Hypothermia?
 

I would like to hear your experiences of hypothermia and what you do to prevent it happening. Last Saturday was a rainy cold day. +1C or 34 F. I cycled for about an hour and a half in steady rain on my mountain bike. Started off feeling good but ended up pretty wasted from the cold and wet. Instead of putting rain pants on I put on North Face pants but they were not rainproof. This was obviously a mistake as I found out the rain went through to my regular lined pants. I had a head band over my ears and bike helmet on. I think the hypothermia came mostly from the rain and cold impacting my face and forehead. The next day I felt like crap. Headache with a head cold.

My top jacket was a North Face rain jacket and it worked well keeping the rain out.
Tell me your experiences of hypothermia and what you do to prevent it. Kind of gear and what do you do to help your face and forehead? I cannot imagine wearing a clear visor.
Thanks in advance!

When I've cycled in the cold, it was always my feet, head and hands that got me. I usually had rain proof pants and jacket. You have to keep your upper body warm or you are toast. I've used shoe covers and plastic bags on my feet. Good gloves obviously. I've used ear covers and a skull cap. Bald dude here so no hair to keep my head warm. I decided long ago that if I need a balaclava on a bike, it is too cold.

Wet is what makes it super cold - water transfers heat away from your body much quicker than air. Not done any biking, but when hiking the key is to keep dry as possible, watch out for sweating, and wear clothing that will keep you warm even when wet - this usually means wool and not cotton.

I don't like a headband for cold wet weather. A polypro skull cap, or a wool beanie (or a skull cap and a cycling cap.). Wool neck gaitor. I wear glasses, so that's my eye protection. Warm gloves, warm socks and shoe covers.
Three or four thin layers for upper body (base, L/S jersey and goretex jacket, sometimes a vest thrown in. All fit very close to my body. I don't like flappy clothing when I ride. I haven't found the perfect garments for my legs, but I know I hate nylon rain pants more than I hate wet legs, so I usually just use my heavyweight, lined Descente tights under my 3/4 length cycling shorts.

Also make sure you eat and drink. Your body is trying hard to keep warm and you need extra calories and water. It's hard to do when it's cold. I'll put a water bottle in my jersey pocket under my rain jacket to try and keep it a little warmer.

Edit. This is Oregon cold, not Canada cold. So, this information might all be useless to a stud like you cycling up in the great white north.

Yes about the eat and drink. I have a neighbor with an injured limb from a mountain climb where he didn't drink enough Surrounded by water (snow) and there wasn't fuel to melt it.

As a life-long skier, I protect from wind first. Wind will pull the heat right out of you. Wet is also at the top of the list. If you are dry and wind protected, you can survive pretty will while exercising even with modest insulation.

With that said, I just bought some neoprene gloves for dirtbiking in the winter. I am hopefully optimistic about these.

I was going to respond that a couple of years ago, I cycled in some cold rain. I think my only protection was a cycling rain jacket. I can't remember if it had a hood. It may have. But then I realized that cold rain in Houston and cold rain in Edmonton are probably 2 very, VERY different things.

Interesting comment. When it gets to plus 1C or 34F and rain then it can either go either way to rain or snow. Snow generally does not stick like rain. Having said that as mentioned above with a wind , cool temp and rain can be pretty uncomfortable.

Probably about the fourth time I have experienced hypothermia. Big mistake was poor rain pants and too much forehead exposed. Thanks all for the clothing tips!:)

My extensive backpacking experience ha s taught me this. You must keep water away from your skin, your head must be covered, your core must be kept warm. When you find a way to keep your feet warm on the bicycle please enlighten me.

I never tried them, but they have those neoprene slippers that go over your riding shoes. I would expect those to keep your feet pretty dry and pretty warm. My riding shoes allowed the wind/breeze right through which was nice when it was hot, but less so when it was cold and wet.

I have waterproof shoe covers for the road bike. These are thin stretchy material that fit tight - all sides including the soles, they are pierced only for the cleats and two velcro straps at the achilles to close them tight - and are waterproof. They cover up past the ankles so I can put the tights over the tops of the covers. This and thin, good quality wool socks, usually 'icebreaker' brand, (and silk sockliners) keep my feet warm and dry on the road bike.

For the gravel bike, I have some SPD compatible gore-tex boots (again, ankle height) made by shimano. I bought them 1/2 size larger (44.5 euro vs 44) to accommodate extra socks. I've used them on the coldest days I've encountered, my feet stay warm and dry.

