The Toe Fist Revisited (Keeping Feet Warm for Winter Rides)

The Toe Fist article has been updated. It was originally posted in January '09. Since Then, the formula for keeping your feet warm on winter bike rides has been tweaked with a grocery bag layer between booty and shoe, not over the foot itself. Putting the bag over the foot has the potential for cutting off needed circulation, not to mention, makes for a slippery feel inside the shoe.

It's taken me about 15 years of white bloodless cold on-the-brink of frostbite bitten toes to figure out a process of getting dressed to keep my feet from turning into lifeless bricks on cold winter rides. It is much more effective than dancing like Beyonce’ on the side of the road. I’ve got friends who insist on a number of other comical solutions, like putting Saran wrap on their forefeet. After trying it, evening using the red color thinking it’d be hotter, I’m come to the conclusion that I’m not into the Saran Wrap foot fetish. It doesn’t solve the real problem and disrupts the foot-sock-shoe-pedal connection too much. Chemical toe warmers and foot beds work, but they are only a variable in the happy feet equation and require air to keep working their magic. The real key to keeping your feet warm in the winter is maintaining good blood flow in your piggies. It’s science dammit!! Everything else is just icing. Dedicated winter cycling shoes work fine, but snug them or regular cycling shoes up too tight and no amount of SIDI Italian leather goodness is going to get your core body heat to reach the ends of your pistons. So how do you keep air in your shoe and avoid cutting off your circulation? The toe fist my friend…the toe fist.

Prior to putting my feet in my shoes, I make a fist with my toes and then lightly cinch up the straps/laces. Combine this with some or all of the other bright ideas out there, even dancing and singing the chorus to “Single Ladies” and you’ll be golden. The downfall is that, well duh, your shoes aren’t on tight. However, you’re not trying to win a summer crit sprint or make the holeshot at the local MTB series. I have tested my theory through cyclocross season and on both road and mountain bike rides this winter, works every time. The longest ride I’ve had so far has been nearly 3 and a half hours, plenty for winter. Cinder block feet are no longer the reason I start heading home. Chances are some other ailment will get me first; such as being too out of shape to ride more than 3 hours, frozen water bottles or my suspension fork busting a seal.

Here’s how I get dressed for winter and implement the foot fist technique using embrocation, winter cycling underwear, Toastie Toes and winter booties.

1 Starting naked, grab your warm weather cycling underwear, a towel, your cold & wet conditions cycling embrocation and your thickest warmest newest winter hiking style socks. Go to the bathroom. I don’t mean just go there, go there and do your business. Trust me this is the best step one ever.

2 Next, don warm weather cycling underwear. This is the best step 2 ever.

3 Standing on the towel in your skivvies apply embrocation on your legs, feet, toes, forearms. Use whatever is left on your lower back. It’ll feel like magic fingers mid-ride. I won’t get into all the details with embrocation, but there’s a reason you put on underwear and went to the bathroom first. There are few things in life more painful than accidently causing your junk to catch fire in the middle of nowhere because you dredged your underwear through burning hot chili-pepper embrocation an hour earlier. Do yourself a favor, when you’re finished wash your hands with soap and keep your hands off the giblets, out of your eyes and away from other tender areas for a while.

4 Put on those socks. Affix your Toastie Toes if you got ‘em.

5 Put on the rest of your winter cycling related gear except for your shoes.

6 Put on your cycling shoes, but do not lace or buckle.

7 Make the biggest fist you can with your foot inside the shoe.

8 Starting with the one closest to your toes and with your toe still in fist mode do all the straps and buckles on your shoes. You should be able to wiggle your piggies inside your shoe and your shoe should be relatively secure on your foot.

9 Repeat with the other shoe.

10 Put a plastic grocery bag over each shoe and lightly wrap the excess around your ankles.

11 Put on your warm winter weight cycling booties and tuck the excess bag into your bootie.

Ride my friend. Ride. Unless you’re in freaking Siberia, Alaska or somewhere north of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, you feet will no longer be the reason you come home from a winter bike ride.

