Winter Gravel Riding Tips: Handling, tires, clothing, nutrition & more

* Old Man Winter Rally details at https://www.oldmanwinterrally.com/ *

Gravel riding doesn’t have to stop when it’s cold or there’s snow on the ground — riding and even racing in the winter can be fun.

Here in Colorado, we’re getting ready for Old Man Winter Rally, the premiere gravel winter racing event based in Lyons.

In this video, Alex Howes, Leah Van der Linden and I have nine sets of tips on how to stay warm, ride safe, have fun, and get in some quality riding on the gravel this winter.

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Silca tire calculator: https://bit.ly/3Sbb5zN
Quarq TyreWiz: http://tinyurl.com/yc2kkaw8
Castelli wool baselayer: http://tinyurl.com/mr855knn
Castelli products with GoreTex Infinium: http://tinyurl.com/2p96r9yz
Castelli product with Polartec Alpha: http://tinyurl.com/mr3dhexy
First Endurance EFS-PRO: http://tinyurl.com/y7khfduu
Shimano MW7 winter boots: http://tinyurl.com/4w6jkrx6

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The Ride is supported in 2024 by:
Castelli clothing: http://tinyurl.com/43k6pftp
Giro helmets: http://tinyurl.com/72svzzxp
Feedback Sports stands & tools: https://bit.ly/3S9Dq8r
Silca maintenance: https://bit.ly/47xxvzj
First Endurance nutrition: https://bit.ly/41SDgqq
Shimano shoes & glasses: http://tinyurl.com/ye274tep

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0:00 intro
1:00 tires
3:30 clothing
6:40 handling
9:17 nutrition
10:32 hands
12:03 feet
13:54 head & neck
14:41 pacing
15:36 benefits
17:31 outtakes

Gravel riding doesn’t have to stop just because there’s snow on the ground or it’s cold riding and even racing gravel can be fun in the winter here in Colorado we’re getting ready for the old man winter rally the premier gravel winter racing event near Lions Colorado

In this video we’ve got nine tips for you on how to stay warm have fun be safe and enjoy riding and racing in the winter we’re going to talk about clothing tires tire pressure other tips with nutrition and a lot more Alex house former US Road National

Champion it’s rid in races like oh you know the tour to France Leah as with Alex is a pro in the lifetime Grand Prix series who’s also a former ski racer knows how to go downhill at speed on ice and snow on bikes and skis so suffice it

To say you’re in good hands here let’s dig into some tips to help you ride fast have fun on the gravel in the Winter Alex house Tire expert extraordinaire now on dried winter days you’ll go with what you normally run let’s talk about days where there’s snow and or ice on the surface what do you do for pressure you take it lower do you take it higher do you keep it the same you know I

Usually run a little bit lower that Sila tire pressure calculator absolutely that thing is awesome uh but I never use what they recommend for like racing gravel in the summer cuz just you hit a rock and goodbye mhm it’s usually a little too low but for winter I find it’s like

Perfect okay uh one thing you got to keep in mind is that if you set your pressure in your nice warm apartment and then you go outside and it’s and it’s like 25° well your pressure goes down quite a bit I actually play around with

The the tire Wiz I don’t have them on here right now but the tire whz from uh from sh shk yeah they uh those are awesome um cuz then you can actually see like oh yeah I had you know 35 PSI when I left the house and now I have 20 right right

To give folks a ballpark idea where do you run a tire like a 40 mil Tire when it’s dry and where do you run it when it’s icy or snowy usually when it’s dry for myself like I’m not super huge um I’ll run around right around

30 um depending on liners and all this other stuff but um usually around 30 for winter like yeah high 20s mid 20s um doesn’t sound like a huge difference a few PSI but um it makes a difference one thing that I like really look for in a

Winter tire though is the sort of the tread style um in summer like you always want that like Smooth patch in the middle you don’t always want it but I do I don’t know I don’t like breaking so in winter like you know you kind of

Look at it sort of like you would look at it with a winter car tire like you want like some per frictions in there some Cuts some grooves um I like these little twos that kind of hook up uh Le had those Maxis Ramblers on those are

Great biggest thing I like in a winter tire is something that’s tough and tubless cuz I never want to stop right ever so basic rules would be lower the pressure a bit lower the pressure and go with a bit of traction little little bite little bite tough tubless tough tubeless four tips

Done obviously wintertime conditions can vary quite a bit at old man winter rally for instance which is the first weekend in February some years we’re racing in shorts some years we are bundled up in it’s dumping snow on the colder end what do you recommend people wear from the

Inner layer out yeah uh first off I start with a base layer specifically a wool base layer keeps that warmth in um it’s great for this cold 20 degree days where maybe you don’t see as much sun um then I’m going to put a jacket over top

Usually a Jacket’s got a little bit of fleece in there nice and warm um of course don’t overdress though because if you overdress you’re going to start having to take those layers off you’re going to sweat a lot more and you’re going to get cold a lot faster

