I don’t know about you, but for me the worst part about riding in bad weather is sitting in the house pre-ride and looking out of the window.
From the warmth of your sofa the weather outside always looks appalling, and taking that mental step to get outside and ride is by far the biggest battle.
Sure, the first couple of kilometres might feel rather cold while your body heats up, but on 90 per cent of bad weather rides the real thing isn’t anywhere near as bad as I feared when I was sitting inside.
Weatherproof kit from Castelli, Sportful, Endura, Santini, Vermarc, Moa and Rapha
One way to solve this is to make things easy for yourself. If your riding clothes are ready and accessible, and your bike is ready to roll then the transition from sofa to saddle is far quicker than if you have to dig things out or shift clutter around.
Another key element is making sure you pick the right kit. For example, the key part of riding in the rain is staying warm – not necessarily keeping dry – and that’s why weatherproof clothing like the Castelli Gabba has become so popular in recent years. If it’s raining hard enough you’re going to get wet no matter what, but it’s whether or not you keep warm that will be the central factor in whether or not the ride turns from fun to miserable.
Similarly, when it’s cold you need to master layering, and if you need any ideas, take a look at our winter clothing guide. While you might worry about the cold, you also need to think about what’ll happen should you find yourself getting a little too warm. Whether it’s a jacket that unzips, something with extra vents or a removable and packable top layer, you need a way to cool down (without going too far) when you work hard and your body starts to produce a lot of heat.
