Have I mentioned recently just how crazy-hot it's been 'round these parts? It was 90 today, gonna be 90 again tomorrow, it has been too dang hot since before I can remember. Oregonians have no heat tolerance, our melting point is around 75 Fahrenheit, so this 90 thing, well it's just WRONG
Mean while, if it's September, it must be time for the BTA Commuter Challenge !! Here are a couple tips for the novice bike commuter:
I have been shocked at how fast the water in a water bottle heats up while cycling, it seems like it takes no time at all for it to get too hot to be tasty, the best solution I have found is to fill the bottle about a quarter of the way and then lay it at an angle in the freezer, I prop it on whatever frozen stuff I have in there so that the water comes near the lip, but does not spill. I let it freeze like that, then when I am ready to head out on a ride, I top the bottle off with water. The ice keeps the water cool for a good long time.
Bike buckets are great for packing along a change of clothes, if you need to smell fresh as a daisy when you get where your going. Alternatively, you could keep fresh outfits at your destination. I joke that my locker at school is like Superman's phone booth: I keep fresh clothes, deodorant and whatnot there. I know of an attorney who opts for what my dear fellow blogger zilla calls a "whore Bath", basically swabbin out yer pits at the bathroom sink. If it works for him (and it does) than it should work for anyone.
Remember that a heat wave is not the time to push your physical limits, slow down if you need to
Portland does a month long challenge, International Car Free Day is September 22nd, are YOU up to the challenge?!
3 comments:
Zilla is such a whore, too. Actually, while traveling to various tropical islands where fresh water is not plentiful, but perspiring is the rule, I got into this pit & naughty-bits swabbing as a matter of respect for the local ecology. What I found is that a daily whore's bath and a thorough shower once or twice a week means my skin & scalp don't dry out like they used to. I use less moisturizer, which is good, because I'm allergic to most beauty products anyway.
As luck would have it, I started doing this years ago, when everyone else started gumming their hair up with products to create the bed-head look.
"Oh, Jen -- your hair looks fabulous!"
"Thank you! I just washed it three days ago!"
Not kidding :-) My hair is no longer in style, but I don't care.
Here's to dirty girls everywhere!
hhmmmn, I'm now tempted to have t-shirts or bike jerseys made that say "Dirty Girl Bike Whore Gang" :)
I actually still shower most days, but I think folks have this idea that if you cycle to work/school you will stink all day, and it is just not the case.
You cant get too hung up on style, thats what I say
"Whore Bath"...that's funny! One of my buddies calls it a "Hooker Shower". My lunch time riding group rides in temperatures ranging from below freezing to as high as 108 degrees F. We sweat more in the summer, but still come back pretty soaked in the winter due to all the clothes. There have been complaints post ride that the bathrooms smell like a locker room, but not too many around the office. In my cubicle, I dry my riding clothes on a little rack after the ride. A face wash and a little deodorant after the ride is all you need! (Assuming you don't wipe out and get all dirty...) After a while you just get used to feeling a little sticky the 2nd half of the day.
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