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I have a quick question for all you more experienced, more skilled, MTB riders… Do you still ride in the wicked hot summer months, or do you take a little break from time to time?
I’m curious, that’s all… See, it’s got to be like 101° outside right now in Virginia, and nobody with a sane mind would be outside doing any kind of strenuous activity! 😛
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Early morning or early evening to avoid most the heat is the best way not to melt. 😄 Later,
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Anything above 95 starts to get to me, but it’s also really dry here, which helps.
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I was out at lunch today, just working some basic movement stuff on the asphalt parking lot near Dulles Airport and yesterday too.
You just have to be smart about the heat and manage your body temp with water and your own physical conditioning. Also like a car or your mountain bike your body will tell you when your at your limit, when you can push through and when enough is enough. You just have to learn it is all.
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Agreed with all of the above, I am in Iowa and its going to be 99 with a heat index of 110+ tomorrow (7/4) I plan on going early before it gets too hot and making sure my camelbak is full of ice cold water…
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To me it is not as much the temperature but how muggy it is. I can do most temps for a few hours but it gets rough after 95, throw in the humidity……… key for me is drinking a lot of cold fluids. Pack the H2O bladder with ice and water and if you have bottles do the same.
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I agree with all of the above. You need to really listen to your body, hydrate a LOT (load the CamelBak with ice cubes first), and roll at a slower pace. I’ve done a lot of hot rides, but I’m prepared to do NOTHING afterwards and to recover as need be, too.
All in all, be smart. We’re humans, and when we break down, bad things happen. 😀
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I had a serious heat related issue out on the trail last week in Arkansas when the temps were above 100 and after that incident I decided it’s just not worth the risk for me to ride in those conditions. Fortunately there aren’t too many days in the year when it’s that hot – and there are always other days to ride.
Full story about my ordeal coming to the blog soon…
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When it’s crazy hot out, I try to beat the heat by getting up early to ride. Be out on the trail by sunrise (or before)!
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For me the heat seams to be a motivation issue. Once I get moving I tend to be pretty ok, as long as I have enough water. Yesterday it was 106 in WI when I got going. Not too bad, course the head wind actually felt nice. Thankfully it was late afternoon, and there was some shade to be had.
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"Bubblehead10MM" wrote
For me the heat seams to be a motivation issue. Once I get moving I tend to be pretty ok, as long as I have enough water. Yesterday it was 106 in WI when I got going. Not too bad, course the head wind actually felt nice. Thankfully it was late afternoon, and there was some shade to be had.
Where in WI were you riding? Have you ever been to Levis Mounds? If not, you owe it to yourself to swing by there!
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I lived in Tucson for 3 years and it goes without saying you don’t ride as hard at high temps as you do in normal weather. But riding in heat is totally doable. Your attitude has to be to ride mellow… for fun. Not pushing the limits, lots of breaks and pay attention to your body (if you notice you aren’t sweating you have screwed something up and you need to immediately complete your activity.) It is nearly impossible to recover on your own (during a physical activity) if you mistakenly push yourself past safe. You’ll have to seek rest, cooling, hydration and seriously consider medical attention. Have a safe "plan b" in your back pocket. Wife who can get to your location with a car or buddy’s riding with you or whatever. Just have a backup plan.
I had to work out in the desert on foot quite a bit too. So the same goes for hiking. We were normally carrying a lot of gear and participating in rescues of distressed individuals. You build up to it. Your body will definitely acclimate as the summer goes on. You start working in distance/time/exertion gradually.
That is my 2 cents.
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ride what works. my normal route has been unbearable, so i opt for riding a 5 mile portion of the loop just to keep my legs for the next few weeks. i ride in the middle of the week and often there is minimal traffic on the trail to help out. the community is looking out for each other though, as when i do stop for water, everyone that passes yells "you okay?" as they barrel by. ride familiar until the sun is less disrespectful.
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I usually can’t ride if it’s over 100 and muggy. If it’s int he 90s I pre-hydrate and stay hyrdrated while I ride. Cold water feels better but your body can’t do anything with it until it heats it up to your body temp for absorbtion. That’s why if you chug cold water, you can feel it sloshing around inside your gut. If it’s warmer, it is absorbed faster and you don’t get that affect.
I’ve read many debates about the temperature of water for faster absorbtion and don’t care to get into a debate today…just stating the "facts" which I believe from the experiences I have had.
