Keeping dry

Overview

Honestly keeping dry is very simple, it’s raining? Don’t go out riding. While this might seem flippant, it’s very much a tactic I employ. I remember waking up on the 6th day of Silk Road Mountain Race, there I was at around 2,800 m, it was still dark outside, for it was only 4am. I’d been asleep for 90 minutes. I could hear the strong beating of rain on my tent (a godsend), and rather than crawl out into the rain, I set my alarm for another 90 minutes and rolled over back to sleep. A race winners mentality! Now I do jest. I was there just to finish and I decided not to fight the battle of a big headwind and storm down the valley.

Taking the mentality forward, I’ve done years of training in the rain, snow, the worst you can imagine. These days I will pick and choose a bit, even miss a day of training if it’s terrible. There is only so much mental energy to expend and training for hours in the torrential rain can take it’s tool.

That all said, really, if you want to get around a race as fast as you can, you will have no choice but to ride in the worst of it. I also remember at SRMR pushing up Shamshi pass summit at 4,000 m as a blizzard came in and the visibility went down to a few meters. Or stumbling my way around the Highland Trial in 2019 under constant rain. I had everything I needed. You see, I’d made the mistake of not having everything I needed to ride out all conditions earlier that year, at the Italy Divide. I’d come from the road scene, where you could get away with less, perhaps as there was shelter near, or perhaps as temperatures were more mild. Either way, riding up into the foothills on the final day of the event, a blizzard ensued and my little cycling rain cape and leg warmers were not enough, I got my arse kicked. There and then, as I retreated to shelter in a hotel, I vowed never again.

So how do you keep dry? Well obviously you need a rain jacket, and in my opinion rain trousers – shorts are not good enough, waterproof socks and gloves. With this setup you can be a real modern extreme athlete and insulate yourself from the conditions. If you get wet, things are going to go south pretty damn quick if the conditions are bad. If you’re racing a road race, perhaps there is a hotel around the next corner, but if you’re in the mountains, perhaps it’s hypothermia and death. Don’t mess about. Not only will being wet and cold slow you down immensely, it might cost you everything. I have now had a few years of making most mistakes going and learning my painful iteration.

Shamsi Pass as the blizzard clears, Silk Road Mountain Race 2019

Rain jacket

This should be possibly one of the most expensive items you own. It is probably the most important also, beyond maybe your insulated jacket. A rain jacket should be simple, lightweight and efficient. I opt out of pit zips, lots of pockets or other stuff, it’s not needed. I do like one pocket, and in it I keep my waterproof gloves, so they are there when I need them. It needs a peaked hood, I like one that goes over the helmet, this will help prevent you from getting too hot, it also makes it quicker to take on and off, the hood area also needs cinch so it comes tight around your face to keep the worst out. It needs long arms, that come to your wrists when leant forward cycling. The cuffs need a closure that allows you to get your waterproof gloves under them, so run-off the sleeve does not go into the glove. A longer drop back, so your back and buttocks are covered. It should be form fitting but not too tight, you need to be able to get it on and off easily and also your insulated layer underneath. Importantly it needs to be made from the best waterproof materials. Lots of manufactures are coming up with their own, for me the benchmark is Goretex Pro. You need a high waterproof and breathability (>20m HH) for both. But also a material that is thick enough to cut the wind and be durable, yet thin enough to be lightweight and packable. A fine balance. In my mind, the near benchmark jacket is the Arc’teryx Alpha FL. Since moving to Endura we’ve been working on something together, they have some really nice proprietary materials and for me the new jacket is as good as the benchmark (coming out late 2021). Just don’t skip on a rain jacket, it’s not worth it.

Rain trousers

A simpler affair than the jacket, but still important. They need to have a durable crotch that does not wear away. Plus a higher waist, to ensure spray of the rear wheel does not enter at the back. They need to be form fitting but also need articulation around the knee, to stop pedalling becoming awkward. I am all for simpler, so full zip sides, while useful are just a point of potential issue. The cuff closure at the bottom needs to be tight, to prevent it from flapping into the bike and chain. I have tried, neoprene cuffs, zips, Velcro, and all work well in different ways. If they are tight enough fitting you’ll find you can wade through rivers without getting water ingressing up the leg. As at the Highland Trail 550 when we crossed the loch, I did so in my trousers and while the water was up to my crotch my bibshorts under stayed dry. Thanks to Rusjan for working with me on a few early iterations. If you want some custom rain gear she’s your lady.

Drying my socks and feet at checkpoint 1, Silk Road Mountain Race 2019

Photo: Usmanov Danil

Waterproof socks

I opt for waterproof socks to keep my feet at best dry, and at worst warm. Waterproof socks will act like a neoprene wetsuit and if you feet sweat then at least the moisture will be heated. Do be careful to take your socks off and air your feet frequently to prevent trenchfoot. For me there is no other suitable choice. You shoes will get wet, water will enter them, no matter how waterproof they are. So you need socks. Consider that waterproof socks are normally thicker, so you might need shoes that have some space.

I do wear waterproof shoes, when training, however when you are racing they are not suitable, they will get wet and stay wet. You want fast drying breathable shoes.

Waterproof gloves

Not those cycling ’waterproof’ gloves, nor neoprene ones, but proper waterproof gloves. I have used some OM Goretex mitts with success. I find mitts a simpler design, easier construction and less stitching, so less to go wrong. On a mountain bike they work well, but on a road bike less so, a lobster version would be better there. You need a good length cuff so that it comes up your wrist allowing you to get your waterproof jacket over the top. Consider the size of your waterproof gloves and ensure they fit over your ‘warm’ gloves, in case needed. Using two gloves allows a ‘modular’ system, a fancy way to say you can pick and choose or use both as the conditions demand.

Spare kit

Part of keeping dry is having a plan for if it hits the fan, say you fall into a river and you’re soaked. What are you going to do? In SRMR I carried a spare set of merino blend long sleeve and leggings. These were my sleeping wear, but also, I knew that if I needed dry clothes because I’d messed up, I had them.

At the finish of FURTHER 2020. I’d descending off from 2,000 m where it had been raining.

Photo: FURTHER

Timing

A final note but perhaps the most important, so I’ll put it last for those who either skip to the end of my drivel, or are strong willed enough to read it all. Timing is crucial, put on your rain kit too soon and you’ll either just waste time – it didn’t rain – or get hot and sweaty. But leave it too long, and you’ll get soaked. Timing is a fine art really, and it’s definitely and art not a science. However with years of experience, I can feel the slight drop in temperature, the change in clouds and the pick up of wind that signal rain in coming and quick. With eyes scanning the horizon looking for those first drops. All I will say it, better to be a little proactive and waste some small time, than get wet. One thing I will do is if I feel rain is coming, and shelter is lacking, I will stop and ensure my rain kit is right at the top of my bag, so I can access it quickly. This small act takes little time, but will save you. Generally I keep rain kit in a dry bag and other stuff in others, so if opening my bag to get it, nothing else gets wet. Or if putting wet kit back in my bag nothing else gets wet. Though after it’s stopped raining I will try stay in my wet rain get gear until it is mostly dry.