Biking in the HEAT

[Trekhawk]

Thanks for the great suggestions, they're all very practical and easy to incorporate into my commute.

I live in Sacramento, CA and the morning part of my commute is no problem, 3.5 miles at 65F-70F. :

Hey Helly - Im in Grass Valley. If you get up this way or want to meet sometime any other place for a ride let me know.

[Deanna]

Hi Helly - welcome. I rode on our first REALLY hot day this year--I saw 105 for a short while! Like you, I rode to work in the AM, then the heat turned on. I recommend getting your hair wet for some evaporative cooling. The bandana under the helmet works too, and if you have short hair it may work better for your, but for me the hair works better. Of course, stay hydrated!

[DeniseGoldberg]

We don't normally get heat that extreme here in the Boston area - but I experienced riding for days in 100 degree temperatures on my cross-country trip. I was riding anywhere between 50 and 80 miles on those days. No tricks though - I drank a great deal of Gatorade and water on those days, and I went through a lot of sunscreen. But you already knew that, didn't you?

Welcome to TE - and let us know how your very hot commute goes!

--- Denise

[Jones]

I live in Palm Springs and bike commute. I work at night so my hot commute is on the way to work, so I just ride s l o w. My commute is short (1.5 miles) but it is 110 today. On the rare occasion I go for a long summer ride outside(as opposed to on the trainer) I wet my hair and the inside of my helmet, wear a wet scarf around my neck, freeze my water bottles, drink lots of liquids, pour water on my head and the back of my neck and if I am really over heating I look for sprinklers to stand in or stores with air conditioning. Off the bike I drink about a gallon of water a day and when I ride in this heat I still end up with a headache. I think I need to try electrolyte tabs for outside riding.
I hope some of this helps.
Jones

[ladyjai]

Don't get a flat! Just finished a much longer than necessary ride home in 108F.

I got 2 today. the same one repeated when my patch didn't stick due to the heat. the first time i got a huge blister on my thumb due to the heat of the rim and tire and force needed to get the gatorskin back onto the rim.
obviously if you do get a flat, walk to the nearest shade.

Helly, you mentioned headaches. are you getting enough water at other times of the day? Drinking plenty of fluids off the bike ensures that you have an adequate reserve for on the bike as it is possible to lose more than you can absorb back through your stomach (in the same time frame). I've found headaches come from dehydration and overexertion before the body has adapted to the heat.

Take it slower than normal. especially as your body adapts to the riding temperatures. today was one of the first days of the year I've ridden at 108. I was riding a good 4-6mph slower than I normally do. ---these are on flats. hills will also have a decrease -- don't beat yourself up about it. Your body will let you know when you can push again. and then, slowly build up. push yourself in the morning, if you're worried about losing fitness.

I've experienced minor heat exhaustion(?) several times. once was more then just minor. some things i've learned to look for in my body:

-excessive sweating or not as much sweating. pay attention to yourself, with riding the bike, we have a self generated fan which can evaporate sweat. depending on your humidity levels and personal sweatiness you can figure out what is normal. as it gets hotter, there will be more sweat. slow down and do major climbs, more sweat.
-Sudden change in sweat levels. this goes hand in hand with the above. but if you notice you're drenching the ground and 15 minutes later, your skin is bone dry. stop, get off the bike and into shade, and chilled water! i've never had this happen on the bike, but I know if i have no more sweat, I've now in heat stroke territory. Unless i never got sweaty, I better be sweating!
My question if I notice my arms dry up, am i sweating anywhere? (my face, upper lip is the last to go i think) If I am, then i know I'm still 'ok'. i still need to stop, get out of the sun, get something cold and take a breather, cool off, and take it easier when i get back on the road.
-chills. If it's hot out and a breeze hits you and you chill - this is a major warning sign. a cool breeze feels lovely on sweat, but if you feel cold, warning sign activated. i have to cut my effort, and immediately start chugging water - cold if possible. if not cold, find a gas station and get cold. The next step for me after chills is to begin to stop sweating, so getting to where I'm still sweaty but not cold is a good idea.
-goosebumps. no chills here, just goosebumps on the arms or legs. the skin may be dry or not. for me, a sign of insufficient electrolytes.
-headache. If i've let it go this far, bad girl... for me headaches are a sign of dehydration. if i am moderately active, and do not do any major increases of water intake, I found it took 3 days to induce dizziness and vertigo(it happened once and never again!). being more active and in the heat, I could imagine it would be a matter of hours before i got to that level of dehydration.

those are my warning signs. My fixes have been simple: I slow down, increase fluids(chilled prefered), make sure that i'm getting plenty of electrolytes. and take advantage of shade for any stops. (an AC building would be smart, but....)

You will probably have some different elements, but these can be a starting ground. read about heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and be aware of any of those symptoms.

