Heat??

[jlnc]

Thanks for the feedback all. Yes Blue, I am in NC and it was ridiculously hot today. I rode all last summer and never had this happen. @Katz, I only made it about 6 miles (it is a beginner 14 mile ride). I guess I am now feeling really nervous because it is only June, and it will only get hotter here!! I think i might have pushed myself a bit too hard in the beginning...I was cooped up in the office all day and just so excited to be on the bike after a long work day. I am hoping that what you are all saying about acclimation is true.

[Owlie]

You'll get used to it, to a degree. Even heat-intolerant me managed 36 miles in 90+ degrees with some ridiculous humidity. My build-up was a bunch of short loops in the morning or evening. Try doing some short loops (a couple of miles max) in your neighborhood, so you can stay relatively close to home lest you need a break from the heat.

[KatzPajamas]

glad you are OK! It has been more like 90 or less when I have been out so not been out in 95+ yet. My very brief experience so far this year is that the effects of the heat sneaks up on you and kicks your butt. recovery for me has taken days too

[Catrin]

Acclimation is very important as the others have said. It is also early in the season for it to be so hot, and at least around here, less than a month ago I was still having to pull out my tights for some rides...that is a pretty big change...

[jlnc]

Muirenn, i was just down on Fripp Island! We went into Beaufort a few times, what a great town! Had so much fun. The week started out nice there, but it was HOT by the time we left.
Thinking back to yesterday...I hadn't been on the bike in almost 2 weeks, hadn't really ridden in that kind of heat yet this year, and rode much faster than i should have been in the first part of the ride. So, lessons learned I guess....need to build up to that kind of riding. Thankfully I was with some really great and helpful people, and the leader was smart enough to tell me, No more for you!

[redrhodie]

I'm way more likely to stay off the bike due to heat than cold. Yesterday I was thinking about doing some hills, but when I saw the air quality alert, I decided to keep it flat and easy instead. I also rode early, was home by 9 am, before it got brutal.

[Blueberry]

This is about as bad as it normally gets in NC - but it's already been this way for ~2-3 weeks, and there's not much of an end in sight. I think we're in for a LONG, HOT summer, sadly.

[jlnc]

Yeah, i guess it has been hot here, but it had been cooling down a bit by 6pm. Not last night!
I've noticed a lot of people mentioned paying attention to the air quality, which I never even thought to consider.

[Grits]

Another rider here from NC. We typically start our rides at 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning - have gone as early as 7:00 when we were doing an extra long ride. We try to be finished by or before noon. We do shorter rides late in the afternoon. I hope that we get some relief from this extreme heat and have some more normal temps for the season. 80's would be more typical. Riding in 90+ temps and pushing it would be hard on many riders - including me!

[emily_in_nc]

This is about as bad as it normally gets in NC - but it's already been this way for ~2-3 weeks, and there's not much of an end in sight. I think we're in for a LONG, HOT summer, sadly.

Just like last year...I remember it well because we were in the process of moving in June, and there were several 100+ days, followed by something like ninety 90+ days. Our main moving days were over a weekend with highs of 96-98 with high humidity. Many treks up to the third floor with sweat dripping from every pore.

When we finally got unpacked and settled in and started riding...OMG. The heat, sunshine, humidity was brutal for months. Seem to recall that at least a couple of the months (maybe more than a couple) where the "hottest ever" for that month.

NC...gotta love it.

[tulip]

Ride early in the day if you can. Commuting to work is an ideal way to ride early. Of course, you still have to ride back after work, and it might just be too hot. Take it slow, and if its too hot, don't ride.

[zoompastmykids]

.... @Katz, I only made it about 6 miles (it is a beginner 14 mile ride). ..... I am hoping that what you are all saying about acclimation is true.

Yes... acclimation makes all the difference. I moved from Tokyo (climate similar to NC), with 4 distinct seasons, to Texas - souteast. It's been 95-100 every day now for a month. The real feel or heat index has been near 98-104 often. I couldn't handle the heat when I got here two years ago but now it's ok. I actually feel comfortable on the bike with the breeze I generate pedaling at 15-18 mph. I did 25 miles last Friday. Before the crash. But generally I bike 10-14 some days, 14-17 others and then one day 20-30 and 1-2 off the bike. I certainly didn't start that way and had to work up. 4-6 was a big day and the day I managed 14 was a red letter day. You'll be fine once you acclimate.

In the meantime like the more experienced riders say.... take it easy.

[Jo-n-NY]

Great article Emily. At the end of last year and now this year we use a couple of products from Hammer. Electrolite pills. If going for a long ride we take a couple before then depending how long we ride and how hot is during and after. For long rides we use Pertetrum (sp?) and we switched from Gatorade which I always deluted to Powerade. I buy the powder and mix it myself so I alter how many scoops by how hot and how long a ride I am doing. It contains a lot less sugar than Gatorade. I also believe Hammer products are made with natural ingredients but do not quote me on that.

[marni]

+1 on the electrolytes and minerals, especially in the heat. Since the mastectomy surgery is thursday, I have been off of everything for over a week. This includes all electrolytes, sports drinks, pain relievers, vitamins, minerals, anti coagulents etc. I have been cramping and charlie horsing since Sunday in spite of drinking water, fruit juice, and milk non stop. Not much fun but at least it is an interesting illustration of how much difference they make to me, especially in the heat. Since our temperatures here have been above 90 with high humidity since the beginning of June, and 12 out of the 14 days, the temp has been at least 8 degrees higher than normal, I am forseeing spending a lot of my recovery time indoors. To facilitate that, tonight the SAG guy helped me set it up under an ac vent, and close enough to the table fan to reach and adjust easily. Plus there is room for a cd player and I have a couple of spinerval tapes. That's all for a couple of weeks from now, but it is motivating to look at.

marni