Originally Posted by
gmule
My commute of 15 miles each way has me leaving the house at noon. On hot days I freeze one water bottle. By the time I am done with the first bottle the second one is melted and it is usually still pretty cold. Before I leave for my commute I slam at least one liter of water sometimes two. I have a jiggly stomach for the first couple of miles but that goes away quickly. At work I drink at least 1 liter of water an hour. On the way home it is midnight so I only need one bottle of water to get home since it cools down to the 70's by then. People at work are amazed that I still ride in when the temp hits the mid 90's One other things to consider is to make a mental note of places that you can get water from parks or stores that have public drinking fountains. I noticed on my ride the other day that the local Saturn dealer put a sign up stating that they have water fountains and restrooms available for bikers and hikers. They also put a path in from the mup to the dealership.
When it is 90 in CO it feels like 75 in TX. I appreciate your story, but the OP lives in Temple, TX. I live in Austin, just 80 or so miles south. I rode home yesterday at 5:30 and it was 100 degrees on the nose, sun blazing, humidity probably 80 percent plus.
My favorite thing to do these days is ride and all I wanted to do all day was ride home and let me tell you -- It f**king sucked. I didn't even feel like I was riding hard, but it was unbelieveably punishing. I could barely speak when I walked in the house. I think the OP was heat exhausted and dehydrated, but I can't imagine how to avoid it doing any distance at all. I left with an iced down water bottle. 1/2 way thru my ride it was as hot as the water coming out of my sink. I'm hoping the stainless bottles I ordered may be better, but I bet they get pretty warm on the outside!
For some perspective: I rode in yesterday morning on a balmy 75 degree overcast morning and barely broke a sweat. The ride home is the uphill direction, but it ain't SF, CA or anything.
I drove today, maybe b/c of some errands I had to do on the way home... maybe the errands were b/c I wasn't up to the same ride today.
I have to drive tomorrow, but I'm riding Thursday and Friday. I'm afraid that here in Central Texas (and probably where lots of you are too) it only gets tougher from here until about October.
