Too hot to ride

[archibella]

So... I'm down here in South Texas (San Antonio) and I was just informed that a scheduled ride for tonight is canceled because it's still supposed to be 102 degrees early this evening... I hate to be a chicken, but 102 is really hot!!! What do you guys think the line is between "hot enough to take it easy and hydrate lots", and "so hot it's too dangerous"?

Thanks :)

[slinkedog]

I dunno... I imagine it's different for each person. But I can honestly say I have NO desire whatsoever to ride when it's 102. I rode once when it was about 94 and that was quite enough for me.

[DeniseGoldberg]

102 is pretty warm, but if you're careful it may be rideable. The only reason I say that is that I hit some pretty hot weather when I rode cross-country back on 2002 - as in many days where it was over 100 degrees. I was still riding 55 to 75 miles a day, in spite of the heat. I was also drinking a lot - a combination of water and Gatorade. (OK, OK, I may have been a bit crazy. But I was happier continuing to move across the country than I would have been sitting still somewhere in those temperatures.)

If you're going to ride in the heat, make sure to pay extra attention to your body, and stop if it tells you to stop. And make sure you are drinking enough.

--- Denise

[runnergirl]

Heat index matters most to me. In a nice dry heat I'd go out up to about 105 or so, but if it's 100 with 90% humidity-I'm much less likely to attempt it. There's nothing quite as miserable as breathing through a hot wet blanket when you're trying to ride.

[nuthatch]

Amen on the humidity!! If you can't get evaporation going because the air is already saturated, you over-heat so fast. 98 didn't seem too awful a couple of weeks ago but the humidity was probably lower than 50% (I just checked - it was in the 40/30% range).

[Veronica]

I've ridden in Death Valley when it's been over 100 and here in the Delta when it's been in the high 90s. I take the heat pretty well once I'm acclimated. I find that if I keep moving and can create my own evaporation system, I do okay. Jobob can attest to how much I sweat even on a coolish day. :D But you have to be sure you stay hydrated. Everyone is different. There were other folks on that Death Valley ride who cramped up and couldn't move.

V.

[betagirl]

Hey Nuthatch, the MS150 was 103-111 at the pavement :D That was hot. 102 with high humidity would really be pushing it without frequent stops to cool down. I was pouring water on myself on the MS150 and making stops every 10 miles or so, especially Sunday which felt more soupy.

[snapdragen]

102! :eek: Dang, I'm cooked if it's 80-85 degrees! I don't handle heat at all.

[MomOnBike]

As the old saying goes, it ain't the heat, it's the &*^%$!! humidity. When I lived in S. Colorado, I was personally hurt and offended when the high for the day this time of year was below 100F. But there was effectively no humidity, and things cooled off nicely at night. And yes, I was active. Here in the Midwest, I wilt at about 85, and things just stay hot (and humid).

I'm wilting now.

FWIW, I just ran into an old email from DH that he sent sometime this last spring "It's 40 degrees out, I hope you're on your bike." (I think I was...)

[CorsairMac]

I have no problems with the heat! I'll hike, ride, run when it's 115. Humidity isn't my favorite thing at night when I'm trying to sleep (or when I just get out of the shower) but I used to ride and run in Indiana in the summer during the middle of the day. Now Cold OTOH: man I Hate Cold!!!!

[betagirl]

I'm with you on the cold. I can ride at 40 degrees, but I'm not happy about it.

It's certainly not too hot here today. 82 with a ENE wind at 2mph. Sunny. Yeah, I'll be riding in a few :)

[bouncybouncy]

Heat is ok...but the humidity is just not tolerable!!! Thank goodness the breeze is always available on a road bike (natural or self-induced)

102 does not seem so bad as long as you pay real close attention to your body...rest, hydrate, and sunscreen. although different regions have different types of heat. It can be around 95 here but if the humidity is high we could have a heat index of 115-120 mid-day! It is crazy hot not to mention the difficulty to breath...but I remember 112 days in Cali I ran around like it was a cool fall day...just depends on your tolerance and how hot it feels.

What do you recommend to a Californian-gone-Florida girl about riding in the winter in North Carolina? I do snowboard so I have experience in the frigid temps...is it the same just on a different vehicle? with different clothes? (did someone say "shopping"?)

[bikerchick68]

UGH! It really is a personal thing... some people do better in heat and some in cold (oddly enough this was a topic during the Tour coverage last night too!)...

I'm a cool weather rider... when it's too hot I just cannot ride the distances or the speeds I can when it's cool out... I seem to overheat no matter how much I drink... especially if there's any climbing whatsoever involved! And I DO ride in dry heat... SoCal... doesn't get much drier!

If you typically do well in above 90 degree weather, then most likely you'll be fine... I, however, would be at home under a biiiiig fan!

[Steph_in_TX]

I'd ride...102 is pretty hot, but it's the evening and the sun isn't nearly as harsh. Plus, we are talking TX here, if you won't ride in the 100's, when are you going to ride in the summer? Only the wee AM hours afford any reasonable temperature this time of year. Though, I wouldn't ride mid-afternoon when it's that hot since the pavement will fry you every time you have to stop. It seems like the hotter it is, the more red lights I hit.

Happy riding!

[caligurl]

60 degrees is COLD to me... 50's is VERY COLD to me... 40's... GOOD GAWD... ARE YOU CRAZY??????????????

it's been at or over 100 when i've left for my rides every day this week after work (and last... my average temp when i get home and download my info from my polar are 111 and below.... (i live in the desert)

you just have to (1) be used to the heat and (2) drink!

