Categories: Accessories and GearBelgian AffirmationsEtiquette

Cover High Before You Cover Low

Hinault keeps the guns clean.

With the transitions of seasons occurring all over the world as Summer shifts to Fall in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter to Spring in the Southern, we are faced with the seasonal challenge of how to kit up properly for volatile and variable weather conditions.

One of the most common mistakes made, apart from overdressing, is riders offending our collective sensibilities by inexplicably wearing leg coverings with short sleeve jerseys; an aesthetic faux-pas of monumental proportions. We’ve already discussed the merits of layering when kitting up in your Flandrian Best, and this specifically addresses the oft-abused Point IIV as discussed therein:

Maintain order; if it’s cold enough for knee warmers, it’s cold enough for arm warmers. First come arm warmers, then knee warmers.

While wearing shirt-sleeves and pantaloons is acceptable for civilian attire, doing so with your Cycling kit marks the rider like a greasy Cat 5 tattoo on the calf. The lower half of our bodies is working much harder than our upper bodies, which sit nearly motionless as our guns piston away at the pedals leaving a path of destroyed dreams and broken souls in our wake. The legs need air to breathe, room to roam freely; the caged bird doesn’t sing and covering up the guns unnecessarily with lycra is like caging a wild bird of prey.

There is a certain pleasure to be found in kitting up perfectly for the day’s ride. We deliberate over the temperature, the wind, the likelihood of rain. We lay out our options like a Valet for his nobleman, we may even take a step outside and reconsider our choices. Returning from the ride many hours later, we allow a wry smile to creep across our faces in the knowledge that we nailed our kit today.

Expect to be cold when you first step outside. Once the engine is running, it will be pumping out heat; when you’re properly dressed for riding, you will be cold whenever you are standing still. If you’re comfortable standing still, you will overheat once the game is afoot and the engine room is calling for more coals to be heaped on the fire.
Remember your layers, and always consider arm warmers and a gilet before a long sleeve jersey and knee warmers before tights. These give you the possibility of micro-adjusting your temperature as the day warms or cools, or if the rains suddenly arrive. Only move to long sleeve jerseys when there is no possibility of overheating.
Long-fingered gloves are only allowed when paired up with arm warmers or a long sleeve jersey.
Belgian booties are always acceptable in Spring and Fall, and always look the business.
Wearing full leg warmers and a long sleeve jersey while enjoying a Pre-Ride espresso and talking shit is ultra-Pro. Deploy this at-will throughout the season, so long as you remove these layers prior to throwing leg over top tube.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

ErikdR says:

Sep 17 2015 at 12:48 pm

@TheVid

@sthilzy

Mind you have seen some hard-asses riders in shorts kit in 5’C winter mornings! Me thinks how do you do that?!

...and calling in sick if the high was going to be below -35C. We just weren’t paid enough to work in that weather.

That final line there has officially short-circuited the few remaining synapses in my faltering brain, I'm afraid. Cycling in minus thirty-five Celsius? Seriously?? Holy crap...

On the other hand... Have any of you fine Velominati paid a visit to the excellent website of the Winnipeg Cyclechick? She posted an article at some point called "Dressed to Chill", if memory serves me, that may have been along similar lines. Ye gods. And here I was, thinking I was a badass for riding in temperatures above - but close to - freezing point. I stand corrected...

Where, exactly, are those prairies of the Great White North you refer to, if I may ask? Are we talking Canada here - or Siberia?
wiscot says:

Sep 17 2015 at 12:56 pm

Poetic, philosophical and pertinent piece. Just this past weekend I rode the Door County century here in WI (For the geographically-challenged, Door Co. is basically the finger that sticks out to the upper right of the state). I started at 7am and the temps were maybe, maybe mid 40s. I knew from the forecast it was going to hit low/mid 70s by noon. The plan was shorts, base layer, s/s jersey and arm warmers. The last part ended when I realized I had one arm warmer and one knee warmer in my bag. Other riders were dressed as if it was November.

I froze for the first 15 or so miles. It wasn't fun, but my chills turned to pleasure as I saw other riders strip layer after layer off and stuffed into pockets, making them look like domestiques for a whole team without a car. Me? Looking sleek and pro and perfectly attired, I clocked my fastest century ever (thanks to getting in with some Wheel & Sprocket guys).

Sure, starting out dressed less than ideal might not be the ideal, but you have to think about the whole ride, not just the start.

