Winter riding gear

Jill in Alaska writes about her Alaskan winter riding gear.

I'm far from Alaska so my riding conditions aren't nearly as extreme as Jill's. On the coldest winter nights it might drop down to the minus single digits Fahrenheit (about -20 C). At those temps my typical wear from top to bottom is:

• helmet
• Sirius balaclava,
• REI Obnoxious Yellow cycling shell jacket with midweight fleece shirt,
• insulated ski gloves,
• lightweight fleece pants with a windproof shell over it,
• midweight Bridgedale hiking socks,
• plastic baggies over the feet to block the wind, and
• Lake mountain bike shoes.

When it's that cold I'm not out for a recreational ride. You cannot get enough air into the lungs quickly enough to get a meaningful workout when it's far below freezing; it's better to stay indoors and hit the rollers or get some weight training in.

When I lived in Illinois with winter temps at minus 20 and the prairie wind blowing at 20+ mph, I wore two pair of heavy wool army socks, black leather army boots, and approximately a zillion layers of heavy army surplus covering my legs and torso.

See related: icebike, winter, cycling, alaska