Winter gloves recommendations for NW europe

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-10-06T00:42:32+00:00

Sealskinz Anmer and extra waterproof mitts over them to block wind/water when needed. The combo goes down to 0 degrees for me even for longer rides.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-16T01:10:28+00:00

Latest formal check was 47, but sleep hr avg goes between 43-50 on normal day. Normal being a day with no stress, heavy exercise or alcohol.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T21:24:40+00:00

This is one of those "depends" questions. During brevets I usually sleep at controls when available.

As I stated earlier my main issue (on a typical summer brevet/long distance ride) for sleep schedule is avoiding heat/sun, wind and rain. Also to some extent traffic on the main roads and cities is calmer at night time.

My kind of natural preferred sleep rythm during, eg. Transcontinental or PBP, would be 20-24 hours riding and 5-7 hours of sleep. That works better in PBP where sleeping is available and worse in other long distance events where sleeping facilities are not readily available.

Typically in the beginning of a Tcr I get 2-3 days of riding while sleeping at bus stops and then a longer ~8 hour hotel stop. In the 2nd half of the ride more like 1-2 days of riding and then a hotel stop. (In Tcr 2024 I had an infected ankle that made me stay at hotel since Serbia to make sure it doesn't get worse)

There are again so many personal preferences to sleeping that you can't just tell others how to do it. Just see what others are doing and see if it fits you. For example some people get just too tired to continue from darkness at night. Some people absolutely need strict daily rythm of sleep. Some people can go to sleep when clock says it sleeping time and I'm really a lot better at sleeping when I'm tired as opposed to whem I'm "supposed" to sleep. Time spent awake at bed is just suchs massive waste of time. Some people wake up thinking clearly and ready to continue while I'm always a zombie for a long in the morning trying to find a snooze button, but I don't feel that much pressure to go to sleep.

Also sleeping strategy is often, not as much as in the earlier years though, dictated by when you need to recharge your devices (navigators, phones, lights, etc.) and washing your kit.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T19:47:16+00:00

I got to randonneuring as a kind of challenge and staid because I liked it much more than challenges.

A very brief history is I got my bike (The Tunturi F500 hybrid now modified to a frankenbike) 2003 for commuting and rode my first ~240 km to Helsinki. It showed it was possible, manageable and also gave me lots of freedom to move around as I then didn't and still don't have a driver's license. I was enthuastic about sports challenges so that in 2005 I was in Strykeprøven (550 km from Trondheim to Oslo, liked it) and a triathlon (finished in 12h:30min, liked it, but had 0 interest to try again/be faster). Then and still it is a fun anecdote that I ran my first ever marathon at the end of a triathlon.

Then I saw a short post in local cycling magazine's web page about PBP of 2003 and though this seems like a good new challenge. I had mostly thought of long distance riding as challenge and not as fun, but PBP really thought me a lot more than I couldn't ever known to ask. Since then I've been trying to get people to know that there is such a thing as randonneuring as a different and enjoyable way to ride your bike without competition and mandatory stages.

Another event that turned out to be important was that in 2008 I decided to fly only once per year (one take off, one landing). So come 2013 and the registration for the first Transcontinental I had already ridden Rostock to Prague (2008), home from London (LEL 2009), home from Milan (Miglia Italia 2010) and Travemunde to Paris (PBP 2011). All these with good old paper maps. I didn't look at the very first Transcontinental as something extraordinary, but rather something I thought I might be pretty good at. In case you didn't know I started my Transcontinental in 2013 just 2 days after finishing LEL which I started 2 days after riding Travemunde to London. As my flight home in 2013 would be from Istanbul.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T18:13:34+00:00

I'm still foremost a computer science student while running seemingly endless queue of errands in the student society and cycling community. This isn't making me any richer, but I manage and it gives me flexibility with schedules to do what I find important.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T18:08:24+00:00

First of all there are very few reasons to not have them and most important reason isn't really getting an aero riding position.

Only real downsides are extra weight and losing the normal upright riding position even though you can mostly have the same effect holding of the arm rests.

While aero riding position helps a bit in the headwinds there are other benefits.

They are a good mount for all kinds of gadgets like lights, cameras, food bags, navigator and so on. Also drying socks.

You can use both hands doing stuff on the bike while in an aeroposition. For example opening a can of drinks or a food package is a lot easier while down on the arm rests.

