Back to movement, the bibs offer excellent defence against icy blasts and though the straps were narrower than I prefer, they’ve displaced the load better than I’d expect and weren’t remotely restrictive when I’ve alternated between hoods and drops.

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In these dry contexts, I could cruise along for several hours and remain in the goldilocks zone comfort-wise. When the rains came, I remained generally warm, thanks to the thin pile fleece and wind cheating outer, but navigating waterlogged roads 45 minutes later, my legs were palpably wet. Predictably, this was better with mudguards, but not something café’ owners will thank you for leaving on their seats.  

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Lighter, though persistent showery rain took a lot longer to have the same effect and given a break in the cloud, that wicking prowess kicked in and at a 90-rpm tempo, I was predominantly dry within 40 minutes- no need for a placing a towel on my office chair, so chances are the café’ would welcome you. I’ve defaulted to Merino blend socks and booties for the most part, but when rains turned monsoon, I also reached for the waterproof socks. While the cuffs are very stretchy, in these contexts, I wore the socks atop, which might sound a faux pas, but kept my calves and feet dry.    

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 While washing a Gore Tex jacket and some other layers, I decided to add a re-proofer, having the hunch it would buy the Competizione some extra time on wet rides. It did fairly convincingly, buying another 30 minutes or so before things became damp, although the fleece retained welcome warmth.