Clothing. Yes another CTR post...

One of the ways I use to count the “success” of a ride, was when I got the clothing right. Not too cold when I start, not too hot when I finish, no need to remove a layer once out on the trail. I think it’s part of a real, sort of, “cross country” attitude. Don’t stop. Keep going. Nothing on your back. Minimal everything. Though not “minimal” in the bikebacking sense, but in the “racer” sense of the word. You don’t carry a spare tube in a 20 mile race because by the time you changed the tire, the race would be long over. Now, I never subscribed to that kind of attitude because I always thought that you should always finish any race you start, regardless of where you finish, that’s the point. But I have spent a lot of time hemming and hawing over what to wear for the CTR, clothing is just one of the things that you need to get right...

So here I am trying to “test” my CTR clothing supply in the November weather that sort of replicates a cold Colorado night. So rather than trying to figure out what to wear, I start with everything I am planning on taking to CO, and just take off what I think I don’t need. (Andrew commented that when it is coldest, you should both not be cold and not have any clothes left in your bag, it should all be on you.) No trying to choose the “correct” weight of tights to wear based on the current and projected temperature. Maybe all of this is really just discovering the joys of leg warmers. I will say it is nice to have a “smaller toolbox” to draw from when getting dressed for an early morning ride. Less is better.

So here’s what I have:
wool sox and shoe covers
shorts and leg warmers
long sleeve base layer and short sleeve shirt
arm warmers and windbreaker
gloves and glove liners
sweatvac helmet liner

I think I am also going to take sunsleeves, it will be summer, after all. With this combination of items, I should be pretty much ready for a wide variety of conditions.

Other items that I will take for sleep and extreme conditions:
Warm tights with windproof front for really bad/cold weather and/or for sleeping in.
Lightweight down puffy jacket to put on after I stop riding and for sleeping in.
An extra pair of wool sox and shorts.

This may all seem pretty obvious and non-controversial, but you have to get to a place where you have made these decisions, where you’ve tested the gear under different conditions and where you have confidence in the selection being able to meet the wide variety of needs; hot/cold, wet/dry, riding/post-ride and the various combinations thereof. But nothing works like experience and I definitely understand how the folks who have been doing this for years can pare things down over time.

Pretty soon winter will set it and it will no longer be a good match with a summer Colorado night at 11,000 but I will continue to work on this and tune it and build confidence in my work.