf. no need for the newspaper down the front

This is not a tip I have invented but merely tried and tested, Sean Kelly (in thick Irish accent):”It is impossible to tell whether it is too cold to ride until you have been on the bike for 30 minutes, by then you may as well just finish the ride.”

Tip: Have a hot shower before you go out.
Why I need the Rapha Kit: I have not been able to ride due to sickness and broken collarbone. I have got Whooping cough and my wife is going to be having our first baby in the next few days and cause of the whooping cough, i cannot see my baby (girl) till i am over it. Not having the best of runs and need the kit for a cheer up big time cause i am way heart broken.

My tip: Every time you turn off the alarm, roll over and go back to sleep because it's too cold or wet or you can't be bothered, someone else can and they're out there training. They will be the one who beats you every time to the line when you can't hold their wheel.

Can you live with that? All for an extra few hours of sleep?

Conor

There are some very nice tips in here fellas. I will surely try a number of them… especially getting Eye of the Tiger as an alarm – GOLD!

Tips (that I haven't seen on here):

Warm yourself from the inside out before jumping in the saddle.

ONE: A couple of big glasses of hot Milo (chocolate drinking powder). Just place the glass of milk in the microwave for 90sec. ought a do it. It warms you up and the sugar puts some rocket in your tank. Remember an earlier CT post about chocolate milk . . . ?
TWO: Once dressed and full of hot chocolate, do push ups & sit ups. Don't be afraid to work your upper body.
Confession time: I do 'girl' push ups… you know, resting on your knees, not toes. But with good reason; I can (now) punch out a couple of sets of x50 push ups (remember, this is about warming up, not bulking up!).
THREE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l39ahBFGnuk&feat… have this on your computer ready to play while drinking your hot chocolate. If Der Kaiser can't get you fired-up then you're dead!
FOUR: the most important thing to stave off the cold is to eat enough calories each day.

The question isn't 'Why do I need the Rapha?', the question is 'Do I NEED the Rapha?'. To be honest I'm sure I'll survive another Melbn winter without it. And besides, another one of those walkie-things for the kids would be way more useful than some PRO lookin' dude having more lycra in his collection. All Rapha won will be donated back to CT for fundraising.

Winter riding is a delicate balance between keeping the cold at bay and not overheating. So layering is a good idea – you can remove a bit and not overheat, or not as the case may be. Leg-warmers and arm-warmers are a must, as is a gillet which is made to keep the wind out, but is generally mesh at the back to let out perspiration and not overheat heat your back. If you're riding in the rain, and you have a bicycle pump attached to your downtube, put a bit of cling-film over the nozzle so it doesn't get dirt in there. A bit of cling-film on your spare bottle is also a good idea, as by the time you want to use it it might be dirty. Just don't chuck the cling-film on the ground after use.. Throw it in the bin! Instead of a beanie, use an underhelmet cap which also covers your ears. You look like a bit of a cosmonaut without the helmet on, but it doesn't make you perspire like a standard beanie and if is a more comfy fit under the helmet. If you're cycling in the dark but it's nor raining, and you don't have a million dollar pair of jawbones, a cheap trick is to buy a pair of welder's glasses. They come in some pretty stylish shapes, are cheap and protect from the cold wind on a dark morning ride. Hope that's enough..

Tasmania is cold…

….because my hungry bloody kelpie hasn't got a sodding snooze button!!!!!

Get on to the rollers, gives you an excuse to watch all the the great old stages of the Tour de France and you can stay warm while you do it.

“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride” John F Kennedy.

Nuff said.

Tip: Get in the habit of charging your lights regularly over winter. Nothing worse than setting out on a ride to find that they are kaput.

When you can not afford the $ 20.00 head warmer to keep your ears warm, your summer tops that you are using ( because you can not afford winter tops ) are starting to get more holes than Swiss cheese, the daily rain fall is higher than Melbourne's yearly total, and your rides are is in minus 1 2 or 3, if it is not snowing, how much I could use that kit.

Still love riding though.

Ride safe.

Doctors appointment = $65
Antibiotics for chest infection = $15
Lost income due to time off work = $820
Never getting pneumonia (again) because I'll be riding around in my new Rapha kit = PRICELESS!

As fun, light, enjoyable and sociable cycling throughout summer can seem, when it comes down to it, cycling is all about suffering.

Cycling Hardmen, men who know how to suffer, relish the onset of winter as a chance to prove themselves, a chance to hurt, a chance to get out and get to the front and work when everyone else is afraid.

The time has come – Winter has its gaze firmly upon us. Pull on your knee warmers. Jam the chain on the big ring. Dish out some hurt. Suffer and suffer some more. Soak up the power and strength that comes with knowing you suffered, you punished yourself, you hardened up, while everyone else was either sitting on your wheel, or more likely just sitting on the couch. And when you get back home, bask in the feelings that come with being ALIVE!

If you're not a nutter who loves missing hours of sleep and freezing yourself on dark cold mornings, then just make friends with one and commit to meeting them for a morning ride while you're in the comfort of your house in front of the heater watching the Giro.

I need Rapha kit because – It is actually freeeezing in the adelaide hills – and I can only ride before or after school (the coldest time of the day – great – it wouldn't get much colder in the alps (well maybe a little).) plus I don't have any money cos i don't have a job (i spent all my christmas money on oakleys (-; ).
TIPS:

– when it's unexpectedly wet the only thing for it is to ride like all hell – warms you up, gets you home faster, AND you get a good ride in (not to mention you look BADASS riding in short sleeves and knicks).
-ride uphill to start the day – nothing's as bad as heading out at 40kmph (WINDCHILL!!) with no heat in your extremeties.
-say to yourself in a thick german accent – “Shut up fingers, shut up toes – we going riding – you do what i tell you. I tell you to ride”

I wake up and take a good long drink out of this, then I'm ready to face whatever weather…
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs5…

If it's raining wear a rain jacket

move here to Wisconsin where it's so cold that you have to wear two sets of bibs to keep the twig and berries from freezing in the winter.

I tend to get up earlier than required, go about getting my bike ready and having breakfast. I get suited up save for the gloves, helmet and shoes(At this time of year I am running 2x pairs of socks, Roubaix kneewarmers, knicks, baselayer, longsleeve fleece jersey, windproof gilet and a cap). By this time, its 4.50ish, you still don't need to leave the house for another 30-40 minutes yet so, I get back into bed and cuddle up to the still in a very deep sleep girlfriend. I rob hers and the beds warmth for as long as I can then get up, shoes on, stuff in pockets, gloves, helmet and shoe covers and GO!

The quicker you're outside and clipped in the better. The key here is to really spring out of bed and get outside before the lycra gets a chance to cool off. After this, the psychology of being warm and still in bed with a nice full belly of breakfast lasts with me long enough that I can get the heart rate up and the blood flowing before the cold gets a chance to bite. Before you know it, you've cracked the gilet open up top and the jesery has come down an inch with it just to let that bit of fesh air in.

You guys/girls should most certainly give this a try some time. It is a dangerous line you are walking though, one one side is getting out of bed feeling warm and toasty, ready to ride, the other side is sleeping in until your other half needs to get up and kicking youself for falling back to sleep. So far I've only had one loss though.

Jack

P.s. I'd love some Rapha winter kit, the vimeo videos and their website always serve as an inspiration to get out and kick my own butt.

I recently gave up work to look after the kids and now my wife has “borrowed” all my winter gear for her commute to work. So now I have to suffer in the cold with just my arm warmers. Makes me pedal a little harder though!

Tip #1:
Don't “go for a ride”. Just. Do. The. Next. Thing.
Just get out of bed.
Just put your kit on.
Just eat something.
Just put your shoes on.
Just go to the garage.
Just put your helmet and gloves on.
Just start rolling.
Hey presto – you're doing it.

Tip #2:
Have a training partner and confirm each ride the night before. Calls will likely follow this script:
“Heya. Just making sure you're up for the ride tomorrow – forecast is like, zero degrees and pissing down.”
“Ok cool. Thanks. Yeah, if you don't want to go we don't have to.”
“It's ok if you don't want to.”
“Uh huh. Sure, if you're not up for it we can postpone.”
“Oh *I'm* fine. I just thought you might want an out.”
“If your legs aren't good we can skip it.”
“Great. See you at six.”
“See you at six.”

Rules:
You may use any tactic you like to get your training partner to abandon the ride, which in turn gives you permission to abandon the ride. You must never abandon unless they do. The rules apply equally to both riders.

I need a rapha winter kit because… Any more shrinkage and Im racing with the ladies!

Try reverse psychololgy on the missus' i.e: “nah, don't think I will ride this week, thinking about just becoming a fat, couch-ridden slob”

Also a good method to avoid that freezing heart rate monitor going onto your sensitive torso, put it on over your pj's for a few minutes before you get kitted up.

What gets me up at 4:00 AM, and down on the trainer most mornings is the thought that the time that I am putting in now will pay off later. Unfortunately, I don't have any good winter gear, so my time is spent in the basement, which will test the resolve and sanity of any cyclist.

