Yup, it's cold. It may not be as cold as that forsaken place where your friend has a friend who bikes to work uphill both ways, but it's hitting the super cold margins for Madison. I know I've asked you all to share your winter riding tips before- and I have appreciated all the responses. This time, if you have some special steps you take for -20 to -40 windchill riding, send them along.
Here are mine: Right before I gear up, I slather my face with almond oil (you could use any hydrophobic substance of your liking)- it seems to create an extra protective barrier between me and the frigid air. And I use some form of lip balm over that. I bust out my warmest lobster mitts. No matter how cold it is out, I sometimes work up enough heat that my hands begin to sweat, so I also carry lighter weight gloves to change into if necessary. This way my super warm mitts are dry when I bike back home. Not surprisingly, I wear extra layers on top. I have zippers on all but my baselayer so that I can regulate my temperature by zipping various layers up and down. I don't usually need any layers under my unvented winter sports helmet (it has ear flaps), but on days like today I add a thin balaclava to prevent frigid air from finding its way to my head. The very last piece of gear that I pull out of the closet is an extra ear warmer- it goes around my face and covers my nose- between my scarf and my goggles. That way I can keep the tip of my nose covered, my scarf is not pulled all the way up to my goggles causing fog, and the air streaming out of my nose has an escape route and doesn't make my scarf as icy. If I heat up, I just pull the ear warmer down and let it dangle around my neck. Oh yeah, and because it's so so dry out, I try to stay hydrated between rides. I have heard that your body is better able to regulate it's temperature when you are hydrated, and at least anecdotally it seems to hold true. -india -- India Viola Stretton Lab 115 Zoology Research 1117 W. Johnson St. Madison, WI 53706 608.262.3336 "How can we learn from our mistakes if we don't first acknowledge them?" -Anonymous Corporations are not citizens. Money is not speech. _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
