Hot weather riding tips

So how does this work?

Besides carrying essential life support such as oxygen and nutrients, our blood also acts as coolant. In fact, our main line of defense against heat buildup is very similar in function to an engine’s cooling system.

When a engine generates heat, it transfers this heat to the coolant circulating around it. This coolant then goes to the radiator where it is gives off heat. Cooled, it returns to the engine to pick up more heat. This process ensures that heat is picked up at source and moved away for dissipation. To prevent excessive cooling, the radiator uses a thermostat to act as a gateway. It remains closed if the coolant is below a certain temperature. These are the essential elements.

Our body pretty much does the same thing. As it circulates throughout our body, our blood picks up heat generated by our metabolism and muscles and circulates this heat to skin surface where it can be dissipated.

When more cooling is required, our body dilates surface blood vessels and increases our heart rate. This allows for transporting more heat to the skin for dissipation.

Instead of a thermostat that opens and shuts, our body adjusts cooling by dilating or constricting blood vessels as well as increasing or decreasing pumping action (heart rate).