Riding in the rain
Mick Jagger
Posts: 35
It looks like I have a wet cyclosportive (140Kms) tomorrow down here just outside Nice. It doesn't happen often so I'm unsure about what to wear. I have an Assos rain top but that gets too hot and you sweat inside. There is about 2500 meters of climbing so I need to be cool for those. Of course we have to go down as well and some of the descents are over 10kms long. I have also heard about putting something on your legs to make the rain run off.
Anyway, any tips on how to dress and keep comfortable would be appreciated!
Or should I just turn off the alarm and go back to sleep.
Jagger
Anyway, any tips on how to dress and keep comfortable would be appreciated!
Or should I just turn off the alarm and go back to sleep.
Jagger
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Comments
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If it was me:
Shorts, base layer & summer jersey... Arm warmers and lightweight gillet for the descents.0 -
agree with mog - now that the temperature has risen a bit you justhave to get wet i'm afraid - the rain top will only make you sweat and lose fluid quicker than normal.
just put up with the rain - work hard and your body temp will dry you off between showers.0 -
i'd agrre with the previous posters if it's going to be intermittent rain but if its going to rain for long periods of time then i'd definatetly wear a ligtweight farly breathable shell over my jersey. i have a gore xenon which is pretty good - way too hot if there's only the odd shower but if its persistent rain then i'd freeze without it (unless its over 20 degrees)pm0
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If you are likely to be held in pens for the start, its a good opportunity to get wet / cold while waiting around to be set off. Its worth packing a bin liner (with holes poked for your head / arms) to keep the rain off while you stand around waiting for the "off". Once you are released, tear off the liner and bin it.'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'0
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Mick Jagger wrote:I have also heard about putting something on your legs to make the rain run off.
Shave your legs!
Cheers, Andy0 -
Thanks for everybody's input.
I went with Mog UK's suggestion in the end. It was a pretty miserable ride though with the temperature at around 5 degrees at 1400 meters.
A flash flood on the last decent was hell with rocks and stones falling into the road and brakes that just would not work under the torrential rain.
I have never been so glad to get into a hot bath!!
Sorry Andrew, I'm not allowed to shave my legs. A direct order from my girlfriend!!
Jagger0 -
Eeek ! I'm in Nice for a triathlon in 5 weeks. 180km in rain wouldnt be much fun.
Hope its a bit warmer by then !0 -
Apparently it always rains when the Cannes Film Festival is on. It will be fine when you are here. Good luck with your Tri.
Jagger0 -
It's too late now, but for what it's worth I'd have suggested a merino wool t-shirt (warm while wet, very breathable) and either a pertex windshirt sprayed with Nikwax or (much more cash) a proper Event cycling anorak. Goretex won't actually pass water vapour, only water that condenses as liquid on the inside of the fabric, so it's inevitably sweaty. Event otoh breathes about as well as cotton - water moisture goes straight through the fabric - and it's fully waterproof. Either way, I'd probably choose a waterproof that doesn't have taped seams - you'll get some leaks, but it will be lighter and more body conforming.
Another thing that could be worth trying would be a long sleeved merino t-shirt, ideally with a zip at the throat, that's been prepared with the wool specific version of Nikwax.
As for your lower body, I'd stick with cycling shorts. It takes a lot of rain to get past the welcoming-cooling effect if you're riding hard.0 -
I heard thing with breathable fabrics 'gore tex et al' is it kind of works on differences in relative humidity. So if your RH is 95% inside your jacket but 45% outside you get good transfer of moisture. The thing is most of the time you only want to wear the stuff when its raining (100%ish RH) so you have a terrible time making it breathe. I heard Gore tex was only really useful for dry cold work. Otherwise you're better off in quick drying windproof gear. Or so I've heard. Kind of makes sense 'cos I always boil in the bag when its wet.0
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Mick Jagger wrote:
Sorry Andrew, I'm not allowed to shave my legs. A direct order from my girlfriend!!
Jagger
...wouldn't look right on a street fighting man...0 -
How bizarre - this was La Vencoise, correct? I was over in Vence for the week and rode it on Saturday. I planned to do the 140 km ride but discretion got the better of valour and I did the 105 km version in the end. That last descent was something else, more akin to riding in a river than on the road.
For the record I wore a merino wool base layer, a short sleeved jersey, a gilet and arm warmers. I put my Assos Climajet jacket on at the top of the Col de Vence after 10 kms and it stayed on until the end. I was pretty cold on the descents and wouldn't have minded a pair of knee warmers but didn't pack any as I wasn't expecting such awful weather.0 -
Cheers Jagger ! Well done on sticking it out.
My girlfriend cried when I shaved my legs. Havent really bothered since - cos its just too hard to work out where to stop !0 -
Hi AndyP
Yes it was the Vencoise. And yes like you, I changed to the 105km.
Last year it was blazing hot at this time of year! It's still bad now with more rain forecast for tomorrow.
As you say, that last descent was absolute hell and pretty dangerous. In the downpour I got caught in, nothing would have kept out the rain.
Looks like climate change might be affecting the whole of Europe now.
I'll have a look on Wiggle for some warmer base layers!
Jagger0 -
For what it's worth, I
have done the Bicycle Tour Of Colorado a few times and due to the weather variables at high altitude, even in summer, they require that everyone carry a
rain shell at ALL times. I reality it is just plain foolish not to be prepared for the worst
when riding over the high passes. Now, I know that everyone doesn't want to carry
two tons of sh*t up a mountain but I have seen some who didn't realize how bad it can be up there and figured that arm warmers were plenty, they were standing around at 11,000
feet in a combo of hail and snow, shivering so hard that they couldn't get on their bikes.
This is not an everyday occurence on that tour but it can and will happen. Call me a
sissy, p*ssy, or whatever but I carry the leg and arm warmers, toe covers, rain shell,
gloves. It's not that big of a deal and I have never regretted it.
Dennis Noward0 -
I have a Montane smock, 90g, rolls up into the size of a tennis ball. Stuff it in my jersey. Very handy for this sort of thing.0
