Effect of heat on biking

[nmrt]

So, how does your performance suffer when riding in the heat? I went for my normal ride to Lake Brainard from Boulder yesterday (around 6500 ft of climbing). It was hot at 12 pm when I left, around 93F. And I was dying. Got passed by everyone. But it was not the passing that shocked me. It was the way they passed me, as if I was standing still. To justify this, I blamed the heat.

But what about you all? Does the heat affect you a lot?

[Puget Pounder]

I'll buy it!

[nmrt]

yup, my tired and fatigued, lactate ridden muscles are all yours!
PM me for your paypal address ;-)

Sorry, guys, wrong place for this discussion. could it be possible for the mods to move it?

Thanks!

[MsRN]

Heat has always bothered me some--more so when it involves a lot of direct sunlight. I've always run hot to begin with, and perform best on cooler days. Probably, though, there are multiple factors that made you more vulnerable to heat on the ride you describe--fatigue, overtraining, subclinical illness, inadequate hydration/nutrition.

[biker72]

So, how does your performance suffer when riding in the heat? I went for my normal ride to Lake Brainard from Boulder yesterday (around 6500 ft of climbing). It was hot at 12 pm when I left, around 93F. And I was dying. Got passed by everyone. But it was not the passing that shocked me. It was the way they passed me, as if I was standing still. To justify this, I blamed the heat.

But what about you all? Does the heat affect you a lot?

Some riders here in Texas thrive in the heat. I'm not one of them. Two hours max in 95+ degrees and I'm ready for the air conditioner. Can't seem to drink enough water.

[nmrt]

i'm not the one thriving in heat, far from it. matter of fact, when i would be under some tree shade even for a few seconds, i could feel my energy come back. or maybe it was psychological. but oh man...do i dread riding in the heat!
but what about the guys that zipped past me? maybe they're the ones that thrive in the heat. Or yesterday during the heat, they too were having their slow day. if this were the case, I wouldn't wanna see then on their fast day.
:)

[gdw]

The smoke in the air has more effect on me than the heat.

[Tony T]

I ride better in 90° dry heat.
90° Humid, and poor air quality, not so much.

[dustyrider]

The heat effects my ride time, that's all. In the summer I'm a lot like a farmer early to bed, early to ride!

[Jaq]

Just gotta hydrate like crazy. And don't forget, hot days at high elevations means your "density altitude" is actually quite higher. Boulder Municipal Airport sits at about 5,300 feet. But at 90 degrees, the effective altitude is closer to almost 9,000 feet.

[Elefantino]

I sweat more.

So when it's really hot outside I leave the steel bike inside.

[FlashUNC]

I've never gotten along with the heat. I either ride early and try to get home early, or don't ride at all.

I'd rather take 60 degrees and raining than 90+.

[67-59]

As some said earlier, some people just do better in the heat than others.

I also have to wonder, though, if they may be making better nutrition and hydration choices than you are. Sweat contains tons of sodium, so on really hot days I often drink Gatorade or Skratch (tons of sodium, especially in the latter) before the ride...in addition to the Skratch I always drink while riding. On cooler days, I just drink some water before leaving.

I also have quite a variety of energy bars and gels that I choose among for my rides. So just like I'll look for more calories on longer rides, I look for the ones that contain the most sodium on hotter days. And if you check the labels of the various gels, you'll see that sodium content varies dramatically from one to the other. For example, my favorite two gels are PowerBar and Gu. PowerBar gel contains 200 mg sodium per pack, while Gu contains 50 mg. Guess which I bring on really hot days....

[BillG]

Brutal headaches and Ti Designs has to drag me back!

[oldpotatoe]

So, how does your performance suffer when riding in the heat? I went for my normal ride to Lake Brainard from Boulder yesterday (around 6500 ft of climbing). It was hot at 12 pm when I left, around 93F. And I was dying. Got passed by everyone. But it was not the passing that shocked me. It was the way they passed me, as if I was standing still. To justify this, I blamed the heat.

But what about you all? Does the heat affect you a lot?

Ride today, high about 75...I'm thinking you were dehydrated. Not a great idea to start in 93 degree heat tho, but skeds, etc..maybe temper your ride with the temperature

[nmrt]

Yeah, I usually start my ride at 5am when i go to Brainard Lake. But this thursday I biked to the lake to meet up with the mrs and then go for a hike to pawnee pass.

I do not know if it was dehydration. The moment I started my ride in the 93 heat, I was done. I just felt exhausted, not my heart, but the legs. They felt heavy. I am relatively new to biking, so this was a new feeling to me. I do get the same feeling when I am running in the heat too. Perhaps it is something in my physiology. What I am saying is that the performance of most people suffer in the heat. But I guess for me, the difference in performance when exercising in heat or in cooler conditions is HUGE. CRAZY HUGE! I just wonder why.

[chevron]

I am 10 times better in cooler weather

[Tony T]

I'd rather take 60 degrees and raining than 90+.

Not me, I hate the cold. Just got back from a ride in 90°, feel great, but where I ride there's a lot of tree cover.

[JLNK]

With the summer we had last year and the summer so far this year going out in 100 degree heat for a ride is not uncommon. The heat saps strength, as opposed to riding in 70 to 90 degrees, but combine the heat with an oxone action day and I really feel it, and scale back accordingly.

[Ray]

In my mid-30's I didn't mind the heat - even kind of thrived in it until it got ridiculous (I liked it into about the mid-90s and was still ok above 100). Now, as I approach my mid-50s I can't handle it at all. I don't even like riding above the low to mid 80s much anymore and really fall apart quickly when I do. Part of that's because I don't ride as much anymore and I'm not in the kind of riding shape I used to be in, but there's a good bit of chicken and egg to that too - part of why I don't is because I don't like the heat as much.

-Ray

[54ny77]

i'm approximately 48.6% less enthusiastic about riding in general when the heat/humidity is ridiculous.

[Tony T]

i'm approximately 48.6% less enthusiastic about riding in general when the heat/humidity is ridiculous.

I'll take a dry 95° over 100% humidity anyday ;)

[Seramount]

heat, schmeat...

it's summer, suck it up.

[FlashUNC]

Not me, I hate the cold. Just got back from a ride in 90°, feel great, but where I ride there's a lot of tree cover.

Its my warm blooded Teutonic heritage. Never have liked the heat much.

[jischr]

I thought last weekend was bad. Today I felt even more sapped and cut out 2 hills and 5 miles from the planned 50 mile morning ride. On the ride I could feel the heat coming up from the road and the hot air was drying out my eyes. When I got home I looked up the weather conditions, heat index of 101 at 9 am, 104 at 11 am. I guess I need to get up so I can finish by 9 am next weekend.

FWIW today I wore a pair of Nike Solar Sleeves for the first time. Evaporative cooling from sweat seemed minimal. However, I could feel the intensity of the sun on my lower legs but not my arms. So I suppose I can say that the sleeves kept me cooler. They certainly kept the UV away. Even with two applications of sunscreen my cheeks are a bit hot, my arms not at all.

[JLNK]

Thank you for the tip, I had not heard of Solar Sleeves.