I'm next door in Georgia.

Keep in mind that I'm 53 and age makes a difference. Younger guys can get away with less but this is my advice.

Keep your feet, hands and head warm. Good shoe covers, appropriate gloves and a wool beanie are the basics but I also use a Smartwool "buff" around my neck at times and own a balaclava for the coldest days.

Layer your torso. The front/outside layer can be wind block and I find that when wearing three layers or more a base layer with wind block on the front such as a Craft WS (wind stop) can help keep cold air off the chest. I'm susceptible to bronchitis so keeping cold wind off the chest is important to me. Most of my outer garments are well ventilated in the back to exhaust a large volume of moist air.

Temperature control is done at the front of the torso. There is a delicate balance between warmth vs ventilation/keeping dry and when layers are done right a very small adjustment in the front zipper is all that is needed. I rode yesterday in the high 30's and only once adjusted my zipper more than four inches down from fully zipped. Two zippered layers are best for me - wind block on the outside and a jersey underneath, both with zippers, gives very good control over the amount of cooling air allowed to get near the base layer. Zipper pulls which are easy to work with gloves makes things much easier when riding and many manufacturers just don't get that.

Sometimes you just have to slow down and cool off or up the pace and warm up, especially if the weather changes or the sun comes out or hides behind clouds. I've stashed arm warmers and base layers in the bushes during rides and driven back in my car later in the day to retrieve.

Planning routes around hot beverage stops can help. A cup of hot green tea at Starbucks or hot chocolate at the convenience store late in the ride can can turn a miserable death march into a reasonably enjoyable day. I know from experience that hypothermia sucks and so I'm not shy about stopping if I feel the need.


-Tim-