Don’t let the snow keep you off of your bike.  In my case the lack of snow is keeping me on my bike, but I’m actually riding on snow.  Let me explain.

For the last several years I have looked forward to Skate Skiing after a cycling season.  ( I spent many many years riding in frigid temperatures so that I was ready for the Professional racing in Europe ) However this year my favorite ski trails do not have enough snow on them yet.  To stay fit and have a lot of fun, I have been riding on plowed, but snow packed roads.  I feel lucky to have access to 20 miles of roads between 7,000 – 8000 ft.  At this altitude the snow is dry and provides good traction on most days.  I pay more attention on the descents an avoid the sections that become glazed by too many tire tracks.  A good position, riding a straight line and paying extra attention is critical ( living in the moment ).  Once I’ve adjusted to the conditions,  chances of laying the bike down are par with aggressive summer riding.   I would say that this kind of snow biking is similar to riding in muddy conditions and may even be a bit more consistent if you consider muddy roots and rocks.

Here is a sample:
Snow Biking
Snow Biking -2

The plowing ended, but the snow was firm here and well tracked by snowmobiles:
Riding on snowmobile tracks…

I’m not training to race the Tour de France anymore, but I still love to ride and stay fit. I enjoy leading guests on luxury vacation cycling trips in Europe and this Winter snow biking has worked its way into my training mix.

In a 1.5 hour ride I’ll get in over 600 meters of climbing at altitude.  It works for me and maybe it will work for you.  I am running my regular summer tires and have not checked the tire pressure so I’ll assume they are a bit soft.

The views of Park City while snow biking:
Views of Park City while Snow Biking

Here you can see tracks from a Snowcat, Cars, a Sled pulled by a Snowmobile, Hikers and my Mountain Bike