Here's my winter tip:

As soon as you wake up, have a hot shower for 5 mins. This will wake you up, get you warm after dancing across the cold bathroom tiles, and get you used to water. Just lightly towel dry yourself and kit up. If it's wet outside, it doesn't matter you're already wet! You will feel pretty good about your ride from the word go.

I lay my bibs and jersey over the towel heater in the bathroom, they're warm and dry in the morning and stay that way for the first five mintues of the ride for when I haven't yet warmed up.

Find someone to ride with. Not just a faceless bunch of strangers but someone that can make you feel guilty for not turning up when it's cold and the wind is coming off Bass Strait. Think about how good it will be on the weekend when you can actually ride in the daylight and not only keep up with the bunch but put in a really solid turn because YOU got out of bed during the week, in the rain. Wear Rapha kit because if you could, you'd wear Hugo Boss everyday to work if you could afford it. Don't drink espresso (it's not expresso, so don't pronounce it that way) from anything but porcelain especially when in your Rapha gear…..oh and those Rapha gloves are comfortable and stylish but that doesn't mean you can leave them on the table after the ride.

Good base layers and ride with Kurt Kenetic if it is poring with rain

My favorite story about riding in bad weather happened during a Bike DC event last fall. The temperatures were cool (40s, I believe) with heavy rain. Regardless, I hitched the bike trailer, loaded my three-year-old son L_____ under several blankets, closed the rain flap, zipped up my jacket, and pedaled off through the city. Every mile or so I would yell back to make sure L_____ was ok. Each time he gave me tha “thumbs up.” At the end of the ride, when my wife stepped out to greet us, she asked my son, “L_____, how was the ride?” I worried he would tell her he was freezing or talk about the deluge we traveled through. But no, he responded by smiling, and saying, “Mom, it was great. Dad pedaled fast and there were no cars to get us!” Why ride in the winter? Same reason as always–it will make you feel like a kid again!

Can't go out in the cold without my Buff neckwear. I know it is the cycling equivalent of a cravat, but its magic kneckwarming properties (as espoused by mothers and grandmothers) makes all the difference. No, I don't iron my undies. Yet.

It's all in the mind. No matter how cold it is, just tell yourself it's colder somewhere else. Failing that…
Can't get up Wade? Think about how you'll look in that vertical lined CT kit after you let yourself go. People will start to assume that the www in your web address stands for Wide Wade Wallace. Shave your legs the night before and talk sweet nothings to your freshly shorn calfs – “I promise, I won't let you down, I'll get up at the crack o'dawn just for you my little speed cannons” (best said with persed lips).

riding with someone is ALWAYS the best motivation to get out when it is bad out
If you are by yourself, it only takes you to say no, i dont want to ride

But if you have to meet up, then you cant disappoint them. Get your gear on, get going, and DONT call them to cancel out.

Winter tip – get out and ride, champions are made in the off-season

Decent clothing warms and motivates yourself to get up and train. How else do you explain Footon-Servetto's lack of results this season. Biggest exposure they got at the giro this year was stage 7 in the mud when everyone looked like a member, even Cadel's victorious rainbow stripes.

Here's an actual tip for getting out of bed in the morning…Put a glass of water next to your alarm.

Drink the whole glass when you get up and turn the alarm off. After a full night’s sleep, you’re probably a little dehydrated, and for whatever reason, drinking water just seems to help the body realize that it’s time to get up.

What you really need is a warm robe and slippers – I keep very warm clothes at the foot of my bed. I will only leave my blanket for something equally warm. Alternatively, lay out your Rapha kit the night before and get straight into it :) It will make you feel like turning those pedals!

[...] make quality, lustful cycle kit. Cycling Tips, the quality, lustful cycling blog is hosting the The EPIC “I Need A New Rapha Winter Kit” Competition, giving away a whole bunch of lustful stuff. To win, you need to offer your best Winter cycling [...]

also…when it's early, cold and wet no one's going to notice that you've Ultegra brakes mixed in with your otherwise all Campy group. *snif

Since we are just getting over the winter weather in Oregon, I have found that wearing a Hawaiian shirt over your rain kit helps to not only keep you visible but liven up any dreary ride!

Why do I deserve a new Rapha winter kit? I guess it could only help when the bitter winter frosts have passed over northern Canada, gracefully, almost blissfully, petrifying the land and the roads until the end of april. To obtain proper comfort in such an place, where ice crystals explode due to temperatures below 25 centigrade, I would need to be sporting my new Rapha Winter Kit to keep me cozy and warm.( not saying that I ride in those conditions all the time. thats a bit much. ) If only Rapha made some sort of heated chair guard to stop it from snapping when climbing up a freshly graveled, black-iced highway! OH, Canada!

Tip 1 – While drafting behind a gravel truck, stay at least 10 bike lengths behind to avoid rouge rock bits.
Tip 2 – When it does snow, Grab the John Deer tracker, equipped with front end loader for the drive way, and clear a crit path around your neighborhood. Not only will you be able to ride in a much safer environment, your fellow winter survivors will enjoy the nice clean roads to drive on! ( because you cant always rely on the city to do it for you:)

Happy riding in sunny Australia!

Thomas

Hey Wade , here in belgium we have a contest going on as well ; basically at the gas station you get a empty panini sticker book and each time you go get some gas you get stickers of your favourite pro riders from teams such as AG2R,Astana,BMC, Caisse d'Epargne,Cervelo,Cofidis,Euskaltel,Footon…. you get the id

if you manage to get you stickerbook full you can win a seat on the honorary tribune on the champs elisee for the tour arrival…

my book is almost full but i have plenty of doubles .

so how about making a trade ?
I send you a empty panini sticker book (sprint 2010) with all my doubles and you send me the kit from Rapha
what better way to spend your cold winter , stickering up and getting to know all the details about your favourite pro , while i can ride on the cobbles in stylish pro kit

otherwise i just could send it and maybe it could lighten up the day of a cerebral palsy kid from your entourage(not a bribe just genuiune offer)

Nicolas from Belgium.

You Aussies may not believe, but I live in Brazil and we have winter here as well!!!! I really need a Rapha Winter Kit because my week rides begin at 6:00 AM, about 11ºC (51,8ºF)… Who could imagine that? A Brazilian guy running for a winter kit!

Here is my tip, very simple but very effective – 'Just get out there'.

The hardest part is that first step of motivation to get going, If you don't think about it and just leave the house in the morning, the hard bit is over and there is nothing to decide upon. Get your gear on and go. Once you're out there, the cycling part is easy and the rewards are always worth it.

Toby

I need a Rapha winter kit because riding on a trainer is mind (and taint) numbing torture!

Rainy day winter tip: use mailing tape to cover the vents in your shoes to achieve a full minute of extra dryness.

Tie a string to your 'man-part' so you can find it under all the layers when you have to relieve yourself!

Don't know what the sun situation is in Aussie-land, but if I don't ride, my depression really kicks in and I get really irritable. Therefore Wade, since you are married, you MUST ride to keep the better half happy. Is she's not happy …

Out of bed and on the bike. 5 minutes later, wonder why you didn't get out of bed earlier.

Living in the dead centre of North America, (Winnipeg, Canada), winters get down to -40 Celsius before the windchill. Not to be outdone by mother nature I still commute to work and cycle for pleasure year round. On top of building a bike that can even function in such abominable conditions, finding the right kit is always a challenge. I sure would appreciate replacing my waffle longjohns and tattered flannel shirts with something that would keep me out for a few extra kilometers!

1. Get a training buddy, nobody will want to be the one who chickens out. Also works well for studying for exams.
2. Prepare everything the evening before. The less you have to do before you get on the bike is an obstacle less until joy.
3. Ride into the head winds, then a tail wind will bring you home faster. CAUTION: Will not work in Belgium, somehow there the wind will change fast enough into a headwind again, don't ask me why, it is a fact i always painfully experience over and over again

Why I need the Rapha winter kit? Because 10°C are spring/fall temperatures over here. Winter is like 0°C and less and it is really painful under the shower when those ice bricks at the end of my legs unfreeze. But at least it rains/snows less in winter than in spring and fall.

It's cold there? I live in Minnesota, USA where on the mild days of winter you try not to wipe your nose too much for fear that it might break off if you bump it too hard. I just checked the weather in Melbourne and 10 C sounds like a nice day for a ride. We're lucky to have that kind of weather by mid spring here. With that in mind my tip for your cold weather rides is warm up your lungs inside where the air is warm before heading out. Keeping the core warm from the start with spread the warmth to your hands and feet when the temperature plummets. After that it's just mind over matter. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from those “nutbars at the polar bear club.” By the way, here in MN our polar bear club cuts a hole in the ice on top of the lake in order to be able to take their swims.

i lay myclothes out the night before and have everything ready, lights, food, water bottles. alarm goes off, i get dressed and before i have time to think, i'm out the door. i tell myself over and over that it's only going to get warmer. my toes are the first things to go numb. they stay numb the whole ride. even an hour after a ride, they are still numb. i tell myself over and over that if I pedal harder, the blood will go back into my toes. then my chest hurts from breathing in cold air. I tell myself ride harder, it will make you feel better. all of a sudden, I concentrate on breathing, and forget about my toes. then my fingers start tingling, i forget about my chest, and worry about different ways I can wiggle my fingers to get the warmth and feeling back in. now all I want to do is get home. i ride harder. my water bottles are so cold, I don't want to drink it as it's going to make me even colder. now i get pissed, and just want to get home. 60 miles later, I am home. hot shower, hot coffee, sweatpants, and thinking about my next ride knowing I survived this ride. thinking how I am just adding to my savings account for many withdraws over the race season. getting better and better with every winter ride.

