This left me wondering why I got so cold last night but did not have any issues with cold during the 24 Hours of Grand Targhee in similar temps. Here are my thoughts:
#1 Moisture management - During the 24 hour race I was riding at a moderate pace and not sweating profusely. Last night, we pinned it for an hour solid up Snow King to begin our ride and were soaking wet when we hit the top. The wet clothes chilled my core as we bombed downhill.
#2 Cold core = cold extremeties - Once at the top of Snow King I should have added a heavy layer to the torso for the long downhill but instead added only a flimsy vest and arm warmers. Once my core got cold, my hands turned to frozen stumps and I could barely work the brake levers.
#3 Add layers before its too late - In the Targhee race, I added layers in anticipation of the cold and unzipped as needed on the climbs. Last night, I had no extra layers to add because I had a brain fart and decided to "go light". Dumb.
Next time the Camelbak with have LOTS of extra layers and a couple of chemical hand warmers.
Unrelated to this post, here is cool pic taking by one of the Grand Targhee employees during the 24 hour race.
That 24-hour race pic is great. I tend to have my scariest brushes with cold/hypothermia in the late spring and early fall, when I tend to let my guard down the most and pay dearly for complacency. Once winter comes and the temperatures really fall, I am fine. Funny how it works that way for most "winter" riders.
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