Originally Posted by
hairytoes
We are getting unusually cold conditions for this part of the world, so I'm not used to this.
It was -15C during most of my morning ride, and -11 on the way home. No snow on the road, and almost no ice.
What has shocked me is how slow I was. I'd expect to do the 27.5 mile trip in 1hr40, but it took me 2 hours on the way in and a bit more on the way home. I'm utterly exhausted today (took the train instead of riding). Coupled with that, my eyes are sore, like I've had a flash burn in the face.
Could the slow riding and exhaustion just be because of the cold? I was well wrapped up and only my toes got a little cold.
What you describe is pretty much a universal phenomenon as far as I can tell. In the cold you are slower. There are several reasons for this. The air is more dense when colder and offers more resistance. You are wrapped up and are less aerodynamic. You have more material binding at the joints and are heavier. The tires rolling resistance is higher. Hub grease is stiffer. The body is getting the message that it is cold outside (even if you are bundled up) and the brain will restrict some fluid flow to areas near the surface of the skin. Because of this the muscles and joints do not perform as well. I also believe that the slowing down of the body is an attempt to conserve calories and heat for survival.
It is hard to get your mind wrapped around this when you seem a lot slower than usual. Generally, if you try to ride at your normal warm speed you will feel like you are riding into a wall. You simply have to slow down. If you normally can ride 30 miles at 20 mph in the warm weather. You will probably have to exert about the same effort to go 15-20 miles at 15-17 mph. But this may vary from person to person. The younger that you are the less you may be effected.