With all of those dollar bills you save on a free Rapha kit, build a little fire in your pain cave. Add some spice to your life. Try out some new things you've never had the means to try before. Like putting luxury diamond designer super-hot embrocation all over your jewels, just to see if your buddy's stories are true. Or maybe you'll just get an epic thermal full body skinsuit that transforms your best rides into a high-speed Trojan advertisement. The winter is long and cold, and if I can't laugh about the thought of it I'll never get to smile while I'm living it! Ride on my friend, ride on.

My best winter riding tip is to put your alarm clock on the other side of the room, with a chair and your bike gear on it halfway. That way when the alarm goes off you have to pass over your bike gear, thus usually motivating you to go ride!

As great as it would be to win the Rapha Winter Kit, being it's Winter, I live in Canberra where the politicians hearts are the only thing colder than wind on those 6am rides, I'd really like you to select my entry then give the kit to Steve. Steve is the blind cyclist I ride tandems with. He's training to do the Hartley Challenge – a 440km ride over 3 days from Canberra to Charlotte's Pass and back. He's an inspiration. He places 100% faith in me as the pilot, he pedals his bloody legs off, but has one Jersey and one pair of knicks. It's gonna get *real* cold on the training rides soon. Rapha could put the kit on some cool “PRO” or they could put it on a dude who's out there showing us all up by doing the hard yards regardless of life's circumstances. Oh, and he's cold.

I harness the power of guilt to get myself out the door when it's bad out. Just one extra cookie with lunch will guarantee that I pound out that evening's workout when I get home.

My tip is winter riding requires motivation to get out and Suffer. Call a friend and challenge him to ride with you. Once you have a friend willing to meet you your stuck pack on base layers and warmers and go for it.

My winter riding tip is to gather all your bike gear layers, gloves, jersey, bibs, socks, shoe covers, etc the night before, that way – you have one less excuse to contend with when rationalizing why you're a nut to ride in such weather. Keep the head, hands, and feet warm and you'll be OK!

The reason why I need the full Rapha winter kit is because I'm sick of getting instant shrivel in the nether regions (it's small as it is) through my cheap performance bike bibs. I need to feel like a man again for my wife's sake

winter tips:
1. any shopping brochures stuffed against ur chest easy to get rid off and so many to choose
2. shopping bag around ur toes (inside the shoe) to block the wind

My winter riding tip is to move from Southeastern Wisconsin to Southern California. Then if anyone ever asks for advice about winter riding, tell them to do the same, and point out it does occasionally get cold in SoCal, or in the mountain, or that you go back to WI sometimes and ride, so they should absolutely give you a full Rapha Winter Kit for your trouble.

Hi from New Zealand – my entry is more… visual. I've posted it on my sportreview.net.nz blog, and signed up for the newsletter.

PS anyone know how to attach images to comments here?

well i have spent the past year “softening up” living in the UK studying, where winter may mean rain, but it certainly doesn't mean you can't ride. in a couple months i will be moving back to my “home and native land” canada, where while i was gone my city experienced the lowest temperature on record: -58 degrees celcius! i'm not saying this sweet rapha kit will get me out riding in -58, but it should help extend my season of comfort by a few weeks!

Tip: Watch a Rapha video!

'Lincoln, Nebraska' is my favourite… doesn't look like a coffee-racers ride…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhc0GHi-5u8

I also NEED a Rapha kit because I'm worried that my blue winter jacket no longer matches my bike, my socks or any of my current kit!

Nice Kit – 1 Comment – Harden the FCK up ………….

Just fool your mind into thinking that Yolanthe Cabau Van Kasbergen is waiting at the end of the ride to warm you up.

No need to HTFU in winter because when it rains no one can tell when you are crying.

I need the Rapha kit because my darling wife asked me to book a holiday for us. I did so without checking the dates (all I thought was that it was school holidays). Now for the only time in the history of mankind I am going to be in Queensland at a time when I would rather be in Geelong (for the World Champs). Consequently I am depressed and free schwag will be one of my twelve steps to recovery.

its dark and cold
the handle bars I can only just hold
it will most likely rain
getting on all those layers is such a pain
everywhere ice on the lawn
those shitty drivers and their horns
contemplating brain freeze to my head,
fuck it I'll just stay in bed

Winter training ode to CT

He motivates us all with his cycling blog,
Adopting Oz as his home including our grog,

Despite his “comforter” a distinct white and red,
The maple leaf stamp fading from his forehead.

The cold can be remedied with a hot caffeinated drink
It’s not that cold, Wade, what would Wayne Gretzky think?

So what of this great Rapha loot,
I just wanna win it, that’s what I’m talking [in overly exaggerated Canadian accent] abooot!

Ride in summer – play footy in winter.
I’m not riding on a winter morning until I can wrap myself in something as warm and pretty as my girlfriend lying next to me……

Just find a friend who will put sh!t on you for a week if you don't turn up and organise to ride with him/her when the weather turns cold. This only works if your friend doesn't decide it's too cold and roll over and go back to sleep. It won't work in Canberra either cos no-one is stupid enough to commit to a ride when the forecast for tomorrow says -5. In this case you'll need some Rapha kit………please!!

Shut Up Brain.

Champions are made in the winter, races are won in the summer!

I want to at least look like a chic-euro champion

I think the best way to stay warm on those chilly days is to hit the hills and do some resistance training. That way, there's less wind, and if you're working hard enough, you'll be nice and toasty. It's also great to do this kind of training in winter, before the season begins.

I need a good winter kit cause I have a terrible habit of overdressing for the weather…being in Canada, when I say “winter” I really mean “fall/spring” cause lets face it, Im not going to outside when its minus 45 celcius!

Last fall I suffered off the back of a group ride right from the start cause I had overdressed and overheated. It was the worst ride of my life lol, but still fun!

I need a good winter kit cause I have a terrible habit of overdressing for the weather…being in Canada, when I say “winter” I really mean “fall/spring” cause lets face it, Im not going to outside when its minus 45 celcius!

Last fall I suffered off the back of a group ride right from the start cause I had overdressed and overheated. It was the worst ride of my life lol, but still fun!

With the winter months moving in and temps dropping I have constructed this simple guide to dressing appropriately for the temperature outside for that early morning training ride.

22?C Spring arm warmers
20?C 3/4 Knee warmers, Spring arm warmers
18?C Wind vest, 3/4 Knee warmers, Spring arm warmers
17?C Winter arm warmers, Wind vest, 3/4 Knee warmers, Spring arm warmers
16?C Undershirt, Winter arm warmers, Wind vest, 3/4 Knee warmers
15?C Full length leg warmers, Undershirt, Winter arm warmers, Wind vest
14?C Long fingered gloves, Full length leg warmers, Undershirt, Winter arm warmers, Wind vest
13?C Cycling beanie, Long fingered gloves, Full length leg warmers, Undershirt, Winter arm warmers, Wind vest
12?C Shoe covers, Cycling beanie, Long fingered gloves, Full length leg warmers, Undershirt, Winter arm warmers, Wind vest

Below 10?C FULL OUTFIT OF RAPHA CLOTHING, no exceptions!

Here is my sad tale of woe, I have signed up for my first around the bay and have to do all my training on my way to and from work.

I work in the city in a large hotel as a conference operations manager and as you may well know or not my work day starts at 6.30am which means I have to wake up and start riding, to work, before 5am in the dark and don't finish before 6pm to ride home in the dark(feeling like a mushroom).

During the course of my day I will be required to have unlimited resources, have at least 10 meeting rooms under my desk and then be able to change them from 200 theatre seating to hollow square for 300, be able to locate boxes sent by the mother in law of a facilitator more than a month ago to a sister hotel at the top of the city. All this has to be done like a duck on pond, calm on the surface and paddling like no tomorrow underneath.

I hope that this short tale find sympathy and makes you feel better about getting up at 5.30 in the dark and cold.

