This week on the RAGBRAI Training Blog, Coach David Ertl tells us how to handle the heat.
It’s hard to believe that RAGBRAI LII will be upon us in two short months. I hope you are getting out on your bike and getting some miles in. If you are, keep stepping up the mileage each week. If not, you really need to get started, now. It takes time to build endurance – remember, there is no cramming in cycling!
If you are experienced meaning you’ve done RAGBRAI in past years, you know what’s in store and hopefully you know how much riding you need to do in preparation. Having done it in the past, your body will remember to some degree which will make it easier to prepare again this year, but you still need to put in the miles.
If you haven’t done it before, and are behind in your training, I’d still recommend going by this year’s training plan, but you will want to ramp up the mileage a little more aggressively each week, to catch up.
The heat is on
This past week it is feeling a little more like summer than spring here in Iowa. The temps are rising and will continue to rise until about the third week of July. For some reason, RAGBRAI always picks the hottest time of the year to do its ride, so you need to be prepared for the heat. Perhaps you live someplace warmer than Iowa and have already been experiencing hot weather. That’s a good thing, as you can acclimate to warm temperatures. Here are some tips for dealing with hot temperatures while riding.
Ride when it’s hot out
I know a lot of folks like to get out and do their riding early in the morning in the summer to avoid the heat and that is understandable. But I’m going to tell you to make sure you do some of your riding during the heat of the day. Unless you get up really early in the morning and ride really fast, you are going to end up having to ride in the heat during RAGBRAI so you need to be prepared. If you do all your training in the cool mornings, you will never give your body a chance to get used to the heat. So make sure at least some of your rides are during the middle of the day.
Wear light clothing
The good thing about cycling is you generate your own breeze. Even if there is no wind (yea, right), you create your own by riding. If you ride at 15 mph on a still day, you get a 15 mph breeze to help cool you off. If you’ve ridden on a really hot day and have to stop for a stop light, you notice immediately how much hotter it is standing still.
But your clothing can make a big difference too. Today’s cycling apparel is engineered to be light and evaporate perspiration quickly, especially with a breeze. So I highly recommend wearing cycling shorts and jerseys to aid in this cooling effect. Wearing a t-shirt made of cotton will cling to your skin and not dry very fast when cycling. Also, wear lighter colored clothing. Wearing dark jerseys will absorb the sunlight and heat you up quickly. On hot, sunny days, opt for lighter colors.
Find shade or water to cool off
In Iowa there aren’t a lot of trees, especially out in the country. The biggest trees you will find are corn plants. So you are going to spend a lot of time riding out in the sun. But if you find yourself getting overheated, you can find some shade and you should take advantage of it. A breeze, even when it’s 90 degrees (F), can feel refreshing when in the shade.
Also, when you are riding in the sun and heat, dousing yourself with some water from your water bottle can feel mighty refreshing. Even if it is warm water, it feels good. Pour it right over your head, down your back and on your legs. Just make sure it’s water and not Gatorade. When on RAGBRAI, many towns will have hoses out where you can ride through a mist. There is nothing that feels better!
Drink water too
And don’t just pour the water over your head, make sure you keep drinking when it’s hot. Perspiration cools you off as it evaporates. Unfortunately, when it is really humid as it can get in Iowa in July, perspiration doesn’t evaporate very quickly and the sweat just drips off of you. But you still need to keep drinking to continue to cool yourself off and to stay hydrated. Dehydration can cause fatigue so keep drinking. Water is best although if you use a sports drink, that’s okay too as it will provide some electrolytes.
Continue to ride, and get out there and start building your heat tolerance. The heat is on!
Coach David Ertl
Find All 2025 Training Blogs
Find all of Coach Ertl’s Training Blogs, as well as the 2025 Training Plan in our Training section on RAGBRAI.com.
David Ertl is a USA Cycling Advanced Certified Coach. He coaches individual cyclists through the Peaks Coaching Group www.peakscoachinggroup.com/davidertl . Ertl also provides cycling training plans and ebooks at his website: www.CyclesportCoaching.com. He can be contacted at [email protected].
