Winter cycling photos and writeups

[Jon in Sweden]

Would it be dangerous to be stranded halfway to work at those temps ?

I don't think so. I carry a couple of extra layers in the pannier bags and most of my route has regular traffic that could assist if needs be. I know most of the cars that pass me now!

Minus 9c this morning. Three successive days of deep cold commuting is taking its toll. My legs are kaput. Winter miles on studded tyres are 30-50% harder than summer miles. It's quite extraordinarily tough going.

It doesn't help that I walk on average 8-10km during my shifts at work.

[Cowsham]

Would it be dangerous to be stranded halfway to work at those temps ?

I don't think so. I carry a couple of extra layers in the pannier bags and most of my route has regular traffic that could assist if needs be. I know most of the cars that pass me now!

Minus 9c this morning. Three successive days of deep cold commuting is taking its toll. My legs are kaput. Winter miles on studded tyres are 30-50% harder than summer miles. It's quite extraordinarily tough going.

It doesn't help that I walk on average 8-10km during my shifts at work.

Tough going -- minus 5 here but just clear sheet ice you just have to skate along when walking outside. Not for bicycles.

[Cugel]

Here's some snow boots!

https://www.wtb.com/blogs/wtb/wtb-goes- ... -bike-tire

Mind, you have to have a fat bike to get wheels in wide enough for them.

Inexpensive too.

[Jon in Sweden]

I am not at work today, so took advantage of the weather and got out on the lake for a skate with my wife. Just 2.5km, as we're both pretty rubbish!





13cm of ice, and we stayed close to shore on a bit that I know is very shallow. I will be properly equipping myself this weekend so allow us to go all areas. 13cm is about twice what's needed, and it's really good quality, clear ice. We've a few days where the daytime highs are 1-2c, but then we return to full cold of minus 5 to minus 15c for the foreseeable future.

[Cowsham]

Just be careful there Jon -- you'll not need me to tell you that would be very unforgiving if you fell through.

[Jon in Sweden]

Just be careful there Jon -- you'll not need me to tell you that would be very unforgiving if you fell through.

Of course, and I appreciate your concern

We are equipping ourselves with the full safety gear this weekend, but I've been boring holes in the lake ice and it's 13cm at the moment. You could drive a quad bike on it. And we stuck to areas that I know are super shallow from swimming there in summer.

Our lake (Virserumsjön) is always the last to freeze and the first to thaw due to wind exposure and a small river running through it. The higher, stiller lakes have thicker ice.

[Cowsham]

Some spot that

[pjclinch]

15cm is the depth needed to run the Elfstedentocht, which is for tens of thousands of skaters all at once in a hurry.

Loch Vrotachan at Glenshee is a good venue for skating XC skis as it's high enough to freeze fairly regularly and it's quite shallow in any case all around the edges. I doubt it's typically as deeply frozen as 13 cm but a ski instructor pal has only ever seen one person go through in decades.

Winter trekking (i.e., ski touring) routes in Norway regularly go along/across frozen lakes. First time you see it you wonder how safe it really is, but then you realise that they've been waymarked by skidoos which are quite a bit heavier than skiers!

(very jealous of your skating lake, Jon!)

Pete.

[Jon in Sweden]

15cm is the depth needed to run the Elfstedentocht, which is for tens of thousands of skaters all at once in a hurry.

Loch Vrotachan at Glenshee is a good venue for skating XC skis as it's high enough to freeze fairly regularly and it's quite shallow in any case all around the edges. I doubt it's typically as deeply frozen as 13 cm but a ski instructor pal has only ever seen one person go through in decades.

Winter trekking (i.e., ski touring) routes in Norway regularly go along/across frozen lakes. First time you see it you wonder how safe it really is, but then you realise that they've been waymarked by skidoos which are quite a bit heavier than skiers!

(very jealous of your skating lake, Jon!)

Pete.

Very interesting information! We lived in Scotland for 13 years and Glenshee is somewhere we used to pass through fairly regularly. Though at that point, I was yet to try winter sports.

I did my first ever lake ice cycle ride today. It was exactly as amazing as you might imagine, as I had the most beautiful conditions. The thick ice gave me the opportunity to cycle the length of a 4km lake, and create a loop that I'm quite sure no one has cycled before.

