This has been my lowest December riding total for 5years and I was wondering why. I’ve just looked at the solar yield for this month and it’s HALF of last year. It does seem to have been an almost relentlessly dull, windy and rainy December. Very mild in terms of temperatures, but rubbish for riding as it’s windy and wet on the roads and VERY muddy on the trails. Anyone else struggling?
Yep. Bought a kayak. Improvise and adapt…
Same here. <br />I don’t ride as much as I used to anyway but the MTB hasn’t been out at all through December. I don’t ride on the roads at all now so it’s been a zero cycling month for me this year. <br /><br />
Yep. Bad weather events plus dull and wet generally has meant very little riding here.
Anyone else struggling?
I get genuinely cross about the weather in a way that's completely irrational, I feel like I'm being robbed of something that's rightfully mine. Crazy. But yeah, I think there was a period in the 'summer' when I had 7 rides in a row ; one weekend after the next, when I got soaking wet and the theme seems to have continued through autumn into winter this year. I think the jet-stream has just stubbornly refused to budge and we're right in the firing line of that border between low and high pressure and its just one more warm anti-cyclone after the last.
Depressing.
I’ve been ok this winter, done a good few off-road rides but it has been a lot wetter than last winter. Can’t decide if last winter was abnormally dry or this one abnormally wet. I think the former.
I was doing ok until in stopped work on I think the 19th. I’d done 6 rides. But I stopped over Christmas as I was knackered and busy with family
I’m hoping to do a llandegla lap in a few hours. I don’t mind being wet for 2 hours but the winds been terrible so closures might be an issue
Yep I've had a pretty crap December. I've done about the same in a month as I normal do in a week.
Mainly due to illness though not the weather.
On the plus side at least the weather has been crap while I've not been well.
If we include cleaning time as part of each ride I'm not doing too badly.
Not used the mountain bike since Oct - perpetual rain in W.Yorks - been wet through on the road commute to work despite full length mudguards and waterproof gear ...... bring on some consecutive dry days please........
Not sure I've done an outdoor ride besides short errands since early October! Possibly doesn't help that my turbo is setup for my hybrid, which I'd be less bothered about getting mucky, rather than my road bike.
Bought a winter hardtail for the first time in years, great timing! Somehow, it feels ok to potter round the roads and tamer stuff, so scratches that itch. I definitely haven't ridden as much though, inspite of this.
The bigger thing for me though has been creating a covered outside space to workout under. I've been raiding the local recycle place to build a mismatched dumbell collection to add to my kettlebells, add in an anchor point or two for exercise bands and a pull up bar, hey presto, regular instant satisfaction.
I love mountain biking but I've finally worked out that its outdoor exercise that I need. Doesn't matter if it's a garden workout, trailbuilding or bike riding.
And by the time the weather inproves, I'll be stronger and stretchier 🙂
its been horrendous recently, difficult to motivate especially with the strong winds, wet skies and bogging trails, the couple of offroad rides each week in december i've spent far too long hosing down rinsing and then drying boots.
hence stuck to tarmac on gravel bike, even then i've had to rinse my shins from the spray
Yep, haven’t touched a bike all month. It feels like Pembrokeshire has been rained on every day and wind speeds haven’t dropped below ridiculous.
Grim.
It has been really shit this year, all the days I booked off to try and go riding it's pissed it down so haven't bothered. Forced myself to go out on Boxing Day though and even though it was muddy AF everywhere I had a good time. With local rides I don't mind having to hose the bike down afterwards, can't be bothered if I've had an hour's drive home!
I was just thinking I'll get out today. Then the wind rattles the windows and I know that the trails won't be sensible.
(*honestly not taking the p)
So glad I have an ebike, it honestly has kept me going out in gale and swamp conditions, (swapped from 29” summer tyres to 27.5 2.5 maxxis shorty, grip and mudguard clearance), I still try and do some motor off and avoid turbo (using about 2 to 3 times as much battery as in summer) but knowing that you can get leg help if needed is a true enabler for me so I’ve been out most weeks, do adjust my routes to avoid the really bogged tracks but once I get up the ridgeway and into the views and space I just relax into the enjoyment of it.
Then the wind rattles the windows and I know that the trails won’t be sensible.
I was going to head over to Ladhope today and see if everything is damage free.
I have the opposite problem. Normally over the Xmas break I’d do a couple of 100km mixed gravel/dirt/road rides. This year it’s so damn hot it’s miserable and I’m not sleeping well enough to get out at dawn. Was totally cooked after two hours of singletrack yesterday. We tried to go early this morning to beat the heat but it was 30 degrees already and very humid so an hour was enough for the kids.
Don’t think I’ve been outside on a bike, e or otherwise, since October. I do have a Wattbike though and have been doing Zwift rides a few times a week throughout.
Rear wheel on the gravel bike broke and I'm not about riding the MTB in this so riding has come to a total halt for me. I did try riding the MTB on Boxing Day morning but lasted half an hour before I got bored as its too big for anything round here and the hard trails are all ruined.
I was hoping to capitalise on some fitness and skills gains from the Alps in September, but the weather's been almost constantly rubbish since then - so I'm probably riding less than 50% of my normal autumn/winter level.
