leftcoast

Hi Everyone

A friend of mine has come up with this plan, he wants us to cycle Death Valley in July. The deal is we would do it in 1 day, approx. 115 miles. I have done the Oregon Coast plus a number of other tours but never cycled in the kind of heat the we would have in July. Also, is there a good loop that I could do, we would start at the north end of the valley and then go our seperate ways after a day or so. I would like to put in a few more days and end up back where I started. I should mention the his wife will be driving a vehical and supplying us with water and food. Any ideas would be appreciated, i told him I need a few days to check it out.

skyzo

Thats going to be tough man. I'm sure if you trained you could do it, especially since you will have a support vehicle, but that kind of heat in July is going to be brutal.

surfrider

My opinion its and ultra bad idea. Temps in July typially are over 110F (a few +120F ar not unusual), nightime gets down to a 'cool' +90F, the air is VERY dry, and the sun is INTENSE!. Best time to go is April/early May or October/November. Spring tends to be a little windier, but you can also get wildflower blooms if there's been good rains the previous winter (it might happen this spring 2011!). Only one real road in the Valley, and it runs north-south, with the Furnace Creek area in the center (the main populated area with campgrounds, ranger station, hotel). A good day trip is from Furnace Creek north to Scotty's Castle and Ubehebe Craters (where the asphalt ends). Its somewhat uphill going there (nothing epic), downhill coming back. but the geologic scenery is great. Only water along this route I can rememeber is at Scotty's Castle.

Santaria

Look up Badwater Ultramarathon. You'll find a lot of information about weather, temperatures, etc.

You might have to dig beyond the race itself, but it should give you a good indication of the physical and mental shape you need to be in to cross that part of the country at that time of year.

Cyclebum

But it'll be dry heat

Let's see. 15 mph x 8 oughta get 'er done. If the wind co operates. They were 30 mph out of east when I was there. But, maybe they'll be at your back, in which case, no problem. If not a factor, and you leave at 4 am, you could finish about noon. Temp no higher than 110 F. Or even better, leave at midnight and be thru by 8 am. On a full moon night. I hear the desert is beautiful in moon light.

Read up on how to prevent heat stroke. That'll be your biggest concern.

Bacciagalupe

I would definitely do this with some kind of nearby support, e.g. a friend in a car or van nearby.

Have you done 100+ mile rides?
Have you done long rides in extreme heat?
Is there a reason why you want or need to cover over 100 miles of extreme territory in one day?

lancele

From first hand experience, biking in heat like that over long distances is extremely unpleasant! With brutal midday temperatures and little shade, you'll probably drink 2 large water bottles within the first 30-45 minutes if not sooner.

I feel I have a fairly high endurance to the heat, but once on a tour, I started feeling a little dizzy, and I knew I had to stop immediately because it was probably some form of heat exhaustion or heat stroke settling in. I rested at a small grassy shaded region between opposing traffic for a while, then got on the bike and stopped at the first shaded picnic area for a nap. Not pushing myself in that instance helped me recover.

-Lance

mev

Start extremely early, have support.

People seem to react differently to heat. I did an unloaded/supported ride from Las Vegas, NV to St George, UT once in May. Four days cycling for ~400 miles. Early mornings were cool enough but one of the days it got up to 112F.

What worked for us was getting up at first light. We could get enough distance in before 11am that a good portion of the ride was completed. However, on the 112F day we found folks with different reactions. It seemed quite tough to drink enough water soon enough - so it was important to be hydrated before it got extremely hot, rather than being not fully hydrated and trying to catch up. One of the cyclists found his heart racing at weird rate and was quickly picked up by the support van.

I know for myself that I'm typically good up to ~95F but then after that seem to react to heat after that including dramatic increase in water needs. So I'd definitely second advice to have support along the way for hottest portions of those days, and to cycle in way that tries to avoid doing too much in worst heat.

Dan The Man

I hit over 120 F a few times riding between southern California and southern Arizona in August. What I can say is that as long as you have water it isn't really too bad in the dry heat. I would prefer 120 in the desert over 95 in Alabama. Water and sweat are the limiting factors. Ride too hard and you will sweat out faster than you can drink water. What I would do is at every mile marker, take a swig of water and spray down the back of my jersey and tops of my thighs. Spraying yourself with water really cools you down a lot and it saves some of your sweat which is harder to replace (because of salt and the rate your body can drink water). If you run out of water, take it easy. If you exert yourself, you may seize up your legs with muscle cramps and then you are stuck with no engine.

Self supported, I carried about 3.5 L for stretches of up to 50 miles or so. and only ran out once because a municipal water treatment station out in the desert I was planning to refill at was fenced off and refused me entry or water. Jerks.

X-LinkedRider

the good news is, that is monsoon season for surrounding areas. It might not be as hot as you think.

garyfloyd

My wife and I did 20 miles at bad water in death valley in july before the sun came out. It was 100 deg F before the sun came out. I sucked through 150 oz of water but the ride the short enough to not have problems. There was very little sweat on our skin or clothes since it evaporates quickly. We have lived in the southwest in the past and in Alabama (100 deg with 90 % humidity), so we were prepared for the heat. I would definitely recommend riding in the heat before you plan this activity. I would recommend the support vehicle have plenty of extra and electroyltes. Water and food can be had at scottys castle, furnance creek, and Stove pipewells.

