Average Joe on the darker months...

It's about this time of year that the magazines and websites trot out a motivational piece on why you shouldn't be holed up with the playstation and the tv remote and should be out in the cold and rain instead. Its between the dark months of November and March that our willpower to head out into the inclement weather dulls a little. By end of Jan most of us are struggling with the justification to get out there and ride especially when faced with the home conforts of beer, hot food, tv, games consoles and the myriad of other things that need doing over the weekend. Riding in the winter is never going to compete with those glorious summer days riding sweet dry trails and enjoying time admiring the view at the top of the hill but there are benefits and sometimes even enjoyment to be had from the inclement weather the darker months bring. There is nothing more demoralising than riding into the wind and the extra chill it can offer can cut through you on exposed sections. Riding in the wind (while it sucks) is good resistance training meaning the next time you hit the trails you will be that little bit fitter. As for the cold, it offers more respite at the top of the climb than the blazing sun. Think how stifling very hot summer rides can be and how much you wish for a cold wind to whip past. Catch the wind in the right direction and you get a boost of speed, downhill its grand but often more welcome on the ups. There are some sadists that don't mind the rain but most of us will peer out of the window on a Sunday and turn our nose up at the drizzle and think twice about pulling on those shorts. The truth however is never as bad as the imagined, as modern riding clothes keep out the wet really well and once you have got past the initial unpleasant feel of the damp and warmed up, its no different to any other ride. Many of us will have got a little buzz from riding past people walking or in cars who look at you like you must be a little mad or some amazing tough guy for braving the conditions and there is satisfaction to be had returning back from a wet ride knowing that it was worth the effort and that mother nature didn't beat you. The worst part of the cold is starting out. I'm yet to find a pair of gloves that don't make your fingers numb from the off but once the blood is pumping all extremities warm up pretty quick. I'd definitely swap for a hot day and glorious sunshine but sometimes a chilly day is much more comfortable if wearing body armour and a full face helmet! Anyone who has ventured out on a crisp early morning ride will know there is little more invigorating, the extra silence that seems to permeate offers an atmospheric edge to the ride and the hot cuppa at the tea shop or back home is all the more fantastic.  Those who have been lucky to get out in the snow will know it is a truly unique experience and very different riding the same trails in any other condition. I guess you either love it or hate it but mud offers challenges to all who venture out in it. Mountain bikes were made to cope with it and people who don't use their beasts in it really aren't using their bikes as intended. Muddy conditions are a particular speciality for the Brits and something we should be proud of. The slippery roots and mucky corners are part of what makes our DH guys some of the best in the world at the moment. Anyone improves their technique when riding in the mud. Riding muddy wet roots and slippery corners teaches you about riding at your limits of grip and how to recover often making you realise how far you can safely push those limits. Again there is a joy to be had from the stares you get riding back through town caked in the good stuff and a pleasure from hosing it off to reveal your bike underneath. Sorting out a system for not dropping it on the carpet on the way to the shower is an art form in itself! Some of us don't bother with riding in the winter because by the time we have dragged our arses out of bed on a Sunday, read the paper, had breakfast and done those other mundane things we need to do its lunch. You then need to wait an hour for the food to settle and by one o'clock you are thinking that a half hours faff and two hours or so on the bike is going to mean riding back in the dark dodging idiot drivers who seem intent to run you off the road. How to solve this apathy? Go out first thing or stop off at the café on the way for brekkie. Early morns mean seeing different people on the trails and less walkers and Sunday muppets in your way on the downhills. The weather is often better so you get more crisp atmospheric riding and less soggy overcast stuff. Go out early afternoon and revel in chasing the last daylight. Might sound mad but it offers a real impetus to putting in that extra effort. If the day is clear, the light will be grand as you buzz through those trees and head for home. Normally the walkers and day trippers will be back at home watching Eastenders by the time you are heading down back to base.   If you love your bike, you may not want to subject it to varying grinding pastes and cold water mixtures. The fact remains that all products that you use on a bike are designed for such use and are unlikely to suffer too badly. As long as you don't succome to the habit of not cleaning and lubing your bike after your ride then it will be fine. You could look at it another way and use the mud as a way of tiring out components you want to replace but cant justify doing so until they expire. Staying in and not doing any exercise is bad for the body and for the brain. You'll be unsettled and miserable and getting fit again when the weather returns will be a painful affair. Your mates who have been out will have the edge in terms of skills progression and will be smoking you up and down the hills. Middle aged spread may make an early appearance and you'll have to live with the fact that you will have tagged yourself as a fair weather rider. It is important to remember that all pleasures in life are relative. If you haven't been out in the cold and the wet, then the first time you can ride with your summer gear and summer tyres on will never be as much of a joy. The first pub lunch in a beer garden part way through a ride will never taste as good unless you've done the winter. Some may argue this isn't the case but it works for many.   I guess what it comes down to is motivation but there are real benefits to winter riding and can give you a real advantage over others on the trail over the summer. It's not easy and often not fun but there are those unique winter moments when you cruise through the crisp morning and startle a herd of deer or catch the sun breaking through the trees or chase the last dreg of light to get home in time for tea and medals. If you don't get out the door you'll regret it, if you do you won't, even in the foulest conditions. The warm house and creature comforts will be there when you get back and will seem warmer and more comfortable than when you left!