Head to toe
On a cold autumn morning, it is tempting to dress for how it feels outside the front door. But on a hard training ride, the extra warmth you enjoy at the start can leave you too hot during an effort and cold in damp clothing afterwards.
Copenhagen, September 2026
For GripGrab’s Product Insight Manager Morten Vogt Laustsen, starting with too much clothing is the most common mistake on cold, dry autumn rides. That does not mean adding warmth is wrong when the temperature falls. It means considering the session ahead before deciding what to wear.
A steady endurance ride and a session with hard intervals can call for different choices, even in the same weather. Morten’s principle is to “dress for the effort, not just the temperature”. That includes the easy riding between efforts, when you are no longer generating as much heat.
your autumn kit
Adjust before you get too warm
You do not necessarily need to feel perfectly warm before starting a hard training ride. If you already feel very warm while standing outside, there is a good chance you are wearing too much for what comes next.
For a warmer start, Morten suggests a lightweight, packable layer, such as a wind jacket, light rain jacket or vest. It can make the first kilometres more comfortable, then come off as you warm up. The important part is to remove it before you overheat, rather than waiting until your clothing is already wet with sweat.
On a steady endurance ride, it is often easier to find a combination that works for most of the time. Intervals are more demanding: you might be working hard one minute and riding easily a few minutes later. Being able to adjust your clothing matters through both parts of the session.
“I would rather remove a windproof layer before a hard interval and put it back on afterwards than complete the interval overdressed and already soaked in sweat,” Morten explains.
Even very breathable fabrics have limits. Once your inner layers are saturated, putting a jacket on after an effort will not necessarily make you comfortable again. Adjusting beforehand gives you a better chance of avoiding that cold, clammy feeling when the pace drops.
Close the gaps
Before reaching for a thicker layer, it is also worth checking where you actually feel the cold. Morten points to the small gaps between garments, which can be easy to overlook when choosing each item separately.
You can have warm gloves but still leave a strip of exposed skin between the cuffs and your sleeves. The same consideration applies around your neck, ankles and lower back. A longer glove cuff or a neck warmer can close a gap that another warm layer elsewhere would leave exposed.
This is a practical part of thinking about clothing as a complete setup. Look at how the pieces meet, as well as how warm each one is on its own.
The Kullaberg setup
The photographs were taken during Henrik and Julius’s training session at Kullaberg in Sweden, in temperatures of around 10°C. The setup shown in the photographs combines a base layer, thermal long sleeve jersey and thermal bib tights with a wind vest, windproof gloves and shoe covers.
It is an example of an autumn training setup, rather than a recommendation for every ride at that temperature. Wind, duration and the type of session all influence what you need. An easier ride may call for more warmth, while intervals make it particularly useful to have a layer you can remove and put back on.
As the mornings get colder, think about the easy parts of your training as well as the hard ones when you get dressed. You want to ease off after an effort and recover comfortably, rather than spend the next few minutes feeling cold in damp clothing.