Armor: winter vestiges

This is what it looks like when you're riding warm
Granted, this is August, not April, but you know...
Notice, I've removed my arm warmers, and am preparing to throw them at Dante.

For cyclists in the northeast, spring comes fast and furious. One day you're pulling on tights, leg warmers, thermal tops, long-sleeved jerseys, neoprene booties and mittens to go for a bike ride, that's inevitably going to end with you freezing, and struggling to control the bike as your shivers send it careening around the shoulder of some country road.

Then, almost without warning, the snow is melting and you're overheating in just shorts and a short sleeve jersey. Sweat pours down your face, and you claw at your zipper to try and cool off whenever the road turns uphill.

Suddenly, even a lightweight vest is overkill, so you stuff it into your pocket. As much as twittering birds and budding flowers, spring is marked by bulging pockets, as you stuff your unneeded arm-warmers, leg warmers, and even gloves into your pockets over the course of a ride.

But here's the best sign of spring: The cyclists who live in denial of spring. It might be 55 or 60 or 65. You might have spent your lunch break sprawled out on a lawn basking in the sun, but these cyclists still think it's January and it's 20.

I turned up for a group ride the other afternoon in 60-degree whether. I wore a vest, and had arm warmers and gloves in my pockets, just in case it got cold as the sun creeped lower in the sky. Glancing around at the other riders, I noticed several questionable equipment choices. Several people were wearing fleece tights. Two had wool caps on under their helmets, and almost everyone was wearing full-finger gloves and booties. Hmm...

Now don't get me wrong, I hate being cold. I'm the first to drag my trainer out of storage when it gets even a little chilly; better to be bored than cold, I always say. But for pete's sake, if it's warm, peel off those winter layers, and finally feel the warm air on your skin.

For me, the most important part of spring is finally peeling off all of those bulky layers, and letting the warm air caress my bare skin. After all, cycling is a summer sport, and dressing the part is what it's all about.

So why would anyone not want that feeling of gliding through warm air after months and months of cold? I took an informal poll of my ride partners. It seemed that the consensus was that a force of habit drives us to dress warm. After all, if you've spent four months piling on all your layers, it can feel almost uncomfortably exposed to ride without them, said my ride partners.

So, after months and months of wearing your spandex like some kind of armor, some of us seem to be unwilling to ride without the protective layer. Personally, I don't get it, but that's just me.