Say Farewell to Fair Weather Riding
And Say Hello to Gore
I’m not gonna put on airs. I mean, I proclaim myself to be the world’s okayest cyclist, so it won’t be a surprise that I’m a baby about riding in the cold. And the wind. And even the slightest spit of rain. But this is Lancaster County, the land of the whipping wind and home of the spring that teases us but never seems to stick around. So, as my husband always tells me, it’s time to harden up (he might add a word or two to that statement).
And here’s the thing; if I wait for the perfect conditions, I’ll do way more waiting than riding. Here’s the other thing; as a tour guide for the bike touring side of our business, I don’t get to wimp out when the wind picks up. And here’s the BEST thing; I found something that eleviates my suffering. I found GORE.
We’ve carried Gore Riding Apparel since day one. It was a product my husband believed strongly in. Probably because he used it. He has a more scientific mind. He understood the technology and as a seasonless cyclist, he had reason to use it. I think I figured I wasn’t a serious enough rider to deck myself out in Gore. Plus, my brain doesn’t do science. It does words, and if those words are scientific it usually just hears Charlie Brown sounds.
So I needed to try it. Our Gore rep, Luke Bunting (also known as the best dressed man in America), gave me a casual, lightweight Gore Windstopper jacket to wear on my final October and November tours. This was no super tight, pro-cyclist-looking jacket, but let me tell you, it worked. On that final tour the wind gusts were 20mph, the temperature was in the 40s, and we were riding through open farmland. Normally, that ride would have made me want to cry, but instead it made me a believer.
Seriously.
My core stayed warm. My arms stayed warm. My legs, on the other hand, froze. I found my new favorite jacket. Kids’ sporting events, outdoor anything – that jacket is my go-to. I decided I’d take it a step further and grabbed the Phantom Windstopper jacket and the Element Thermo tights. Dressed like a real rider, I grabbed my road bike and headed out on a brisk day with temps in the upper 30s, a day that normally would have seen me in the basement, on my trainer, watching Younger while pedaling away. Guess what? I was comfortable. More than comfortable, I was having a blast. A new world of riding was opened up for me. I, the self-proclaimed wimp, was no longer just a fair weather rider.
Maybe you’re thinking this is an ill-timed article as we’re all impatiently awaiting the arrival of warmer weather. Not so. With wet spring weather and cooler mornings, Gore’s technology puts another check in the win category with jackets and vests that bunch up so small they easily fit into your jersey pocket when both your effort and the sun warm things up, or when the rain stops. The new, super sleek Shakedry jacket is a gamechanger. Don’t believe me? Check out the Bike Radar Review.
Listen, I can’t promise I’ll ever be as hardcore as Mark Branle or Rob Warrenfeltz, but I can tell you that Gore makes cold, wet, or windy (or all three) riding not just possible, but comfortable (now the only thing I have to get over is my bad attitude. They should make a vest for that). And they make stuff that you can wear off the bike, too. I’ll never speak in the correct scientific terms, or be able to explain the hows and whys, but I can tell you in plain English that all their fancy stuff works. It blocks the wind. It keeps out the wet.
Wanna check it our for yourself? Stop by the LITITZ shop Saturday, April 8th from 11am to 3pm. The always-dapper Luke Bunting will be on hand to talk Gore and we’ll be pricing it to go. All WINTER jackets will be 40% off. Short-sleeved Gore women’s jerseys will be 40% off. All Gore apparel will be 20% off. Only on Saturday, April 8th.
