Why do I ride slower in the winter ?

OK, this is a bit of a plane on a conveyor belt question, but ….

I ride to work twice a week on road all the way, I now weigh half a stone less than in the summer so in some ways I am fitter (hills are def quicker) but my commute has gone up from 50 mins to 55 mins.

So :

How much of this is fitness ? (I don’t think much)
How much is air density ? (Possibly higher as the air is colder ?)
How much is the general coldness reducing the efficiency of my muscles ?
Or am I missing something ?

What tyres?

Have you changed them?

Michelin pro 3’s

More clothing creating more drag?

People ride less when it’s cold. It takes much more energy to keep you warm when it’s cold. Think it might be harder to get your muscles working when it’s cold. When it’s grey and drizzly I think you do lose a bit of motivation to ride hard. Stronger headwinds in the winter maybe? If you’re using a winter bike it may be slower then your summer bike. Mudguards etc. can rub and slow you down. Might be carrying more spare clothes if it’s a commute, so you’re carrying more weight. Darker mornings and evenings mean your body wants to sleep perhaps.

I may be able to go on.

possibly, gore softshell and leggings, so not a huge amount

denser air innit

Could be the average wind speed has changed it has been more windy recently. Or the average wind direction is means the wind is hindering more.

things always move slower in the cold

Same bike summer and winter, and no change of tyres or mudguards, etc

More clothing makes sense, but I have lost weight so that should offset that gain

I did think of the cold, but hadn’t thought of the motivation side of things, I do ride slower in traffic with my lights so that may take some of the blame, but only 1/3 of my die is in town.

Yeah I slow too in winter.
Not too sure what the reasons are. When it’s colder my muscles feel less willing to do work. Not too sure why.
Certainly noticed extra layers of clothing slow me down (or feel like they slow me down). So tights feel slower than shorts and waterproofs feel even slower. I think it might have something to do with the sensory feedback they give, but that’s pure conjecture.

Oh really Charlie?

A combination of strong headwinds, too many layers and cold-induced malaise.

That’s my explanation and I’m sticking to it.

over/comfort eating of lardy feel good foods = 29%
breathing in cold air, cold inefficient muscles and lack of the body being able to breath = 37%
air density = 1%
the rest is just you being lazy so MTFU and speed up 🙂

Colder air impedes lung/muscle functions?

Think there’s enough on here now for us all to find excuses for being slow 🙂

Same here – slower in winter. I think mainly due to headwinds, the cold air on the lungs, and that my body still wants to sleep for another couple of hours.

The extra layers also cause me to deal with overheating – if I don’t put enough on I feel cold all the way home, too many and I overheat making me feel lethargic. Summer is easy, shorts and a tee.

Being on the look out for ice slowed me down yesterday.
The ice melting and making the trail soft slowed me down today, on the off road bit.
I go with the wind being stronger and the darkness inducing more caution and cutting back speed.

singletracksurfer – something scientific at last !
I do have to deduct the 29% for lardy food as I am off those, although there are some mince pies over in accounts at the moment ……

ride is a commute so generally the headwinds will cancel themselves out coming home.

Cold air impeding lung function ? maybe

How far is the commute?

Normally 25 Km – I differ between 30km/h and 27/km/h

I ride more cautiously in winter. It’s dark and the ground is slippy so tend to brake earlier/harder and take things slower.

I ride as much in winter as I do in summer but most of its done in the dark. I am a bit slower in winter but I reckon its down to more clothes, air density and the dark plays a part too.

It can’t be air density – because it slows down the hands of clocks as well.

You may be thinking too hard.

Colder air reduces tyre pressures which then creates more drag – that adds at least another 10% scientific fact to the above equalling a reduction in the MTFU category 😀

i’ve just been for a 25 mile road ride and can someone please explain how, on a decent size loop, it is possible to have a strong headwind for the entire ride? 😆 😡

Oh really Charlie?

O definitely, those stones would never slide so well if they were directly on ice

You use a lot of extra energy to keep warm I reckon

you ride slower in winter because there’s no point in riding faster

Colder denser air – more oxygen per breath – should speed you up!

My theory is that cold air will help constrict blood vessels in your respiratory system. constricted alveoli = less surface area for oxygen exchange = less oxygen in your system = less aerobic performance.

Does that sound plausible?

I like the thoughts, I do seem to have a higher heart rate, I wonder if that could be part of the issue

you need to do some MTFU’ing

Bit like this man

Marathon runners’ performance increases as the temperature drops: http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/2007/03000/Impact_of_Weather_on_Marathon_Running_Performance.12.aspx

Maybe run to work instead.

More and slower moving traffic may be one factor. As the weather gets worse more people get in their cars rather than walk cycle or use public transport.

My commute can take 35 minutes in Summer and 55 in winter but that’s off road.

I’m several minutes slower on my commute in the winter.
I think part of the reason is that I wrap up well to keep warm on the down hills, which means I then plod up the hills slowly to avoid overheating.
In the summer, the hills are training intervals.

A couple above are on the right lines imo. Your body is firstly trying to keep warm and in winter this is harder and takes more calories. If your diet is basically the same the body is using the same number of calories to keep you warm and *then* powering you along on your commute.

(1) Eat more carbs or (2) just don’t worry about it. I suggest (2)

Cold muscles indeed but the rest of the body suffers from the cold – joints and ligaments like hamstrings, vasoconstriction from the cold, reduced mental function, takes you much longer to warm up and even when you are warmer it’s still not the same as summer

things always move slower in the cold

tell that to this fella

“i’ve just been for a 25 mile road ride and can someone please explain how, on a decent size loop, it is possible to have a strong headwind for the entire ride?”

Check the weather forecast!

You just done a clockwise loop through a cyclone!

i think i must have done. 🙁 merrily riding along into the wind for the first half thinking, at least it will be behind me on the return section. return section = even stronger headwind. 🙁 😆