I am seeking recommendations of locations where one can comfortably (approximately 0°C ±5°C) skate cross‑country on groomed trails in the morning and road, gravel, or mountain bike in the afternoon during February and within a 1 to 1.5 hour drive of a base location, that is stay at the cross country ski location and drive 1-1.5-hours to a warmer biking location in the afternoon?
I have considered the Dolomites, Pyrenees, and Sierra Nevada but have not been able to specifically identified a location that reliably offers both activities at that time of year.
Where I live in Ottawa Canada, this is totally doable in a lot of March, but the skate skiing at 0 to minus 8 C in the morning is glorious and the biking in 0-3C in the afternoon initially feels kind of fun until it gets downright miserable. We used to do that all the time every year (our big day would target a 50km ski in the morning, do lunch and 100km bike in the afternoon…roughly 3-3.5 hrs of each). Largely we’d do it for bragging rights until we got old enough to realize that the ski was fun, the ride was miserable, and we were getting less training effect than just doing more nordic skiing the same day and going for a run.
Just Nordic ski more, or do a ski + run day, and don’t worry about riding. Literally I can get off skate skiing and my FTP will be within 1-5 W of what it was in the peak of last summer.
Just go enjoy the skate skiing. You have all year to ride a bike, or sit on a trainer and if you are really desparate, just pack the bike and trainer and set it up in your hotel room