The rain cowards will stay home, and you have a better chance!!!
Opening day is Saturday, so here are some tips-
Bring your trainer if the weather is bad, find a relatively sheltered spot (side of a building, Awning, or somebodys tent), and warm up on the trainer. Remember to keep warm clothing to a minimum when warming up on the trainer, as there is no wind chill and you will sweat faster.
If it’s raining and you are racing:
To keep your core warm, wear your windproof vest UNDER your jersey. Also, don’t forget the eye protection. All the dirt that ends up on your bike when it rains, can end up in your eyes.
Keep your butt in the saddle and accelerate smoothly out of the turns. If you stand and go hard, your back wheel may slip- wait until you are out of the corner to stand.
Post (wet) ride activities:
#1 turn on the car, get the heat going
#2 Put the bike away
#3 Wrap a beach towel around you, get the wet clothes off and get into dry stuff (here is where the towel really helps)
#4 get into car and warm up.
#5 go home and do your cooldown spin in a warm place, and drink your recovery drink.
Early season clothing tips:
Those thick polarfleece headbands work great- they allow heat to dissipate from the top of your head, but still keep the ears warm-
Wear thin gloves you can shift and brake easily with- bulky stuff just makes it hard to control your shifting and braking.
I love the heavy jacket for those long winter rides, but it flaps in the wind a lot when racing. A long sleeve jersey with arm warmers over it is much more aero. Leg warmers work better than tights in my opinion because they are less restrictive.
Most of all: Relax your hands and arms, the bike will handle better, and you will have much more fun. Go out and have a good race, this is where all your base miles will start to pay off. Racing IS intensity.
See ya’
Matt
