Feeling cold after a ride

Of course I get warm or hot when I ride, but after I cool off from the ride, I really cool off, to the point of feeling chilly, and sometimes shivering. I drive five-ten minutes to my usual trail; during the summer when driving home after a ride, I typically will have the AC on when I first get in the car, but about halfway home, I often have to switch to heat!

It was 66°F out when I got home from riding tonight; I wore shorts and a tee-shirt -- normal biking attire for me -- and I started shivering before I got my bike off the car and in the shed. It's 72° in the house; I had a hot shower as I was feeling so cold, and am now in a turtleneck, long pants, AND have a blanket over me! It's not unusual for the cold feeling to last all evening.

I'm wondering whether this happens to anyone else. It seems so weird to feel so cold from biking, even hours later!

This dosnt seem Norma to me... If it were me, I'd wonder if I was anemic or something, but something physical activity induces.

How long is your normal ride?
What are you eating/drinking during the ride?
Is there anything else that causes similar reaction and difficulty warming up?

Shannon

I dunno, I don't think it's abnormal. When the weather is cooler, I'm cold after riding. You vasodilate during exercise to pump more blood to your muscles (and cool them off), but you lose a lot of heat too by this process. I imagine it as if you were drinking alcohol - you feel warm (during) but you're actually getting cooler because your vessels are so open. I would then think to guess that the body is just taking a while to normalize after intense exercise and heat loss, and for some of us this just takes longer. I normally feel cold so it doesn't bother me. Haven't died yet either ;)

Cotton t-shirt will make you chilled. Wear a wicking fabric, and don't turn on the A/C in the car, particularly when it's only in the 60s in the evening.

You might try drinking some hot tea. I hope you feel better soon.

Happens to me after runs and riding when it's below, oh, 75 out. I have Raynaud's and will almost always have an attack after exercising, but I also have a normally low body temperature.

I pretty much have to come back (with the heat on) and immediately jump in a shower until I thaw out. Then I'll layer up and sit in front of my space heater with my feet propped up on it as a foot rest :)

Do you have this issue just related to biking or just whenever you get chilled.

There is a syndrome called Raynaud's disease that I have that if you get chilled you get very cold, especially hands, feet and nose. You can look it up if you like. Really just an inconvenience. I can set mine off by drinking cold, iced drinks even if it's over 100 out.

Normally in the summer (especially this scorching one) I drive home from a ride with AC on. High. With the cooler temps out and a late day ride the temp had dropped considerably when I returned from my vehicle. I had worked up a good sweat just a half hour before I returned to my car but rode with the heat on all the way home. Hot shower and I'm setting in long flannel pj's and a sweatshirt on for good measure.

I refuse to turn the heating on at home until October, but it's not that cold inside, right around 70 F.

Thanks, all; it's comforting to know this happens to others, too. (Woo-hoo! I'm normal!! Or as normal as some of you! :cool:)

Shannon, it happens for whatever length ride I take; today's ride was 25 miles. My "maintenance" rides tend to be in the 11-17 mile range; it happens after those, too. Nothing else causes this (though I don't do any other exercise to speak of). How much I eat/drink depends on whether I'm hungry/whether it's hot out. I had 16 oz of water and food just before today's ride, so didn't eat while on it (but did after) and had 16 oz of water during the ride. It was cool today, so I wasn't sweating buckets as I do in warmer weather; on a hot day, I drink much more. (Pour water over my head, too! :D)

westtexas, even when it's in the 90s, I'll feel cold after I cool off from the ride! It doesn't have to be cool out for this to happen. And I'm very glad you haven't died yet!

Tulip, I've tried a wicking fabric; still prefer cotton (though I miss the pockets). Hot tea is a great idea! Will have to convince myself to get out from under my blanket. (And I feel okay, thanks! Just cold, though okay with long pants/turtleneck/blanket. Oh, geez. I see my old age and it is... here. :eek: )

Velo and jess, no Raynaud's; I googled it, and wow, the hand colors are very impressive! I feel cold all through, not just extremities. jess, I think Bike Writer and I need to join you by that space heater!

Put a hat on. That ought to help, too. Lots of heat is lost through our heads.

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Originally Posted by tulip

Put a hat on. That ought to help, too. Lots of heat is lost through our heads.

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Cat draped over head... check.

Oh, you said hat! Yes, that should help, too! I wonder if the cat will let me put a hat on over him?

Ow!

No. No, he won't.

Haha I have a second cat you can borrow for extra warmth though.

But yes, I've worried about the freezing thing too, and it seems to just be normal for me. Though I tend towards anemic also.

If I have a long drive home I will sometimes just shiver uncontrollably even with the heat on. I love that my house has hot water INSTANTLY in the bath. And I can't afford to keep this place as warm as I want, so a space heater is a necessity.

(I've always said that "when I grow up" I want to keep the house warm enough in the winter to walk around in my underwear :p )

soak in a hot bath?? maybe you have a bug?

Eat! I get cold after many rides, never mind the temperature. A few good calories in my tummy will help. <I keep single portion containers of home made chili in the freezer for that reason.> Of course a fleece and socks will help, but usually after eating, I will remove then in a hurry.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tulip

Put a hat on. That ought to help, too. Lots of heat is lost through our heads.

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This is why I always have a wool hat to put on after a long ride, even in the summer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by owlice

Of course I get warm or hot when I ride, but after I cool off from the ride, I really cool off, to the point of feeling chilly, and sometimes shivering. ...

I'm wondering whether this happens to anyone else. It seems so weird to feel so cold from biking, even hours later!

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Yes, this sometimes happens to me too! I've figured out that the cause is metabolic. I've either not eaten enough, or my body has prioritized digestion over staying warm. It has been mentioned that digestion can stop during hard exercise. Presumably it restarts post exercise.