Cycling in the Wind and the Chill

While many cyclists are shutting down their season or are waiting inside for the next swell of Indian Summer, a few of us are still out there braving the chilly wind.

What’s our secret?

First, we crave fresh air and abhor cycling to nowhere indoors. Then, we dress for comfort.

Cheating the wind and keeping warm and dry are our mantra. Layering and wool are our pals, and marino wool is preferred for its softness. Wool wicks moisture, so we wear that marino close to the skin. A company called Craft also makes great underlayments-- like a high neck pullover with a wind breaking front panel.

Then we pull our long sleeve jersey over the top. As the thermometer dips, we wear a vest over our long sleeve jersey. The vest breaks the wind around the chest and lets the sweat out the back and underarms.

Keeping our head warm keeps the rest of us warm. When it dips into the 50s, we don a soft wool cap beneath our helmet. In the 40s and below, we pull on a helmet cover to keep the wind out.

The howling wind can cause tinnitus and temporary insanity or worse. We prefer ‘Ear Bags’ to earplugs. The Bags keep ears warm and attenuate the rush that drives us nuts and prevents us from hearing vehicles approaching from behind.

Wool socks keep our toes comfy into the 50s. Below that, we pull on booties to cheat the wind. In winter, we buy toe warmers for a buck a pair from Farm & Fleet or Menards and stick em on our wool socks beneath our tootsies.

A light cycling glove works great down into the mid 40s. Below that, we pull on lightweight wind proof mittens over our gloves. We don't care to be texting while cycling in winter. We really don’t want to be texting while cycling period.

If we’ve forgotten anything, drop us a line. Just remember: Fresh air’s the thing, and indoor cycling is boring.

Finally, if we must hang up the bike, because we simply cannot cope with the wind and the chill, we don’t hang it in our unheated garage. We hang it in the warm dry basement. Otherwise, we’ll be visiting the bike shop next spring to replace a rusty chain and/or other moving parts.