Road bike training in summer: 7 practical tips

On a warm day, many cyclists will wonder why they have such “bad legs” when riding, not realizing that it is mainly the heat that is causing their body to decline. It is common for aerobic performance to decrease by as much as 15% when cycling in the heat, so learning to cope with this is one of the biggest improvements you can make this summer.

To keep an eye on the heat, it’s helpful to enter the “current temperature” data field on your bike computer. If you see that number rise above 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit), you can expect a drop in your power output, an increase in your usual heart rate, or the feeling of having a “bad day” on the bike.

As the weather warms up, it’s tempting to avoid riding on hot days altogether, or to avoid the hottest part of the day. In the short term, this is a safe approach if your body isn’t used to riding in the heat. But your body is amazingly adaptable, and through the process of “heat acclimation,” your ability to tolerate riding in hot temperatures can be drastically improved.

So, if you’re riding at a more steady pace in the heat to acclimatize, the question becomes: when is the best time for my hard rides or workouts? The answer is: when the temperature is cooler. In the summer, this is often early in the morning.

As we ride in the heat more often, most of us know we need to drink more fluids to compensate. Interestingly, however, this is compounded by the heat acclimation process, which can increase your body’s ability to produce sweat and reduce the time it takes you to sweat. All the more reason to pay attention to your hydration.

The old rule of “drink when thirsty” still applies, both during the day and during cycling training. In summer, the increased sweat production increases your thirst, so one of the challenges is simply to carry enough fluids on your bike so that you always have access to water when you are thirsty. It is also a good idea to choose a route with regular water stops, switch to larger 800-1000ml bottles or use a hydration pack.

When you ride or race in the heat, you have a harder time recovering from hard efforts. Any major effort or increase in power will raise your core temperature, which your body will have a harder time bringing down compared to the same effort in cool conditions.

One of the main ways your body cools down when you exercise is through evaporative cooling, which occurs when the wind blows on your sweaty skin. When you ride up a climb more slowly, there is much less wind available for this cooling. This can be useful if you are intentionally doing a heat acclimation ride, but generally it is more comfortable to stay cool when cycling or doing a more intense workout.

If you can’t avoid the heat and still want to perform at your best, there are a few tricks to keep cool. The more skin you leave exposed, the better. Take off the hat under your helmet if you’re wearing one, unzip your jersey and wear shorter, thinner cycling socks. But be careful, you can’t get sunburnt!

The color of your cycling clothing, shoes and helmet also makes a big difference. White, yellow, orange and gray reflect heat away from your skin better. Red is in the middle of the pack in terms of reflectivity. Dark blue, black and dark green absorb heat and should be avoided in hot weather.

Riding in the heat is simply harder on the body than in cooler temperatures. Be sure to keep an eye on the hotter days and factor them into how much time you give your body to rest during the week.

A week of 8 hours of driving during a hot summer week will require more recovery than the same length of driving during winter/spring. This rule also applies to a single drive – a 3-hour drive that you would normally recover from in one day may take 2 days in hot weather.

Even a simple 5-point morning rating or your mood, sleep quality and energy levels can be helpful in determining how well your body has recovered from riding in hot weather the previous day.