Fifty Plus (50+) - Handling-the-Heat Tips?

Our little group did 77 miles this Saturday over my favorite route over the mountain and back. I'm guessing the temperature was low to mid 90's with a heat index slightly upwards of that. It was mostly sunny and hazy with nil to light wind.

I made sure I drank a lot of "sports drink" and ate a goodly portion of granola bars, honey, peanut butter and crackers etc. to stay fueled and hydrated. Late in the ride, we stopped at a little fountain of sorts, and I wet my noggin and a bandanna and put the bandanna around the back of my neck.

I didn't have as much energy left at the end of the ride as I usually have. I didn't bonk, but usually I have a little more in reserve at the end of a ride than I had this time, which was disconcerting. I'm thinking more frequent noggin soaks and wet bandannas may have helped.

So, what things do you do to deal with the heat during a ride?

There's only so much you can do before biology and physics trump your attempts to cope. When it's hot enough you just won't have the same stamina, period.

Yeah, I think you can expect to have less stamina, especially late in the ride.

If I ride on a 90+ day I try to do one of my familiar routes, one where I know all the water fill ups.
I try to drink enough as to need a pee stop every 15 miles or so.
If you get in a bind, don't be afraid to stop at a house and beg, if you must, for water. Do not let yourself get dehydrated.
I'm not a morning person by nature, but I try to get an early start.

Today was in the upper 90's and stiflingly humid. I knew I had to do something different or really suffer. So I set the thermostat in Lovey's Pilot to 72 and just toughed it out.

I do pretty much exactly what you did. I may take it a little easier than usual and I'm not surprised when I have less kick left than usual at the end of a long ride in the heat.

I wish I could impart some gem of wisdom but, if there's ONE thing we don't deal with here on a general basis, it's heat :lol:

There are some pretty warm areas nearby but I don't like it, don't like riding in it if I can avoid it.
I did once and what i learned was I needed more than one water bottle, I needed to eat more and more often, and go easy.

You might consider having a/c installed on your bike. I did, and it's been incredible! :D

You can improve your ability to cope with heat in only one way I'm aware of, and that is to train in the heat. Here in central Texas, you simply can't avoid heat in the summer so you continue to train. It really works. If you only have occasional high temperatures, it's not realistic to expect that you will be able to perform as well. Do your best to survive (the things you already did) and live to ride a cooler day. I'd say you did pretty well.

-soma5

The wicking fabrics for jersey's are excellent at assisting with the cooling. Yesterday I stopped about 5 minutes on a ride to say hello to some friends and (sweat will just puddle all over you if you do this) when I continued riding it felt like I had DG's airconditioning on the bike. The jersey was busy converting all that water into cool evaporation.

This weekend the temps were mid 90s and with the humidity the heat index was 105+ both days. Right now at 7:45a its 82F with the humidity at 83% so the heat index is 96. What I do is not ride more than a couple of hours at a time and go out at around 6:00p when the humidity is lower, the sun is lower and there is some shade to ride under. There is only so much you can cope with and at some point you throw in the towel and take what you can get.

Ride earlier when not as hot.

I learned on recent training rides that different people have different reaction to heat. We were on a Tandem and have about equal BMI. My system tolerated the upper 90's heat well (over 100 in the sun).
We did a casual ride for 50 miles. Some of the ride was exposed to full sun.
My stoker overheated and nothing could be done except to get her off the bike and cool off.
We are both in good condition and same age.
I did a full speed 100 mile solo ride the next day in about the same conditions. My speed dropped 25% toward the end of the ride. Drinking more did not help.

I did the Pan Mass Challenge over the weekend. Saturday temps in the mid 90's. I kept hydrated and every couple hours took a full water bottle and dumped it on top of my head. Let the whole mess drip down over me. I think it helped keep my core temp down, and except for being very wet at the end, handled the heat a lot better than I thought I would. Saturday ride was 109.95 miles. Sunday we did another 77+, but the weather was much better and I finished relatively dry....

I loves me my cycling sandals. Naturally air-conditioned. Great tan lines. Wonderful for wading in streams on a hot day.

