Riding in the Cold Is Slowing You Down, The Science 

Shade at GCN, love it!!!!

The synovial fluid in joints tends to become more viscous at lower temperatures, so it’s prudent to wear knee warmers below 65° F. Young guys may not agree with this, but your knees will start talking to you as you get older.

One other thing that's not often mentioned when talking about riding/training in the cold is the constriction of movement when wearing multiple layers of clothing, especially the freedom of motion of your legs. I feel that it definitely saps a little of your power. As well, I feel that your metabolism is working overtime in the cold because it's doing a little extra work at keeping you warm.

I've alwas found myself performing very well in group rides on cold days, I'm a big cyclist (but average guy) and I always love to see my skinny friends struggling, when they would have otherwise destroyed me in warmer temperatures.

damn mate you do lots of research yourself, that's good! Now just sit and wait until GCN will steal your video and put it in a fancy package. HAHAHA

Choice of cold weather clothing during training depends entirely on the planned intensity and duration. I generally take no chances on longer low intensity rides but may drop a layer for a short hill intervall session. Have tried all the way to -20c here in Norway. (That's with studded tires, electrical heat soles in winter shoes, bar mitts, etc etc)

Nice to get data and science based confirmation of what I always suspected about being slower in winter. It always seemed logical that clothes, and somehow, the air density were a significant drag. By the look of it, 5 minutes per hour on a normal ride, at least. On top of that, I've always wondered what the effect of lack of foliage on trees and bushes in winter, on general ground level wind speeds is. Of course, this only really applies in regions where you have a lot of deciduous vegetation, but that is the case in, for instance, a large part of central and western Europe.

@4:57 big manual in the snow. Respect

You also need to know that breathing in 27f or -3c air at a rapid pace will also start to freeze the water droplets in your lungs and start to feel like your lungs are burning or on fire, so you slow down.

Watching this as a cross-country skier is kinda interesting 😀 I got a race tomorrow and it will be -14C degrees ( 6,80F )

Thank you providing relevant and valuable content every week in these short, easily-consumable videos! I hope your channel takes off and provides you with a steady income. I share your videos with my cycling buddies!

Very timely and pertinent information! I love it when you read the studies. I'm always sharing information with people that I read in studies so your channel is perfect for me.

Dylan, thanks for all your great videos. You are awesome!

Just started back into my training yesterday after a 2-week break from a respiratory plague. RIP. Good info!

HAHAHAHA GCN how to put on legwarmers had me laughing the hardest I've ever laughed at one of your vids!!! Well played 😂😂

Thanks again, Dylan. You deliver the goods, including the evidence. Chapeau!

I appreciate your videos. I also have that cough after a ride in the cold, depending on the intensity and length. Good to know that that's a common thing. Didn't know that before

Thank you! These videos are so educational, I appreciate the geeked out data approach.

Excellent video, as usual. I”ll head over to GCN for that leg warmer instructional! In seriousness, I find that in winter I have to be particularly cautious about road riding environmental conditions. When I’m cold my lungs are far more susceptible negative impacts engine exhaust...leading to illness. I’m sure it’s a combination of factors, but I just know that breathing heavy at threshold near passing cars has a much larger impact in the cold.

This explains really a lot. I knew the thing of the air density but I did not know the whole physiological differences. I feel insanely better during the first warm spring days upping my FTP quiet a bit out of nowhere usually. Probably my genetics really dont like the cold.

You're the man Dylan thank you, awesome video

I will never feel guilty for wearing thermal full legged bibs with a wool sweater under my jacket and taking off slow until I feel warmed up again. As a 54 yr old, it is easy to feel like everyone’s grandma who wears a sweater on a 90 degree day when the youngster crowd is wearing shorts and take off like a shot out of a cannon. Thanks for the science, once again.

