I have a 25 km bike ride coming up in June. I did one last year and I barely survived. And I definitely suffered amnesia, since I'm doing another one.
I'm hoping for this one to be different and am starting training early. Like as of a few weeks ago. There was still snow on the ground. I knew I would need the appropriate gear so I wouldn't turn into an icicle. I wanted 'real' cycling gear. I'm prepping for 25 km here. For this overweight and out of shape referee, that is like a marathon - and not of the Netflix variety.
So, I started shopping. I checked out some cycling articles for winter gear recommendations. Followed their recos and found myself on a variety of sites, none of which provided sizing for anything over L or XL.
I must say that it was extremely frustrating and discouraging to get stalled so early out. I wasn't about to give up, but it was a slap in the face.
Luckily, I discussed it with one our awesome referees and she made a suggestion for me. Between her feedback and another retailer I frequent, I was able to get all geared up.
Ride 1: frozen everything, cut short
Ride 2: frozen hands, cut short
Ride 3: mostly toasty warm (a neck warmer might be good going forward). And I increased my distance by 17%.
Ride 4: TBD, hopefully sometime this week!