Extremities
Extremities
A lot of riders struggle with their extremities – the hands and feet.
I generally have good circulation, I ride at a high intensity and my hands are normally ok, but my feet have always been a bit of a problem. It’s all about circulation, as Nick Craig, the mountain bike and cyclo-cross rider, once told me.
The temptation is to wear a thicker pair of socks, or even two pairs of socks, but that will often restrict circulation by pressing your feet into the shoe. To keep your feet warm on cold rides make your shoe straps are relatively loose. Its all about circulation and maintaining good blood flow.
As for hands, having an extra layer on your arms can help. The problem with your extremities is that they’re furthest from your core, which is the warm bit, so if you insulate the journey, it can help. By keeping the blood flow warm as it travels down your arms, it has more heat left to give. For instance, you may wear a long sleeve undervest and a jacket, but if you notice you’re getting cold hands then I’d go for a pair of arm warmers over the base layer and under the sleeves of the jacket. That may work as extra bit of insulation that doesn’t make you sweaty. Sometimes you can pack the core too much, so you’re sweating down your chest, but your hands still feel cold. It’s a case of balancing the insulation around your body.
Another thing which is key, is to keep your head warm because it gets so much chill. At this time of year I’ve always got either a cotton cap on – which, I find, in tandem with a helmet works very well – or a warmer winter hat which covers your ears. You can capture so much heat in your head that it makes such a difference to everything else.