Yo! Aussie & Kiwi Ladies-how is "winter"

[crazycanuck]

Hey ladies,

I believe "Winter" has arrived. (at least i think it's winter?)

I'm not complaining about "winter" if it is here. Who can complain about 20C daytime temperatures in winter! Ok, it might be 5C at night but that's not cold. pwah!

Are you ladies still on yer bikes? Thistle, are you still out there commuting?

Whilst we're at it, why is it that only one body part gets cold in the morning? Only my ankle gets a bit cold for some reason.

Bring on the rain I say. I'm ready: I have my extra set of cycling gear at work for those crappy rainy days, my oh so nice MEC rain jacket ( http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442617573&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302692501&bmUID=1179651914261) , Witches Britches(well they're on thier way..) for those coldish mornings, my AV buff and a nice Ground Effect sweater (http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/product-detail-ICE-WIN.htm?PHPSESSID=8f7e7f9d0ed2e05e7c84af2b1552a5c8)

How is your winter?

C

[nomummytummy]

It's not really winter here yet - even in NZ. Usually it's really cold and we'v ehad a few southerly storms by now - but it just keeps on being nice. As a newie to cycling, I am a little unsure about the winter getup. I have some ground effect jitterbubs - they are shorter than witches britsches - and leg warmers, which i took out for the first time today. Not really sure the leg warmers were needed, but it looked cold from our window. (Doesn't the idea of owning something called "witches britches" just sound great!)

I get really hot when I exercise & am unsure what to actually buy for winter. too much clothing & I will want to give up & cool down, but not enough won;t be much fun either. What do you experienced riders wear? Who else gets really hot compared to others you know & how do you face winter?

Many thanx :)

[crazycanuck]

Hey!

I was wondering if it was fall..It's the same weather here during both fall & winter over here in Perth!

Where in NZ are you? Welcome to TE! Always nice to have another chickie from the Southern Hemisphere on the board.

I agree with you about it being hard deciding what to wear cycling during fall/winter. I have an idea of what certain temps feel like & know if i'll need my arm warmers or just my vest.

Hard to explain but I guess you just get used to knowing what to wear. If you're in Auckland I'd suggest some serious wet weather gear! Either that or float with the ducks. :p If you're in Christchurch i'd ask KiwiGirl but if you're on the North Island ask RoadRaven.

Happy cycling!

c

[Thistle]

hey crazy

i havent been back on my bike since coming down with whooping cough :(

am thinking i will get back on for a ride next week. am going stir-crazy not being on the bike.

winter is definitely here, i'll be rugging up next time i ride. DH rode in the other day with his balaclava and hurricane-force gloves... but admitted he was a little over-dressed. we havent had any sub-zero temps yet.

[kiwi girl]

I went to Hanmer for the weeked - BF had to go there for work and I got to take my bike and hoon around the forest :)

There was a touch of frost about there on Saturday - but then it is 20 degrees C in Christchurch today - weird. We haven't had a frost here yet and so far I have only needed my full finger gloves on a couple of commutes.

The good thing is that going to Hanmer meant I finally put the knobblies back on my mountain bike after using slicks for my Aussie adventure - because my mountain bike with knobblies is my snow bike if needed (hopefully not for a few months yet).

[kiwi girl]

hi there noMummytummy

I get really hot when exercising too (and that was even before the hot flushes I've been getting of late:( )

I am a ground effect chick through and through - and for me (in Chrsitchurch) witches britches are enough even in winter on the bottom.

On the top in winter I go for a starfish with a jetson over the top. I have a fleece (the womens version of the cadence which I can't find on the latest website) which I wear for my short (3.5k) commute, but I find it too hot for a longer ride

[lph]

aaawww - looky them, aren't they cute, calling it "winter".... ;) :D

20 C during the day and 5 C at night is the same as the lovely balmy days of early summer we're having here... :D

(But to be slightly on-topic - the most important thing to me when it gets chilly is not many layers, but a single windstopping layer all over. I'll use long tights, full-finger gloves and a thin skull cap long before I start adding extra layers under my jacket.)

[crazycanuck]

Thistle! I do hope you feel better soon :( I know what it's like not to be able to ride.