Yesterday the temps got up to 97 here, with a head index of ??, so I rode for the first time with my new Camelback just to make sure I had enough water. (Hard core roadies can now take a moment of silence to express disdain.) I sipped water frequently and had a sports drink handy in my efforts to keep up with water loss. (I was aiming for a zero sum ride.) My ride was 40 miles, not much compared to some, but fair for me. Before I left the house I weighed to get my baseline. After I got back, I drank three to four glasses of water in succession, then weighed again before I showered off and I was still a pound and half lighter than my starting weight. Lesson learned--in hot weather you always sweat more than you think you do and it is easy to under hydrate, even when you think you are keeping up. I'm still trying to get the kinks out of riding in hot weather, since that is what we have more of here. It is a learning process for sure. I assume heat slows me down, but it is hard for me to tell since I am slow in all conditions. Here's wishing you a good ride your next time out. If it is really hot, expect an energy zap. Maybe plan an extra stop or two under some shade to cool down periodically. Heat can be deadly.

At my MTB race yesterday it was brutally hot and humid. It hit 100 degrees before the end of the races. The heat was a big topic of discussion all day. I noticed that while some people were destroyed by the heat, others seemed to handle it pretty well. Some people even consider those conditions to be an advantage because they can handle it better than others. My observation was that some people have a hard time because they don't adjust to the conditions by hydrating enough and taking it a little easy. But beyond that it just seems that some people are better suited to hot conditions than others. I can take it pretty well and have managed to do several long hard rides in very hot weather. Behavior plays a part and acclimation plays a part, but a lot of it seems to come down to your genetics.

You can improve your ability to cope with heat in only one way I'm aware of, and that is to train in the heat. Here in central Texas, you simply can't avoid heat in the summer so you continue to train. It really works. If you only have occasional high temperatures, it's not realistic to expect that you will be able to perform as well. Do your best to survive (the things you already did) and live to ride a cooler day. I'd say you did pretty well.

-soma5

When I climbed Ventoux-The temp was 85F. Hotter than I normally ride in but for about 3 days earlier I was going out in the heat of the day for 15 mile rides up steep hills to acclimatise and that was up in the 90's

Then on my big offroad that I used to do- We kept the water intake well and truly up. Energy drink in the camelback to keep up the Electrolites and extra water taken all the time. Those camelbacks definitely have their uses.

This stuff really helps me in HOT weather.......
http://www.bikeworld.com/products/2015/1667/eLoad-Heat-Endurance-Formula-Bulk-Sports-Drink-Powder.html
I also supplement the drink with the eLoad "Zone" electrolyte sustainer capsules. A bit expensive but, in my experience, they are well worth every penny.

17 mile ride in the 90 degree early afternoon today: Filled the Camelback moderately full of ice cubes and water. Finished the still-cold water just before finishing the ride.

When I feel over heating coming on, I dump a bottle of water on my head (make sure it's not the cytomax bottle). What I did this year was to buy a Halo skull cap. It keeps the sweat out of my eyes and keeps the sun from pounding on my head all day. Keeps me much cooler .

Well, I'm NOT doing long distance rides when the heat and humidity is that high, I save the distance and intervals for cooler days.

I also leave much earlier, doing 3 rides at 7AM and 2 at 6:30AM last week, doing the long 60+ ride at an easier tempo, with the 4 group rides being shorter then usual, but still fast enough.

Trying to ride long and hard on hot/humid days - when you're not lucky enough to live in SE Texas and ride all winter, takes too much of a toll that carries into the days when the weather IS nice and you've got nothing left. No point in that.

Steve B.

You can improve your ability to cope with heat in only one way I'm aware of, and that is to train in the heat. Here in central Texas, you simply can't avoid heat in the summer so you continue to train. It really works. If you only have occasional high temperatures, it's not realistic to expect that you will be able to perform as well. Do your best to survive (the things you already did) and live to ride a cooler day. I'd say you did pretty well.

-soma5

+1

I work in an unairconditioned machine shop, so I'm used to the heat, and have less trouble with it than many I ride with. I recommend taking shorter than usual rides in the heat until you are more accustomed to it, and build from there.

It's really quite simple. Get a white bike. White is easier in the heat than all those black, blue, red, green, orange, you name it bikes. :D

I love to stop and soak my jersey in a stream, or lawn sprinkler. When you put it back on it's like a portable swamp cooler.

I went for a quick 14 miles yesterday evening after it had cooled down to about 90 and the sun was going down. I drank about 1-1/2 bottles of water and sweated profusely. After I got home I was still thirsty. Then I remebered that I just bought a container of powdered Gatorade. I've never tried the powdered stuff before. I made up a quart and started drinking it. It went down well so I almost drank the whole thing. Then I went to bed.
All night and the next morning I felt slightly nauseous and kind of jittery like I was on a sugar rush. I've drank whole quarts of Gatorade before when I was recovering from a ride and it never did that to me. I wonder what it was.

Begin hydrating the evening before, when you wake up during the night to "go" drink another glass of water.

