Watching some of the highlights and I’m a bit confused. It isn’t just MSR either it happens in other races.

There are riders quite clearly suffering in the cold, normally the hands. I don’t want to sound like their mum’s but why don’t they dress properly?

Surely with the worlds best cycling kit makers lining up to sponsor them they can find a decent set of gloves that would keep them warm and not impact on there riding? Gabba gloves?

I know it is hard to get kit right for racing, especially over long distances but it is not like they are a bunch of 4th cats or don’t have the resources (team car, domestiques?) to put in extra layers as the weather changes.

gloves are available, some riders choose not to wear them.

but, finding a pair of gloves that will stay waterproof for 6 hrs +, in a group of 200+ riders kicking up spray is impossible (they do have a big hole at one end after all 🙂 ), and when those gloves get wet and cold, your hands will suffer a lot more than if they’re just cold.

EDIT: But, I’d agree to an extent. Cav complained he was cold, and that’s why he didn’t win, but rode the whole race in shorts and a jersey. why he didn’t have leg warmers on, and a jacket for the first 200km is beyond me.

Personally, i’d like to see them in full finger gloves, a set of rainlegs, mudguards and running hub gears.

It was only in the final 50KM that they stripped off, most riders had layers and layers on for the first 6 hours.

Plus there was an abundance of hot tea to pour over their fingers.

Obviously a lot more of it around than fresh pairs of gloves, must be easier to fit in the cars and move around the bunch etc…

It was only in the final 50KM that they stripped off, most riders had layers and layers on for the first 6 hours.

yeah, but not Cav, he was stripped from at least 100km, the commentators, and twitter feed said he’d been like that all race

He had a gilet and arm warmers on, but yeah not that much else comapared to the others.

What an epic race and great TV.
How anyone can watch that and continue to think wendyball and f1 are sport is beyond me?!

I imagine very little is waterproof under those condictions and exersion, the option to go light would be very tempting tactics (like being the first to swap to slicks or diving in the penalty box, to continue the comparison) which may or may not pay off.

Either way, rain or shine theres a bottle of tea coming with me on the next 50 miler around the local lanes and I fully expect to see an outbreak of ginger beards.

I think Cav, with a modicum of experience racing as a pro, knows what he wants to wear and why far better than casual observers.

Waterlogged leg warmers can be colder than bare legs. Stripping off cold wet leg warmers when trying to stay near the front at 40+ kph might be tricky.

I used to ride with a former pro and he never wore gloves – reckoned bare hands were warmer than wet gloves.

Personally I don’t get it – I’d shove a pair of windstopper gloves on. You can always take them off.

Leg warmers etc – I’m with beej.

He had a gilet and arm warmers on, but yeah not that much else comapared to the others.

This is a guy who learnt his trade on the Isle of Man, I would therefore assume that he a degree or resilience over and over that available to a lot of riders from the continent.

Brilliant race, this photo from inner ring says it all:

World of hurt!

Depends on whether you like riding with gloves dunnit. Regardless of conditions, MSR included, can mean an up in pace makes your hands sweat and a loss of grip (from inside the glove) and so on.

The only time I ride with gloves is if the Air temp is <5C and the windchill is <0C.

I’d suggest that these Pro’s know exactly how and why they ride in what they have, don’t forget they’ve been riding for quite sometime prior to turning Pro and ridden in a full myriad of conditions.

I’m going to add it was great to see Swifty up there.. 😀

Brilliant race, this photo from inner ring says it all:

Winners wear full finger gloves! And all long sleeve jerseys, not arm warmers.

The Swedish Chef – Member

He had a gilet and arm warmers on, but yeah not that much else comapared to the others.

I must go look up photos of the event, but I was sure he was wearing a Gabba, UNDER his National Champs Jersey. Must check it out to be sure though.

EDIT – Maybe not, can’t see any photos like it now anyway.
But at least from this photo he started off with a jacket on over the gilet and skin suit:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/milan-san-remo/photos/297892

Winners wear full finger gloves! And all long sleeve jerseys, not arm warmers.

…and silly looking hats.

I bet Giro were hopping mad – yes they have a winner in Milan-Sanremo, but he looks like a 2 year old wearing his daddy’s helmet. Special.

I was wondering about the helmets on display throughout the peleton. lots of aero helmets, but I wondered whether they were wearing them for the weather rather than for speed.

I stand corrected about Cav’s attire!

these new giro helmets and glasses are truly awful. they should be banned on style grounds alone. on that pic above, look at the Garmin guy, back left, he looks like a mushroom from Super Mario

yeah, that’s the POC version. a case of sponsorship over substance over style?

It will always come down to personal preference.

If you spend most of the year riding in warm climates then mitts or no gloves are the norm and anything else will feel strange.

This is purely speculation, but given the winner was Norwegian, maybe he has more experience in those crap conditions than some of the other riders.

It will always come down to personal preference.

theres also lore and machismo in there. I remember reading an interview with some new pro a year or so ago who said he had given up wearing gloves as some elder statesman rider recommended it, as your hands get used to the cold.

Yeah, its called nerve damage. 🙄 As Jonba points out in that terrific finish-line pic there’s more gloved than not.

For the riders with bare legs, they more than likely would of had warm up balm of some sort on there legs. which also acts as a barrier agaist water and wind chill.

I for one don’t get the no gloves, just on the if you come off and get road rash on you hands it bloody hurt the next day holding on to the bars. (and for the non pros who have to work with there hands it can’t be nice)

I think Cav, with a modicum of experience racing as a pro, knows what he wants to wear and why far better than casual observers.

Cav complained of the cold, said he never got warm enough, even over the climbs and that cost him contention. So he might not know 😉

My pet theory is that Cav wasn’t complaining about the cold itself so much as to explaning why he couldn’t hit his normal top gear.
On the bare legs arm warmer thing I’m sure he did the same thing at the world where everyone else was much more wrapped up.

As soon as they finish they all cover themselves in Deepheat and get up against the radiators.

Reading the 7-11 story at the moment, (excellent book BTW), it states that they covered themselves with Vaseline before the famous Giro stage up Gavia, when Hampsten came in second, to stave off the cold.

It was cool in the eighties – mushroom helmet, odd clothing mix, even an embarrassing attempt at facial hair

007 by T*inbred, on Flickr

What goes around, comes around 😀