I've tried the neoprene and they're good in cool weather but in the cold no joy for me.

STAY IN THE TROPICS
minimum subtropics

when surfing wear a wet suit

You cannot get wet, I mean, your clothing or skin can't. You bet it wasn't just your head and face that did you in.

My biking raingear is from a company called "showers pass" - they are based out of Portland, so you know they know rain! I have their heavy duty jacket and pants, both in orange. Their booties that go over my shoes. For gloves I have not been happy with the ones I tried and believe it or not, I have gone to fairly thin gloves with extra large vinyl gloves over them. I also have a helmet cover from an off brand company. So, with all that, my only exposed area is my face. The helmet cover over a MTB helmet keeps rain out of my neck fine. Also, I agree on using a skull cap, I use the pearl itsumi and they do a good job wicking away sweat while keeping you warm.

When I did the death ride in 2018 I bought a big under saddle bag and brought my showers pass jacket. It saved me from hyperthermia when we were hosed down by an ice cold rain shower on Ebbets pass. I was able to continue to ride and make up valuable time.

At any rate, don't skimp on raingear, the stuff I recommend is pricey, you'll be out 600 bucks by the time you are done, but what's your health worth to you?

G

The bodies internal survival mechanism concentrates heat to the vital organs and sacrifices the extremities, that's why your fingers and toes get cold first. People will put on socks and gloves when in fact what the body needs is more insulation around the core and head.

The majority of heat loss is lost through our head.

In any survival situation where hypothermia is a potential issue the last thing you want to do is work up a sweat.

As for the OP, you need a rain shell to prevent the rain from getting your clothes wet and wicking heat from your body. But the fact you are riding working up a sweat is also problematic. Get a bike trainer and ride indoors during cold weather.

if it's raining, and cold, I don't go cycling, I generally stay inside. I get cold so quickly, and seem to stay that way for the remainder of the day.

Rain is a no go for me unless I am commuting and have no other choice.
I will ride the fatbike down to about -15 deg C. I use heated socks and winter riding boots (45NRTH Wolvhammer) to make that possible and also a great Specialized/626 jacket and pants for cold/wet riding.
I throw a bunch of handwarmers in my pack. They come in handy (get it?) if you are extremely cold.
Good cold weather gloves (45NRTH again Sturmfist 4 and 5) and an insulated large water bottle with warm water in it make it all work.
45NRTH Nokken glove is reported to be a great cool weather riding glove.

I got it in Southern Arizona!

Wintertime, working one of the mountaintops. We had a 500,000 gallon water tank, fed from a stream (pumped), and the overflow was capped. The water load needed in the winter dropped, so the tank was full and pressurized. I had to open the cap and put a firehose type hose on it to direct the overflow down the mountain.

Opened the cap, and had 33 degree water pour out, at about 15psi. 20 foot drop, pressurized container, 4 inch firehose coupling. LOTS OF WATER. I was instantly standing in 2 feet of 33 degree water, while trying to get the hose on the coupling, which was still pouring water. It felt like 10 minutes, but it was probably 2 or 3, and I realized that (a) I was finding the concept of getting that hose on the coupling was becoming difficult and (b) I was panting and completely out a breath.

I was also alone, at least the only person within yelling distance. I was also starting to literally freeze. The panting clued me into something being bad, I felt like I had just run 10 miles.


Lizard brain kicked in, I trudged away letting that water just flood down the mountainside, and got inside before shutting down, but just barely.

I grew up in the North, I can handle some cold, but this was like falling into a frozen lake. It's only the third or fourth time that I nearly died while doing astronomy...

Super tricky. You need rain gear that breathes. It’s the same thing if you drench yourself with sweat. Game over.

I don’t own high end cycling rain gear. But I have some performance hunting stuff.

Is a balance act for me. If I get home cold and wet. Warn shower and warm drinks until I get better.

To be honest, I can't stand Showers Pass gear. Tried it, and it felt like I was in a sauna. I know I should like it because I'm in Portland, but I've found Castelli cycling gear to be much better at keeping the rain off and wicking the sweat away from my body.

My experience is that all the 'breathable' stuff I ever tried is just not water tight. My showers pass jacket has nice vents that breathe and don't let light rain in. I have to admit too, when I am commuting, I am not killing myself in terms of effort. I usually go fast enough to be comfortably warm but not so fast that I start sweating profusely.

I have to say, I have enjoyed working from home last winter. Looks like it may be back on the road this winter soon!

G