What do you do when it's too hot?

[Flur]

We've had a relatively mild summer and I couldn't be happier about it. I hate A/C and would rather sweat it out, but DH can only take so much, so the compromise is that we won't put in the window units until it becomes unbearable for him. This summer we've gotten through to August without ever putting them in (YAY! fingers crossed, knock on wood). I try to keep most of the lights and electronics off when we're not using them to keep the place cool, and we run the fan in the bedroom at night.

Years of avoiding A/C have conditioned me for riding in the heat, and since we've not had many days over 100 this year I can pretty much ride whenever I want. I'm more worried about how fast it will get cold here. Sometimes we get snow as early as October, and it can snow as late as May (this year it definitely did!), so I'll take the heat!

[PinkBike]

IMHO it's never too hot to ride. today when i came to work (2:30 in the afternoon) it was 107 degrees, muggy, and now with about two hours to go it is POURING rain!

last thursday nite when i got home from work at 11:22 p.m. my weather station said it was 101 degrees! did i mention it was 11:22 p.m.! the only bad part is when the dewpoint goes up past 55 we can't run the swamp cooler, gotta switch to A/C. i'd much rather have swamp with doors and windows open.

i rode a couple hours saturday afternoon when it was 108 degrees and the dewpoint was 61. if sweat droplets were fat globules i would be a Schleck.

we parked our cars on May 19th and have driven exactly 4 times since then. everything is by bike. what a blast we're having!

[Crankin]

I can take riding in the low 90s when there's no humidity involved. However, that's practically never here. I used to just head to the gym when it was really hot and humid, especially when there's an air quality alert. Now I might ride early in the AM, take a hike/mt. bike in the shady woods, and go to the gym. I've done a few hot and humid rides this year; it takes me a few weeks to acclimate. Basically, though, I develop headaches in the summer when it gets like that and I try to do too much.
My range for really comfortable riding is pretty narrow! I do best between 58 and 72. Personally, I couldn't live without AC. But, I think my definition of comfortable AC is different from most of the people in New England. This comes from years of living in the desert; we keep our AC set on 78. In AZ, we kept it at 80 or 82. Most people around here keep it on 70! I would be freezing. And a lot of the time, it's on to keep the humidity out. I have mold allergies and once that gets into the house, I'm dead.

[chutch]

I'm in awe of those of you who can tolerate it to ride- just as I am in awe of my husband whose favorite road riding weather is when it's snowing

Fall is my favorite time of year to ride. For now, I'll stick to the trainer and maybe do a little weight lifting, yoga, and Pilates.

[kie_fujo]

i hit my trainer. actually i use my trainer more than i'd like because my daughter is out of school and she can't ride her bike yet. we go on the tag along sometimes, but it's not the same!

[mayanorange]

<- big furries + anything above 75 (well to be really honest 50) degrees + anything above 40% humidity = hot slobbery doggies! I run the AC for them but also for me because the humidity gets to me. I grew up in Upstate New York where it was only super hot 3 wks out of the year, so I guess I never developed a tolerance. My 2 yrs in CA I was out mtn biking in 90+ degrees and was fine- but sweating works out there. Here I just sweat continuously since the sweat can't evaporate into the air and get heat exhaustion very easily. I have been known to stay inside on the trainer because it's too hot.

[emily_in_nc]

I am working at home today (another hot, humid one) and am getting ready to do a Rodney Yee yoga tape in the A/C. I don't keep it really cool (80), but it's a must for keeping the humidity, and resulting mold and mildew, out of the house this time of year in NC!

Emily

[shootingstar]

Before moving to Vancouver, I did cycle regularily and did loaded cycling trips in temp. up to 35 degrees F and 100% humidity... For quite a number of years.

To deal with this, found that heading out on bike early in morning by 7:00 am at the latest and finish at 10:00 am at the latest. On such days, if it was a trip, I preferred to avoid high noon..and restart cycling mid-afternoon.

If there was a smog alert, I did try to head out even early earlier and make the ride shorter. Or not go at all that day.

When I don't cycle when it's hot...admittedly I am a bum in front of computer or something else.

[sundial]

.....I'm not riding in 95 F weather anymore. After yesterday's ride, I came home and had a headache with intermittent nausea. Not good. I didn't feel right for the rest of the evening. I may have reached a point that I can't tolerate cycling in the heat like I did even last summer.

[tennisgirl43]

I ride really early in the morning, and try to ride shady routes. But still with the humidity as high as it is here, the heat kicks my butt. I end up taking a nap in the afternoon sometimes. Hydrate, hydrate, hyrdate!!

I also play tennis, and played singles last night at 6.30 - it was 95 degrees. Talk about brutal! In that case, hydration, icy towel on changeovers to wet down my face, arms, chest, legs - wet down my hair, etc. Still, on long points, i get that pounding in my head and nausea. Yeah, I know. It's stupid to keep playing, but I do.

[Tuckervill]

I don't think I mind the heat at all--it's the sun beating down on me that does me in. I worked out in the garden all morning--it was about 90, and I sweated through all my clothes...but I was in the shade the whole time.

We have a bank sign in our town that always shows a temperature about 10 degrees hotter than everyone else. The sign is always in the hot sunshine no matter the time of day.

On my tour, I was definitely getting heat exhaustion, with the chills and nausea. Thankfully, I didn't have a headache, too. That would have been the end of me. I recovered quickly.

Karen

[Aggie_Ama]

If I avoided heat I couldn't ride from April-October. I pour water on my head, ice down the sports bra and just acclimate. If I am not feeling like it I hike (ahhh shade) or mountain bike.

Now if it is cold, I can't deal. I whine and stay home or go for a run.