Sunday 19 October 2014

Cold Test Ride 3 / 3

A parkway with a small lake on one side and a river on the other.
Sunny days not requiring sunscreen = priceless.
Conditions
I was doing my third ride on Sunday.  The route was the same as test ride #1, 37.5km.  The forecast was mainly sunny with a bit of temperature variance; it was going to start at 10C (feels like 9C, 6km/h SW) and finish at 12C (feels like 11C, 8km/h SW).

Layers
Base: MEC Ardent jersey, MEC Rapide cycling shortsPearl Izumi Select thermal tights, Smart Wool sports socks,  MEC Vivace gloves.
Extra: DeFeet SlipStream shoe covers.

Road cycling in the fall,
It looks beautiful.  But it is cold!
The Ride
The weather felt pretty good when I left.  It was cold out but the sun made a big difference.  A lot of the clothing I had on was black and I felt like the material was just soaking up the heat.  Which is great as the temperature increase ended up being a bit of a wash; it would get warmer but the wind would blow harder and it would feel the same.

Between the shoe covers and my Smart Wool socks, I thought my feet would be warm for sure.  They did start out warm but eventually my toes got cold. I noticed them getting cold right away, due to the wind.  It got better later in the ride when I wasn't riding directly in the wind.  It has me thinking that this is entirely a wind-related issue.
Cycling on the waterfront trail where the path is completely covered in fallen leaves.
I wish autumn would leaf me alone!

The jersey did a great job again but I did notice I was a bit cold at the end of the ride.  It sounds odd but I would say it was just my skin that was cold.  My torso was pretty warm inside.  I think its because I was at the limit of the jersey keeping me warm.

2 comments:

  1. I thought I had my clothing down and ready to go. This morning, I realized I'm not. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No battle plan survives contact with the enemy. In this case the enemy is the cold weather. :D

      I'm pretty sure at least half this winter is going to be a learning experience for us winter biking newbies. But that's fine, learning always requires investment. It's the reason why I'm trying to record the clothing and conditions.

      But it does seem to be helping me. Yesterday I went kayaking and used the same layering principles and clothing. The only part of me that was cold was my feet (wore wrong footwear and my feet got wet).

      Delete