Synthetics are good as you know you mentioned a wool base layer that’s a great way to go a synthetic is also good because it can stay warm when wet cotton not so much yeah also a vest or uh a windbreaker over top of that jacket is a

Really nice add-on um you can always take that off it’s a nice light layer but it does cut through that wind to keep your body a little bit warmer many of you are familiar with gortex wind stopper their latest and greatest version of that is Infinium it keeps the

Chill out but still allows you to expel some of the the moisture one base layer material that comes in a few different styles is this Polar Tech Alpha it’s really really fleecy a lot of Loft packs down pretty tight and yeah it keeps you warm even when that’s wet so yeah

Polartech Alpha and gortex Infinium are two materials that I’d suggest you looking for Keeps you happy what do you think about wind stopper on tights versus no I like it um these cold days it’s really great keeps those legs nice and nice and warm um they are going to

Be a lot heavier though they are going to be a lot more uh material you’re going to probably get a little bit warmer faster however I would go for it I prefer the the tights with the fleece on the inside keeps my legs nice and warm and uh don’t really sweat all that

Often so one thing I would recommend is practice you know practice your clothes just like you practice you know riding with your bike gear just seeing what works for you in different temperatures and at different Paces what is comfortable for you on a casual weekend ride and what’s

Comfortable when you’re at race paace are two very different things so try different layers see what works especially with racing sometimes with the tights you’re going to want to wear maybe knee warmers instead something that you can rip off if you do in fact get warm during that race what’s your

Cut off point temperature-wise for going outside versus riding on the trainer usually like 25 okay 25 is a bit chilly um you know I have ridden in sub below you know 10° was that realistic or was that fun fun or should you do that do not recommend now let’s talk handling

How should one drive the bicycle when it’s snowy and icy one General tip is to ride like you drive as in don’t slam on the brakes don’t make sun turns don’t ride R lights don’t yeah your basic d driving etiquette applies here when you approach an icy patch what

Do you do get off get off walk straight straight line it straight lines yeah yeah yeah in instead of making stunning turns or grabbing a bunch of brakes keep your body relaxed and go straight across it another thing to do is look for spots where there are traction on the road or

Trail sometimes there’ll be like little patches of ice and you can go around it which has more traction ice or snow definitely snow definitely snow go for snow how about pedaling do you go for a higher Cadence or lower Cadence do you think about Cadence when you’re pedaling

Across I go a little slower steady you know you think it’s steady smooth smooth smooth smooth so just like you don’t want to grab a bunch of bricks because that could cause you to lose traction you don’t want to to start sprinting because you’re going to slide out so be

Like Alex be like Leah be smooth be like Ben just like always on the bike the more relaxed you are the better if you look at Alex’s posture look at Leah’s posture when they’re riding they’re relaxed they’re not you know having their shoulders in their ears relaxed and

Hopeful that’s that’s how I ride relaxed and hopeful yeah hopeful like optimistic talk about optimistic eyes where do you put your eyes do you look up the road do you look right down at your front wheel you don’t stare at the ice yeah look look where the traction is where the traction

Is hopefully hopefully that’s in front of you look where you want to go with hope in your heart okay so you don’t want to grab a bunch of brakes but if you need to slow down how do you do that I usually shift my weight back a little

Bit and aim aim more for a rear breake than front brake cuz that front brake if the traction’s low you don’t want that front wheel going away yeah and if either wheel needs to slide better the rear a little than the front yeah cuz you can’t see that

One you can’t see it it doesn’t exist you can’t see it you know it goes back to optimism and hope you [Laughter] know so feather the brakes and favor the rear more than the front yeah we’re not faking the winter it is indeed it is cold out winter

Time often when it’s cold out you don’t think about eating or drinking so much what to do yeah eat drink don’t forget um best thing to do uh especially I like to wear my Lobster gloves so sometimes I just forget to grab those snacks out of

My back pocket I put a lot of my calories in the bottles um that’s a big tip that I would recommend um put the calories put the carbs in the bottle that way you can grab it you can drink it and you can still keep going when it is freezing do you do

Anything to keep your drinks from freezing usually if I’m prepping bottles I put hot water in them keeps the bottles nice and warm they don’t freeze up on you it’s nice to have a little bit of hot water too insulated bottles and cam what I call Camel Back a hydration pack can

Be a way to go you can put the hydration pack under your jacket when you are going to wear a pack just make sure a good tip is blow the water out of the tube uh after you take a sip so that it doesn’t freeze in the tube that way when

You go to take another sip there’s still water coming out for those wondering I put on this jacket because it is actually in the 20s it’s quite cold out here it very cold indeed winter extreme temperatures call for Extreme Measures Alex lives up in Netherland elevation 8,000 ft what was

The temperature this morning when you got it it was 15 15 deg what is your cut off for riding as far as temperature depends on the bike okay yeah uh Fat Bike I don’t know there’s really no cut off um gravel bike if I’m going to be

