Winter Communting

Hi all! Hope your having an excellent holiday period and wishing you the best of luck for 2013!

I just wanted to spend a little time on winter commuting.

The high street proved a little challenging then usual that morning...

Here in the Budapest the weather so far hasn’t been too bad, one really cold week along with a few dustings of snow. We’re lucky here, although the temperatures drop a lot lower than the UK, because of Hungary’s landlocked position means there is a lot less moisture in the air and as a result a lot less frost and ice. So apart from snow, cycling here in the winter is a lot less hazardous (although you do have to take into account the drivers of Budapest!)

Beautiful Budapest looking suitably wintery

I spend around 1hr 15mins commuting each day so experiencing the daily weather conditions first hand. As a result I have developed a strategy for dressing that can deal not only with the temperatures on really cold days but also and importantly stop me from overheating! 

So what you can see above is a photo of all the kit I wear on a really cold commute.

If we go from left to right and top to bottom you can see:

Cycling shorts - a must for any cyclist and made from skin tight synthetic with padding just where you need it!

very cool example of cycle shoe covers

Cycle shoe covers - This is the first winter I have used covers, they have been a revelation! For some reason I suffer a lot from the cold with both my hands (more of which later) and feet. I use an old pair of mountain bike “clippy” shoes to cycle which have a lot of ventilation, so unfortunately when temperatures drop I really feel it!. Most shoe covers are wind and waterproof (or at least shower proof) and are put on before the shoes and stretched over the top then secured underneath (mine have to Velcro tags which fit together).

Neck warmer (also known as a Buff) - I have acquired loads of these over the years. Neck warmers are a simple yet great innovation, can be used as a hat, bandana, sweat band etc or simply round the neck and cover the lower face. It’s because of this that having a few to use is important, as you can imagine they can get a mangy after a few days use. As you can see the one above is nice and bright and is half fleece which in really cold weather makes a big difference. A good buy although rather expensive would be a Merino wool version (more of which below).

Merino wool socks - Really great innovation in recent years, a wool which is anti-bacterial, warm and importantly doesn’t have that scratchy, itchy feel of traditional wool. These Icebreaker ones also have a really good fit too.

Arm warmers – Again something new this year and extremely versatile. During the autumn i was wearing these on my arms along which just a cycling shirt. As the weather go colder they went back in the draw but one day I had a brain wave and popped them on my lower legs. The work very well and keep me toastie. A note on guns, the arms warmers have an elasticated end the sits on the top of your bicep. Now im skinny, as such (size S!!!!) warmers do fall down from time to time. A good excuse then to do a little work on your guns!

Trousers -  I have been use these travel trousers for years and years full of holes, which I have attempted to fix. Yet synthetic, they dry quickly and are quite windproof with loads of pockets I just roll up the legs and go.

Cycling gloves -  This is a real minefield! Each person’s hands differ hugely, as do the gloves offered by different companies. I’ve had some real disasters with gloves in the past. Buying possibly “Bargain” options and then paying twice as much again to get some gloves that do the job properly. As mentioned before this is something really important for me as I suffer a LOT with my hands in the cold.  Its hard to define the pain experienced cycling with cold hands as your body try’s to push to warm back to your fingertips.

Anyway my current gloves work very well having good padding for longer rides, are waterproof (although in practice not for a sustained period) and are highly windproof.  A few nice extra features the reflective strips on the backs of the hands and really handy “grab” tags on the wrist end of the gloves which mean you can manage either to put on the glove using the other gloved hand or which I do on many occasions, with my teeth!

When buying gloves important things to bear in mind are: The fit, is there enough room to move fingers properly and grab things without being too bulky? (bear in mind gloves that are too tight will be just as painful in cold weather as too loose) Are they sufficiently windproof? (you will find out pretty quickly!) Are they waterproof (particularly relevant for the UK)? For those like me who suffer a great deal it’s a good idea to look for gloves where you can fit thinner liner gloves inside. On the photo there are some old luminous running gloves but I also have some silk ones which for the weight (extremely thin and light) are very warm and breathable.

Running tights -  Once again Very handy in cold weather. Skin-tight, synthetic leggings make a real difference. Why running tights? Well I’m adding to my kit over time and not a millionaire so combined with the cycling shorts they do the same job as specific tights and also give me the flexibility of using them for other activities too!

Hat – We leak a lot of heat from our heads. To prevent this during the winter you have a few different options: if wearing a helmet you can get hold of “skull caps” often very thin and windproof. There are helmet covers, fabric that stretches over top of specific helmets covering vents. I just use a running hat, thin and relatively windproof, again it gives me greater flexibility and does the job well.

Lifa/polypropylene top - This classic is produced by Helly Hansen, but there are others out there. A trusted part of any outdoor enthusiast wardrobe, the main benefits are that while keeping you warm the top can transfer a great deal of moisture (or if you’re a boy, sweat!) away from the body, so excellent for any high intensity activity in colder temperatures.