And running 200%+ of my normal level, in an attempt to compensate.
Particularly can't be arsed to do night riding when it's so sloppy.
Yeah it's been a bit shit. Seems like it has either been pissing it down or a howling gale since October half term. So both MTB and Road/gravel and jump bike/pump track have all been rubbish options.
Has also coincided with extreme busyness otherwise (work, birthdays, Christmas) so motivation and time have been at an historic low.
Having said that I have got a reasonable amount of running in, and in the brief weather windows we have had, I've done 3 excellent and memorable rides.
Evidence:
Also it's never as bad as you think once you've dragged yourself out.
Plus there's been the CRC fire sale to keep everyone entertained.
Yep. Bought a kayak. Improvise and adapt…<br /><br />
Blimey. The trails are really wet around your way.
The one good day we had, a week ago last Saturday, I was unwell with the winter vomiting virus.
We've had to cancel a day at Llandegla due to high winds.
There's been quite a few days when I've had to take the car to work too, because the road is flooded.
I'm off to the Lake District tomorrow, looking at the weather forecast I'm not going to bother taking my bike with me.
All in all, a shit winter so far.
The trails are really wet around your way.<br /><br />
dartmoor init
Tried to get out twice a week. Had some pretty decent rides considering how wet it's been. Almost half my riding in Dec/Jan/Feb is on turbo.
Still Gap ride tomorrow. Postponed a day due to 65mph forecasted winds and rainstorms. Tomorrow 'improved' forecast says 50mph max gust and possibility of sleet and snow!
Still it can't be as bad as last year 🙂
I am breaking out all the 'emergency' waterproof gear. And hopefully someone is bringing a hipflask! Local riding tho... think I'll be wearing the 'shed roof' as my rain jacket for at least another week!
I honestly can’t complain about the local Shropshire trails, I got two rides in earlier in the week and the trails were dry, similar last week and no bike cleaning needed for a few weeks. Off out in a minute and I’m guessing after yesterday I will need to clean my bike for a change! <br /><br />
We have a really good jumps area in the local woods, it’s normally a bog from October with none of the big jumps rideable for several months. This year, the jumps have been rideable most weeks, and up until a few days ago, running as well as they ever do in the summer 🙂
When we are out, we can frequently see the wall of water that is Wales, not too far away…
I've been out on the pub bike a couple of times in the gaps in the seemingly endless torrential rain, but a couple of weeks ago I gave up and set the turbo trainer up and reactivated Zwift, just to keep my legs moving a bit
We headed up to the Lakes for a week yesterday and I always take a bike with me. I had my bike and all my winter gear ready to go but looking at the forecast, it was just so unremittingly grim, I didn't think it justified the room in the car. A couple of pairs of decent hiking boots seemed far more worthwhile
Its presently absolutely lashing down horizontally, blowing an absolute hooley, most things seem to be underwater and you can't see a bloody thing. Apparently there are loads of fells behind the zero visibility
AGREED...
WET..DARK..WINDY..
can't be bothered, so happily plod along on the turbo!
DrP
I'm doing the rides, but the cleaning is dragging me down. Not just the bikes but the kit, shoes, jackets etc too. It's relentless
Hopton tomorrow but I'm not sure I've got it in me to take my bike.
Went out yesterday. The first half was fine, the second half was into the teeth of the wind, and then it started smashing it down. Got wetter in the last 10% than in the rest, and the feeling of the bike sliding sideways across wet cobbles was unpleasant.
Having an Ebike and a drysuit definitely helps with the motivation to get out in adverse conditions - we've been out in some stinkers. Fair play to the others on normal bikes that have been out too.
So, whilst I haven't been out much in December, it's more due to the nasty cold I've had, rather than the weather.
Absolutely minging weather today, but given it fine for tomorrows Christmas group ride/beers/curry (20+ riders)
Will be cleaning the Ebike in the morning ready for it in - state of it from last Thursday's group ride
420 miles so far this month......... all outside.
just a different coat kinda month.......... or MTFU fella's.
Not been out for nearly two winters, but it's time!
Agreed, long muddy dog walks are fine. My better half has borrowed a treadmill. I tried 30 mins of that yestrday while watching YT. It's even more boring than Zwift!
Looking at Met Office data for England; 2023 has been pretty wet. Jan, Mar, Apr, Jul, Sept, Oct, and Nov were all wetter than average, and August was 100% of usual rainfall. March and July more or less twice as wet as usual. Only Feb May and June had less than average rain.
Sucks to have an outdoor sport sometimes.
Mainly just running, trail running and turbo here, but I do that most winters anyway. Like others have said, when it comes to cycling in winter its as much the cleaning, logistics and maintenance that stops me going out as anything else.
Get used to it. Climate change impact in UK is very likely more wind and more rain.
I have cycled my usual amount though (because a bit obsessed with cycling) but got much wetter than I used to.
Mainly just running, trail running and turbo here, but I do that most winters anyway. Like others have said, when it comes to cycling in winter its as much the cleaning, logistics and maintenance that stops me going out as anything else.
Agreed. But the cleaning even puts me off of trail running in the slop as well TBH.
