ITU Pro Triathlete, Olympian and Yorkshire Lass maxes-out her winter miles on the bike. Here’s Jessica’s tips for foul-weather sportive training.
1. Get Your Kit Choice Bang On
“My go-to kit for a long ride in bad weather is neoprene gloves and overshoes if its wet. I love my winter jacket. I also wear chunky winter boots - they look terrible but are worth it. I always wear a Buff - either on my head to keep my ears warm or around my neck to keep the cold wind out.”
2. Create Mind Motivators
“My motivation to mentally get myself out of the door on bad-weather days is probably the pudding I ate the night before! Another motivation is that feeling you have when you’re laid by the fire post-ride, content you've completed your training ride.”
3. Prepare Your Fuel
“Eating and drinking on the bike is hard in winter. I usually avoid cafe stops if it’s bad weather. I open my bars beforehand; it’s easier as opening packets in big gloves is a nightmare. I pop them in an easily accessible pocket or just stop and eat quickly.”
4. Avoid Mind-Numbing Turbos
“To keep focused on the turbo when you really can’t ride outside you should plan a structured Zwift session. It makes the time go much faster. Oh, and always put some heavy beats on!”
5. Cross Train
“Running is a great way to maintain fitness in the winter when you can’t get out on the bike. It doesn’t cost much for the equipment and you can get a good cardio workout done in 30mins!”
6. Never Play Catch-Up
“I rarely miss my bike training sessions - even in bad weather because I either go on the turbo or out on my mountain bike. If I definitely can’t get my session in I would always just miss it and forget about it. Never play catch up!”
7. Chase The Sun
“Sometimes you have to escape to warmer climes. My favourite place for warm-weather cycling trips and training camps is Mallorca, especially for cycling. It has to be one of my favourite places. We recently went to Livingo in Italy though, that was pretty amazing!”
8. Explore Local Roads
“The climbs I ride the most would be Holme Moss and Greenhow Hill. We have such a variety of riding in Yorkshire. I love different areas for different reasons. I'm lucky I have so many routes from my house. I can go out to York or Selby which is really flat, but so hard in crosswinds. Or I can head up Holme Moss, which is full of long drags and grippy roads. Then there’s also the roads around Bolton Abbey which offer rolling hills.