There is no such thing as bad weather – only bad clothing.

It appears that I was a little premature in calling the demise of winter. The cold air that we have avoided so far this winter has finally arrived. With the cold weather comes a question; It’s 14 degrees outside and you have an 8 hour ride planned, what do you wear? (I will ignore the fact that most of you are saying “I’m NOT going for a ride!”)

Last Thursday, I had to answer this question and I had to get it right. If I didn’t, I was going to be cold and miserable. Here is an inventory of what I wore:

- Craft undershirt with nylon front
- Tour de Stooges cycling jersey (gotta have pockets and a sense of humor)
- Cycling jacket
- Fleece vest
- Ski jacket
- Cycling shorts (need the pad)
- Two pair of tights (one with wind resistant front)
- Two pair of socks (1st layer for wicking 2nd for warmth)
- Cycling shoes
- Chemical warmers (better living through chemistry)
- Heavy booties
- Balaclava
- Ski hat
- Brain bucket
- Lobster gloves (my hands have never gotten cold with these on)

I know that I have a lot of layers on top but I find that if I keep my core warm, my hands and feet will be warm. If your core isn’t warm, your body will sacrifice your extremities.

Although I didn’t have it for last Thursday, my latest piece of cold weather gear is my Surly cross bike (THANKS BIKEMAN.COM!)


I had a box of spare parts and components sitting around and decided that a cycle cross bike would be perfect for winter training, so I ordered an inexpensive frame and fork set from Bikeman, and Brian Rossignol put it all together for me.

This bike is a blast and it’s comfortable. I have a set of low profile cross tires on it, so the bike zips along on the pavement but has enough traction to handle dirt roads, mud and snow. I have been exploring and have found some great new places to ride. It has a much further range then my mt bike and isn’t restricted to the pavement like my road bikes.

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