stay hydrated people.

[vikingGoalie]

So I know better, but other day I started off dehydrated playing a couple hours of hockey.   Then I went and shovelled/wheel barrelled a ton of rocks from front to back of the house, oh did I mention it was 90 out?    So then I had to go down to see my parents.  It's a pleasant 60ish mile jaunt, i quaff down some water, foolishly don't take extra with me and head off.

I'm an all the gear, all the time kinda rider.     My jacket is warm, but it's well vented and as long as you are moving isn't *too* bad.   My pants,  they have 2 vents in them. Don't think they actually vent jack and I can tolerate them but they are, honestly, hot as hell.

 

Anyhoo trip down is uneventful I gleefully don't see any rolling lights (no comment),   trip back.  I decide let's take the scenic route. There are some nice back roads in PA through the mountains/forests.  I've never been this way but I looked at my trusty google map pretty hard before venturing out.     Well the trip was rather enjoyable, but hit a snag. The road I wanted to go down was closed, bridge out, so followed the detour. 

Then I went off the rails I thought I could just kinda generally head a certain direction and I would hit the road I needed to hit.   But this area is littered with HUGE apple orchards that you have to go around, it wasn't high speed driving, more like 40mph and I was burning up (heat index was north of 100).  Finally I pull over into a shaded spot (hard to find in apple orchard land)  consult my google map and get sorted out. My left hip flexor is cramping  like mad, and even a day later is while a lot better is not 100%.  (note I play hockey, a lot, as a goalie, I have *very* flexible hips).

I ended up doing a giant circle (like xtra 35 miles), which normally that's kinda part of the fun of exploring while riding,  which had me in the sun a lot more and a lot slower then anticipated. 

 

All I can say is

1. wow I must be getting old.

2.  drink some damn water when you are riding.

3.  I am an idiot.

4.  cramping hip flexor's are a minor suck.

 

 

I will also say, I had a great time tooling around on my vfr.     While my wrists do get a bit sore on longer rides I love the riding position and 100% good with it stock.

For me the wrists are not about the weight/up&down angle.  My wrist  complaint  is  along the joint going to the thumb. It's that lateral angle that  can cause me grief,but... I can manage that I'm pretty much fine for a full tank of gas and at the end of it need a little break and then ok for another tank of gas....

 

I am going to take this bike cross country some day, anyhoo I'm 99% sure my cramping is hopping on my bike dehydrated when it's stupid hot out and not drinking water along the way, so moral of the story don't be like me 🙂

 

 

 

 

[TimC]

Sorry to hear about the issue.  I'm sometimes guilty of not drinking enough water during rides, but I try.

 

For me, it's usually playing hot stages inside and outside that is a problem.  (I'm a musician on the side.)  I had my first -- and only so far, thank God -- kidney stone several years ago.  I'm convinced it's because I was playing a lot of hot gigs and not hydrating enough.  I'd get dehydrated during the gig, then rehydrate at home.  Dumb.  Around the time of that kidney stone, I gave up soda.  It didn't cause that stone, but it didn't help either.  😕 

 

After that kidney stone, I started drinking more water during gigs, going so far as to bring a decent sized bottle with me, just in case water wasn't readily available where I was performing.  (Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't.)  Lately I've taken to carrying a bottle of water with me during long rides, too, just in case the bike were to break down and I was stuck on the side of the road under the blazing sun.  Better safe than sorry.

[vikingGoalie]

Yea.  like I said I know better. but i was rushed and in a f'k it frame of mind.   While I might explore Helibars at some point, the reality is I don't need em.  I can pretty much run a tank of gas out and my wrists ache some but not too bad.  My hips/knees/back are 100% fine.   But when I started cramping in that hip I knew right away why,  it was stupid hot in the sun and i literally sweated through all my clothes by the time i was home.   Which even that normally doesn't happen if I'm at highway speeds.  I got lost after coming out of the forest and tooling around at 30-40mph in back little roads with no shade.  But it started out awesome this road (google map photo)  through a state forest is not something I'd want to go challenge at  high speed but it's a very nice ride.