revolator

Summertime is here. When would your cut off be for not riding a century on a hot and humid day?

What was the high end where you completed your century?

I don't think I came close to this, but wanted to get feedback on any bad experiences before I found the hard way.

Thanks

spokenword

I actually have not yet bailed on a ride because it was too hot or humid, but I just finished the century route of the Tour De Cure in Gloucester yesterday where, the average high was about 90/92 degrees F, with a relative humidity near 50%. That was uncomfortable.

My girlfriend wanted to make that day her first century, but she's on a relatively slow hybrid bike, and wasn't going to be able to complete the century route in the prescribed 8 hours. So, instead, she opted to do the 60 mile route option and we would then ride 40 miles home to Boston and get her the 100 miles that way. I have to say -- that prospect of riding another 40 miles with her after completing my own century was a pretty stiff test of our relationship

In the end, we got home after a little less than 12 hours on the road, arriving just after dark, where the sun dipping below the horizon thankfully dropped the temperature to bearable levels on our last hour.

From my experience riding in the humid New England summer, you always have to be wary of de-hydration and associated electrolyte depletion. You also have to be wary about raising your core temperature as humid air hampers your body's ability to dump heat from itself. If possible, cover as much distance as you can in the dawn and twilight hours, and plan on scaling back your efforts in the middle of the day. It's also a perfect excuse for taking a long lunch if you can spare the time

CliftonGK1

Last month I rode the Seattle TdC, and it was the only day of summer we've had: 92 degrees and humid. No clouds, so the sun was just glaring down on us during all the sections of the course outside of the trees.

I finished, and I had even rode an extra 8 miles to the start line before the century, but there was no way I was riding back home... Holy ouch, did I go out too quick. Even though I drank plenty and kept up the electrolytes, there was no fighting the fact that I rode too hard for too long in the heat.
As with any century, pace yourself and keep hydrated. Drink more than usual, watch your electrolyte intake, and slow your pace down if you feel that you're going too hard.

G-Whacker

I did a solo metric yesterday in about 100 degrees, 50% RH by the end of the ride. The road was so hot my cleats slipped in my shoes (making it impossible to unclip!) I had to untie my shoes and leave them on the bike when I was finished. I had plenty of water, 4 bottles and it was too hot to even think of eating. It was a challenge, and I think that any hotter would be my limit.

dewaday

Yesterday's "Sunday in June" century ride in Burton Ohio. 94 degree high, 50% humidity, and winds in the 15-20 MPH range. Last 15 miles felt like a Twilight Zone episode.

bobbycorno

Dunno about the humidity, but there was a 400k brevet year before last in the Columbia Gorge where the temps were probably 105+ on the road. I've never prayed so hard for sundown...

Scott P
Bend, OR

Machka 

The hottest ride I ever did in Manitoba had a Humidex factor of 48C (118F) ... I rode 100 kms to a local lake, where I soaked in the water for a while until a big and ominous black cloud started to form, and then I left the lake, and sprinted down the road because that cloud was looking very, very suspicious to a girl familiar with Manitoba's hot and humid climate.

The ride back was quite an adventure ... the wind would gust like a freight train from one side, and it would be hot ... then everything would be still ... then the wind would gust like a freight train from the other side, and it would be cold ... then everything would be still. And all the while the lightening was flashing and thunder was rumbling.

The police actually stopped me to see if I was OK.

After I got in, I heard on the news that a tornado touched down at the lake where I was ... they showed the RV I was swimming next to ... in the water where I had been swimming.

So I covered 200 kms that day.


And then there was the Gold Rush 1200K. I DNF'd after 400K (~250 miles) but Davis, CA was setting records with the heatwave and the heat was apparently about 105F in the shade ... but we were riding on a freshly paved, black road.


Bring water and bring electrolytes. Consume a lot of each.

envane

On my "accidental" century this weekend I was about to give up it was so hot (90ish, insane humidity), but suddenly the clouds burst and it rained. It was like a switch flipped inside me I managed to crank out the last 20 miles in good form.

I perform very poorly in hot weather. And I've got the MS Tour de Farms 150 comming up

cpblue

Hot and Humid? Try Houston, Texas. June through September-hot, humid, with the aroma of petrochemical pollution. The local TV weathercasters here predict the next good air quality day in October. Don't mess with Texas.

danimal123

Here in S. Fla. we frequently have summer conditions (starting in June, but really bad from Jul.-Sept.) that are temps in the 90s w/ RH over 90%. Pretty awful, but do-able once you're acclimatized.

jens5

Finished NC. TDC this weekend. 105f on the road with as close to 100% humidity as possible. Way too hot. No way to keep up with hydration. Was sick the entire next day. IMO, Dangerous.

Richard

jens5

Finished NC. TDC this weekend. 105f on the road with as close to 100% humidity as possible. Way too hot. No way to keep up with hydration. Was sick the entire next day. IMO, Dangerous.

Richard

knoregs

I did a century yesterday without intending to. The temps were in the low 90s and very humid for the third straight day, an official heatwave. Since I wasn't intending to do 100 miles I didn't bring any extra HEED, just my two mixed bottles. But it was so darned hot I went through the two bottles rather quick and was forced to switch to the corn syrup based sports drink found in convenience stores, ie Gatorade and Powerade. They never tasted so good and COLD too. Having consumed 40 oz of HEED, 84 oz Gator/Powerade, 12 oz coke, and 20 oz ice water, I still ended up dehydrated.

Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY

jens5

Finished NC. TDC this weekend. 105f on the road with as close to 100% humidity as possible. Way too hot. No way to keep up with hydration. Was sick the entire next day. IMO, Dangerous.

Richard

Paul L.

Highest I have finished in was 102 degrees almost no humidity. Might try a hot one this summer.

Reynolds 

I've done many metrics at about 32 C/90 F, 80/90% humidity, no problem. Highest temp for me was 38 C/100 F. Sun is worse than temp for me, I'd rather ride at 35C cloudy than 30 C sunny.

Captain Slow

Funny thing about the heat... the more miserable it is, the better I seem to perform on a bike. Weird. Here in Georgia, we have temps in the upper 90s from the end of May through early October. The past two weeks have been brutal, over 100 several days in a row. I get out after work and do 30 miles or so, and then try for a century on either Sat or Sun. Lately, I've managed 103 - 110 miles each weekend day.

The absolute worst was a couple of years ago. My road bike was broken, so I took my 32# hybrid out for a century torturefest. (Yeah, you can do a century on a Specialized Crossroads, but you won't enjoy it.) It was
81 degrees at 5am when I started, and I-dunno-how-hot on my final water break before heading home. I swear... if my house had been a mile further away, I'd have completed the trip in an ambulance. Turns out I did 111.4 miles in 102 degree heat & 90+% humidity. Drank three liters of water, one 20oz Gatorade. Couldn't pee for the rest of the afternoon. Went out and did it again the next weekend.

ncherry

It's not the heat it's the humility.

Heat and humidity are difficult to gauge. At the beginning of the season a nasty hot day can make you sick if you push it too hard. If you get sick you may have a hard time keeping a 'normal pace' in heat, for the rest of the summer. If you don't get sick you may be able to handle more heat and humidity later in the season. Handling heat and humidity are dependent on your abilities.

As a rule I usually don't mind heat or humidity but the worse I've done was 105F+ with extremely low humidity. That day broke 100F around 10:30 AM and we were more than 50 miles into the ride. I drank 11L of fluids during the ride, never once had to go to the bathroom, couldn't even force it. I was sick for three days. I no long do centuries with temperatures/heat index in excess of 100F. Instead we cut it back.

This past Saturday I lead a ride on a 'heat advisory' day. I decided to ride down the shore (Sandy Hook, NJ). This was nice as it was in the 70's. When we rode less than 1000 ft inland we were hit with high 90's. Since we were down the shore it was humid. We suffered a little bit of heat sickness as we rode back home. We dropped the pace so we could survive the ride (dropped to 16.5 mph avg for 101 miles). We did hit a pocket of ozone and that hurt my lungs a bit. The warm head wind didn't help us much. I went home afterwards and kept drinking (non-alcohol) for about 2 hours afterwards. That work well and I was able to ride the day after.

bicyclridr4life

"HOT" No idea. 125 in the shade did not stop me from going to the far side of Las Vegas from Lake Mead. (I did not have a car, and do not care for the bike/bus thing, why take a bus when I can ride the bike? Besides, the bike racks on the bus were always full.)

"Humid" Not sure, I went from Islamorada to Key West once, a couple summers ago. My soda mileage dropped to 5 miles per liter though.

Mr_Finster

The whole reason there is a heat index number is so that you can compare dry heat to moist heat conditions. Your body's ability to cool itself goes hand in hand with the heat index. Check out NOAA's heat index table at https://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/iln/tables.htm#heat%20index. The warning at the top is so true. Keep that body/head cool.

BILLB58

Last two days of my trip from Jacksonville to Cape Coral were mid '90s to a high of 102 inland...humidity in the 85% to 95%+ range....100% in the tstorms..
Day 3..Cocoa to Okeechobee 112 mi. 15-20mph quartering headwinds
Day 4..Okeechobee to Cape Coral 106 mi. 10-15mph headwind
long days......

carried 4 bottles of water on bike and 2 orange juice bottles in handlebar bag, refilled all six at least twice each day. Key was constant hydration....

Also, am used to this heat....commute 12.4 miles each way to work almost every work day....still, in the heat, those were long days....

Am repeating this Jacksonville to Cape Coral trip next week....and maybe another time this summer....it's a training ride for the Southern Tier this fall...

Carbonfiberboy 

Did a 400k a few weeks ago. It got up to 103° on the last pass climb. Fairly dry, though. Water and Endurolytes and just plain enduring it. Filling my helmet with snow and putting it down my back made only a tiny difference. I thought that would have more effect. I didn't have water to spare to pour on my head. No team car!

revolator

Thanks for everyone's comments.

Mr Finster, +1 Heat index table to at least quantify the condition and have some basis of comparison.

Part of the problem is similar to a high fever where it's dangerous.

Richard Cranium

Always respect the "numbers." If you know you are heading into a hot house then make sure you keep below red line.

Typical mistakes are as simple as skipping a possible water stop to top-off bottles. Going a little hard in a series of hills during mid afternoon heat. Mis-reading your sweat loss because its a breezy day and you don't "see the sweat."

Most recently, I was "derailed" from one of my well-known ride-routes by flood water. I used an unfamiliar route, didn't top off my Camelback and ended up having to stop at a residence to "beg" for water. (I consider this a big time ride failure.) I ended the ride in good shape, but if I would have been forced to make it to a commercial store for water, I would have "fried" --- end of story.

knoregs

The heat seems to have a way of amplifying these mistakes. Sometimes until you are way into FUBAR!