What to wear for 300km Ride with varying temperature

rorymcgrory

Hi,
Any advice on best clothing for a 300km next week? Our team has a start time of 01:04am. Weather can be pretty cold at that hour (was 5 degrees last year I'm told) but should warm up significantly (15 perhaps) by 6am. I'm thinking arm and leg warmers, shoe covers as my feet are always cold in low temp, a mesh sleeveless vest and club jersey over.  We are aiming for sub 9 hours so there's not much time for messing with clothes. No idea how to handle the hands. For sure at 1am I will need good gloves

Miklos

Will you have anything in the way of support from a car or anything like that?

My advice would be to keep it modular; base layer, short sleeve and shorts as your core items and you can build it up from there. Start off with arm warmers and a light packable rain jacket, I'd probably go with knee warmers over leg warmers myself, light long finger gloves if you get cold hands. Then you can strip off as you/the temps warm up.

That's my 2c anyway.

Chips Lovell

Is this in Ireland?

I think you're on the right track. Layers and lots of stuff you can easily take on and off on the bike like arm warmers, leg warmers, gilet etc.

Seaswimmer

rorymcgrory wrote: »

Hi,
Any advice on best clothing for a 300km next week? Our team has a start time of 01:04am. Weather can be pretty cold at that hour (was 5 degrees last year I'm told) but should warm up significantly (15 perhaps) by 6am. I'm thinking arm and leg warmers, shoe covers as my feet are always cold in low temp, a mesh sleeveless vest and club jersey over. We are aiming for sub 9 hours so there's not much time for messing with clothes. No idea how to handle the hands. For sure at 1am I will need good gloves

Average speed of 33km/h:eek:

Keeping cool may be your problem with that kind of speed and effort.

But good advice from Miklos.

ford2600

Given time frame do what Miklos says.

If in Ireland don't be so sure of 15C at 6am. I've started a couple of 300s in summer well below 10C at 6am

Given your speed start a little cool and you won't be cool for long, light gilet maybe with summer gear.

If you get it right shouldnt be much need for sheding clothing at all.

For next year cold adapt, it involves some unpleasantness but makes one more adaptable for this type of thermal challenge.

Best of luck with event

Wishbone Ash

Seaswimmer wrote: »

Average speed of 33km/h:eek:....

And that's without stopping?

Factor in a few food stops and it will require an even higher average.:eek::eek:

OleRodrigo

Not much danger of overheating in Ireland.

Weepsie

If you can, try a Sportful Fiandre Light NoRain jacket. It's incredibly versatile. Super light, but will keep you warm and squishes up real small. It's fairly breathable too and good in a light shower.

C3PO

I was on the bike at 6.30am this morning and it was nothing like 15C!
As suggested, shorts, base-layer, jersey, arm and knee warmers. I would also probably start with a gilet or even a light jacket if I had someone to give it to when it got too hot.

Mefistofelino

Vatternrundan, I'm guessing?

Advice above is fairly solid but my 2 cents - if you are driving for a quick time and want to minimise the amount of faffing and aren't opposed to wastage on cost or environmental grounds, consider very cheap arm / knee warmers / gloves / oversocks and bin them when you get hot if you can't carry them home.
However, as you are expecting to start at 1 am and be done by 10am, you might be overestimating how warm you'll feel by the finish, particularly if you aren't used to riding through the night. Not unusual to suffer from the "long dark teatime of the soul" around 5 or 6 am and feel colder than you'd expect. Add in a cooler-than-usual day or a bit or drizzle and you'll glad of the extra kit.

ford2600

Mefistofelino wrote: »

Vatternrundan, I'm guessing?

Put a team together for next year; KOS, DC, JC (UK version), JC(West cork version), JL and the two of us swing off the back for 299km?

Mefistofelino

ford2600 wrote: »

the two of us swing off the back for 299km?

"I'm not swinging off the back - I'm sitting-in for the gallop"

rorymcgrory

Yes it was Vätternrundan. Weather was fantastic, best in years so I finished with 8:49. We had a 1:02am start time and it was 14 degrees. I had a mesh base layer and short bibs, long gloves. No shoe covers. It worked out perfect. Thanks for all the advice guys.

CramCycle

rorymcgrory wrote: »

Yes it was V?tternrundan. Weather was fantastic, best in years so I finished with 8:49. We had a 1:02am start time and it was 14 degrees. I had a mesh base layer and short bibs, long gloves. No shoe covers. It worked out perfect. Thanks for all the advice guys.

7hrs 47min

Thats about an average of 38.5km/hr.

Mental stuff, well done.

magicbastarder

i read 8:49 as the time taken, not the finishing time.

CramCycle

magicbastarder wrote: »

i read 8:49 as the time taken, not the finishing time.

It is too early in the morning to be reading numbers, still an average of close to 35kmph, hugely impressive.

Miklos

Fantastic effort, well done!