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. 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 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! 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!