[Cowsham]

15cm is the depth needed to run the Elfstedentocht, which is for tens of thousands of skaters all at once in a hurry.

Loch Vrotachan at Glenshee is a good venue for skating XC skis as it's high enough to freeze fairly regularly and it's quite shallow in any case all around the edges. I doubt it's typically as deeply frozen as 13 cm but a ski instructor pal has only ever seen one person go through in decades.

Winter trekking (i.e., ski touring) routes in Norway regularly go along/across frozen lakes. First time you see it you wonder how safe it really is, but then you realise that they've been waymarked by skidoos which are quite a bit heavier than skiers!

(very jealous of your skating lake, Jon!)

Pete.

Very interesting information! We lived in Scotland for 13 years and Glenshee is somewhere we used to pass through fairly regularly. Though at that point, I was yet to try winter sports.

I did my first ever lake ice cycle ride today. It was exactly as amazing as you might imagine, as I had the most beautiful conditions. The thick ice gave me the opportunity to cycle the length of a 4km lake, and create a loop that I'm quite sure no one has cycled before.

You'll never know -- none of the natives would be brave enough to approach a mad 2m tall Scottish cyclist.

Although if I'd seen you at that I'd probably want a go myself -- much to the protests of my wife. You might start a new cycle race event.

Did you use the studded tyres?

[Jon in Sweden]

You'll never know -- none of the natives would be brave enough to approach a mad 2m tall Scottish cyclist.

Although if I'd seen you at that I'd probably want a go myself -- much to the protests of my wife. You might start a new cycle race event.

Did you use the studded tyres?

Scottish?! You take that back!

Originally from Derby, though I'm half German.

I would be extremely surprised if I wasn't the first person to cycle it. There are literally hundreds of lakes within 30 minutes cycle of our house and on Strava, there are lots of perfectly lovely gravel road segments where I'm one of 1-5 people who have ever ridden it (on Strava). Proportionally, there are probably an average number of cyclists here compared to the UK, but the population is so incredibly low. About 9-10 people per square km, versus an English average of over 440. And most of the people here are in a collection of villages and small towns. And finally, almost all the serious cyclists that I know don't cycle outside in winter. They tend to use Zwift and then go cross country skiing or run.

On studded tyres, yes. Totally and completely secure. No slipping whatsoever, but very slow. I was holding about 17-18kph at 130bpm (which translated over to my other bikes with power meters is a power output of 240-250w) as there was about 2cm of fresh ice cystals/snow on top of the sheet ice.

[Bmblbzzz]

There have been serious cyclists for about 140 years, so let's say 100 for your part of Sweden. Strava and Zwift are both only about ten years old, so they don't tell us too much in this context. Nevertheless, even in Britain "serious cyclists" tended to be seasonal till the latter half of the twentieth century. In any case, if you can't find anyone who has heard of anyone cycling on that particular lake, that's good enough!

[Jon in Sweden]

There have been serious cyclists for about 140 years, so let's say 100 for your part of Sweden. Strava and Zwift are both only about ten years old, so they don't tell us too much in this context. Nevertheless, even in Britain "serious cyclists" tended to be seasonal till the latter half of the twentieth century. In any case, if you can't find anyone who has heard of anyone cycling on that particular lake, that's good enough!

Totally appreciate that. It's more the seasonality of it that I think would dictate the likelihood of anyone else cycling it. For five months last winter, I was literally the only person I saw out on the road in my part of the world. That said, I don't see many more in summer!

I create a lot of Strava segments because I love hills and do a lot of gravel road exploring. I'm always amazed when I'm one of only a handful of people ever to have ridden a section. It's not like the UK, with thousands on every segment.

[Cowsham]

You'll never know -- none of the natives would be brave enough to approach a mad 2m tall Scottish cyclist.

Although if I'd seen you at that I'd probably want a go myself -- much to the protests of my wife. You might start a new cycle race event.

Did you use the studded tyres?

Scottish?! You take that back!

Originally from Derby, though I'm half German.

Aye but they'd think you're Scottish " he's oot there on that ice -- must be a mad Scottish ejit."

[Jon in Sweden]

I'm regarded as mad, but I think I fall more generally under the heading of Mad Englishman!

Lots of lovely snow at the moment. The roads (including some of the gravel) are well plowed and very secure on studded tyres.

A photo from today: