As the Tour de France faces increasingly extreme temperatures, staying cool has become just as important as training hard. In this video, we dive into the science of core body temperature and explain why even a one-degree rise can cause a massive drop in your cycling performance. We head to the French Alps to put pro-level cooling strategies to the test to see exactly how much faster you can go when you keep your temperature under control.
Chapters: ⏱️
00:00 – The Heat of the Tour de France
01:07 – Why Core Temperature is Critical
01:56 – Science: How Heat Affects Performance
03:10 – How Pros Monitor Their Temperature
04:00 – The Experiment: Col de la Sarenne
05:05 – Run 1: Climbing Without Cooling
08:56 – Pro Cooling Strategies Explained & Pre-Cooling with Ice and Slushies
12:00 – Run 2: Climbing with Cooling Tactics
16:47 – The Results: Does Cooling Work?
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What is your go-to strategy for staying cool on a blistering summer ride? Have you ever tried pre-cooling with an ice slushy, or do you prefer the classic “bottle of water over the head” technique? Let us know in the comments below! 👇
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48 Comments
What is your go-to strategy for staying cool on a blistering summer ride? Have you ever tried pre-cooling with an ice slushy, or do you prefer the classic "bottle of water over the head" technique? Let us know in the comments below! 👇
I wonder why it's getting hotter? Could climate change be the reason?
I love it when Dr Bridgewood applies the imvestigative and presentation skills he honed in graduate school to make the nature of cycling accessible to all. Do as much as you see fit.
There was research that eating an ice pole cools you down! Lol
The color on that bike frame is fab
When yall complain about heat in Celsius come talk to me in Fahrenheit makes more sense !
The tricks Ollie proposes do work, but cannot replace proper preparation. You need to be comfortable with riding in high temperatures first, especially if you live in a colder climate and suddenly move to a hotter environment for an event. Going as early as possible to the conditions to be expected for the event is key, as I see it.
Wearing a light color long sleeve jersey under the brutal sun is quaite good. Recently was searching a way to ease summer rides for myself, found a not expensive running shirt from Decathlon. I'd say it was a discovery of the year for me.
Usually I suffer a lot more with my arms in sweat and sunscreen with regular cycling jersey. Espoecially when most of them are dark or even black, which increases the temperature a lot.
We won nothing in 1945.
We lost everything.
We just didn't know it yet.
Where does the myth "animals don't sweat" come from and why is it so persistent that even academics like Olli still fall to it?
Yes it is true that SOME animals don't sweat and humans do sweat more than most (so it is also true, that this a big advantage in endurance feats when comparing humans to animals), but most mammals do also sweat!!!
And a few minutes later he is "sweating like a race horse" – hilarious 😂
But still: nice video! I don't want to rant about that…
Last year at the end of the Marmmotte the water being sprayed over the riders was extremely needed. My core temp was 38.8 with the ambient at 36°c and it 100% had a negative effect.
But my question is: when and how do they reapply sunscreen? In a 6 hour ride they would need at least 2 reapplications, but more with all the sweat and water to cool down. And do they use 50+ spf?
Seriously, this question I had watching every tdf etappe and again now with the tdff etappes.
Nice one
Richie Cunningham clone, ehh…😂
Calipos, frozen peas and a few icecubes.
If Temu were to start a race team…
Jonas/Visma did NOT pay attention to. Maybe Jonas runs cooler anyway but even a little bit like Pogacar and all the jokes he doesn’t sweat well at the end it did matter!
You really are colour blind Ollie, no one without perfect eyesight would knowingly choose a bike in that horrid colour!
Very educational and fun video (although maybe not so fun for Ollie . . .).
If you're competing it helps if the cool down methods are disposable or VERY light weight. I have a cooling vest but when it's loaded up with the rectangular ice packs it does keep you VERY cool, but it's also VERY heavy. And this is hard to explain but when it's very hot it feels like my brain does NOT want me to push while cycling. I wonder if the heat sets it into "self preservation mode?" Thank you, Ollie. Super interesting video.
There's something oddly interesting in having a GCN presenter with a doctorate in chemistry. The explanations just become meatier and yet make more sense.
