Adjusting to heat/humidity

SteK

Hi all,

Myself and a friend are taking part in a charity ride between Vietnam and Cambodia early next year. The distance is 460kms over a period of 6 days - both of us are quite happy that at our current level of riding and fitness we'll be able to deal with that kind of distance...

...however, we've been told to expect warm weather and very high humidity. On paper the temperature looks like a nice English day (20-22degreesC), though apparently the humidity makes it very uncomfortable.

I've never been to the Far East and wondered if anyone has any experience or any tips that'll keep us going. I know this is a long shot - but does anyone have any tips for anything we could in the build up to ready us for these conditions?!... or is it just going to be off the plane and in at the deep end?!

Stephen

GyatsoLa

I don't think there is really any way to acclimatise before hand, unless you want to take a bike on a turbo into a sauna! It really is just a case of not being too ambitious on your first few days.

I've cycled in Cambodia in January and it is indeed hot, humid and very dusty. But to be honest its nicer on the bike that walking around in those conditions as you get at least some air flow. To cover ground the best thing is to be up with the dawn and get a good chunk of your riding done before about 11am. Then after a leisurely midday stop (the many buddhist temples are a good place to rest up, but beware of being hassled by curious kids) do the last of your riding when it starts to cool in the afternoon.

Getting your clothing right is very important. Wear ight synthetic clothes that cover all your available skin to prevent burns and good head/eye covering. Buff scarves are useful for keeping dust away if you are riding on unpaved roads. Bring some electrolyte tabs like Nuun tabs to make the water more platable and keep yourself hydrated.

SteK

That's brilliant, loads of great info in there. Thank you very much for the tips!

cycladelic

I have toured those countries in January/Feb and didn't find them too bad. It can rain of course - it did a lot on my first trip to Vietnam - and that can be a pain . Wearing a Gortex jacket keeps the wetness out, but you still get damp through condensation forming in the relative heat. For my next trip (India and Bangladesh), I'm thinking of taking a poncho raincape that'll allow more airflow.

Even though I have lived in Taiwan for nearly 11 years now, I still haven't got used to the summer humidity - the winter months are no problem.