cycling in the heat

littleknown

anyone have any experience cycling in the sun, currently in spain and the heat today must have been near 40 with no wind, was really tough going, only managed about 3 hours but luckily thats all i had planned for today, does it get easier ?? anyone know of any good clothes for sunny climes?

im sweating just thinking about it:pac:

petethedrummer

Never cycled in that kind of heat but I do play indoor soccer in an unventilated hall which turns into a sauna. I like these nike pro tops for any sort of sport. And cos I don't like cycling jerseys or the straps from bib shorts next to my skin for some weird reason.

Cycle at night or early morning?

Caroline_ie

i cycled last august back home in the south of France and it was hot ... I was going out early in the morning at 7am to avoid the heat ... but it was still hotter than the hottest day in Ireland

littleknown

that was evening time from around 6, today was a hot day though but still i figure you must be able to get used to it. didnt really hit me until i stopped. cant get out early morning so its evenings until the weekend, i use one of those nike pro tops and they are great alright, highly recommended, thinking of ditching the helmet, shoes too seem to be way to hot but cant ditch them so easily

Gavin

littleknown wrote: »

that was evening time from around 6, today was a hot day though but still i figure you must be able to get used to it. didnt really hit me until i stopped. cant get out early morning so its evenings until the weekend, i use one of those nike pro tops and they are great alright, highly recommended, thinking of ditching the helmet, shoes too seem to be way to hot but cant ditch them so easily

Go the way of Blorg! Sandals. Lots of water and salt obviously, you want to keep sweating to try and cool you down.

paddy's hill

Lots of sun cream and drink lots of water. It is compulsory under Spanish law to wear a helmet.

Morgan

I went mtbing in the Sierra Nevada in June - it averaged 42 degrees every day.

As long as you keep moving you shouldn't feel the heat too much (climbs can be tough). Wear a light-coloured jersey if you have one. P20 sunscreen is highly recommended too. Keep drinking - either a small Camelbak or refill your bottles regularly. Take a rehydration drink in the evening when you get home (some electrolytes in your water bottles would help too). A sweatband under your helmet will stop the sweat streaming into your eyes. Also, my girlfriend bought me one of these and it actually does keep you a bit cooler.

blorg

I'm quite familiar with those sort of temperatures, in Spain quite a bit and more recently in Sardinia- not _quite_ as hot there but it did hit 40 one day.

I am pretty well adapted to it and it doesn't bother me so much. The sandals help if your feet tend to swell but I can do it in shoes at a push. I do have an excellent Descente Coolmatic jersey which is really effective. Full zip is a must.



Apart from that I would advise you rearrange your schedule- last time I did the Camino it was end August/early September and into the 40s daily. We ended up getting up and setting out just before dawn and got some good cycling in then. Thing is, it never really cools down that much after lunch so you are best off in the very early morning.

Regarding the helmet, I've never worn a helmet in Spain and never had a problem. I gather they stop roadies training more than touring cyclists (although I have been helmetless as a roadie training too.) You are legally allowed take it off if you are going up a hill too BTW.

paddy's hill

Naas cycling club raced in Pyrenees at 34c in the shade. apparently it was 41c on Tourmalet.
http://www.velopeloton.com/what's%20new.htm

Very good tip Blorg, a full zip is great.

Chips Lovell

1. Caroline's tip is good. Leaving at 7am or so will mean you can get a good long spin in before the worst of the heat hits. If you are one of those people who thinks that getting up that early while on holiday is sheer lunacy, then consider this: wouldn't you rather be sleeping a siesta after your lunch than sweating it out in the heat of the afternoon? When in Rome and all that...

2. It's the kind of climate where 750ml bidons aren't a waste of space, so get yourself some of them if you don't have them already. I've sometimes gone through two of these before hitting the next bar or petrol station.

3. Put your bidons in the freezer overnight. Nice and cool water to sip, at least in the first part of the spin.

4. Small towns in Spain (at least the part I'm familiar with) sometimes have a public fountain/tap in the middle. Great for refilling the bottles and cooling down by putting your head under the water.