I think the rain gods interpret Ollie riding a bike as a rain dance 😂
You just sold a ton of frozen peas
Imagine Ollie’s parents being told, after he got his freaking PHD, I’m gonna do bikes!
loved 6:25
I did a ride with my club on a day with temperatures in the high 90sF. I watched one of the riders dousing his feet with water from a gas station spigot. “Cool off them dogs,” he exclaimed. I tried it and it worked!
Meanwhile in Australia, middle of winter. How do I stay warm it’s 16°c
how in gods name can you or any company justify over £100 for a jersey ????
How I keep cool you ask? I ride in Scotland – lucky to have 18 degrees
My number one tip, replace your water bottles with an insulated flask. Not the normal flexible ones, get the steel rigid ones. Camelbak has one of those that can fit a bottle cage. Fill it up with ice cubes, and those cubes can last the whole day even after a some refills.
You lose out of getting to quickly squeeze out water for a drink, but Im never going back to drinking warm water in 40c weather.
(also, incase you got a flask that cant fit a bottlecage, get a stem bag/feed bag.)
Crazy result. Thanks for doing this! 🙂
Sunrise/sunset rides for the win!
I grew up where it was quite hot so maybe my background. Every 5 year old knew these techniques of cooling except no ice vests but ice down the shirt.
But come on, where was the science. You never mention the use of something like graphene in the skin suits? Maybe look at long distance triathlons, the tri-suits are using such tech and it helps.
BTW wasn't there a short rain shower in the second ride? That would have contributed to the lower core temp do the comparison not quite 1 to 1.
Sort of not so good one this time
A lot of medications, particularly those for mental health can impact how susceptible you are to heat and make it harder to cool off
12:44 from now on, I'll consider rain during a ride as "exogenous sweat!"
what about the ineos arm bath?
thats a cheap and easy solution
(edit: nvm was adressed)
Great video! I live in the US in the south, so I completely understand the need to make accommodations for high heat, including some of the tricks you listed here. For instance, at a recent event where temperatures reached 38C, the organizers had rest stops where you could get an ice pack to put down the back of your jersey, similar to those used by the pros. It allowed me to finish the fondo.
Does anyone else get stomach cramps while drinking ice water?
Science does not tell us about the long-term damage these athletes might suffer.
I find it concerning; simply changing the racing period would suffice.
Would love some on screen conversion of measurement for those of us that only speak in freedom units.
Oli Fonzareli Bridgewood.
AZ checking in. That's not hot. It was 106* here at night on my 40 mile ride and was 118* today. Two people died hiking a local trail last week in this heat. You guys want to heat adapt, come visit for a ride, if you dare.
I have to say Ollie with your new found muscle and now dousing yourself with water you could be the new Diet Coke guy. You had me in a sweat! 🤣Another excellent video guys.
This is a true although gross comment from my doctor. If you want to wake up fast use adrenaline. Like putting cold water to your face or better yet crotch. I can testify that cold water in the testies works. A little too well 😅 I have swam in ice water and you climb out of the water with smaller balls😂 You absolutely feel fresher but in a harsh way like brain freeze. Front side of the neck and inside of the wrists have lots of veins in the surface so those places are the best for applying cold water. For dropped body temp.
Always would put o e frozen bottle of mixed high carb electrolytes at race transitions for triathlons and by time I got to it I was pleased that it was a nice cool slushy. Many triathletes have place cools and water and ice into shorts as there was research that said cooling your lower extremity and niblits helped. Not sure if it did but sure took your mind off the heat.
Soak your jersey in water. Fountain, sink etc. I was in +40 Deg C recently and that was good. Obviously pouring water over yourself or using ice.
Boy howdy does temp make a huge difference. I inadvertently did a real world test last week I did two different rides with both having an average speed of 14.2mph/23kmh and mostly on the same roads. The first one was a 70mile/112km ride on Sunday in 95F/35C heat and my average HR was 134pbm with half the ride in zones 2 and 3. On Friday, I rode 85miles/137km at 70F/21C in a constant rain and my average HR was 97bpm and I was only in zone 2 for about an hour, the remaining 5 hours were in no zone or zone 1!
That is actually a great video. Thank you for this experiment.
🇧🇷 Aqui no Brasil, eu saio com 2 garrafas!
Uma Congelada totalmente e outra metade congelada e completo na saída com Água Gelada. Consigo água fresca por todo o Treino de 2 horas!