Loved this video as my two big races are in jan. and feb. Weather is wet and cold so to understand the importance of keeping muscles the right temperature was something i knew to do in my head but i had no science to back up and i didn't know what temp. was optimal for the muscles to perform. Once again your vid. helped me move one step closer to getting the kit and body dialed for my racing conditions......leg tights are on order now. Thanks again DJ and love the vid's.

Man keep up backwardshat dylan please haha

Makes sense. Riding in the cold physiologically causes capillaries in the extremities to constrict and shunt warm blood to your core thus lowering O2 delivery, nutrients, and getting rid of byproducts like lactic acid. Additionally, cold and miserable weather takes its toll on you mentally and your just not in a good headspace to endure hard efforts.

So im not weak, it's just the cold! :D

I used to do a regular group ride almost all year long in Canada. Did it for 15 years Would do 4 hour rides in -10c, it would be a lot harder to go fast in the cold, but biggest thing is you have to eat a lot more in the cold. Now I xc ski instead I hate riding in winter.

Great vid. Thanks for all the research. I prefer to ride in the winter over the summer heat. 40 degrees F is my happy place!

Always thot there is no bad weather, only bad clothings...will re-think...😁 Interesting as always bro, thanks

... because GCN has plenty of videos about that. spot-on!

Great vid as per normal Dylan. I have to say it has always been a little entertaining to hear/read people “bemoaning” colder weather as something to endure and even avoid. Here in the Twin Cities we love the winter cause that’s when we get to put on the skis. My best form of the year is always late Feb after several months of Nordic. We always complain about the weather getting too warm when is gets above 25F. Go figure... Now with our Fat bikes we can safely ride all winter as well. Layer up and get out there folks!

Noice! Hoping with my broncho and vasoconstriction during winter, to see an improvementnon time trials going up 5% grades. Thanks for the peer reviewed studies

The uncharacteristic north winds in our area on certain Strava segments are very advantageous and only happen during the winter...but yeah. Thanks for another great video : )

There is also the strain in equipment, used to have a set of Rock shoxs back in the day that had elastomer springs, they used to freeze and remain solid during winter training rides

@Dylan Johnson... the primary reason performace suffers is all the extra layers you have to where in the cold. Also you need to take into account air density. In cold weather your lungs get more oxygen due to increased air density and reduced humidity in the air but you also get increased drag. Also have a look at the wind chill chart. Once you get below 5C it becomes a killer!

Coughing after hard exertion for a couple of hours is easily solved. Some of us call it exercise cough and I just suck 50%-70% dark chocolate. We also drink chocolate milk right after as well.

Thanks. I’m getting over a cold and I won’t push it until I’m all better.

Good one.

Dylan, thank you so much for this video. I always suffer in the cold despite wearing good quality warm kit. I do have Raynauds (Primary) that really affects my hands. If you happen to come across any research related to that, I’d love to know!

Thanks Dylan - living in Sweden, this is interesting stuff. I have definitely observed a seeming difference between my summer/indoor and winter/outdoor Lt2/threshold heart rate at around freezing temps - it being around 3-5bpm lower outdoors. It's pretty intuitive to regulate this by RPE when doing Z4 threshold sessions I find, but for endurance/Z2 training it's definitely not as intuitive and having this information surely suggest you should dress to preferably make you as hot as indoors/summer, or adjust your outdoor training zones during the winter time by lowering your thresholds a bit.

Affect of cold seem to be getting worse as I age. In my 20s and 30s being cold never seemed to impact my riding much and I'd still do 4-5 hour Sunday rides without an issue when it was

Love your videos. Can you cover mobility exercises in a q and a or perpaps a whole vid? I don't think Ive seen you talk about it.

What about the bonus effect of cold air having higher density and so you get more oxygen with every breath you take? How much does it matter?

Take away nugget- wear leg warmers in the cold. All those years of sweating while skiing moguls then freezing on the chairlifts as your sweaty body cools down made me aware of fancy technical wick-away clothing. Old skier saying- cotton kills!

So it looks like I should start keeping my leg warmers ON during cyclocross season!

