Long ride with extreme heat
Alright, trying to determine what is better. Tomorrow is projected to have a heat index in excess of 110 degrees.
Ride on plan, week 10, Full Iron Bike Focused, is 4 hours, opening with 2 x 45' (15') Sweet Spot, then 2 x 30' (10') Z3, finishing with a Z1 to Z2 effort till the end. Thats not happening obviously.
So, the question is, do I just do a Z1/Z2 steady ride as best able in the conditions, or ride Zwift in what will also be a hot as can be garage with only some fans to provide some cooling but be able to mix in some higher watt intervals? Last weekend was hot, but not nearly as hot and I still had to dial the effort way back on the trainer because of the heat in the garage. I'm leaning toward riding outside at a steady effort and mixing in some short strava segment efforts and hill climbs and seeing how it goes. Whats the EN Hive Mind say?
Comments
I assume you're already doing all you can to minimize the heat while riding outdoors: leave @ the crack of dawn (coldest time of day); find a ride with potential shade; avoid climbs.
That said, I've found that riding/training in the heat is less problematic than running. We're going, say, 20 mph, which creates a bit of a wind chill, certainly better than one can achieve with fans in the garage. My inclination would be to start out trying the sweet spot interval, and watching HR, using that as a rein to stop or slow you down. The problem begins when you enter the recovery phase. Do whatever you need to during those 15' to get core temp down: lie under a tree, pour water over head, hydrate! It might be best stage from a spot where your maximum ride before re-accessing a cooler with more water and fuel is 1 hour long, instead of trying to do four hours with stops at stores, not having access to copious water for drink and cooling.
@Al Truscott
Thanks Al.
I ride a 33 mile loop and swap bottles each loop. It has very little shade and flat land is not to be found around here. But the loop has no serious climbs. Never need the little ring.
Much like running, the conundrum is which is worse, blazing heat, or oppressive humidity. At 6:30-7:00 when I start, it will be 85 with humidity between 95-100%. Personally, I almost find the humidity worse. If I ride outside, I'll probably drop to Level 1, which has the sweet spot intervals at 30'.
And starting/finishing at my car each loop I get to have a cooler of whatever I want to drink, pour on myself, eat, etc... Also, I park at Jordan Lake right next to the water so I can literally go jump in the lake. Which is one reason I really like that route, cause I regularly finish my rides that way.
But having a large family event in the afternoon puts me on a little bit of a tight time schedule so the time savings of the trainer is attractive, and can do Sunday's ABP ride outdoors without a care for time or schedule.
Gonna get up early, knock out the pre-bike run, eat and make a decision.
@Brian Terwilliger, I feel your pain! On Saturday, I punted and did a group ride to share the pain. I thought the weather was more tolerable yesterday, but then again, I wasn't looking forward to a brick run.