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Team TIAA-CREF - 2005
Team Journal Entry - February 7, 2005, by Timmy Duggan
Braving the Colorado weather
February is a crucial month in the training schedule, but the weather is often a bit unfriendly for long road rides - especially if you live in the mountains. TIAA-CREF's Timmy Duggan has some tricks for surviving the winter.
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The start of the season is fast approaching, which means it is that critical time of the year to be getting the quality miles in out on the road. That can sometimes be tough here in Boulder, Colorado, where the weather is anything but consistent. I thought I'd let everybody know the little things I've noticed and the tricks I use to keep the wheels turning even when the weather is brutal.
Fortunately, I don't live in the north-east or the Midwest, where the winter conditions are so brutal that you don't even think about riding outside. The weather on the front range of Colorado, however, is usually just nice enough to be able to safely ride outside, but just bad enough to make you miserable the whole time. Yesterday, for example, I woke up to a flurry of snowflakes. So much for my five-hour ride, right? A good day to put the feet up and watch a movie with some hot chocolate, right? Wrong. At about 11, the snow hadn't yet accumulated to an icy and dangerous level, and my coach's voice inside me coaxed me outside for an enjoyable five hours in the wet and cold. Like I said, barely nice enough to ride but enough to ensure some misery the entire time. Luckily I just received a giant pile of brand new TIAA-CREF clothing from Hincapie to instantly get all dirty. It kept me warm, though.
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Here are some of my secrets to handling the days like yesterday that form the debacle of Colorado winter. First off, I have a strict no-indoor-trainer-riding policy. I hate it. I think all winter I've ridden a total of three hours on the trainer. Some people can handle it, but not me. My teammate and roommate Sheldon Deeny for example, had to ride his trainer every day for a couple weeks this fall as his off-season job hours kept him away from riding in the warm or daylight. I don't know how he did it. I have another crazy friend named Jeff Hartmann, who recently told me that he did a 9.5 hr trainer ride in his basement once. Riiiiiiiggghhhttt. Well, I can't do that, so when its really bad outside I just put on a lot of clothes and ride my bike. I snag a bunch of handwarmers from my ski coach girlfriend, which, if cold hands aren't the main issue, fit quite nicely in drafty bike shorts. Then I put on my Nordic ski pants and I'm out the door.
Thirty seconds into the ride my nice clean bike and clothes are caked in mud and water, which is where that $10 fender investment comes in. Make fun of me all you want for that, but they work.
After a few hours out there, it might be necessary to swing into the 7-11 to microwave the frozen water bottles. Then there's the mandatory coffee shop stop somewhere. Getting out of the cold for ten minutes with a hot cup of coffee and a muffin does wonders for you. You can't forget the iPod as well, like I did yesterday. Rocking out to some music in the cold and wind is a lot better than five hours of listening to yourself breathe.
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Oh yeah, and wear a balaclava too. You know, one of those mask things that go under your helmet and cover everything from your collarbone to the top of your head except for your eyes, terrorist style. Then you can ride through anything. Actually, no, just kidding, I don't wear a balaclava. If it's truly miserable enough to have to wear one of those dorky things, I don't ride that day. On those days, do the cycling community a favor and don't ride in public with your hot orange balaclava. We can't have regular people thinking all of us cyclists are a bunch of balaclava-wearing dorks.
Upon returning from the epic adventure in the cold, defrost your frozen bicycle with a bucket of hot water. My bike yesterday looked like it had been at the bottom of the ocean for years, with all the stalactites and frozen stuff growing off of it. In fact, at one point in the ride, I had to stop and bust out the multi-tool to chip off a bunch of ice from my bike. Those things should come with an ice pick.
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After taking about 30 minutes to change out of those 23 layers of clothes, and taking a minute to defrost your toes before getting in a hot shower, sit down and check the weather on the computer. In Boulder at least, you'll find that more than likely the following day will be almost 70 degrees, perfect weather for the day off you had planned, right? Luckily you would find solace in the fact that the weather gods won't allow such warm weather without 60 mph winds, but dealing with that is another story for another day.
Thanks for reading!
Timmy Duggan
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by
Beth Seliga/
- Timmy Duggan all rugged up for the Colorado winter. Balaclava and handwarmers not shown.
- Timmy Duggan kitted up for 2005 with TIAA-CREF
- On the podium at the 2004 under-23 national championships
- At least it's not snowing all the time
- Time trialling at the Tour of Georgia 2004 - this is when braving the winter is all worthwhile
- Again with the time trial - and the shoe covers!
