Castelli Women's Elemento Lite Jacket

While Castelli could have just added insulation to a standard windproof jacket, they chose not to, as this may bring warmth but that would be to the detriment of breathability - warmth isn't useful if you're soaked in rapidly cooling sweat. Instead, Castelli has engineered their Women's Elemento Lite Jacket with synthetic down allowing them to make the textile layers air-permeable for excellent breathability.

The construction is similar to that of an insulated alpine shell, with an insulation layer sandwiched between woven inner and outer layers. Unlike with most mountain jackets, the woven shell isn’t completely windproof but instead allows for a small amount of air-permeability. The small amount of air that gets into the jacket picks up perspiration and evaporates it more efficiently than any membrane fabric available. The middle layer is a puffy insulation layer, made with polypropylene partly because it’s insanely light but also because it won’t pick up moisture from either sweat or rain.

Because the fabrics used have limited stretch Castelli created a new cut, one that fits slightly looser than your race jacket, but with Plisse stretch panels on sides, elbows and wrist you still enjoy maximum freedom of movement. It's the perfect cut for longer winter base-mile rides, rather than all-out speed sessions. Use your closer fitting Perfetto come spring intervals, but for the rest of your colder weather riding grab your Elemento Lite.