The Toe Fist

It’s taken me about 15 years of white bloodless cold on-the-brink of frostbite bitten toes to figure out a process of getting dressed to keep my feet from turning into lifeless bricks on cold winter rides.  It is much more effective than dancing like Beyonce’ on the side of the road.  I’ve got friends who insist on a number of other comical solutions, like putting Saran wrap their forefeet.  After trying it, evening using the red color thinking it’d be hotter, I’m come to the conclusion that I’m not into the Saran Wrap foot fetish.  It doesn’t solve the real problem and disrupts the foot-sock-shoe-pedal connection too much.  Chemical toe warmers and foot beds work, but they are only a variable in the happy feet equation and require air to keep working their magic.  The real key to keeping your feet warm in the winter is maintaining good blood flow in your piggies.  It’s science dammit!!  Everything else is just icing.  Dedicated winter cycling shoes work fine, but snug them or regular cycling shoes up too tight and no amount of SIDI Italian leather goodness is going to get your core body heat to reach the ends of your pistons.  So how do you keep air in your shoe and avoid cutting off your circulation?  The toe fist my friend…the toe fist. 

Prior to putting my feet in my shoes, I make a fist with my toes and then lightly cinch up the straps/laces.  Combine this with some or all of the other bright ideas out there, even dancing and singing the chorus to “Single Ladies” and you’ll be golden.  The downfall is that, well duh, your shoes aren’t on tight.  However, you’re not trying to win a summer crit sprint or make the holeshot at the local MTB series.  I have tested my theory through cyclocross season and on both road and mountain bike rides this winter, works every time.  The longest ride I’ve had so far has been nearly 3 and a half hours, plenty for winter.  Cinder block feet are no longer the reason I start heading home.  Chances are some other ailment will get me first; such as being too out of shape to ride more than 3 hours, frozen water bottles or my suspension fork busting a seal. 

Here’s how I get dressed for winter and implement the foot fist technique using embrocation, winter cycling underwear, Toastie Toes and winter booties.

1 Starting naked, grab your warm weather cycling underwear, a towel, your cold & wet conditions cycling embrocation and your thickest warmest newest winter hiking style socks.  Go to the bathroom.  I don’t mean just go there, go there and do your business.  Trust me this is the best step one ever. 

2 Next, don warm weather cycling underwear.  This is the best step 2 ever.

3 Standing on the towel in your skivvies apply embrocation on your legs, feet, toes, forearms.  Use whatever is left on your lower back.  It’ll feel like magic fingers mid-ride.  I won’t get into all the details with embrocation, but there’s a reason you put on underwear and went to the bathroom first.  There are few things in life more painful than accidently causing your junk to catch fire in the middle of nowhere because you dredged your underwear through burning hot chili-pepper embrocation an hour earlier.  Do yourself a favor, when you’re finished wash your hands with soap and keep your hands off the giblets, out of your eyes and away from other tender areas for a while. 

4 Put on those socks.  Affix your Toastie Toes if you got ‘em. 

5 Put on the rest of your winter cycling related gear except for your shoes.

6 If you’re into wrapping your toes with Saran Wrap, do it now.  Then, put on a shoe. 

7 Make the biggest fist you can with your foot inside the shoe. 

8 Starting with the one closest to your toes and with your toe still in fist mode do all the straps and buckles on your shoes.  You should be able to wiggle your piggies inside your shoe and your shoe should be relatively secure on your foot.

9 Repeat with the other shoe.

10 Put on your warm winter weight cycling booties.

 Ride my friend.  Ride.  Unless you’re in freaking Siberia, Alaska or somewhere north of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, you feet will no longer be the reason you come home from a winter bike ride.

Riding With Axe Murderers

The first thing they say about axe murderers is, “He always just kept to himself.”  That’s precisely why I don’t train alone.  My goodness, what would my mom think if I turned into a crazed sociopath after knocking out a 2 hour solo interval.  Over the New Year’s week, like you, base training got in full swing for me.  Miles…core…blabidy blabidy blah.  Since one of the things I enjoy most about cycling is the social aspect, I’m not into Silence of the Lambs solo training.  I like to do well in races, but I’m not about to pass up a group ride with my buddies and risk becoming a chainsaw wielding maniac in order to appease the great gods of training like Joe Friel.  Sure riding alone can develop incredible focus or elicit a feeling of serenity, but it also allows thoughts to stew. 

