Kelly talks Clothing

29/8/2016

During my racing career it was often said that I used to like to race in poor conditions. This was not the case. I just used to dislike it less than my competitors. My focus was always on getting on with things and getting the job done.

Nowadays, I still ride my bike as much as possible, in all weather conditions. I have to be fit to keep up with the Carrick Dole Gang. If you are not in shape they will show you no mercy, no matter what type of palmares you may have.

For me now it is especially important that I am dressed correctly for whatever conditions come my way. Long gone are the days of the wooly jerseys, thankfully.

Having spent most of my career living in Belgium and coming home to Ireland to train for the winter I learned a lot about what to wear and how to cope with bad conditions. It is now good to be able to pass on much of that knowledge to help other cyclists of all levels and abilities.

Some simple tips are as follows:

Always wear your shorts tight. If there is any movement it can cause friction and lead to saddle sores.
Wear something under your helmet, even on hot days. In cold weather, especially anything below 8 degrees, it keeps your head warm and on hot days a light cap will soak up some of the sweat and stop it rolling down into your eyes.
When wearing arm warmers pull down the sleeves of your undervest and pull the armwarmers up over them. This gives them more to grip on to other than your skin. Then roll down the sleeves of your jersey to cover the top of the armwarmers and they will never move.
Check the forecast and know your group. Three hours in the rain with a group doing 34kph with no stop requires different clothing to three hours with a group doing 24kph who stop for a coffee.
Bring a spare undervest if you are stopping for coffee in summer or winter. I often fold one up tightly in a freezer bag which I store in a water bottle or in my back pocket.
I always bring a rain cape or a gillet in Ireland, summer or winter. If you puncture or have to stop for some reason it will keep you warm and avoid getting a chill.

Working with the An Post Chainreaction team and ONDA I have had a good deal of input into what is needed for different weather conditions and these were my priorities:

The clothing must keep you warm and dry for as long as possible in poor conditions, whilst still being very breathable.
It must be hardwearing and washable at 40 degrees to keep it fresh and new looking, and to get rid of the Belgian cobblestone grit and grime.
It must be comfortable enough to wear for long periods time. This especially applies to the padding in the shorts and leggings.
It must fit correctly at all times.
It must offer value for money and be cost effective.

Having tested all clothing myself in all types of conditions I have been very pleased with the results. (Take a look below to see just how we test the clothing)

If any clubs, teams or companies would like to become weather prepared or to find out more about the services and full range of custom products that we can offer, you can contact us via email at : [email protected] or call Barry on 086 8158727 or just fill out the form below