alo

When I am out cycling, and it is very hot, I sometimes sit at a shop, or under a tree, and wait for clouds before going further. When there are large clouds, this can be beneficial for not getting as hot as you otherwise would get. It does not work with small clouds.

Ghazmh

I thought the clouds were chasing me, especially rain clouds.

OldTryGuy

r.e. bold -- Midnight Madness Rides for me. No SUN = lower temps AND no UV from sunrays.

indyfabz

I really don’t know clouds at all.

Cpn_Dunsel

I've looked at clouds from both sides now.

skidder

Nope, I just chase rainbows. Tricky, elusive buggers that I can never seem to catch.

CAT7RDR

Someone has a lot of free time to ponder such questions.

On a slightly more serious note, I will plan rides along tree canopies so I can at least have a cooler rest area in the summer. A little bit more reliable than clouds in SoCal.

Paul Barnard

Absolutely. Who doesn't? When the clouds are going the opposite direction, I pedal backwards to stay with them.

indyfabz

I saw the end of a rainbow in Cozumel, Mexico. There was no pot of oro.

And don’t go chasing waterfalls.

terrymorse 

I remember clouds, and something called "rain".

But only dimly.

Living in California.

indyfabz

How about some bike ride cloud photos?

Rural road in Montana. I could not hear any man-made sounds. Only the buzzing of insects and the rustling of the grasses in the wind.

Municipal campground in Edgemont, SD, at the end of the Mickelson Trail. Fortunately, the storm passes us by.

indyfabz

You do have to be quick.

79pmooney

I've changed my plans mid-ride to ride at right angles to a cloud's direction to miss rain. Recently changed to a diagonal to the cloud path and time trialed home to see only a couple of sprinkles.

The real fun with clouds was my days single handing my 15' sailboat on Puget Sound. The clouds were wind! More wind than I could go upwind in, but downwind, a pure blast! I'd spend 3/4s of my time going upwind and that last few minutes going like h*** and undoing all that work. So worth it!

79pmooney

Rainbow story. 15 years ago on the bike that inspired my logo bike, climbing the not steep but 1000' hill out of the Tualatin Valley. Just over halfway there's two corners with sort straight between. Looks down at a farm and house. Rain bearing clouds, some sun. Seemed I was going to stay dry. So I'm just looking down (it's a beautiful overlook) and see an intense orange glow where the backyard turned unmaintained. No rainbow but this was clearly the end. Sadly, I chose to keep riding rather than triangulate the location, come back late at night and quietly dig up the pot of gold. Still regretting that choice.

indyfabz

The first rainbow shot was taken from the town campsite in Noxon, MT. Not all that before the skies cleared it looked like this.

indyfabz

More clouds. The Bike Camp in Twin Bridges, MT. The caretaker of the city park cam by to warn us that the storm was going to hit us in about 20 min. Put all my panniers inside the tent to weigh it down, but it was still rocking from the very strong wind. Got inside so it would not be ripped loose and end up in the fast moving river bordering one side of the park. Kept my knife ready in case I went into the water and had to cut myself out. Storm ended up missing us, but it was a concerning time.

Reflector Guy

If it is REALLY hot, maybe riding at night might be the perfect solution.

Iride01 

I don't chase clouds, I chase speed.

Anytime I can be over 16 mph there is plenty of cooling air flowing around me no matter what the temperature. As temps get into the 90's and over 95°F I'll be riding routes that don't slow me down with climbs that keep me slowed down for very long.

My body seems to like riding in the hottest part of the day. Don't know why, but morning rides, evening rides and certainly rides before the crack of dawn just don't appeal to me.

Shade isn't as important for those routes that let me have higher average speeds. Sun protection is important, but that's already discussed in other threads.

Kapusta

I chase trees and coffee shops.

alo

In summer in Australia, when it is hot in the house, I often go out at night.

In S E Asia, there are too many potholes and dangerous places on roads. You need daylight to see them. You would come off riding at night, and finish up with injuries. There are also too many robberies. If the boys saw you going out at night, they would organize a gang to wait for you down the road. I have told people, I don't carry a lot of money. They have said, they will take your bike.

Not all places are equal.

alo

When it gets over 100 or 105 deg that does not work.

I sometimes buy drinks with ice. I drink the drink, and eat the ice.

Wildwood 

Chasing or running - may only be a matter of geographic perspective

indyfabz

Good point. And quite an ominous sight.

When I crossed the country BITD I and another rider started looking for shelter in MN when we were worried about a tornado forming. We could see a little circulation in the sky, and the wind at ground level changed 360 degrees in a short period of time.

indyfabz

Shared this is Foo this morning. Nice clouds and a cool sprinkle just before I tackled a hill that gets nasty near the top. Got poured on later in the day after I can down the other side and was riding a beautiful dirt road. Even though the rain stopped the road was a mess. I decided to make it a shorter day than already planned, set up camp and relaxed.

Iride01 

I'll have to disagree, but it's been three years or a bit more since I've had to deal with 105° Temps.

My minimum speeds go up, but still, 18 mph and it's comfortable enough. Time stopped has to be kept to a minimum sometimes the helmet comes off when stopped more than a minute. Climbs that slow me down have me pulling down my sunsleeves.

And of course I drain a 24 fl oz (700 ml) bottle in 30 minutes or less in temps that high. So routes with water stops beyond what I can carry are well considered.

Riding for those with lots of stop and go's will be a problem for extreme heat. I have few stops that get me from my house to the open roads with no stops.