On Hot Climbs and Cold Valley

When I left home this morning the sun had not risen yet so my legs, and other parts were cold. I could feel that more layers might have been welcome. That’s because cycling in Autumn is about moving from a hot apartment to a cold dawn air temperature, before meeting with a group and cycling up a mountain, getting hot, and then heading back down into valleys hidden from the sun.

This is the time of year where you go from being toasty, to being cold, and then warm again, and then cold. For the first time, on this ride when we got back to Nyon I had just one desire, to go home and put on a sweater to warm up. Eventually I did just that, and it felt nice.

If you’re hiking you can wear layers. As the temperature rises you remove one, and then another, and as you do you place them in a backpack. When you’re cycling if you remove layers they need to fit into small pockets. The result is that either you’re an optimist, and take little, or you’re a realist, and feel too warm on the climb, and cold on the descent.

In winter proper, you’d dress for the cold, and it would just be cold. In Spring, and winter you dress for the morning but eventually get too warm. Tomorrow’s group ride starts at 09:30 which is better. It means that we should get the noon day sun by the end of the ride, and the air temperature will be more comfortable, right from the start. I expect not to dress so warmly.

At the same time, it’s a shame not to ride later, once the temperature has risen, but to do so would be to have more cars. There were quite a few cars heading to a recycling centre this morning.

In theory the temperature ranged from 10-15°c which isn’t that cold but there is a considerable windchill when cycling, and it was quite humid.

When I cleaned the bike the sun on my back felt warm, so I took off the sweater and now I’m comfortable again.

And Finally

This bike ride involved climbing 800m and going from sun soaked hills to shady valleys multiple times. Near Signal de Bougy it was warm, but as soon as we headed into the shade it was cold. That’s why layers would be good, and why it’s important to choose whether to be too warm, or too cold. I prefer to be too warm. Desite that I drank little. At this time of year the air cools you, and there is less evaporation. Tomorrow will be more comfortable.