My hat is off to all of you who ride in 95+ temps. I retreat to the treadmill/stationary bike in weather like this. :(

I ride in the heat and cold. For heat, I wear the besting wicking clothing I have, hydrate fully at least 1/2 hour before riding, take lots of fluid, and moderate my ride routes. I've learned which parts of which rides are shady or exposed to full sun at which times of day. I also tend to moderate the intensity of my rides. If, I'm feeling tired, I back off a bit. To me being outside riding, even at a slower pace, is much better than being inside on the trainer with boredom driving me nuts.

My hat is off to all of you who ride in 95+ temps. I retreat to the treadmill/stationary bike in weather like this. :(

I just can't motivate to do stationary exercise. I have a very nice treadmill at home that I have used but even watching TV while working out the workout just seems more endless inside. When I am outside there just seems to be enough distractions that make the workout seem to go faster. So I prefer to get outside regardless of weather when possible. Living in S Fl makes that pretty easy year around.

It's really quite simple. Get a white bike. White is easier in the heat than all those black, blue, red, green, orange, you name it bikes. :D

Easier on the bike, sure, but white reflects all those sun rays and heat rays (and other rays) onto your body and DOUBLES the heat you are exposed to (it's a proven scientific fact). So at the end of a ride on a hot day, your white bike feels much better, but you, the rider, are toast. That's why white bikes should be taken off the market in all places that have hot days--except for those riders who never go fast enough to get hot.

so I rode for the first time with my new Camelback just to make sure I had enough water. (Hard core roadies can now take a moment of silence to express disdain.) .

You mean the hard core roadies who never acknowledge that there's a fellow roadies on the road ? as you're saying HI !. Screw them and what they think (I have a pair of black socks that say "Your bike sucks !.

I started using the very firsts C-Baks when I spent my summers in New Mexico. There was no good way to keep liquids cold and the stores/gas stations were sometimes far and few between. My original C-Bak with the black neoprene and the thin straps would keep my drink cold for 2 hrs. I don't use it as much here back east (except when mt. biking) as there are plenty of pit stops, except on very hot days.

SB

My hat is off to all of you who ride in 95+ temps. I retreat to the treadmill/stationary bike in weather like this. :(

I'd call you a wuss ;), but actually you are doing something I could never bring myself to do. Riding on my trainer is an absolute last resort for me.

I stay in when it's too hot for me too.
Sometimes I'll hop on the rollers, and sometimes not.

I'm dehydrated most of the time anyway, and just can't pull off any exercise when it's hot.

I sweat when the ride is over. My 100% cotton bandana becomes a headband but I was wondering if there's anything else--perhaps made with these wonder-wicking fabrics...Any suggestions?

Also, is there a difference between the headband and cap when you're riding with a helmet? Seems the cap might wick some moisture away but I'm not sure that translates well into reality.

Easier on the bike, sure, but white reflects all those sun rays and heat rays (and other rays) onto your body and DOUBLES the heat you are exposed to (it's a proven scientific fact). So at the end of a ride on a hot day, your white bike feels much better, but you, the rider, are toast. That's why white bikes should be taken off the market in all places that have hot days--except for those riders who never go fast enough to get hot.

DG's beach bunnies are hot!

Matt black bikes are hot!

Staying cool in the summer heat involves riding more of the time downhill than up........:p

Got the Airdyne down in the basement with Cable TV and/or stereo music.
Basement is approx. 65 degrees F when the Central AC is on.
It may be boring, but I hate hot, humid weather....and since I haven't
been taking care of myself lately....no one will see my fat butt working out !!!:o
Oh yeh, I have to walk right past the fridge on the way up-stairs making
it easy to grab a cold Labatts for post ride hydration.

I find I do better in the heat if I eat less, not more, and hydrate BEFORE the ride as well as during. I did 25 miles yesterday in 98 degrees (107 heat index), and finished strong.

I replaced my helmet with a bamboo steamer :D

... so I rode for the first time with my new Camelback just to make sure I had enough water. (Hard core roadies can now take a moment of silence to express disdain.)
Why??? Do they not use them?

You might try this, especially if you have room in a pack to keep them cool:
Take a bandana or two and fold each one to about 1-2" wide then end to end until it is folded up neatly to carry in a pocket or seat pack. Wet it thoroughly, squeeze out excess water just so it is not dripping (it should still be very wet), put it in a baggie, then put it in the freezer overnight. In the morning, put it in your seat pack and when you start to feel hot, take it out and it may be sufficiently thawed to tie around your neck.

