Fifty Plus (50+) - Heat in NC

This heat is killing me. North Carolina is on the way to having the hottest August EVER! We have had something like 23 straight days above 90 and we went for a stretch of 8 or 9 plus 100 days. I'm not an "early" person. I just can't get motivated to exercise at 6:00 am so I haven't been riding like I should. I can't wait for some cooler weather. I'm going nuts.

Have to admit that we do not often get weather up in the 90,s but they do occur occasionally over here. I have been riding in such temeperature and a couple of things I noted. Once I was riding and Up to working temperature- I did not not get much hotter- But luckily I had Isotonic drink available in the Camelback and I re-filled it many times on the ride. The other thing I noticed was air pollution- Down in the Towns- That was bad- I had to get up on the Hills to get away from it. As soon as we dropped down in the valleys- The pollution hit us and breathing capability and energy just disappeared.

Yeah, my daughter is in Chapel Hill and I checked up on the weather the other day. So far in August there has been only one day under 92, and the average high has been 96, with humidity. 4 days at 102-103. Brutal. Glad I'm not there.

I think it stays in the 90s here in Texas for the months of July and Aug. Sometimes I think I should have stayed up north, but I'll eat those words in Dec. and Jan.

I've been commuting (7 miles one way) in Raleigh all year and it just keeps getting hotter. It has actually felt hotter on my morning ride in because of the higher morning humidity. The worst part has been coming out of the 68 degree A/C into the afternoon heat downtown. After a few blocks my route is through shaded side streets which helps a lot. It also helps to keep exertion to a minimum and not attack the hills. My average speed is lower than usual and my water consumption is higher, but I survived Tuesday's 105 degrees even repairing a flat along the way. It's still fun, just not so much.

jppe....why not make this a mental/physical "recovery" century instead of a personal test ordeal. Put on your widest range buzz saw cassette, cruise along and chat with people, stop at every rest stop and smear Nutela on a dozen cookies...enjoy the lovely scenery-- and stay hydrated. Get back your sense of fun in riding. Golf schmolf! 8-)

**Golf forum guys are no where as fun as us....like, anybody who could sit and watch golf on tv all afternoon rather than sweat their brains out, drink puke warm cytomax, get crotch rash and bonk and road scrape and slide in cow sh*t....we're fighting for you soul, jppe........so get back some fun at the Hilly Helacious.

Same thing going on down here in Georgia. After this afternoon's MTB ride, some of us were commenting on how much nicer it felt today with the temp only in the mid-90's.

I actually enjoy the hotter weather for playing golf. Golf balls just travel a little further and it is easier to get the old joints and bones loosened up. I've even started carrying one of my water bottles in my golf bag and constantly drink fluids to stay hydrated. However, I just can't get excited about getting out on the road sucking in 100 degree air while feeling the 120+ temps coming off the asphalt. My schedule just doesn't let me get out early in the mornings and I'm not sure traffic it would be too safe with the heavier traffic in the area either.

CC-Sunday's venture does offer a unique challenge and I think your approach is similar to what I'm thinking. More stops, easier pace, more conversation and it's completely okay if others want to ride off ahead, etc. The goal is to just finish and feel content with doing that-and also having a feeling at the conclusion that I will want to ride again another day.

Plus it looks like temps in the area could be much more tolerable with the possibility of even some showers. At this point I'd relish the chance to ride in the rain......

Seems to be a lot of wind as well. We are usually in the low to mid 90s this time of year but the 15mph winds have been constant. When you add up the heat, humidity and wind all together it makes for a survival ride most days. Yesterday was particularly bad for me, after pushing against the wind and getting my HR to 93% I could not get it down below 90% and my second 10mi loop wiped me out. Still I feel I have to get out there and ride as much as possible as long as it is not raining. Next week I will be in Atlanta M-Th for business so no riding for 4 days.

Been here 17 years and can't remember the heat and humidity being this bad! I try to ride early, but lately it's been too hot for even that. I guess we'll have to console ourselves and remember when we were riding last January when it was in the 70's.

Richard

Seems to be a lot of wind as well. We are usually in the low to mid 90s this time of year but the 15mph winds have been constant. When you add up the heat, humidity and wind all together it makes for a survival ride most days. Yesterday was particularly bad for me, after pushing against the wind and getting my HR to 93% I could not get it down below 90% and my second 10mi loop wiped me out. Still I feel I have to get out there and ride as much as possible as long as it is not raining. Next week I will be in Atlanta M-Th for business so no riding for 4 days.

Wind.........same here......much more blustery than normal. You're exactly right about the HR as well. To even ride with the headwind the HR goes up and with the 100 degree temps in high humidity you just don't last too long. Not sure it's doing this old body any good. Unfortunately just adds to the reasons not to ride later in the day.

I don't know how you guys are riding in the afternoon heat. I generally do my riding between 0800-1030 or so and am done for the day. By late morning it's getting too warm for me.

Down here the humidity is just too high for me in the mornings. Is starts out @ 7:00a at 85% with temp being around 75-80F. By afternoon the temps are in the mid 90s but the humidity is down below 60%. After 5:00p I have shade these days for about 25% of my ride. But I can ride comfortably in 100 temps when the humidity is 20% but bump up the humidity and I'm struggling

I'm off the bikes for the last three weeks due to a problem with my hand and a pinched nerve. But our group ride in Sanford, NC, 30 miles south of Raleigh drew 0 riders. I'm sure it's not the 98-100 degree weather that's causing the demise of that ride, they just miss the old roccobike:D.


Yeah right!

Managed to get in a morning ride today. It was cooler at the start, but still got to around 90 by the end. With the dew point around 72, I was sweating before I even started riding. But it was still a little better than starting in the upper 90's or more.