Stop & read before you ride in cold weather
By Anthony Walsh, Roadman Cycling
Yesterday I saw a group out training on road bikes. A full group. It was around 0°C. Their route clearly wasn’t salted. And in every shaded section there were patches of ice sitting there. I was wincing looking at them passing, the ice patches were like landmines waiting to go off. You know that kind of ice too. Not the obvious white stuff you can spot a mile away. The thin, glassy layer that looks like wet tarmac until you are already on it.
What genius decided this group ride should go ahead ? Because this isn’t brave, it’s stupid. I’m not saying that to be dramatic. I’m saying it because I’ve seen how this ends. One missed or indoor session isn’t going to ruin your season. A broken collarbone will.
If you’ve been around cycling long enough, you’ve seen it too. One second everyone is chatting, rolling steady, “getting the miles in.” The next second there’s a bang, a shout, a bike sliding, someone holding their shoulder, and the whole day turns into ambulances, hospitals, surgery, months off.
The function of a Group Ride
Maybe I’m romantic about the function of a group ride. But for me, the function of a group ride is to protect the weaker riders. That is the job. That is the culture at its best. You teach people how to ride smooth, how to hold a wheel, how to rotate, how to fuel, how to manage efforts, how to get stronger week after week. And that duty doesn’t stop with sheltering them in the wheel. It starts with making good decisions before the ride even leaves the meeting point.
Because the “weaker rider” is usually the one who corners a bit tighter, brakes a bit later, panics a bit sooner, has less experience reading the road, and has less skill to recover when the back wheel slides, they are also the rider who gets pressured most by the group energy. They don’t want to be the one who says, “This feels dodgy.” They don’t want to look soft. They are trying to prove they belong.
So if the route is unsalted, temps around freezing, and there’s ice in the shade, the ride leader needs to step up. He doesn’t get to shrug and say, “Ah sure we’ll be grand.” “We’ll how how we go”, that’s gambling with somebody else’s collarbone.
Then there’s the car factor
Drivers cannot stop on ice. Even careful drivers. Even slow drivers. If you go down in the wrong place at the wrong time, it stops being “a fall” and becomes something far more serious. If a rider falls, and there is a car that can not stop, because of icy conditions, what should have been just road rash turns into a possible lethal moment. That part should sober everyone up quickly.
So what’s the right call? If it’s freezing and the roads are not treated, you change the session. Trainer. Gym. A run if that suits you. A shorter loop on properly gritted main roads later in the day when the temperature lifts. Anything that keeps the training going without rolling the dice.
Stay Healthy, Stay Consistent
Consistency is built by staying healthy, year round. When I had Prof Seiler on the podcast he spoke to me about long term outcomes being more effected by your floor than your ceiling. Eg. Your worst weeks matter more than your best weeks. Through any logical lens the decision to bring a group out in the ice makes no sense.
So I’m putting this out there as a reminder, and maybe as a bit of a line in the sand for winter riding culture:
- There’s nothing heroic about sliding out on black ice.
- There’s nothing disciplined about losing your season in January.
- There’s nothing impressive about a hospital selfie and a sling.
It’s stupid and avoidable. If you’re a ride leader, protect your people. That is the job. If you’re a rider, have the confidence to opt out. The strongest thing you can do sometimes is say, “Not today.”
Published originally by Anthony Walsh, Roadman Cycling on Facebook January 4, 2026
Roadman Cycling started accepting applications for our Not Done yet coaching program. We’ll be accepting applications till January 12th or till we hit 100 riders.
Roadman has launched it 3 days ago and we’ve 60 riders already.
If you haven’t already get your application in here www.roadmancycling.com/2026
