Snow Day
Riding the Snow
I got up this morning to find a blanket of white snow falling from the sky. It hadn’t settled so I took it as being one of those flurries with no covering that we sometimes get in the East Midlands. However, by 11am I realised that this was staying. What an opportunity, I hadn’t biked in the snow for ages, so I grabbed the chance with both wheels.
The plan wasn’t to go miles or very fast as my snow biking skills hadn’t been tested of late. So, it was a short 10-mile loop through the felly. Plenty of views that potentially could look amazing. I packed my phone (camera), go pro and filled my juice bottle and off I went searching for something different. Here’s the video I came back with:
It was slow going especially first off as I was getting used to the grip, or lack of, and the speed required for cornering. I soon adjusted, but then another problem. I felt I was putting double the amount of effort in than on a wet winter’s day. I thought ‘surely it shouldn’t be this hard’ as my lungs were collapsing. I stopped to discover my back brake had frozen on…of course it was cold and the freezing snow covering it had frozen it. It was a relief as I was only a quarter of the way through, and I thought I was going to be struggling for the full loop. A quick clear of snow and movement with the brakes soon loosened it.
When I got in the felly the light was dim, but the views weren’t disappointing. I focused on making the route enjoyable rather than a race stopping to take in the snow views I’ve not seen here before. I thoroughly enjoyed the different terrain and skills need to ride it.
I got back home only slightly cold. My kit had held up well to say I didn’t have snow specific gear. I wore my long leg bib biking trousers with my shorts over the top, a second skin base layer top followed by a decent fleece and topped with a thin wind and shower proof jacket. I always find the body gets warm quickly but it’s the hands and feet that suffer, so I had my protective winter gloves and overshoes on my feet which always do the job. I’ve invested in a decent pair of winter gloves but no matter what I wear I always tend to get cold numb fingers about a mile in the ride. If this happens to you here’s my top tip. Stop, take your gloves off, and put your hands under your armpits, yes, your armpits. Within minutes, you’ll find your fingers are back too normal.
If you do get the chance to get out in the snow, I recommend it 100%. It adds a new dimension to off-road biking and sharpens skills you didn’t know you had.
Check out the my 'Short Trail' series, my favourite quick snappy trail videos:
