What's it like to ride in -43°C world's coldest bike race?

Cyclists on the world’s coldest bike race discovered that their bikes had frozen up as they prepared to ride.

The event, organised by the Cycling Federation of Yakutia in Russia’s Sakha Republic, took place in -43°C temperatures.

Only 14 participants made it to the start line on functioning bicycles, and the winner, Andrei Popov, completed the 10 kilometre distance in 30 minutes 44 seconds.

The winner of the 5km women’s race was Nelly Pakhomova in 29 minutes 51 seconds.

According to the Siberian Times, Nelly said: "The bicycle race turned out to be such a challenge. My bicycle froze, and it was hard to cycle. It was very extreme, thanks to organisers."

Andrei added: "You need to dress up so that you don't freeze, because it's easy to turn into a piece of ice in such cold.

“Quite a lot of time has passed since summer bicycle season finished, so I recommend to keep cycling and to train for such races.”

For those planning chilly rides of their own this January, check out the road.cc guide to staying motivated to cycle in cold weather.