Booger1

If you do it at night,you'll be the only ones on the road.It's going to be HOT! during the day and about 80-90 at night.It's doable with lots of water,I'm not sure it will be fun.

Bike Hermit

They call it Death Valley for a reason.

Dan The Man

Also, don't pump your tires up too high. I have heard of road tires bursting on hot tarmac because the rubber gets softened and the heat increases the pressure inside.

gorshkov

Well, I question your sanity a bit, but I would say go for it if you really want to. Since you have a support vehicle, the worst that is likely to happen is that you get 50 or 60 miles into it and then quit.

What everyone else said sounds like good advice. Also, it may help to "dress like a Bedouin" - i.e. a loose, lightweight, light-colored long sleeve jersey to keep the sun off of you and reduce the evaporation rate. When it is hot and dry (as opposed to hot and humid) you probably won't get heatstroke unless you dehydrate first. Definitely wear a broad-brimmed hat under or instead of your helmet. There's not a lot you can do about your legs.

Get a camelbak - you'll be surprised how much more quickly you drink when you don't have to reach down to get the bottle. You can also put a bunch of ice in the camelbak when you start, and it keeps your back cool for an hour or so.

If it were me, I would get some good lights and do it overnight.

gorshkov

Oh, and if you have a heart rate monitor, use it. One of the signs of heatstroke is an irregular or very fast heart rate. If you see that, or notice that you have stopped sweating, stop immediately and get the support car to pick you up.

sam21fire

Something else to consider is that nice hard tarmac gets noticeably softer when it gets that hot. I've been able to push parts of the roadway with my foot although that's usually the edges where it isn't as compacted as the area where everyone's tires run. 15mph seems easy until you have to do it riding on a soft surface.

Ranger Dan

I haven't been to Death Valley, but I spent a couple of weeks riding in Western Australia once upon a time, with daily temperatures from 100 to 112 degrees and riding 100+ miles per day solo with a loaded bike. Although I got a late start (about noon) the first day, I managed to do my 100 miles, but ended up with a case of heat exhaustion. On the following days, I was on the road well before sunrise and had my miles in by noon, and had no further health problems.

Bottom line: If you're acclimated to the heat and start early, you should do okay.

leftcoast

Thx for the great responses. As I said I needed a few days to think about it and am glad I checked in here. My friend who is actually my Chiropractor is bound and determined to do this even though he has little to no experience in this type of cycling. He spent $3500 on a Trek and is going to go. Doesn't mean I have to and when I consider other plans that I have for touring this year I may just have to pass, I want to spend most of sept touring and am a little concerned that this just might be too much. I cycled from Florence Oregon across the mountains 2 summers ago in some very extreme heat and the last 20 miles or so were not alot of fun. I realize that Death Valley is much hotter. If we were doing this in Feb/March I was say great but maybe this is just too much for a 53 year old guy, even though I'm in great shape. Thx again.

Thulsadoom

I've seen days in Death Valley, in July, that didn't get over 80 degrees. Or it might get to 120. Depends on the day.

RepWI

So your friend wants to do this. That has nothing to do with you. The question is what type of cyclist are you? And, does his need fit your needs?

Just as there are particular types of bicycles used to do certain types of cycling, so are the riders.

Do you want to make this your goal? If so, train and prepare well and know the dangers.

leftcoast

Your right my friend, it is his thing. As for me, I like to load up my bike with panniers front & back, put in 50 - 70 miles, find a nice place to camp, introduce myself to a fellow cyclist, sit around & BS about the day, share some food, get a good nights sleep, get up the next day and do the same thing all over again. I like to do this day after day especially on the Oregon Coast, thus I will wish him well and pray the he makes it. Thx for your reply.

tanslacks

Hi Leftcoast.

I live in a very warm area myself and I ride all summer. The lows at night can be as high as 95 degrees while I have ridden near centuries in 115 degree heat. You are supported, so that is great. Having water available is the key. When I ride unsupported I have to carry very large amounts of water. At least my 3 liter camel back and three water bottles. I freeze them overnight and I must be on the road by 5am. I ride through Joshua tree national park and there is no water at all in the park. If I get desperate, there is water at the entrance booths and sometimes I head there for refills. I find it important to have some water to spill on my head too!

I enjoy riding in the summer heat because there is so little traffic. As long as you are prepared it can be great. With support I would think it would be wonderful, but START early. The relative coolness of the morning, the long shadows and no traffic are like riding in a dream.

Good luck whatever you decide. Also, I LOVE the Oregon coast myself

charly17201

I used to do 50 miles bike rides every Saturday and Sunday all summer long when I lived in 29 Palms - but that's high desert NOT low desert. It can be done, but you HAVE to be acclimated and hydrated and carry a LOT of water.

Wrong, you will NOT be the only ones out there. The snakes LOVE the roadway for the heat. We used to have contests to see how many snakes we could run over driving down the road.

Again, Acclimate!!!!! Hydrate!!!! Carry a LOT of water!!!!!!!!

charly17201

@tanslacks: I used to live on the same road as the west entrance in the early 90s - can't remember the name of it now. Gotta love the views out there through the park. Ever take Amboy Rd out on the bike?