Summer season here... how do you combat the heat?

[robalert]

I went for a ride today... damn it was hot, not a good idea to ride out west on a forecasted 40degree day... anyway, i survived it... at one point it hit 45 degrees

the heat really took it out of me... i had less probs with the gong ride than this 77km ride (meadowbank - prospect reservior loop)

i had my hydration pack loaded up but still ran out of water, lucky shops were everywhere... never had such a prob with water before and I felt my first cramp since a long long time

some people cope by:
- not riding and just staying home
- keep hydrated
- ride in shady areas
- ride under freeways (M4)

any other suggestions?

what do you do?

 

[flipper]

If it's going to be a stinker, I'll hit the road around 6.00am, which gives me a good 3-4 hours before it gets too nasty.

 

[eric_the_red]

Move to Canada, we got parts where it's -40, no problem with heat here

 

[HughMann]

I went for a ride today... damn it was hot, not a good idea to ride out west on a forecasted 40degree day... anyway, i survived it... at one point it hit 45 degrees

the heat really took it out of me... i had less probs with the gong ride than this 77km ride (meadowbank - prospect reservior loop)

i had my hydration pack loaded up but still ran out of water, lucky shops were everywhere... never had such a prob with water before and I felt my first cramp since a long long time

some people cope by:
- not riding and just staying home
- keep hydrated
- ride in shady areas
- ride under freeways (M4)

any other suggestions?

what do you do?

I either start at 0500 - half hour before sunrise - or about 830 at night. Morning rides can be very humid here. Night rides are good because less traffic but need to go for the "christmas tree" effect with lighting which costs a bit for batteries and charger.

For day rides in the heat keep the intensity down and ride in YOUR comfort zone. Get some "Magnum" 1 litre biddons from Toys R Us bikes, they are the cheapest at $10.
Carry 2 bottles, 1 water, 1 Staminaide and alternate sips. Follow the directions for mixing Staminaide, 3 level Table spoons per litre. If doing a long ride, 60km +, I carry some extra pre measured staminaide powder for refills. I prefer Staminaide because it has magnesium which helps with the cramps and has glucose for energy. Gator - Power aide have lots of cane sugar, sucrose, which is fine for after the ride but AFIK not good during the ride.

Keep on snacking - loss of appetite is one of the "early warning" signs of dehydration. Bananas, jam sandwich, low fat yogurt ( shop stop) and malt bread (home made) are my favourites. Very important to keep on snacking. Lots and lots of water and no food can dilute body salts and result in "hyponatremia" which can in extreme cases be deadly.

Post ride headache is dehydration, same headache as hangover.

Then of course you can get a Minoura 850 Rim Trainer and turn the AC up to eskimo.


Enjoy
Hugh

 

[531Aussie]

I just don't do hard rides on hot days. If it's over 27/28C, I usually just have an easy day. If it's hot for a few days, and I'm due for a hard ride, I'll try to go early or late, and I won't do any maximum efforts; I'll stay below ~75% MaxHR

Also, I finally found a mini pump that I like, so I now have 2 water bottles: one with sports drink in it and the other with plain water. When it's hot I'll pour A LOT of water over my head during the ride

 

[simonbroekhuize]

I went for a ride today... damn it was hot, not a good idea to ride out west on a forecasted 40degree day... anyway, i survived it... at one point it hit 45 degrees

the heat really took it out of me... i had less probs with the gong ride than this 77km ride (meadowbank - prospect reservior loop)

i had my hydration pack loaded up but still ran out of water, lucky shops were everywhere... never had such a prob with water before and I felt my first cramp since a long long time

some people cope by:
- not riding and just staying home
- keep hydrated
- ride in shady areas
- ride under freeways (M4)

any other suggestions?

what do you do?

--
if it gets too hot i shift riding times to early morning 5 am and have nap at mid afternoon when its too hot anyway and good for recovery too.
and ill definately keep on taking clothes off/ opening zippers until i cool down, up to some point..
ventilation

 

[robalert]

I either start at 0500 - half hour before sunrise - or about 830 at night. Morning rides can be very humid here. Night rides are good because less traffic but need to go for the "christmas tree" effect with lighting which costs a bit for batteries and charger.

For day rides in the heat keep the intensity down and ride in YOUR comfort zone. Get some "Magnum" 1 litre biddons from Toys R Us bikes, they are the cheapest at $10.
Carry 2 bottles, 1 water, 1 Staminaide and alternate sips. Follow the directions for mixing Staminaide, 3 level Table spoons per litre. If doing a long ride, 60km +, I carry some extra pre measured staminaide powder for refills. I prefer Staminaide because it has magnesium which helps with the cramps and has glucose for energy. Gator - Power aide have lots of cane sugar, sucrose, which is fine for after the ride but AFIK not good during the ride.

Keep on snacking - loss of appetite is one of the "early warning" signs of dehydration. Bananas, jam sandwich, low fat yogurt ( shop stop) and malt bread (home made) are my favourites. Very important to keep on snacking. Lots and lots of water and no food can dilute body salts and result in "hyponatremia" which can in extreme cases be deadly.

