What I learned after 3 winters riding in Ireland

After +10 years living and riding on dry and sunny locations, mainly Mallorca and Malaga in Spain, 3 years ago I moved to Ireland. Yes, you are right, you need to be crazy to go from a place where it barely rains and winter temperatures seldom go down to 20 C to, together with Scotland, one of the most well known regions for its cold, wet and muddy weather most of the year. When in sunnier regions you read winter gear reviews and how to properly dress for winter, you just think "heck, I will just stay at the pub with a good Guinness and wait for better days". In Ireland, if you do so, you will barely ride half of the year. This is my fourth winter riding here so I learned to embrace the rain, mud, wet roots and windy days. Suit up and follow this motto: there is no bad weather but bad clothing.











Throw all that into the mix and you get very dirty wet rides that, with the wrong attire, will end with all your clothes in the washing machine, shoes completely soaked and your only desire being a warm bath and a hot beverage. In my very first weeks I had some gear for cold riding, but not for rainy windy days. Some days I needed to cut my ride short and come back home earlier than planned, freezing to death, barely feeling my toes and hands, completely soaked. You might do that one day or two, maybe even a week and then go back to a sunnier location. But if you plan to do it on a day to day basis, you need to dress adequately.

So I looked for winter gear, read everything at hand and watched every video about winter riding. Layers, windproof, waterproof, jackets, trousers, pants, specific shoes, heated socks & gloves (is that really a thing?) and more. And in the meantime, kept riding, kept throwing everything in the washing machine and wore barely dry shoes that didn’t have enough time to dry from one ride to the next.




One thing I knew for sure, anything I ended up choosing had to be waterproof and windproof. All went down to two basic options. The most common known being the pants + jacket combination and the other one a onesie. Yup, that thing you usually see worn by painters, mechanics, inmates, well, you get the idea. I had never heard about the second option, and had only seen some guys riding wearing them on very wet days in bikeparks on the Alps. They were thin fabric ones, enough to protect them from the mud and intended to be used once and then be disposed of. Price-wise both options were more or less the same so I chose to give a try to the suit option. Then there were only two brand options, Endura or Dirtlej. We all know Endura, is a well-known brand with good quality, but highly priced gear. Dirtlej offered only a full body dirt suit. "Core Edition" and a short one "Pro Edition" with a thinner fabric. Got the Core Edition and on my very first ride with it I did a hike-a-bike fest to the highest mountain in Ireland, Carrauntoohil, in the middle of winter, more exactly January 5th ... yes, that's how dumb I am. But hey, the story ended well, although maybe the other friend that I fooled to get into that adventure will tell you something different.



Now, with the usual pants plus jacket option on very muddy wet days, you will end up, one way or another, with water and mud soaking through your garments and you, damp and cold. Some water will sneak in for sure, doesn't matter how tight your pants or jacket are. With the suit you are completely covered, and specially with the long version, you are covered head to toe, no mud or water will get inside. And at the end of your ride you just need to rinse it and be ready to go. These suits have been life saviours in Ireland. Yes, I have pants and jacket too, but I use them only on drier days, something that really doesn't happen often. With both options I use an inner layer to keep sweat at bay.






Head, hands and feet need to be kept warm and dry. So go for the best winter shoes and gloves you can possibly afford, trust me, you will thank me later. Throw a waterproof skull cap in there, they look ugly but really good to keep your head (and ears!) warm. In my case the Shimano XM9 boots have been the chosen shoes and I am on my second pair already. There are other models and brands, maybe even warmer but in my case these are good enough. I like the rough look and that they look like hiking boots but with cleats. Waterproof, windproof and most important, I can walk comfortably with them when needed with good traction due to their Vibram sole. And walking is something a do a lot when doing my race media coverage. For gloves I have different brands, all bulky and with several layers that make it hard using a phone without removing them, but my fingers will not fall apart frozen and I can ride for hours without issues.

Waterproof socks? No bother, at least not useful for me. When riding in wet rainy conditions, if you are riding on shorts, that water will come down your legs and get inside the shoes and then you are doomed. Better get a good set of pants that cover your ankles. The long suit version also helps with that. There are heated gloves and socks but it is not so cold in Ireland or at least I don't need them.


Now, for the bike: get a hardtail and a good set of change bearing tools, and mudguards, the bigger the better. With a good front mudguard you will not even need goggles or glasses. But of course it is advisable to use them to protect your eyes from branches and any possible debris. Mud in Ireland is pretty liquid so not using a mudguard with goggles makes no sense, goggles will be clogged after 200 meters. A hardtail will definitely help you to go through winter without killing one or two sets of bearings. Wash your bike at the end of each ride, or at least clean the chain and use a specific wet conditions lubricant.




Now you are ready, go out and ride, no more excuses to stay at home.

Trailforks regions mentioned:
Ticknock / Ballinastoe

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MENTIONS: @dirtlej / @Nordest / photos: Adrian van der Lee

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