Touring in the Heat

During winter the maximum day time temperature is normally around 21 degrees, and the minimum overnight occasionally gets to zero degrees. This is only for 3 months of the year at best. The rest of the year, people from cooler climates may find the weather hot! The following is advice only, and is not to be taken as formal medical advice. These are only recommendations and some things that I do when cycling in the heat.

Firstly I would like to revisit heatstroke. Make sure that you know what the symptoms of heatstroke are. Heatstroke is serious and can be fatal. Continual exposure to high temperatures and insufficient fluid intake can leave you vulnerable. The symptoms are:

• General feeling of being unwell;
• Not sweating very much or not at all, even though it is hot;
• high body temperature of 39 Degrees to 41 C (102 F to 106 F);
• The skin may be flushed and red;
• Severe throbbing headaches; and
• lack of coordination.

Cycling in 44 degree heat is not advisable, even if you are used to it. During the heat of the day, take cover in any shade that you can find. The best times to cycle are early in the morning and late in the afternoon. If in the outback, cycling at night by the light of the stars is also an experience.

During the heat of the day, if there are no trees, a lot of the highways have drainage tunnels (culverts) under them. Some of them may only be wide enough to squeeze into. Keep an eye out for any snakes, but it's a good opportunity to get out of the sun and heat, and grab some sleep. Even sleeping under a picnic table is fine.

Most people when cycling in the extreme heat sweat a lot. This can result in a lot of cramps, and not whilst riding the bike either. You can be plagued with cramps at night whilst trying to sleep. This is usually caused by a drop on Magnesium levels. I purchase a bottle of Magnesium Phosphate supplement tablets from the supermarket. In extreme heat I put 2 of these in my mouth in the morning and let them dissolve, and then drink some water. Sometimes, I'll also use them at night. Since I discovered these, I have had no more problems with cramps.

Cycling in the heat also causes problems with chafing on certain parts of the body. Even with proper cycling knicks on the problem can still occur. I use an athletes anti chafing wax called bodyglide. Its in a dispenser like underarm deodorant and you just apply it to the areas likely to be affected.

Fluid intake is also important. My old bike was rigged to carry 12 litres of water. Four litres of that was in my hydro pack on my back. I had fitted two bladders, both capable of holding 2 litres each. You need to sip at least every 15 minutes whether you feel thirsty or not. The best way to check your hydration levels, is by the colour of your urine. If it's dark in colour, you have not been drinking enough. If its clear then your hydration levels are OK. Do not drink tea or coffee, as these are diuretics and cause you to lose fluid.

In the hot sun of summer, you can get sunburnt in 15 minutes. I cover up as much as possible. I coat the front and back of my legs in sunblock lotion and wear a UV protector cycling shirt with long sleeves. This wicks the sweat away, and protects against the sun. I also apply sunblock lotion to the part of my hands where there is a gap in my gloves, and also all over my face where the sunglasses don't cover. Pay particular attention to your nose, as your sunglasses reflect sunlight onto your nose.

On my head I wear a helmet, but I need to protect my ears and the back of my neck. I wear one of the pictured hats with the rear flap that covers my neck. It also aids in visibility. The other thing is that the hat is fitted with a towelling strip along the forehead to stop the sweat from running down into your eyes. The white material on the top of the hat is full of cooling holes, but its also easy to wet the hat and put it on. The top of the hat also protected me once when I rode through a bee swarm and the bees went through the vents in my helmet. This style of hat is a cycling hat because the visor will bend in an impact, whereas normal caps' visors don't. This style of hat also does not have a little button on the top, which can cause damage in an accident.

The other thing to note is in Australia most bicycling equipment is sold in the colour black. In the hot sun of summer, black panniers and bags absorb a lot of heat. Even my old Hydro Pack was black and the water used to heat up. Since changing to yellow panniers, and a bright color hydro pack, I haven't had this problem, so if you are planning a trip in Western Australia in summer, when you order your panniers and bags, order any colour except black. It also aids in making you more visible to motorists.