A Prepared Cyclist Is A Happy Cyclist

Biking is all about preparation.  Before embarking on this journey, all the riders trained by committing to ride at least 500 miles.  Before taking off for the day, riders check their air, breaks and chains.  Before going to sleep for the evening, my teammates prepare by packing their bags so that the morning fiasco of getting ready is simplified.  

Relevant to today's ride, before packing up all our cycling gear we take a look at the weather outlook.  Is there a chance of rain?  Is the temperature cold?  Is the temperature where we are going significantly lower than at our current location?   Is it going to be windy?  

Depending on the response to these daily questions, we might grab extra cycling gear.  

Obviously if there is a high chance of rain then we grab the rain jacket. 

If it is cold or going to get cold, riders might grab arm warmers, leg warmers or both.  

If a rider is like me and their feet get chilly when riding, a cyclist might see cold temperatures, rain or lots of wind and go for the foot sleeves. 

In terms of head gear, there are a variety of preferences.  A lot of my teammates love to wear cycling caps for both style and more aerodynamic performance.  

Several members of the team where cycling dew rags to keep their hair out of their eyes.  

A handful of us like to wear bandanas rather than head caps to contain the hair and a handful more tie the bandanas to their camelback straps or to their necks so that they can wipe sweat.  

All in all, cycling gear differs from day to day and person to person.  Just as a glimpse into how I like to outfit myself, I wear a bandana on my head, normal chamois, my jersey and my cycling shoes.  Today I grabbed my leg warmers and a rain jacket because there is a 20% chance of rain in out destination and a high of 83 in Lee Vining because we are climbing to an elevation of 6,700 feet.