Originally Posted by
caloso
My guess is that they were wearing gloves but they were too heavy for the conditions and decided to take them off. It looks cool, not frigid cold, and they were in the break so working very hard. Hands are one of the key areas to regulate temperature so it probably just helped them maintain comfort.
Interesting thought.
I'm a competitive rider*, and I've raced in the Spring Classic kinda of conditions. The pic below was the 2017 Almanzo 100 with temps between 32 and 38F with steady rain. There was a wide range of gear on riders based on preference and needs. In this pic you'll see a rider with pogies, and I'm wear basic MTB glove (nothing thermal). My gloves were just enough to keep my hands from getting too cold in these conditions, but you need to keep moving or your fingers we go cold fast.
18699370_10213181149386033_223983825322108508_o.jpg
Photo credit - David Phillips / Spring Valley Tribune
(HypnoToad is the right in the black jacket on the drop-bar fatbike)
*I'm using this term loosely