I see new WWBHDO merch coming our way. Long/short sleeve shirts and hoodies (one side long the other short), with special order long/short pants

Did the assault on mt Currahee route the other day. For some reason it was 15 deg colder than what my app said it was suppose to be so I was dressed for 55 and it was actually 40. I was cold but felt great and thought I was flying up the hills and even did the mountain in zone 2 and 3 mostly. I fully expected to break my record on the route but come to find out I was a whole 15 min slower than the last time I had done the route and was dressed properly. Now I know why.

I think there is something wrong with me. I love the heat! The hotter the better. I hate the cold but learning to accept it because I love riding my bike.

I think the winter clothes slow you down during cold weather outside im always stuck at 30-32 km/h speed with very high heart rate then summer i can go easy 32-33 km/h recovery rides when with high heart rate it's around 36 km/h

What really makes you slower is not to ride your bike.

Shots fired at GCN - amazing

Dylan, I tend to do better as it gets hotter, or I must lose less than others around me. I usually start to see it after the 2nd hour of riding. Maybe it’s the mental aspect. I look forward to the heat whereas most around me are dreading it. My rule is, anything under 60 I wear full leg warmers or insulated bib pants. I also have some out of production Sugoi firewall 180 leg warmers, and always DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, and shoe covers, all vents taped over during winter. If you have too much heat loss thru the feet it will be harder to keep the upper leg warm.

In the alternative today I had a crack at trying to ride 50 ks in 44 degree or 111.2f temperature Heart rate was way too high at slow speed felt short of breath after 10/ 15 minutes of riding consumed a bottle of water within 30 minutes I felt like I just done 100k ride had to quit at the 26k mark. I just came off a great week where I completed the Festive 500 and had done 740 km in 8 days riding in temperatures at least 10 to 15 degrees cooler.

I feel compelled to take many of your points and extend them further as part of my rationale for what I call "Trainer Season" -- that period of time marked by the end of Daylight Saving Time until about a month before your first real points race -- so roughly early November through early March. For the average Joe/Jane, or Time-Crunched Cyclist (TCC), I'm talking about the weekday rides that are now limited drastically by daylight and road conditions. In addition to the points you made, riding outdoors during this period can be far less safe, potentially causing injury, which can be far worse than catching a cold. Recovery from a banged up knee or separated shoulder as a result of taking a turn a bit too fast on slick (or icy) pavement can set you back during some of the most important training of the year (strength and base). My position is that during Trainer Season you should really consider doing that weekday aerobic or sweet spot base training on the trainer. TCCs that can fit that trainer session in before going to work can maximize their valuable time and get in exactly what they need (without having to charge their lights, bundle up, create a lot of extra laundry, and then put themselves at unnecessary risk on dangerous roads with sleepy-eyed drivers). Those TCCs that do their weekday rides in the afternoons or evenings are similarly far less limited by daylight by employing the trainer. Of course, the true key to effective time on the trainer is doing the right workout for that athlete at that point within their training plan (vice some of the cookie-cutter whiz-bang workouts, as you’ve pointed out in the past). OK, enough of Eggleton’s soap box for now. As always, I find your positions and points right on! Again, you've inspired me to extend this point in a near-future post. Ugh, I really need to (re)start a blog. Thank you for that inspiration! :)

Hey, thank you for this channel and all the work you put into this. I have been learning alot in the last couple of weeks :) I do have a question about trainingzones. Is there any research on which region of a zone you should target or does it even matter? For example if i do a very steady L2 zone ride, would it have an effect if i would train closer to L1 or to L3?

I go nuts making sure the base layer pants are proper and not getting too tight or bunching throughout the range of motion, but I'm sure the layers are a hindrance anyway. Plus tires are stiff and grease gets stiff in the cold too. So many excuses!!

One thing I would have added is wind chill factor, otherwise great video.

Does this mean I'll stop seeing you going the other way literally every time I go up/down 178 or Caesar's Head in the winter

If I may suggest a topic: DOMs. How to prevent or minimize them?

