General Cycling Discussion - Sunny Sunday turns into scorching hell

/weekend journal

Stereotypicalism aside, Canada is a cold place for most parts. Winter in Vancouver was very long this year, and I was quite used to the cold/rainy season.

Today the tempreatue was a scorching 27 degrees centigrad. Maybe not a whole lot to many of you, but considering last week the temperature range of 13-17 degrees centigrad, it's unbelievable hell fire for me. It's amazing how the temperature rises 10 degrees in as little as one day.

So I'm on my usual route, thinking it's a good sunny day. All's good, but I start to panic when I notice that I have finished my first bottle within the first 30 minutes.

I make it up to the lake at the top of the hill, not feeling too great due to mild dehydration. Now I'm looking for a water tap. In the whole park there is one tap of drinkable water, and the friendly lake park adminstration for some reason had decided that it would be best to turn it off on this unsually hot day... so no water here.

So I reach for my second bottle which I normally wouldn't have touched until I got to the second lake at top of the next hill. Now I was 3 quarters empty.

I head to the next hill, with nothing with my mind other than water. The hill starts... and now my body itself is burning hotter than the fiery burning of the sun... I'm no where near top, and I know I can't make it. My legs are packing the power and energy, and I could go twice as fast as I was going, but this heat was making me freak out. I reached for the remaining water, and sucked the bottle to the last drop.

The hill would still go on, but I couldn't. Without shame I turned back, knowing if I pushed myself anymore I'd collapse right there... that is if my head didn't bake like potato first..

Coasting on the flat wasn't so bad at 30 KPH as usual... the sweat was evaporating off. Still I slowed down, afraid of doing injury even at this level which was moderate for me. I head right to the aquatic center 20 km after and got some water.

There was still the hill to my house to go, but at least now I had water. My jersey's zipper was down to bottom of my chest and my helmet was hanging down on the handle. I made it up...

But I'll be damned if I ever set out of the house again at any tempreature more than 22 degrees...
This experience was nothing but torture... the day was beatiful... but oh so cruel.

From now I'm checking the forecast and getting up 6 am, and coming home before noon. I simply can't see how I can get used to this heat. It used to be okay when I biked only less than an hour. But now my rides are no less than 2-3 hours, and I train harder.

It was nice seeing a lot of roadies along the way though... smiling and saying hi. I never see them on weekdays or rainy days on this route, that's why I assume they are weekend warriors.

Amir, you need a reality check. 27 C = 80 F

Around here that is just starting to get warm. I ride in 90-95 F. (32-35 C.) with no problems.

I guess you just have to get used to it!! :)

One thing about Vancouver is that it is a very humid area, which amplifies the heat scorch.

But yeah, I'm not used to it at all.

ahh Toronto

i think we had a record 15 smog alerts last summer

Originally posted by Amir R. Pakdel
Today the temperature was a scorching 27 degrees centigrade.
27 is a warm spring or autumn day here in Perth and a fairly mild summer day.

Give me conditions like that and I'll stay on my bike all day.

At 6PM, the bank clock read 94, I am sure that is not actual, but it was a warm one here.

Here in Singapore its 32C-34C sometimes it peaks at 36C all year round and its almost 90% humidity aswell. I only ride early in the mornings when its nice and cool or late in the afternoon when it starts to cool down. I perfer the cold of the UK or NZ. Thank god I am leaving this heat hole in two weeks to go for a nice cold summer in Scotland.
Stew:D

We had upper 80's, low 90's yesterday in Atlanta. I got a nice, terrible sunburn on my 45 mile ride.

Amir,

Buy yourself a camelback, minimum 70oz capacity.
wear it and take your 2 water bottles.
Heat/humidity need not be a deterrent.
Dallas, heading for low to mid 30's today.
humidity 83% currently.

Marty

We get tons of humidity in Houston... and we still have days of 80 degrees in december :eek: It'll get over 100 degrees as the summer progresses.. our heat index will get up to around 115. we have heat advisories where they'll suggest you dont spend to much time outside... we have ozone warnings too, not sure what that means though. Evening rides for me. At least ridding in the winter isn't so bad.

being unable to ride in the heat does not make you any less of a man... the body needs time to adjust to the changing weather, and one week is simply not enough to acclimate to the weather change you're describing. so don't feel bad about it. if you were to spend a month or so riding in hot weather, you'd probably be riding as well as you were before. when the weather gets hotter, the blood vessels move closer to the surface to make heat dissipation more efficient. in the winter, they retreat away from the surface of the skin to make heat retention more efficient.

with all that said though, i have to agree with the others that that is BEAUTIFUL riding weather where I'm from :)

27 is right in the ideal range for riding weather, although if it's very humid that can make it seem much warmer. Maybe amir is just one of those people who doesn't take well to humidity, even if he lives in Vancouver!

Originally posted by wabbit
27 is right in the ideal range for riding weather, although if it's very humid that can make it seem much warmer. Maybe amir is just one of those people who doesn't take well to humidity, even if he lives in Vancouver!
When the heat hit Atlanta recently (now it's a little less hot,) in the words of Rosanna Rosannadanna, "Ah taht Ah waz-a-gonna-die!" :eek:

I have always ridden year round, even in the summer, so why couldn't I hack it? I guess I have to get used to it again.

Still, I'm with Amir! Any temp. that's not significantly less than my normal body temp. is too hot! (I put ice in my hydration pack sometimes.)

I have a middle eastern background, and usually not that sensetive to heat... but this Sunday was crazy cause in one day there was a 10 degree centigrad temp. rise

Imagine this:

Your envirnoment's usual temp is 25-30 degree centigrad. You are used to it.

The next day the temp is 35-40 degrees centigrad (unlikely), now consider this kind of temp. diff for your usual ride.

I think that's what happened to me.

Originally posted by DnvrFox
Amir, you need a reality check. 27 C = 80 F

Around here that is just starting to get warm. I ride in 90-95 F. (32-35 C.) with no problems.

I guess you just have to get used to it!! :)

Amir - I do have to admit that when we get near 35 C. or so, our humidity is about 8-10%, never more than 25%. And, that, my friend, makes ALL the difference in the world. So, I guess 27 C at a high humidity would bother me also.

Good riding to you!!

Guess I was cheating just s little bit, not telling you about the humidity!!:)

Do you pre-hydrate before I ride?

I rode on Sunday and felt a quart low during the whole ride. Today, I drank a little more water all day long, and had bottle right before my ride, and felt great.

I was wondering how much people average for water intake during the day. And, how much do you intake before a big ride?

I guess we've all heard the old saying that ' ... if you wait until you feel thirsty before you drink, you've waited too long'.

I drink a fair bit more than others I ride with and yet I know I don't drink nearly enough.

Even though you feel the effects of dehydration more in summer, I reckon it's especially hard in winter when you don't always feel the need to drink.

Whenever I'm riding in a group I remind myself to drink by taking a slurp any time I see someone else going for the bidon.

That way, if I'm riding with a dozen others who all drink at different times, I'm going for the bidon far more frequently.

I have two bottles, and I divide my drinking to four quarters.

My rides are 2-3 hours long, and I plan my drinking so that by I do not get empty half an hour before I get home and that I drink in regular intervals.

I never take sips, as I have noticed by doing this I either drink too much or too little. When it's time, I stop and take gulps, and get on my way again.

Well, going out right about now... pray for me.

the temp is 31 degree centigrad, with 77% humidity! :D

Haha, i'm gonna die.