“Skin is waterproof”
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”
“If you don’t ride in the rain, then you don’t ride”
I’m originally from the north-west of England. It rains there. A lot.
I played sport in all weathers as a kid, normally on very muddy fields.
And I continued this into adulthood, playing rugby, running, mountain biking no matter what the weather.
But road cycling in the rain can be a tough ask. Case in point was this year’s Maratona dles Dolomites sportive, when the rain really came down after the first couple of hours.
But what I’ve learnt over the years is that there are some essentials that are going to make things slightly more enjoyable and slightly less uncomfortable.
Col du Galibier – late June
1. The very best rain jacket you can afford. This is mandatory. I recall very clearly one Tour du Lac ride with our group when rain was forecast. A member of the group was confident his Castelli Gabba jacket would be ok for this 180k / 6-hour ride. Now the Gabba is a great jersey, but not for extended periods in very heavy rain. Safe to say after an hour or so under the rain he was very jealous of those of us with Gore-Tex jackets or the like.
Col d’Allos
2. Winter shoes if riding in the rain in spring / autumn or winter. Gore-Tex booties are a whole level above any kind of shoe cover. Your feet may still get wet, but they are going to stay far, far warmer than if you’re wearing shoes and shoe covers. A friend introduced me to them a number of years ago and they’re my go to shoe if the rain is coming.
3. Velotoze shoe covers for riding in the summer rain. These silicone shoe covers were introduced to me by a set of Australian riders who came over to Switzerland for a trip in 2023. They wanted to keep their white shoes very white, and these covers really do the trick. And they keep your feet warm (which is a nice bonus).
Velotoze on Aussie toes on the Col de Saisies
4. A cycling cap will keep a lot of the rain off your glasses / face. This is not to be underestimated as being able to see where you’re going is pretty important. A cap has the additional benefit of keeping your head warm.
5. Finally, mudguards may not be cool, but they really make a huge difference to how wet your rear gets. And I’m talking proper long guards, not these ass-saver flimsy things. And as a real bonus, you get kudos from your riding buddies for not spraying water into their faces from your rear wheel.
I guess the very last thing to say is that when you get back from your ride, give your bike a quick rinse down, clean and oil the chain before you put it away. You’ll be glad you did.
As we head into the autumn, those rainy rides will become more and more prevalent.
I’ll probably be out on my gravel bike more than my road bike, but what other tips have you got?