Begin hydrating the evening before, when you wake up during the night to "go" drink another glass of water.

My hat is off to all of you who ride in 95+ temps. I retreat to the treadmill/stationary bike in weather like this.

I ride in the heat and cold. For heat, I wear the besting wicking clothing I have, hydrate fully at least 1/2 hour before riding, take lots of fluid, and moderate my ride routes. I've learned which parts of which rides are shady or exposed to full sun at which times of day. I also tend to moderate the intensity of my rides. If, I'm feeling tired, I back off a bit. To me being outside riding, even at a slower pace, is much better than being inside on the trainer with boredom driving me nuts.

I just can't motivate to do stationary exercise. I have a very nice treadmill at home that I have used but even watching TV while working out the workout just seems more endless inside. When I am outside there just seems to be enough distractions that make the workout seem to go faster. So I prefer to get outside regardless of weather when possible. Living in S Fl makes that pretty easy year around.

Easier on the bike, sure, but white reflects all those sun rays and heat rays (and other rays) onto your body and DOUBLES the heat you are exposed to (it's a proven scientific fact). So at the end of a ride on a hot day, your white bike feels much better, but you, the rider, are toast. That's why white bikes should be taken off the market in all places that have hot days--except for those riders who never go fast enough to get hot.

You mean the hard core roadies who never acknowledge that there's a fellow roadies on the road ? as you're saying HI !. Screw them and what they think (I have a pair of black socks that say "Your bike sucks !.

I started using the very firsts C-Baks when I spent my summers in New Mexico. There was no good way to keep liquids cold and the stores/gas stations were sometimes far and few between. My original C-Bak with the black neoprene and the thin straps would keep my drink cold for 2 hrs. I don't use it as much here back east (except when mt. biking) as there are plenty of pit stops, except on very hot days.

SB

I'd call you a wuss , but actually you are doing something I could never bring myself to do. Riding on my trainer is an absolute last resort for me.

I stay in when it's too hot for me too.
Sometimes I'll hop on the rollers, and sometimes not.

I'm dehydrated most of the time anyway, and just can't pull off any exercise when it's hot.

I sweat when the ride is over. My 100% cotton bandana becomes a headband but I was wondering if there's anything else--perhaps made with these wonder-wicking fabrics...Any suggestions?

Also, is there a difference between the headband and cap when you're riding with a helmet? Seems the cap might wick some moisture away but I'm not sure that translates well into reality.

DG's beach bunnies are hot!

Matt black bikes are hot!

Staying cool in the summer heat involves riding more of the time downhill than up........

Got the Airdyne down in the basement with Cable TV and/or stereo music.
Basement is approx. 65 degrees F when the Central AC is on.
It may be boring, but I hate hot, humid weather....and since I haven't
been taking care of myself lately....no one will see my fat butt working out !!!
Oh yeh, I have to walk right past the fridge on the way up-stairs making
it easy to grab a cold Labatts for post ride hydration.

I find I do better in the heat if I eat less, not more, and hydrate BEFORE the ride as well as during. I did 25 miles yesterday in 98 degrees (107 heat index), and finished strong.

I replaced my helmet with a bamboo steamer

Why??? Do they not use them?

You might try this, especially if you have room in a pack to keep them cool:
Take a bandana or two and fold each one to about 1-2" wide then end to end until it is folded up neatly to carry in a pocket or seat pack. Wet it thoroughly, squeeze out excess water just so it is not dripping (it should still be very wet), put it in a baggie, then put it in the freezer overnight. In the morning, put it in your seat pack and when you start to feel hot, take it out and it may be sufficiently thawed to tie around your neck.

I've used the almost-frozen wet bandana trick while gardening in hot weather and I was amazed at the difference it made. The air felt at least 10-15 degrees cooler and the coolness of the bandana lasted at least an hour.

I know, it's probably very Freddish..... but better Fred than dead (or dead tired).

There are no charms in cycling so great that sane folks should endure physiologically hazardous conditions. Emergencies are one thing, but temperatures and humidity hurtling toward three digits are prime indicators to Chill-The-Heck-OUT. Apart from exercising type-A behavior [bless us, preserve us, and mostly spare us], I can't think of any training benefit. . .at least until Olympic Swooning in Sweat is recognized as legitimate. These are good times to maintain bikes and mess around with mods.

Gear [above] has it right; cycle during the crepuscular hours. . .like coyotes. There's a reason critters aren't out in the heat of the day.

I s'pose if you must ride the heat stay hydrated and nourished. . .and we'll send the rescue folks 'round.

Finally, some practical advice.

The other day I was riding in 90+ degree heat. I noticed a clow standing in a pond beneath the shade of a boat dock. I realized pretty quickly which of us was the smarter critter.

I wish I could think up stuff like that.

I think some people are just physically better able to tolerate heat than others. To say I sweat excessively is an understatement. I always have. I don't know anyone who sweats more than I do. I can literally soak a tee shirt and most of my shorts with just mild exertion on a hot day.

I rode 53 miles today. The thermometer at the bank said 100 degrees on my way home. I wore trunks, a long sleeved wicking tee shirt, and a wide brimmed hat to protect me from the sun. I drank about a gallon of water and a quart of Gatorade. As I was riding I kind of felt like my pedaling was turning a big fan that blew air on me and kept me cool. I felt good as long as I was moving. There were a few other folks out on the trail too, but not many.

I figured it was too hot to do anything else so I might as well go out for a ride.

Freeze your bottles. A 20-oz. bottle will thaw in about 1 hour at 85-90 degrees F. Cold water while riding in hot weather is key.

I gave up the office about 2PM after skipping lunch (good breakfast though) It was 94 with a heat index above 100 when I left out on a 28 mile ride. Plenty of sunscreen, Shimano sandals, and a loose fitting jersey. I ate a powerbar and drank 16 ozs of water before leaving. I took a 48 oz Camelback that was half filled / frozen in the freezer, then filled it completely with water before leaving. I drank the last of it while pulling up to the house, and it was still cold. I took three large bottles on the bike (its a touring bike), two with water and one with grape Gatorade. I took two GU's. I drank the bottle of Gatorade on the ride, pacing myself on sports drink consumption along the way. I drank all the water in the Camelback, and used the other two bottles to keep jersey and shorts wet. It works for me.

I also kept my heartbeat below a predetermined level of what I would call sem-comfortable.

At 15 miles I had to take a whiz, so I knew I wasn't dehydrated. At 24 miles I stopped in a sprinkler system at a school and got doused for ten minutes, bike and all.

The last ten miles were into a 20 mph headwind, so that helped, but they were also slow. It was 98 when I got back home.

The above is a good summary of my midday summer ride routine in Texas. Don't bonk. Take plenty of water. Get well hydrated before you leave. Its worth it. If you quit sweating...watch out.

I agree wholeheartedly. Cold water lowers the core temp of the body. I also half-fill my camelback and leave it in the freezer, then fill it all the way before I leave.

I am so happy to hear about your...experience. A freind of mine and I did the Carter Lake Loop from Lafayette, CO. This is a 65-mile round trip. At the end of the ride, I was defenetely feeling the burn and my energy level was pretty low, even though I didn't bonk.

I think there is something to be said about training in the heat to increase your endurance but how much is safe for us "geeser's"? Do we take half our normal endurance ride or maybe even less to begin training in the heat? Any thoughts, guys 'n gals?

Is it CPSC certified?

Do coyotes ever ride road bikes or just mountain bikes?

Coyotes are very adaptable creatures and are suburban survivors. I suspect they ride them alll, including recumbents if they feel like it.