[Running Mommy]

Yep, what Jones and Ms. Jai said... Be hydrated well before you ride. Or best bet-just ALWAYS stay well hydrated.
But for me I'm like Jones, if I keep the back of my neck cool I'm happy. That is a major heat regulation zone in the body- or so I've been told by my ultra running freak friends- so if you keep your neck cool, your core temp will stay cooler. Of course even that has it's limits. Right now I have to ride in the 104-110 temps of early eveing in Phoenix. It's rough, but like Jai I just try to take it easy. I also take my aerobottle with me filled with icy gatorade to encourage me to injest more salt. I used to only do that on longer rides. But having the bottle right in front of me encourages me to drink.
I drink WAY more gatorade in the summer than I used to. I moved here from nor cal (windsor) two years ago. Heat acclimation was hard for me, but I'm used to it now. I have electrolyte issues so I have to injest alot of salt to stay on an even keel.
Anyway, like Jones said- a wet head and neck will go a long way in cooling you. It's really all you can do besides drink, drink,DRink, DRINk, and DRINK!

[triflor]

Ok, I guess this is b/c in Montreal days pushing 90 are hot, but 100+ sounds insane to me. However, anything that hot here is so humid that your lungs feel like the may burst, and you feel like you're sweating even though its just the moisture in the air.

But I definately echo the other riders, early rides, hydration, shade. I aim for waterfront rides to benefit from the cool breezes. (Plus, winds make you a stronger cyclist!)

[mimitabby]

LadyJai
you have actually had this stuff happen to you? that's really scary stuff.
Sounds like when it happens you are still alert enough to notice the changes!
I guess folks like me who live in cool climates are really at danger because we've never gone through any of this stuff before!

I've experienced minor heat exhaustion(?) several times. once was more then just minor. some things i've learned to look for in my body:

-excessive sweating or not as much sweating. pay attention to yourself, with riding the bike, we have a self generated fan which can evaporate sweat. depending on your humidity levels and personal sweatiness you can figure out what is normal. as it gets hotter, there will be more sweat. slow down and do major climbs, more sweat.
-Sudden change in sweat levels. this goes hand in hand with the above. but if you notice you're drenching the ground and 15 minutes later, your skin is bone dry. stop, get off the bike and into shade, and chilled water! i've never had this happen on the bike, but I know if i have no more sweat, I've now in heat stroke territory. Unless i never got sweaty, I better be sweating!
My question if I notice my arms dry up, am i sweating anywhere? (my face, upper lip is the last to go i think) If I am, then i know I'm still 'ok'. i still need to stop, get out of the sun, get something cold and take a breather, cool off, and take it easier when i get back on the road.
-chills. If it's hot out and a breeze hits you and you chill - this is a major warning sign. a cool breeze feels lovely on sweat, but if you feel cold, warning sign activated. i have to cut my effort, and immediately start chugging water - cold if possible. if not cold, find a gas station and get cold. The next step for me after chills is to begin to stop sweating, so getting to where I'm still sweaty but not cold is a good idea.
-goosebumps. no chills here, just goosebumps on the arms or legs. the skin may be dry or not. for me, a sign of insufficient electrolytes.
-headache. If i've let it go this far, bad girl... for me headaches are a sign of dehydration. if i am moderately active, and do not do any major increases of water intake, I found it took 3 days to induce dizziness and vertigo(it happened once and never again!). being more active and in the heat, I could imagine it would be a matter of hours before i got to that level of dehydration.

those are my warning signs. My fixes have been simple: I slow down, increase fluids(chilled prefered), make sure that i'm getting plenty of electrolytes. and take advantage of shade for any stops. (an AC building would be smart, but....)

You will probably have some different elements, but these can be a starting ground. read about heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and be aware of any of those symptoms.

[SouthernBelle]

One slightly strange thing I do is to tie a couple of bandanas to my handlebars. They're good for swabbing off, tying around your head to keep sweat out of your eyes, wetting and tying around your head or neck to cool down.

Saturday I would have had to stop and cool down longer because of salty sweat running in my eyes. Just tied on a head wrap and continued on.

Plus if you get different colors they are very festive.

[caligurl]

unless you ride EARLY in the morning... it's going to be HOT here.... since i work.... i ride mon-fri after work.... and it's almost always WELL OVER 100 degrees by then, in the summer! since i live here... i'm acclimated to it....

i make sure to take plenty of ICE water in my polar bottles (longer rides rate the camelback filled with ice and water!)

[ladyjai]

LadyJai
you have actually had this stuff happen to you? that's really scary stuff.
Sounds like when it happens you are still alert enough to notice the changes!
I guess folks like me who live in cool climates are really at danger because we've never gone through any of this stuff before!

yeah I have. Some of the 'milder' ones more often. the dryness of the air doesn't help any. the fact i can recognize it makes me wonder if it is not as bad as it sounds, but no reason to take chances I'll just say my thank-yous where they're due



you're welcome Helly, happy riding!

[dachshund]

Or take your helmet off and pour water on your head. Bent forward, of course, so it doesn't go all over your shirt. This feels great, try it!

But to get used to it, you need to reduce your effort while getting used to the heat. So take some breaks and stand in the shade, go slower, stop and get a cold drink, or maybe use another method to get to work if it's over 100. Over 90 is considered "pushing it" if you're getting headaches.

Amy