The Radavist

Do you struggle to keep your feet warm on cold rides? Years ago, I thought that was the norm for winter riding, but it turned out I just didn’t know the best way to deal with the cold. Back in those years, I was a roadie who took pride and legitimately enjoyed training through the snowy winter months chasing that oft-elusive early-season form. In the hills of southern Wisconsin and then the Front Range foothills of Colorado, I hammered around on a ‘cross bike outfitted with studded Nokians and fenders, with my torso and legs layered up for whatever the temperature. But for years on end, my feet absolutely froze, even with oversized shoes, extra socks, and a double layer of neoprene booties on the coldest days. Every long ride would end with my socks soaked in sweat and my toes painfully cold bricks. More often than not, I’d get home with an ironic combination of huge hunger, because I never ate nearly enough on rides, and screaming barfies as my toes started to painfully warm up.

Getting rad has its price, especially on a MTB and one of the ways to learn you and your bikes limitations is to fall. Here in Texas, that usually means sharp limestone, or brittle, dry mesquite trees are waiting for you on the ground.

One pointer I always try to keep in mind is to always ride with a clean bottle. That just means, no hydration mix or juice. Having a bottle with mix and a bottle with just plain water gives you a means to wash a fresh wound out immediately, rather than waiting to get back to the car or your home.

Wash the wound throughly. Remove any rocks, sand, debris and let it dry. Cover it if you can or just let the air dry it out. Sometimes, even putting sunblock on a fresh wound will sterilize it even more – assuming there’s alcohol in it. Otherwise, carry a small first aid kit in your pack.