What do you wear for a race in the cold and rain

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by andrew on October 11, 2008 at 6:31pm

secret embro? I thought you were the anti-embro guy...

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Permalink Reply by GeWilli on October 15, 2008 at 1:16pm

i'm anti-HOT embrocation... against just the stuff that brings all that nice warm blood from your core to your skin making you think it is warming you, not just dropping your core temp...

there are some pretty darn good products out there that help a bit, call them gore-tex for the skin (petroleum and oil free)...

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Permalink Reply by andrew on October 15, 2008 at 2:04pm

thanks gw. want to share any specifics for hamilton? he's doing a embrocation experiment for the mag...

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Permalink Reply by Mark Tuttle on October 10, 2008 at 8:24am

Hamilton,take Gewilli's advise.......skull cap under helmet saves me.
Warm clothes prior to start,warm dry clothes to change into after race !Go light at the actual race.
Lillypad is dead on with the blood leaving the fingers,toes and going to the core when cold.
I have heard rumors of a few psycho's having some nerve snipped behind your breast plate/shoulder area that slows the impulse down that start this reaction,"Hard core"!!!!! Dont waste your cash on some fancy medical procedure though,we can snip that nerve ourselves.Just show up to Weber next weekend a half hour early,I'll bring the tools needed and then you can blow all of your saved hard earned cash on bike gear.
Are you racing Heber tomorrow ? 30 degrees and snow is in the forecast !!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Hamilton on October 10, 2008 at 4:04pm

Well, since you know the exact weather that I speak of I'll go with Gewilli's advise. I do have a skull cap that I wear for winter riding that will work great. I need to get a better base layer for my top and I should be good to go. We'll have to wait until the Weber fairgrounds race to snip that nerve, I'm in Wenatchee WA for business. Sounda like good 'cross weather for tomorrows race though.

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Permalink Reply by Albino on October 10, 2008 at 8:54pm

Bubble wrap. Not the little stuff, get the large bubbles. Place bubble side against your first layer under your jersey. It's windproof but breaths because it doesn't completely cover your body. Best free addition I've done in those sub freezing races.

Skull cap or something to cover the ears, Pearl gloves, baggies and wool socks along with chemical warmers for hands and feet.

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Permalink Reply by Cross Hound on October 11, 2008 at 5:45am

I guess it depends how cold 'cold' is.... But, I have been comfortable in the following when it was around freezing (32/0) and in the snow:

Base layer: pategonia stretch light weight zip tee (moc turtleneck)
Layer 1: Assos winter bib knickers (are warm and provide an extra layer on your chest)
Layer 2: Standard bib shorts (Our team had Pearl Izumi) and a long sleeve Pearl Izum (standard kit weight not winter weight) jersey
Layer 3: Additional short sleeve jersy (this is the outer layer unless conditions are REALLY cold or wet then I add a micro shell
Feet: I use a polypro liner (ankle length) and a pair of de-feet cycling (kit) socks
Hands: I use PI winter gloves (full finger w/windstop)
Head: I use a PI skull cap under my helmet

If things are really cold or wet I will add toe covers on my shoes (Sidi Dominator 5) and might even add a heat pack in each shoe. I will also add a polypro glove liner and might wear a lilght weight balaclava (sp?). I might also trade out the winter knickers for winter tights (still bibs).
Also, a lot can depend on the amount of sun..... it gets a lot hotter a lot quicker in a race when the sun is blazing.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

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Permalink Reply by phil noble on October 15, 2008 at 7:36pm

Craft long sleeve windfront baselayer is the best cold(below 40) item you can take to a race. This will go under your jersey or skinsuit, and keeps you very warm and blocks the wind! Your upper body will be warm the entire race!

Warm up in a set of clothes, then change 10 min before the race so that you are dry when the race starts. Wool socks, thin gloves, knee warmers/knickers, and you should be set.

I have a pair of shoes that are a 1/2 size larger than what I normally use for cold weather riding and racing. That allows me to use a thicker pair of socks w/o cutting off circulation, and does not seem as bulky as my Lake Winter riding shoes.

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