I have an article from my cycling coach. I found this to be VERY useful.
It’s that time of year again. The days get shorter, so evening training rides get diminished to nothing. If you try to train in the morning, there’s not much more daylight and you have to ride in winter temperatures! This article goes into detail about what to wear so you can ride in arctic temperatures without losing digits in the process. Since really all you want to do is ride outside, the first thing I’ll go over is what to wear when the temperature gets close to, or below, 32 degrees (aka 0 degrees Celsius for our international teammates). One of the important things to keep in mind is circulation. For instance, stuffing two thick pairs of socks into your shoes, when you usually only wear one thin pair during the summer restricts the blood flow and helps cause your feet to become numb. Shoe covers have obvious benefits. However, when it gets down below freezing, your better bet is to purchase a winter pair of riding shoes. These shoes don’t have to be fancy (ie expensive) carbon soled beauties. An entry level pair will do fine. If possible, double up on socks and then add the shoe covers for more warmth and to keep your feet dry in the slush, and voila, no more cold feet. As for socks, anything but cotton is okay. Poly or a poly/wool blend sock works well. A waterproof sock works well when it’s slushy or when you are mountain biking. Another good trick if you only have one pair of shoes is to remove the insoles from the shoes and get another pair. Cut the toe portion off of the second pair, so your toes can move freely and keep circulation going. Tights are a no-brainer. The colder it gets, the thicker you want them. When it gets
really cold, 2 pair are often necessary. Never wear long johns, they don’t stretch, and restrict your range of motion. I like tights with a chamois, but then I wear another pair of shorts over them to keep the kids warm. Just remember that with all that padding you may want to lower your saddle a hair, as all these clothes affect your saddle height compared to the summer.
On your head a thin headband that goes over your ears works well in chilly temperatures.
When it gets really cold, a polypropylene balaclava is a must. I’ll often wear a cycling cap under my helmet as well, adding a little more warmth. Just don’t cut off the circulation to your brain. That’s a bad thing. On your body, invest in a good winter cycling jacket. They will provide the majority of your body’s warmth. Underneath, please only wear synthetic fibers, especially next to the skin. You’ll be glad you did. Remember, no cotton anywhere on your upper body! For gloves, there are a lot of good cycling specific gloves out there. However, I don’t find them to be all that warm, and they can be a little tight, again cutting off circulation to your fingertips. Also, because of shifting and braking, I don’t particularly like the lobster gloves. What I found works is to go to a discount clothing store like Marshals or a sporting goods store and pick up a pair of fleece ski gloves. I usually get a few different thicknesses for different temperatures. I also wear glove liners, either with thinner gloves, or when it gets really cold. Get gloves that fit fairly loosely, enabling the blood to flow. The price is usually right too, often for about $5.00 to $15.00 a pair, as opposed to cycling specific gloves that run $50.00 or more. Usually, your winter training rides leave in the mornings, and it heats up as the ride progresses. Plan for this. Start out with a balaclava, and keep ear warmers in your pocket. Or if it is 35 degrees when the ride starts and warms up to 50 degrees, wear a medium weight pair of gloves with glove liners. Then as it gets warmer just shed the liners. Up top you can do the old Euro trick by stuffing newspaper in the front of your jacket as insulation. As it warms up, you can throw the newspaper in the garbage while you are riding. Also, always bring some Chapstic or Blistex in your pocket. Winter wind can make your lips very unhappy. Eat well, ride hard, live long….and stay warm!
From:
http://www.teamcolavita.com/NJ-Junior/Winter_Training-Clothing.pdf
