Wasn't she part of the epic JoGLE that got seriously cold?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News
"Davina McCall hypothermia fears on Edinburgh quest"
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Posted 11 years ago #
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It hasn't been cold this winter. Our grass is still growing, one of the clematis plants is in bud already and it's on a north facing fence but I don't know if that matters in winter.
The garden temp gauges have been close to 0ºC a couple of times but that's all.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Evening News story has disappeared. Here's the Scotsman version.
"Professor Greg Whyte, the trainer for the Sport Relief challenges, said: “These are the worst weather conditions we’ve seen on any challenge - it’s the worst weather ever.”" It must be some incredible Ice Age micro-climate hovering over her :-o
Granted, I wouldn't chose to swim outdoors in this weather, but I've certainly been comfortable riding in a base layer and jacket in sub-zero conditions. Maybe a poor clothing choice?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Had a thin t shirt and altura softshell on today, no problem, the gritter went past just there.
Maybe Davila has temp control problems from her skag days?
Posted 11 years ago # -
She was lifted out of Windermere whilst on a swim, so I suspect it was the cold water that did for her.
Not sure anyone's cycling gear would have helped her there. Not even a Gabba. ;-)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Given that I've comfortably dived in 4deg in a semi-dry wetsuit (and scuba diving is essentially sedentary), I am reminded of the cliche that there is no such thing as bad weather, just poor clothing choices...
Especially as the lake temp will not vary too much I imagine over the winter!Posted 11 years ago # -
The gear she is wearing:
does not look appropriate for "a 14-hour, 130-mile cycle".
She really needs some 3-ply Lusso or Endura leggings, good neoprene overshoes and a good thermal hat enclosing her ears. Her gloves look like mittens which are not suitable for STI levers.Posted 11 years ago # -
Did she cycle on the Esplanade??
Posted 11 years ago # -
I've been told off for doing that. They didn't bother about me taking it into the castle and even the royal apartments.
Posted 11 years ago # -
OTOH, well done her for going out and attempting/doing a 130mile cycle. Quite a hurdle for many non-serious cyclists, and I hope she did cycle on the esplanade, just on principle!
Posted 11 years ago # -
If they did a proper health and safety check on her route, they probably made her get off and push over the first 10 yards of cobbles after the Esplanade...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Her cycle kit was actually good - she had a gore-tex outer over a couple of other layers, a gore-tex buff/scarf, a thermal bonnet under her helmet, roubaix longs, and her gloves, also gore-tex, looked like ski gloves - fingered, not mitts, and over shoes on her cycling boots.
Should have been enough to keep her warm.
EDIT - she used two different sets of gloves - one set were mitts.
Posted 11 years ago # -
It's the downhills that do it. You ride up a hill, getting hot and sweaty and then you have long downhills with no way of keeping your body temperature up.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Newspaper stuffed up your juke.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I suspect that while her training might have been good enough to make her rather "fit" she was not fit enough to get her body generating enough heat while cycling into a cold wind. It's something I've found before where I've been doing lots of sprint but not enough distance riding - I go out and when I'm into the wind get rather chilly as it takes me ages to get up the same rhythm and therefore body heat.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Some folk seem to get away with rather minimal outfits in cold weather. I don't claim to be particularly fit, I'm certainly no athlete, I'm a bit slow. So for me it's all about layering up. If I get too hot on the climbs, just open some zips to let the steam out, stuff your gloves in a pocket. Then seal everything up again for the downhill.
Must admit it is a tad cold out there just now, but I've ridden in worse. I reckon she wasn't wearing enough layers.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@PS, that makes sense. The Scotsman article seems to be a little fact-lite:
The following implies (to me anyway) that she had only been on a bike before needing medical tests:
"So far in the BT Sport Relief Challenge, branded ‘Davina - Beyond Breaking Point’, she has pedalled her way through temperatures of just 3 degrees celsius (37.4F), plus a further chill from winds of up to 40mph. She was due to complete a 14-hour, 130-mile cycle to Keswick today."
Posted 11 years ago # -
@PS, aye I saw that, but where's the harm in discussing cycling clothing choics? ;-)
Posted 11 years ago # -
The Scotsman getting its facts wrong, golly gosh!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Whoever she is (I do know!), it is a remarkable challenge. I have a lot of respect for any triathlete, more for ironpeople, and what she's attempting to seems even harder.
I run quite warm on a bike, but once I get cold I find it very hard to recover. So I imagine after a long swim in low temperature water it would be much worse.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Cycling getting the blame, as usual... even though it was the swimming that got her...
Posted 11 years ago # -
@gibbo, @ps
Cycling got the blame because she initially had suspected hypothermia from cycling on Saturday and therefore her cycling clothing choices are relevant
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/tv-star-davina-mccall-close-3127320
Evidently her body does not like cold temperatures.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@Min
Don't usually defend the Scotsman but which facts did they get wrong ?
Posted 11 years ago # -
I watched the programme covering her challenge on iplayer tonight.
Huge respect to her - the weather was unbelievably bad on every day, and she did some serious distances. She had a full backup team and all the proper kit and clothing, but the physical and mental demands were all on her. Doesn't matter how much fancy physio you get back at the hotel if you can't face dragging yourself up another hill into the teeth of a howling gale.
Although she may have been slightly dehydrated from all the crying she did ;-)
It makes me regret my decision to take the bus instead of cycling to work yesterday because of the wind. I feel a bit of a wimp now.
Posted 11 years ago #
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