Dressing For Cold And Wet Weather
Cycling is a sport that often requires training and competition in less than desirable conditions. Being well prepared and properly dressed for the weather is vital to your success and personal safety. Cold weather, combined with rain can make riding miserable and dangerous. The process of learning how to dress properly and take care of yourself in bad weather can be very unpleasant. Keeping in mind that every rider is different in their natural resistance to the elements here are a few guidelines and suggestions for riding in cold and wet conditions.
Obviously, the first priority is staying warm, or at least reasonably warm. I would define “reasonably” warm as being warm enough that you can stay focused on the effort of training without being distracted by your loss of body heat, getting chilled and loosing feeling in your hands and/or feet. This is important for a host of reasons including personal health and safety. If your body looses enough heat you will experience a sever loss of performance and be at risk for a very dangerous condition called hypothermia (inability to maintain core body temperature).
As core body temperature drops, internal heat is pulled away from the extremities for life support leaving the outer layers of the body less protected from the elements. For cyclists, hypothermia is most often a risk when the air temperature is in the “mild-cool” range of about 50 degrees when it is easy to misjudge the conditions and under dress. At this temperature, wind chill can easily penetrate two or three layers of Lycra, making contact with moist skin and dissipating the outer layer of body heat that shields your internal core body temperature.
In the cold, you can protect your upper body from heat loss by wearing multiple layers of Lycra and a windproof outer shell (jacket or vest) that can be added/removed, or zipped open and closed to regulate body temperature. With practice and experimentation every rider can figure out the correct layering and fabric for a dry, cool or cold day. When it rains, things get b bit more complicated.
On rain days you are not only fighting your body’s nature cooling mechanism (the chilling effect of sweating) but also moisture contact with the skin from the rain and cold wind from the outside. The trick is to protect your self from as much of the elements as possible without overheating. The most vulnerable part of your body in these conditions is above the waist. Most, if not all, your clothing will get wet or soaked either from sweating or the rain so it is important to choose and undergarment that will provide insulation for your upper body when wet.
On a dry day you can safely cover as much skin on your legs as possible and be fine. In the rain, wet fabric of any kind will pull heat off your legs so you might want to consider leaving some skin exposed and use a warming cream and waterproof barrier to protect your skin from the elements.
One often-overlooked asset on a cold day is the thermic effect of food. The digestion of food gives off heat inside your body. The intake of high calorie foods about 45-60 minutes before your ride, say 400-600 calories gives off heat so your body will already be a little warmer inside when your roll out. Make sure you take along a lot of high calorie foods for the ride (400-600 kcal/hour) and keep the digestion process going while you ride.
If you have to ride in bad weather be prepared. With a little planning and common sense you can have a safe and reasonably comfortable day on the bike when the weather is cold or wet or both. What follows are a few tips based on my own experience and the good advice I have received from friends and fellow riders.
Choosing Fabrics:
Lycra and Nylon are the standard outer layer fabrics in cycling. These very thin fabrics provide a remarkable level of protection from the elements. However, these fabrics are not waterproof unless coated or treated with repellent or come as a specially woven “microfiber” designed for use in wet weather. The most effective method for using these lightweight fabrics in cold/dry and/or wet weather is layering. Multiple layers of clothing give protection from the wind and cold and can be easily “adjusted” to the keep you warm and protected as the conditions change.
Warm Up Before Your Ride:
Spend a little time (10-15 minutes) on the trainer or rollers before you hit the road. You will start the ride warm and hold your body heat better as the ride continues.
Undergarments/Tops:
Use synthetic fibers for you’re undergarments that are designed to insulate and wick moisture away from your skin. Polypropylene is the most familiar. Visit a sporting goods store that handles XC ski equipment, they will have the right stuff. Wool is a nice fabric for undergarments and can be found in a lot of blended fabric garments. It insulates well when wet making it a better choice for rain rides. Stay away from cotton, it has no insulation value because it absorbs and holds moisture against your skin when your sweat.
Undergarments/Bottoms:
Even in the worst weather, I have never found the need for a base layer under my cycling shorts. There are products available and you should give them a try if you are having trouble keeping this area of your body warm.
Shorts:
Wear the heaviest weight lycra-nylon blend possible for your cycling shorts and knee or leg warmers and always wear bibs if you have them, the extra layer of fabric around your midsection makes a difference. An 8 oz (or heavier) lycra-nylon blend fabric will give you more protection than lighter summer weight fabrics. Some makers use a heavier lycra-nylon blend that even has a little fleece backing for knee or leg warmers. Very cozy on those really cold days!
