From a reader's email, quoted with permission:
...not sure how to put this delicately, but when I ride my bike in the cold I inevitably end up with a sweaty bra. Even if I am not exerting myself, the bra is soaking wet by the time I get to work and The Girls are not happy spending an entire morning waiting for it to dry. I've taken to stuffing paper towels in there, but was hoping you could share a better solution. How do you deal with this? Don't tell me you only wear wool bras?
Now approaching my third winter of cycling, one of the most valuable lessons I've learned is how to dress for the cold weather. Merely piling on layers can lead to overheating, then freezing underneath the sweat-soaked clothing when stopped at red lights. This is where choice of fabric becomes important. Wool and silk not only keep me warm, but regulate my body temperature - meaning that I sweat lessunderneath all those layers of warmth than I do wearing cotton or synthetic fabrics. And compared to technical synthetics, wool and silk do not retain body odor.
When choosing temperature-regulating fabrics, the key to the whole system working for me is to start from the inside out. If I am wearing a wool sweater with a cotton long-sleeve tee underneath, that cotton is going to be drenched in sweat; it's better to wear a wool baselayer and a non-wool garment on top of that. Similarly, underwear matters a great deal, since it is the first thing to contact the skin. Cotton or polyester underwear will end up soaked in sweat, causing discomfort even if every single other article of clothing I am wearing is wool.
So yes: In response to the reader's question, I only wear bras made out of fabric that regulates my body temperature effectively, which for me means wool or silk. Wool is the more durable and somewhat more effective option. But wool bras tend to be plain and sporty looking, and not everyone likes that. Also, women with larger chests often report that these bras do not offer sufficient support. If you prefer a look and feel that is more lingiree than sportsbra, real silk bras are available with everything from decorative lace to underwire support and nylon stretch. After having tried a number of manufacturers, I have settled on Ibexfor wool underwear,and onWinter Silksfor some fairly inexpensive silk bras. I also like to wear Icebreakerleggings instead of stockings once it gets cold, and always Smartwoolsocks. There are other excellent options out there. But as long as it's wool or silk, there should be no need to stuff your bra with paper towels before cycling to work.
My cousin's place overlooks a tidal river with a view out into the bay. Beautiful! (Yeah, that word again!) I'll be here a few more days but will be busy having some fun and "catching up" with my cousin (at least 15 years since we've seen each other) so don't know if I'll get anything more posted anytime soon or not. But eventually, I will. Not doing a whole lot of genealogy research either right now - just enjoying myself and Mother Nature.
About 11 am I arrived at the visitor center at Bryce Canyon National Park. There were campsites available, but the temperature was a “brisk” 35º and I opted to continue on my way, knowing that I could return later. I also wanted to stop at Kodachrome Basin State Park, which was nearby, but not when it was so cold.
The canyons near Escalante, looking westward. The midway point between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef parks.
Another view of the canyons, taken 10 minutes later, looking west.
The canyons near Escalante, looking to the north. Uh, oh.
Near the summit (9600 feet high) of Boulder Mountain the sky started to clear. Steam was rising from the road surface. It felt quite warm when I stepped out of the van to take the picture. But alas, it was just a temporary clearing. It snowed, and sleeted, and slushed most of the way to Torrey, the turnoff to Capitol Reef.
Shortly after I arrived at Goblin Valley, hail fell. Then it thundered and rained. Along about sunset time I glanced out the window and saw the tail end of a rainbow! Ah, Mother Nature in all her glory!
Expansive views of Cook Inlet were not to be seen since much of the trail that I walked was tree lined on both sides. It was just nice to be outside with no rain! Anchorage has an extensive park and trail system (120 miles of trails) as well as many other attractions and activities, but I was being lazy and didn't do much of anything.
Though I have derived many benefits from cycling, the one drawback I am still struggling with is sun damage. During my first year on the bike as an adult, I thought that I was being pretty good about using sun protection, but noticed visible damage to my skin that seemed to be a direct result of cycling over the summer months. Darkened patches and wrinkles appeared in areas of my face and body that had been most exposed to the sun while cycling. And this was despite using high SPF sunblock and staying off the road during the hottest times of the day.
[For Ueli:] You’ve actually been working with SCARPA for a while. How long? How did that relationship come about? It started in about 2001. It was actually Romolo Nottaris who supported me first. It was not just a business decision; it was also a personal feeling, which was always very important from the beginning.
[For Ueli:] You’ve been really involved with the new midsole/sole design (and its success) on boots like the new Phantom collection. What was your involvement around that project? What did you want to see SCARPA achieve? What do you think of the results? I was quite involved in the Phantom Ultra and Phantom Guide. The Ultra came definitely only on my demand. Everybody at SCARPA was afraid of the light sole. But that’s what I was looking for. The Phantom Ultra and the Phantom 6000 are very good boots. I also needed some time to convince SCARPA to use the lighter sole on the Phantom 6000 and to use a system to have an automatic crampon. It’s sometimes difficult to make someone understand what exactly we need for climbing. To make the best shoes you can’t always make decisions based on the commercial and production side of the business. You have to find the production solution for the shoe, and you have to find the marketing solution to make the market understand the product. Sometimes it is really hard to bring new ideas. People always think what they used for the last ten years was great. They first need to feel the difference, and for this they have to wear a new product.
[For Ueli:] How does helping design products affect your own climbing experiences?
I've been riding the Paper Bicycle for just over a week, and in some ways my experience with it reminds me of when I first got the Bella Ciao last year. My initial reaction was that of ecstasy over the ride quality. Not that the two bikes feel the same - far from it. But each rides great in its own distinct way, and works better for me than most other city bicycles I've tried thus far.
Whereas for a "normal" bike I could simply buy a rack, that is not an option when a bicycle is so unusual as to make standard racks functionally or aesthetically unworkable. There is only one rack on the market with which the Paper Bicycleis compatible (the Burley rack, with the use of an adaptor). But even that option is a bad idea in my view, because it kills the unique look of the bike. Similarly, the Bella Ciao was, in theory, compatible with the Pletscher rack, but using it undermined both the elegant form of the frame and the pains the manufacturer had taken to make the bicycle as light as possible. For the Bella Ciao, the only solution I ultimately found was to have a custom rack made. I think the same must be done for the Paper Bicyclein order to make it appealing as not just a design concept, but a complete package. I know that the manufacturer is working on a rack design, and I am really hoping they make it sufficiently "paperbikey," integrated with the rest of the bicycle in the same elegant manner as the chaincase.
On top of that, Karen and Tom are here. I have to stop and share a story about Karen here. Austin was telling Aric about Karen, because he hadn't met her yet. He says she is sooooooo nice. I compared her to someone else who I thought was sweet in the same kind of way and Austin said oh no, she is way sweeter. She is in a class all of her own. You can't compare Karen to ANYONE else. I think he has a little crush on her. Not that I can blame him because she is in a class all of her own, both inside and out.
We have enough people to play pickleball each day. Today we played twice in fact. It was hot in the morning and then cool in the evening. I prefer evening play, not only because of the weather, but because I hate playing in the morning due to my hating to be awake in the morning.
Our travel buddies are supposed to come tonight and that will just add to our contentment of being surrounded by enjoyable people.
Living the life in now sunny Virginia!