Riding in the Winter has its charm, no doubts. There are challenges, but also significant gains - You use the season fully. In the past, I often skipped trips in the late autumn, I waited for spring. Unnecessarily. Now I know well that it is a matter of attitude, experience and, of course, good equipment.
Once again, the principle of dressing in layers proves effective. Merino on top, then some polartec, then a body protector, down jacket and a membrane on top. This is of course the maximum setup, in the woods it gets much warmer and some of the clothes are going back to luggage. Thick merino gaiters and socks for legs. Knee braces perfectly protect the knees from cooling down. A membrane or thick polartec buff is also important. When it comes to gloves, you cannot forget something for the tarmac road commuting. For off-road, slightly insulated neoprene gloves will be perfect, thin enough to provide the right feeling of the bike. That's all! And for camping - a full-length mat and a sleeping bag with a comfort temperature of slightly below zero is a must. I highly recommend Cumulus products. My X-Lite 400, topped with 470 down of power 900, weights less than 600g in total, and is doing just fine, still having some margin. Finally, some firelighter- to spend the evening with mulled wine in hand, not performing nervous movements around wet sticks:-)
Days are very short, but everywhere is empty. The people you rarely meet are also not usually randoms. And the weather, it's the fourth season after all, so everything is different and if the sun shines, we have the golden hour basically all the time.
Here are a couple of photos from a few recent weekend trips, including the shortest day of the year. In Roman times, this period was celebrated as Saturnalia and was considered the happiest time of the year!
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