maddmaxx 

It was 91degf at my house yesterday afternoon........in New England on April 7. By the weekend we will be back to mornings in the mid 30's.

I was not ready. I only went out for a 30 or so minute ride, I didn't even take a water bottle and I expected not to get more than a mile or so away from home.

I was playing on a trail in the woods........A trail.....ha, just an old fire road so covered in leaves that it was impossible to see the surface underneath. It was difficult work, alternate soft patches not firmed up yet after the loss of the frost that glued the dirt together and areas of hidden rocks under the leaves.

Before I got home, I had to get off the bike and sit for a while. I was out of it......too hot, too tired to even ride the last quarter mile home.

I'm just not thinking summertime hydration and preparation yet.

91, who'd a thunk.

NOS88

It was in the high 89s, low 90s here the last two days. While the ride was hot, I was able to drink lots of water, and will trade snow, ice, and cold for this any day of the week. The real nice thing was that there was little humidity which is a very nice break from what July and August will bring. I did feel spent after only two hours on the bike both days and a bit more tired the next morning. Today, I'm backing off a bit (another 80+ degrees predicted), and riding the same time, but at a recovery ride pace. We should be back into the 60s and low 70s by Friday.

BluesDawg

It was around 90 for my last couple of rides and it felt wonderful. It just doesn't seem right to ride and not sweat. When it comes to riding in heat, I'm like Br'er Rabbit (who was dreamed up about 20 miles up the road from here) I was born and raised in the briar patch.

maddmaxx 

Don't get me wrong..........I like hot weather riding. I just wasn't ready for the rapid change.

alcanoe

There's excellent sections on both adaptation to heat and on hydration in Ryan's Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, second edition. It's excellent for just basic healthy eating as well irrespective of the activity level.

It can take about 10 days to adapt to heat. The adaptation includes an increase in blood volume and an increased need for fluids. Counter to popular opinion, the more fit you are and the more adapted, the more water intake you need as your perspiration volume increases.

I ran into an interesting problem some three or for years ago biking in July in N Florida. Several times I felt faint after my typical 2-hour single-track ride. Happened to read a biking magazine during that time and they had a short paragraph on it. The solution is to not stop suddenly, but to do a short cool-off ride. I added about a mile just noodling during the really hot days and that took care of it.

Ryan by the way is a nutritionist who writes periodically for Velonews.

Al

wobblyoldgeezer

Again, I agree. Sudden stopping is a big (Jim Fixx?) heart risk

BluesDawg

Hydration is always important and even more so in hot weather. I have always been good about taking on plenty of fluids while I ride. Now that my mouth and throat dry out so quickly, I have no problem at all remembering to take another sip frequently.

oilman_15106

The high temp here is going to be a sizzling 43f tomorrow.

alcanoe

I hope it's not a Jim Fix thing! He had seriously blocked arteries. His dad died of the same thing some 10 years younger. He also admitted to a terrible diet.

Most of the time exercise can suppress negative genetic tendencies and accentuate the positive ones since we are programmed for endurance type activities. However, it depends how "strong" those negative genes are.

Because the new (to me) doctor I started to see some 5 years ago thought I was killing myself with my high heart rate activities, he's run a battery of tests including ultrasound of the heart area and the carotids. Last week he asked me how much jogging he should do and gave me his e-mail address to forward physiology articles.

He's come around completely and even bought some of the books I've recommended over the years.

I think I'm OK until at least tomorrow.

By the way, one of the better measures of cardio health is the rapid decrease of heart rate when stopping to rest after an interval or sprint. A certain % decrease in so many seconds is the criteria. Google Scholar will turn up a bunch of articles. Last time I checked I did very well.

Al

t4mv

Heh, tell me about it. 'Used to do 1hr after work rides to squeeze in before darkness, with a climb in the middle. Basically doing an uphill interval for maybe a quarter mile or so. So one day I went out too hard I guess and I'm almost to the top of the hill and I'm totally gassed, so I stopped. Bzzzzzt!! Wrong-O! 'Start feeling lightheaded and pukey, but fortunately this has happened lots of times before (and yet I continue to do this?! ), so I quickly ditch the bike and lay down on the road, w/ my feet higher than my head because I know from experience that it'll bring instant relief, which it does after a few seconds. But not before a car going in the other direction stops and the driver asks "Are you OK? Do you want me to call for help?"

'Sorry, I meant to add that it's only in the mid-60s to low 70s around these parts and it's sometimes tricky layering when dressing for a ride because the ride usually starts about 10 deg cooler than the end, w/ variances of up to 30 degs along the way. Modern fabrics are pretty amazing, and zippers are your friend.

Hermes

[QUOTE=alcanoe;10640638]There's excellent sections on both adaptation to heat and on hydration in Ryan's Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, second edition. It's excellent for just basic healthy eating as well irrespective of the activity level.

