Thread: 2022 Randonnees
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Old 03-26-22, 12:10 AM
  #25  
atwl77
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
I once rode cross the USA and it was 110-120F but very dry in the West. It wasn't bad other than the climbs. I just had to climb very slow because there is not much evaporation to cool you when climbing. When I got to Missouri or Misery as I like to call it, the temperatures were only in the low 100 range or even just high 90's but the humidity was off the charts. Not riding too hard in the heat of the day is one tactic that I learned and use to this day. For instance, let's say I have a 4 am start 400K on the East Coast of the USA in warmer months, I will ride harder until about 10 am and then really, really slow down until about 4 pm. If I am not riding very hard, most of the calories burned are fat. If it is very hot and humid, my body already has a hard job to dissipate heat. So, I mostly focus on hydration with just a little calories added in brutal conditions. Climbing and eating in the Malaysian hot/humid air is kind of a bad recipe. Try to experiment when to eat. I try to never eat before a big climb in hot weather to the extent that if a control is before the climb, I will carry the food and eat it at the top. Rather extreme. I have never puked but do get a lousy feeling, so, I prefer not to have a full belly starting a big climb. Don't know if any of that will help. GL

1) Be skinny
2) Keep the pace way down
3) Go really lean on food and heavier on water.
You make a good point about choosing when to eat. Thinking back, in previous rides I started at an earlier time (typically 4-5am), rode all the way to the first checkpoint (typically around 90km) and had breakfast there. That strategy did not work for this one because the ride starts at 6am, and the first checkpoint was at 127km, and it was a very hilly route. Put those three together and I have spent more time riding, and trying to eat much later than I was used to, when it's already gotten late and hot.

This is the first time I've puked, but have felt pretty lousy a lot of times before. I think the main difference is that there's a big climb involved this time; at other times I did not have to exert as much effort when already feeling lousy. This feeling usually persists on the first day, then partially goes away on the second day, and (for 1000k rides) generally fully goes away on the third day so I suppose I was gambling on that same pattern to happen here - but I guess the presence of a big climb changed it all.
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