KiwiGirl-how was your mtn bike ride in Hamner? :D

I am impressed with Ground Effect & will continue to shop with them. Their customer service is great & they're oh so friendly.( I think one of the chickies is Canadian :) )

Lph-The reason i say "Winter"is..I'm Canadian & winter is not 20C!!!! Its -20C!!! I giggle when I see people with heavy coats & gloves on when it's 15C outside!

Happy riding!

c

[mimitabby]

Does it ever snow down under? Sorry for the dumb question.

[kiwi girl]

Hey there cc -

my ride in Hanmer was great - I got out on the bike on both Saturday and Sunday - on both occassions just followed my nose around the forest tracks for a couple of hours


I was going to do a ride called Jacks and Jollies pass, but I bailed after about 1 km when I realised jacks pass was going to be a 10 k uphill on a rutted gravel road - much more fun in the forest - forest riding is my favourite kind of off road riding

mimitabby

in the North Island they hardly ever get snow at sea level (when I lived in Wellington it snowed in town once but didn't settle) but it does snow in the hills a bit, and there are ski fields on the mountains in the centre of the island.

Christchurch where I live now generally gets snow that will settle one or two days each winter (or at least that's been the case in the six years I have lived here). The Southern Alps will have snow on them for most of the winter

[crazycanuck]

Mimi-Normally in the middle of the North island around Mt Ngaruhoe, Tongariro & Ruapehu (man I hope my memory is ok & i've spelt them correctly) there's snow in winter.

In Australia-i'd have to go to the middle of NSW or VIC to the ski fields for snow. Where Thistle lives in the ACT gets cold enough for snow. (Am i correct thistle?)

Snowless in Perth..:(

C

[Thistle]

yep, crazy you're correct. mimi we live about 2 hours drive from the Snowy Mountains.. yep that's what they are called. although they are really not very big mountains and we dont get a huge amount of snow ... even there.

we occasionally get snow in canberra... maybe once every 5 - 7 years. usually just lots of frosts and pretty, sunny days in winter. snow is a big deal here, it makes the headlines when we have it.

[crazycanuck]

Hey, i just checked the BOM (www.bom.gov.au) site & now know why my hand was a bit cold this morning.. It was 1C at 5am when i left for work..

I also had a few people at work say "I thought of you when i dragged myself out of bed at 6am & noticed the temp!".

I was toasty warm with my AV jersey & buff, sleeveless wind vest, sweater and arm warmers on top. It may sound like alot to wear & you're probably wondering why i wear all those items. It;s basically all I own & don't feel i need to buy any more bike clothing. (other than the (right size this time )items i'm waiting to be sent from NZ..)

I can't wait for my witches britches to come!

C

[sarahlou]

I've been Hobart when it was snowing in winter and heard tales of a snow on Christmas day (mid summer to us Northern Hemisphere folk) there.

[RoadRaven]

Well, very mild here in the Bay
But that is not good news for me/mine.
We are on a farm, and the ground is rapidly getting too cold for the grass to grow even if it does rain
We are at the beginning of a winter drought, and our stock are facing a tough few months.
We cant sell any more as everybody is quitting their animals, so we'll just have to try and carry them through as best we can...

If we weren't farming, I would be loving this "winter"
(Its winter solstice in just a month, so def winter here)

[Laterider21958]

Icy, gusty winds with episodes of heavy rain on the way to work. Lots of icy wind during the day and then a heavy downpour as I got home from work. Must say, I was glad I drove the car! (I guess I'm not a dedicated cyclist yet.):eek:

[beetle]

Well for a soft Sydneysider I think it is definitely winter - well at 0600 on sat mornings it feels like it.

CC - I ordered some GE witches britches the other day too. Am a big fan, I got to try them on a couple of not too early rides in Canberra on the weekend. To be honest I won't bother with full tights after using them, they will be quite enough for an aussie winter. I am going to have to sort out my feet though, even in a very daggy pair of toasty hiking socks my toes were v numb after 90mins.

Notummymummy - love your avatar! is that your bub?

