Wet leaves, slush and icy ruts on cycle paths can make cycling in winter difficult and dangerous. Cyclists have to be even more careful on kerbs, rails and cobblestones in frosty conditions than on dry roads, and a bridge can become an ice rink when temperatures are around freezing point. "Depending on the weather, anyone cycling in winter should slow down and allow more time," says René Filippek from the ADFC. "A little snow can usually still be controlled, but above a certain height you can no longer ride in it."
René Filippek, technical expert from the ADFC: "If the cycle path is objectively unusable, you can ignore the blue cycle path sign, which actually indicates that it is compulsory to use it."
Tip 1: Drive defensively and with foresight
In the cold half of the year, it is important to drive even more defensively and with more foresight than you already do so that you don't have to initiate any sudden braking manoeuvres: "Abrupt braking leads to a fall on slippery surfaces!"
Tip 2: More rear brake
Filippek advises getting into the habit of using the rear brake a little more than the front brake in winter: "The rear wheel only swerves sideways when it locks, whereas you usually can't catch a locked front wheel and crash."
Tip 3: Roll over instead of braking and steering
If you unexpectedly come across an icy surface while driving, the expert recommends: "It's better not to brake and not to take a bend, but to roll straight over the passage without much effort. Otherwise you'll be lost, because slippery surfaces cannot withstand braking and cornering forces."
Tip 4: Extra distance
It is advisable to keep an extra distance from other cyclists, cars and pedestrians in winter, as they are also less able to brake in icy weather.
Tip 5: On the carriageway
If there are piles of leaves in the way or the snow clearing service has overlooked the cycle paths in a snowstorm, cyclists are allowed to use the carriageway, says Filippek: "You can ignore the blue cycle path sign, which actually indicates that it is compulsory to use it, if the cycle path is objectively unusable." The carriageway is then often safer - "even if cyclists have to reckon with traffic education by car drivers using their horns".