For me the biggest issue is my asthma in the winter. Once it dips below 10C (50F), my asthma kicks in and I can hardly breathe. No winter intervals for me.

I used to be a trainer hound in the winter. If it would go above 60*F, I would go for a ride just because indoor spinning to a video is BORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRING! I would wear sweatpants and sweatshirts in the winter. So I guess you guys up north might be expecting spring around April or May.

do video about creatin kinase. I got it two times. first time it was 10k U/l. 3 weeks bed rest

Love the GCN dig...lol

Hey Dylan, thanks for the video, it was very informative as always. You mentioned exercise-Induced asthma, I get it on intense rides or long rides in the heat/cold, do you have any informations on this subject ? If so, can you do a video about it ? Cheers from France

What about humidity? How does that impact speed?

Great as always. Do you have any thoughts (studies) on cycling in heavy air pollution? How about filtration mask, do they work? Would you train outside during winter if you live in a heavily polluted area or just use an air purifier inside?

I have injured my knee again this year and I believe it was because of the cold... now I don’t go without my knee warmers in Winter

Hi there. Loving your videos! Just wondering if you could talk about numbness in hands/fingers...?? No matter what I seem to do, my hands go numb within 40 minutes of cycling. It's affecting my performance, not to mention my enjoyment of cycling. I'm wondering what the long-term effects might be from continually riding with said numbness, and (more importantly), how to stop it!! Thanking you in advance. Keep up the awesome work.

What about riding in 4 f or -15 c is it good or not

Leg warmer up to 20°c would mean leg warmer for 11 months of the year here in the UK 😢

HNY Sir. -U10

I wonder what is the standard deviation in some of these numbers. I feel comfortable (and just as fast) riding in shorts when it's 50 degrees F or above. Maybe I just have a layer of fat on my legs that keeps my muscles warm enough.

*unless you are from Colorado, the sun is out, it’s 60F or greater between -10F days, and you’re feeling backwards hat gnarly. THEN, you can go sans leg warmers.

Irony is to watch this while being sick due to over training in winter :)

Hi Dylan, great content as usual which has really helped my training. My question for you is, I recently tore a ligament in my lower back, it was caused by a few things added together but finally went following a strength session. It is healing well and I am looking to get back outside on my bike tomorrow follwoing a couple of weeks of successful indoor sessions. Regarding strength training I am a long way from doing heavy lifts, squats and deads, and am doing bodyweight stuff, pistol squats etc. Can I effectively stregth train with either bodyweight only or lighter high rep deads and squats or do I need to get back to doing heavy lifts? Long story short can light weight high reps be as beneficial as high weight low reps? Thanks and already looking forward to your next video

I love riding in the winter. Give me some petroleum jelly for my face, two studded tires, and I'm all set.

Does post exercise body temp drop affect immune function or recovery? Thanks for the video

Hi Dylan I'm fairly new to the channel, been watching for the last few weeks and I'm absolutely blown away by your incredible content. Want to say THANK YOU straightaway. I have a lifting question I've been wanting to drop in the comments on a new video so you'd see it but the Kanza video (rightly) has hundreds of comments already (congrats!!). So, I'm 37, got back into cycling in summer 2018, and in 2019 logged a not-terrible volume of 6,000 miles. So, having done that, I have realized that just riding a larger volume of miles only brings your fitness so far - now I want speed, not just volume 😂. So I've found your channel, and I see that lifting is the answer. But, it's already almost February, and I've NEVER lifted before, like, ever. My question is this - I want to start lifting but is it too late to start? I'm also afraid of injuring myself (no bg in lifting) so if I only lifted once a week, could I still get benefits from that? I guess the question is - what happens if you want to start lifting but you've missed the off season and want to start kind of late. Thanks man, love your channel.

Super useful, Dylan. Since you've touched the immune system and illnesses, do you have any recommendations on nutrition to boost your defenses? Is taking vitamin supplements actually useful? Thank you for your time and effort.

