Racewear for cold conditions

Ever wondered how our riders stay warm on the bike? We asked Ian Boswell, Ben Swift and Rapha.

With snow falling as rapidly as the temperature in France last week, stage three of Paris-Nice was cancelled at the halfway mark.

Riders gratefully jumped aboard their team buses to warm up, but on another day they could easily have been expected to race on to the finish - as they have done many times before.

In that scenario staying warm on the bike can be the difference between winning and losing, and here at Team Sky we're lucky to have some of the finest extreme weather clothing at our disposal.

Ian Boswell believes the Rapha clothing he and his team-mates wear on the bike is the best in the business.

"It is hands down the best in the peloton," he said. "It was interesting at Paris-Nice - for the first couple of days it was cold and wet and we had long debates on the bus about what to wear."

With so many variables to consider, Rapha have worked to provide us with a wardrobe that suits a wide range of temperatures, reducing the need for riders to make energy-sapping and time-consuming trips back to the car when they need to add or reduce layers.

Graeme Raeburn, Rapha's lead designer, is conscious of how much can change in a day on a bike - be that the weather or the race situation.

He said: "A rider can encounter a full range of seasons in a single race, starting in sleet and finishing in spring sunshine. There are so many weather variables: wind direction and speed, temperature, precipitation and humidity, possible change in altitude, and riding speed."

Shadow collection

The new Shadow collection has been designed specifically with that issue in mind. It has proved immensely popular with our riders and is ideal for the Classics - particularly Saturday's Milan-San Remo.

Despite being highly breathable and lightweight, Shadow racewear offers superb wet-weather protection, so riders can wear the same jersey all race long.

"The new Shadow range is the future - even though it's already here," Ian added. "In terms of wet weather clothing it's the best equipment that's ever come into cycling. Crucially, all the stuff is still really tight fitting because you still want to be aerodynamic in the wet. If you're wearing a big flappy waterproof jacket it's obviously not conducive to fast riding.

"We even have a pair of shorts that are made out of the Shadow material and those are incredible. During the cancelled stage of Paris-Nice we saw other teams in standard bib shorts and they were soaked almost straight away, getting colder as the day went on, while our legs stayed warm."

Ben Swift agrees with Ian: "This year I've noticed a big step up in the wet weather kit," he said. "It's some of the best on the market. On the cold days in Paris-Nice last week, not one of us suffered. While a lot of other riders were cold, our whole team was on the front, animating the race."

As good as the Shadow collection is though, the coldest of conditions are even more demanding. After a punishingly tough stage of the Giro d'Italia last year some of our riders were cold - very cold.

Extreme Weather Jacket

The grupetto finished the day in freezing conditions and after discussions with Rod Ellingworth, our Head of Performance Operations, Rapha came up with the Extreme Weather Jacket.

It was created to enable exhausted riders to seek solace on their way to the finish. Combining technical insulating fabric, electrically-heated elements and a hood that can be worn under a helmet, it does a fantastic job of preserving a rider's body heat - reducing the potential for illness and injury.

When the stage was cancelled at Paris-Nice last week, Ian was quick to get one on.

He continued: "Those were a life saver - we weren't cold when we stopped racing because we were in the right gear, but the minute you stop producing heat your body can get cold really quick. To be able to put something on that keeps you warm is fantastic.

"Also, when we finished at the summit of the Madone d'Utelle last week we had to ride 15km back down to the bottom. The carers turned the heating elements in the jacket on 10 minutes before we arrived at the finish so they were warm and dry, ready for us.

"There were riders with normal rain jackets heading back down, wrapping a towel around the back of their neck just to stay warm, but we were in these electronically-heated jackets - it's another step up."

Rapha describe it as a 'luxury emergency blanket' and it includes technology pioneered by NASA. We keep several in the team car, and although the jacket is only available to our riders at the moment, the tech and materials inside are sure to filter down to Rapha's full range soon.

Underneath all that is the Merino Mesh Base Layer. Despite being extremely lightweight, the mesh structure works as a windproof layer, trapping warm air next to the skin, keeping the riders snug on the road and protected from the harshest conditions.

"Back in 2012 there was a stage of the Tour de l'Avenir," remembers Ian. "I was so cold at the top of the mountain. Everything was drenched wet and as soon as I finished I got completely naked and laid in front of the heater in the foetal position (laughs).

"I realised how bad it was when the cold air from the car felt extremely warm blowing onto my fingers and toes. That's dangerous, and dreadful for recovery.

"That wouldn't happen now. Having the right kit makes such a huge difference."