Five months

@cyclingfool 90817 wrote:

Came across this piece on a crazy bike tour over a frozen Lake Baikal, and just thought I’d remind everyone that Freezing Saddles is just a a little over 5 months from now! Are you ready?!

There are short sections of the Spout Run skating rink on the Custis that are just like that, I’m sure.

@Steve O 90819 wrote:

There are short sections of the Spout Run skating rink on the Custis that are just like that, I’m sure.

Nope… No frost heaves.

I’ve never understood the issue with biking when it’s cold. I have Bar Mitts (and wear ski gloves under them when it gets really cold). I have an LLBean down jacket. And I can just add layers to the rest of my body. I never got cold while riding a bicycle, even when it got below 10 degrees.

By contrast, in hot weather I have no way to compensate for the temperature. So bicycling in hot weather is a lot more uncomfortable than bicycling in cold.

Ice and snow may be an issue while bicycling in the winter. But I really don’t see how cold is.

@Terpfan 90901 wrote:

Luckily, I will be using bar mitts before the last month of the competition this time. So bring on the polar vortex, my hands will be toasty.

I have bicycled many hours in as low temperatures as we ever get in this area, without getting cold. For the extremities, this is what I’m using:

Hands: Ski gloves under Bar Mitts. I also wear a short-sleeved shirt, a heavy wool sweater, and a down jacket, which keeps the blood flowing down to my hands warm.
Feet: A light pair of socks, with heavy wool socks over them, with heavy leather shoes over them. I’m also wearing cycling tights with heavy wool pants over them, which keeps the blood flowing down to the feet warm.
Face: A buff covering neck, mouth, nose, ears, and top of the head. The neck is also covered by the collar of the down jacket. Then I put a wool cap that comes down over my ears over the buff, a helmet over that, and the hood of my down jacket over the helmet.

And if all that isn’t enough, it is also possible to use hand warmers and foot warmers inside one’s clothing. Of course, my riding is slower with all that clothing, but I have literally never been cold while wearing it.

@mstone 91405 wrote:

Must be nice. I don’t know how warm my feet would be with all that, but I know my core would be soaked.

Same here. I’d be soaked with sweat and I’d get cold from that. My problem in the cold is going home, when I have to ride up the grade. When I leave the sun is still out, so the combo of riding up the grade and the sun warms me up and I start to sweat, even when lightly clothed. Then, the sun retreats, the temps drop further, and I get cold because the sweat can’t wick/evaporate fast enough in cold temps (say, low 30’s). I haven’t figured out how to manage this yet.

@vern 91408 wrote:

Same here. I’d be soaked with sweat and I’d get cold from that. My problem in the cold is going home, when I have to ride up the grade. When I leave the sun is still out, so the combo of riding up the grade and the sun warms me up and I start to sweat, even when lightly clothed. Then, the sun retreats, the temps drop further, and I get cold because the sweat can’t wick/evaporate fast enough in cold temps (say, low 30’s). I haven’t figured out how to manage this yet.

Wool! if there’s anything i’ve learned is that a layer of wool between me and whatever windstopping layer is crucial to staying warm when sweaty and it’s below 20 degrees: head (rapha winter cap), feet (wool socks), hands (wool glove liners), and body (2 light wool baselayer long-sleeve shirts).