How hot is too hot?
 

I got out today at 80 and when I finished it was 90. I am riding 11 miles on fresh asphalt with the sun blazing, so I imagine road temp was 95+. I make 3 stops for a 1-2 minute water break. Yes, I was very hot. 96 out now. I am good with anything under 100. If I don't get myself out early then 90+ heat is my incentive for the next day.

Sean Kelly was commenting on riding in the heat today during the Vuelta. He mentioned that the biggest factor for him now is the extra kilos he is carrying. I wonder if this is part of the reason I hear so many complaints about riding in warm weather now compared to thirty years ago; Americans are carrying a few more extra kilos now than was the norm back then.

Hotter than that. ;)

I have experienced very hot, extremely hot, demotivating hot and sweat denching hot so far this summer, but not too hot. The worst of it seems to have passed now. Forecast for today's ride is around 90 dropping to 80 with humidity in the mid 30s. Downright nice compared to what I was seeing every ride just a few weeks ago.

100 - 105 is the warmest temps I will ride in. If the temp is over 95, I cut back on the effort. I wear a camelbak that has plenty of ice in it, and for longer rides (25+) I have a bottle of Heed.

If my tires melt on the pavement... I'm going home! :eek:

Riding in heat is a problem- but you can get used to it.

High humidity and heat is a different matter though

I've never not ridden because of the heat. That includes several days a year with the heat over 100 and humidity over 90%. Now there are days when the air quality is so poor that I don't ride, ride very easily, or take very short rides. Those days feel harder to me that heat does.

I rode in the 50s this morning. I think that temp is about right and almost too warm too be climbing hard. Anything more than 85º is too hot. I will say if the humidity is really low, like desert low, I can stretch the comfort range up a few degrees. I've never liked hot weather.

I will second this.
Just drink drink drink oh and drink a little more

How hot is too hot? Whatever it was today.
We had a big storm last night and got several inches of rain, so the ground is very wet, and it is humid. I knew it was going to be warm today, but it has been so nice, in the low 80s for a few weeks, so I thought, "how bad can it be?" and went for a ride. It was pretty hot. I went to the path in the town nearby and did seven miles. I did the under road instead of by-passing it like I did last week. I had thought that the climb on that one was too hard, but I decided to try it. If it was too hard, I reasoned, I could always walk. It turned out to be not as bad as I thought, and I was able to ride it all the way. By the time I got back to the car, I was really, really tired, and hot, and had a little hard time just lifting the bike to get it back onto the rack. I sat in the car for a few minutes, drinking water and eating a protein bar, but was still shaking and really weak, so after a few minutes, I felt strong enough to drive across to the McDonald's and had a fish sandwich and a coke. NOT what I was planning for, but I did not feel safe to drive home in the condition I was in at that point. I really gulped both down, and after about ten or fifteen minutes, I felt normal enough to drive home. I don't know if it was the heat, the humidity or the low blood sugar, or the combination of the three, but that was a tough ride, on a very hot day. When I got home, the thermometer on my back porch said it was 97*F.
I grew up in the desert, so this "hazy, hot, humid" midwestern weather is not something I enjoy. It really IS "not the heat, it's the humidity."

That is probably about my limit...

I have lived in the Deep South for over 35 years, I actually find it uncomfortable to ride when the RH is below about 30%...

When it gets hot like has been recently, I leave the hard heavy rides for the cooler part of the day, and if I have to ride during peak heat, I go slow, drink plenty of water and look for shady routes.

Aaron :)

Went to the dentist this morning (prep work for a crown) and that was so much fun I went from there to the blood center to donate a unit of blood. I must say that both the dental team and the blood center tech were painless.
So, to keep the fun rolling along, I went out a few hours later for a ride in about 95F heat and sun.
Wasn't too hot, but that was because I took it fairly easy, drank up before and during the ride, and only rode ten miles.

Anything over 90°F is too hot for me. Lately, I hit the trails about 8AM, when the temp is 78-80°F and ride for 60-90 minutes and then quit. Afternoons have been around 103-109°F around here. It's still 90°F around midnight.

I'm so looking forward to late September and early October for if not cooler, at least less hot weather.

I went on a mid-day ride in D.C. one summer day when the temperature was well over 100F. One of the hottest days of the summer, and after that, heat didn't bother me for the rest of the summer.

+10

Well 108-109 with a heat index of 114-118 hass not stopped me; the ride is shorter but I still ride. In fact I started riding because of the heat --- walking in those temps just got unbearable!!

Up to a point the heat doesn't matter that much as long as you stay hydrated. It's the humidity that is the killer since sweat can't cool the body if the humidity is to high.

I’ll ride in hot weather, but can feel the after-affects when the temperatures are above 92F. I live in the Midwest, so humidity is always a factor. The body does not cool itself when exposed to 95F or warmer weather. In 2010 I completed a century on the hottest day of the year, it hit 97F. It took a few days to normalize after that ride.

I also stay well hydrated and will carry and add HEED to my water. If the availabilty of water on route is an issue, I'll carry 3 or 4 bottles on the bike. Endurolytes tablets are carried for electrolyte replacement also.

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...omka2x2009.jpg

I don't much enjoy anything above 90 F unless the humidity is very low.

The day before yesterday my Garmin 800 indicated 107 for part of my ride. We have had more than 30 consecutive days above 100 in Houston.

I rode at 102F (actual temperature) about three weekends back, and set no speed records. I started carrying one bottle of water and one bottle of gatorade instead of two bottles of gatorade. I poured the water over my head, refilled it at my rest stop, repeated, and refilled it for internal consumption. I make sure I take an Endurolyte at stops.

I ride shorter and easier when the temp is over 90 and the HI is over 100 which is most days in August in Florida.

Unfortunately, because of work, most days the earliest I can ride is elevenish and, more often, noon.

As I ride for fun and my own enjoyment, much above 85, even in our dry heat, starts making it less fun. A breeze can help but I don't enjoy dripping when I ride so I'm very much a fair weather cyclist.

Rider98Glide, I'm south of Houston, TX and while I have some of the sea breeze not available in most of Houston, it's still hit 103 degrees F a few times and my rides are just at a reduced pace/effort. I load the bike with three bottles, drink frequently and usually have about a half of a bottle left over.

One aspect is that while cyclists in this area are well acclimated to the heat, it's been the number of days in a row that are at, or nearly at record levels that take it's toll.

Brad

PS It isn't much better on a motorcycle in stop-and-go traffic. Nothing like my radiator fan blowing 220 degree F air onto my legs, the Harleys just drop a cylinder.

Been riding most of the summer starting the rides at 95-97. I WILL NOT RIDE during the day. We always ride in the evenings, when you finish the ride and it is cooler than when you started. I don't like doing it the opposite and will not ride mid-day. I will ride hesitantly in the morning but do not like ending a ride with it being hotter than when I started.