tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-960025802590894455.post3384250036206021747..comments2023-10-08T08:05:03.847-04:00Comments on For Whom the Cowbell Tolls: Suffering for the Sportnoslohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07798960884566526266noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-960025802590894455.post-78149528500539795482009-03-05T11:02:00.000-05:002009-03-05T11:02:00.000-05:00I've tried the foot warmer thing while warming up ...I've tried the foot warmer thing while warming up at some cross races and they never seemed to get warm enough to actually affect my toes... Maybe the shoes were too tight. I think I just need to invest in some neoprene booties and maybe some winter cycling shoes. <BR/><BR/>As for the fixed gear, I never thought about that but it makes sense. Maybe I just need to throw some slicks on the 'cross bike and spin out the 36... That could help keep me warm!noslohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07798960884566526266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-960025802590894455.post-20829638682351684152009-03-05T10:05:00.000-05:002009-03-05T10:05:00.000-05:00It comes down to a simple cycling reality: the onl...It comes down to a simple cycling reality: the only way to kick ass in the good weather is to bust your ass in the bad weather. I like to think that every guy I beat in a cyclocross race is a guy I beat because of the miles and effort I put in on a raw, grey, cold, windy, lonely training ride in the waning hours of a Maryland winter day. Those are the rides where you barely see anybody out on the road, especially the Trekked-out credit card crowd, and the only thing keeping you warm, aside from a pair of Pearl Izumi thermal booties (highly recommended), is the focus and concentration on squeezing everything out of an intense training ride.<BR/><BR/>Keep plugging away, I might be many miles away from an icy day in Michigan, but I hear you and I fully understand why you ride on days like that.Jason Pearlmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07002912364048169310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-960025802590894455.post-65499607767379398992009-03-05T08:07:00.000-05:002009-03-05T08:07:00.000-05:00Ah yes. Racing is only a smidgen of what riding i...Ah yes. Racing is only a smidgen of what riding is all about. Training or general riding is really what the structure and finesse of cycling comes from. Racing is just the presentation of what you've been doing by yourself, of with a select group of training buddies. <BR/><BR/>Check out some toe and hand warmers. We sell them at 'cross races and early season road races. Oddly, for online purchases one of the best places is through the place we also get our shipping supplies: http://www.uline.com/BL_1198/?pricode=wq825<BR/><BR/>Also try riding in a light gear instead of mashing along on the fix. The fix is a double edge sword in the winter. It can build power, but getting the speed to keep yourself moving brings the cold wind. After an hour or so, you're tired and the cadence drops a tad which then compounds the cold feeling. Sucks all around. I sold my fixie bike to get some powercranks this year and it works a lot better. Training here in the New York area we've had similar weather this season. If you don't already have an extra frame to put the powercranks on, any old bike on craigslist will work. Just match the geometry from your current road bike when you set it up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com