I think it is strange how easily I forget how to dress for cold weather. The last two days I’ve missed it. Two days ago, it was in the mid 30’s and I was riding MTB bikes. I was cold both ways to the trail, but good in the woods. Yesterday, I went out with a group on the road and it was in the upper 40’s. I thought I hit it perfectly until the sun came out and then I was way overdressed. Most of us were. We all stopped and peeled off a layer.
It really makes a big difference what type of ride you’re doing for how you dress. I’m not going to go through the whole clothing thing, we all know how to dress in layers. I’d have to say having a good wind jacket, or vest, is probably the most important aspect of the layer dressing.
The clothing has gotten so much better recently. When I first started riding, all the clothing was wool. I only had shorts, with a leather chamois and short sleeve jerseys. I remember riding to Auburn, a small town 14 miles from my home, back in high school, early season. I would put on my wool shorts, then I wore jeans and a down jacket. I was never dressed correctly. Many times, my down jacket was so wet that it had virtually no loft at all.
My mom bought me a tennis warm up suit one year. It was made by Speedo and was baby blue, top and bottom, a very sexy look. I would tuck the bottoms into my socks and felt like I was wearing nothing. My legs were so much less incumbered compared to Levis. I wore this Speedo warmup suit for a couple years whenever it got cold.
Now I have dressers and closets full of clothing for all conditions. Lots of different thicknesses or knee warmers, leg warmers, tights, base layers, socks, booties, and of course jerseys. That is why it is so perplexing that I could miss the right combination two days in a row. I’m sure I’ll get it down the next few days. It’s only going to be getting colder and windier the next couple months.
Obviously, Bill didn’t want me taking his photo yesterday. He showed up with no jersey on and was begging me for my wind vest nearly the whole ride.
This is just my sock drawer. I’d bet there are way over 100 pair in there. It’s nearly impossible to close. When I first started racing, I somehow judged wealth by the number of pairs of cycling socks I owed. I only had a couple pairs of wool Italian socks. The rest were nylon from Kmart. I’m redoing my closet to try to relocate all my winter stuff.