Winter Training Tip
This is a winter training tip I picked up from Peter Voesenblom when I was racing in Belgium back in the early eighties and I still use it to this day, much to the disgust of my wife and training partners. It brings together the best of Belgian cooking and winter warmth for the Flemish cobbles.
You will need half a kilo of beef tripe in a sheet (not cut), one onion and three bottles of good Belgian dark ale (Leffe bruin or Chimay). Boil the tripe in water for three hours then add the beer and sliced onion and simmer for another hour until the tripe is tender. Set aside.
Before your morning ride, bring the tripe to the boil again then remove it from the pot and gently place the uncut tripe inside your cycling knicks following the contours of the chamois as closely as possible. Gently slide the knicks on, making sure the warm tripe fits snugly around the buttocks. Excess beer and onion juice should be massaged gently into the legs.
I guarantee the warmest and most comfortable ride, even in the most severe conditions. On your return, remove the tripe from the knicks and eat with toast and strong black tea. If you’ve worked hard, especially on the cobbles, it will be the most tender tripe you have ever eaten. Genieten! (Enjoy!)

Make passionate love to your partner(s). You will be exploding out of bed, lighter by a few grams and you won't feel any cold. (just like coming out of a hot shower)

If I can't win with the above tip then Wade, always remember Vietnam 2011 – Search & Rescue Mission ” behind emeny line”.

Dear Leader will protect your back with his new winter Rapha kit in the hot tropic.

Wake up at 5:30? Soft. Hit the road at 5:00!

#1 Phone a friend. Making a commitment with somebody to be there is for me the biggest motivator to get to bed early enough to get up again in the morning

#2 Have something to look forward to on the ride. For me in winter, it's looking forwarding to watching the sun coming and enjoying the morning, knowing that other people are missing out.

Whenever I think it's waaay too cold to get up and go for a ride, I just think to myself “Thank freakin' God I don't live in Sydney”. Not that it's colder or anything in Sydney, I just think of that whenever I want to cheer myself up :-)

Do you think Rapha could come up with some sort of nose warmer? I'll take a couple if they do…

Maybe this isnt' the right forum for this, but if not here, where??

Tip 1. If you plan to get the snip (or alternatively have the tubes tied), do not – under any circumstances – have them done during the TdF or the Giro.

I thought it would be a good idea… you avoid a week of cold or rainy (or both) morning rides and you can watch that late night Giro stage since you don't need to have good legs in the morning. You also need a couple of days off work to recover….

But the pain of the dreaded “procedure” – like you've been kicked in the gonads for a few days – is only outdone by the absolute agony of not been able to get in the saddle at 5.30am after watching that incredible stage of the Giro (or TdF) the night before.

Tip 2. Also don't tell your “trusted” riding buddies the truth about why you've missed the last few weeks of riding (rookie mistake I know) as you'll end up with a good new nickname like mine – Knackers – although on most days “Knackered” would be a more accurate description…

I could use a good winter kit to pamper my 'boys' after all they've been through…might make the whole thing worthwhile.

Remember your training, everyone else is just working out

Tip 1: Save your holidays and have more long weekends over winter. Use the weekday's off to get in some distance rides, alleviating the pressure for an early start on a wet and cold morning. If you have a flexible employer, keep they day off until the weather forecast indicates the best day. For the worst 3 months, one day a fortnight is only 6 days leave. If you're really keen, take 12 days if practical.

Nothing less that 120k's though…..make it worth it.

Tip 2: Make sure you invest in good training videos to keep you motivated to hit the trainer. Rotate them, don't always do the same ones. Swap with friends, or buy/sell second hand on ebay.

Both my grandfathers were bald, my old man is bald, all my uncles are bald. I'm going bald. Please help me keep the rest of my body warm…

sleep on the couch!
Why:
no warm partner to snuggle up to = more likely to get up
no warm toasty doona = as above
easier to roll out = as above (although likely to be already out!)
uncomfortable = as above
lounge gets colder than bedroom = more likely to get dressed into gear fast (“the hardest thing about training is pulling on the sox”)

Tip 1: I was told by someone once that the hardest part of training is getting your shoes on. Commit to to getting that far & your not going back inside…

Tip 2: Put the alarm out of reach. Making sure you must get out of bed to turn it off. Once your up & standaing there beside your cycling gear, it's pretty much upto Tip 1 to close the loop…

If you enjoy standing in front of the mirror in, mired misery at the rolls of fat on your stomach and obliques, keep sleeping in old son.

You didn't see the 1 Anzac Corp just cuddled up like Captain Snuggles in the trenches at Pozieres, whilst Jerry fired over their heads. AKAKAKAKA “Stay down you filsie Anzaksenheisens. I vill cutten you in halfen if you get up.”

No Wade, you didn't. Their Captains would have kicked them in their snuggled-up rumps, “RIGHTO YOU LOT, THIS ISN'T A HOLIDAY CAMP. WE'RE FIGHTING FOR GOD, KING AND COUNTRY HERE. GET THE FK OF YOUR $RSESSSSSS.” And then stabbed them awake. STAB, STAB, STAB.

So, up they lumbered, weary, cold, desperate. RIDDEN WITH FOOTROT THEY WERE WADE WALLACE. RIDDEN. But did that stop them? No. They strove on, giving a full account of themselves, with nary a complaint.

[Back to the trenches of the Hun]: “GOTT IN HIMMELL. VOT IS VISS ZESE CRAZY AUSTRALIANS. Zey are unlike ze sleepy Canadians who like to snuggle in viss each uzzer in ze trenches und dream of ze ice hokkey. Ven vill these courageous, veritable, upstanding men give up. I sink it is never. Vat do you sink Hans.”

“Lieben en ze stuben, Fredriech, I do not sink zat zese brave Australians are kontent wiss sleeping in zeir doonas like ze Canadians.”

“Nein, Hans, sadly, zey are not.” AKAKAKAKAKAKA.

And so, Gav, Macca, Robbo and Crawf, sallied forth, into a maelstrom, a wall, if you will, Wade, of death an utter destruction, with nary a thought of rolling over to continue their comfortable slumber.

The shame and ignominy of such an action was not even considered. All they could think about was administering suitable chastisement to Jerry, so they could get back to the trenches a jolly old game of two up and a couple of VBs.

I rest my case.

Hi Wade,

A long long time ago, when I was just a little boy, my Nanna used to put our clothes in the dryer before we woke up in the morning so they'd be nice and warm. We used to love getting up and putting on our warm jumpers and sipping hot chocolate next to the wood-fire stove.

I now apply the same theory to cycling. You can hang your clothes in front of the dryer and set it on a timer. Or you can hang them next to the hot water system or one of those radiator heaters, or even a split-system air conditioner.

Once you put those toasty-warm knicks on, I promise you'll be dancing all the way to the front door. Once you get the pre-ride ritual started, it's hard to stop it.

P.S. Gel knicks are the best because they keep your jiblets warm the longest.

because it's cold

I walk outside in my undies to get the paper and to pump up the tyres. (If you pump them up inside, no point coming home!!!) This wakes you up and gives a proper assessment of the conditions. You then know what winter gloves, booties and how many layers are required.

Fail proof

Spending nearly four figures on top notch kit to keep me nice and warm is, at the moment, somewhat out of my reach, and (more importantly) liable to place my manhood at risk from the Minister for War and Finance (aka the missus).
So instead when it's cold, I just make sure my gonads are still in place, tell myself to stop being such a pansy and get out on the damn bike!
Seriously though, for those on a budget, the newspaper down the jersey and feet wrapped in plastic bags are both cheap and effective, and while not PRO, mark you out as a hardcore mofo.

Ok, if the couch idea doesn't fly… invite Chopper Reid over to stay at your place (just make sure you have lots of steak and beer in the fridge)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EY7lYRneHc

The big tip is “JUST GET UP and GO!” Plan your training and racing goals for the week. Check the weather minimum only the night before on the bom website so you know to wear the right gear (the news gives you too much information and builds doubt and fear). Layout your gear, set the alarm, wake up and and go. If its cold, well its cold every morning. If it rains, then you'll get wet and have to clean your bike. The guarantee is that you'll be high on endorphines knowing when it was hard and tough you were out there while your rivals were not. Remember, 9 out of 10 times, the weather will be okay to ride even if the news paints a miserable and bleak picture of what the morning will bring and outside its looks uncertain in the darkness.

And when it comes to racing, again head out there. If its cancelled, nothing lost and no ones riding. If you dont go and the race is on, then your competitors are out their gaining race kms while you're on the couch getting depressed. So Wade, dont think about it, just get and go,

The mockery method
1. After dinner, make yourself a bowl of pasta (with concrete pesto)
2. When the Mrs starts with the fat jokes tell her you need the extra carbs because your a hard f*** who's going riding in the morning even though it will be “only” 10 degrees
3. Ignore her comments about childbirth
4. When the alarm goes off and you start to roll over and close the eyes, think of the mocking you will suffer in a few hours time if you sleep in “Mr Hard Man”
5. Get out of bed and get on your bike.

As my three year old likes to say “cycling's just riding a bike, isn't it?”

Arm warmers and 3/4 bib shorts for winter kit??? Wade you gotta come to Canberra – first week in July should do it!

The kit should do nicely for Spring though…

(Before I sound too much like a terry-tough-nut I should admit that I've currently escaped to Italy. High 20s and lots of climbs to keep me warm.)