On the snow topic, my husband comes from Hobart and yes one Christmas when visiting his parents there was snow on top of Mt Wellington.

[RoadRaven]

So, icey gusty sleet and snow in Invercargill today
Torrential downpours in the last week or so north and west of me here in the North Island.

But here in Hawkes Bay we are entering our 10th month of low/no rainfall.
We had 7mm in May, and non so far this month.
The ground is dry and brown and my son complains it is hard to hunt rabbits because of the crunching underfoot (dry grass) as he walks.

There is virtually no food left for our animals, there have been gale force westerlies for nearly a week.

This looks like the summer parching of February, or the Spring equinoxal winds ... not like the approach of mid-winter and solstice

[crazycanuck]

RR-I do hope you recieve some rain the next month or so.
I saw the news story on the NZ Herald site about the severe weather warning and didn't see any mention of rain :(
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444151

I think most of the farmers in Australia understand how you feel about very little rain.

Here's hoping for rain in Hawke's bay!

C

[crazycanuck]

Hey NSW ladies,

Have you been affected by the horrible weather near Newcastle? Wow!

My thoughts are with the loved ones of the missing

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21875727-2,00.html

Bad week for accidents & weather in NSW & Vic :(

First the Kerang rail tragedy & now weather related tragedy.
(http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21859671-29277,00.html?from=public_rss)

My thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones in the accident.:(
C

[RoadRaven]

Wow, some nasty sad stuff across the Ditch :(
If anyone is connected to this, my thoughts to you from EnZed
Thanks for posting the links CC. (Today news links are loading for me!)

Strong to gale force westerly gusts continue on my part of this island... its race day today... an out and back 39km course and we will have a cross wind all the way, there and back, I think. :mad:

I woke up this morning at 5:30 as the side of the house got thumped again. Not sure how my children sleep through it!

Its 7am now and already 15'... doesn't seem like mid-winter at all.

[beetle]

CC - I think it's awful about the missing people up north. To be honest I didn't actually think the weather was that bad but I think the north has been much more effected than Sydney. We were actually heading up to Newcastle for the weekend but decided not to go due to the weather and as there are warnings suggesting not to travel unless essential. I was actually going to do a duathlon nr Nobbys Beach (right next to were the ship is grounded) - but it was cancelled yesterday due to contamination risk from the ship and the need for police access on the road. It's disappionting not to do the race but I think it was probably a good safety call from the news footage I have seen.

[crazycanuck]

I picked up a copy of The Australian this morning & saw how close that ship is to shore! Holy Sheep kapoops! :eek:

I don't think i'd want to be driving up that way this weekend! Haven't the police asked motorists heading up that way only to travel if deemed necessary?

C

[enzed]

Up along the Northern Beaches the weather is not that great.
Light rain on Thursday, caused the local council to close all the sports fields. So, I missed out on playing Ultlmate Fribee with my team ("The Beanies").:(

Since then it's felt like winter. It's very windy & has been raining on and off all day. I don't mind riding in the rain, i did it plenty of times in Palmy, NZ. But I'm don't feel that safe sharing the roads with the traffic over here.
Alot of Sydney drivers aren't that good at driving in the rain, and I've seen enough of their silly behaviour to know that it's safer to walk when the roads are wet.

[crazycanuck]

Aha,a Palmy girl. Sydney's a beeet more exciting i would imagine :rolleyes:

The Aust media has mentioned that folks in some Aust states have forgotten how to drive in the rain as they don't see it that often.
Perth weather is a bit odd. We often receive a month's rainfall in one day :eek: Fine with me. Either that or it rains at 4am for 20min & then stops.
I can't figure the weather out sometimes!

Keep safe on those roads dear!

Riding in the rain is fine however if it often comes to the decision of: Do i bike without my glasses and hope I can see or bike with them and stop ever few minutes & wipe them off. I normally don't care if i get wet however at the moment i'm stuck with this stupid chest flu and don't want to get a chill & be worse off.

I've been off my bike for 3 days :mad: and inside for two :mad: . I'm going stir crazy and have had enough sleep! I'll try for a ride tomorrow..

