Tricks for staying cool

[luvmyguys]

How do you stay cool when it's a scorcher? I was out in the heat today, and I'm pretty sure it hit triple digits before we got done, and I know the heat index hit triple digits.

[ny biker]

1. Lightweight tank top with lots of mesh fabric and a DeSoto CoolWings. Pour water on arms and back as needed.

2. Ice in back pocket.

3. Find some shade and stop until I cool down. Remove helmet and shoes as needed while stopped.

4. Shorter rides early in the morning, and no ride at all if it's really hot. Late afternoon/evening rides can also be good unless there are summer pm thunderstorms.

5. Stick to routes with as much shade as possible. On days that aren't hot, pay attention to how shady your route is, make a note on the cue sheet if it's something to try in the heat due to lots of shade or something to avoid due to long stretches in the sun.

[Boudicca]

Splash water over your face and head at any opportunity. Wet hair takes a few nice cool miles to dry. Drink plenty. I find biking sandals cooler than shoes when it's really hot. And I can go wade in any open water I find as well.

I've heard good things about the cool-you-down bandanas (they have something inside that stays wet or cool), but I've not tried them.

Wear a helmet with lots of big holes. Sadly, the more money you pay, the bigger the holes and the cooler the ride. (Others may not mind hot heads, I do)

[OakLeaf]

+1 on cooling sleeves (or the bolero if it fits you) and pouring water on yourself at every opportunity, particularly your jersey and your hair that will retain water for a little longer (make sure your phone and car remote are in a good watertight bag!).

Don't forget to replace electrolytes in the water you drink.

Try to minimize your use of sunblocking creams - that keep you from sweating and cooling yourself - and rely on covering your skin with cooling fabric instead.

The colder you can keep the water you drink, the less you'll need to rely on inefficient evaporative cooling. If you freeze your water bottles overnight, they'll take an hour and a half or longer to thaw in very hot weather, and you can drink the ice-cold water as it melts. I've never used an insulated bottle, but some people swear by them.

Other than my cooling sleeves, I'll exclusively wear black shorts and hi-viz yellow jersey, but if you're okay with wearing white, then that will reflect more solar radiation than any other color.

Something I haven't tried but might investigate is carrying a small reusable ice pack. Those things stay cold a long time. I don't know where you'd buy ones small enough to carry, but you might try to mooch a couple from your doctor's office - the little ones they use for shipping medications are just the right size for a jersey pocket.

FWIW, those gel bandanas actually make me hotter. The heat transfer between the evaporative outside and my neck inside is too slow, so all it does is insulate my neck. Same thing with the Zoot cooling hat - I love their sleeves, but since my hair separates the cap from my skin, it creates an insulating layer and is just unbearably hot even at moderate levels of exertion.

An evaporative cooling vest *has* been an enormous help to me on motorcycles, but (1) the gel layer is thinner than what you get in a bandana; and (2) since I don't race, the aerobic effort and heat generation of riding a motorcycle is for the most part closer to a fast walk than it is to a strenuous bicycle ride; and (3) the speeds and airflow are obviously much higher. I've never tried it on the bici because I'm pretty sure it wouldn't do any good below a sustained 35-40 mph ... and not that I'm remotely capable of sustaining that speed on a bici, but for someone who could, I think they'd be generating more body heat than the vest could overcome.

[AppleTree]

Fill your water bottle(s) about half full and freeze it overnight. Insulated bottles are better for this. Drinking cold water during a hot ride helps me immensely.