I took up cycling as a sport last year (been following races for years). I have been working hard to get in shape and have dropped 60 pounds. I am still classified as overweight. My question is when I get off the bike after a long ride I am freezing. Does anyone know why and is this normal?
New to cycling and very cold!
- Thread starter agavegirl
- Start date
Well, I'd definitely need more information to answer that question. First of all, are you riding outdoors or indoors on a trainer? If you are outdoors in the winter and it is cold out, you will need cold weather gear. The wind-chill is much more of a factor cycling that doing other outdoor activities, so you need to respect that with windproof clothing (gloves, booties, jacket, tights). You also want to make sure that the fabrics closest to your skin, like your base layer, are wicking, because if you get sweat build-up on or next to your skin, it will make you very cold.
If you aren't riding in cold weather, but are still cold after a ride, I would suggest that you aren't eating to fuel the effort. You need to eat before, after, and during a long ride. I realize that this can seem counter intuitive for weight loss, but if you body isn't getting enough fuel, it will start to shut down and this can make you feel cold. Remember to eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty.
Thanks for the response. I am riding inside on a trainer. The temperature is kept at 71. I usually have carbs (pancakes etc) for breakfast and go through 48 oz of water in the 2.5 hours. Should I be drinking more or not carb loading? Sorry for the silly questions - I'm new to the whole exercise thing. My skin is cold to the touch too. I wear a jersey and bike shorts that are both wicking and I do have a fan blowing on me on the trainer.
Try turning the fan a bit so that it's not directly on you, maybe just partially or even just circulating the air in the room. Try different configurations until you find something that works. If it were 71ºF in here while I was on the trainer, I would cook. Even at about 65ºF, with a fan on me the whole time, I sweat buckets (and I'm not a large guy, either--6'/180 lbs). I have noticed that while I'm warm to hot when I'm done, my skin will be cold from the "wind chill", especially if I'm on the trainer without a shirt.
Jason
Jason
2.5 hour trainer rides are quite long (I know, i do them all the time) and water alone is usually not sufficient. Some sports drink or gels go a long way in keeping the glycogen stores up.
However, it could just be an issue of the fan. you might want to try turning it down a couple notches if possible. If you are sweating profusely, the air blowing across your skin could easily cause chill.
However, it could just be an issue of the fan. you might want to try turning it down a couple notches if possible. If you are sweating profusely, the air blowing across your skin could easily cause chill.
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