2/4/24 8:13 AM

Yesterday was my first ride outside in about 3mo, temp was ~2C, dry, and sunny. Training has been going well, power/volume all good on the turbo, progress was made.

Last year as the temps started to plunge I did notice some impact to performance when temps dropped but didn't attempt to ride outside in the cold a lot mostly because of available light and my work schedule.

Yesterday was scheduled for 5x5min +FTP intervals plus some additional volume. I wore weather-appropriate clothing and mostly felt fine in terms of temperature with the exception of my legs. I had thermal tights on but they didn't seem to be doing the job and my quads were especially feeling the sting.

Once I got into the ride, my legs and lungs were having none of it. I couldn't complete the first 2 intervals, ending each of them at about 4min. Quads and chest were screaming due to the cold...and yes I admit that just above freezing really isn't all that cold but I felt what I felt. I berated myself for being a weakling but into the third attempt I was done in about a minute. I finished the ride at just past 2hrs and ended up with an NP firmly in Z2 and overall, going strictly by the numbers, this seemed like a fairly typical workout.

But it destroyed me. I felt like I'd done a 150mi P/1/2 race. The rest of the day was on the couch. This morning I'm low energy, legs are singing, and I have zero motivation for today's ride which I'm probably just going to skip vs digging whatever hole I'm in any deeper.

I have ridden in that type of cold, and colder, before but my performance, although never great when it's close to freezing, had never taken that much of a hit.

My question is do you notice more cold impact as you get on in years? Anyone else react the same way?

2/4/24 11:31 AM

Isn't there some thinking regarding very 'cold air' and pulmonary and arterial restriction from aerobic activities in very cold temps. I think I recall reading something.

i.e. heart works harder, and lesser % winds up delivering O2 to muscles, etc??

A bit of the ole google:
Does cold affect aerobic performance?
In summary, endurance exercise is likely optimized in cool environments ≤20 °C; however, as external cold stressors (air, wetness, wind speed) overwhelm metabolic heat production to maintain body temperature and muscle temperature, endurance performance can be negatively affected

2/4/24 12:26 PM

I don't ride with anything like your intensity, nor do I watch metrics outdoors, but I do ride in cold weather and don't notice anything like what you describe. A couple days ago I did a two hour, fairly hilly ride in the 30sF and felt great. I was riding with a faster friend and had to work at times. I enjoy that temp, particularly if sunny and no wind. I didn't wear booties or any foot protection, for example. I'm doing some work on the trainer, and for that reason probably rode better than in the summer.

I'd think about whether there may be another reason for your difficulties. With your intensity, I'd not be surprised at the occasional off-day.

As to aging, I don't notice any particular increase in cold-sensitivity, I'm 73.

2/5/24 2:24 AM

quote:

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As to aging, I don't notice any particular increase in cold-sensitivity, I'm 73.

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2/5/24 9:18 PM

Just finishing up a ski week with the lows around 10 F/-12 C. No issues at age 74.

2/12/24 8:29 PM

Gee, at nearly 67 I'm starting to feel like a young whipper-snapper in this crowd of old farts! That said, my riding is pretty much as lame regardless of the temp. Cold, dry air can be a bit rough on the ol' lungs, but it doesn't seem to hamper performance.

I hope Linda doesn't see this, as she'll be 74 in just under a month.

2/12/24 8:30 PM

DP. age-induced brain fart