James talked me into going on a ride tomorrow at 8am. The only problem is that this is the weather forecast for that time:
Yeah. It says 31 degrees, feels like 24 degrees. As a result, this is what I will be wearing.
This kit consists of an underarmour compression shirt, pearl izumi long sleeve fleece jersey, capo forma arm warmers, descente windproof jacket, sugoi bib shorts, novara windproof tights, smartwool socks, homemade neoprene booties (cut out of a pair of neoprene wet wading socks I don’t use for fishing), windproof skullcap, and a buff for my neck.
Ride update: James showed up around 8 this morning. Part of me was hoping he’d call and cancel, but he didn’t. I had all of the gear on and was ready to go.
We headed towards Franklin, TN on some of the backroads that I know fairly well. Within 5 miles or so, I was starting to feel comfortable, and was no longer thinking about the temperature. The coldest I felt was in the first ten minutes, and also during some of the moments when my speed exceeded 30-35 mph (this was not often). James stopped after 7 miles and took off a layer.
We planned to ride a loop of 30 miles that I ride fairly frequently, but since both of us have been off the bikes for at least a month, we cut it down to a 22 mile out and back ride. It felt good to get back in the saddle after focusing on strength training for the last few weeks.
All of the gear performed well. I think that same kit could be used down into the teens without much additional layering and still work.
One Comment
Right on boys! Way to get er dun! I miss riding with you both. I am there in spirit! I don’t think 5 layers would help me in my -42 weather in Chicago… Keep the faith! -Monty