Good point Bignose. I’m sure the 50 extra pounds that I’m carrying around makes my heart and lungs work harder, whether with humidity or not.
Okay, so it is normal for me to huff and puff on climbs because I’m sure I’m out of shape, and we all sweat because of working hard on climbs and obstacles, but does anyone have suggestions as to how to ride in humidity without passing out? I’ve been on a few rides lately where the humidity added another challenge to my riding that I don’t know how to deal with. I felt like I was going to throw up on our ride yesterday and couldn’t continue on the second part of our ride. I wear a hydration pack for water intake and have been using a water bottle to dose my head and upper body to keep me cool. I don’t want to forego rides because of humidity, but I might have to do that. Bring on the advice … please and thank you.
I suffer badly from humidity - my asthma is at its very worst when the temps get hot and sticky. I can suggest a few things that might help:
-DON’T use a hydration pack, put an extra bottle on your bike instead. The pack will prohibit sweat from evaporating off your back and contribute to overheating
-Allow yourself more time than usual to warm up. I find that if I build the intensity slowly when its humid my body seems to adapt much better.
-Take frequent breaks and drink lots. If you’re not using something like Cytomax or Gatorade now might be a good time to try it. On the other hand, if you are using it and you’re finding that you feel nauseous stick to plain H2O. I find I have to dilute the hell out of sports drinks or I throw them right back up. If you cant do sports drinks, try a water bottle filled with flat Coke - I’ve used it a lot in race situations and it really helps cut thirst and give you a little boost when water can’t. (I really don’t like soft drinks but this seems to work for me.)
-Try to ride early in the morning or later in the evening.
-If you find you have extra trouble breathing in the humidity I would suggest seeing your doctor to rule out asthma. Mine comes with a whole range of symptoms aside from shortness of breath and when it’s hot and humid, an asthma attack often goes hand in hand with nausea.
I guess lastly, I would suggest that if your body doesn’t cope well with certain conditions, it’s not always bad to take a break. Skip a ride and go for a swim or a hike instead - it’s all good!
Thanks Sue. Some really good advice, some things to think about, and to look into. I am feeling a little discouraged with my biking in these conditions and just need to make some better choices for myself.
Don’t let it discourage you - some people function well in heat, other people like cold. Personally I’ve come to like snowshoeing and XC skiing ALMOST as much as mountain biking because in the winter I can breathe and I can dress to be comfortable no matter how cold it gets. If you don’t deal with heat and humidity well there’s only so much you can take off. In conditions like yesterday’s I’d be way too hot even if I was naked - I always tell people that my Newfie blood boils at a lower temperature than most people’s… I think there’s some truth to that.
Heat ruined me on the weekend i’ve done a bit of asking around
and some suggestions were
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freeze half your camelbak and fill the rest wih water and let it thaw against your back … some even said under your jersey is worth a try.
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take some frozen bottles and keep spraying cold water on your head and legs… one guy suggesed your crotch as an old boxing technique between rounds
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put blocks of ice in a jersey pocket in a sock or nylon and let them thaw against you
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a female said that sports bra’s are great for holding a blcok of ice but as comfortable as I am i’m not gonna wear a sportsbra
also make sure your properly hydrated gonig into the ride
Matt, we have been putting blocks of ice in our camelbaks lately, but by the time we arrived at the trailhead in the Valley, they were melted and our water was warm. I like these suggestions. I’ve not tried putting blocks of ice in my sports bra … that might be an interesting experiment. I try to stay hydrated every day whether biking or not, but I’m sure I’m dehydrated most of the time. Thanks again.
Ride slower, and use it as a chance to take in the sights.
Ride faster, for more air flow over your body.
Ride naked… nevermind 
Latley I’ve taken up riding with a long sleeve shirt. I do this cause i dislike sunscreen and also dislike skin cancer. That being said, I think I am one of the lucky ones that is less effected by the humidity.
Another idea is to take the humidity as a cue to ride on the road where you get wind, instead of in the stuffy woods.
Hey Bignose, I try to ride at a comfortable pace, but when hills are involved, that takes a little more effort to get up them and that taxes me at the best of times, but especially in the humidity. Riding faster … hmm … if I could I would. Riding naked … not an option.
Wow, I don’t know how you can wear a long sleeve shirt in the heat. However, once it gets wet with sweat, perhaps that cools you off. It is a good idea so as to keep the sun and flies from doing damage to your skin. I thought that riding in the woods would give you some shade and coolness, but apparently, not so much.
Thanks for your input and comic relief. I may be at the ride tonight.
It might also be a damned if you do, damned if you don’t sort of thing. Maybe this is why Triathalons were invented.
Matt, we have been putting blocks of ice in our camelbaks lately, but by the time we arrived at the trailhead in the Valley, they were melted and our water was warm. I like these suggestions. I’ve not tried putting blocks of ice in my sports bra … that might be an interesting experiment. I try to stay hydrated every day whether biking or not, but I’m sure I’m dehydrated most of the time. Thanks again.
if your traveling a good distance maybe put your camelbak in a cooler along with the ice add it at the last minute and hopefully not all the ice will be melted.
Matt, once I responded to your comments, I thought the same thing that it would be a good idea to put the camelbak’s in a cooler to keep the ice from melting. It does make a big difference to drink, or dose yourself, with cool water, as opposed to warm. We’ll see what we can do tonight to stay cool.
I wonder if skinny people get bothered by humidity and its related to carrying around extra pounds at all.