koolerb

First cold weekend of the year I did 50 miles Saturday and 50 miles Sunday. Saturday I was stiff as a board on the bike, and after the ride Sunday my quad was really sore on the inside of my knee just above the joint. I rested it and stretched all week. I lasted about 30 miles this Saturday before it started getting really sore again and quit my ride early at 40 miles. Talking to a friend today, he is in the same shape I'm in, and said it happens at the end of the season every year.

Could this be related to the colder temps?

big chainring 

A pro cyclist told me years ago, always wear tights below 70 degrees. You want to keep the muscles warm.

koolerb

I got some leg warmers and wore them this weekend but I think the damage was already done. Im going to rest it and do a lot of stretching next few weeks.

Elevation

what was the temp?

fstshrk

I wear knee warmers below 60 degrees. I find that my knees are much happier and I am faster too. Under 50, I will wear tights, and around 40 degrees, I ride indoors. No point in freezing my behind.

koolerb

55 f, wasn't super cold.

rufvelo

Yes you're more likely to break/hurt something when either the weather is cold and/or you're not quite warmed up.

Elevation

some people are different when it comes to how the cold affects them while cycling. My muscles/knees hate the temp below 40, sometimes i even struggle in the 50s. But inside completely fine. I'm usually in tights when its 55. then Tights+knee warmers 45 degrees and lower. I also find that having a good warmup and some massage stick work before going out to be a bit beneficial when the temp starts to drop.

different from person to person... have to see what works for yah.

carpediemracing 

When it's colder your body retains more blood in its core to preserve heat. This means less blood for the extremities. This is significant usually for those exposed tendons, Achilles, stuff around the knee, etc.

Wearing booties (aka shoe covers) really helps, at least for me. I wear shoe covers before I wear tights or even knickers and my Achilles, a weak point, is almost always fine.

I also really protect my upper body. Since you don't use it much in cycling it gets cold. On rides under about 75 degrees I'll wear a vest to let it flap around (better to attract attention of motorists). If necessary I can zip it up to warm up quickly. I wear long finger gloves, for safety, but in cool weather it really helps keep me warm (because if my hands are warm I can go lighter covering on the arms).

Your head/neck also lose a lot of heat energy. You should protect them as well. The more heat you retain the more blood/heat you have for those fragile and low-blood-volume tendons.

I do shorts + booties at about 55-60 deg (long sleeve jersey, possible wind vest).
knickers + booties 45-55 deg (long sleeve jerseys, wind vest).
Tights + booties below 45 (jacket plus base layer or layered LS jerseys plus wind vest).

If I'm racing then I subtract 10 degrees, so knickers+booties is 35-45 deg.

therhodeo

Knee warmers for me below 65. They just stay happier that way I've found.

RollCNY

Depending what time you rode, it may have been colder than that. I am only 20 miles away from you, and at least two of those days were in the 40's until about 9:30, and I remember because figuring out what to wear when it swings from 45 to 65 during the course of a 3 hr ride is a pain.

MingusDew

Every day I'm learning new stuff about biking. I didn't realize so many people prefer long tights with this type of weather. I've been riding in ~45F weather with shorts and short sleeves and at the end of the ride my legs are very warm. My chest and face are a bit cold to the touch from the wind, but I feel warm. I tried wearing a long sleeve shirt one day, and quickly found myself feeling too warm, so I haven't worn the long sleeve since (I was going to wait until it drops down into 30's). I only go for rides of 1-2 hours, so maybe I feel comfortable because I'm not as exposed for so long? In the past I've always been more of a shorts and long-sleeves kind of guy even when exercising (running + calisthenics) in ~30F weather, but I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm smart or know better

therhodeo

I'm the guy who gets crap on spring and fall mornings for my choice of clothes. I show up alot with lighter long sleeve undershirt, knee warmers, and a cycling cap with an ear band. I've ridden alot of mornings dressed like that with guys in sleeveless jerseys. I just don't like being cold and I ride better if I'm warm.

Smokehouse

I'm learning pretty quickly that I'd rather ride on the side of caution than suffer. Cold weather riding really messes with me and I tend to be cold blooded anyway. The good side to that is that I can ride well into high temps without many issues.