[MomOnBike]

Cold is easy, just wear more clothes. (The secret is gloves and adequate head gear.)

Hot, well, there are only so many clothes one can shed, publicly or otherwise. And sweat, that icky, gooey feeling that high humidity brings, Yuck. There are no wonder fabrics that wick that away. My skin starts to crawl even thinking about it.

I don't like summer much...

Mom(counting the days 'til fall)OnBike

[caligurl]

no.... not quite that simple.. i have several different winter gloves i've tried (PI amfib claws among them.... supposed to be such warm gloves)... i've worn thermals and sweatshirts and heavy jerseys.. nope... can't get/stay warm.... i wear/have worn more on 50 degree bike rides than some people wear up in canada or other cold climates.. and i still freeze my arse off!!!!!!!!!!

as for riding in the heat.... once you get a little sweat on you and the evaporative cooling effect kicks in.... it's all good!

[MomOnBike]

That's my point. There is no evaporation when the humidity gets high. (whimpery emoticon here)

I'm dreaming of living in a desert again, so I can ride in the heat without wanting to take my skin off.

[caligurl]

OK OK!!! i give! lol!

and yes.... you are right... that's why i have to switch from the evaportative cooler to the "real" a/c when it gets humid in august! :cool:

let's ask me this riding in the heat question again in august when it's monsoon season!!!!!!!! :eek:

[MomOnBike]

Tell ya what, I'll try not to be crabby about you shrugging off the heat if you do the same about me and cool, OK, cold weather. Diff'rent strokes, and all that.

And I don't even want to think about the humidity going up.

Still, it's kind of neat. Someone is always finding the weather Ju-u-u-st right. :)

[neuroticcyclist]

I vote with the heat index folks. Humidity and bad air quality multiply heat, so 102 out west or the mediterranean where is dryer (if no smog) may be fine but here, in the Mid-Atlantic, there are times at 92-95 with humidity you just feel you're going to melt.

For me the other factor, whether we're talking hot or cold, is WHERE I ride. If it is cold or hot, I tend to do shorter and hillier rides. Our hills are not many miles up, but you build heat on the uphill and get a breath of fresh air on the cool slide back down. Flatter just leaves me slightly chilled in the winter or moderately hot all the time in the summer, since there is no resting time.

God bless those wicking fabrics! I tend to wear some sleeve even if it is hotter than blazes for the wicking effect, rather than let my skin just drip....

That being said, you need to know how to hydrate for yourself, your weather and your ride without taking in too little or too much. I know where every farm with a hose available to cyclists is and often pick my routes accordingly, carrying drink powder to mix instant refreshment.

Go for it!

[JanT]

Heat? We got it! Here in Phoenix, our LOW is going to be 85-89 (f) degrees for at least the next week. Yes, it's a dry heat, and I can tolerate it by getting out early in the morning. I dread the coming of monsoon season; I'd rather bake than boil. However, I'd rather bake, boil, broil, steam, or cook any day, rather than ride in the cold and snow of winter like so many of you brave souls do!

[archibella]

Well... went on an alternate ride instead. Heat wasn't bad at all, although I did try to remember to take it easy just in case. It occured to me that we've been riding in this weather already, I just wasn't paying attention :rolleyes: I'm so glad I invested in that camelbak though!

Thanks for the opinions all. Oh-- and for what it's worth, I'm a cold weather wimp too, lol. Went up to Boston over the 4th to visit some friends, and was cold in the high 50's. It was so cool to see so many people on bikes up there! Maybe next time I'll take mine with me...

[caligurl]

camelbacks ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i don't like and won't drink warm water (and imagine how warm the water can get when your temps are above 100.. even with polar bottles!) i fill my camelback with ice... then add water.. and it's still cool 4 hours into the ride! (i take bottles too.. and drink them first since their ice melts faster!)

sounds like we may have a humid (humid for the desert) day today.. at least that's what the radio guy said this a.m.: hot and humid :mad:

[Crankin]

My favorite temp. to cycle in is between 55 and 75. That said, I also ride when it's 95 or 42... The heat/humidity index and air quality affect me a lot. I really prefer the cooler side of warm, but in New England, you have it all. If I'm riding a long ride, more than 30 miles and it's really hot, I use a camelbak. I'm also wearing sleeveless jerseys more frequently. I sweat a lot, it doesn't bother me, but I don't look nice when I am done with a ride. If it's going to be in the high 80's or 90's and it's humid, I ride very early in the morning or I take a day off and go to the gym. I used to live in Tempe and I don't know how you guys ride there!! I would walk sometimes at 5 AM, but basically i did all of my exercise indoors during those months. Just thinking about monsoons makes me sweat. I have acquired lots of clothing to ride in the fall/early spring comfortably; booties, head covers, 2 types of gloves, thermal jerseys, and a good jacket. Last year I rode to the end of November and started again around March 15th. The year before that, it was March 5th. It depends on the state of the roads and snow. I tend to go slower when it is cold, like in the 40's, but I am usually happy just to be out. I don't ride in the real winter... to me that would be torture. It's really only 3 months totally off and i do other sports then.

[julbee]

I have some difficulties with heat. Fortunately, I live in New England and not in a southern state! :eek:

I have been riding on the warmer days (90's F) in the evening. It really helps that it is still light out at 8:30 PM or so!

I am anxiously awaiting the Fall weather... nice bike rides while taking in the Fall Foliage! Bicycling and Fall foliage... it's "double the pleasure, double the fun!" (In my own opinion!)

Hopefully, by then, I will have increased my skills and my stamina, as well! :D