Spring? No. Winter? No. Improvement? Sure. 

It’s not great, but it’s getting better. The weather, like your kindergarten teacher commenting on your penmanship, is improving. If you like double-digits that don’t start with 1s, you might even wake up smiling. That doesn’t make it all that much easier to get out the door sometimes, but better than when it is -25.

Everyone is different, but here are a few things you can do to feel more comfortable in whatever the hell weather this is.

First, get a dryer. Riding outside consistently puts a serious strain on your cold weather gear, and here’s a ProTip: You don’t actually have to wash all your stuff. It’s going to get sweat-ed in anyway, so just toss that Spandex in the dryer. Give it a solid 20 minutes in there, go read MFS.com, and when you get back, voila!, pretty dry stuff that smells like toes and maybe dryer sheet. You’ll save money on your water bill, probably.

Second, wool socks. If you don’t have some, get some. They are a way better investment than college, trust me, I went to college. You put those suckers on and life really comes together. Try working at a place that sells them to get a sweet discount, or, be a big enough success in life to be able to afford one, maybe even two pairs. That would be four wool socks you could tell people you had.

Also, wear layers. The pros you see looking all cool have a few things on, including a base layer. A base layer can be a snug undershirt that wicks sweat away from your skin and out into the wide, wide world, which makes you not get as cold as fast. Get one of those. Toss on a jersey and arm warmers over that. Put on a coat, bonus points if it stops wind. If it is still cold, put a vest over that. If you are still cold, go back inside.

Finally, get a neck gaiter. Ted King wears one, and frankly, that should really be ’nuff said. If it isn’t, consider that the Ancients, especially in China and India, have long linked a warm neck to resisting disease. In Ayurvedic medicine, the throat is the key to wellness and aging, as well as speaking your spiritual truth and some other hippie stuff.  Covering your neck is a no different than keeping the rest of your gorgeous body warm and happy, so do it.

Whatever you call this weather, it is passable, and we are on our collective way to short pants and tan lines.