Does the Humidity Stop Your Riding?
 

This is the third year that I have started really, really well in the Spring and then everything just totally grinds to a halt when the Georgia heat and humidity hit in June, July, August. In the Atlanta area for the last couple of weeks we'd had daily temps in the 90s, only dropping into the 80s at night and humidity often in the 70-85% range. It's the humidity that kills me.

I'm not a baby, I'm not overweight, 67 yrs. old and did have a heart attack two and a half years ago. Not sure if that has anything to do with it but I just can't/don't want to ride when I'm dripping wet by the time I load the car.

Thoughts?

Here in very humid Florida most folks get out early to ride -- like around 6-7AM. BTW, I'm 71.

My rides begin with exiting the garage so no loading the bike into the car. We had stars in the sky at 4:30AM today as I put the garbage cans out for pick-up and at 5:30AM the rains came. Didn't last long but the humidity did as did the higher temperatures. On the road at 8:14AM, temperature and humidity lousy high but still managed 85 miles.

This.

Only limiting factor is UV and sunlight

Hmm, but I'm a late night guy that gets a second wind around 10:30pm. Seems like I may have a problem here.

This may be an obvious answer, but on the hottest and most humid days I keep my ride to flats only. 90+ days make any hill a killer (no pun intended).

No. Humidity doesn't stop me. I rode 29 miles home in the monsoon known as the Nashville flood a few years back. Cars were pulling over, but I figured stopping wouldn't make me any drier.

My daily schedule doesn't normally allow a morning ride so I ride sometime around 5:30 to 6:00 pm and get in a couple of hours before dark. It's still plenty hot and humid when I start, but it gets cooler as I go. I normally ride one day of the weekend, and I'm usually wheels down by 7 am.

:lol: :thumb: Hardcore.

I don't mind the rain, at least it's cooler. I like to tell people that think I'm nuts for riding in it that it's the same stuff I shower in every night.

Humidity here is quite high in the summer, I ride as the sun starts to come up to avoid the heated part of it.

I went out last weekend, mid day, It was a Sauna. Humidity numbers, dew points, they mean nothing to me.
I do this In the heat of the day weekly, now, July, August, Florida Swamp rat here, I do It In the woods, singletrack.
I do Intervals In the Meadows at The Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve In this heavy humid weather.

I dial the Intensity back to 80% max throttle, I pay attention to my body but people don't see that, they just see a crazy old fool on a bike.

I am that crazy old fool, addicted to the work and the pain, I have learned to like the suffer. It has changed my life, It Is good, all good..

Besides, when I get totally soaked in sweat It's like free Air Conditioning, Soaking wet, doing a good pace, I get my speed up and the wind cools me right down.
Think about it,

Yeah I am that crazy old Fool,
Gonna find me one day,
Buzzards circling over my dead self,
God How I love this :P

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=527366

I forgot to mention that when I lived in Decatur (ATL) I'd leave the house no later than 9AM during the summer months and ride out to Stone Mtn and do laps around the mtn and ride home. And I didn't die. ;)

Humidity is usually pretty high here in Southern Maryland but I prefer the heat over riding in cold weather. I typically ride between 10-12 miles, if the heat and humidity start to get to me I just take a break in the shade and drink water. I ride as recreation with the side benefit of getting some exercise so I'm good with being slow and steady. BTW in summer when the heat is high we refer to it as "air you can eat".

My thermal control systems have never been all that good with high humidity climates. Living in dry, high plains Colorado that's a blessed no problem. I get to ride, summer or winter, whatever time of day I want to.

I guess it potentially could, if we ever had any. A humid day here is 30%.

July and August I ride in the early am with all the other white hairs.Its peaceful.I do worry about a break down and being late for work.

Sunday afternoons in the summer. 96 degrees and humidity to match. I just absolutely love it. Might not be as nice in a more urban area, but where I live it's all country roads with little to no traffic.

Heat and humidity both rising in these parts.

I'm still riding but paying a lot more attention to hydration. Usually I get out for a couple of hours before noon.

With humidity rising, evaporative cooling is becoming less and less effective, regardless of my speed or wind speed.

I've switched over to Osmo Active Hydration for the summer. Typically, I carry one bottle of water and one bottle of Osmo.

Usually I wait until evening to ride. But I've ridden a few warm humid days this spring -- temps and humidity in the 80s. Cyclemeter sez I'm riding about the same speed, but I know I'm taking it easier on hills and into the wind. I'm consciously trying to reduce my effort during midday rides so I'm not exhausted later.

Main concession I've had to make is to get some faux-chamois pad undershorts under my baggies, after developing a perineum rash. Cotton just doesn't cut it for riding in hot tub air.

When heat and humidity rise, I shorten the rides but I'm still out there.

Typical day: I love riding early and normally start at 4:30 am and usually finish before 6 am. Its cool and less sun makes the ride pleasant. During the day, I work outside or in a greenhouse, so heat doesn't bother me, but for bike riding I prefer early rides.

I prefer heat and humidity to cold and wind chills. However, having said that, now that summer is upon us here in northwest Indiana, I try to get out early in the morning before both heat and humidity can get too high. I mainly work nights (11p to 7a), and I'm usually home by 730a and out on the road/trail/dirt path by 8a. Have some things to do this morning when I get home, so probably won't ride until late this afternoon / this evening. Temp is supposed to top out right around 90F with high humidity levels. Will definitely have plenty of water and/or Powerade on board.


:)

I leave the house at first light which was at 5:58 this morning. I'm home by 8AM before the temperatures start rising.

90 degrees with high humidity...yeah, I can see where that would take the zip out of your zap.

Went out yesterday around 1100 after procrastinating doing something or other. 95F with a Heat Index of 108F. In 21 mi. I drank 1.5 qt of water, 1 qt of electrolyte, 1 large cup of coffee and had a cream cheese filled croissant (beats gels any day of the week).

Came home with a 2 lbs of water deficit (so said the scales) and a slight headache. Drank another quart in the next hour and eventually the headache went away.

I am not going to do this again...:o