We are filming Cyklotrasy 066 - Brdy 3 in winter
13.01.2021

Climbing the highest peak of the Brda Highlands is a challenge in summer, let alone in winter on snow. And so we will go to Tok and next time we will continue on. Because we have the last part of Brd left and we definitely won't wait for spring!



Preparation
Winter rides have their charm. After a few years, when for the sake of the children we spent more time hiking and skiing from the end of autumn to the beginning of spring, we finally they returned to the rough wandering on bicycles through the snowy landscape. However, we preferred to go on our first snowdrift ride this year alone without the children. Because we wanted to first try on yourself whether we have good equipment. And we did well. We still have minor shortcomings in the clothing, footwear and accessories of our bicycles.

We did not underestimate the preparation for the ride. The entire Brdy 3 circuit is 75 kilometers long and was originally planned for autumn. Even so, due to filming, it was divided into two parts after 45 kilometers. Because when we shoot and make stops for the children, our daily average speed is around 5 km/h. To be sure, we have now come up with shorter versions for the winter from the first circuit, if the weather is not in our favor. But we didn't think that we would drive the shortest one, 16 km long.

In terms of gear, shoes and hot tea are key. We have winter sneakers, ankle boots with a goretex membrane (Northwave Celsius), an older type still with laces, upgraded with heated flashlight inserts, bought back in Tchibu. We used the thermoses that we used 15 years ago they bought one in an e-shop for CZK 150, but for this year we also bought a few more and did a comparative test. We will inform you about its result next time. With you we took the two best ones on the ride and also two water bottles so that we could cool the hot tea at the beginning. But that was not necessary in the end.

Clothing
Everyone has tried on their own clothes. We equipped ourselves for temperatures slightly below zero as follows: cycling shorts with liner, merino wool socks, elastic trousers and shorts over them (Silvina Rango), long-sleeve wool t-shirt (Devold Wool Mesh), thin wool cycling sweatshirt (Devold Duo Active), cycling winter jacket (Author Winterjet), cycling cap under the helmet (Moira) and a combination of fingerless gloves with mittens, so-called snappers (Roeckl Kadane). Everything worked great except for the shoes.

Reality
As soon as we set off from Obecnica to Tok at the red light, it became clear that we would be pushing more than driving. The fresh snow stuck to the shoes and it was hard to click into the spd pedals almost impossible, i.e. in sections where you could ride a bike. The boots soon got soaked when walking through the snow, the membrane only worked for a while, but thanks to the combination of woolen socks and heated insoles, our feet started stay at the top of Tok. Apparently because the batteries that powered the insoles in the shoes ran out after three and a half hours. The descent was hellish because the toes were so numb that we thought they would fall to us.

However, the thermoses did not disappoint. Although the tea in them cooled a little faster than when testing outside the window, probably due to the cooling by the flowing air, it was pleasantly warm the whole time warm. The rest of the outfit worked as we imagined.

Summary
For a temperature of around -2°C, we chose a sufficient number of layers of clothing. We weren't cold and we didn't sweat too much even with more intense pedaling. The wave is warm though it is moist and no other material has this property, even if it were more self-functioning. Unfortunately, even wool does not help with wet socks and heated insoles work for 3-4 hours maximum. So he wants to choose a different shoe. And that brings us to the pedals. The SPD system is completely unsuitable for sticky snow. So next time we will try a combination of wide pedals called platforms with hiking shoes with a membrane from our favorite manufacturer (Keen Targhee III WP). We bought sheep fleece inserts for them (gold coins from Ovečkarna), that should work better than the battery packs. And then we'll let you know how we got on. Because if you manage to figure out how to make the legs don't crash on your bike in the winter, I think it will be for the Nobel Prize.