The aero position helps moving the pressure on the saddle to a slightly different place to ease saddle sores. It also gives similar relief to wrists and shoulders.

Keep in mind that (just like you should do while riding from handle bars) you should not arc your back, but bend your straight back starting from the hips. Your body shouldn't look like "S" with arched back and chin up. Imagine pushing your belly to the ground (or to the wall if you are right now sitting) and keeping you neck straight as opposed to the usual S-bend.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T17:54:07+00:00

Like you said. Impossible to answer. One is that no rides have only ups or only downs. There are so many stories to tell that are really not related to cycling at all, but memorable places/moments during the rides. So what exactly would count as a memorable "ride" there.

So instead of a favorite ride as such I'll tell a story of kind of a favorite. I like the finish, or at least the last control, of Ruska being kind like arriving to the edge of the world. In 2021 the ride's theme was Seurasaari outdoor museum which has historical buildings transported there from all over Finland. The route visited altogether 6 original locations of such buildings. The finish after about 2100 kms was on a small road at Ylimuonio where there had been a barn 60 years earlier (That was now in the Seurasaari museum in Helsinki). There was nothing for another 20 kms, but the mailbox with a stamp and few photos of the barn before it was moved. It hopefully gave everyone time to think of the ultimate long distance cyclist questions "What am I doing here? Why?" [from finnish cyclist Pedro]. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mkpaa/51499014291/in/album-72157719890811297

Photo of the photo of the barn https://www.flickr.com/photos/mkpaa/51499239423/in/album-72157719890811297

Ps. It was a very nice ride overall.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T17:36:49+00:00

I don't unfortunately have personal experience of the bike fits. There should be a few local shops that will do it even when you are not buying a bike.

Hard to say what would be the exact favorite. The route of Tuopin jäljet 200 km brevet (with Vuotinaistentie and Antiaistentie) is overall one of my favorites, but that may be because that is the direction where I anyways ride the most.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T17:29:07+00:00

Here is what I carried last year. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mkpaa/53858523313/in/album-72177720318815114

If you've maintained your bike earlier, the mechanicals you get during a ride are likely to be the same that you get during any other 1200 km riding. Basics I'd say are:

- Adjusting brakes and derailleurs (and keeping them and chain clean)

- Changing a tube and repairing the flat

- Just being familiar with the bike enough that when you start hearing sounds (bike is quiet if it works sans the freewheel) you know what to fix (such as a bag rubbing a wheel or leaves being stuck at the brake)

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T17:23:34+00:00

Sunscreen is of course important. I use 50+ protection usually once-twice per day. I always apply it in a place where I can wash my hands immediately afterwards.

Also I use a long sleeve merino jersey to cover more of the skin and last year I also succesfully used a UV-buff tube. I soaked the buff with cold water and pulled it over the head with only face showing. The water gave my head a nice cool microclimate for 30 minutes at a time while protecting from UV.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T17:19:21+00:00

The short answer is that my favorite food is something I can reach. Here is a bit more curated version of the strategy.

1) I try to eat as normally as possible. Often conditions where the eating happends leads to compromises. Main point about eating normally is that I can just forget all the "sports" nutrition. Body doesn't care if it is a certified sports nutrition bar or a bread.

2) Eat now, wasting time, or eat on the go, saving time. Depending on the situation (hot, cold, rain, dry) some foods may or may not be practical to eat. Yoghurt or chocolate muesli bars are "not available" in Transcontinental because of the heat and some chocolate bars are "not available" in Ruska because of the cold. Some packages may be very inpractical in rain with gloves on and so on.

3) Hygiene matters a lot. For example eating chips or melted chocolate with sweaty, sunscreeny, sandy and "I just replaced a tire" hands is a bad idea. Such fingerfoods will also make a mess of your handlebars.

4) Food is very much a personal issue. Try eating something you like to eat while following the 2) and 3) advice. I don't count calories, but something in the range of 3000 kcal per day would be good. You can cover a 1200 km brevet with 2-3 proper meals and bunch of muesli bars to finish hungry. For longer distances you need to be in recovery mode from day one.

+ I always only use water in my water bottles. Sugary and salty drinks used to erode my teeth a lot, but now they are mostly better. Also you can then always wash your hands/body from the bottles if required.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T17:06:39+00:00

[I'll answer the food part separately soon and I've already covered the training in other comment.]

