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Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 1:25 pm
by Karl
Anyone who knows me knows when it gets above 15-20 degrees I become alot slower than normal. Can't seem to regulate my body temperature. It's always been like this. Went for a ride with Phil F-T on Friday night suffered badly until the sun fell out of the sky then I was back to normal.

So my questions are:

Anyone else suffer badly like me?

And what is the solution? I have lots of water, unzip my tops, ride slower. Suggestions please :-)

Thanks in advance!

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 1:48 pm
by Bearbonesnorm
Do you actually sweat Karl? Dee doesn't sweat and doesn't regulate well when it gets hot. She functions okay and likes the warm weather but needs to shed layers very quickly and very early on otherwise she just overheats ... she also needs to put them back on quite quickly once she slows / stops.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 2:00 pm
by Ray Young
If it's really hot I have a rectangle of white cotton fashioned from an old t shirt. It's covers the top of my head (under the helmet) and hangs down over the back of my neck foreign legion style. I dunk it regularly in streams to keep me cool and works a treat. It gets dirty fairly quickly mind but I don't care much about my appearance when bikepacking.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 2:26 pm
by Mbnut
I sweat freely but function poorly in the heat.

My guess would be a drop off of around 30% if it's hot and humid.

When the sun drops and the temperature dips below 20 degrees I feel great, Duracell bunny good.

Tried fluids, electrolytes etc but just staying hydrated and controlling my effort seems to be the best way of managing it.

Roll on winter.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 2:36 pm
by Karl
I'm very much like mbnut. Sweat lots. Drink lots. I'll try the legion style hardware.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 4:57 pm
by Moder-dye
I sweat like buggery and suffer badly in anything over mid teens degrees c.

I drink loads and take electrolyte tabs and if possible do rides either early or late. Obviously no use on a trip.

Living in Shetland suits me! Had a ride this am, but was getting too hot by the time I got home and sweltering 17c now!

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 5:06 pm
by Bearbonesnorm
You could always just grow a pair .... and if you still get too hot, you can shave 'em :wink:

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 5:11 pm
by Karl
Bearbonesnorm wrote: Sun Aug 25, 2019 5:06 pm You could always just grow a pair .... and if you still get too hot, you can shave 'em :wink:
*pear - I assume it's a typo. Seems a bit extreme.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 5:40 pm
by Piemonster
I usually just take the hottest 4-5 weeks of the year as a (not total) rest phase. Hardest training is done mid winter for me.

If it gets proper toasty I just get in the sea, literally.

I also, perhaps counterintuitively wear a gilet when running as the temperature starts to average up from Spring to early summer. Then as it gets a bit too much I lose the gilet and I’ve already acclimatised extending what I can cope with up a couple of degrees.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 8:04 pm
by slarge
Heat and me do not get on. Up and over the Black Mountains today I thought my fitness had taken a beating. 27 degrees and I was knackered, and sweating like a sweaty thing. Lots of water is good, but I kept having to stop to drain my helmet (good job I was on my own) and cool down. So Karl, you are not alone, heat does funny things to a man .

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 8:25 pm
by jameso
I'm the same, hopeless in the heat. Wasn't paying attention to the forecast and stupidly wore a black jersey yesterday for a fairly easy rolling roads ride that should have been 6.5 or 7 hours. Ended up feeling a bit ill with early heatstroke by 2.30pm and adding 1.5hrs, lying under a tree a couple of times and return leg was the hardest 3-4hrs I've done all year, I was a mess. I'm not too good in the cold also, a bit too light to stay warm for long so not sure why the heat gets to me so easily but at least we get more experience there! Northern European genetics in me/us maybe.

Light coloured jerseys, caps and gloves for me in future. I used to take a Legionnaire hat to the Alps when hiking, that helped.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 9:03 pm
by Specialist Hoprocker
I seem to have regularly undertaken big rides on stoopid hot days (London to Brighton x 2, L2B Off-road, numerous South Downs Way, Pass'Portes... all over 30c).

I seem to cope OK, but i get a bit slower. The only time I really suffered was on the SDW one year and my water/energy drink/electrolyte mix was too sweet and I just couldn't rehydrate or cool down. Had to stick my head under a tap for a full 15 mins before I felt nearly normal again. I don't use energy dri k anymore. I Just stick to beer and pork pies.

All I seem to have learnt is take it slower, keep drinking and stop in the shade if you feel a bit odd.

I was thinking of getting one of these:

Creative Products Cool Touch Ice towel

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XKCSNRM/ ... yDb7NHRVP6

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 11:00 pm
by BigdummySteve
I find as I get older I like the heat less and less, I coped ok on the Spanish C2C but I did commit the MTB crime of wearing only Lycra :oops:
I also need lots of water, I’d fill up two big bottles compared to Duncan’s one, I’ve noticed that reg only uses one tiny bottle as well.

I’m a ‘compact’ outfit not tall at 5’ 8” but manage to pack 13 to 14 stone in, its not fat before you say !
I think you lanky folk suffer more in winter but chunky monkeys can’t shed the heat as well in summer.

