Originally Posted by
stevepusser
So--the average high in Needles in late June is in the range of 106 degrees F with overnight lows dropping to about 80 just before dawn. Interested in how acclimated you are to riding in that kind of weather, or if you have any emergency way to cope with it.
Before I did some mid-August tours that started in Redding, CA, which has similar summer temperatures to the Mohave, I would train by doing summer weekend overnighters in the San Diego mountains: climbing up to 4000-5000 ft elevation in the mid 90's temps would really get my body used to the heat. Heading out of Redding was actually a bit easier, even at well over 100 F, because there were plenty of places to go swimming and lots of trees for shade, which are sorely lacking in San Diego County.
Thanks for the feedback...yes, the heat is my biggest concern. I live in Boise which often gets above 100 during the summer but won't likely hit those temps before I leave. The front fork of my bike has several brazeons that I plan to utilize to carry additional water. Another concern is of course with the heat comes sunburn and I am very fair skinned and burn rather easily. 50 SPF sunscreen seems to be the suggested one along with sunglasses and lip balm. Trying to locate long sleeve shirts to help block the UV rays but are still cool enough...pants too but I'm not to sure I'll find any.
Recommendations???