Saying that, I’m now convinced I-pods were invented by someone who was exercising alone and lingered a tish too long on a nasty thought of what they would do if they ran into the three “yoots” driving the truck that just about nearly sent them into the ditch.  Instead of trading their helmet in for a “Scream” mask, that athletic geek at Apple said something like, “Dude, get a hold of yourself.  All you need to do is figure out a way to get a good solo workout in without your cauldron of evil thoughts slipping toward the Freddy Krueger side of the social scale.”  Then the lithium-ion powered LED light went off in his head.  "Ah ha!  I’ll pipe people singing about good relationships and social situations directly into my ears while I exercise.”  So now, when we can’t muster up a buddy to ride with, we turn to the I-pod.  It’s a good thing-Martha Stewart.

That said, let me introduce you to my non-axe murdering cyclist friends I rode with, in all or in part, over the past week.  I know they’re not currently plotting their own version of Scary Movie ‘09 because they, unlike flesh craving lunatics, don’t keep to themselves.  Instead of resorting to the solo ride, all you really need to do is pick the right riding partner for whatever your coach calls for.

The Purist

The Purist is my buddy whose depth of cycling knowledge and history astounds me.  He’s also very opinionated on every subject imaginable.  Unlike most Masters aged racers, in his youth, instead of Rolling Stone, he somehow managed to have European cycling magazines stashed under his bed along with all the naked stuff.  I like to ride with him because he does base training old school (Long Slow Miles) and since he’s got something to say about everything there’s never an awkward pause in the conversation.  The miles roll by like the scenery out of a train window.  Plus, since he’s sort of self employed, he has the time to bust out those 4-6 hour rides during the week.  So, when the bible calls for the long tempo ride, I call the Purist.

The Pounder

While it’s what I call our cats when they put their layer of fat on for the winter, The Pounder is always in decent shape year round and is just a little bit stronger than me…also all year round.  There are a few Pounders I ride with.  The Pounder also doesn’t have enough time for Long Slow Miles.  He has to make do with limited hours, slipping in a ride here and there.  Riding with The Pounder I have to stay on my toes.  With an errant thought provoked pause, you’ll quickly find yourself gapped by The Pounder.  On the flats or on the hills, The Pounder is always turning the screws like a spoke wrench, an eighth turn at a time, just a hair beyond my threshold.  While I love the company and riding with The Pounder, a little Pounder goes a long way in winter.

The Goal Setter

The Goal Setter isn’t one person.  From season to season, I’ve noticed that some rider’s patience or focus for training wanes.  However, there’s always at least one person I know who’s focused on a methodology of attaining specific goals.  It’s good to keep in touch with the Goal Setter, because throughout the week chances are that one of his ride plans will match yours.  Need to brush up on your mountain bike skills, your pedal stroke, or any number of cycling specific workouts…call the Goal Setter.

The Clubber

These guys don’t race, but have a real passion for cycling and beating up on their friends.  I call them The Clubbers, because I first met a few of them on a cycle club ride.  The great thing about being a racer type and riding with The Clubbers is that: they don’t ride enough during the week ensuring that the Saturday Clubber ride is chock full of pent up testosterone and secondly, one of them in any given situation wants to beat the rest into submission.  I never attack or push the pace with The Clubbers.  I usually make it a point not to attack on someone else’s ride.  Instead I try to ride second wheel.  It’s the perfect short-recovery interval workout.  Go with the attacks…get caught when the Clubbers sit up…repeat.  The other day I challenged myself to be “The Closer” of The Clubbers.  I spent the day closing every gap that developed.

Super Mega Mega Men

These guys, a few on my team, are into the Ultra Endurance events.  These are the guys that secretly do jumping jacks with a backpack of bricks, fill their 2^nd water bottle up with spare change, and ride only retro steel bikes in winter.  It’s like motor pacing riding with these guys.  Unlike The Pounder, these guys don’t attack, but their speed is unrelenting.  When you need the long ride, call the Purist.  When you need the long tempo ride, fill your jersey pockets with potatoes and call Super Mega Mega Man.