Staying warm in Canberra? It's all about the core. Keep that warm and you'll survive. Now the hard decision… whether to keep your hands and feet warm. If you dress to have your core comfortable then your hands and feet will be cold – not frozen solid but potentially painful at times. If you want them warm then you'll have to overdress your core and you will get a bit hot and sweat. That's ok as long as you don't stop for more than a lights cycle (I.E. no coffee stop!?) or have a long descent somewhere in the ride. Me? I try to aim somewhere in the middle – and miss most of the time. :o)

And my best tip? Don't go out if it is below -3… or whatever your clothing is up to / your personal threshold is. I know I'm going to be told to HTFU here. (Not sure what that stands for – 'Hide from The Freeze Under bedclothes' maybe?) But at the end of the day:
1) most of us don't do this for a job (those that do are smart enough, and lucky enough, follow the summer);
2) you don't get effective training when it's truly cold anyway so would be better to hit the vomitron if training is your priority; and
3) we do this for FUN (see point 1). Whilst there is a certain masochistic satisfaction in toughing it out there is really no point going out if you're not enjoying it.

Develop a crush on someone in your bunch, you'll make it to the ride regardless of the conditions. It makes it doubly important to make sure you look hot in Rapha kit too incidentally

The worst part of riding in the cold is the first 10 minutes. Luckily, that's about how long a bottle of tea will stay hot. Sometimes, even just holding the bottle helps tremendously — best then to hold it to your wrist so it warms that artery.

Remember it may be winter but it's only Melbourne it never gets so cold you need to loose all your self respect and saddle up wearing $2 ear warmers or some of the other hillbilly outfits you encounter this time of year.

Rule 00001 for winter training – Maintain PRO standards of appearance at all times
Rule 00002 for winter training – Maintain PRO standards of appearance at all times
…
Rule 99999 for winter training – Maintain PRO standards of appearance at all times

Keeping your self respect and the rules of winter training in Rapha – Priceless

For Summer, Autumn and Spring training rules see Winter above.

P.S. Riding tip 1.4.5.6 sub section A (Multi – Seasonal) – When riding tubulars without a support vehicle always carry a spare :) .

The last time I went riding in the rain I had to share my waterproof overboots with my mate who swore he would never wear them and gave me crap for years for being soft. He will get the boots (actually my old ones!), I will get the rest for soaking & freezing my feet on a very very cold ride and spreading the knowledge about how good winter gear can be!!

Best winter tip? When the alarm goes off, roll out of bed and put your feet on the floor. Don't roll in the direction of the warm body lying next to you. It's way too easy to be persuaded not to hit the road. That's my best advice. That, and wear toe covers.

My best winter riding tip is in relation to safety. I never enjoyed winter riding until I started to use front lights to see with (as opposed to being seen lights). Suddenly I could see parked cars, pot holes, branches, gum tree bark, road kill and glass (there is nothing more de-motivating than the thought of changing a tube in the cold and wet). Bright rear lights are essential too so that even car drivers with misty windows can see you. I use two with rechargeable batteries so I am happy to run them for longer.

Wool socks are good and, if I could ever find a pair, gloves that actually keep finger tips warm.

Get some electrical tape, remove inner soles from shoes, apply tape over vents in soles, reinsert inner soles, ride with warm feet for winter. Remove tape in mid spring.

The key to winter riding is being prepared. Mudguards in the rain, while kind of dorky, mean you don't end up with a dirty skid mark up your backside and the person behind you doesn't end up with your wheel spray down their front. Also, clothes that will keep you just the right kind of warm are gold!

Being that this is my first winter season, I'm lacking in the clothes department, which is why I need the kit!

My three tips are:
- Clock on the otherside of the room, actually gets you out of bed.
- Set up everything the night before somewhere you will see it, helps to get going and reminds you later if you wimp out
- As Churchill said “when going through hell keep going”
oh and my fourth tip
- have a Rapha winter

This works for me:

The Rules

Commit.
Early.
The day before…
Tell at least three people you're going to ride in the morning and be sure to mention that only wusses pike if it's raining.
Before going to bed…
Lay out all of your kit for the ride the night before (in full view in the lounge, kitchen or somewhere prominent – I'll explain later…).
Put your lights on your bike.
Get out your cold weather kit (even if it's forecast to be mild).
Get your rain kit out (even if it's not forecast to rain).
Leave yourself the absolute minimum to do in the morning.
PUT YOUR PHONE, CLOCK, WHATEVER WAKES YOU UP AT LEAST FIVE STEPS FROM YOUR BED.
When that f@*%ing alarm goes off at ridiculous o'clock and you stumble across the room to shut it up, have the following conversation with yourself…
I'll just the put the kettle on, then I'll go back to bed.
I'll have a coffee, but then I'll go back to bed.
I'll put my kit on, but then I'll definitely go back to bed.
Okay, I'll ride to the end of the street, but then I'll turn around and go back to bed.
And now you're riding.

If however you succumbed, when you finally drag your soft a$$ out of bed you'll be greeted by the sight of your unused kit and kick yourself for being a quitter.
When you get into work and for the third time a colleague asks “how was your ride?”, that burning shame you feel as you mumble some feeble excuse will only strengthen your resolve to follow The Rules next time.

Look everyone needs an excuse now and then, so here are my top ten winter excuses for not riding:

1. My bike forum coach said altitude and humidity training would improve my VO2 max so I have been training on the rollers in front of the heater in the attic. But come spring, I blow you all away.
2. My masseuse said that my leg warmers were lowering my sperm count so I should stick to spinnervals this week.
3. My heart-rate-monitor told me to stay in bed this morning.
4. My garage door is stuck open, so I couldn’t find my bike in the thick fog we had this morning.
5. Just as I was rolling out the door this morning, an icicle fell from the guttering and punctured my tyre; who’d believe it eh!?
6. There was no power this morning so I was applying some lube to my chain by torch. I was struggling to hold the lube and the torch, and turn the pedals, when suddenly my tongue got caught in between the chain and the rear cassette. I tried calling my wife but she thought it was a possum. I couldn’t twist the bike around with out taking my tongue off so I couldn’t get upstairs to the bedroom. So I just waited until she woke up and we could call an ambulance. Other than that, I would have been there.
7. I accidentally mixed lithium and strontium batteries and when I turned on my head-light it exploded, blowing my handlebars off. So I couldn't make it this morning.
8. All the winter rain in Sydney caused a massive sink hole to form and swallow the apartment building I live in. So I couldn't make it to the ride.
9. The dog ate my nicks.
10. I put my bike too close to the heater as I was getting dressed this morning and the tyre melted. I didn't have a spare otherwise I would have totally been there [Dude.]

And why do I need the Rapha kit? Well 'cause I am all out of excuses of course.

It is what it is.

After spending 6 months studying on exchange in holland and not only bringing my road bike but riding it during the past winter I learn't several things:

Always depart warm! Sit in front of the heater, take a hot shower or just wear plenty of clothes before changing into lycra. Starting cold just makes the temperature feel even colder.

Keep your ears warm – this amazingly keeps your nose warm and can prevent the dreaded snot shower that is no good for any riders sitting in behind you.

Apart from the sensible choice of booties, gloves and undershirt, wear two pairs of socks underneath booties – just loosten your shoes to prevent cramps.

If it starts raining and you're already warm, if you haven't already put your rain jacket on do so but pull your arm warmers down – prevents the drowning of your skin from the extreme humidity underneath that water proof jacket. Of course if you already have a nice and warm Rapha jacket your probably won't need this advice.

For when it gets really cold…(or you realise that your exchange destination isn't exactly so cycling friendly in winter):
Coca cola freezes at a lower point that water…frozen water bottles suck – do not leave them outside!
Snow on the road, despite looking really euro, is a really bad hazard – especially once you crash and it has infected your knicks.
Even worse than snow is the salt that gets placed on snow covered roads to clear it. Braking hazard, carbon hazard and it gets everywhere – avoid if possible.
The average road user does not admire cyclists suddenly appearing very late whilst heavy rain, despite how hardcore you think you are wear multiple lights (helmet is a must, front and back).

Suck up the hard k's because once summer is around it's payback to those who took the soft options.

Why do I need a new rapha kit? Well firstly, I've had two winters in a row!!! Secondly, because my meagre student budget doesn't allow indoor heating let alone winter gear and lights. But coming home in the morning after a tough winter ride while the other students are only just waking up with hangovers far outweighs the negatives.

Wear a hat and layer. Its that simple no matter what the activity.

When I look outside my window and see .5m of snow on the ground and realize it's -4 degrees outside, I don't want to ride. But then I think about everyone I will be racing in the spring and imagine that some of them will see the same conditions and not ride. Knowing (or thinking!) that I've got that training edge by just going outside really provides some motivation. Coming out of winter with 1) the reputation of being the most hard-ass around when it comes to bad weather, and 2) the fitness to kick ass when racing starts in March is well worth the suffering.

my tip :
(tried + tested today in Perth's 5 degrees C)

Merino rules!