 One of the other real advantages is the fit, as goldilocks said it’s just right, not super tight like contemporary “compression tops” yet not baggy either. The fabric has a few negatives, synthetic (effectively plastic, it can be put in the recycle bin when finished with!) after one or two (a single use if you are working really hard) it can get very smelly! Secondly these tops aren’t that cheap, especially when you can easily find cheaper (albeit generally vastly inferior) products in any shopping centre. Rest assured though these tops will take a huge amount of wear and tear (and the required washing!) while generally maintaining fit and performance.

example of pit zips

Windproof fleece – I wear this only for the really cold days, Quite a heavy fleece, purchased before soft-shells flooded the market. Importantly it is made from windproof fabric (in this case Gore Windstopper), so protecting the upper body from wind chill. One of the really useful aspects of the jacket is the so-called “pit zips” large vents that can be found on the inside of the arms and can be opened/closed in order to regulate body temperature. 

Any other business… Other things that have proved really handy include: Getting anything prepared the evening before! You can waste a lot of time each morning, searching for half a pair of gloves or cycling shorts! Keeping an eye on daily/weekly weather forecasts, this helps a lot when considering what to wear. A thermal sports bottle, this has been a real benefit recently. A double walled sports cap bottle, meaning I can fix some hot juice each morning and quickly warm myself up when I get to work.

Martyn Ashton - Road Bike Party

Marco Pantani

  

 Pantani and his famous stage win

                                                               Marco Pantani 

Factfile

1970: Born on 13 Jan in Cesena, Italy

1992: Makes professional debut

1995: Bronze in World Championships

1998: Won Giro d'Italia and Tour de France

1999: Thrown out of Giro for failing blood test

2003: Year spent battling for reputation in court. June - books into clinic for depression and drug use.

2004: Found dead, hotel, Rimini, Italy

I wanted to write a little bit about my Cycling hero, Marco Pantani who was without doubt both one of the most charismatic and yet perhaps one of the most fragile and tragic riders of the modern era. I was lucky enough to see the man in the flesh at the height of his career and during one of his greatest stages wins, a “tale to compare with the best in the history books.” Stage 15 of the 1998 Tour de France, 198km from Genoble to Les Deux Alpes including 2645m Col du Galibier.

The weather that day was terrible, more reminiscent of the English Moors than the usually baking summer sunshine in the French Alps.

Pantani perfecting the Blackbeard look

“Laurent Jalabert had cracked on the Télégraphe, blaming the weather ("The cold was killing me. I knew the stage would be tough, but I didn't realise how tough. I couldn't recover and my muscles wouldn't respond. My teeth were chattering on the descents and I felt like my circulation had stopped."). Jaja wasn't just making excuses, it really was a foul day to be riding a bike. Two riders, Fabrizio Guidi and José Luis Arrieta, had already abandoned the stage, suffering from hypothermia.”

At the start of the stage Pantani was over three minutes behind race leader and reigning champion, the German Jan Ullrich. By the end of the day Pantani would lead the race by over six minutes and was able to hold to enough of a time cushion to claim the yellow jersey in Paris.

 “Four kilometres before the summit of the Galibier, Pantani let his legs do the talking. As they climbed Galibier, Pantani watched and waited as the German wore himself out. he simply rode off the front of the group and disappeared into the fog and the drizzle and the crowds lining the climb. In those four kilometres Pantani put almost three minutes into Ullrich.”

“On the roof of the Tour Pantani paused to don a rain cape before facing into the fifteen kilometre descent to the foot of Les Deux Alpes” 

“When Pantani rode into the ski-station at Les Deux Alpes - arms spread, head raised, eyes closed - Ullrich was still four kilometres down the climb. By the time he crossed the line the German had ceded almost nine minutes to the Italian.” source

 I was standing there that day poorly dressed for the unexpectedly freezing cold of the Col. I stood shivering as the endless stream of motorbikes and team cars finally made way for the cyclists. The first to appear of course was my Hero, Pantani, slicing through the rain and spray and off into the valley below.

So what drew myself along with millions of others to celebrate the diminutive Italian? For me it was simply because he was “II Pirata” or the pirate. He was distinctive and individual in every way. He was a flyweight, the perfect build for a climber, Bald with protruding ears complete with earring.  This look was finished with goatee and Bandanna.

In the Saddle again Pantani was a pure individual. I still vividly remember his accelerations on the Mountain, exploding away from pack as if just fired from a gun.

Unfortunately as we came to find out Pantani’s brilliance was not quite all of his own making, abusing performance enhancing drugs, perhaps throughout his career.  It was his exclusion from the Giro 1999 as a result of failing a blood test that finally alerted the world to his transgressions and began Pantani’s rapid decline, developing a huge Cocaine habit, which culminated in his death aged just 34 alone in a motel, Valentine’s Day 2004.

