(calm jazz music)
- It's that tough time of year,
you just don't know what you're going to be faced with
when you step out of the door.
Yes, it is autumn
or should I say fall for our American friends.
Well, I struggle to know what to wear the best of times,
whether that's dressing for work
or going out for dinner, et cetera.
Add change of weather into the mix, and well,
that takes it to a whole another level.
I'm pleased to say that today
I've got the help of GCN español's Maya.
So Maya, thank you for joining me today.
- Thank you Heather, thanks for having me.
Yes, I agree with you.
Autumn is really hard for changing, especially in the back,
because you cannot change your clothes.
- [Heather] Yeah, exactly.
So today, we're going to be bringing you a guide
thanks to our friends and partners over ASSOS
on what to wear for autumn riding.
(calm jazz music)
- Dressing for the unknown?
What's the solution?
Layers.
- Yeah, you've got plenty of options at this time of year.
The great thing is you don't actually have to make that call
before heading out the door, and you don't have to have
a support car or a trailer with you.
So, let's say, depends on obviously where you live
to a certain extent, but an Indian summer isn't unheard of.
So, if the weather is nice or you're just going for
a short punchy lunchtime ride,
then you're going to want to keep things light and simple.
- [Maya] A short-sleeve jersey and a pair of shorts
will do the job, but to ensure you are prepared
for the changing conditions in the climate,
it's good to have a sleeveless underneath layer
like a skinFoil.
Because if it's chilly, like in the morning,
it will keep your body temperature warmer,
and if the sun comes out, it will help your body to wick out
the swear under your--
- Yeah, exactly, and also if you're going out
early in the morning and it's a bit fresher,
you might just want a little bit more.
If you're going out before the sun comes up,
then that's when you might want something like
arm warmers and leg warmers.
They just protect your skin and take that chill off,
and the best part is, they can easily be removed
as you warm up, so you peel them off
even whilst you're riding.
Now, a trick with the arm warmers and leg warmers,
it's not a good look, but it's a good idea
to actually pop them on before you put on
your shorts and your jersey, just so that it makes sure
that they fit really nice and flat.
And then, once you want to take them off,
they'll go small enough that can actually fit
into your jersey pocket.
Now personally, I tend to use arm warmers
at the first sight of autumn and keep my legs free,
and then when it gets a little bit colder,
I then add in the leg warmers.
- [Maya] Back to the core.
This is the area that makes the most difference,
because once it gets too hot or too cold,
it takes a long time to stabilize it.
So, bring on the vest or the gilet.
It really makes a difference,
it's my favorite piece of wardrobe.
- [Heather] Yeah, it's great, and if you do start to get
a little bit too hot,
then you can always open it up at the front.
And you can actually take it off, as most of them
will actually fit small enough into your pocket.
That's as long as your pockets aren't too full
of snacks already.
- The level-up on clothing or down in temperature
is to wear a long-sleeved jersey like this.
The only this is once you're on the bike,
you cannot change options.
What you can is wear a layer underneath,
and just take it off and put it in your pocket.
- [Heather] And one of the situations
that we haven't actually talked about,
which sadly is quite likely in the autumn, is the rain.
And that's partly because Maya and myself both do our best
to avoid it, but sometimes you just do have to go out
and ride in the rain or maybe you're caught short,
so it's a good idea to have
a light-weight waterproof jacket.
And you can normally find ones that are small enough
to actually go into your back pocket,
or if you don't have a jacket
or you don't want to carry anything that heavy,
then a waterproof gilet will do a good job
of at least keeping your core dry
and keeping your morale high until you can get home
and have a hot shower.
(light music)
Now we've covered the key pieces,
but we also need to consider the peripheries.
One of my favorite pieces of gear is the headband,
as it's great if it's a little bit hot,
cause you can wear it further up on your head
and it acts to keep the sweat out of your eyes.
And if it gets a bit chilly, you can pull it down
to cover your ears, and it's just stops that draft
from the wind.
And then sticking with the head,
sunglasses are also really useful, even in the winter.
If you can go for some clear lens ones,
cause they'll protect your eyes from the mud
and the water spray coming off the road.
And then, if you are riding at the end of the day,
you can get a really low light in the autumn
and it's quite hard to see,
so it's a good idea if you're doing sunset or sunrise
to have a pair of sunglasses as well.
- When it comes to hands, I personally
try to avoid wearing gloves as much as I can.
Because I like to feel the breaks of my bike.
- Yeah, but in the autumn, you quite often
want a little bit of protection,
so if you want something in-between,
I personally opt for the fingerless gloves.
- Yeah, and I always better bring
an extra pair of gloves in my bag,
in case it gets really cold.
- And then it's your feet.
In the autumn I say, you can usually rely on just
a good-enough pair of socks to keep your feet warm,
but if you are going to be riding in the colder temperatures
or a lot in the rain, probably worth investing
in a pair of overshoes, especially if you plan on riding
well into the winter months.
- [Maya] Yeah, it's also a good idea to get a saddle bag
for all those extra layers.
So you can free your pockets and put more stuff in.
And, because of the light, it's getting shorter,
it's really important to get some lights on your bike,
so you don't get caught up in the dark.
- With a little bit of forward planning,
checking the forecast and utilizing your layers,
you should be able to enjoy some wonderful riding
well into the autumn.
- And don't forget, if you like this video,
give us a thumbs up.
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and if you want to see a video
of how to do training on the bike, click down here.
- And if you want to see
the GTN Zwift Challenge with the Charles-Barkley team,
you can find that just down here.