Cyclcist11023131

I have been riding in Orange County for the better of forty-five years. I know about the dog days of summer and our hot, humid, Septembers. We all know to drink a lot of water before and during a hot ride. A preplanned nutrition program keeps my systems going so that my rides are always enjoyed in top form. I am hammering up the first Santiago Canyon Road Grade. It's always a bit of a strain because of the climb just to get there. My Single Speed Caffeine is geared fairly high but I have overcome this by learning to stay on top and just push hard. It is three hundred hard cranks up that short grade. It is hot, and just to get where I was going used six bottles of water. (refills) With two fresh on the bike I was drinking at a measured pace when it all seemed to go wrong. I was sweating into my eyes and couldn't seem to clear them so I doused myself with my second bottle of water. I could see a little better but began to realize that the water on my back was getting hotter. I was getting too hot and I slowed. The water I had soaked myself with was already warm but now it was so humid that it was not evaporating. It was like being in a sauna. Thank God I made it to the top of the hill. It is a fast downhill and the wind felt great, there is a hairy little left hand turn at speed at the bottom and a little uphill right hand turn. A little light downhill and a sharp left, I sped thru the gate and in to Irvine Lake. Right into the lake. It wasn't a big splash, just a gentle dunk. The water was nice and cool. But after a discussion with some Lake employees I got hosed off and sent on my way. The rest of the trip was uneventful except for a lady on a Laguna Beach side street that looked right into my eyes as she pulled her big 70s' van out in front of me. " I don't have to stop for you !" she yelled at me as I rode side by side with her. I was not confrontational, just ended up there to avoid her giant mass. So I passed her and zig zagged down to a safer PCH. Home was only forty easy miles away.

jmX

I overheated on Saturday for the first time ever in my life. Felt like I was going to vomit and felt a little dizzy so I pulled off into Yorba park off the SART to sit down for 10 minutes and cool down. When I stood up there was a 3' diameter puddle of sweat on the ground. Humidity sure changes the game. I drank 150oz of water in 2.5 hours....that's 4lbs of sweat an hour.

TrojanHorse

Me too, and also on Sunday... i was dragging a$$ on the home stretch to my house, about 65 miles into my 70 mile ride and I just pulled off into a little park, filled my bottles with fountain water and laid down in the shade for 15 min... did the same thing too, drenched my entire upper body in water and it felt fantastic. It had the desired positive effect, although a little girl walking by said "daddy, man fall down" to her grandpa, i about died laughing. it was 96 degrees out, which is hot, but I'm not used to this humidity right now.

I just watched my average speed drop off as the temperature climbed. ugh.

Pamestique 

Saturday I left at 6:30am to climb Blackstar Canyon (MTB). The sun was not yet out so there was at least that but it was humid. I was dripping when I reached the top. The plan was to be back down the Canyon before the sun came out (at least by 9:30a). Unfortunately my friend and I spent a couple of hours on Main Divide waiting for a heliocopter to come pick up an injured runner. We didn't start down the hill until 10:30 and by then the sun came out. There was no relief coming down hill - the air was too hot. I was too hot and tired to even eat my lunch!

Sunday I had chores to do so didn't start my ride until 9am. I just did Telegraph Canyon in Chino Hills to 4 Corners. I knew I started too late because 1) it was bejeesus hot and 2) no one else was riding... I was practically alone! Just rode slow and stubbornly pushed my way to 4 Corners where I sat for an hour in the shade. When I got home I walked into the back yeard and turned the hose on myself... man that felt great!

So decided yesterday to stay indoors and just catch up on housework... sometimes that is a good thing! Boy; can't wait for Fall to get here!

blarnie

Sunday. 'bout 1pm. Nice lady at Glacier water vending machine at Ralphs in North Hollywood said I could have some of hers, she wasn't going to use it all. I politely refused, saying I need most of mine just to pour all over myself before I fill my bottle.

She said it's really hot out.

I said more than I expected.

jimxyz

Sunday morning GMR - closed to motorists, so a perfect day to ride, but it was hella hot, and I started up at 7... The people going up and I came down around 10 must have been hurting. I am more cautious in the heat after a neighbor died MTB in Palm Springs when they ran out of water on an extremely hot day. Be careful, heat stroke sneaks up on you

TrojanHorse

When is this heat wave going to go away! I flatted on my ride this morning and I was relieved because it meant I'd get to rest in the shade. I took 17 min. to fix that flat.

Heat - Stop!

jsigone

good thing about the heat, my tan lines are looking SHARP

Dunbar

I did a few ~20 mile rides last week while on vacation in Indiana. Last Monday it was in the 90's there with very high humidity pushing the heat index over 100. That was rough, no way I would've done 40-50 miles in those conditions. At one point while climbing I was blinded by my own sweat.

You guys should come down to the coast, the riding conditions were pretty nice over the Labor Day weekend Even as I type this one mile from the beach it's still pretty humid out which is something I don't miss about midwest summers. Keep some perspective though, last summer when i lived in the Inland Empire I counted 30+ days where it hit 100+ degree high temps for the day. Now that sucked...