Cold Chills when temp over 100

[gd7daws]

Just trying to figure this out and see if anyone has any ideas.

I've been riding just about a year now. Did some nice rides in Hawaii that seemed pretty hot, but no problems at all.

Back at home, did a 50 mile ride and the temps were over 100 (maybe 103). I was well fueled and well hydrated, but late in the ride started having problems. I was getting cold chills. I broke out with goose bumps on my arms, and was cold. Even passing through a shady spot, I thought "what the heck?" it's over a hundred and can't be considered cold even in the shade. The chills would come and go every few minutes or so. It seemed to me that my body was having a hard time regulating it's temperature.

Same type of problem a few weeks later. It was a few degrees cooler, but still probably 98 or so. After about 30 miles I started getting cold chills again. I stopped and put on sun sleeves and drenched them in water. That seemed to help. But by the time I got home I was actually shivering.

Someone told me that using waterproof sunscreen could be the problem since I could not sweat properly to cool myself off. On the bike I sweat, but due to breezes on my arms and legs, it's usually only my head or my back area that gets wet. I suppose this could be the issue.

Anyone else have this issue? If you can't apply sunscreen what do you do?
While I don't have to worry about hot temps right at this moment, I would like to figure it out before summer. Just recently I've come to the time of my life when I'm starting to have hot flashes. Maybe I could get those to sync up with the chills and I'll be good to go

[Eden]

It's a symptom of heat stroke and dehydration...

[Catrin]

Making certain you are drinking a lot and getting the right amount of electrolytes. Hot riding can get dangerous fast because stroke and dehydration can hit without us realizing what is going on.

[OakLeaf]

Yup.

If that happens to you again, get off your bike, get into an ice bath if you can, at a very minimum get into the shade and put wet towels on your body. It's seriously dangerous.

But you should be able to prevent heat related illness. I don't see any reason to not to exercise when it's hot, so long as you take precautions. In a dry climate like yours you have a lot more options than those who live in humid areas. Acclimate gradually, wear an evaporative or phase-change cooling vest, use cooling sleeves to keep the sun off, use insulated water bottles and make sure you're taking in plenty of electrolytes.

[Desert Tortoise]

Yes! What everyone else said above. Living in So AZ I've experienced this a couple of times. It's not worth taking chances with the heat. I'd rather call my husband to pick me up and be able to ride again another day then to mess around with this. Which is what I did the first time. I was only 9 miles from home but just going from the shaded ramada and moving into the sun I got dizzy and shivery again. Called the sag wagon (dh.)

Drinking cool, not cold, water/electrolytes helped too. But it was not the answer to keep riding. It was to help recover.

[OakLeaf]

Oh, TE has the Zoot sleeves now ... I was just looking, thanks for the link.

Who's worn these? How is the sizing? Do they work as well as the DeSoto coolers (which I really like the fabric, but the fit is just weird)? The Zoot size chart obviously gives the unstretched size of the opening ... which really isn't helpful since I have no idea how stretchy the fabric is.

[ny biker]

De Soto Coolers. I have two pairs of the wings. If you go up a size, it helps to cover your exposed skin while wearing a tank top. Makes it easier to use less sunscreen.

But if they are too loose, they won't work right. They need to be touching your skin. I followed the size instructions on TE and the ones I bought work over tank tops as well as sleeveless jerseys, though I prefer them over tank tops.

When I get very hot, stopping the shade and removing my helmet makes a big difference. I just sit there until I feel better. Also pouring water over my head and putting ice or a cold drink in my jersey pocket help a lot.

As for sweating, as you ride much of it will evaporate. When I stop riding on a hot day, I will be soaked within minutes.

[OakLeaf]

As for sweating, as you ride much of it will evaporate. When I stop riding on a hot day, I will be soaked within minutes.

But I've heard and experienced that about sunblock, especially if you apply it heavily. It can really contribute to overheating. I can't stand sunblock for many reasons, so I'm really, really glad to have the arm coolers. They work wonderfully, I just wish they fit me better, which is why I'm shopping for a different pair.

[gd7daws]

Thank you all for your wonderful help. Here I was thinking it was a sunscreen issue and turns out it's much more serious than that. Both times when this happened I felt fine - so the thought of heat exhaustion never entered my mind.

However, when I was a teen I had an episode that while not exactly heat stroke was very close. 2 times after that I ended up in situations that were not nearly as bad, but still got dizzy and not feeling well (once on horseback and once setting up an event in the sun). Since I felt perfectly fine on the bike other than the chills, I guess it just never occured to me.

When we were in Hawaii, and then on a 75 mile ride during the summer, I always had a Camelback on me filled with ice and drink. That must have helped me cool down (and drink more often since it was cold).

Thanks again for the suggestions - I'll look at the wings and other things mentioned. And I'll make sure to pay closer attention when the temp rise up.