All cyclists are obsessed with the weather. It comes from being at the complete mercy of the elements for 12-months of the year.
When the iPhone’s alarm goes off telling me it’s time to get out of bed for a ride, is open the Oz Weather app on my phone. It tells me at a glance what the current temperature is and a quick check of the radar to see if there’s any rain around. If the radar looks bad I can quickly text anybody I have organised to ride with. Reset my alarm, roll over and sleep in until 6:45, all this without even getting out of bed!
A Smartphone is possibly the greatest cycling accessory ever invented.
This morning my alarm went off at 5am - it was 4 degrees. Which brings us to tip #2 on how to survive riding through a Melbourne
Once you’ve dragged yourself out of bed, put the kettle on before you start getting changed into your kit. Make yourself a big mug of something hot. The heat warms your hands while you’re drinking, then spreads through your core when finished.
I have special oversize mug I found somewhere that holds over 500ml. That gives me half a litre of warm goodness in my belly before hitting the road. If you don’t have a BIG mug at home, think about making two mugs. Take your time and have a stretch on the floor while drinking them.
This also has the very important benefit of hydrating you before exercise.
