Winter cycling in the Pyrenees: what to wear, lights, and where to ride

The giants close, but the season doesn't stop: the foothill climbs stay open almost all winter, the roads are empty and the low December light is as good as July's. What changes is the margin for error. Three things matter: staying warm without getting soaked, being seen, and knowing where to ride.

Dressing: three layers, no more

The winter trap isn't the cold, it's sweat: you climb drenched, you descend wet, and that's when you freeze. The system that works comes in three layers:

The simple rule: feel a little cold for the first ten minutes. If you're cosy leaving the house, you'll be too hot at the foot of the first climb.

Hands and feet, where winter is won or lost

Your torso warms itself while pedalling; your hands and feet don't. They are what turns a ride into an ordeal:

What to wear at which temperature?

These thresholds apply at the highest point of the ride, not at your front door: air loses about 0.6 °C every 100 m, so a summit 800 m above the valley is often 5 °C colder. The summit forecast is on every climb page.

The descent: where the real cold is

Climbing, you produce heat; descending, you don't, and the wind strips it away. At 5 °C, descending at 50 km/h feels like air around -1 °C on your skin. Before you tip over the top: zip up, put on the thick gloves, pull up the gaiter, and if you've sweated, change a layer at the summit (a dry jersey in the back pocket is 150 g that changes everything). Descend more slowly than in summer: numb fingers brake less well.

Lights: what French law requires

As soon as night falls or visibility drops (fog, rain, tunnel), the French highway code requires on a bike:

  1. a white or yellow front light and a red rear light;
  2. reflectors: red at the rear, white at the front, orange on the wheels and pedals;
  3. outside built-up areas, a reflective vest (the yellow vest) worn by the rider.

And a helmet, of course, even though the law only requires one for children under 12.

Lights: what actually keeps you safe

The law sets the minimum. For winter riding, aim higher:

And check sunset time: around 5:30 pm in Pau in December. A puncture at 4:30 pm at the top of a climb and you're descending in the dark.

Black ice, salt and gravel

Winter's number one danger is the patch of ice you can't see:

Kit-wise: 28 to 32 mm tyres run a little softer than in summer grip better on a cold, damp road, and mudguards spare you the jet of icy water up your back.

Where to ride in winter?

The big climbs are closed from November to May, and a closed road is closed for good reason: snow, rockfall and avalanches, even when the bottom looks dry. That leaves the foothill climbs, open almost all year:

Before you go, check the road status on the climb page and the latest road news on the map: the departmental road services report closures and snowy roads there. And if the snow-clearing calendar is already on your mind, that's a good sign: spring is built in winter.

Eat and drink, even when you're not thirsty

Cold kills thirst, not your needs: you lose as much water as in summer, through breathing and under the layers. Drink every 20 minutes, and think of a flask of hot tea in the bottle cage. Your body also burns more energy keeping warm: eat regularly, before you're hungry. And carry what you need to fix things: changing a tube with frozen fingers takes twice as long, one more reason to leave early and be home before dark.

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