It can take about 10 days to adapt to heat. The adaptation includes an increase in blood volume and an increased need for fluids. Counter to popular opinion, the more fit you are and the more adapted, the more water intake you need as your perspiration volume increases.

I ran into an interesting problem some three or for years ago biking in July in N Florida. Several times I felt faint after my typical 2-hour single-track ride. Happened to read a biking magazine during that time and they had a short paragraph on it. The solution is to not stop suddenly, but to do a short cool-off ride. I added about a mile just noodling during the really hot days and that took care of it.

Ryan by the way is a nutritionist who writes periodically for Velonews.

Al[/QUOTE]

Al, I am not sure who is included in the popular opinion but no one that I race or ride with believes that we need less water. It is to the contrary, we constantly remind each other to drink. Normally, road race courses are set up with laps with a neutral feed zone where water bottles are handed out (We do not have team cars and domestiques shuttling water to the racers). Most of us carry two water bottles in a road race and replenish as required.

My former coaches, both trained in Belarus, had us weigh in before we started a trainer workout at their gym and after. They monitored the weight differential. We would drink while we were on the trainer but still lost weight. The p/1/2 racers generally lost about 3 pounds or more per session. My best loss was 2 pounds. I think it was a very old school, crude indication of fitness. IMO, the increased water loss for the stronger riders was the increase in average power they produced on the bike. If I am at 200 W they are typically at 250 W or more for the same "power zone".

However, there is another variable which is the ability of your stomach to empty and the body's ability to absorb water. It is very hard to keep up with water loss on a hot day at higher power levels or level of effort. The stomach cannot process the water fast enough. So, on hot days, it is a good idea to back off power or level of effort until you learn how well you can rehydrate yourself on a ride. Drink a lot sooner than you think you need to. The worst that happens is you have to stop to pee. I try to drink 1 large bottle per hour and consume 200 calories. I do this no matter what time of the year and bias the water intake higher as the temperature increases. On a long climb, I try to drink one bottle as I climb. What is the point in carrying a full bottle to the top of the hill on the bike? It is better in my body where it can do some good. I plan the route knowing where I will be able to replenish the water to keep up the 1 bottle per hour rate.

AzTallRider

What y'all are saying confirms what I've found commuting in Phoenix. When it's 110* plus, with almost no humidity, it's impossible to catch up if you become the least bit dehydrated. There is a glass of water on my desk all day, but I have to consciously drink a lot before heading home in the afternoon, and then constantly drink during the ride. The one time I was behind a bit on a 114* day, I got home in pretty bad shape, having run out of water, thinking I might end up on a stretcher.

In the low humidity here, you don't feel the sweat because it evaporates so quickly - you are bone dry as your water leaves you. For my commute, I have a Camelbak pack that lets me constantly sip. Keeps my mouth dry and me hydrated. When I'm using bottles, I don't tend to drink as constantly.

brewer45

I thought I had overdressed for a commute with Stoker Malkin followed by another 10 or so miles on my own. Nope. Balaklava still required here in Utah @ a balmy 38 F. Even in the cold temps, hydration is FUNdamental.

Cheers!

alcanoe

I normally think of "popular" as in popular media vice the technical media. You are a cut or two above popular when you race, especially with coaches. Those Belarus folks have a pretty good reputation. I believe it was the cycling road race community that pioneered most of the research that led to things like glycogen sparing and replenishment as well as hydration with electrolytes.

Your water absorption point is very important. You can't keep up and you can slow the absorption even more if one is not careful of the ratio of water to carbs. I forget the ratio. It might have been discussed by Ryan on the Velonews site. I have to find it again as summer is approaching.

I've never had to back off power level --- it occurs naturally for me. I just can't generate the power like when it's cool. Same for very cold winter days, but that's due to Asthma.

Being 99% into ATB's, I do liters vice bottles. I have consumed three liters in a 2-hour ride in N Florida during July/Aug and with no peeing. Luckily, now and for the last several years I escape to N Georgia during the summer and do about the same three liters there sometimes in like a three and a half hour ride (I'm slow on the climbs).

Several years ago I started checking the tabular forecast (hourly data) for temperature and humidity. I found I was able to suffer less if I went when it was hotter and drier. The cooling efficiency goes up. May not work for road due to sun heat-loading unless the roads are tree-covered. Heavily wooded mountain trails are so nice in the summer.

When I biked in Moab, Utah for about 10-days in September one year, I was seeing mid 90's sometimes by late morning. That was easy compared to N Florida in July/Aug. I love 10 to 20% humidity.

Al

LAriverRat

This year i am going to add long sleeve white under shirts in hot weather to see if i can retain some of the moisture and protect my arms from the sun. After a life time in the sun my arms a showing dark areas. I am now using 100% Aloe Vera plus sun screen and it is helping a lot.