Getting up up to speed a little bit 15 is pretty low 15 is pretty low just like keeping your feet warm keeping your hands warm can be the limiter for many folks you know thick gloves are a great option when it’s super cold going with sleeping bags on your hand is an

Option you mentioned fat bikes and and pogies or barits are are popular with fat bikers work pretty darn well for gravel too I was riding yesterday it was like mid 20s or something with barits and just a thin pereto glove and my hands are like nice and warm you can

Operate the shifters very easily cuz you got a thin glove they’re not stylish what are you talking about this is like the height of fashion here they’re not stylish but that’s okay because nobody else rides in the winter and no one will see you and if you wear thin gloves you can eat

Food and text what do you do with your feet nobody knows but we know keep them warm keep them warm youve got two basic options for keeping the your toies cozy you can go booties or you can go boots what is your preference sir how the boots you have boots so there’s there’s

The there’s standard riding booty as here they’re not racing shoes right you can race in them of course you can but they not You’ve Won racism I won Old Man winner in these in a boot actually these exact ones yeah um but a lot of people they see bikers in shoes they

Look at the weight they’re like ah I don’t know about this and that and it’s like man you know what sucks having cold feet yeah you know what’s not going to help you five gam you know like so good boots they’re to me they’re a necessity they’re us booties they’re nice I don’t

Love them kind of an imperfect situation you know especially when it’s cold cold when it’s cold cold cold cold look at the The Stompers those are some serious serious combat boots yeah they’re more for walking than riding but you know so old man winter for those of you who have

Not done it the Crux of this race is Rowena a one M climb that sometimes is ridable when it’s dry sometimes it’s deep snow and walking in booties you can get snow all jammed up inside there if you have a boot not so much put the

Spikes on run it out Alex is a North Wave guy I’m a Shimano shoe guy but same basic thing you know gortex exterior bit of insulation and it’s just a one piece thing so it’s a good the cuff around the top is key you know they all have that

Keeps the snow out keeps the snow out when you’re run Rowena and lastly you want to keep your head and neck neck warm right along with the hands and the feet keeping this part warm will keep the rest of your body warm I’m I’m not taking this

Off net Gators go a long way whether they’re your your handy dandy old man winter Gators something with some thermal properties also easy to regulate layers like Leah mentioned you can take off and on and then hats very thin go a long way whether it’s a thermal piece or

Something with a bit of you know gortex or a Wind Block layer goes a long way towards keeping you warm keeping you happy and keeping you playing outside and if you’re really desperate get a hood how fast do you go well I start like a medium fast and

It sort of Fades and Fades and Fades yeah how to Pace the race is always a question what do you recommend people do particularly if they’re starting their first winter gravel r race yeah if you’re if it’s your first winter gravel race well you’re going to want to go

Your pace start start out going what’s comfortable with you uh you know roads can be obviously covered with snow can be covered with ice you’re going to have people on the road you going be racing with other people so find the people that kind of go your speed ride with

Them make some new friends as the race goes on I’m sure you’ll figure out okay yeah let’s push it here or yeah I’m comfortable have fun is the primary idea when you’re riding a bike on the snow and ice Alex in addition to being a long-term professional Rider is also a

Coach so coach drop some knowledge here what’s the training benefit or benefits for riding aival bike outside in the winter well one benefit is you stay a lot warmer when you’re riding your bike then when you just stand around the same when you stand around in the same

Clothes if if you’re just standing any train cold yeah we’re not getting any training benefit and we’re just getting colder so you stay warmer uh but no volume’s big one right the pros they’re always getting their miles in you got to get your 10,000 hours in before you’re a

Bike genius um hard to do that when you only you know ride in the summer um it’s more fun than riding the trainer a lot more fun than riding TR there’s a place and a time for the trainer but you’re a big trainer guy I’ve seen you do it I’ve

Done it too we all do it I don’t have to brag about it it’s a lot more fun just getting outside the hand aspect you learn a lot of things when it’s a little slicey dicey uh there’s a reason why everybody races Cross or everybody used

To race across back in the day best Racers out there the vanderpols the wildan Arts you know Tom pig o like those guys they all Race Across they’re out there in the winter you want to be like your Heroes you know and you handling skills you can practice in the

Winter can translate to oh yeah later on so your front wheel might not be slipping an I at a summertime race but you may be more comfortable with the bike slipping and knowing how to correct that if you’ve been practicing it right yeah yeah the more you do stuff the

Better you get so just do it all year long go forth and do just go forth and do have fun I don’t know it’s fun I like it Fun’s good that’s why I do it I don’t know why you do it I like it hopefully these tips will help you get outside and

Have fun more often this winter and if you don’t already have old man winter rally on your calendar put it on there we will see you out There you want to take a bath yeah I wonder if the barats are more Arrow we should in the next episode we’ll be going into the wind tunnel to test the aerodynamic benefits of the barit versus the pogy I’m saying barit you know cuz it’s like just covers it

All up yeah they should be illegal they should ban them you hear that UCI UCI is coming for the bar U is coming after your barits man they hate fun man take your hands and then they take your soul