My road gloves seem to have minimal cuffs and long-sleeve jersey sleeves tend to ride up because of my monkey arms (I’m 6’5" or 195cm tall). This often leaves my wrists exposed and prone to sunburn. I also wear a Garmin watch if that matters.
Has anyone run into something similar? Any tips on keeping the wrists safe from the sun? Are there road gloves with long cuffs you can recommend? I’ve seen sunsleeves with a thumbhole…would those work with a watch, or maybe become uncomfortable under gloves?
You know they make this stuff that… well… screens you from the sun? Haha I kid!
There’s a few brands of summer weight arm sleeves. I’ve tried em in the past and just got hot in them. Sunscreen has always just been the solution. If you’re using your garmin watch for HR, it needs to be on the skin
I have the same issue. That area between my Fenix and my wrist tends to get red even with sunscreen. I’ve thought about putting a RoadID or similar bracelet there. I live where it’s crazy hot and humid, and I’ve found sun sleeves to just make me even hotter.
My dad had melanoma a while back (he’s recoved now thank goodness) so I’m increasingly worried about excess sun exposure. I’m trying to find the right gear (jerseys with UPF ratings, etc.) that can help keep me protected when I do dumb stuff, like wait to long to reapply sunscreen!
My knees and wrists the the areas I’ve found to be most prone to sunburn (or at least over exposure).
My dad goes a few times a year and they cut bits out of his face or make him use cream that burns his face. I was worried enough that I went to a dermatologist and was happily surprised he told me I had no issues, but he did recommend annual check ins. You might want to do the same.
I have a Maap Evade long sleeve jersey. It’s a very lightweight long sleeve and has pretty long arms. Possibly a solution for you. I don’t know how it would work with gloves. I don’t own summer gloves.
My sister has had melanoma spots that were determined to be malignant, so I get a yearly check JIC and have gone through a bunch of various sunscreen brands trying to find what works for me.
On a better wearable sunscreen, I was thinking of the Bill-a-Bong rash guard that I bought for vacation earlier in the year, that I complained had ‘really long sleeves’, and being a bright white won’t get much radiative heating in the sun. But I could see it being ‘warm’. I used to wear ‘olde style’ mesh back gloves in the 80’s, and found a really thin glove that worked under them to stop the ‘burn-in’ of the glove pattern, and some days that pattern was really burned in. I eventually gave them up. Obviously finding something that doesn’t bunch up under the gloves is going to be difficult. Wish I had something that would solve the issue for you. Finding a sunscreen that doesn’t discolor what you are wearing, that doesn’t make it slimy, hot, sweat off, stink, etc, might be difficult. My current favorite is Neutrogena Beach Defense, and they also have ‘Ultra Sheer’ which I haven’t tried yet. I used to use their Sport sunscreen, but it seemed a little too thick/stinky. Oh, they also have ‘stick’ style sunscreens which would be great for limiting the area rather than coating larger areas and eliminate over-spray.
Since it’s such a small area I wonder if you could go with a total overkill sunscreen product that might be heavy duty enough to not require re-application. Remember for a brief period in the 90s there was an actual lifeguard ‘look’ that included completely opaque sunscreen on the nose? Looked like body paint and came in different colours I think? What was that product and does it still exist?
This would give continual coverage to the gloves, but I don’t know if the extra material on you hands ends up uncomfortable or has other issues under gloves
Stopping to reapply sunscreen is a pain on long rides. That’s why I try to use long sleeves, cover my knees, etc.
