The mercury is falling, the dark is rising, and next summer suddenly seems a long way off – at least for us northern hemisphericals. Gone are dawn rides in a warming sun; gone are evening commutes in the final rays of the day. Instead, darkness.
So what is a bike rider to do? Three or four options suggest themselves, with the first being to carry on regardless.
If you had already begun tutting, even shaking your head as you read, I'm going to guess that's what you plan to do – in fact it's what you do every winter. There is, after all, no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes, and what is rain if not just a bit of water?
All power to you. The rest of us stand suitably impressed. Sometimes, this is out of sheer necessity – getting to work, for example. The boss isn't going to view your decision to take four months off on the basis that 'it's a bit chilly' with much sympathy.
There is, of course, a beauty to riding in the winter all of its own. Crisp, sunny days, and night rides that cloak you in their own dark, velveteen soundscape.
Another option is to (shhh...) stop cycling altogether until the weather improves. Perhaps to be replaced by something a bit more cold-weather friendly. Running or hiking or the gym, maybe. But four months without the bike? In the long list of last resorts, this one can be found right at the far end, collecting dust. Nobody wants this.
Which leaves riding indoors, and the virtual riding platforms where the sun (almost) always shines, you never need to worry about 'a bit of water' or those wrong clothes, hostile drivers, or falling off.
Could you, though, spend an entire winter in the pain cave? And would you even want to? If you answered 'yes', you won't be alone.
With its protection from the elements and, importantly, the social aspect that the best virtual riding apps offer, indoor riding offers much of what you can enjoy outdoors without the need to stand glumly in the driveway after each ride, teeth chattering, as you spray the mud and road salt off your bike with the garden hose.
With harder, structured sessions and races generally proving the most rewarding and, well, tolerable riding on the trainer, it's also an opportunity to experiment with turning an accepted paradigm on its head.
Winter, they say, is for long slow riding. Well that's great if you winter in southern Europe or USA, for example. But unless you can take or leave the sensation in your fingers and toes and are happy spending long, damp hours in the all-day twilight zone, it's not so good for riders in cooler, wetter climes a lot of the time.
Emerging from the blocks in March with your FTP intact after a winter of indoor training will allow you to enjoy those long – and slow if you wish – rides to their full and sunniest extent, unencumbered by heavy winter clothing and all the rest of it.
On balance, a mix of both indoor and outdoor riding is probably preferable. Enough indoor stuff to keep a regular diet of riding with a smattering of intensity to add interest and keep you sharp; and enough outdoor hours to dose up on vitamin D and feel-good vibes from the great outdoors, as well as ride with mates in a sort of face-to-face, IRL type way.
Different approaches will suit different riders, and whichever one you choose, make it the one that you enjoy. That way, you're pretty much guaranteed to see yourself all the way through till spring with decent amount of fitness and a love of riding that remains intact.