Any thoughts on cold exposure (e.g. daily cold showers or ice baths) for improving performance?

Now for a question that affects you performance other than weather. At what point in someone training/racing do you propose to start actually upgrading equipment, because it will actually make a difference. I feel like a really good cyclist can ride an average bike and still win, regardless of wheels, tires, and other gadgets. Your thoughts and opinions on this and any equipment you feel actually returns dividends for the money spent?????? Thanks again for you valuable time here!

thanks, now I have a legit excuse! not that I needed it I hate the cold:) good thing there's zwift

Dylan does it follow therefore that there’s more to gain from drafting when the air is cold?

Dang man so riding in the cold will just make you cold and tired. Next you'll tell me that I should train longer harder and faster to get faster.

Very funny burn on GCN making legwarmer videos : )

👍

Dear Backward Hat Dylan! Please make a video about hill watts vs flat watts - some say there are no difference, whether you produce 300 watts on a flat or a hill, but lots of cyclists struggle to produce the same watts on a flat road, which they could easily sustain on a hill. Is there a scientific answer to this?

I used to follow GCN (original 3 muchachos) but they have morphed into a subliminal corporate manipulation machine. So I unsubscribed; my brain didn't like the advertising trickery. You have a good channel, I can imagine maintaining content is no joke: So if you haven't done a video on tire size/pressure, that would be nice. Lots of gimmicks and controversy here (especially on the road bike side of things). Keep up the good work.

Yeah I think RU-vid should disable the thumbs down functionality in your videos. Oh and I am buying leg warmers.

Back when it actually stayed cold all winter in Montreal, I used to train quite effectively all winter by riding in the snow and on packed trails. Obviously some of that was basically just strength training-the snow and cold and extra gear basically mean extra rolling resistance and mass to train against. But is there any benefit to the muscles having to work against the cold? If we pretend the rolling resistance and weight were equal, would I be getting stronger any faster just by trying to perform in cold weather? Or put another way, all things equal, do you build muscle or endurance any faster when you’re cold (but dressed for the cold)? You say that performance is worse if you’re cold, but maybe that’s beneficial for training?

Okay so the optimal temperature was around 11°c... Did that account for wind chill? Cyclist often feels 5-10°c colder riding outdoors due to wind chill factors. Thoughts?

What about cold showers?

How do you deal with other sports? I play Squash 2-3 times a week for 1.5 to 2.5h each session. That's very dynamic stuff at avg HRs in the middle of my Z3 for bike HR (my HR is lower on the bike, though). Since there certainly is some high intensity stuff in Squash (unfortunately, its basically a mix of everything), I'm thinking that I should cut down on bike interval training and put more focus on endurance rides. However, I'm afraid I might miss out on the effects of interval training. Any thoughts on how to build a clever training plan around this?

ah yes more reasons to remove the guilt of just hopping on the trainer

Embro video? Recipes are hard to find online.

A factor to consider in the breathing aspect is breathing through nose or mouth... breathing through the nose warms, filters and moistens the incoming air... breathing in through the mouth just allows cold air straight into the throat and lungs - irritation follows... Another solution is the wear a buff style neck warmer, and over the mouth and nose to reduce the cold shock... breathing out through the mouth wearing the buff also keeps the face and lips warmer, and reduces the chance of lips cracking due to wind / cold burn...

Nice dig at GCN. 😂

Great video as always! I just recently discovered that I suffer from allergic sinusitis from dust mites and symptoms get worse this time of the year and I'm struggling between good and bad days despite taking my meds. Do you have any advice regarding to this or is there any study you can point me out to read. Thanks in advance!

I can confirm, I am fat and warm in the cold.

Miserable is having your trainer in an unheated garage, starting off cold then working into a sweat, then coming to the end whereupon the sweat exponentially chills you down even more. at least now I have a scientific excuse for lower output, thought I was just woosing out!!!!!!