AN EXPERT’S TAKE ON… DEFEATING THE HEAT.

This article from Cycling Weekly discusses the effects of heat on cycling performance and provides strategies for staying cool during rides. The heat affects performance by making it harder to lose excess heat generated by the body, leading to increased sweating. Each cyclist experiences heat differently, with larger and more powerful riders being more affected. Heat tolerance can be trained through heat acclimation, which involves training in hot environments or using saunas to raise core temperatures. Excessive heat can be risky, causing dehydration, impaired performance, and heat illness. Dehydration affects performance when fluid deficits reach 2.5% or more of body weight. Pre-loading with fluid, drinking to thirst, and monitoring sweat rates are important for hydration. Electrolyte tabs are not usually necessary unless sweat losses are large. Strategies for staying cool include heat acclimation, using ice vests or wet towels before riding, pouring water over oneself during the ride, and drinking to thirst. Extracted from the article