Skinsuits:
For you racers, your racing skinsuit makes an excellent undergarment for the cold weather. Wear a Polypropylene or wool blend undershirt as a base layer and a long sleeve jersey over with a nylon wind vest or jacket. This is a clothing combination that many riders never think of and it works pretty well.
Gloves:
Use long finger gloves made from a nylon “wind stopper” type fabric or Gore-Tex for dry days and neoprene (wetsuit material) for the wet days. Knit gloves are fine in the dry above 50 but will do nothing to stop the cold when they get wet. I have experimented, with some success, using thin latex glove liners as a water barrier under a medium weight knit gloves for racing to eliminate water contact with the skin but for training rides I still prefer to block the wind and water all together with the proper fabric.
On Your Head:
Heat rises, even inside your body. You can loose a lot of body heat during exercise through the top of your head. Hair alone is not a good insulator on a cold day. Wear a cycling cap under you helmet. Even if it gets wet it will still trap and help retain body heat.
Wind Jackets:
A lightweight nylon wind jacket can be a lifesaver on a cold and windy day. The best wind jackets I have ever owned are made by Voler. They are made of sturdy ripstop nylon, have a two-way zipper for better venting and fit well over winter weight long sleeve jerseys with full pockets. The weave is pretty tight so it even works well as a rain jacket on those light drizzle and foggy days when a rain jacket might be too much.
Rain jackets:
I have used the plastic “sauna capes” for more years than I care to count and have never liked them. I recently found a new rain jacket made of a 3M fabric called ProPore, a 100% polypropylene microfiber that breathes well and has a soft rubberized coating on the outside that makes it totally windproof and waterproof. This jacket is the BOMB. Please wait till I buy some 3M stock to get yours. You might ask your local shop to check these out if they haven’t already.
Legs and Knees:
This is really simple.
Training- Cold and dry: Leg warmers for sure. Use a strong warning cream on your legs under your leg warmers.
Training- Cold and Wet: Knee warmers only. Use a strong warning cream on your legs under your knee warmers and apply a waterproof barrier on the exposed skin over the warming cream.
Warming creams: These products contain ingredients that warm the skin and keep it warm for long periods. Most of the good ones are made in Europe and can be hard to find. You can make your own with combination moisturizing cream, a little olive and some arthritis or pain relieving cream that contains capsaicin. I use a product called ArthriCare. Go easy on the arthritis cream portion till you find the right amount, it is body heat activated can get pretty hot on the skin if you use too much.
Waterproof Barriers: Anything that will keep the water off your skin and not wash off in the rain. Try Vaseline, mineral oil, and vegetable oil.
Feet:
I used to have a really hard time keeping my feet warm on cold days. Thanks to my good friend Marlon in Seattle my feet have a new weapon in their battle against the elements, MYCOAL Toe Warmers from Grabber Performance. These ultra-thin warmers are made from activated carbon and other non-toxic ingredients that react with oxygen to produce heat, up to 107 degrees. They fit comfortably in the toe of your shoe and they really work. No matter what you do your feet will get wet in the rain so the best plan is to shield them from the wind and keep them warm. A good pair of booties will stop the wind and the Toe Warmers will do the rest.
Defending of the “Southern” Flank
Wet shorts can be a real bummer on a long ride. The soft skin in your “nether regions” can become easily chaffed and irritated from prolonged contact and friction with a wet chamois. The best thing I have found for this task is a product called Bag Balm; a petroleum/lanolin base ointment formulated to protest and treat chaffed and irritated skin. Apply it liberally to all the areas that will come in contact with a wet chamois and your back side will be very happy. If you can’t find Bag Balm, a suitable replacement is A&D diaper rash ointment. It does a pretty good job but you might have some explaining to do with your training buddies.
So here’s the plan. Wear several layers of lightweight synthetic fiber clothing that can be zipped open to vent excess body heat, keep the wind off as much skin as possible on the dry days and keep the water and wind off as much skin as possible on the wet days. Use a rain jacket that breathes well and a strong warming cream and waterproof barrier on your legs in the rain. Always cover your feet and hands and start your ride warmed up and with some food in your belly. Take lots of high carb snacks along to keep the internal heater going and don’t forget to “lube up” before you roll out.
Product sources:
Bib-shorts / nylon wind jackets / skinsuits: www.velowear.com
3M Propore rain jacket / MYCOAL toe warmers / undergarments: www.rei.com
Bag Balm / A&D Ointment: local drug store