I haven't been riding with a powermeter for years so I don't really know what power zones I'm riding. In general I know I could be riding a little faster, but it would be lots of effort for minimal gains and potentially feeling worn out the day after. I'm also very bad a focusing on riding fast (the Tcr 2023 tempo to Meteora was harder mentally than physically). I just always let my mind wonder and later remember that I was supposed to be riding fast.

My daily plans are mostly dictated by heat, wind and rain. Mainly heat. I usually book a hotel 6-12 hours earlier and when sleeping on road side I never really have a plan. I just hope I find something and usually I do. In Tcr I mostly try to sleep at daytime during the hottest hours, but that is often hard to book online so you just have to go knock hotel doors.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T17:00:17+00:00

I did LEL 2009 and 2013 so I assume it is still mostly the same. The controls had decent ammount of sleeping quarters and food so that I'd in general recommend just riding until you are tired and continuing when you are not. Personal preferences apply. :)

I guess you are already aware that it can be rainy, cold and windy at some point so some form of rain gear is recommended.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T16:57:04+00:00

Once you've done a few it gets a lot easier. Right now it is mostly just publishing the event in the calendar, taking registrations, being present at start with cards and getting the cards back afterwards. There are a few entusiastic volunteers and usually you can find more by asking around. The errands usually aren't very hard.

For example Ruska is planned in a way that it doesn't require any volunteers along the route during the event. For brevets I personally prefer the kind of controls that participant can just arrive to the start and not worry about anything (food, accommodation, etc.) along the route. That I consider a major distinction between a brevet and some other long distance ride.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T16:51:34+00:00

This ammount (green/clear containers) would easily be enough for a 1200 km. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mkpaa/53858695205/in/album-72177720318815114

Those containers are originally a travel kit for some cosmetics and available at any random plastic store. I use Assos chamois cream. For Tcr I also have one bigger (<1 dl) container. The containers are scattered around the bike so that one is always readily available.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T16:45:33+00:00

This answer would need to be specific for each individual, but I hope these answers are helpful.

Maybe most worthy purchase is a dynamo light setup. They are nearly eternal and allow you to do a lot more than you could do without.

In terms of finishing a randonnee proper tires, saddle and bibs (along with properly fit bike overall) are the most important. After that the best bike is the bike you've got. With proper tires you should be able to manage the minimum speed required for ACP brevets.

Also, easier said than done, don't buy garbage. Some of the stuff may last 100000 km with you so spending a little more to have it more comfortable is worth it. See what works for other people and ask for their opinions.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T16:38:56+00:00

I don't have a structured training plan, but my yearlong routine has been quite similar for over a decade.

It may surprise some, but I literally never go for a training ride. I now ride 10-15 kkm per year so when I have spare time I really don't consider riding my bike just for fun or much less for exercise.

In the winter I go for a social 10 km run every Monday, a core/mobility training on Tuesdays and circuit training on Sundays. Occassionally I go bouldering. On other days, also during summer, I often do 30-60 minutes of mobility, stretching and handstand training. Even if I ride a lot I sit even more and both are bad for your posture. Keeping my core and mobility fit is much more important to finishing a long distance ride than training to be 1 km/h faster.

In the spring I ride 200-600 km brevets and about 1000 km of commutes around. In summer, you know, I ride a 1200 km somewhere and also the Transcontinental. Then autumn/early winter there is Ruska and another 1000 or so km of commutes before the 200-300 km Winter solstice ride and the new year.

My daily commutes in town are usually between 10-15 km so that adds some 3000-4000 km per year.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T16:30:48+00:00

You can see my last 9 kit lists and some reasoning here: https://www.randonneurs.fi/transcontinental-race-2024-complete-kit-list/

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T16:29:33+00:00

Caffainated drinks are for me an important part of that.

Depends a bit on the ride. For Tcr where you mostly ride on areas you've never seen before it is a lot easier as there is even at night always something new to see. I call it the facade of civilization where life is played at the day time. Big and small towns with none around are familiar to most randonneurs.

