How do you carry enough water when it's really humid??
 

So ... I went for a ride yesterday - It was supposed to rain so I dressed appropriately, but all it did instead is hit 94% humidity AND get hotter...

Long story short, I already sweat a ridiculous amount, but in that much heat/humidity (and dressed for rain) I sweat far-more on yesterday's ride than I was expecting or realized. About 20 miles from home I started cramping really bad, had been outta fluids for a while (I drink water/powerade zero combined 50/50) and ended up calling my son to come be my team car. =)

I had hydrated before I left and brought 3 full water bottles with me for a 100km (62.5 mile) ride but it just wasn't enough. What do the rest of you do to ensure you have enough water? I might've been fine if I was a 150lb cyclist, but as a 230lb cyclist I simply need more water than I can easily carry...

Plan your route with refill stations along the way.

Camelbak or what wfournier said. Make sure your route has convenience stores.

+1. Also, ride earlier and fewer miles. Nothing complicated about it.

Yeah, I didn't think of planning a stop - When humidity is good I typically go through one large water bottle per hour just fine - and as this was a 100km ride, I was planning on doing it in about 3 hours... but the heat/humidity made that really difficult... I was averaging slower than normal and ended up doing a route that was all highway and sparsely populated.

I do take my camelbak on rides of 110km or longer... but not normally on shorter ones. The other issue is yesterdays ride involved some categorized climbs - 8.5% at nearly 5km in length a couple times really gets the sweat pouring.

Humidity makes planning difficult. On many of my rides in the Santa Monica Mountains, a 1-litre water bottle will get me to the next water fountain. Last week, though, the day was warm and humid, and I needed two bottles. When I'm out for a longer period, I just routinely take 3 litres and refill as needed.

I don't want to run out of water again. I left the house one day when it was cool here but much warmer above 1,000 feet, and I was climbing the sunny side of the ridge. I went through my one litre of water too soon but made it to the next water fountain, where I stayed for an hour or so to cool off.

One trick that works is to find a sprinkler someplace and soak your shirt. Artificial sweat.

I ride in Iowa where temps can easily reach 100 with very high humidity. Other than planning a c-store somewhere in the middle of my rides, I carry 4 bottles on days like that. 2 in the cages, and 1 each in the right and left jersey pockets. My extra tube, tire levers, and CO2 are rubber banded together in the middle pocket along with 4 gels. Like you I sweat profusely and can have all 4 bottles gone in 25-30 miles easy.

It's a lot of weight to carry in your jersey, which is why I don't go the cheap route with that particular item. I have a buddy who is actually heavier than I am (I'm 220), and he barely sweats at all. He goes through maybe a bottle and a half in the same time I drink 4. Wish I had that problem.

If you don't want to carry water in your jersey, you could always use the 2 normal cages, 1 behind the seat, and 2 bar-mounted bottle holder for a total of 5. Throw 2 in the jersey and you're up to 7 total. It would be extremely Fredly, but would get the job done. If you need more than 5 bottles before encountering someplace to fill them you are in big trouble anyway.

The best rides (BY FAR) don't have convenience stores.

You have a few choices:

• Bring enough water
• Stop somewhere and buy more or use a water fountain
• Bring a purifier with you

I bring a UV purifier when I ride in the mountains. It takes about 45 seconds to make a bottle of the stuff safe to drink, and the water is still cold by then. The thing weighs a few ounces with batteries. Drink deeply of the streams and creeks. :D

http://thedailyeater.com/wp-content/...4/Steripen.jpg

Camelback... plan stops... and fluid load before the ride. I drink and drink and drink until I have to "go" before I ride. That way I know I have a "level set" and start from there....

If you have to stop, you have to stop. If there's no where to stop, camelbak.

Camelbacks are nice. But, when its hot and humid, I hate wearing one. It makes me feel like I am retaining heat and I just never can seem to cool down with that thing on my back.

I always plan a long ride ( >20 miles ) where I can stop and refill bottles. i will go through 2-24 oz polar bottles in 20 miles.

Not sure whereabouts you are but 100km ride in 3 hrs is over a 20mph avg with no stops at all. If it's hot and humid that's a pretty good pace unless it's all down hill of flat as a pancake. When the weather is that hot and humid my pace generally drops a bit and my wat consumption goes up. Figure at least 1-1.5 bottles an hour at that pace. I would have planned on consuming 4 bottles at least so would need a refill stop at about the halfway point.

This.

Unfortunately jersey's don't fit me still... and I can only carry two bottles with me.. Unless I do a camelbak or other backpack style thing... which is horrible.

Four bottle cages: http://shell.forethought.net/~ryoder...e-cross-v2.jpg

One liter bottles: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-cincio-water-bottle/

If ensuring water is available on the route is not a possibility, take relatively large water bottles (I use 32 oz) and a camelbak type pack. You could also get a saddle mounted cage for additional bottles. On a super hot humid day, its easy to go thru a bottle every 10 miles or so, so sounds like you may need the equivalent of 6 bottles.

I'll be the one to commit heresy and suggest a rear rack for the camelback with a long tube - or just another couple of bottles.
High heat and high humidity are a way of life in Louisiana summers where I ride...

Looks aren't as important as surviving.

What do you mean by "dressed appropriately" for rain? Did you have on rain gear? When I expect rain, I bring rain gear, not normally wearing it.

I have had good luck just knocking on a door, and asking to use the outside water faucet when needed.

Have a set of rear baskets. Each basket will hold a 1.5 gallon thermos. Three gallons of water will get me through most days.

And I thought I drank a lot. That's 25 lbs. of water! I hope that'll get you through most days! :eek: :D

Long-sleeved jersey instead of short-sleeved - but it's a slightly warmer material than my short-sleeve... that and carrying rain gear in my jersey pockets. It was supposed to rain... the clouds were even rolling in and it sure looked like rain. Instead I got 94% humidity and an increase of temp, LOL.

I have knocked on a door once in the past - since I was only a 20 minute drive from home I called my kid, LOL. He brought me water and some more powerade...

Now that I'm looking, research has shown when heat and humidity are high, athletes can sweat more than 85 fluid oz of water per hour... that's 2.5 litres per hour... That's on the high-end of the scale... and above normal, but still, lots of water.

No.
There are 128 fl oz in a gallon.
That would be 2/3 gallon per hour.

Sorry, I meant 2.5 LITRES per hour. I'm an old Canadian who talks in both metric and imperial, LOL. My bad.

It is always hot and humid here in Thailand. But luckily we have either a 7/11, service station, or other such convenience store every ten meters. Or so it seems.

I bring salt tablets (and potassium tablets too). I also try to breathe through the nose and don't let moisture escape through the mouth. Those times I've been without the tablets - I've noticed a big difference (like bonking).
But mainly, I manage ride planning so as to avoid the water shortages. Sometimes, it means you just have to stay home.