I'll add just one thing --

Drink water beforehand, but do it BEFORE you go to bed, too. Chug up to a liter then lay down. That way, when you drink some before riding, you're just topping off the tank, not refilling it. If you have to pee before getting on the bike, and it's pretty clear in color, you're doing it right.

And a big +1 to getting cargo off of your back.

two tips:

1. fill your water bottle halfway and lay it on its side in the freezer overnight. in the morning, fill the rest with water before you take off. the ice from tip to bottom will keep the water cold.

2. avoid hills, even if it means adding a mile or two to the commute. the breeze on the flats makes all the difference for me

Heat??? You should move to frigid Seattle. Maybe bring some of this "heat" you speak of with you.

Stay hydrated. Put your water bottle in the freezer a while before you leave. Experiment with your speed and cadence; some people do best by going slowly and not exerting much effort, while (I remember from last summer) I personally do better keeping a brisk pace, and enjoying the breeze this creates.

Bring a bunch of clothes to work, and leave them there. Once a week, play ferry. Or get panniers. But don't wear a pack. Try wool shirts, thin, soft ones; these pull the sweat away from you, and use it to cool you off. Also, try cotton shirts, which some people prefer, but stink more. A trick I love is to keep some water in the fridge, and pour it over my head before I leave. This gets me a jump start on the evaporative cooling, and, obviously, drops the body temperature immediately.

When you get to work, wipe off in the sink. Get all the sweat off your neck, and around where your hair meets your neck and forehead.

I have lived in the South for 17 years and have commuted and rode through 12 consecutive days of 100+ temps. My commute is 15 miles each way and I've ridden centuries in these temps. Here's how I do it.

1. ICE, ICE, BABY. I always wear a Camelbak (Rogue) and pack it with ice and add water. The ice cools your back as well as giving you a constant supply of COLD water. Add some NUUN tablets for electrolytes. Put loose small ice cubes (from gas station soda dispensers) down the front of your bike pants. Last about 4 miles. Works wonders! If you are really hot, you won't mind the cold shock.

2. As said earlier, hydrate before riding.

3. Slow down. The goal is completing the journey, not setting new records.

4. UnderArmor Heat Gear. Preferably white, long sleeved. This material blocks the sun and keeps you cooler than cotton. If you must wear cotton, wear it as skin tight as comfortable to enable quick wicking from airflow. Loose clothing causes air pockets that actually insulate and retain heat.
A note sure to alienate all the wool acolytes. Wearing wool in these temperatures is not good! Sure you won't stink, but we are talking about survival skills not socialization skills. Wool is a great insulator! You don't want that!!
However, I do wear thin wool socks (SmartWool) to control the foot fungus problem.

5. Listen to your body, if you get too hot, slow down, don't stop. The airflow will keep you cooler than standing still. However, if you get woozy, find a cool place to recover. KNOW YOUR LIMITS!!

Have a nice ride!

I was looking for those long sleeved white tops but couldn't find any. I saw them once I liked the idea.

fmileto55: Merino wool is not the same as regular wool. It keeps you cool in hot weather, maybe not as much as thin high tech jersey, but for short commute it works great. On a daylong ride I would just wear a synthetic jersey as it does dry quicker than merino wool.

PS. 102F in Manhattan, uff... but only 30% humidity, so not all that bad.

You want to take maximum advantage of the evapourative cooling from sweat.

If you want to stay cool, consume cool substances - water or popsicles(not sure about heavy icecream dishes) - and keep yourself damp to take advantage of the fact that water can conduct heat away 20x faster than air(this won't be 20x faster though since the humidity prevents free evapouration until the water reaches a certain temperature). Don't forget to protect your skin from the sun. Wear a light coloured helmet with a visor. Wear light coloured clothing.

Thanks for all the great replies, folks! Keep 'em coming as this heatwave across Ontario, Quebec, and the Northeastern US looks likes it will be staying a bit longer. I especially like hearing from you Southeners who have to deal with the heat & humidity on a regular basis.

