Pacific Northwest - Its gonna be HOW HOT?

From what I understand the weather guys here are saying it could be 100 degrees here by Wednesday? Thats nuts.

When I picked up my packet for RAMROD the volunteers were telling everyone to drink extra water 5 days before the ride... :O

Oregon is looking at the same. Get out early and ride, it won't get that hot until mid-afternoon. The Tour de France is over, so I'll be on my bike by 7:00 am, should be beautiful then, may even need my arm warmers:D

When I picked up my packet for RAMROD the volunteers were telling everyone to drink extra water 5 days before the ride... :O

Yeah it was hot enough last year... this year will be interesting.

I'm definitely not wearing my SiR wool jersey this time around, that's for sure.

Best of luck to all riding Ramrod thursday - Cayuse pass is gonna suck far more than usual....

Be safe.

I'm more worried about crystal mtn. It's 6 miles up at an average 9.6% grade. (based math from figures found on http://redmondcyclingclub.org/RAMROD/RAMROD_course_information.html)

5:30 am ride at 63 degrees was really pleasant this morning. I may have to do it again tomorrow.

Kwitcherbellyachin'!
In AZ we ride at a cool 100. Have commuted home at 117 degrees with 2% humidity: no fun!

Kwitcherbellyachin'!
In AZ we ride at a cool 100. Have commuted home at 117 degrees with 2% humidity: no fun!

Oh I'm not complaining cause I love the sun just saying thats pretty warm for here. When its the middle of February and we haven't seen the sunshine since September and it gets dark at 4:00 pm all you can hear from most of the same folks that gripe about the heat is "Man I wish it was summer" not this kid I love the summer as I said and in the winter I hate it here. When I retire the wife and I are gonna visit a southern climate in Jan and Feb the come back here for summer. That will be great.

101F in Redmond that spells overheating on the hills and long ride home. I woosed out.

Stocking up on water for the 24 mile ride home. Think I'll start a bit later than usual!! Probably over 100 in the 'quah now too. Big thunderheads over the Cascades, hope there'll be a light show to the east after dark.

Hope for the light show in your area--we don't need the lightening strikes starting fires around here!

Nice thing about a bent lowrider trike, are the chairs. I lined the inside of my chair cover in a plastic garbage bag filled with ice and water this afternoon. It actually got kinda cold at 89 degrees :D
Great for days like this Wednesday

Crystal isn't really 9% grade. It's 1600' up over 6.2 miles, which puts it close to 5% average, though there are parts that are steeper - say 7% or so.

The downside is that the road is pretty crappy. It's hard to find a smooth line going up, and coming down it will bump you all over the place.

I'm considering climbing up to the top of Chinook instead, though if the weather is as hot as I expect, I may "accidentally" forget to turn off the main route.

I'm more worried about crystal mtn. It's 6 miles up at an average 9.6% grade. (based math from figures found on http://redmondcyclingclub.org/RAMROD/RAMROD_course_information.html)

I may do sunrise instead. A little longer, not as steep and you can open it up on the descent without worrying about the road surface. :D

It all depends on what time it is when I get over cayuse.....

Dude, what are you complaining about. I just did a 30 miles riding on Foothill Trail yesterday with temperature close to 90 degree with a 50+ lbs trailer in tow. Seriously, I almost passed out from dehydration when I got to South Prairie. If this temp continue to stay this high, I will have to consider buying some lights for evening rides.

Not to say that 100 isn't hot, cause it is, but it amazes me at how different things look depending on where you live. Where I am at now we are hovering at 105-108 most days, and that is pretty typical of the summer although it hit a bit early this year. Looking forward to coming to the PNW next year and not doing this desert heat anymore.

Difference is, very few people have AC here, because the heat is so rare. I was glad to sleep in my basement last night, and even that was barely tolerable.

Bah! I've turned into a heat wimp. Couldn't believe that I started heat exhaustion barely 10 miles into the ride home yesterday. Had to stop at a park in Mercer Island and completely soak down, clothes and all, so I could get up the hill at Eastgate to Newport way. Gotta do this differently today.

Holy Sh*T....I was not expecting this kind of weather when I registered for RAMROD....I think I might seriously die on Thurs.

