Tips to stay cool and safe when cycling in the heat

It'll be news to nobody here in the UK that the sun has currently got his hat on.

It's currently 31° Celsius at Cyclingnews HQ in Bath, and temperatures are predicted to soar to the high-30s (around 100° F) for most of England in the coming days, likely hitting all-time highs since records began.

With a Red Weather Warning for 'Extreme Heat' in effect across the country, it's imperative to stay safe when going about your day-to-day business, and that might counterintuitively mean staying indoors.

Latest Videos From

Watch full video here:

Aside from a dunk in the sea – I wish I had taken up surfing as a kid – there are worse sports you can do in conditions like these. However, it's important to remain vigilant if you do choose to venture out.

As a cyclist, you're often in direct sunlight for multiple hours at a time, working hard. You might not feel as though you're sweating as much as when you go for a run or work out in the gym, but that's probably because the sweat is doing its job of cooling you down by evaporating, and thus you must remember to replace the fluids and electrolytes you're losing.

There are plenty of other things you should be doing to keep yourself safe, too. Here are nine things to think about.

Sun cream

The first line of defence against the sun's harmful rays is a good quality sunscreen with high SPF rating. The higher SPF the better, along with a liberal approach to application. Our advice is to get a sport-specific sunscreen, or at least something that's sweatproof, but don't forget to reapply every couple of hours.

Start - and stay - hydrated

You wouldn't start a long car journey with an empty fuel tank, and the same should apply to your hydration and fuel when cycling in hot weather. By drinking plenty of fluids in the 24 hours leading up to your ride, you have more fluid to help you sweat, and a bigger buffer before the wheels start falling off.

But this needs to be approached sensibly. Too much water without also eating real foods or at least supplementing electrolytes can lead to hyponatraemia, which is when the body's balance between water and sodium is disrupted and becomes overly diluted.

Alternate water and electrolytes

Connected to the above, it's important to add electrolytes to at least one of your bottles, but it can also be beneficial carrying a bottle of plain water.

Your body's natural cooling mechanism is to sweat, which takes heat away from the body as that sweat evaporates. If you feel the heat rise a little too far, pouring some of that water over your neck, back, arms or legs can help accelerate this evaporative cooling effect.

Avoid cotton, wear white

Compared to modern polyester apparel, older cotton cycling jerseys are pretty poor at aiding breathability and the sweat-wicking properties that help with your body's natural evaporative cooling techniques.

Also, on days where the sun is beating strongly, avoid black or dark clothing which absorb the sun's radiation, and instead opt for light colours or white that can reflect the sun's rays.

Time your ride, plan your route, and avoid the hottest part of the day

This is a two-in-one tip, and it falls squarely under 'avoid the heat at all costs'. In short, if you can avoid riding during the hottest part of the day, you should.

But even if getting out at 6 AM isn't feasible, you can adapt your route to ride roads that are likely to be shaded by tree cover or tall buildings, rather than heading out onto your nearest moor where roads are exposed and primed for baking in the afternoon sun.

Plan your stops

Connected to the above, consider whether your ride needs a stopping place, either at the roadside in the shade to reapply your suncream, at a petrol station for a top-up of water, or at a cafe with air conditioning to give you a chance to cool down.

Do a bit of research on places to stop, shops that'll be open, cafes that will let you lock your bike up, or ice cream vans that'll serve you up a Solero.

Take a leaf out of the pro peloton's book

Before hot race days, most pro cyclists will cut the leg off a pair of stockings, stuff it with ice cubes, tie a knot in the top and pop it inside their jersey against between their shoulder blades. This not only acts as local cooling for an area that sits in direct sunlight, but as the ice melts, the water covers the torso and evaporates, helping to keep the core temperature down.

Ice drinks

We've all heard of putting our bottles in the fridge the night before we head out, but a pro tech tip that takes this one step further is replacing that drink with an ice slushy, which does an excellent job of cooling your core temperature from the inside.

And since we don't care much for average speed on our training rides, you could even swap out your plastic bottles for stainless steel insulated bottles and keep those slushies cold for your entire ride.

Pre cooling

Pre-cooling, such as drinking an ice drink before you depart, or wearing an ice vest like the pros, can help delay the effects of the heat, simply because starting cooler means it takes your body longer to reach the sorts of temperatures that can cause issues.

This may help on shorter efforts, but it won't make much of a dent on longer rides.

Adapt to the heat in advance

It's obviously too late for anyone facing the heat this week, but as a learning ahead of next time, if you want to be able to ride well in hot weather, you'll need to adapt.

Examples of ways to do this include frequent low-level exposure to heat, such as saunas and hot baths, but also include riding indoors with the fan turned off. Of course, this should all be approached with extreme caution, because done incorrectly, it can carry the risk of hyperthermia.