12-12-12, 06:01 PM
Decent gear makes a huge difference. Six months after I got my first proper bike in 1985 I had to help rig an outside broadcast near Cardiff for an early morning shoot. It was a week before Christmas and I got thoroughly chilled overnight with all the hanging around in sub-zero temperatures. After that was a three hour motorway and country lane trip home, though it was probably a degree above freezing by then.
My gear at the time consisted of a couple of sweaters under a waxed cotton jacket plus two pairs of jeans, I didn't really appreciate how cold I'd got until I tried to dismount. I struggled out my clothing with limbs that didn't seem to be mine anymore and into a hot shower... after 15 minutes I'd warmed up enough to start shivering. Wish I'd taken my temperature... must have been well into the zone of hypothermia. It was stupidly dangerous riding a bike in that state.
My gear at the time consisted of a couple of sweaters under a waxed cotton jacket plus two pairs of jeans, I didn't really appreciate how cold I'd got until I tried to dismount. I struggled out my clothing with limbs that didn't seem to be mine anymore and into a hot shower... after 15 minutes I'd warmed up enough to start shivering. Wish I'd taken my temperature... must have been well into the zone of hypothermia. It was stupidly dangerous riding a bike in that state.