[HAMR] March 5th

[Frank9755]

It's not going to be easy with the long hours he's riding. Often cold in the morning right through the summer and many evenings get chilly, well into May. So he might have to carry more gear, not less, unless there is a warm night-time forecast. And have to put it on twice a day. 

[jamesld8]

I assume he'll also start to carry less shite on the road. March is tricky, though - it's easy to get 20º temperature variations across the day/night.

I had that thought as well.  Didn't steve comment somewhere that it took him ages to dress and prep in the morning?  Summer will trim some of that.  As will shedding some packed weight (winter randonneurs will be familiar with this, albeit my past experience is that's only sensible sometime in May).

IIRC he said the winter kit time was costing him 10 miles a day

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I suspect Steve might change tactics slightly, to do a small loop early and late to drop off/ pick up cold weather gear and ride unloaded during the day, possibly during short food stops to minimise wasted time.

I'd also suggest a greater effort to use flatter roads most of the time. His average speed needs to increase.

[Datameister]

^^^ All of this, but I also think that fuelling becomes easier/quicker in the warmer months (at least in my case where 'need' for a cooked breakfast 'because its cold' abates a bit) so the time-off-the-bike may come down too, and that will help loads.

[Mr Larrington]

I have a memory of a March 200 from the 'uts.  Short sleeves, fingerless gloves and sunburn.  The following day I did the Chiltern-Cotswold and had to remove about an inch of SNO from my hat before entering the village hall at the finish.

[clarion]

Chapeau!

[Frank9755]

I suspect Steve might change tactics slightly, to do a small loop early and late to drop off/ pick up cold weather gear and ride unloaded during the day, possibly during short food stops to minimise wasted time.

I'd also suggest a greater effort to use flatter roads most of the time. His average speed needs to increase.

I agree that he could use much faster roads.

One thing that he's not doing is making use of the faster, dual carriageways that are used for time trialling.  Some are crazily busy during rush hours, but he could still profit from spending 3 or 4 hours on a Sunday morning and a Saturday afternoon on either the A50 either side of Uttoxter or the A12/A14 around Newmarket.  They are not the most scenic, but those roads have been proven to be the fastest in the country for cycling. 

There are some quieter dual carriageways that are a bit less fast but could be used for longer periods, such as the A31 around Alton/Bentley and the A11 from Thetford-Wymondham (both are used for fast 12 hour courses).

[Ningishzidda]

Very seldom in the UK does the ambient air temperature produce a windchill that is at Neutral Skin Temperature.
Even on a warm day when the ambient is in the twenties, windchill will use energy. Bare arms and legs will conduct away heat energy to the passing air. To combat windchill, keep covered.

If he had temperature monitoring equipment inside his undershirts yesterday, they’d read 33 Deg C. As we’ve seen, he’s not overheating.

In the summer, he’d be wise wearing white arm and leg warmers, to stop windchill and reflect the sun’s rays.