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25 Comments
Anyone who enjoys cycling in 85-95 degree weather needs to have their head checked.
Right on Chris! Careful, careful! No zero to hero!
On a technical note: Heat should be measured by the "heat index" which accounts for humidity. https://www.weather.gov/ama/heatindex
As someone who lives in the tropics, where the heat index is often around 120 when I'm riding in the afternoon, I know how high humidity can reduce your cooling rate by reducing evaporation rate. Over here, except for early in the morning or after 6 in the evening, cycling or swimming are about the only things you should do strenuously…Cycling gives you enough airflow to help evaporate your sweat and swimming of course puts you in a heat absorptive bath.
Cyclists in drier climes (like Central-Eastern Oregon) have the opposite problem: an excessive rate of evaporation. Either way, the body is going to need plenty of water AND (Don't forget!) electrolytes (sodium and potassium especially), either to replace the sweat that it produces but that doesn't evaporate in a humid clime or that does evaporate rapidly in a drier one. As for quality of heat training, the humid situation may be a little better since it tends to build up your core temperature due to lack of evaporation…So, if you're not in a humid clime, doing some training in a small room where humidity will build up as you sweat or wearing some clothing that keeps the sweat from evaporating will substitute.
Love all your videos enjoy the tactics but really want to see more training videos….
❤
I didn’t know heat training increases your hematocrit values. That’s really interesting to me. I wonder what the mechanism is? Altitude is obvious, the oxygen concentration is lower so your body compensates by making more red blood cells. Heat is not so obvious.
Very insightful video, thank you.
Tw@
Agree. After moving to the Philippines in 2017, I ride, train and race (sometimes) in the heat. In the dry season here (Dec-May) it is normal to see temps of over 90 by 9am and over 100 by 10am with the sun straight up in the sky (no shade). Luckily, those temps usually mean almost zero wind here. After 11 am my Garmin or Wahoo will register temps over 110 degrees on hot days. I've learned to get ahead on hydration and to plan long rides to finish by noon. Typical weight loss is 5 lbs on a 4 hr ride (175lb rider) with intake of 3-4 liters. On occasions where I miscalculated, I've seen speed and power drop off to almost nothing in the final hour of a 7 hour ride.
Heat training helps acclimatize, and helps in performance if you head back to cooler temps when looking to realize those performance gains. But always training and racing in the heat month after month can really zap your body and lead to exhaustion quickly. Still, I would pick hot over cold any day. If I could choose the perfect temps to ride in year round it would 60-65 degrees, low humidity and no wind – but that place exists in my cycling dreams.
I rode up Newport Coast today. I’m ready coach
Hell yeah!!! Palomar at 105f is epic🤘😆🤘
Heat is one thing. Heat + humidity is another.
One thing is the acclimation. Another thing is the effects on hemoglobin mass, so it might be worthwhile even when competing in the cold.
And visma probably did heat inside at altitude as well as Pogacar 😅
I'm glad this info is getting out. I've been on the trainer in a hoodie for years, now. While probably not totally ideal, I've always found it better than sitting with a fan in the AC
Thank you Chris for reminding everyone that the best option is (for most people) to go out and ride their bikes. It is funny (or painful) to see all these pals trying to emulate what the pro are doing to reach absolute top fitness while they don't even train 10 hours a week. It's one thing for a serious amateur training 20h or more a week to start thinking about marginal gains like natural ways to increase epo production, hemoglobin mass and other. But for the other 90% of the amateur riders, just work on getting the basis right and ride your bike outside. GCN and alike clearly does not help in this though…
As a person who spent most of his adult life in tropical heat, and a minor part in cold climates, I completely agree with you. One suggestion though, depending on the level of fitness, people should start with shorter sessions of heat training; there is no point in starting with a full hour sessions in those severe temperatures. The same goes for riders who have been training in mild climates, including high altitude training, they have to gradually expand the time training in extreme heat. But all those considerations should be included in an adequate training schedule.
Not training in the heat is worse than training in the heat for sure. Imagine relaxing in 40C/105F and up… no way. I haven't even begun about sleeping.
Don't talk to me about AC's 😀
i don t watch gcn ! the sun is shining ! njoylife
I live in the Midwest where a typical summer day is 98 degrees with 99 percent humidity. This is the best time of year in the training regiment to be "insulation challenged". I also have specific light riding clothes. But most of all I tell people that the key to surviving in the heat, whether you are working on your car, mowing the grass, or out on a century bike ride is staying AHEAD of your hydration and using a good sunscreen to not get sunburned. Once you get sunburned your skin exponentially loses its ability to dissipate heat and you are literally toast.
I might never get used to the heat, Chris. In Belgium, it never gets +109 F. It's more like 95 F, and that's on a very hot day during the summer's. I prefer more chilly weather (not rain) to ride.
EXTREME DANGER to exercise in heat above 95 degrees and high humidity. I am a certified outdoor wilderness paramedic. Skin temperature is 95 F. In high humidity zero evaporation. This means you have NO WAY to cool down. Exercising in these conditions causes heat stroke and death. If you become irritable confused and or uncoordinated stop immediately jump into cold water and or get help asap. Death is imminent. Chris you are not qualified to discuss this topic. You are giving advice that causes death. If you exercised in these temps over 100 and very low humidity and stayed hydrated it was still extremely dangerous
Heat is one thing…humidity is another.
I think it should be a combo of both heat and altitude. Especially if your riding into the mountains at 2,000m where the air is thinner. You have to train for what your going to race in. And Yes ALWAYS be careful!
….and Chris when are you and i going to coach a pro team?😂 Your tactics and knowledge,experience is amazing!
This summer in Southern and Eastern Europe it was either heat training or no training at all man…😂
Not mad about it to be honest, too exhausting…
That GCN bit was very interesting- particularly the increase in hemoglobin as the result of heat training. My rule is never run out of water. In hot weather, I'll drain about a liter an hour so I carry two large bike bottles and stop for water if i run out. Also, we now know, thanks to ultra endurance athletes, that so-called "junk miles" in zone 2 are what actually does the most benefit for endurance.