What to wear and how to dry?

boogi11

Ok , give me some advice please. I went for a ride on my mtb while awaiting my road bike, it was raining hArd.
I did not wear my padded shorts, just normal shorts but I got soaked through to my underwear. I had a normal waterproof top on, which felt ok , but did not really seem up to the job. I'm thinking of investing in a cycling high viz waterproof. Also my hands Where freezing initially but soon warmed up. Finally my normal socks we drenched.
Last thing! I have just purchased some new specialised cycling shoes, I did not wear them today, but had I they would be soaked, how do you guys dry them?

sungod

i had a 3-4 hour soaking today

my road shoes are specialized ones too, i just take out the footbeds and leave it all to dry somewhere warm (not hot), if they get dirty just put them under the tap, rinse out the dirt etc., they dry in a few hours

road stuff is usually lycra etc., it doesn't hold much water and tends to keep you warm as long as your effort level stays up

fabrics like cotton etc. are useless, they soak up a lot of water, take forever to dry, and provide no insulation

today it was 10 degrees, i had a mesh baselayer, jersey, light windproof shell, bibshorts and knee warmers, shoecovers, it was all wet through after an hour but i was still warm enough - did need hosing down when i got home though!

waterproofs are ok if you are idling, but if you go hard you just stew inside and get wet anyway