How to keep your feet warm on the bike this winter

The snowstorm on the climb of Passo Gavia during 1988 Giro d'Italia
(Image credit: Consorzio Pontedilegno-Tonale Press Office)

Cold feet on a winter ride isn't a particularly great experience. If you've ever gotten things wrong on a cold winter ride, such as not wearing overshoes, and experienced your feet go from cold to numb to freezing and painful, the ride in question may well be burned into your memory and you probably won't want to repeat the experience any time soon. Worry not though; we've got a guide on how to keep your feet warm while cycling so it never happens again.

Freezing extremities during winter cycling are just one of many challenges cyclists can face as the mercury drops. If you are somewhere warmer perhaps you won't need everything here, but if you live somewhere where the temperatures really drop, then a lot of the points below will be relevant. 

Tom Wieckowski
Tech writer

Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of. 

He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.