In our new climate, 88 is suddenly a ‘cool’ summer day. With the heat index routinely over 100 how can you stay cool?
Biking in the Heat
Although cold water is my favorite thing on a bike ride, in extreme heat I need more. What excited me about the new Gu Roctane energy drink mix was it is easy to carry a packet to add to a cold water. On a 45 mile bike ride to Long Beach, we didn’t want to schlep bottle of energy drinks and we knew we would need something immediately when we got to our friend’s house.
The “ultra endurance” powder has electrolytes, carbohydrates and amino acids. And that’s it. No chemicals and in the grape flavor I tried, no caffeine. The strawberry hibiscus also has no caffeine.
The lemon berry, summit tea and tropical fruit powders have caffeine, which would be great to drink on an early morning ride.
Bring on the Heat
We had six straight days of heat and sun on our Backroads Berlin to Prague bike trip. This was a fabulous active vacation, with day after day of at least 40 miles in the saddle, plus time to explore Spreewald, the pickle capital of East Germany, a spa, Dresden and Michelin starred restaurants.
We stayed for two nights in the Bleiche Resort in Spreewald, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It was a fantastic resort with cold plunge pools, super comfortable beds and wonderful food.
But no air conditioning. Except for the cheese room and the meat room. These rooms were open at breakfast and dinner so if the bounty of food didn’t wow you, you could fill up here.
Climate Change
We had chosen this bike tour since it was in northern Europe, where summer temperatures are generally in the 70s and 80s. But it was in the 90s on our trip. No matter. We were able to replace lost fluids with the excellent German and Czech beers.
Note: I paid my own way for Backroads and everything on this trip. Opinions and the eight pounds I gained are all my own.
WheelsandEats 