Those who left home to cycle in the last week needed to have a lot of courage (and a lot of clothing) to withstand the intense cold that hit several parts of Brazil.
The combination of a mass of polar air, which still covers much of South America, with the passage of subtropical storm Yaekan through the south of the country, dropped temperatures, caused strong gusts of wind and changed the routine of much of the population.
Data from Inmet (National Institute of Meteorology) show that the cold has reached the center-west of Brazil, a region where low temperatures are rare. In Brasília (DF) the minimum reached a historic record, with 1.4ºC on Thursday (19). On the same day, some cities in Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul reached 2ºC. In Cuiabá (MT), where the climate is usually compared to an oven, it reached 8ºC.
The southern and southeastern states were the most punished. Temperatures were negative in several cities in Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Minas and Rio de Janeiro. In Itatiaia (RJ), the minimum was -7.6ºC on Saturday (21), the lowest temperature recorded by Inmet for the year.
In the city of São Paulo, the wind gusts reached 60 km/h, causing a thermal sensation of -5.4ºC during the dawn of Wednesday (18).
Those who like to ride early had to protect their ears so as not to surrender to the weather. “You have to have a lot of courage. The combination of cold and wind was unbearable, it was the worst day to train”, said lawyer Flavia Mahfuz, in São Paulo.
To endure his 30 km training on the Ciclovia do Rio Pinheiros, at 7 am, Mahfuz wore lined pants, a second skin (tight t-shirt under his shirt), a jacket, gloves, a high collar and a woolen headband to cover his ears.
The bricklayer Guilherme Vilela, who uses his bicycle every day on the way between his home in Americanópolis (south zone of São Paulo) and his work in Lapa (west zone), was cycling on Friday morning when the thermometers marked 11°C. “Even in the cold I prefer to go by bike. I wear a scarf and wool gloves”.
For stylist Edo Belleza, product manager for the Specialized brand, choosing the ideal clothing for cycling requires planning and self-knowledge. “Each body reacts differently. The ideal amount of outerwear comes from a formula that involves the intensity of the cold, the pace of activity and the person’s sensitivity. Today’s technology offers clothing capable of adapting to variations in weather and regular body temperature”.
In addition to working with cycling fashion, Belleza has long experience in training and indicates practices to face the weather on two wheels. “Predicting temperature and wind variations is part of a cyclist’s habits. The ideal is to check the weather forecast and already separate the ideal clothes the day before”.
To find the set that best adapts to cold weather variations, Belleza has listed 3 kits for autumn and winter:
A little cold — between 20ºC and 16ºC
Bretele (shorts with seat lining for cyclists), second skin, jersey (cyclist t-shirt), windbreaker or cuff (removable long sleeves), single gloves and single socks.
Cold moderate — between 15ºC and 11ºC
Bretele, pernitos (long and tight pants) or knee-highs (short and tight pants), second skin, long jersey with lining in thermal fabric, windbreaker, gloves and socks in thermal fabric and a vest for the most sensitive.
Frost — below 10°C
Long bretele in thermal fabric, second skin, long jersey with thermal lining, winter jacket, gloves and socks in thermal fabric, neck protector, forehead, neck and ears band, and shoe covers.
Forecast
For today and for the next few days, the forecast is for cold mornings in the regions affected by the polar air mass, mainly in the south and southeast of the country. But just like yesterday, the sun should shine, raising the temperature gradually throughout the day.
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