I've used the almost-frozen wet bandana trick while gardening in hot weather and I was amazed at the difference it made. The air felt at least 10-15 degrees cooler and the coolness of the bandana lasted at least an hour.

I know, it's probably very Freddish..... but better Fred than dead (or dead tired).

There are no charms in cycling so great that sane folks should endure physiologically hazardous conditions. Emergencies are one thing, but temperatures and humidity hurtling toward three digits are prime indicators to Chill-The-Heck-OUT. Apart from exercising type-A behavior [bless us, preserve us, and mostly spare us], I can't think of any training benefit. . .at least until Olympic Swooning in Sweat is recognized as legitimate. These are good times to maintain bikes and mess around with mods.

Gear [above] has it right; cycle during the crepuscular hours. . .like coyotes. There's a reason critters aren't out in the heat of the day.

I s'pose if you must ride the heat stay hydrated and nourished. . .and we'll send the rescue folks 'round.

I replaced my helmet with a bamboo steamer :D

Finally, some practical advice.:)

There's a reason critters aren't out in the heat of the day.


The other day I was riding in 90+ degree heat. I noticed a clow standing in a pond beneath the shade of a boat dock. I realized pretty quickly which of us was the smarter critter.

I replaced my helmet with a bamboo steamer :D

I wish I could think up stuff like that.

I think some people are just physically better able to tolerate heat than others. To say I sweat excessively is an understatement. I always have. I don't know anyone who sweats more than I do. I can literally soak a tee shirt and most of my shorts with just mild exertion on a hot day.

I rode 53 miles today. The thermometer at the bank said 100 degrees on my way home. I wore trunks, a long sleeved wicking tee shirt, and a wide brimmed hat to protect me from the sun. I drank about a gallon of water and a quart of Gatorade. As I was riding I kind of felt like my pedaling was turning a big fan that blew air on me and kept me cool. I felt good as long as I was moving. There were a few other folks out on the trail too, but not many.

I figured it was too hot to do anything else so I might as well go out for a ride.

Freeze your bottles. A 20-oz. bottle will thaw in about 1 hour at 85-90 degrees F. Cold water while riding in hot weather is key.

I gave up the office about 2PM after skipping lunch (good breakfast though) It was 94 with a heat index above 100 when I left out on a 28 mile ride. Plenty of sunscreen, Shimano sandals, and a loose fitting jersey. I ate a powerbar and drank 16 ozs of water before leaving. I took a 48 oz Camelback that was half filled / frozen in the freezer, then filled it completely with water before leaving. I drank the last of it while pulling up to the house, and it was still cold. I took three large bottles on the bike (its a touring bike), two with water and one with grape Gatorade. I took two GU's. I drank the bottle of Gatorade on the ride, pacing myself on sports drink consumption along the way. I drank all the water in the Camelback, and used the other two bottles to keep jersey and shorts wet. It works for me.

I also kept my heartbeat below a predetermined level of what I would call sem-comfortable.

At 15 miles I had to take a whiz, so I knew I wasn't dehydrated. At 24 miles I stopped in a sprinkler system at a school and got doused for ten minutes, bike and all.

The last ten miles were into a 20 mph headwind, so that helped, but they were also slow. It was 98 when I got back home.

The above is a good summary of my midday summer ride routine in Texas. Don't bonk. Take plenty of water. Get well hydrated before you leave. Its worth it. If you quit sweating...watch out.

Freeze your bottles. A 20-oz. bottle will thaw in about 1 hour at 85-90 degrees F. Cold water while riding in hot weather is key.

I agree wholeheartedly. Cold water lowers the core temp of the body. I also half-fill my camelback and leave it in the freezer, then fill it all the way before I leave.

I am so happy to hear about your...experience. A freind of mine and I did the Carter Lake Loop from Lafayette, CO. This is a 65-mile round trip. At the end of the ride, I was defenetely feeling the burn and my energy level was pretty low, even though I didn't bonk.

I think there is something to be said about training in the heat to increase your endurance but how much is safe for us "geeser's"? Do we take half our normal endurance ride or maybe even less to begin training in the heat? Any thoughts, guys 'n gals?

I replaced my helmet with a bamboo steamer :D

Is it CPSC certified?

Gear [above] has it right; cycle during the crepuscular hours. . .like coyotes.

Do coyotes ever ride road bikes or just mountain bikes?

Do coyotes ever ride road bikes or just mountain bikes?

Coyotes are very adaptable creatures and are suburban survivors. I suspect they ride them alll, including recumbents if they feel like it.