C

[Oscarjane]

Rode this morning and must admit it was the coldest I have ridden this year. This is my first winter on the bike so don't know what to expect, but this morning was very very cold, but at least once the sun came up it was a clear day and not foggy. Temp was around 2 at 6am this morning

[Thistle]

we had snow in some parts of canberra this morning. people out in captains flat and bungendore have been told to take the day off cos the roads are treacherous :eek:

still not riding to work, hope to get back to that next week.

did a 10k ride on the weekend. i havent done more than 2kms at a time since i got sick in april. feeling about 80% though, so am planning to ride to work next week.

update on the whooping cough, broke my rib coughing. great :mad: so that has delayed my return to the bike somewhat.

but, most importantly, went to my new job yesterday (i start on the 2nd july) and amongst everything else, was shown my new office ... which is large enough to house my bike :D :D and located the showers!!

so, things are looking up! funny how one of my main priorities yesterday was to check out (surreptitiously) how biking to work would work :o

[RoadRaven]

Well, winter is def here...

We have had over 100mm of rain over the past 5 days or so... so although it is too late for grass to grow, at least the fire ban is off!

Tomorrow the forecast is for rain and cold sou'easters... gonna race anyway!

[enzed]

It's raining again. I can only hope that the rain helps full up the dam & doesn't affect north too much.

On Thursday, I was hoping to make the ride home before the rain came in the arvo. 30 mins from home, down came the rain.
Since Thursday is the day I play ulimate frisbee,I rang up the council phone line to check if all the sports fields were closed, the answer being yes.
That makes 2 weeks of sports practise being cancelled, and the way things are going next Thursday will be cancelled as well.
Apparently it's the wettest June in 4 years.

Oh well, it could be worse.
I could be living thru another Palmy winter, with heaps of rain, wind, grey skies, hail, frost & chill-blains. I think I'm becoming a bit "soft" living in Oz, and need to toughen up a bit.

[crazycanuck]

Enzed..you think you feel wimpy with Aussie winters..

I wonder if i've become a wimp. What will happen if Ian & I ever move back to Canada & experience a real winter :o

Winter in Perth does not compare to an Edmonton winter at all!!! :eek: :(

Nothing like a 24C "winter's "day...

C

[crazycanuck]

Hey, who sent us the cold winds? :mad: brrrrrr..At least we don't have the rain to go with it!!! (we need rain...)

GAH!

RR-how's the weather in Napier?

C

[RoadRaven]

Hey there CC

We had 102mm of rain over 6 days... and it was that bitter cold wind that is fresh from snow clouds... (wore many clothes on Saturday race - only 57 riders turned up instead on the usual 110 or so!)

Yesterday there was a light wind - it was cold - but we had sunshine which was delightful...
More rain forecast for the end of the week... hoping we will be lucky and get a break in the weather like last Saturday (described in my racing goals thread) because this week is a 43km race and thats a long time in the elements when there is fresh snow on the ranges!

So... how are you coping with your chilly days in the low 20's? :p

[crazycanuck]

I hear the Central NSW coast is going to be battered by another storm tonight & tomorrow...I hope none of our ladies will be affected!

RR Did your farm receive enough rain to bring you out of the drought?

OUr daytime high didn't reach 20c..:o today...:o

There;s rain forecasted in Perth on Friday :( but hopefully it will be a smidgen bit & stop when I have to ride :) I am not riding in the rain if it's cold as i'm just getting over a flu..I do not want another one :mad: grrr...

I just hope it stops by Saturday as I want to go mtn biking but I can't wear my glasses when it rains..so much fun trying to figure out if what's ahead is a leaf or a rock :o So much fun having crap vision...:mad:

C

[RoadRaven]

We got 100mm, CC, plenty enough to grow grass - if it was warm!

Unfortunately, we have frosts in the morning and snow low on the ranges, and no (or very little if we are lucky) grass will grow until the Earth orbits back closer to the sun and the ground warms up...

There is a slight breeze this morning, so no frost, so I am contemplating biking to work today. The temperature in the house when I got up was 7'... I have had the heater on and its 12' now...

Good call on the riding when unwell - I wish you much sun and a rapid path to full recovery!