Originally Posted by ccrnnr9
Thanks for all of the advice! I think the hardest thing will be finding something to keep my feet warm and yet still be able to use my road shoes. Luckily my shoes are probably a half size larger than they should be which allows me to wear multiple sock layers without coming close to cutting off circulation. I do not like the idea of going back to platforms as I think that it would detract from my training, but if that is what has to be done to keep me warm and riding then it may be what I end up doing. I will make sure to pick up one more head layer as well. Another problem I think I may have run into is that I did not eat enough before leaving and about 25 miles into the ride I started to feel really weak, dizzy, and that is when I got really cold. I have done this in the summer where you start feeling clammy even when it is hot out. Maybe this added to the level of frozen I was feeling.
~Nick
You don't have to go back to platform shoes. The one and only time I used them was on an extremely cold century, but otherwise I just use my normal cycling shoes. The thing to remember though is that the cleat will conduct the cold, so you need to pad the inside of the shoe at the cleat point with something. That's where my neoprene ankle wraps come in handy, and that's also where the heat packs you can pick up from Walmart come in handy (get the hand ones, not the feet ones - they are smaller and last longer).
And yes, you bring up a good point ... you still need to eat and drink like you would if you were riding in the summer. A lot of people don't feel thirsty in the cold and so are tempted to forget about drinking, but you are still sweating and you still need to drink. Same with eating.
Also, your level of tiredness can affect how warm you feel. If you are exhausted because of too many short nights, chances are you'll feel colder. I haven't managed much more than about 4 hours of sleep on average for a long time now, and no matter how many clothes I put on, and even if I'm inside a warm room, I am COLD. I find I experience the same thing on the longer Randonnees.