20 HOT TIPS FOR COLD RIDES

How to train through a British winter without getting cold and miserable? Resourceful racer Tom Couzens has no end of tips and tricks up his draught-sealed sleeves

- Tom Couzens

Nothing will toughen you up more than the Great British winter. Blistering cold temperatures, howling headwinds and torrential downpours – if you can endure these conditions on the bike, you can endure anything. None of us would choose to ride on roads caked in mud and littered with water-filled craters, but this is Britain, where we live, so we’d best get on with it.

After thousands of miles of suffering out in the elements getting the hours in, I’ve had plenty of time to think about crafty ways to make British winter riding just that bit more tolerable. In this feature, I want to share with you some of the ‘hacks’ I’ve tried and tested. They are simple yet effective, and you’ll wish you had tried them out sooner. So pour yourself a brew, sit down, and prepare to brighten up your winter training forever.

1 The petrol station gloves

For British cyclists the petrol station is our winter version of the oasis in the desert. The trusty attached shop has saved me, and probably most of you, from the bonk at one point or another. But the merciful grace of the fuel station doesn’t end with its calorie-dense snacks. There is another blessed gift awaiting you at the pumps: namely, the plastic gloves. When you’re caught out by unexpected rain on a cold winter’s day, a set of these gloves popped on either underneath or over your own, can be a saviour. The extra waterproof layer makes a real difference. You don’t need me to tell you, there are few tortures worse than desperately struggling to shift down the gears with numb fingers as you hit a climb late in your ride. Petrol station gloves, don’t underestimate them; they’ve saved me many times.

2 Sort that glove-jacket junction