Originally Posted by
tcarl
What do I do? Learn what type of weather can get me in trouble (You got started on knowing that today.). I wear wicking jerseys, not cotton or wool. I start slower (for maybe a half hour) to figure out how the temperature, humidity, intensity of sunlight and my body are all interacting. After that I can push it harder but I pay attention to my "core temperature". I never push as hard as I can, or as hard as I would in cooler weather. I make sure the breeze or a shady route keeps me cool enough to dissapate my body heat. I tend to stay on flatter routes. Bigger hills will push my body temp. up quickly. If I do ride them I make sure to spend enough time cooling (my body temp.) down before pushing hard (speed or hills) again.
This is worth repeating again especially since it seems so few recreational athletes understand it. You can't beat physics; most of the work your muscles are trying to do is just "lost" as heat, so the harder you're pushing, the hotter you get. In hot and humid weather, the amount of heat you can dissipate is limited, so efforts you can undertake in mild weather can easily push you over the edge in hot weather, regardless of how much water or electrolytes you intake... So hydration is important but can never be a cure-all in the heat. Stay safe and have fun!