| Cycle Touring Health & Medical Issues |
| Cycle Touring Health | Hot Climates |
Cycling in the heat at home is hard enough.
Pedaling an overloaded bike on bad roads in a
humid, tropical country where clean water is
precious and long clothing to protect against the
sun a necessity, can drive the cycling adventurer
to abandon his journey.
Here are a few tips that have helped us to keep
cycling in hot climates.
Pedaling an overloaded bike on bad roads in a
humid, tropical country where clean water is
precious and long clothing to protect against the
sun a necessity, can drive the cycling adventurer
to abandon his journey.
Here are a few tips that have helped us to keep
cycling in hot climates.
- Start early: In Southeast Asia we would
begin riding the moment the sun appeared
just before six in the morning.
- Wear thin, loose, light colored, vented
clothing that covers against the sun. We
found that cotton becomes drenched and
sticks to the skin while some of the better
synthetic travel shirts allow air to flow
through vents in the back.
- Rest frequently: Set a stopwatch to beep as
a periodic reminder to stop at a shady place
and drink.
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol: They act as a
diuretic and will make the hydration problem
worse.
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals.
- Use prickly heat powder. It really does help
keep you feeling cool.
Cycle Touring Health & Safety > Hot Climates
| A shady rest stop in Laos. |