Post ride headache is dehydration, same headache as hangover.

Then of course you can get a Minoura 850 Rim Trainer and turn the AC up to eskimo.


Enjoy
Hugh

thanks for that... great advice

i like the taste of staminade better anyway... didn't know it was better in that way though

sometimes the prob is that the heat doesn't hit until 10am... then it is too late to turn back anyway

i'll take heed of the forecasts in the future

still feeling dehydrated after 1 day

 

[su22]

to stay hydrated in the heat you need water and salt, as well as keeping your energy levels up. because it's hot and especially if you're long and/or hard, you'll lose plenty of sweat. You need to replace your salt levels, so you can even afford to add salt into your bidons (hopefully they will have electrolyte drink in them), or carry a sachet of salt with you as a 'rescue' dose. I shake salt into my snaplock bag of dates/snakes/musli bars, and put a little extra salt into my bidons of Endura. I carry a little sachet of salt in case i need a quick hit.

the day after Boxing Day, I did 180km and got what would officially be termed hyponatremia (lack of salt). I started at 7am and finished at 1.30pm. Temperaute was warm until 11am (24-28degC, low humidity). Northerly winds picked up, and i had a headwind all the way home (30-36degC). I started to really suffer 20km from home, which probably took me an hour to ride. I didn't have any food/electrolyte drink left on me, just water, but water didnt help because it just made me feel sick and bloated.

a good tip to keep cool for a little is to tip water on your head and body. the evaporation with the wind running over you will keep you cool if even for a minute or so.

Also, you can take a magnesium tablet the night before. It prevents cramping by helping muscle cells take up water (or so it's been claimed). you could probably take a Mg tablet during your ride if it's long.

Lastly, I learnt not to eat a leftover curry or black bean beef from the fridge after 6 hours in the saddle... i scoffed both of these down after my 180km in the heat, and on top of my dizziness from deydration/sunstroke, made myself really ill that arvo. it was really not fun.

oh, and i think sunscreen helps to prevent headaches from sun exposure. I know it might reduce cooling, but I'd rather not get a headache or get burnt.

 

[mjs4300]

Dude I feel your pain. I do about 55k's each day to and from work. (round trip) I have taken to putting a small sachet of electrolites in my hydration pack. I use about 3 litres of water on the journey both ways because in QLD it gets very hot very early. I also give myself plenty of time to re-hydrate once at work before showering. I find that this still allows me to do a full days work and ride home in the afternoon comfortably.


Hope this helps

 

[robalert]

to stay hydrated in the heat you need water and salt, as well as keeping your energy levels up. because it's hot and especially if you're long and/or hard, you'll lose plenty of sweat. You need to replace your salt levels, so you can even afford to add salt into your bidons (hopefully they will have electrolyte drink in them), or carry a sachet of salt with you as a 'rescue' dose. I shake salt into my snaplock bag of dates/snakes/musli bars, and put a little extra salt into my bidons of Endura. I carry a little sachet of salt in case i need a quick hit.

the day after Boxing Day, I did 180km and got what would officially be termed hyponatremia (lack of salt). I started at 7am and finished at 1.30pm. Temperaute was warm until 11am (24-28degC, low humidity). Northerly winds picked up, and i had a headwind all the way home (30-36degC). I started to really suffer 20km from home, which probably took me an hour to ride. I didn't have any food/electrolyte drink left on me, just water, but water didnt help because it just made me feel sick and bloated.

a good tip to keep cool for a little is to tip water on your head and body. the evaporation with the wind running over you will keep you cool if even for a minute or so.

Also, you can take a magnesium tablet the night before. It prevents cramping by helping muscle cells take up water (or so it's been claimed). you could probably take a Mg tablet during your ride if it's long.

Lastly, I learnt not to eat a leftover curry or black bean beef from the fridge after 6 hours in the saddle... i scoffed both of these down after my 180km in the heat, and on top of my dizziness from deydration/sunstroke, made myself really ill that arvo. it was really not fun.

oh, and i think sunscreen helps to prevent headaches from sun exposure. I know it might reduce cooling, but I'd rather not get a headache or get burnt.

yeah, i too just get to the point where more fluid causes bloating and feeling sick

hey, about mg... are bananas a good substitute?

 

[su22]

yeah, i too just get to the point where more fluid causes bloating and feeling sick

hey, about mg... are bananas a good substitute?

off the top of my head, i don't think bananas are that high in magnesium. I think they're quite a good source of potassium though, in comparison to other fruit.

magnesium tablets (i use Blackmores) should help, but the funny thing is, I don't sense any improvement in hydration when taking a tablet the night before.

I've recently started using Endura, which contains their patented Meta-Mag magnesium. I think they tag their magnesium compound with a certain amino acid or 'tag', which utilises passive transport (ie, not requiring your body to do any work to absorb it) in your gut to take up the Meta-Mag into your blood/muscles. I feel that the magnesium in Endura is better absorbed than an Mg tablet. But you can give the tablets a go, and perhaps ask a real nutrionist/nutrition shop (if they have decent science brains) which brand has magnesium in the most absorbable form.