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You are correct. Liquids must warm up to body temp to be absorbed. We have been conditioned to the "refreshing" qualities of cold drinks. Cold beer is required but cold drinks do not do anything for you till they warm up. In hot weather a few air cubes in the Camelback keep the water from being rancid from the heat. Always drain the Camelback after the ride as well as the tube and hang up upside down. This will keep bad things from growing in your water system. I don’t ride when it is over 100 degrees. Thats when the very cold beer works very well. 😄 Later,
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"jtorlando25" wrote
I usually can’t ride if it’s over 100 and muggy. If it’s int he 90s I pre-hydrate and stay hyrdrated while I ride. Cold water feels better but your body can’t do anything with it until it heats it up to your body temp for absorbtion. That’s why if you chug cold water, you can feel it sloshing around inside your gut. If it’s warmer, it is absorbed faster and you don’t get that affect.
I’ve read many debates about the temperature of water for faster absorbtion and don’t care to get into a debate today…just stating the "facts" which I believe from the experiences I have had.
I would agree that warm water absorbs faster from both reading about the studies and similar experiences to what you describe, but people shouldn’t be chugging while biking (or exercising in general.) Having all that fluid in your stomach isn’t a good idea.
I do like cold water for it’s cooling properties when it’s really hot and humid out. When I lived/worked/played in the desert, I didn’t mind warm water/sports drink. My sweat evaporated fairly quickly and keep me cool(ish.) When it’s muggy out, it doesn’t evaporate as quickly and I like the extra bit of cooling the cold water provides.
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Here in South GA some days we’ve gotten up to 115 degrees. I’ve actually taken my water bottle and marked off 5 oz increments and have my fluid intake a bit more dialed in. I used to just drink what I thought I needed and after doing this I found out I wasn’t drinking enough. In hot weather it’s recomended a fluid intake of 4-6 oz’s every 15 minutes. This amount can actually go up a bit depending upon how hot it is. I stop every 15 minutes and take in 5 oz’s of fluid. My water bottle is 25 oz’s so I have a ride time of a little over an hour. I also keep a constant state of hydration. I also stopped riding with water and started drinking electrolyte drinks and that made a bid difference for me too. I also consume a sports drink / electrolyte drink 60 minutes before biking and then about 8oz’s of water about 15 minutes before starting my ride. With this hydration routine I have for myself I stay hydrated throughout my ride and my body thanks me for it 😃
*I hate riding with camel backs unless on a long ride with no loops to refill fluids
* Don’t forget about hydration after your ride- very important to keep replacing what you’ve lost -
Other thing to consider is that during hot rides, besides replacing the water, you must replace the electrolytes (salts) your body sweats out.
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I originally bought lights so I could ride in the winter when the days were short, but have found being able to ride after dark during the hottest days works as well.
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The nasty heat got me yesterday. Around mile 4 of a short 6 mile ride, I had to take off my riding gear and just sit in the shade to regain my bearings and clear my head of the blurry vision. Had a full camelbak and was sipping on it the entire ride but it just wasn’t enough. Not fun.
Be safe out there guys and gals. I don’t know if anybody mentioned it already but also don’t forget to pre-hydrate. I usually keep a big bottle of water at my desk during the day but have been slipping lately.
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Water, water, water! Especially before you go. It helps to always have a water bottle on hand. I’ve got a liter camelbak bottle that I keep with me at work, in class, at home, all the time. If you’re constantly taking in fluids, you’ll be well hydrated for when you want to hit the trails.
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Believe it or not, I went out today and rode (93°F here in Virginia!). I drove out to Farmville, VA southwest from Richmond, and rode the "High Bridge Trail" over the Appomattox River. It’s a very, very, extremely easy, trail. I guess you wouldn’t even consider it a MTB trail. It’s a totally flat, abandoned railroad bed, that was taken over by the park system and modified to be a hike, bike, and horse trail. I packed 2 bottles of gatorade, a sandwich, and a full water bottle on the bike.
Here is a photobucket slide show that I made showing the trail. I only went from the River Road entrance, over the "High Bridge" down to the Rice, VA entrance, and turned around and came back. Total trip was a little over 9 miles.
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q215 … =slideshow
As seen in a few of the photos, I put on one of those rear bag touring racks made by Topeak, so I could carry everything, including my digital camera, wallet, cell phone, keys, etc…etc…
Edit: Here’s a link to the High Bridge Trail: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/hig.shtml
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