Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it is Spring. Full glorious spring. I am blessed to live in Brussels, surrounded on the south and east by the rich Sonian Forest and on all sides by fields. Within ten minutes, I can be out in the thick of nature.
And goodness how fast it is changing at the moment! A few short weeks ago, a few small green shoots shyly poking out, then a smattering of deep lime green like someone had shaken a laden paintbrush at the landscape like a deranged Jackson Pollock, then a magical green mist spreading through the trees, and now a kaleidoscope of shades of green.
And away from the woods: crops being sown, tilled, the smell of manure, the smell of growth. Poppies, rapeseed, flax: the wonderful colour of rebirth.
And with it, the return of the cyclists. In February, I had it almost to myself and now there are paths where you can hardly stop on a path for the rush of bikes: determined road bikers, happy-go-lucky gravel and mountain bikers, children out with their parents, and snotty elder citizens rolling by on their e-bikes.
So get out there! If your bike has been sitting inside all winter, now is the time to give it a good clean, oil the chain, and check the tire pressures, brakes and tightness of the various nuts and bolts and then go…
A few tips to get the most of this glorious time:
Check the weather forecast – including the wind
Spring and autumn are the most volatile seasons. Days swing violently and quickly between chilly mornings, baking hot noons and then back to chilly evenings.
If you have a favourite weather app, use it. Local is generally best, so in Belgium, I use the RMI/KMI Weather app as my first port of call. But for predicting rain or when travelling, the Norwegian weather app Yr is generally good, and meteoblue has a lot of fans.
For wind, among the bike touring community, people swear by Ventusky and Windy.
Check both the wind force and the direction. If dealing with a wind from the South West, if you have a choice, start your ride heading into it so that on your ride back, you will have a tailwind. Better that than the other way round. Trust me: I have made that mistake and suffered… If the weather is cloudy but windy, I often wear a pair of see-through shades to protect my eyes from the dust and pollen.
Dress in layers
I have written elsewhere about how to dress for different temperatures. Riding in spring and autumn makes things a little trickier so for my top half, depending on the temperatures that I am expecting, I often wear a bike jersey with arm warmers, a thin under jacket, and a thin rain jacket. The advantage is that as I warm up, I can shed layers, first folding up the rain jacket and tying it to the seat post, then folding up the under jacket into its pocket, and stuffing it in the back pockets of my jersey.
What about gloves? This is tricky so sometimes, I wear one pair and take another: a slightly thicker pair to start/end and some fingerless for the middle.
For the legs, this depends on the temperature and your tolerance for cold, but once the temperature rises above say 7, 8C and I can be confident that it will rise during the ride, I switch to Lycra shorts. The first few minutes are chilly but your legs will quickly warm up with the effort.
Shoes and socks? Again, try to find a happy medium. I have switched to more breathable summer trainers but am wearing slightly thicker socks.
Bring enough water
This is true for all rides but in spring, it is super important. With those changes in temperature, you can often find yourself sweating more. I take a mix of cold drink and maybe a bottle of mint tea. On a hot day where you will be covering more than say 30-40 kilometres, you might want to take a backpack or pannier with extra drink, or find somewhere to top up your water.
Take time to stop, listen and look
It is beautiful riding but from time to time it is good to just get off the bike and savour the moment. Do a bit of forest bathing. Or mountain bathing. Or seaside bathing. Just stop and be.
Breathe. Deeply. The scent of rebirth.
Listen to the birds. On my ride yesterday, in just one part of the forest, I heard robins, wrens, chaffinches, blue tits, blackcaps, and my favourite, the onomatopoeic chiffchaffs. (To my happy surprise, I found out that German speakers use the equally onomatopoeic Zilpzalp. Sadly French only gives you pouillot véloce and Spanish the rather ominous mosquitero.)
How do I know all this? Thanks to the Merlin bird app run by the Cornell Lab. If you haven’t got it, I really recommend it and totally free.
And don’t just listen to the birds: rounding a corner on Friday, I was greeted by a thousand croaking frogs having fun in the pond.
Stop and look at the flowers and trees. Each flower or tree takes its moment in the spotlight. Here in Belgium we have first snowdrops, then magnolia, then bluebells carpeting the Hallerbos, an annual miracle, then cherry blossoms, and now I see the first signs of apple blossom. A great app is PlantNet.
And elderflowers, calling me back to my childhood, picking them from the side of the road and my mum boiling them with sugar and bottling to make fizzy ‘elderflower champagne’, quietly fermenting in the adjacent shed. And occasionally exploding in the middle of the night…
These waves and the constant growth reward repeat rides, each time seeing a change. There is a beautiful part of the bike path close to my house that I call ‘the cathedral’ because the beech trees rise straight and tall on either side of the long straight path. With every passing week, the cathedral becomes more intense.
Treasure dawn or sunset rides
To be out riding at the crack of dawn, the mist rising from the landscape, or to ride as the sun sets, golden, then sienna, then scarlet, then purple, is to be in very heaven.
Take some lights for those dying embers and savour it all, amidst all that is happening in our troubled planet right now.
Remember to wear or bring sun cream
It’s an easy mistake. Don’t get caught out by the sudden changes. If in doubt, pack a small tube of sun cream to apply on the go. If riding at dawn or dusk, or in thick forest, consider insect repellent.
And finally…
Eat strawberries and ice cream
Go on. You deserve it. Nothing says spring like fresh strawberries with a delicate scoop of thick vanilla ice cream. Savour…
And above all, live your life, live your life, live your life.
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