1. merino t shirt base layer under jersey +
2. merino beanie under helmet +
3. merino inner gloves under your normal ones

Now just need to find a sheep to provide me with some socks too!

too keep toes toasty and warm one pair of socks wrap them in glad wrap then add another pair off socks then put your shoes on. theres nothing worse than cold toes and this fixes it.
oh and im saving for an overseas holiday to europe and thinking of riding a nice warm rapha winter kit for a cold euro winter would be nice :)
oh and ive put a strict no spend on bike stuff on my budget. even considering selling a bike to fund holiday :(

*The most important item for winter biking: willingness! You have to break through the wall.
*It's easy to get dehydrated in the winter. Exercising outdoors makes it even easier. Dehydration causes decreased blood volume which makes us more susceptible to hypothermia and frostbite. It's important to drink water frequently if you're riding for more than one hour. Some people use insulated water bottles but the most popular and generally successful system is the Camelbak, usually worn under the outer layer of clothes.
*Be careful with glasses, watches, jewelry and zipper pulls. Small metal and plastic objects can get cold enough to cause frostbite.

Keep yer hands and feet warm! Booties and good gloves make all the difference.
Fatter wheels; fenders to keep the skunk stripe off your a$s, and lights, lights lights.
Help them see you, coming and going.

[...] under: Uncategorized It was with some interest that yesterday I read through the comments over at cyclingtipsblog to Wade’s competition to provide ideas to get him off his arse and out of bed now that winter has ‘officially’ [...]

I need to win this new Rapha winter kit so I can start riding in the cold.. I haven't ridden since the Dirtworks 50km MTB Race!

Marigolds/washing-up gloves!!!

Please i need a new rapha winter kit free because i live in Argentina and i am not a rich man. The winter here is very painfull, and i need to face it in elegant form. The style is the begining of all things.

The best tip I ever got for riding in the winter was get dressed and out the door. Once you have clipped in, if you still don't want to ride then go back in. In the past 8 years, this has only happened once. Its getting out that is tough

“Just Jens it!”

Ask yourself would Jens go out this morning? We all know that the answer will be YES. So get on your bike and start peddling.

Applying the above advice to myself last Saturday morning I did 3 hours in the constant drizzle and cold, and was one of less than 150 riders riding Beach Rd [that's all I saw ~ ask anyone who was out ~ if you can find 'em]]
So, I guess Rapha are giving away the kit for some exposure, and they'll get that with me!

Move to Queensland!!!

What more can a girl say! So many good tips. The biggest tip I tell everyone is to make it through the in between months. If you decide to just start going out riding again after the fall has hit, you won't last very long. The gradual progression from sleet to snow really stinks but it makes the actual winter riding more bearable. Also. Hold your line. Think ahead and predict how your bike will react and give yourself enough time and space. Kiss your fender good morning and don't forget to grease your seat post and lube your important points….that goes for the bike as well. No one likes a seized seat post come spring.

1. Put your kit in bed with you….it will be nice and warm when you put it on in the morning.

2. While getting ready, wear thick wool socks to keep your toes warm.

3. Put your shoes in front of a heater so they are pre-warmed

If your wife / partner / etc wakes and snuggles up…….ditch the ride and all the above tips and just turn up at the coffee shop dressed in your awesome Rapha Winter kit that you won on Cycling Tips in time to watch your mates drag their cold, wet arses in, while you sport one those smug “I am warm and dry” grins. And tell lies about how you just wanted to train alone this morning…just remember to hide your Garmin so no one can see you only rode 3kms !!!!

For what it's worth, putting Deep Heat on under your wetsuit to stay warm when surfing does NOT have the same effect as putting Deep Heat on under your kit to stay warm when cycling. (The water makes things so cold it's ridiculous).

I know the trainer can be boring, but having a good programme to follow on it can be awesome! It really changes the experience. Plus it only takes half the time as a regular ride. I have one of those RPM DVD's and I put that on in the lounge room where it's still warm, crank up that sucker, and ride like blazes for 45 minutes. I'm stuffed at the end, dripping with sweat, and only a 15 metre walk from my fridge, shower, and everything else that matters.

I tried tip 1 last night, and just now, I have shit-a-brick!!

My advice is considering you are the judge, jury and executioner of the comp, I could suggest that a certain nom de plume just happens to win. And voila you have a new winter kit!

New gear = motivation.

Like you said, the hardest part is getting out of bed. I make a short list of things in my head so that I have an agenda.

1.) Get out of bed and put my contacts in
2.) wash face and throw base layers and kit on
3.) check the weather – put everything on
4.) check bike tires/brakes/ect.

Okay, deep breath… get up!

Pretty simple? It works, I swear.

Some tips – because I'm an expert procrastinator when it comes to riding in winter.

1. Tell yourself to get up and get going! Wade generally hasn't updated this site till after his ride, so there is no point checking the internet!
2. Take your extended visit to the toilet the night before, that way you wont be tempted to sit down and relax once the alarm has gone off – I also recommend to read Ride Magazine so you have something to talk about on the ride with your like-minded mates (or to help answer all of the Giro quiz questions ;-) )
3. Throughout winter and summer, take a few supplements to keep your vitamins/immune system up so you stay healthy – no one cares if you've got the flu when you wont do a turn or get dropped.
4. Train in the rain, one day you'll have to race in the rain!
5. Don't wear your white knicks, the bloke behind you doesn't want to see your wet hairy ass. (this is an all weather thing! I dont want to see your sweaty crack either…)
6. I don't find getting out of bed is the hard part, its getting off the bike and staying warm once you finish exercise. Get warm straight away, don't be tempted to muck around checking CT before your shower – at least wait till you get to work!
7. Tell yourself you have to ride in the cold and wet, otherwise you cant justify spending all that cash on your new bike to replace your old bike that is now your “rain bike”…
8. Be seen, be safe… ride with good lights and ride safely to avoid being cleaned up by a car.
9. Have fun!
10. If you don't like the rain, head to the boards! Real cyclists ride track!

Every minute I stay in this room, I get weaker, and every minute Charlie squats in the bush, he gets stronger. Each time I looked around the walls moved in a little tighter.

Apocalypse Now, all the philosophy you will ever need – especially for cycling.

My tip on staying warm in winter is to simply shuffle over in bed and cuddle up to your beloved……. ;-) Maybe if the kids sleep in you'll get some excersize as well.

My bonus tips:

Half the problem with Melbourne “cold” is that it's cold enough to be annoying but it's not freezing, 4 layer, full waterproof cold so it's very easy to make a bad gear choice at oh-dark-thirty and get caught out on the road.

1. Have all your gear options available when it's time to get dressed. The Mrs does not want you rummaging through the wardrobe for your rain jacket in the middle of the night.
2. Don't train with short finger gloves in summer. Makes the winter choice easy… put on your long fingered gloves then stick them in your pocket when/if it warms up (plus the Mrs will love the manly touch of your bar tape weathered hands)
3. Same theory probably applies to toe covers/belgian booties vs. full waterproof booties. I really felt sorry for those people who didn't wear their booties on the 3 peaks challenge.
4. Merino undershirt. Best piece of kit you'll ever own. Buy one now.
5. Catlike whisper plus helmet is for summer. Trust me. Wear a cap or beanie.
6. The temperature will continue to drop until about 8am when the sun finally turns up to the office. Strip back the layers before you sweat it up so you don't get the big chill on the homeward stretch.
7. Think ahead to spring and that layer of subcutaneous leg fat being squeezed out by the leg grippers on your knicks. Your PRO kit deserves PRO quads.
8. Keep the legs shaved. Once you've invested the effort you can't not ride. Plus hairs poking through your leg warmers – not PRO.
9. And always remember, Gerro would go. And he'd meet Stuey and Jens on the way and they would have been waiting for 10 mins in sleet and rain in short sleeves and knicks.

I always find that once I'm out the house, winter riding is just as enjoyable as summer riding. The hard part is getting out of bed and out of the house.

My tips to help with this are:

1) Set your heating to come on a couple of hours before you get up so you aren't tempted to stay in bed (heated floors would be the ultimate decadence here);

2) Get a really loud alarm clock (or preferably two) and put them well out of arms reach – the best ones are the ones that simulate a sunrise so you wake up to the light. I find these really help me wake up feeling refreshed in the winter.

3) Make sure all your riding kit is ready the night before and your clothes are laid out and ready to go (preferably on/near a warm radiator). If you give yourself half a chance to use the “but I won't be ready in time to meet my mates and will just hold them up” excuse then you WILL take it.

4) Get some good kit that you KNOW will keep you warm and comforable. Pay particular attention to extremities by getting good gloves, socks, overshoes, cap etc..

5) Get a breadmaker – they are easy to use and most have the ability to set the timer so the loaf (preferably wholemeal and stuffed with seads and goodness!) is ready as your alarm goes off. This will get you out of bed like nothing else!

6) Finally, make sure you are riding with mates so you won't procrastinate and delay setting off.

