Black toes from cycling??

[Blueberry]

Anyone ever seen this before? I did a 77 mile ride on Saturday (the MS 150). It was exceptionally hot (the only relevant factor I can think of), and now both of my big toenails are turning black. Toes were slightly sore after the ride on Saturday. I wore sandals on Sunday. From searching and reading the threads about running, are my bike shoes too small? I've been wearing the same pair of Sidis for several years now (and I don't think my feet have grown) - though I do think I've done my longer rides in sandals in past years. Could it be a cleat position issue?

On one, it's about 2/3 of the nail (bottom up), and the other is 1/3 to 1/2.

Thanks for any insight.

CA

[Misandal]

Wow, that's odd. No, sorry, I've never had that happen nor heard of it from any of my cycling friends, either. I've cycled in all kinds of conditions for varying lengths of time and never encountered anything like that. My first pair of Sidis really was too small (everyone told me they should be "snug" and, as a newbie, I bought too small), and I had toe pain but they never changed colors on me!

You did the New Bern ride? I think I saw it in another post.

[Blueberry]

Yep - the the New Bern ride. Still haven't posted the full ride report, but it was great. Hot, though. I'm wondering if 1 of 2 things happened: 1) either it was so hot, my feet swelled more than they ever have or 2) one of the Bike Marshalls insisted I needed to raise my saddle, so I did. It's possible I was pedaling too much with my toes down. Either way, I'm not in a hurry for it to happen again!

CA

[Misandal]

That is bizarre. Is it painful? Maybe you could check WebMD and see if there's any info on that.

Can't wait for your ride report! I know how hot it was at my house this weekend (about 30 miles north of Charlotte), so I can only imagine what it was like toward the coast!

[spokewench]

When it is hot, your feet can swell and could cause the shoe to be a bit too small in those conditions. I can think of no other reason your toes would get black unless they were being rubbed by the shoe. So my guess is, the heat caused your feet to swell and your toes rubbed the edge of the shoe

[mayanorange]

I had my toenails turn black after a long concert standing in boots. It took weeks to really fully develop, so it was a bit of a mystery until they got darker and I realized it was bruising. Be very careful to keep them protected and clean so you don't get an infection in the damaged tissue. I reinjured my left big toenail before it was fully healed from the bruising- caught it on something and nearly ripped it off- and it's never fully recovered- I still get lifting in that nail a couple years later.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Roller skaters and roller bladers get this problem frequently. They get it because it is crucial to have a very snug fitting boot for serious skating and blading. The result is that sometimes the pressure on the nails is too much and damages them. Sort of like a black eye but worse in a way.
It's pretty certainly due to lots of pressure on the nail.