Riding through winter: A guide to only partly freeze to death

First, let me clarify. Winter in Belgium are temperatures around 0°C, rain and mist. In theory we should have snow, but that hasn’t really been the case for quite some years. With riding I in turn mean taking your bike on a multi-hour spin. Back and forth to the shop in general shouldn’t be an issue. When you decide you are going to take on the winter, the most important thing in my book is investing in proper riding gear. That tight leather jacket or those fancy jeans just won’t do, trust me. I must admit though that I’m not the best student in class either. Riding through my second winter I invested in proper trousers and a jacket, but my gloves are still 100% rubbish. Water pours through, my fingers freeze and they stink of old mushrooms. Yes, I tried washing them, but by the time they are dry the smell is as bad as it was before. For our 5h ride to Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, Jonas his parents luckily had some inner gloves to spare. Thanks to them my fingers only started freezing off after about 20 minutes instead of 10. Lesson learned: investing in new gloves would definitely be a good idea! Another option is investing in heated grips, as I should have on my bike, but it decides to break down every time I really need it. Maybe it’s just time to completely replace it. So, what to do when the cold eventually starts trickling in? Wiggle your toes, keep those fingers moving as if you play the piano and every 2h or so take a break. My personal favourites are: drinking hot tea and jumping around as if nobody is watching. It most definitely helps to warm up both body and soul. Big smiles are included for free!

Some may assume that this is easy to say for me as I’m probably not easily cold. This most certainly is not the case. I’m the girl that takes out her winter clothes at the end of summer and keeps on wearing them till the midst of spring. Scarves, gloves and warm blankets are my best friends and thick jumpers are the only thing I really have laying around in excess.

For me riding around in winter isn’t about comfort. I ride in the cold to feel the adventure, to experience the world outside my front door and to fill my lungs with fresh air. Oh yes, and to go everywhere I need to as my bike is my only means of transport apart from my feet, my bicycle and public transport. That being said, don’t let the cold and rain stop you from going outside. May it be on motorbike or on foot, just keep in mind that up till today there are people living in tents in much colder conditions. We have a choice. We are definitely the lucky ones.