..........................................................................................................................................................................................................

dexshell ultralite biking sock

talking of the festive 500 as we were, the years have proved that there is a strategy of sorts to be implemented; all is not quite as straightforward as it initially seems. five hundred kilometres divided by eight days results in an apparent 62.5km per day, a target easily attainable by the majority of us, some more quickly than others. but that assumes that conditions are going to be identical each and every day between christmas eve and new year's eve. i don't know much about your festive season, but in mine, that is rarely the case.

for starters, there's the inescapable existence of christmas day. having occupied virtually each and every sunday morning this past year with velocipedinal activity, there's no doubt that mrs twmp would be less than forgiving if i spent more than my indefinably allotted time in the saddle on christmas day. so the cunning plan as of this moment is to put a few extra kilometres in the bank on christmas eve, a strategic decision that, if carefully managed, ought to see me commence on boxing day morning at just the right point on my timeline. or, if i'm really lucky, a few kilometres ahead.

but it then becomes necessary to take the weather into account. i have no problem whatsoever with riding in the rain. previous years have seen me spend all but one day of the 500 riding through perpetual precipitation. waterproofs 'r' us. but up till now, we've been spared the usual influx of atlantic gales, a luxury that is more than likely to come back and bite us on the bibshorts. only one year in the past six has allowed pedalling to take place on each of the eight days. two years ago i lost two days to unrideable winds, necessitating a few more kilometres on the other six, than originally planned.

so far, so normal. but suppose that, in the process of garnering a few extra kilos on christmas eve, i do actually get wet. i haven't actually calculated how many hours are involved in achieving, let's say 80 kilometres, but if it's raining, even if i optimistically manage 25kph that's over three hours in the wet. i am well supplied with overshoes, but it's impossible to discount the inevitable foot ingress resulting from having legs sticking out the top of my shoes. what's needed is a pair of waterproof socks.

pop a pair of those on, cover them with shoes and ultimately a pair of overshoes and no longer is there any need to spend over three hours with a swimming pool sloshing about my tootsies. as it happens, the lovely people at dexshell provided a pair of their ultralite biking socks in order that i might attain that which i seek for my feet. featuring a porelle membrane sandwiched between a nylon/elastane knitted outer and a rather comfortable cotton/nylon inner sock, these have festive 500 written all over them (metaphorically speaking, you understand?)

consituted as ankle length socks with a chartreuse hi-vis cuff, it would be less than vaguely scientific of me to have ridden with overshoes, for how would i have discovered whether or not they did what it said on the tin (a card box, actually)? thus, feet clad only in a pair of rapha climber's shoes, i braved wind and rain for several hours peppered with showers of varuing intensity and the inevitable constant road spray. due to both the socks' breathability and their waterproofing, i arrived back at chez washingmachinepost with comfortably dry feet (though i'd to stuff newspaper inside the shoes to dry them out).

applying this knowledge to my cunning festive plan, i can now safely aim for those 80 christmas eve kilometres and earn subsequent christmas day brownie points.

dexshell ultralite biking socks are available in sizes from small to xl at a remarkably reasonable £20.

dexshell ultralite biking socks

monday 12 december 2016