Printable View
How do you ladies do it when it's a 100+ degrees outside, for those who live in AZ? I did 5 miles yesterday, and felt pretty good afterwards. I also work out at the gym... Will this help? How do you know how much water you need? I can suck up to 2 liters in less than an hour, which I am sure isn't good??? I also take a bottle with ice in it to spray myself down.
the more serious riders from your neighborhood that I know of ride early in the morning or later in the evening.
My AZ-dwelling boyfriend (and his group) ride during the early mornings.
If it feels good, do it!
If it doesn't feel good - nausea, dizziness, chills, if you stop sweating, any other signs of heat exhaustion - then STOP and douse yourself with water, cold water if you have it - and don't ride in that heat until you figure out a way to do it without suffering heat exhaustion.
On the motorcycle in hot weather, I rely on an evaporative cooling vest. I don't know if you'd get enough air flow on a bicycle to make it work, though - anybody know? In any event, carry LOTS of water (sounds like you already are) and use it to hose yourself down as well as to drink.
If you're sweating out that much, be sure to replace electrolytes, particularly sodium - not just water. That's very important.
It's amazing how much pouring water on your head helps. Also soak your clothes with it, particularly your shorts, to keep your thighs cool.
For hydration, they typically say a big sports bottle an hour (24-ish oz.?), but in extreme conditions more. You have to figure out for yourself how much "more" is for you. Better to err on the side of caution. Once you start feeling symptoms of dehydration, it's hard to hydrate and feel good again.
Electrolytes are very important, of course.
The summer before last I cycled in 95 F weather with a heat index of 105. On top of that I could add another 5 degrees from the heat coming up from the asphalt. I cycled with a Camelbak and 2 water bottles that I used to douse myself with during the ride. However, there comes a point in which the skin simply can't cool enough, despite all the water being dumped on it and that's when it's time to get off the bike and head indoors. Your heart rate will increase and your cadence will decrease.
If you get chills, a headache, or nausea, and can't stand the heat and sun, then you are already in trouble.
Cycling in the wee hours of the morning will provide a cooler road surface. If you wait until the evening hours you may still encounter heat from the road. :p
A simple way to gauge your sweat rate is by weighing yourself before and after a ride. It doesn't tell you how well hydrated you were before, obviously, but it will tell you how much you sweated out. "A pint's a pound the world around," or less poetically, a liter is a kilogram. Empty your bladder before each weighing, take note of how much water you drank, and if your weight has changed, adjust your fluid intake accordingly on your next ride.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiffer
Everyone's different. I'll sweat out a liter an hour on a cool-ish day.
I can't over-emphasize how important it is to replace electrolytes when you're drinking lots of water.
Lots of good advice. I ride early in the morning also. C'mon down to Tucson where it's still 65 degrees at 6AM!
When it's really hot, I use a Camelback. I put it in the fridge the night before so it's nice & cold. I might add a couple of ice cubes, depending on how hot it's going to be. I also dedicate at least one water bottle to an electrolyte replacement drink.
I like to really hydrate the day before a long hot ride, so I'm starting out on a positive side.
Light colored, breathable jerseys are essential. Note that the heat on your bare skin might feel hotter than the heat on a jersey, so you might want to save the cute little spaghetti strap tops for the gym. (That's what I do :D)
Ugh. Try here in Texas in August for the Hotter n' Hell...we have humidity too, so sweat doesn't evaporate. It just sits there in a hot puddle.
I was using water in one bottle, gatorade light or diluted gatorade in another. My semi-pro BF is sponsored by Hammer Nutrition, so I started using the Heed in both water bottles. I felt SO much better that now I carry powdered Heed with me and when I refill I remix the Heed. Hammer suggests Perpetum for long rides, but I just don't like the taste.
And once it starts getting hot, I stay out of the gym. It is too cold in there, and it makes doing anything outside just seem hotter (sort of an unscientific lobster theory....it hurts less if the water heats up with them in it, rather than plunging them headlong into the boil). I find that because I am outside all the time, I can tolerate it better than someone who moves from in to out more often. There may be NO validity to the theory, but it works for me!
My bike computer registered 100 degrees on todays ride. We drank 2 large bottles with electrolytes and carbs + one bottle of just water in 3 hours. I also like the new Marguerita Shot Blocks - they actually have salt!! When I got home, I was amazed at how much dried salt was on me -- sufficient amount that my arms were white with it.
We didn't get started until about 11 am, which was wrong. Time to start getting out there much earlier.
This site has a wide selection of evaporative and solid-liquid phase change cooling apparel. I don't have any experience with this site - the place where I bought mine is apparently out of business - I just put the link up because they had so many different choices you could see.
It occurred to me that in the desert, an evaporative vest would probably work just fine at bicycling speed. In the humid east, more air flow is needed.
I haven't had good luck with the bandana things, but I know some people really like them. To me, they just insulate my neck, and the coolness from the evaporation on the outside layers never reaches the inner surface. Maybe, again, ambient humidity and reduced air flow from my short neck :rolleyes: are the reason for that.
You have a lot of good suggestions.
I just want to add that I lived in Tempe for 16 years and I can't imagine doing the kind of riding I do now, in that climate. I used to get up and walk at 5 AM and that was 25 years ago; I spent most of my time at the gym.
Now, riding October through March will be great, but I would be very careful. Heat exhaustion is nothing to fool around with.