As for the lead pic, that's Hinault in the 1980 Liege-Bastogne-Liege - the race where he won by almost 10 minutes in some of the worst conditions ever. He lost feeling in several fingers and it still afflicts him to this day. Other pics show him wearing a cape and a red wooly balaclava. He layered up right. But then Hinault did just about everything right.
ErikdR says:

Sep 17 2015 at 1:03 pm

@Teocalli

This is one area where living at the bottom of a hill is better than at the top. Living on the top as I do, when I set out on winter rides I’m straight into big wind chill deficit before I warm up. So a light layer of a windproof jacket and/or arm warmers are pretty key.

This. Ages ago, on a cycling holiday in France/Italy, I camped in the Alps at a pretty high altitude, and kitted up for the next days' ride in fine, sunny, no-wind conditions. Hopped onto the bike and started screaming downhill - and within minutes, I was literally and vocally screaming as well. Had to stop after 5 minutes of sheer agony, to don all the woolly stuff I could find in the panniers - and I still made heavy use of the brakes for the next half hour or so, in an attempt to limit the wind-chill. Memorable ride, that.
teleguy57 says:

Sep 17 2015 at 1:40 pm

@wiscot

Poetic, philosophical and pertinent piece. Just this past weekend I rode the Door County century here in WI (For the geographically-challenged, Door Co. is basically the finger that sticks out to the upper right of the state). I started at 7am and the temps were maybe, maybe mid 40s. I knew from the forecast it was going to hit low/mid 70s by noon. The plan was shorts, base layer, s/s jersey and arm warmers. The last part ended when I realized I had one arm warmer and one knee warmer in my bag. Other riders were dressed as if it was November.

I froze for the first 15 or so miles. It wasn’t fun, but my chills turned to pleasure as I saw other riders strip layer after layer off and stuffed into pockets, making them look like domestiques for a whole team without a car. Me? Looking sleek and pro and perfectly attired, I clocked my fastest century ever (thanks to getting in with some Wheel & Sprocket guys).

Hey, likely my peeps! Good group of folks there, although I again was playing corp spouse at a conference rather than riding as I should have been. Were you rockin' the V-Kit? I can ask friends if they rode with you.

Congrats on the PR, and I'm still looking to be able to meet in person and ride together sometime.

@frank and all: And I too have been thinking about the seasons changing and looking forward to switching to thermal bibs, then adding knee warmers along with arm warmers and eventually LS jerseys. Great lead pic reminds us that tougher conditions just make us better riders.
fignons barber says:

Sep 17 2015 at 2:02 pm

I must be way older than most of you fellows. When I started in the 1980's, it was a nice coat of Vaseline on the knees when it was below 45F (knee warmers had not been discovered yet). For the arms, we cut a hole in the toes of old long white tube socks and used them on our arms (because that's what Sean Kelly did). Looking PRO was soo much less expensive then.
ErikdR says:

Sep 17 2015 at 2:08 pm

@fignons barber

Excellent stuff! My 'career' (or feeble excuse for same) started around 1976 - so I hear you loud and clear, brother.
wiscot says:

Sep 17 2015 at 2:08 pm

@teleguy57

They were great guys. Jeff was one of them - regular Drop the Doc group rider. I was wearing B&W Carnacs, black shorts and a red, white & black jersey. Proper etiquete was observed: I asked if I might join them, then upon getting an affirmative, making sure I got a couple of good pulls in right away. Probably rode 60+ miles with them.
DeKerr says:

Sep 17 2015 at 2:34 pm

@RobSandy

I hear ya when in come to the "Kneekers". Bought a pair for last winter and had the same challenge finding the right fit. I settled on the the thigh/knee/upper calf fit, leaving the lower shin to suffer.

This year I may just settle for a pair of Castelli Nanoflex Knickers and be done with it.
Oli says:

Sep 17 2015 at 3:00 pm

They are called knee warmers, not calf warmers. Get full length leg warmers if your calves are getting cold.
piwakawaka says:

Sep 17 2015 at 5:06 pm

@Teocalli

This is one area where living at the bottom of a hill is better than at the top. Living on the top as I do, when I set out on winter rides I’m straight into big wind chill deficit before I warm up. So a light layer of a windproof jacket and/or arm warmers are pretty key.

follow the pro's, magazine down the jersey, ditch at first rubbish bin, I have a 2.30min descent at the start of my rides, bloody freezing in the winter.

Had my first ride in just a long sleeve jersey this week, first race of spring tomorrow... 'cold strong southerlies with showers developing, high of 11c'.