Cold riding (& follow up to 'suck it up' qu)

Last weekend we did go to the RACC. As soon as we got our gear together & registered, it started to get blustery and drizzle :rolleyes: yay! cold, wet rides are GREAT! :rolleyes: DH is type 1 diabetic, and had a low bloodsugar incident in the middle of the night before the ride - and then agian on a hill about 12 miles in. (Not so easy to cram food while climbing a hill in traffic.) So, we both decided it would be best to finish off the ride doing the 35, rather than pushing thru the massive hills at the end of the 65.

Overall, it was a good ride! Beautiful scenery & moderately challenging for a 35. Or maybe it was the weather? We both felt that our legs didn't warm up until ~30 miles in... even though we took it easy & focused on cadence to help keep the muscles moving.

Is this normal?

The majority of our training has been indoor or on warm afternoons, so it's a fairly drastic switch to do the "big rides" when it's chilly... at least, that's my current excuse :p

Were you guys wearing long tights and/or a rain layer? I only go around with "nekkid knees" if the temperature is 70+ because otherwise I get cold dead muscles and knee problems.

Congrats for getting out there anyway! :D

head warmer that covered the ears
full gloves (not the fingerless)
long sleeve warm layer under bike jersey
long sleeve windbreaker
tights & shorts
warm socks

The drizzle never soaked in to our clothing, but was just enough to be annoying on the face & glasses.

Maybe try 'warming up' with something more efficient - a bit on a trainer inside where it's warm, or jogging. If it's cold, it could take a long time to warm up. It's a big ol' 46 degrees and drizzly here, and I've got my very best pair of wicking long undies under the sweats and thinking of taking off out of here early...

That is weird, you sound like you were both wearing lots of appropriate clothing. Your DH's diabetic problems could definitely have contributed to his having low body temp. Assuming that you stopped with him during both events means that you cooled back down from stopping.

Also, was your eating good? You need to eat more when it's cold because the body has to work that much harder just to maintain core temperature. I once went on a backpacking trip in Denali and had to eat about twice as much as I would eat on a typical backpack trip.

One thing you might want to rule out is the possibility of having low iron or anemia. I have been much more tolerant to cold since my doctor discovered that I was borderline anemia and I've been taking iron. My performance and stamina are much improved, as well.

I'd been anemic for years, but only thought about it when I went to give blood (and they wouldn't let me). I just ignored it most of the time...thought it was temporary. Soon after this last time, though, that along with the bad news about Teflon caused me to pull out my ancient cast iron fry pans and start using them exclusively. And I started eating raisins on my oatmeal every morning. When I went in for a physical in March, my bloodwork was perfect, including iron.

Now that I look back, I must have been chronically anemic for years and years. I no longer need naps in the middle of the day. My hair is even softer, and I'm not sensitive to cold like I was. So I keep using my cast iron and eating my raisins (along with the leafy green veggies that I was already eating), and I feel great. I was doing myself a disservice by ignoring it, but apparently it doesn't take much to fix it. Just like my mother lowered her cholesterol by switching to real butter and olive oil.

I have a bad connotation with iron pills, having become severely constipated when I was pregnant many years ago--so I'd rather make changes than take iron pills. The changes seem to have worked for me.

Karen

And then, some of us are just on the colder side. I'm not anemic, and I was raised around here, but my body just performs WAaaay better in a hotter, dryer climate. I'm much happier riding in Eastern WA in 100 degrees than in Western WA at 60.

It sounds like you had ample clothing, but for me under the conditions you describe, I wear this, and am just comfortable:

Wool socks & neoprene booties; Shorts & AmFib tights (with the H2O/wind-proof panels); Wicking shell, long sleeve polypro, winterweight long-sleeve jersey, wind or water jacket; neoprene gloves with outer waterproof shells if wet; neck gator and skull cap.

I really have never met another cyclist in this area who needs the clothes I do, but it works for me. It took me a lot of experimentation to realize I needed it all, because no one I ride with wears this much.