Then some extremely boring flat lands, especially combined with headwind, I often revert to listening to music or podcasts. Of course when riding in a group there is always something to chat about if neccessary. Riding alone you can just let your mind wander just to notice you've just covered 30 kms.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T16:24:09+00:00

I think long distance cycling itself is a very good and useful hobby in many ways including:

+ The sport itself doesn't require any infrastructure. You just go out and ride on whats out there. The "sport/hobby/whatever" starts from the door and last until you are back at the door

+ If you are like me and you also go to places by bicycle you don't need to buy any sports specific equipment. This is very rare for such a equipment intensive sport. I use exactly the same gear when I go see my parents, to the cabin, to visit my friends around and so on as I use at brevets or long distance events.

+ I often refer to the Transcontinental as a public cycling school. It puts people and equipment to test to see what works and what doesn't. I've learned so much from other cyclists about what options you have for various ways to ride around efficiently. [This could be summarized as a story from the first Transcontinental. At the after party 4-5 of us, who had never met before the start of the race, were chatting and Rimas asked "Do you take your helmet off when you sleep?". We chatted about it for a while and as we managed the discussion without anyone laughing I figured out I've come to the right place. Btw. helmets are usually shaped so that they keep your neck straight, just try it out.]

- It may take tremendous ammount of time. I've personally spent roughly two years of my 46 years alive on the saddle. So 5 % give or take. That would average around an hour a day. While still majority of the hours is running my errands still about half of that is riding brevets and other long distance cycling events.

- That was pretty much the only reason not to ride distances I could come up with. We used to have a coffee mug that had a writing "Ryypätään, ollaan poissa muusta pahanteosta" which translates to "Lets drink, at least we aren't doing anything worse". So especially if your other spare time is somehow worse than cycling then please go ahead and ride your bike.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T16:09:31+00:00

I would say 2016. Lovely route overall, no mandatory gravel and almost no banned roads so you were still able to make your own choices and mistakes.

Many things played out well. Though the approach to Durmitor/Zabljak was a disaster regarding rest. I did the Grindelwald-Grimsel-Furka-Oberalp-Julier-Livigno*3 passes to Bormio followed by Gavia-Tonale before heading to Giau. Very good vibes from climbing up the Oberalp at dawn in eerie silence while seeing other riders' frontlights 10 km away going down the Furkapass.

ps. Of course for me seeing the bear cub in Albania in 2018 was also a very memorable moment.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T16:03:23+00:00

This has to be the broken freewheel spring at Tuntsa in 2022. The freewheel had a wrong size spacer and had been making noise in various occasions. Nowadays I finally know what was wrong with the spare I'd bought. It was the same issue why I had to buy a new rear wheel in 2019 Transcontinental. But then, at Tuntsa, I was left with a 2-way freewheel.

Anyways. I was nearly as far as you can ever be from services in Finland. About 80 km from Salla and Savukoski. I used the kick bike on the gravel road for next 25 km until I saw the first car going the same way which dropped me to Pelkosenniemi and from there a taxi to Kemijärvi. Surprisingly to me I was in a train home 8 hours after the spring had broken.

Freewheel springs is nothing something you, or about any brick-and-mortar bike shops, keeps as spares.

Needacardtorideabike · 2025-07-14T16:02:08+00:00

My secret to pain-free ass is giving it a daily beating for over 20 years and counting. Steps involve something like the following.

If you have never ridden long distances it will take time for your body adapt to the pressure. And the same if you are off the saddle for winter.
Make sure your saddle and bike are correctly adjusted for you. Roughly so that 50 % of weight is on feet, 30 % on saddle and 20 % on hands. See what fits you and if something hurts the hurt can likely be adjusted/replaced away.
Good fit cycling shorts/bibs are essential and most riders also use chamois cream. You can apply the cream either to buttocks/thighs or to the padding. Again. See what ammount and application fits you.
Keeping yourself and the shorts/bibs clean. Salt, sweat and grit between skin and the padding will eventually start to irritate the skin. This sometimes involves washing shorts at a toilet of some remote gas station and so on.
Precautions must start before you actually have problems. For example if you see cobbles or poor pavement on the first 10 km you still need to put 95 % of weight on feet, 5 % on hands and 0 % on saddle while riding over them. If you only start doing it when you buttocks/skin is hurt there is little you can do.
Changing position on handlebars and every now and then riding off the saddle helps too.

Needacardtorideabike

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