aliasfox

So I think a few people I ride with and I are going to ride Levi's GranFondo in mid April - specifically, we're looking at doing the Geysers route, which is about 81 miles with ~6,000 ft of climbing, 3k ft of that all at once (my quads are already whimpering).


Rollout I believe is 8 am, and with rest breaks and food, I don't expect that we'd get back into town until at least 2-3pm (previous Levis metrics had us at ~5hrs moving time, and I'd add 2hrs here with the extra climbing), perhaps later if the climbing really knocks it out. I haven't ridden in Sonoma in April, but if the rest of the year is any indication, I would expect the temperature at the start to be in the 50s, rising into upper 70s to low 80s by midday.


Having done metric centuries and accumulating 4-5k ft in a ride, I'm only slightly concerned about the ride itself - mostly due to the ~12-13% gradient in the middle of the big climb. My bigger concern is the temperature change, from low 50s to low 80s. I have a Pearl Izumi windbreaker that I used the past couple of times, but it's too bulky to comfortably be rolled up into a jersey pocket for 30mi, and the top tube bag I already have (that barely fits it) is a bit too wide - if I stand, it brushes against my knees.


This year, I'm thinking fleeced arm warmers (which I already have), along with a gilet of some sort at the start, figuring that arm warmers can easily fit inside a jersey, and a gilet would fit more easily inside a smaller top tube bag.


Does anybody have any recommendations for a good gilet for a *ahem* rounder cyclist? Even better if it's a) fleeced/lined, and b) you know it can fit in a top tube bag or comfortably in a jersey pocket. A recommendation for a top tube bag would be welcome, as well!


Thanks in advance!

Iride01 

You'll probably be generating plenty of heat just from riding. A very simple wind breaker at best is all you should need.

I didn't see any tall climbs on the routes they published. All peaks seem to be below 3000' msl. The adiabatic lapse rate we calculated for aviation purposes was 2°C per thousand feet. Or about 3.6°F. Though I've seen for other things the lapse rate figured at a higher number of degrees per 1000 feet.

At those lower altitudes too many other things go into changing the air temps so you might even have warmer air being blown over those peaks. I think you'll be good with just arm warmers and leg warmers. A balaclava to keep your head warm might do more than you expect to keep the rest of you warm.

Sorry I can't answer directly the question you've had. I've had it myself many times. However I usually find out I don't need as much as I thought to stay warm. However on the flip side of that, you do need to think about what happens if you have to stop for a time in those colder temps. I came very close to getting hypothermia once after riding my bike up to over 14,000 feet. After staying there too long to admire the view and take pictures, we weren't generating the heat that we did while pedaling and got shaky with chills. Thankfully my wife and other son had driven up in a car to meet us and we just got in the car with the heater on to warm up before starting back down.

aliasfox

Yeah, not super concerned about altitude related cold, as much as just early morning and fog related cold. In previous October starts, it was 50-55F and foggy around 7:45-8am, and ~80F by about 10:30-11am. I'd like the first two hrs to be less miserable, but I want to carry as little bulk as possible. I have no issue dressing for 55-65F - I have a Castelli that's great below 60, and just needs the zipper half open when it crests 60-62F. But definitely can't fit that jacket in any kind of bag once it crests 70F.

I don't plan on stopping for much longer than it takes to pee, refill my bottles with water, and refill myself with Oreos (or whatever fuel they're providing), but time somehow adds up over the course of a day.

BTinNYC 

Wow that looks like a great Fondo!! I ordered one of these and will let you know about warmth and packability. Should be here today or tomorrow.

https://www.amazon.com/YKYWBIKE-Wind...A2KANCYRV4USXT

BT in coldazz NE

PeteHski

I have a Rapha Brevet insulated gilet that is reasonably warm and packs easily into a jersey pocket. It’s one of my most useful items for an early morning start on a warm day.

roadcrankr

Another vote for a windbreaker here. I use a Pearl Izumi that wads up nicely to fit in my middle jersey pocket.
The problem with the gilet, for me, concerns air circulating under my pits.
Therefore, my toptube bag includes a one-foot square cut piece of tyvex from a fedex envelope.
Jamming that against my chest inside my jersey works almost as well as a gilet - mostly for cold descents.
One of those lycra neck thingies works nicely, too, especially if you need to pull it up to your nose. YMMV

Iride01 

Is this a multi day thing or just one start? For our Natchez Trace Century ride the first week of May every year, the temps are sometimes < 50°F at start time. I'm a wuss in the morning at even sub 60°F temps. However the start line is in the same lot that I park the car. So I just wear some warm stuff till shortly before start time and then throw it in the car. Last year I rode my bike to the start from my home and the heat I generated on that short ride lasted the 10 - 15 minutes I was idle till start time.

aliasfox

It's a one day start, and I expect to be able to get a hotel <1mi away from the start, so 3-5 minutes of riding before having to walk the bike.