5. As Blorg said, full zip jerseys are great, especially on the climbs.

6. Don't faff around and keep moving. The only time I ever really suffered in the heat in Spain was when we had multiple punctures in our group and there was a lot of standing around on the side of the road.

blorg

el tonto wrote: »

3. Put your bidons in the freezer overnight. Nice and cool water to sip, at least in the first part of the spin.

And if getting your bottles bidons refilled in cafes/bars (which they will generally do for free if you buy a coffee) ask them to fill them up with ice, this actually keeps the water cold for a bit even on the bike.

sy

All good tips here. Spend my summers in France so love the heat.
Early start is essential as max temp is usually about 4pm, as tonto said, better sipping a nice pastis in the afternoon than suffering heat stroke.
Descente Coolmatic as recommended by Blorg is teriffic jersey in heat and I would also recommend buying one insulated bidon as your second bottle and fill with ice.(They are reduced in volume due to the cavity but who wants to drink water at 45 C.)
You will acclimatise if you are there long enough but there are unfortunately some people who's internal thermostat is only programmed for temperate climates.(I'm married to one such person!);)

tomasrojo

paddy's hill wrote: »

Lots of sun cream and drink lots of water. It is compulsory under Spanish law to wear a helmet.

Well, it's compulsory between cities. In cities, it isn't. The Spanish law also has some wiggle room, in that it allows you not to wear the helmet on prolonged climbs or in extreme heat.

It's a rather vague law, and I understand that it isn't heavily enforced.

tomasrojo

This is a translation of the relevant part of the law:
"Bicyle drivers and, where relevant, occupants will be obliged to use officially approved or certified protective helmets according to the legislation in force when they travel on interurban roads, except on prolonged ascents or for proven medical reasons or in conditions of extreme heat.
Bicycle drivers in competition and professional cyclists will be governed by their own rules, whether during training or competition."

http://www.ecf.com/files/2/12/16/071203_three_years_of_mandatory_cycle_helmet_use_in_spain-ECF.pdf

Jawgap

Where can I get a bidon like this ?

paddy's hill

tomasrojo wrote: »

This is a translation of the relevant part of the law:
"Bicyle drivers and, where relevant, occupants will be obliged to use officially approved or certified protective helmets according to the legislation in force when they travel on interurban roads, except on prolonged ascents or for proven medical reasons or in conditions of extreme heat.
Bicycle drivers in competition and professional cyclists will be governed by their own rules, whether during training or competition."

http://www.ecf.com/files/2/12/16/071203_three_years_of_mandatory_cycle_helmet_use_in_spain-ECF.pdf

Thanks for that. I guess you can just ignore it then. I was cycling near Benidorm a few years ago, I had a helmet but my mate did't, we were pulled over by a police woman who made us go back to the hotel to get the helmet.

tomasrojo

I imagine the problem is that the police might not actually know what the letter of the law is. For example, the Spanish police seem occasionally to ticket cyclists in Madrid for the non-existent offence of not wearing a helmet in town.

I suppose as well that since the law doesn't define what a prolonged ascent is or what excessive heat is, it all becomes very subjective.

Speaking Spanish well would help enormously, I'd say.

dave2pvd

For hours in the saddle you're likely going to need factor 50 suncream. Preferably waterproof.

Water alone in the bottle is not enough. Electrolyte replacement is critical.

It's a pleasant 38 degrees here. Humid too.

littleknown

dave2pvd wrote: »

For hours in the saddle you're likely going to need factor 50 suncream. Preferably waterproof.

Water alone in the bottle is not enough. Electrolyte replacement is critical.

It's a pleasant 38 degrees here. Humid too.

what is elecrolyte replacement when its at home? anyone know where i can get one of those descente tops apart from wiggle ( they dont have any left) use factor 50 already as i burn in the shade, even need to top it up after a while.

by the way anyone know of good bike shops in madrid? im only aware of otero kalmera, and karacol which are good but seem a bit small and expensive.

littleknown

came across this for a good reducted price 40euro but a carbon fibre top? really?thought it was a joke, damn carbon getting everywhere,anyone heard of em, reckon would be good for a bit of sun?


http://www.etxeondo.com/en/catalogo.php?temp=26&cat=31&prod=96&mod=414&p=2&color=1


these are the claims that come with the top,

special conductive fibres absorb and dissipate electric charges produced and accumulated bt the external environment or during activity,

it protects the body form absorbing static energy

it lowers the concentration of factic acid,improving the circulation of the blood and oxygenates the cells.

you have to love marketing!




by the way do you usually use some type of base layer below a top such as the nike pro fit in the summer or should the top alone be enough,

thanks fellas.