I went through last winters BAM in my 500g rab bag, different body types just work better in different temperatures, personally I like it at a gentle 20 ish degrees.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 7:52 am
by Gari
I suffer really badly too, I have MS so it plays havoc with my balance, cognitive function etc.
I have bought a few Odlo Ceramicool baselayers over the past year. Originally it was as protection from midges, without too much insulation. The sales pitch mentioned cooling etc, I was pretty sceptical but figured as long as it’s not thermal.
Have to say, I’m impressed. It feels cool to the touch, even when wearing, and with a breeze across it, it’s really effective.
That said, the late 20/early 30deg we’ve had this summer have still been too much😔

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 8:11 am
by Karl
Been googling how to keep cool. Found a few clothing manufacturers using 37.5 Technology to keep your body at...you guessed it 37.5 :roll:

Anyway thinking it might be worth a try. Think it might be along the same lines as Gari's suggestion.

Here's a link to a dhb version:

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-aeron-hot- ... ve-jersey/

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 11:20 am
by Mike
chill out and leave the bike alone, stay in the shade. simply pal :-bd

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 11:23 am
by Mart
Bearbonesnorm wrote: Sun Aug 25, 2019 5:06 pm You could always just grow a pair .... and if you still get too hot, you can shave 'em :wink:
Thnaks Stu - Ive just gone all visual and its not a pretty image in my head :o

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 2:06 pm
by pistonbroke
In the interest of balance, I must say I bloody love warm weather. Before we left Sheffield I was seriously thinking that my days of long hard days in the saddle were numbered. I'd had surgery on both knees, repairs to cartilage, arthroscopy,cleaning and fettling of the joint etc. I'd been told that if I had further trouble I'd be stupid to carry on cycling, and that was from a surgeon used to repairing the pros.
Since moving here, I've done multiple long distance races, 360km in 16.5 hours, 3 trips from coast to coast 1,000km and 3 years of competing in the local mountainbike race series. The last race I did was a 44km mainly singletrack event in July. It started at 5pm as was part of a village fiesta and the temperature readout on the village farmacia read 39° as the gun went. The pace was typically fast and furious and I was neck and neck with a guy who'd narrowly beaten me at the last race so I was out for revenge. On the first serious climb I found a good line and opened up a bit of a lead, I found that despite sweating profusely, I was going well and took care to take on plenty of fluid at the feed stations. I kept the pressure on as I knew the other guy was faster on the technical stuff so could steam past at any moment. I didn't see him again until the finish and was amazed to find I'd beaten him and won the classification by 12 minutes. Just as we were getting our obligatory sausage sandwich and beer, there was a huge clap of thunder and downpour but we just stood in it as it was so refreshing.
I think that humidity has a more debilitating effect than pure temperature and keeping hydrated is key to avoiding keeling over but perhaps some of us are wired differently. Btw, 99% of my rides are done in lycra shorts and I've yet to encounter anyone pointing and laughing over here, it's just the norm.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 3:18 pm
by BigdummySteve
pistonbroke wrote: Mon Aug 26, 2019 2:06 pm . Btw, 99% of my rides are done in lycra shorts and I've yet to encounter anyone pointing and laughing over here, it's just the norm.
Aye, Lycra just works. Whey I did jogle i started with over shorts and quickly ditched them.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:49 pm
by gairym
I'm with Duncan, I love the hot weather!

Knackered joints ache less and much less hassle with cold muscles needing to be stretched etc...

But.....I'm never going flat-out and so I wonder how much of my ability to maintain my regular 'performance' in all weathers is due to the fact that I'm never doing much more than tootling in all conditions and so much less prone to overheating.

That being said once it gets up towards the late 30°s I do find the heat can be a bit much.

I'm also in the wet head coverage club.

I have a buff that I'll re-soak at every fountain I pass to get l keep my head cool and the sun from melting my brain and BBQing my neck.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:33 pm
by pistonbroke
A thought on cooling, I carry a Salomon soft flask as additional water capacity and on a recent trip I filled it up with iced water and shoved it in my jersey back pocket. It was really good at keeping my back cool and lasted quite a long time. Suppose the same would work with a Camelback but I don't wear one these days as I get backache.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 8:10 pm
by macinblack
I bought one of those hyper-kewl head caps that someone mentioned on here a few months back - Normally cycling in 30 degrees would have me feeling wretched - I used it in Hungary last week and was reasonably happy cycling fairly hefty distances and climbs in 38 degree heat - Couldn't / wouldn't have done it otherwise.

Re: Hot and bothered

Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 9:23 pm
by benp1
Currently in a tent with my daughter. It's roasting. Lying on my mat sweating abs hoping to cool down. No breeze which doesn't help Planning to use a sleeping bag liner as my bag tonight and supplement it with a poncho liner if I get too cold, which at this rate I desperately hope I will

I'm very warm blooded (though annoyingly I sleep cold), I prefer the cool or cold conditions in the UK than I do the best of the summer. My favourite family holiday was Christmas in lapland, cold is good!