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rapha brevet thermal gilet
topography is an important aspect of cycling life, no matter your geographical location. the middle of the french alps would perhaps be a blatantly obvious illustration of that, as would somewhere like the middle of the sahara desert, though i'm willing to accept that the latter would be a tad awkward for cycling unless you own a phat bike.
though islay, with the bumpy bits sited all round the edges, is relatively flat (though oft times, not as flat as one might think), topography still has great influence over the morning's, afternoon's or day's cycling. the oddity is that, while it is rarely a specific subject of study required for the intrepid rider, we all seem to know more about it than each of us hitherto realised. next time you're out on the bike, pay close attention to your behaviour when cycling past hedges (or similar roadside verdage). unless on a sloth-like perambulation along one of jack thurston's lost lanes, it's likely that any untoward sideways draughts perforating those hedges will have a distinct tendency to move the bike in vectors less than amenable to forward motion (you'll get blown sideways).
just check how you deal with that. from personal observation, most riders anticipate the breeze and take subtle avoiding action.
and that selfsame topography can also harbour dramatic shifts in temperature that might well adversely impinge on a comfortable morning's ride. that, as it happens, is precisely the state of affairs that existed on yesterday morning's scuttle round the parish. a morning on which the windchill was barely above zero, every direction appeared to harbour a headwind and the sun never quite achieved altitude in a blue sky.
that sort of morning.
you see, due to the persistence of clear skies overnight, port ellen in the south was apparently under a blanket of thin ice (or at least their car windows were), and the roads less-travelled featured sporadic regions of slushy ice. the low sun dictated that many trafficked areas remained mostly in shadow and thus what we professionals like to call cold.
days such as this pose something of an all but unsolved conundrum as to quite what to wear. option one involved rapha's pro-team softshell, but morphed to a pro-team race cape, augmented by their latest (very) lightweight thermal gilet.
the mighty dave t has no truck with gilets of any flavour, while i, on the other hand, find myself strangely drawn to their sleeveless versatility. this particular example, available in black/grey, or (in the land of) grey and pink, has a thin layer of polartec's alpha insulation sandwiched between the inside and outside layers. while offering a level of warmth and windproofing that truly is hard to believe, it also exhibits a breathability that verges on alien. the outer fabric is of the tidily water-resistant genre thanks to its durable water repellency coating, one that was thankfully a bit more impressive than i'd expected.
having opted for a ride down uiskentuie strand with only a double-espresso in mind, having covered the gilet with the race cape, too much heat had me stuff the cape in a rear pocket, over which the gilet stretched easily to accommodate the increased localised bulk. embedding a two-way full-length zip meant that necessary stops to acquire photographic illustration was a bit of a doddle when the camera was in one of the other jersey's pockets.
darned clever, you have to admit. the return trip was undertaken sans jacket; you'd scarcely believe how warm you can remain in continuing zero degree windchill.
though as one of islay's more untidy residents, i was guilty of
scrunching the gilet and unceremoniously stuffing it in a pocket, there's actually a wide, elasticated loop at the neck into which the garment can be squeezed for tidier storage. though predominantly grey in hue, there are several reflective details squandered about its person, topped by that bright, hi-viz pink hoop front and rear. the dropped tail is also remarkably effective at fending off wayward slush. at least one rear pocket would have been a nice touch, but i suppose we can't have everything.
though i have recently become more aware of a topographic awareness as relates to my velocipedinal wellbeing, carrying a brevet insulated gilet will add immeasurably to my professed versatility. it will now be in a rear pocket (or several) permanently, no matter what the mighty dave says.
rapha's brevet insulated gilet is available in six sizes, from xs to xxl and in black with grey hoops or grey with light grey/pink hoops. cost is £130.
wednesday 24 february 2016
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