Jul 18, 2016 at 05:15 PM
Start by scrolling up. There is lots of good advice.
Gatorade and typical sports drinks are pretty much only good when you're fully hydrated. When you're dehydrated, they're too thick for easy digestion. That's why Osmo and Skratch were created. All the salt and electrolytes, about half the sugar.
Likewise, the tablets from Noon, Zym, Hammer, Gu, are good for hot days. You can easily carry them in your pocket and drop them in plain water and you're good to go. I don't think they have enough in the way of electrolytes, but they're pretty good, and drinking plain water can get boring.
Pre-cool when you can. Drink cold water before going out. Then, after drying the sunscreen on your arms and legs, wet your head (if you've got hair on it) and your jersey before putting it on. Squeeze out the excess water so it doesn't drip into your chamois or shoes.
Use insulated bottles. Start with them filled with ice cubes and cold fluid. They'll eventually get to outdoor temperature, but for the first hour or so, it's a benefit.
I'm not a fan of the cooling sleeves. i think they're for dryer climates than ours. With the high humidity, your arms are covered in sweat anyways. I think the cooling sleeves work better in dry conditions where your sweat is evaporating so quickly that holding the sweat on their is cooling.
Summer jerseys do make a difference. I believe I can feel the difference between our normal jersey and the summer one. The summer skin suit is even thinner.
For the past decade, I've been going to Las Vegas in September. I test ride bikes every time. It's usually over 100 degrees and I'm out in the desert from 11-5 the first day and 8-5 the second. One year it was around 115. Basically, I'd pour a bottle of water over my head and jersey and drink a bottle of water. Have a bottle of something with me. Ride for 30 minutes and drink the bottle. Then another bottle of water over the head and jersey and drink another bottle of something. Repeat every test ride. No heat stroke there, yet.
Gatorade and typical sports drinks are pretty much only good when you're fully hydrated. When you're dehydrated, they're too thick for easy digestion. That's why Osmo and Skratch were created. All the salt and electrolytes, about half the sugar.
Likewise, the tablets from Noon, Zym, Hammer, Gu, are good for hot days. You can easily carry them in your pocket and drop them in plain water and you're good to go. I don't think they have enough in the way of electrolytes, but they're pretty good, and drinking plain water can get boring.
Pre-cool when you can. Drink cold water before going out. Then, after drying the sunscreen on your arms and legs, wet your head (if you've got hair on it) and your jersey before putting it on. Squeeze out the excess water so it doesn't drip into your chamois or shoes.
Use insulated bottles. Start with them filled with ice cubes and cold fluid. They'll eventually get to outdoor temperature, but for the first hour or so, it's a benefit.
I'm not a fan of the cooling sleeves. i think they're for dryer climates than ours. With the high humidity, your arms are covered in sweat anyways. I think the cooling sleeves work better in dry conditions where your sweat is evaporating so quickly that holding the sweat on their is cooling.
Summer jerseys do make a difference. I believe I can feel the difference between our normal jersey and the summer one. The summer skin suit is even thinner.
For the past decade, I've been going to Las Vegas in September. I test ride bikes every time. It's usually over 100 degrees and I'm out in the desert from 11-5 the first day and 8-5 the second. One year it was around 115. Basically, I'd pour a bottle of water over my head and jersey and drink a bottle of water. Have a bottle of something with me. Ride for 30 minutes and drink the bottle. Then another bottle of water over the head and jersey and drink another bottle of something. Repeat every test ride. No heat stroke there, yet.
