Tuesday am ride

[jeremy]

Just wondering exactly how painfully cold the sunday ride was, so I know how many layers I want to wear tomorrow morning.

[Josh.E]

Yup, major winter gloating points up for grabs tomorrow morning.
Sunday was +1 by 7:30AM, but with strong winds. Tomorrow morning is calling for -5 at 6:00AM and calm. Probably shouldn’t be frosty/slippery though as it’s already below freezing now.

For Sunday I wore:
Nike base layer
Sugoi fleece lined jersey
Regular jersey
My MEC “approach” jacket similar to a winter cycling jacket
Fleece lined winter pants with regular bib shorts over them
Microfleece balaclava (I think something to cover the nose might be a good call tomorrow)
MEC neoprene paddling gloves with fleece ski glove liners over them
Two pairs of merino wool socks with wind proof booties over the shoes.

I was perfect. Nothing cold.

So, who else is planning on being there tomorrow?

[Plawless]

I wore:

lightweight climbing jersey
Shorts
shoes without socks (to save weight)

and it was fine. C'mon ya buch of babies! Its dry and "crisp" - I guarantee there will be weeks where we will be dreaming of this weather....... so bundle up and saddle up!

[jeremy]

oh ok peter, tomorrow morning I expect to see you show up wearing your Borat swimming suit. (I just don't want to be the one riding right behind you)

[steve]

I'm in for tomorrows ride - with no wind and appropriate dress it should actually be relatively pleasant.

[Greg Miller]

I will be there. Dewpoint is -12c, so it will be frost-free. Beats sideways rain any day!

[ART BOY]

I wore:

lightweight climbing jersey
Shorts
shoes without socks (to save weight)

and it was fine. C'mon ya buch of babies! Its dry and "crisp" - I guarantee there will be weeks where we will be dreaming of this weather....... so bundle up and saddle up!

and I wore:
MEC light weight long shorts (mud grey)
closed toe flip flops (sharks fin)
non coton t-shirt (Sitka)
underwear (none)

at Jasper's Swim meet (Cambel River)

[Lister Farrar]

I'll be there. Two pairs of booties were fine at 0, neoprene under goretex; thinking of something more for -5.

I wore a balaclava and a lycra tuque under the helmet. A bit of a headache until I got the helmet adjusted. I think Dave's over-helmet shower cap thing looks like a better idea. Where do you get those?

Anyone got a, er, protection idea for the, er, front? XC skiers wear briefs with a wind panel, but wondering about over shorts. Other ideas?

[jeremy]

Lister, I was just down at MEC and they had those helmet cover things

[Lister Farrar]

Hey, my bro says there is more than gloating points for riding at minus 5. It's worth 2-3x the fitness!

________________________________________
From: Tim Farrar [mailto:tjfarrar@comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 11:53 AM
To: 'Lister Farrar'
Subject: RE: shiver me timbers

Just keep reminding yourself that rides in crappy conditions build fitness at 2-3 times the rate of sunny warm rides. It’s a fact. Or it ought to be.

[Josh.E]

where does your brother get this info from?

[Lister Farrar]

From the CDC.

Read the fine print in the post.


*College of Deluded Cyclists

[jeremy]

Lister, was just reading this online, cold weather workouts can help burn more fat.

Here's an exerpt, link is here --->
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0905.htm

How cold empties glycogen stores
A unique aspect of exercising in the cold is that it can - somewhat paradoxically - produce both glycogen depletion and high rates of fat metabolism. The glycogen depletion is caused by two factors: first shivering, which causes muscles to empty their glycogen stores at 5-6 times the normal rate; secondly, increased blood levels of epinephrine (adrenaline), a hormone which stimulates glycogen breakdown.
This high rate of glycogen usage tends to empty out muscle glycogen depots, forcing muscles to turn to fat as a source of energy. Epinephrine can also enhance fat metabolism, and there is some evidence that insulin levels are lower during the winter time, an effect which could also spur fat breakdown. Thus, colder portions of the year can be an excellent time to lose weight and improve body composition, especially since the cold also tends to raise one's resting metabolic rate. Additionally, exercising in the cold is often associated with an increased energetic cost of movement which can help push you into a 'negative energy balance' (3).
There is some evidence, albeit controversial, that winter exercise not only makes a sizable dent in your fat stores, but also helps to shed your most dangerous fat - the lard which is inside your body cavities, clinging to your internal organs. It is this deep, internal fat, not the tallow perched under your skin, which is most closely linked to high blood-fat levels and depressed concentrations of the protective high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Why is deep fat so hazardous? When fat cells inside your abdominal cavity release fat into the blood, the fat moves directly to your liver, where it can be transformed quickly into VLDLs and LDLs - the 'bad' fats which are associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease. On the other hand, the fats inside your muscles and under your skin have a decent chance of being broken down by your muscles before they reach the liver. As athletes' muscles gobble up this fat, blood concentrations of HDL cholesterol tend to rise.
Are there special workouts which can enhance fat breakdown during the cooler part of the year? Basically, 60-minute bouts of exercise in nippy air, during which you attempt to push up the intensity a little rather than just poking lethargically along, are fantastic for breaking down fat, and slight adjustments in your workout schedule can also force the fat-burning fires to kindle with particular intensity. One useful strategy is to exercise for about an hour in the evening after dinner, refrain from eating afterwards, then complete another 60-minute bout of strenuous exercise on the following morning before breakfast. Your muscles will be quite glycogen-depleted during the sunrise session, causing fat to be metabolised at a higher rate than usual. This strategy also works during warmer parts of the year, but the unique nature of cold weather running may tend to magnify fat utilisation. Don't try this night-morning combo unless you are well-rested and feeling good, however.
Of course, one of the dangers of cold weather workouts is that you can sometimes get too cold. The danger does not arise from the frosty air per se but from the combination of frigid air and sweat. Cold air doesn't shut down the sweating process, and you begin to lose heat at an accelerated rate as your clothing becomes saturated with moisture. Water is a terrible insulator (it conducts heat away from the body about 25 times faster than air), so sweat-soaked clothes can transform an initially comfortable run into what feels like an arctic expedition. This can be especially dangerous if fatigue or injury produces a sudden downturn in running velocity.

[Rolf]

the lard which is inside your body cavities, clinging to your internal organs.

Mmmm, I'm hungry all of a sudden.

[Lister Farrar]

That's interesting Jeremy. By coincidence I was reading an interview of Allan Lim, Radio Shack's physiologist, and he said this:

In fact, the literature is chock full of elite athletes producing higher threshold values, higher VO2max values, when they're exercising in near freezing temperatures.

http://velocitynation.com/content/inter ... rmins-guru

Maybe my brother wasn't just blowing smoke...