Philadelphia Mountain Biking Association - Forums

It's hot!

So you may be discouraged to go ride. But it can still be a good ride even in these high temps. Here's how I cope, and other riders are welcomed to post thier own tips.

Drink water all the time. All day at work load up so when you ride you have a good amount of water stored in your body. Fill your Camelbak as high as you can and drink constantly while you're riding. If you can fill it about a third of the way with ice then the water do it. This helps alot. When the ride is over don't stop drinking water. It's the best thing you can do. If you run out of water on your ride you should bail out asap. Don't risk having a heat stroke.

Of course you should also back it down a notch on the intensity level of your ride. As long as you keep moving at a steady pace the wind will help to cool you off. If you have to stop do it, but it is much cooler when you are moving. Go easy up the climbs and coast on the downs and enjoy the breeze.

Clothing is also very important. Do not wear anything made of cotton. Wicking clothes and sleeveless jerseys are the way to go. Wear sunblock if you expect to be in the sun (yea yea we all know that one).

It's generally about 10 degrees cooler in the woods than on the street in the summer. Or at least it feels much cooler. If you're going to Wiss it's always cooler the closer you get to the creek.

Great post Tom. Ice in the pack is the bomb. There is nothing like ice cold water to refresh you. Only thing I will add is that I wear vented sleeveless jerseys. Don't just cut sleeves off an old jersey, although that will be better than riding with sleeves. But I have actually vented jerseys that are super thin and have thousands of holes. Oh, and just before I start to ride, I soak my head in the garage sink or with garden hose which will cool you down immediately and start the sweating/cooling process. Or I just scrap the ride head to the local bar and start drinking cold beers...  ;D

Also, just to add a little bit, there is nothing like water to keep you cool, but your body needs the right balance of salt, electrolytes too, if you have no salt the water will perspire out faster. So if you can have a sport drink before you ride.

K
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here is  quote from a web site




The search took us to Question #19, which asks, "Why is Gatorade better than water?" The answer explains that Gatorade is mostly composed of carbohydrates, minerals, and water. It goes on to explain that plain water will not replace the electrolytes (sodium and potassium) that the body loses through sweat, and that Gatorade replaces both. In addition, sodium allows the body to retain fluid better after it has been consumed.

At HowStuffWorks, we learned that an electrolyte is basically a salt that can carry an electrical charge. The cells of your body rely on electrolytes to carry the electrical impulses responsible for muscle contractions and nerve impulses to other cells. Without electrolytes, your body cells couldn't communicate efficiently.

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gatorade has owned the marked for 40 years and actually spent way more money on research than any of the boutique smaller brands. I say use whatever works but when I see riders thinking they blew a race because they didn't get the right amount of electrolyte pills or the right mix of protein infused drink I reckon they are over thinking it.

Most of the daily rides and  <20 mile XC races you want to just be smart and keep hydration simple. Some sweet drink and maybe a gel. No need to pop electrolyte pills all the time. Half of it is psychological though so  to do what you like, but just don't leave your ride in the water bottle. You just want to remember to not to over-drink before the start. Like tom says, hydrate continually as you ride and don't be caught out with too little.

In all these years gatorade hasn't released many new performance products, but they did put out gatorade endurance a few years back. Basically it's the same as gatorade but with more salt, which you can taste when you lick your lips. Think of it as a gatorade margarita. I drop one bottle in the Camelbac and fill with the rest of the 100oz with water and ice. In three years of racing there's been no DNFs for this fat boy, and I'm out there longer than anyone :P

http://www.itsonthecourse.com/ 

If you are having troubles in the warm weather with hydration, try having a look at Nuun electrolyte tablets.

http://www.nuun.com/nuunis/whatisnuun.html

I use them in the warm weather to try and offset all the sweat the I loose. I dissolve 3 tablets in a 3 litre camelbak bladder. I think the recommended amount is 6 tablets/3L, but the half dose seems to do the trick. The taste is pretty mild, and no sugar to turn your camelbak into a science experiment (made that mistake with not cleaning a bladder that had some diluted Gatorade).

Camelbak introduced their own version last year, called Elixir. Similar principle and formulation, and probably easier to find:

http://www.rei.com/product/752086?cm_mmc=vl_camelbak-_-datafeed_m-_-product-_-p2p

If you sweat a lot, or are having trouble with cramps, these electrolyte supplements may be more beneficial than just water alone. Just to complicate matters, it is also possible to drink too much water!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia

I've tried the Elixer tablets. I believe they work well, but could just be a placebo. I like the fact that your bladder will not get all nasty when you use them. I learned not to leave Gatorade in my bladder the hard way.

Yeppers, Gatorade and hydration bladders are not a good idea  :o

Ditto on the placebo effect of Elixir/Nuun. It's hard to say, but I do know that I get a lot less headaches after summer rides since using Nuun, than before when I was just drinking water.

A typical person gets enough salt and electro's in their daily diet to replace anything lost through sweating, however, on really hot days biking can definitely push you over, and without electrolytes, you dehydrate faster.

Another great idea is to wear one of the Under Armour skull caps, they wick the sweat off your head and evaporate it before is runs down your face keeping you cooler, I swear by them..

I always wear some kind of do-rag under my helmet for the same reasons that adoble mentioned - they keep the sweat out of my eyes, and probably keep it from soaking into my helmet and making it stink.  The white ones probably help dissipate heat, too - unfortunately they also make me look like I have white hair...

me too, I always regret it when I forget the Karate Kid headband.

I've been using a Halo headband with pretty good success, but I might have to step up and try their do-rags.

It always seemed counter-intuitive to wear an extra layer to stay cool, especially on your head, but I've heard enough people tout the cooling/evaporative properties that I'll have to give it a try. Can't hurt to have some extra sun protection either.

UnderArmor, that stuff is like a wet-suit ???

I use the fridge method personally:

step1- pull bottle out of fridge

step2- chug

step3- pull bottle out of fridge

step4- chug

..repeat process untill fridge stops giving away bottles..  ;D