Cold Feet

On or off the bike, my feet get cold in October, and they stay that way until sometime in May.

I’m not talking about “cold feet” as a synonym for cowardice.  I mean my feet are cold.  It’s not intolerable cold, just a sate of not being warm.  It gets worse as soon as I go outside, and even more so as soon as I saddle up.

This isn’t a particularly age-related thing.  My feet, and to a lesser degree, my hands get cold quickly.  Advancing age has only aggravated the situation.

To this add, on the bike, our hands and feet are out in the wind.  More, our bike pedals are most excellent “heat sinks.”  They are made from good metals that conduct heat very well.  Add to that, cycling shoes are not well insulated.

Even Winter cycling boots, which I most certainly do use, are not all that great for this kind of thing.  Here’s a question.  Why doesn’t somebody make a cycling equivalent of my Wolverines?  Honestly, in the colder months I’m not all that concerned with going fast.  Trust me on this; no one is as fast in cold weather.  I am rather more interested in getting there, and doing so without incurring a cold injury.

In recent years I’ve developed a different standard for cold weather rides.  If someone asks,  “How was the ride?” to a large extent my answer will be based on the “Foot Chill Scale.”

The Foot Chill Scale (FCS) is the result of a complex set of interactions.  Basically it works as follows.

Feet Warm = Excellent!

Feet cool = Okay

Feet Moderately cold = Not Bad

Feet Cold = So-So

Feet Very Cold = Could have been better

Feet Extremely Cold = Not Ideal

Toes Hurt From Cold = It sucked

Toes Numb and Feet Hurt = Rotten stinking I HATE IT!

Ride discontinued and medical help summoned due to cold injury of feet =  (Fill in blank with appropriate profanity)

The problem with the FCS is that it is a rating of the result of an action.  It doesn’t predict a thing.

Here’s how it works.  I look at the weather forecast for the projected time and area of the ride.  I look outside.  I check the current temperature.  I read deep into the NOAA model data.  I check the winds aloft and the satellite overheads.  Once I’ve assembled all of that data, I consider carefully my options of liner socks, various thicknesses of insulating socks, chemical foot warmers, Winter cycling boots, boot covers, tights, leg warmers, jackets, gloves, hats, helmet covers, and wind shells.  Then I make a guess.

So, the FCS is a method of rating just how accurate my guessing is.  If I hit it right, if I manage to make an accurate prediction of the conditions and match my gear to them well, then I end up with a high FCS score.  That score is more a means of determining two things, 1)  That it is Winter and it is cold.  2) How well I am dealing with the situation.

I can usually avoid hypothermia.  I know how to keep the core temp up, and am most often successful at it.  Keeping hands and feet warm is the challenge.

Strike that.  My feet aren’t going to be warm.  Like I said, October to May, they’re cold.  Comfortable doesn’t apply either.  I like warm feet.  I must admit (with a sigh of resignation) my goal is to maintain the level of least discomfort.

What’s your Winter Challenge?