Holy Sh*T....I was not expecting this kind of weather when I registered for RAMROD....I think I might seriously die on Thurs.

This will definitely be an experiment with my body to see how I handle this kind of heat.

As a rookie I was already anxious (read as "mildly terrified") for RAMROD before the heat wave.

If I die, at least it'll be in good company.

cheers

a cool damp towel draped across the neck works wonders! It will bring your body tempature down and keep you at a very comfortable tempature.

I'm planning to ride with a group tomorrow in Florence, 55 miles west of Eugene on the coast. The high temp in Eugene is forecast to be 102, the high in Florence at 80 degrees. That should make the 1 hour drive worth the effort.

Be cool

This ****ing heat makes me so angry. I can't do anything. Went on a 4 mile ride and felt like crap so turned it back around. This weather is absolutely disgusting. The worst is I don't have an AC. I get paid tomorrow...wondering if $80-90 for a room AC will be worth it out of my midget $410 check. I'd really like to be putting that $90 into savings for my new bike but I don't think I can handle this heat....the worst isn't so much during the day (although it blows too) but rather at night. All I did last night was toss and turn and wake up in sweat, even with a fan. Seriously if it gets over 90F I hate life. I'd rather bike in -5F weather (and I have) very comfortably. There is just no damn excuse for this weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a rookie I was already anxious (read as "mildly terrified") for RAMROD before the heat wave.

If I die, at least it'll be in good company.

cheers

:lol:

I was planning sub 11 hours total, for the ride. It may be a little longer then that now due to the expected heat.

This ****ing heat makes me so angry. I can't do anything. Went on a 4 mile ride and felt like crap so turned it back around. This weather is absolutely disgusting. The worst is I don't have an AC. I get paid tomorrow...wondering if $80-90 for a room AC will be worth it out of my midget $410 check. I'd really like to be putting that $90 into savings for my new bike but I don't think I can handle this heat....the worst isn't so much during the day (although it blows too) but rather at night. All I did last night was toss and turn and wake up in sweat, even with a fan. Seriously if it gets over 90F I hate life. I'd rather bike in -5F weather (and I have) very comfortably. There is just no damn excuse for this weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Don't do it. I am completely sympathetic with your situation, I start sweating around 75-80F; srsly, it's genetic, can't do much about it, except be clever about adapting.

Pull the blinds and shut the windows during the day. Find a library, pick up some of their free magazines, and just chill there until they close, taking a break to eat your sack supper. Then, find a bar (if you are of-age) with air conditioning, order water and tip generously. Or heck, go to the mall with a book and some tunes (have an mp3 player?), you'll be good until 10pm. At home after the sun goes down, open the windows, point the fan out the window to push hot air out, cool air should come in the other windows to replace the hot. Don't forget to drink too much water. If you don't get up in the middle of the night to relieve yourself, you aren't drinking enough.

It's not just the $$ for the air conditioner, but the cost of the electricity to run it too.

Stay cool, this too shall pass.

Good time for a little cross-training in an air-conditioned gym... cycling can wait.

I've gotta go out riding today, just gotta...

a cool damp towel draped across the neck works wonders! It will bring your body tempature down and keep you at a very comfortable tempature.

Yeah I like to use a bandana, soaked with cold water tied around the neck. I'll probably sport that on the Ramrod to stay cool(er).

I'm thinking it'll definitely be a three-bottle ride tomorrow. See everyone on the road! If you're driving down 169 on the way to the 'Claw and see a lone cyclist pedaling at 3 am, that's me on the way down!

We used to stop the war when it got too hot...NOT. Suck it up, hydrate and ride; you'll feel great after 10 or 15 miles. :giver:

I lived in AZ for a couple years and rode my bike there too. Have to say it was dang hot there in the middle of the day too but mornings/evenings were nice. And the comparison to here is different. The humidity here is around 45%-50% much different than 2% and there's these hills. AZ is fairly flat unless you specifically look for the hills (at least in the Tucson area where I was). Seattle is all hills and at 102 degrees + in bright sun and traffic, that is not a good combination. There was no "buildup" to this heat either. We didn't go from 70s to 80s to 90s to 100s. We went from 70s to 103 in one week. No A/C in most places. So the comparison just can't be made.