My tip for getting out there in the deep dark cold of winter: respect. Respect yourself, respect others, respect your sport.
http://fixmawheel.blogspot.com/2010/06/rapha-re…

cant offer any better tips than have been posted previously (other than take care). I've been hit (and run) by cars 3 times over the past couple of years so I have given up on buying any good gear because it only ends up shredded. But it would be nice to be able to wear something good occassionally

Well to stay warm you need to focus on what gets the coldest – feet, hands, arms and any exposed skin. You mays as well give up on your feet now – extra socks, booties, plastic bags whatever – they will still feel like they are about to shatter with a good stomp. For your hands, don't waste time with cycling gloves, boxing gloves is where it's at. To look eurocool, choose white boxing gloves. As you'll be riding your steel framed fixie, changing gears will not be an issue. Plus you'll work harder and stay warm so it's a winner all round. There is no need to invest in proper arm warmers – simply buy a pair of knee-high socks from your closest $2 shop and cut the feet off. Works a charm. As for exposed skin, well learn a lesson from open water swimmers. LARD! It's much cheaper than embrocation, you can collect it every time you have a bangers and mash night. And it will also keep away those unwanted jellyfish, which is a much underrated advantage in my opinion. I'm sorry, but there is no eurocool version or lard…

Seriously though, I've actually tried the socks/armwarmers conversion. Cotton is useless. As a pretty new rider I have not acquired any winter kit yet. Turned up to the group ride a few weekends ago in my summer kit (with an undershirt at least!) and completely froze, plus got a dressing down (pardon the pun) from the rest of the group too. But the right gear is so expensive! Anyone have some suggestions for cycling in the cold on a budget?

It's been said already several times but new gear definitely = motivation. And I'm about to need all the motiviation I can get my hands on what with the onset of winter, the arrival of a new bub, the tantrams of a 2 year old, etc, etc, etc…..yeh yeh, I know; HTFU.
If you're in Geelong and like riding in the dark from 4:30am, let me know…just don't expect much conversation for the first hour!

Winter cycling tip : when riding into Melbourne CBD on cold icy mornings,be very careful when overtaking mountain bikes fitted with time trial bars on the slippery Yarra boardwalks around Richmond.
I need a new Rapha winter kit as when I was riding through Eltham on the way home from work a few weeks ago a rampaging wombat on steroids charged out of the darkness ,slammed into my bike,and destroyed my rear wheel,my derailleur,parts of myself and the cycling kit I was wearing.It didn't stop to exchange names and addresses so I can't pursue its insurer.

My pro tip:

Being from Hobart, the weather is wild at the moment. All you dogs talking about palping knee warmers, Im lucky enough to get in over 500km a week down here (being a student is the life for me), over 200 of which is at night, and I havent donned any kneewarmers to date, just get a super good quality tub of Belgium knee warmers and you will be fine, if your sweat doesn't turn your legs into a super oiled and PRO looking/smelling rig, your not going hard enough. Actual TIP: To avoid having to dig around in your back pocket for your glasser cleaner (the little bit of special fabric), store it tucked just into the lowest section of you bib bracing under your jersey/jacket. This way you can get it fast and without hassle. So you can keep your clear lensed glasses on for longer in the pouring rain with a quick wipe ever few km's.

A surefire way to get out of bed for those early morning winter rides.

Step 1 – Buy a tub of chamois cream….even if you don't normally use it.
Step 2 – Set your alarm and put in on the floor (or a similarly cold place) with open tub of chamois cream sitting on top.
Step 3 – When the alarm goes off in the morning, switching it off without sticking your fingers into the tub of cream is unavoidable.
Step 4 – Slap the freezing cold cream straight on your poor little gooch.

Suddenly getting out of bed isn't a problem anymore.

Shut up Legs!

Does Rapha gear attract EPIC conditions? I was wearing some of this stuff today (jersey, arm warmers, 3/4 shorts plus shoe covers from another, less stylish manufacturer) out to Kinglake and the fog closed in on the Humevale road and was about 10 metres' visibility by the time I got to Kinglake West. I had frost forming on me at one point. Frost!! If that's not EPIC I don't know what is.

As for motivation, man I got nothin', I am the worst morning person in the world!

Here is my tip for winter riding.

On cold mornings/days breathe through your mouth. This stops your nose clogging up and running.
It's probably just common sense, but it took me so long to figure out, i just wish someone had told me sooner.

Winter Riding: I always make sure I'm in a bunch with my dad. He's 115kg, 6,7' and wide as a truck – a perfect draft from those cold morning winds (find yourself a big guy who can keep pace).
Reason I'd like the Rapha prize: My wife just had a kid and she spent my gear money on baby stuff (this kid better end up being fast!)

I heard a quote recently from someone, said it was what his drill sergeant in the army used to say:
“Pain is just weakness exiting your body”.
In which case, those cold mornings when you don't want to get out of bed, just think how much EXTRA weakness you will be getting rid of, once you're out there on the road.

Block out any wind to your chest (sleeveless jacket early and late season; and full sleeves mid season), merino wool undershirt (I love the groundeffects ones), wind proof sock (also groundeffects right now), keep your head warm, long sleeve jersey and start out with long finger gloves. The windproof jacket should fit nicely in ones jersey pockets and swap the gloves for fingerless as you go. A beanie of some sort can often stay on for a whole ride.

You need about 12 of your best mates waiting for you out in the cold and muck ready to take the piss out of you if you don't show.

Here's a tip. Make sure you turn the alarm off first time and slide straight out of bed silently. Anyone with a partner knows that the wrath of her/him is ten times worse than the ribbing you'll get from your riding mates for not turning up.

after a good brisk ride, the best reward is a nice hot latte which has two benefits:
1) warms you up
2) makes you human again

I hear Rapha makes quite the impeccable and warm kit, fit for the extremely cold Ohio winters. Plus, I'd love to win a winter kit to match the Kestrel RT 900 I won from the now defunct Rock Racing.

'Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.'

I thought you were in BrisVegas Nicholas, you have winter?

In winter winners don't quit, and quitters don't win! Just ride your bike!

* Are there bonus points for noticing the typo no one has noticed yet?

In homage to Rapha, I lifted this from the Rapha CC website:

Dutch author and amateur cyclist Tim Krabbé expressed this idea of ‘glory through suffering’ very eloquently in his 1978 novel, The Rider:

“The greater the suffering, the greater the pleasure. That is nature’s payback to riders for the homage they pay her by suffering. Velvet pillows, safari parks, sunglasses; people have become woolly mice.

They still have bodies that can walk for five days and four nights through a desert of snow, without food, but they accept praise for having taken a one-hour bicycle ride. ‘Good for you’.

Instead of expressing their gratitude for the rain by getting wet, people walk around with umbrellas. Nature is an old lady with few friends these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms, she rewards passionately.”

As the Rapha website says, “Road racing requires stamina, strength, focus and fortitude, yet the rewards can be huge – the more effort you put in the greater those rewards become. More and more men are discovering that riding a road bike can be the perfect counterpoint to the cosseted and quick-fix nature of modern life. In a society only too comfortable with instant gratification and sanitised pleasure, it has been forgotten that the greatest highs come from the deepest lows. Applying yourself totally can produce a sense of satisfaction that is impossible to replicate. From pain comes pleasure.”

Yeh, but I'd still love Rapha kit to keep me warm and dry though…

I don't really have any smart how-to tips to offer – it looks like everything has been covered here already! But I can offer a few reasons why I am in dire need of a Rapha kit.

The reason is two-fold, and relates to my recent OS trip to ride bikes and spectate at the Giro. I was trying to be a tightarse on packing to keep the bag weight down (allowing more space for bike gear shopping while OS), so in my tightarse wisdom, decided that I would only take only one jacket (my goretex bike spray jacket) and it could be used for all circumstances. Unfortunately I did look like a fair bit of a tool wandering around the cities in my flouro yellow spray jacket. If I had to do this again, I'm sure I would look a lot more suave and smooth strutting my stuff in Rapha gear – and probably getting lots of jealous stares from other cycling types.

The other reason I should win this comp, is that while I was away, I had the pleasure of visiting the Rapha Cycle Club in London (http://www.rapha.cc/cycle-club) – which was pretty much the coolest thing I did on the entire trip – and I was so, so taken with the quality and style of all of their kit. Unfortunately by that point I had pretty much blown all my money, and could not purchase anything of substance to bring home (other than a copy of Rouleur and a T-shirt), but did drool over pretty much everything in the shop.

And seeing as I've drooled on it already, you really couldn't give it to anyone else, could you?

When you ride until your hands go numb and shaky, you're knees are weak and twitching, you're not thinking about your crap job, your fight with your girlfriend, your money problems, nothing. You're just existing and not thinking. thats why I ride my bike.

I was staring blankly at the computer screen when my non-riding gf saw me and asked what I was doing. I stated that I was trying to come up with a winter tip or some inspiration to make it easier for people to get out on the bike, that's when she came out with this…
“When it's cold if you take a thermos out with something hot in it, it would help keep you warm”
So there you go, that's my tip…

Tip #342: Don't put your winter lycra clothing on the heater to warm them up before going for a ride.

Tip #342: Don't put your winter lycra clothing on the heater to dry them off when you get home.

