The ECCC's "Ask A Pro" Forum

Here is a forum where riders can ask questions of experienced pros - no question too basic or too advanced! Email your questions to amyw[at]alum.dartmouth.org.

Dear Amy,

This past weekend it rained and I got soaked. The next day, the A women showed up on the line with dry shoes, dry gloves and dry clothing. They looked pro! All my stuff was still wet and I was freezing. How did they show up decked out in clothes and equipment that looked factory fresh?

Thanks,
Cold and Clammy

Amy Wallace, 2005 ECCC Champion, Responds:
Dear Clammy Sammy,

There is only one thing worse than having to race in a cold rainy miserable bike race -- and that's to have to put on cold damp clothing to race in it again the next day! There are a few things that you can do to help ensure that you are dry and comfortable for your race the day after bad weather.

1. Try to stay a little drier in the first place - buy rain gear! Sometimes it's so rainy that no rain gear will keep you dry, but you can try to stay dry in a light rain with a see-through plastic jacket (so your race # is still visible underneath), waterproof gloves, and waterproof booties. Remember, the word "waterproof" is relative, but an attempt at waterproof is better than nothing.
2. What a bummer to get soaked in your warm-up, only to have the rain let up before you even start your race! See if your team will spring for a warm-up tent - one of those 10' x 10' popup things. Easy to set up, break down and transport, and not too expensive. You can find them at department stores in the range of $100.
3. Don't race in the rain in the first place, but be prepared to be ridiculed and called a sissy. Unless you are good at pretending you are coming down with a cough or a fever or something. Or unless you're the Dartmouth team and opt to find the library and study instead.

OK, so those tips were to prevent getting wet, but the rest are to help for when you are already soaked the bone and want to be dry tomorrow:

1. YOUR HOTEL PROBABLY HAS LAUNDRY FACILITIES! If it doesn't, find a Laundromat, or start making a point of booking hotels with laundry. It's inexpensive and so worthwhile to get your clothes washed and dry after they've gotten wet and gritty in today's race.
2. No time to do laundry? Rinse your clothes in the shower (if they're not too full of mud/sand), get some extra towels, and wring them out good in towels. Hang them out to dry, put them over the heater in your room, use the HAIRDRYER which is often over the bathroom sink in hotel rooms.
3. Bring an extra race kit if you have one. This avoids having to dry clothes at all.
4. THE BEST TRICK on how to dry out your shoes: use newspaper! You may be skeptical, but this trick always works. Grab all those USA Today's that the hotel tries to shove under your door, rip out one page at a time, crumple it into a ball and shove it into the toe of your shoe. Use at least 5-7 sheets of newspaper and stuff as many as you can crumpled into your shoe. This does an excellent job of absorbing all the water out of your shoe. It's best to change the newspaper once after at least an hour, but that's not totally necessary and sometimes just one round of newspaper will do the trick.
5. Last minute drying needs? Use the heater/defroster vents in your team car or van for gloves, shoes, chamois, or anything else that could use a little extra drying, or at least peace of mind if you think this will dry something sufficiently!

Amy