How do you deal with the heat?

[Blueberry]

I'm looking at the weather forecast for the upcoming week, and it's brutal. Multiple days over 100, and humidity that will probably be 80+%.

So - how do TE Members deal with the heat?

[HillSlugger]

Ride early in the morning. Hydrate well. Include salt tabs.

[indysteel]

I ride in the woods.

[Veronica]

I don't know what to tell you about the humidity - but on my Telluride/Moab ride, all our days were well above 90 and I got through it by wetting my head and my Cool Wings or my arm coolers. The evaporation made a huge difference. It was a very dry heat though - I would guess humidity below 20.

Go early in the day if you can, keep your rides short, maybe do intervals if you're hoping to maximize training. But if you're just riding for fun - keep it fun.

Veronica

[Artista]

I'm pretty heat tolerant. I'll ride in the heat as long as I'm properly hydrated to begin with. I consume electrolytes and wet my hair and jersey if I'm riding for more than an hour.

[tulip]

Ride early and ride lightly. I got sick the other day after only 7 miles because of the humidity and because I was dehydrated from 2 days of traveling. I went out way too hard. It was not fun and I had to be rescued by my brother. Oh, and I didn't eat breakfast beforehand either. I made all the mistakes.

[Koronin]

I still haven't been able to acclimatize to the summer heat and humidity here in eastern NC to just walk outside to get to the car to go to work. It took me about 2 years to get semi used to the summer weather in Charlotte, NC, but 2 years and I'm still not even closed to being able to deal with the summers here yet. Don't know if I ever will be. This weekend the temps will be close to 100 plus high humidity, I think I'm just going to go to the beach and swim if I do anything at all outside.

[OakLeaf]

I'm fine in heat once I'm acclimated. The trouble is the weather has been so variable in the last couple of years, it's hard to acclimate.

[malkin]

Not very well.
My ancestors were bred to live in a fog in a bog.

[solobiker]

I don't do well in the heat at all. On the weekends I head up to the mountains to escape the heat. On weekdays..I don't want to get up any earlier then I do for work ( I am at work by 5am) because I get up at 430am so I do my workouts inside.

It has been over 100 for a week here....blahhhhhh

[Owlie]

I ride in the early mornings, on shaded paths. I do soak my jersey, or at least the front and sleeves, if needed. I also don't push it. My rides on those days, until I've acclimatized (and even then) are slower and shorter. If it's really hot, I don't ride. I am not very heat-tolerant.

[jessmarimba]

Other:
I sit on the couch and whine about it.

In all seriousness though, I am fine outside until it gets above maybe 95. Even then I might be ok, unless there's a hot breeze and you feel like you're inside the toaster oven.

This week, though, I've been sitting on the couch and whining Coincides nicely with my running recovery.

[Artista]

This week, though, I've been sitting on the couch and whining Coincides nicely with my running recovery.

You earned the privilege of whining inside after that run!

[tzvia]

If it goes north of 100f, or there is high humidity over 90f, I try to ride in the morning or evening. Otherwise, I load up the bike into the back of the trusty Tundra (trucks rule) and head for rides where there are the cooling sea breezes if possible.

For my commute, I take the trusty Tundra if it is going to be over 100f; call me a wimp that's ok. I have ridden home in 102f in jeans and it was not fun. Now I take cycling shorts and a shirt, and change before going home in the heat. I use those arm coolers (yea they help) and I freeze one of my two water bottles, which melts real quick but is better than nothing, to pour on my head.

It's easy to get overheated and get sick, so I take it easy when it's really hot. I take some extra cash to buy water or electrolyte drinks at the minimart and I use routes that pass by parks with shade and bathrooms, so I can duck in and get some water on my Headsweat and shirt. I also pack a small vial of sunscreen to reapply after a good sweat or wetting.

[Blueberry]

You all have made me feel a bit better about not being tolerant of these temperatures. Up to 90, I feel like with proper feeding/taking it easy and riding well within my abilities, I can tough it out. Over that, I'm just plain miserable.

Sadly, coolers don't really help with the climate here. It's too humid. Koronin and I are dealing with similar climates. Coolers don't hurt - and I wear them for sun protection, but the evaporative advantage isn't there. There is also no where close to get relief (mountains/beach).

I don't have a goal event right now (I need one, but that's another thread) - so no real training direction. Good and bad. My current plan is to ride the trainer (Spinervals) and hit the gym. Cross training and/or swimming are on my agenda for the really hot days.