Mainly I just ride slowly, and arrive early to cool down a bit before work. It's a short ride, and it's really no worse than walking from the nearest subway station. Actually, better.

I disagree about cotton, it can get really hot when wet and it also gives me rash if it rubs the skin when wet, particularly underarms and sides.

Adam

We had similar temp and humidity yesterday. It was OK in the morning, but in the evening I took a slightly longer route that gave me shade from trees for part of the way. I took 5 min stops at three places where there were bridges over my route. I had two water gottles with 3:1 water juice mix. when the first bottle was finished, I refilled from drinking fountain and used theat to pour over head and back as I was riding. Thet ride took 115 mins instead of the usual 80 mins. In the evening there was a significant headwind, which helped with the cooling.

Yeah, sorry to confuse i changed my post... the reason i put in cotton is because the quick-dry stuff may dry you out too quickly... say for example you were in a desert condition, well you should never take your cotton shirt off, yes it is hot and can rub.. but it also buffers the evapouration process and prevents futile excessive sweating(where the sweat is just running right off ya). In those cases it is good to wear something which can soak up the sweat and buffer the evapouration process.

Oh, in NYC we rarely get too dry :) Today is like 30-40% which is unusual. Most often it's like >90F/>90%. But what you're saying makes but I have no experience with prolonged hot and dry weather.

Hahaha, you're about to experience the other end of the spectrum as we hit 90 by Friday. If you spend any time riding east of the Cascades, you've probably learned the value of an Ice Sock: Plain old cheap tube sock fulla ice cubes, and you drape it over your neck. It's saved many a randonneur on the open plains of eastern Washington from what I've read.

What I do during extreme heat is drink lot's and lot's of fluids. I also ride a little bit slower and don't push myself as hard. I work in a paint shop all day we have a paint baking oven , right now with this heatwave it's hotter inside my shop then it is outside.

... and then 57 and cloudy on Saturday. :cry:

Or wet down your shirt for evaporative cooling without the sweating.

Being from the North and living in the South, I can honestly say that I'm not stopping for anything. However, big dogs do scare me.

+1 on being well hydrated. I drink a lot of water at work and usually have to pee quite frequently, unfortunately. Wearing a backpack sucks. On the way home I put some ice in my water bottle and it stays cold halfway through my commute, however it lasts longer.

I rode through last Winter and I'm riding this week :D

i beat the heat by driving... (but i have a decent commute each way)

:notamused:

I commute 18 miles round trip. Today it was 92F, tomorrow 95F, and Thursday is suppose to be 99F..... What is this "humidity factor" he was talking about? In the south I just pray I get a day where the humidity is LESS than 80% for once!

Anyway, I usually get by drinking 3 liters of water and one gatorade per day. I don't drink anything on the ride because it is so short, but during my weekend rides on the road bike I can usually go through my entire camelback and two waterbottles on a three hour ride.

i knew that would get me at least one emoticon!

My "commute" is more aptly described as a "voyage" 37 miles each way. Unfortunately i am a bit out of shape and am working towards that commute. (should be nailing it in a bit under 2 hours or so in the next month or so). I tend to work 9-13 hour days, so time unfortunately is scarce for me. I will be damned if i dont start biking it at least a few times a week before winter (hopefully every day by then).

Tonight, soak your Jersey in the sink, then put it in the refrigerator in a tupperware container.
At work do the same thing once you get there and change. :)

More seriously though, it's all been covered above. Avoid cotton, drink lots before during and after your ride. Don't push it too hard. Take breaks (especially under shade trees :) )

Heat? Whatz iz that? :p

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/...chType=WEATHER

I used one of these today...a bandana which contains superabsorbent polymer crystals that take in up to 400 times their own weight in water, resulting in a cooling effect.

http://www.ahhcool.com/

Yesterday, I didn't use one and I'd have to say that I handled today's equally bad heat much better overall. I've had one of these for years but only remember to drag it out after a few days of a severe heat wave have already passed.

I'm not promoting any particular retailer of the bandanas, the above link came up with an on line search but these bandans are available at other souces as well.