Les Vêtements

Mountains are tricky things. Oddly enough, I learned this from a canyon. Well I say, a canyon. In fact it was the mother of all canyons, the Grand Canyon.

Canyons, like mountains, offer very different climactic conditions at their upper and lower extremities. The top of a mountain can be many degrees cooler than its base. They can also, of course, be swathed in cloud. Likewise, when the rim of the Grand Canyon is often quite cool first thing in the morning, lower down it resembles a desert. It's very dry and dusty.

For a cyclist, the difference in climate and difference in effort between climbing and descending demand different clothing at the foot and the top of a climb.The trick is to have just the right clothing available while avoiding carrying more than is absolutely necessary. Once again, modern materials come to the rescue.

My kit for the Alpine trip consists of:

• Wicking base layer, which in my case is a kind of string vest. Very Rab C. Nesbitt!
• Short sleeved jersy, in bright yellow so people can see me coming
• Bib shorts
• Separate arms that can be added to the jersy, yet fold up and fit easily in one of its pockets
• Separate legs that can be added to the shorts. These also fold up and fit easily into a jersey pocket
• Short sleeved gilet which is wind proof and shower proof and also folds up to fit into a jersey pocket

Needless to say, I've been riding with this kit for a few weeks now, and it really works.