Southern California - I don't know why I thought it would be warmer...

The day after Thankgiving I rode up to Mt. Wilson from the Burbank area. Usual route, Glenoaks, Verdugo, AC... Met a couple of other cycling folks up at Red Box. It was windy and in the low 50's. Thought about turning around there, as I was only sporting a long sleeve and no gloves. But, the whatever the hell is wrong with me told me to keep going to Wilson. That is a great 5 mile ride from RB. As I was getting there, I passed a KOM jersey holder, who didn't respond to my greeting. Perhaps he was simply too chilled. At the summit it was in the low 40's. My fingers were numbing and I was starting to shiver. Now, I know some from colder climes can handle this kind of thing better. But, I'm not one of them.

On the descent, I was shaking and the wind was gusting. And I was shaking and the wind was gusting. It was simply harder to descend than to ascend. I was freezing my a** off and I could barely control my bike.

All the way to Foothill.

Well, yesterday I did it again. I added a vest, full finger gloves and knee warmers. I turned around at Red Box and I was still cold. What it isn't summer?

And I still see people up there with short sleeves. ??

Some people have a higher tolerance to cold... I'm not one of them, at all.

On the descent, I was shaking and the wind was gusting. And I was shaking and the wind was gusting. It was simply harder to descend than to ascend. I was freezing my a** off and I could barely control my bike.

i had a similar experience on palomar a couple of years ago. i reached a point where i thought maybe it would be safer to get off the bike and walk the descent until it warmed up a little.

in general, i also don't do so well in the cold. this time of year, i'm wearing arm and knee warmers along with a vest and sometimes a base layer. but everytime i ride, i still see folks out with no cold weather gear whatsoever.

yah you gotta layer up for the DH, mostly windchill factor.

I need to ride Red Box one of these days. Hopefully early next yr. Seems my weekend are getting booked fast.

Check this site before you go up there.
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm
Join the New Years Day ride to Mount Wilson, and bring a jacket.

Yeah, I love that sight. It reminds me why I ride up there. Never gets old. I wish I was riding there right now. Maybe this New Years.

I love the cold, thats how I roll

Personally I'd rather stuff the extra warmth into a jersey pocket, or simply unzip, if I get too warm. I hate being cold.

For the New Years Day ride, I bring a large Camelbak and stuff it with a jacket, hat, long gloves and more.
Any cold day with a long climb followed by a long descent spells trouble. I guess if I had a packable Gore-tex jacket I wouldn't need the Camelbak.

If you are lucky, on the weekend, the Hahamonga Tribe's exhibit is open at Red Box. You can warm up there. I just make a small donation or buy a candy bar from my friend who mans her post every weekend. I think her last weekend is this week so after that we are on our own. In the summer that's a great spot to buy a cold drink ,and as always, the candy bar before going up to Wilson.:)

If you are lucky, on the weekend, the Hahamonga Tribe's exhibit is open at Red Box. You can warm up there. I just make a small donation or buy a candy bar from my friend who mans her post every weekend. I think her last weekend is this week so after that we are on our own. In the summer that's a great spot to buy a cold drink ,and as always, the candy bar before going up to Wilson.:)

It's hard to dress for a long climb then descent in cool weather. I do a climb from town that has 4K' vertical gain. It might be near 60 to start but in the 30s at the top. No matter how many clothes I carry I'm always cold coming back down. I guess sitting on the bike at 40 mph in near freezing temps after a sweaty climb is going to get you cold. Somehow I always forget just how cold cause I keep riding up there.