When the still temp is 50-55, factor in wind chill and it becomes a different story. I live in Illinois and this time of year, wind temp becomes an issue pretty quick. With winds from the N at the moment, a 72 degree day can feel much colder at 18-20+ mph and/or when the sun isn't out.

I wore light thermal bibs, an underlayer and arm warmers Sunday and although the temp was listed at 75...the wind said otherwise and I was comfortable the entire ride.

It's tough to judge but I'd rather side with being warm than under dressing, freezing and risking injury.

Leinster

I tore a hamstring and adductor kicking a rugby ball on the coldest day of training last season, and it took me a couple of months to get right; yes, cold temps do make a big difference to injuries. If you're not warmed up beforehand, and if you don't stay warm during, it will not be good for you.

nhluhr

My understanding is that tendons and other connective tissues associated with joints don't have their own blood supply. Couple that with traditionally lean cyclists' legs and that means these critical tissues don't have built-in heating or insulation. So even though your legs feel warm for the most part (because of the amount of work being done by the muscles), those connective tissues might not be warmed up by the time your muscles feel ready to rock, and they'll cool down faster on descents. Cold connective tissues don't have that suppleness or elasticity they need to prevent injury. You still need to rid your body of excess heat produced though, which is why knee/leg warmers are such a good idea for transitional weather like we're experiencing now... keeps your upper thigh relatively cool (only a thin layer of lycra above the knee warmer) but still provides a thick insulating or windproof fabric to protect the knee joint.

Later, when it gets good and cold out, we can all transition to thicker roubaix fabric bibs or tights to keep the rest warm as needed.

MikeyBoyAz

Here in the greater phoenix area I don't have much problem till it drops below 32... which is once a year. I just wear bib knickers, wool socks and a few extra base layers till then. @32 I just ride the trainer in the garage.

koolerb

So I analyzed this to death at this point and here's where I'm at.

* All the cold weather riding I did last fall and this spring (35-55 f) in just bike shorts was in toe clips. (I just started cycling last fall)
* I installed clipless Shimano SPD-SL's in June and my right foot has never really been comfortable since. Just feels like I'm constantly fighting the cleat.
* My right foot was more uncomfortable than usual that first cold weekend, and my knee got sore.

I'm concluding that the combination of the bad fit on the right pedal combined with cold caused the problem in my knee. I got a pair of leg warmers and a pair of tights. Before I ride again with the clipless pedals I'm going for a bike fit. A friend of mine has a good guy that's solid with shimming pedals and what not.

Thanks for all the responses!

Cookiemonsta

I have not noticed any. But I have heard time and time again that it is important to use gear that is warm enough once the temperature starts dropping. I might very well be related to cold. Though that is no reason not to cycle, just means you need to adapt and get the appropriate gear. For me, it is not that time of year yet where i start covering arms and legs, but we are getting close.

Seattle Forrest

rumrunn6

a year or so ago in the 50+ forum someone wrote that at 50 degrees or under he liked to cover his knees. I remember cold weather affecting my knees as well.

cold can be attributed to ITB injuries, I got one on New Year's Eve a few years ago. It wasn't just the cold but it contributed to it.

banerjek

Cold absolutely exacerbates injuries. As we all know, cold makes things more brittle so they break more easily. I'm sure the increased incidence of rain/ice/snow/darkness/etc has no impact

I can't understand how people wear so much without burning up. Having said that, I ride differently (and more slowly) when temps are down because my muscles don't seem to work the same.

Ray9

The cold never bothered me much as a runner but it definitely factors as a threat to injury on the bike because biking is more leg-specific due to the fact that the body weight is supported by the bike frame. In colder temperatures I try to get out of the saddle and stand up often to stretch the leg muscles and get blood into them in the upper areas so it won't pool in the lower quads and knees. Attacking hills in the saddle really stresses the knees especially when it's cold. It's not the joint itself that suffers, it's the supporting muscles just above it. It's incredibly important to wear tights when the temps fall below 60 because they not only deliver warmth to the muscles but they wrap the muscles and help support them. I try to keep my ankles as warm as possible by wearing wool socks under an over boot. This goes a long way in minimizing symptoms of Raynauds. I also found some great goretex mittens in a running magazine that are way warmer than gloves and allow the freedom of movement to shift.