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Learn to thrive in a cold weather race

I have had some amazing races in horrible weather conditions that have made some think  wet weather is my forte. The first was in 2012 when I won Oceanside 70.3 and the latest was this past July when I finished second at Ironman Canada in my debut over the distance. These performances were preceded by many seasons of winter riding in the Pacific Northwest and many cycling racing in torrential rain, hail or snow (in July). Racing in sloppy conditions comes down to one thing: preparation. There are things you can control and things you can’t, but you can get prepared for anything on race day.

Muddy mess on the mountain bike circuit- it was about 12C and pouring rain but this was a short track so only about 30 minutes of blasting through the muck. No extra clothes.
Muddy mess on the mountain bike circuit- it was about 12C and pouring rain but this was a short track so only about 30 minutes of blasting through the muck. No extra clothes.

 

Keep your core warm

Thinking you are going to save time by not putting extra clothes on in T1 is a mistake. You will stay warmer than you think when you are at race pace but if it gets cold enough, wet clothes and wind chill will require a lot of extra calories to stay warm. If you ensure your core stays warm you will avoid this catastrophic energy drain which will certainly accumulate as the race unfolds. Take a cue from the Tour de France riders who stuff newspapers down their jersey or throw a jacket on for major descents in cold weather.

Here are some general temperature thresholds I use:

Above 15C I believe I can stay warm enough just by racing to not worry about additional clothing. With rain/drizzle and above 15C temperatures in Oceanside 2012, I did not change anything about my race kit. I did suffer from some calf cramping on the bike because my legs were quite cold but given I won the race I think I was overall fine.

Above 15C and rain you will get away with whatever you normally wear if you go hard enough.
Above 15C and rain you will get away with whatever you normally wear if you go hard enough.

At 10-15C I might opt just for arm warmers and gloves to take a bit of the chill off. Generally the race effort is hard enough to manage these temperatures.  If you are racing a full Ironman at those temperatures I would lean towards the suggestions for slightly lower temperatures as the intensity is lower and your primary intention is to manage energy cost the whole day.  A bit more clothing is likely to be better than too little.

At 10 or below, or if it is raining up to 15C, I will reach for a vest, arm warmers, gloves and put socks on my feet. Putting socks on helps to keep feet warm but also prevents blisters which can start in a 180km ride before you even get to the run.

Below 10C and pouring rain:  vest, arm warmers, long finger gloves and socks.  Could have used toe covers and knee warmers as well (in hindsight).
Below 10C and pouring rain: vest, arm warmers, long finger gloves and socks. Could have used toe covers and knee warmers as well (in hindsight).

Generally by the time you reach T2, the air will be warmer than the morning. The absence of the wind chill from riding will also decrease the layers you need so in every instance I would probably take the vest off for the run and change to dry socks. The arm warmers often end up staying on simply because I am in too much of a rush to bother with them!

For weather below 10C, it will help to wear something over your knees. I opted to not put knee warmers on at Whistler and suffered some very sore knee tendons for about ten days after the race. I would never train in temperatures that low without covering my knees but decided not to layer my legs in the race. For those very sensitive to cold and/or not worried about how long they spend in transition, a layer over your knees will keep your legs much warmer on race day.

In 2006, I raced the XTERRA National Championships in Lake Tahoe and it actually snowed on the course the day before the race. Despite warming up to about 18C by the afternoon, the mornings were very frosty. The climate was very dry but below 5C the temperature, especially after swimming in a cold lake, is quite cold. For that day at Nationals, the snow melted and only the morning was chilly. I opted for thicker gloves, toe covers and arm warmers. I would have worn a base layer as there was a long descent in the race but as there was a major temperature shift from the shade to the sun and there was a definite risk of overheating due to the large swings in temperature. If it were to stay below 5C for the entire race, I would wear a long sleeve layer under my trisuit, a hat or ear warmers, thicker gloves (below 5C and you must keep your hands warm especially on a mountain bike) and toe warmers.

Cold temperatures at the 2006 XTERRA Nationals:  toe booties, thick gloves and arm warmers.
Cold temperatures at the 2006 XTERRA Nationals: toe covers, thick gloves and arm warmers.

Manage your equipment.

If the weather is going to be wet and cold you will probably want to make a few adjustments to your equipment. I used wet weather lube on my chain and removed air from my tires to give myself more grip. I also set a timer on my Garmin to make sure I was drinking enough as cold weather definitely fools you into thinking you don’t need fluids even though you are working at the same effort.

Attitude

Acceptance is the number one and most important factor in succeeding in less than ideal conditions. Accept that the conditions are the way they are, are the same for everyone, and are out of your control. Then focus on what you can do to make them as comfortable as possible for yourself, and then go back to focusing on your race plan – rather than the weather- you will have a great race. The person who is best able to execute their race plan despite the challenges of the weather is likely going to win. Make sure you get back to the plan and focus on that, not the weather.

I believe a lot of my ability to race in cooler temperatures is due to the fact I have adapted by training in cooler temperatures most of the year. Although the summer of 2015 has been unusually warm for the Pacific Northwest, in the past I have spent the bulk of my year training in temperatures below 15 C and throughout the winter, below 8C. If you live in a cooler climate, getting accustomed to riding in the rain and being uncomfortably cold for long periods of time in the winter does help you toughen up a little for a cooler race day.

Two of the last long training rides I did before the Whistler Ironman were more than 100 miles in 15C and pouring rain. I didn’t know at the time that they would be such perfect training for race day because the forecasts were pointing to a hot and dry day, rather than the actual weather we experienced (pouring rain and 8C). It ended up being a stroke of luck that I was given those rainy training days. I built confidence and gained useful information about how much to wear on Ironman race day. You never know when that training day is going to be a rehearsal for a race.