The Midwest Polar Vortex Kit

We're having record cold temperatures in Madison over the past two days: air temperatures below -30°C (-22°F), combined with a nasty wind to make things feel even colder. I've ridden in some very cold temperatures, but this was clearly a new low. As I have gotten frostbite before (not recommended!) I've been very careful about limiting the risks of being outside. I've kept ride short and dressed warmly. So what does my kit look like for a 6 kilometer (3.7 miles) ride look like? Like so:

1. Cheap polyester tights (I think from Costco)
2. Ibex El Fito wool tights (no longer in production)
3. Lake MXZ-302 boots (no longer in production; replaced by the MXZ-303)
4. SmartWool mountaineering extra thick wool socks
5. HotHands chemical warmers
6. Neoprene toe covers (meant for outside the shoes but worn over the socks, inside the shoes)
7. Army surplus Arctic extreme cold mitts (without liner)
8. FoxRiver Extra Heavy Double Ragg Mitten
9. Merino wool sweater
10. Dickies 874 work pants
11. Wisconsin Bike Fed Forward cotton t-shirt
12. Swrve Milwaukee ES hooded jacket
13. Cheap synthetic buff
14. POC Fovea goggles
15. Cheap fleece balaclava with mesh
16. Bontrager Windshell skull cap
17. Pogies (not pictured)  

 Did it work? Mostly, as in I made it to work, didn't get frostbite, and wasn't too uncomfortable.

Weak spots:

• The goggles were useless, as they fogged up within the first ten minutes of the ride. I have yet to find a way to solve this issue. On the other hand, I find riding without goggles not too bad, even in these temperatures.
• My thumbs got pretty cold and I had to pull them into the main mitten to warm them up. Of course, that meant I couldn't shift any more. Eventually they'd probably have warmed up; in the morning I have a hard time getting my hands warm even in much milder temperatures. I may invest in better pogies at some point.
• The balaclava wasn't thick enough, and the skull cap slid up enough to make my earlobes very cold. I have a thicker balaclava that I can wear without the skull cap, which works better.
• My toes were warm enough, but on a longer ride they'd probably have gotten too cold eventually. Having roomier boots would help, but I've already maxed out my options with a size 15 wide.

A record cold ride? Sunrise in Madison

I can't really remember what the coldest temperature I've ever ridden in is. But today must have been close to or even below that: It was -19°F/-29°C when I woke up. The sun wasn't up yet, and so I decided to ride to the shore of Lake Monona to catch some good pictures of the sunrise. Yes, it was horribly cold, but the beauty of the ice fog, the sunrise, and the hoarfrost on the plants made it well worth it. No Strava track, as my phone battery quickly succumbed to the cold, but the ride was about 12 kilometers. Here are some pretty pictures!

Happy 2019!

 

I started the year with an excellent fat bike ride through Madison's snowy winter wonderland. Definitely one of the best winter rides I've had! I'm not a fan of winter, but today was truly magical. Happy New Year everyone.