Ye who slumbers when it's cold will be made to suffer by those more bold.

The Rapha winter cycling kit would do wonders for my marriage; namely keeping it together by not having to conceal more “essemtial” cycling related purchases. Last night I dreamt I got busted buying Dura Ace pedals and my wife announced she was leaving me a senior member of the Vienna Boys Choir. When I offered to exchange them for lesser 105s the little prick burst into that annoying “Roubaix” chant from 'A Sunday in Hell'. My therapist is going to have a field day.

I don't need the kit, but my husband does… possibly the worst dress sense of any cyclist (actually that may not be quite true), but he certainly could be better!

CT, get up with the sun. Always wait to ride until the sun comes up!

I need a rapha winter kit because I just moved here from Vancouver with almost nothing and I did that cold Saturday morning ride in the only kit I have, plus borrowed legs.

My winter tip? HTFU and consider this: when you get home with feet like ice blocks you are already halfway to frozen so that recovery ice bath won't feel all that bad!

Protip: never search eBay for Campy components when you're a PhD student on a scholarship…

Please sir, can I have some Rapha kit to keep me warm?

//Mike

A new Rapha kit is motivation enough to ride through the Winter! Whether its windchill, rain, or snow I have to ride through i'd sport that kit with pride. Plus you just look classy wearing Rapha ;]

I've always had this kit on my wish list as well, someday it will be mine even if it means I dont buy a car… after all it is for riding a bike!

As for advice, it looks like just about every conceivable base has been covered. So…
Why do I need the Rapha winter kit?

You ever been passed by a snowplow doing 40mph? Yup, that pretty much sums up winter cycling in Ohio.

Plus, lets be honest, Rapha makes some of the most incredible cycling apparel available.

epic clothing for some epic winter rides!

Wade and other tip-seekers,
When it comes to staying fashionable (and warm) when winter riding, I've learnt there is no substitute for proper cycling-specific winter clothing from your LBS. I learnt this one the hard way after one sub- ten morning, when I was kitted out with ski gloves, a thick woolen ski beanie, an even thicker skiing jacket, and, worst of all, knee-high skiing socks! Needless to say, the odd looks and smart comments will haunt my morning rides forever… so please, PLEASE Wade, help out a fashion tragic with some proper kit and salvage some of my dignity!

Tips: after 335 posts, what is there left to add?
Warm core, warm extremities, prepare the night before, phone a friend.

Why do I need a Rapha kit – black is ideal for disguising my non-PRO gut bulges…

Tips? Well most has been said, but for you racers out there, putting together a wet weather race kit bag will help you not forget the cycling cap for use in the rain or your thicker booties when the the skys open up on your way to races.

Rapha kit is so so nice, FTW

Tip: it's usually coldest just as the sun comes up so starting a ride half an hour before means you'll be warmed up by then.
oh and one of these might help with getting out of bed at that ungodly hour, http://www.thinkgeek.com/images/products/zoom/f…

to the tune of 'I Was Only 19' by Redgum….

Wife and kids and dog missed me sneaking out the door at 6.15,
it's a long time since long days of daylight savings.

The fixie is left in the corner now, it's too cold to muck about,
I'll need light weight and gears to ride the bunch.

And the garbos lined the footpaths as I warmed up in the street,
this photo from Facebook, shows me fit and trim and tanned,
but that was back in summer, when I didn't need new kit.

God help me – I was gonna bloody freeze.

From Moore Park on the warm up hill, to the flats of Centennial Park,
I couldn't see my speedo, it was too bloody dark.
I met my mates, who laughed at me for turning up so stark.

God help me – I can't even feel my knees

And can you tell me doctor why I still can't stand up straight
And nights are so long watching the grand tours, with Aussies at the front.
And whats this rash that comes and goes, right where I like to sit.

God Help Me – I really need some new Rapha Kit.

…………..

http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/
Look at it before you walk out the door

I don't know if you're still reading these but my advice during winter is to buy motivation. I'm relatively new to the sport but I find I usually can't wait to get out in new kit or with new toys. This could be because these are few and far between as I'm a poor engineering student. I don't have a winter kit at the moment but I can assure you the moment I win one I'll be so much more motivated to continue riding through the winter.

So there you go, some advice and a reason to give me the winter kit.

Fix up, look sharp!

I like writing, hurriedly, not that you are not
http://www.louis-vuitton-outlet-store.com http://www.and34.net
http://www.oantcogs.com

Nice blog! Being a recent arrival from Sydney I am just beinging to realise how neccesary this kit is, and hence I would love to own it!

My tip is: Have all your gear laid out right next to your bed so when your alarm goes off it's just habit to put it on, then go out to the living room, make a coffee and decide if you still want to go back to bed or not. Chances are you think that you've already done the hard work and you might as well keep going, but if not (like Wednesday for me) then you've make a considered descision and you'll be well rested so you can give it an even harder go tomorrow!

Jeff

my winter gear is so bad my nipples can be seen from the back of the peloton.

On a long ride I had to stop at McDonalds and buy a large frie to stuff inside my jersey, it was cold outside and I only had $1, I decided that was the best way to stay warm and it worked. It was hell going through the drive through though.

My motivation – tip 1) riding in winter keeps me from becoming a marshmallow, which makes hill repeats easier come springtime.
tip 2) it's easier to make snot rockets and not having as many riding companions makes launch and flight less dangerous

[...] Winter Wife Management comment by tallmantim.  Too long to post but hilarious. Had Mrs CT in tears! [...]

It's still the 10th here, so I can still send a tip, right? :-)

Best reason to ride in the winter is that you *know* everybody else thinks you're crazy. “Isn't it too cold today?” “What? It's only 7°C below zero.”

CT,

Belated I know, but as I see it, there's a two phase process required here …

Phase 1)
——————–

Locate a cyclist with the following key attributes;

A) In visual appearance remarkably resembles me. That being; not at all PRO, with mismatched bargain kit and bike with lairy fluoro orange bar tape.
B) In actual performance resembles someone not at all like me. Preferably their prowess will be somewhat closer to Cadel's level or thereabouts.

Attempt to grab the wheel of aforementioned cyclist. Fail. Be surprised. How can such an un-PRO cyclist ride you off his wheel with such ease. Be angry. Treat it as an affront to God* himself!
(* or whichever deity pleases you; Merckx, Gretzky, whomever).

Swear never to be dropped by such a shabbily attired joker ever, ever again.
——————–

At completion of phase 1, the recollection of the horror, shame and embarrassment should keep you sufficiently motivated to get up of an icey morning. (Beside, the prospect of getting back to sleep with said horror, shame and embarrassment on the mind is too frightening to contemplate).

Phase 2
——————–
Following months of dedicated, pre-dawn, icey training runs, go cycling on a comfy, cosy spring morning, and bear down upon a cyclist with the following key attributes;

A) Is me.
B) Is me, sharply attired, looking PRO, in brand new Rapha kit.

As you sail past and ride off into the distance, putting metres between us with every stroke of the pedal, you'll know that the cold winter training sessions were 100% worthwhile. You can't be PRO just with the kit. You need to freeze your nuts off daily at 5:30am too!

Typical – I just thought of one this morning – my excuse is it only just got cold in Sydney. This actually worked though. I was lying in bed, were it was very warm, alarm had gone off at 4.45. I was in no mans land, I know I should / i really dont want to leave the cosy confines of my duvet.

It just came to me – WHAT WOULD JENS DO? – it really actually worked, i got straight out.

Anyway, i think i'm too late for Rapha, just thought i'd share

Giro di subconscious gets my vote – made me laugh out load in the office, great!

Thanks for all your awesome comments Folks. I've had a blast reading them all and have learned a lot as well. Feel free to post anything else you want to share, but after this the competition is closed.

Thanks!

Pat's been trying to post this comment from day 1 of competition – but having technical difficulties (he's beside himself).

So (if it's not too late) I'll post on his behalf… who actually wanted to post on his grandmother's behalf.

Pat's Gran, Lil Ruffle, is a cycling legend in the Adelaide community. The 85 year old great great grandmother continues to cycle respectable distances several times a week. This 5 foot nothing pocket rocket trained and raced 100,000km in 7 years when she was in her late 60's early 70's. We think this qualifies her as an expert in winter riding.

This is one of Gran's famous quotes about riding in the winter wet:

“It's only rain, you won't shrink!”

Do they make Rapha kits in XXS???

Go Gran!

;-)

a rapha-fan-boy-thread.

base layers, base layers, base layers……. nothing more to say…. oh… and some hot embrocation…..

[...] Rapha “I Need A New Winter Kit” competition is coming to a close today.  Mrs CT and I spent a good part of yesterday reading through the [...]

my best advice is that anytime the motivation is lacking in the morning and the frost is on the ground, just think that theres so Rowing sap out there probably wearing at most a zootie and a long sleeve top

my best advice is that anytime the motivation is lacking in the morning and the frost is on the ground, just think that theres so Rowing sap out there probably wearing at most a zootie and a long sleeve top

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