Pantani’s story is excellently portrayed in  “The Death of Marco Pantani: An autobiography" (2006) by Matt Rendell. Rendell points to the many undiagnosed mental frailties from which Pantani suffered as major contributors to his downfall. As an athlete he was able to ignore his problems, once this focus was no longer there the lid was lifted on his many inner demons, to devastating effect. 

I fully acknowledge Pantani’s many faults. Though one partial apologia concerning doping is the well-trodden response: “they were all at it” weak of course, but from the “Festina” scandal (during the 1998 tour), where a masseur was found with a car full of performance enhancing drugs, to the present day, Where the on-going revelations concerning Lance Armstrong and his “most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen". It’s clear that doping has been endemic within cycling for years.

(A saddle utilising Pantani’s nickname)

 Yet Pantani’s style, his charisma hooked me and so many others so much more than say an Armstrong ever did. And if the pirates’ exploits go onto to influence a future “clean” champion that would be a legacy that may help Marco to rest a little easier.

A documentary charting Pantani’s competitive life is scheduled to appear in cinemas next year, before the centenary edition of the Tour. ‘The Accidental Death of a Cyclist’ by renowned director James Erskine, who previous works include “One night in Turin” and “Senna”. Much like Erskine’s other work the Pantani film will feature race and news footage, with interviews of the pirate along with reconstructions on his most famous moments on the road. 

Budapest Cycle Culture

Good example of a Budapest "fixie" bike

As I mentioned previously, Budapest has undergone something of a revolution in the numbers cycling in recent years. These numbers perhaps reflect a trend throughout Europe and it would interesting to find out if similar change has taken place throughout the continent. 

As a result the city has a strong and vital cycling sub-culture, which is now moving increasingly into the mainstream. How is this culture evident to the outsider?  Well you simply have to spend a little time in downtown Pest to come across any number of customised “fixie” bikes like the example above. There a a lot of bike workshops (some examples below), often hidden below street level and giving the cycle addict endless opportunities to further personalise their bike.

 One of the real success stories of this cycling revolution has been niche clothing and apparel manufacturers, particularly Bagaboo http://bagaboo.hu/. Hugely popular in Hungary the company formed by former cycle couriers began producing quality bags for cyclists a few years ago as the popularity and reputation of the company has grown the manufacturer has begun increasingly to diversify The unique selling point for Bagaboo is that the customer has a great deal of control over the look and build of the product, having the ability to specify colours, patterns and even extra pockets!

What is clear that regardless of the roots of this surge (or perhaps resurgence!) Cycling in the city has really taken hold. 

The cycle couriers

Being a cycle courier and let’s face it risking your life on a daily and sometimes hourly basis means that this quickly becomes not merely a job but a way of life! As such it is unsurprising that the cycle couriers are an important influence in new trends, spawn new fashions and even new leisure activities (so called “alley cat” races and bike polo) and network in some of the many workshops around the city along with favoured bars and cafes.

 There are currently around 6 cycle couriers firms working in the city but the original and most well known is Hajtás Pajtás http://hajtaspajtas.hu/, established back in 1993 “Buppa”, the owner of Bringa Angyal and who  worked for Hatjás in 90’s recalls that businesses treated the idea of bicycle couriers in the city with disbelief! But with time the company went from strength to strength. When the company was first formed the city was a much different place, virtually no cycle lanes and roads full of unsympathetic drivers.  until being affected much like everyone else by the financial crisis.

 Perhaps unsurprisingly Hajtás staff have been influential in improving the conditions for cyclists in Budapest with one of the founders (name) going on to introduce critical mass to the the city. 

Alley Cat Races
They first appeared in Toronto around 1989 and are now a fixture in many major cities throughout the world the race have number of different forms but perhaps the best loved of these is the classic version.

In this classic version competitors place their bikes at an agreed collection point where shortly before  the start of the race a a list of checkpoints is attached to each. The racers then navigate their way across the downtown pedestrians and oncoming traffic! The races are open to everyone either confident or misguided enough in their cycling abilities! Of course the post race party is an essential part of the experience.

Below is a link to the European cycle messenger championships that was held in Budapest 2010 with some nice clips not only of the races but also in turn helps to illustrate  this idea of a sub-culture

http://youtu.be/l63K_6i4D1k

http://youtu.be/S8fUW6SEQKE

Recommended bike shops

• Bringa angyal http://akerekparbolt.hu/ - The owner “Buppa” speaks good English and really lives for cycling, having worked for the original cycling couriers “Hajtás Pajtás” and also done the job in New York too and will give good advice and doesn’t seek simply to sell you as many Things as possible. The shop operates a call out puncture repair service between 8am-10pm.
• Kerekparbolt http://akerekparbolt.hu/ -  (XIII) Very good and honest service at low cost the guys also sell quite a few second-hand bikes but unfortunately speak little English.
• Recikli Bicikli http://reciklibicikli.blogspot.co.uk/– Formed by two former cycle couriers the shops focuses on creating bespoke bikes from second hand frames, many of which have been imported from Italy.