What to wear

Plan for the weather

Look at the weather several times: the day before, the morning of, and closer to race time. If the forecast is changing a lot, then the weather is unsettled and you need to allow for contingencies. If the forecast stays the same, you can be fairly confident in what it says. Take note of the temperature, wind speeds, and millimetres of rain/snow predicted at both practice and race times and plan your clothing and embrocation/oil accordingly. Remember that rain during races before yours may affect the course you end up riding, even if it's dry for you, so think about the whole day!

(c) Abid Shah via Unsplash

For practice

Be comfortable, but aim not to get cold. When you're based in a car or van it can be hard to warm up again properly if your core gets cold, and this can affect your performance for hours afterwards. You won't win any medals in practice so make sure you can perform your best in the race.

For racing

Racing is when your body will really generate heat. Wear enough that you aren't getting cold, but only what is necessary. Additional layers often interfere with how fluid and agile you are on the bike. For example, my legs never perform as well in leg warmers, and even worse in tights! So I'd never cover them up unless it was cold enough to limit my performance without. It's a fine balance that is down to the individual, but these charts offer a good starting point.

Size matters

If you are small, you will lose heat faster than a bigger rider. If you know you struggle with the cold, plan for it. Even the best riders have been caught out. Remember Eli Iserbyt getting carried off the course with suspected hypothermia?

Extreme heat

If you need to drink to manage the heat, use a bottle cage. It is allowed. And some people (like me) have medical conditions that make hot/thirsty conditions a risk to health, so don't give people stick for their choices.

You can also check out our specific guide to base layers.

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