Obviously some variability - I'll deal with 58F with a base layer (that might keep the sun off in the middle of the day), but 50F will require something to keep the heat in. I can run at 50F, no good at riding though.

aliasfox

Luckily for me, I already have a PI windbreaker, just don't like it in my back pocket.

Could you elaborate on the air circulation under your pits? Does a gilet provide too much, or too little?

roadcrankr

Cold air gives me a problem, especially with some downhill velocity. lol
Yeah, uphill sections keep me warm enough all over, making leggings unnecessary mostly.
Pearl sells all sorts of windbreakers. Maybe you own one of the thicker varieties.
One "hack" I would use on the Solvang Century meant parking a vehicle along the halfway point.
My riding buddies and I would shed or exchange gear, retrieving it all at ride's end.

terrymorse 

I've done that Geysers route before, but in March. Our local club does a weekend ride there every year.

The temperature at the start can be brisk, but I warmed up quickly enough to lose the gilet for the rest of ride. Arm and knee warmers, summer gloves, lightweight gilet.

That one steep bit away from the Geysers is pretty short, nothing to be concerned about.

This is the gilet I bring when it's below 60 F: Voler Men's Vellum Rain Vest. Windproof, water resistant, stretchy, packs very small.

But if it's raining, I'd skip the ride.

aliasfox

Cold air gives me problems, even at flats-cruising (30-32km/h) velocities. I misjudged a late December ride, and and ended up on a flat road 8-9mi from home half an hr (and 5-7F colder) than expected. Between the rapidly falling light and the rapidly dropping temperatures, I wasn't happy.

My asthma is part of what dictates my desire for keeping my core warm enough. I can deal with going out without leg warmers, but definitely need my chest warm.

Not sure which windbreaker I have - at this point, I know it fits worse than I'd like, and is flappier than I'd like. Got it on clearance years ago, so probably time to upgrade.

That's ingenious. I wonder if the guys I'm riding with would be interested in helping me set that up - wouldn't hurt to shed a pound before hitting the steep stuff...

aliasfox

Thanks for the gilet recommendation. I'll be looking into all of these over the weekend.

As for "that one steep bit away from the Geysers" being pretty short... 800ft in elevation gain over ~1.3mi sounds similar to the Coleman Valley Wall that used to be a part of the Levi's metric. And I definitely remember hating that one!

aliasfox

Thanks! If you haven't ridden through northern CA, it's definitely worth a trip. SF Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma are all phenomenal, from flats going past coffee shops and the floatplanes (Sausalito), to a spot on the peninsula where you can see both the Pacific Ocean and the bay at the same time (Skyline Dr). The area that Levi's goes through is gorgeous with rolling hills, and all the vineyards should be waking up from winter. Seeing as you're from NYC (home for me until 7 months ago), any ride out here beats doing laps of Central Park, and while the Palisades aren't bad, the sheer variety and quality of the riding out here is just on another level. That said, if your new gilet works in NYC this week, it's sure to be warm enough for CA spring morning!

terrymorse 

The Geysers climb seems easier than Coleman Valley from the coast. Coleman has a steep, punchy section after a hairpin, but then it "mellows" a bit. Me on that steep bit:



I took one of my favorite cycling photos at the top of Coleman:

BTinNYC 

I haven't since I was a kid, my family lived in Orinda and Berkeley from 66 to 75.... passing cars on my Varsity coming down Fish Ranch Road and Centennial Dr, or our big rides out to the Sun Valley Mall...all a hunnert years ago.

The thing I ordered is going to be too warm for 55 degrees.

aliasfox

It’s probably a bit more crowded than you remember, but the roads out of town are still quite sweet.

Windchill definitely bugs me - I can wear a Castelli Motirolo fleeced jacket comfortably into the low 60s if it’s shady. Definitely let me know how the gilet feels!