Winter cycling - a fashion victim speaks

Today I went for my daily ride in the Blue Mountains - a thirty-kilometre loop with the temperature hovering at 4 degrees celsius in early May. The westerly blew stronger than usual and dropped the wind chill down to 1 degree. In the coming months, it�s only going to get colder. It�s time I penned a few thoughts on what to wear in this weather.

I�ll start from the top. Apart from the compulsory helmet, I wear my treasured Fausto Coppi headwear - it�s a fabric tube that can be turned into neck warmer; bandana; ear warmer; head warmer or full-kit balaclava. I bought it for 10 euros (A$15) at the summit of Passo Dello Stelvio after a lovely three-hour climb from Bormio. At six o�clock in the evening, with two-metre high snow drifts beside the road, I knew I was in for a chilly descent. Fausto kept me snug and warm. The material is thin enough to hear approaching traffic, yet offers optimum warmth and stretches comfortably over my fat head. My favourite winter item.

Wanker alert: Most of the items I�m listing are bought while overseas simply because I was there and desperately needed warm clothing. It goes without saying that with harsher conditions, there are many more options to buy cheap yet effective clothing.

Instead of a jersey, I wear a light long-sleeve base-layer bought from the French chain-store Decathlon for the princely sum of 6 euros (A$10). It can be washed overnight and dries quickly and is remarkably warm for such a thin fabric. As a jacket, I have a few options - either a light Netti shell jacket that is shower proof and offers moderate protection or the bulkier Ondabike jacket, bought at the foot of Alpe d�Huez for 60 euros (A$90). The smooth outer-shell is shower-proof, but not suitable for heavy rain. 

For those conditions, I wear a gore-tex jacket - perhaps the ugliest item of clothing I�ve ever owned (if you discount the platform shoes I wore in 1974). I bought it at an outdoor store in Germany, while cycling along the Danube. The weather report promised ten days of rain all the way to Austria. The owner of the store offered me this jacket with the memorable phrase �you want to be handsome or you want to be dry.� It cost 20 euros (A$32) - I kid you not! With its two-tone blue horizontal stripes and cream base colour, it looks like the cast-off gear of a southern European yachtsman from 1985. I still shudder when I look in the mirror, but it�s absolutely 100% waterproof and that�s enough for me.

I wear cycle shorts and leg warmers rather than long pants. Leg-warmers can be easily removed if the weather improves and can be stowed in my jacket pocket. I bought a pair of leg-warmers from Cell Bikes in Sydney for a ridiculously cheap $8 and after five rides they have held together exceptionally well and are as warm as much more expensive options.

If you haven�t noticed yet, I�m not particularly interested in buying high-end name brands with large price tags. However, for my final winter item, I�d be willing to pay any amount of money to find a product that works. I speak of waterproof shoe covers. I�ve owned two name brand shoe-covers that claimed to be warm and water-proof. They were neither. And they lasted only a limited time before fraying around the seams and looking (and smelling) rather tacky. On a long-distance ride across France in 2012, at one stage I resorted to plastic bags - see photo below. 

If nothing else, it propelled me to the front of the line in boulangeries as everyone moved away from the madman in lycra and plastic.

Having given up on waterproof shoe-covers, I�ve recently purchased a pair of waterproof SealSkinz socks from Wiggle UK. They cost a whopping $45 and I�ve worn them twice - they are warm. As yet, it hasn�t rained so I can�t vouch for their ability to keep my feet dry. I�ve seen photos of people standing in water and claiming the socks are impregnable, but I�ll wait until the next downpour before passing judgement. I do worry about their �wicking� properties. They may be waterproof, but if I sweat bucket loads, it amounts to the same thing - cold and wet. 

Every chilly morning when I prepare for my ride, my wife shakes her head in wonder at the fashion accident on display. �Ugly, but warm,� is my only answer.

I've written three travel ebooks on my cycling adventures across Europe. They sell for between $2.99 and $3.99, depending on which currency you use. You can visit my Amazon page here for the USA; here for the UK and here for Australia