Heat Exhaustion/Stroke....it's Summer Time again

It bugs me that I have to post this info again, as I believe I posted similar info a year or two ago, however...one of our very own people within our community is laying in the ER right this minute having suffered from Heat Exhaustion, whilst out driving his sidecar rig.

I shall not identify this well known sidecarist, as it is a medical issue, and we need to show respect for that are dealing with medical issues.

But I want to repeat what I told all of you a year or more ago, and that is to be aware, be prepared, take precautions to ward off Heat Exhaustion, and even worse...Heat Stroke.

For the last 100 years I have hated riding in hot weather, or even worse...hot & humid weather, as it takes all the energy out of the rider, and ruins the day. I am fortunate, or is it by design (yes, by design) that where I live, right this moment, on the very first full day of Summer, we have a light drizzle of rain, and a high of maybe 55 degrees...F, not C. This is my kind of Summer day, where you are eager to stay inside, and have a hot bowl of Irish Stew, with cornbread on the side.

For those of you that insist on riding in HOT weather, or unexpectedly get caught out in the HOT weather, or Hot/Humid weather, there are steps to take to ward off the heat, and allow you ride to be cooler, and your body safer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

First and foremost, pay attention to the weather forecasts. Not only where you are starting from, but also where you will be riding/driving to, and the expected times of the day when you anticipate being in those areas.

Secondly, dress appropriately for these conditions. That does NOT mean stripping down to a short-sleeved t-shirt, or no shirt at all, whilst wearing shorts, and sandals. Dressing appropriately means wearing the correct layers, so that the wind and heat does NOT evaporate all the moisture away from your skin, but with lightweight long-sleeved shirts, that allow a light airflow. Long pants, proper boots, and even a neck covering, to keep the heat away from the neck.

If the temperatures rise to the point of being HOT, there are steps you can take to beat that heat.

One step is to wear a "cool collar" that you soak in water, the beads sewn into the cool collar absorb the water, and keep the cool collar wet, so you wrap this cool collar around your next, with the purpose of keeping the blood that is flowing to your brain, as cool as possible.

Control the vents on your riding jacket. Know when to open the vents, and when to close the vents, even on a very hot day.

In extreme heat conditions, one of my favorite tricks is to stop at a gas station/convenience store....remove your helmet, and place that helmet inside the ICE boxes that are usually outside the store, where they sell bags or blocks of ice. Just put your helmet inside that ice box, and allow the ice to cool down you helmet, and even freeze the sweat inside your helmet.

Then, fill you bike with gas/fuel/petrol....get yourself something to drink, like a Gatorade, or just plain water, but NOT a beer, as that does the opposite of what you need from the liquid.

Some of you may use a Camelback drinking system, and that is good, but it is important to hydrate the INSIDE of your body, and not just wet yourself down with the hose at the gas station.

Then...VERY IMPORTANT....pay for a 5 lb bag of crushed ICE....and when you remove your helmet from the ice box, also remove one 5 lb bag of crushed ice from that ice box.

Now, unzip your riding jacket just enough to slip that entire 5 lb bag of crushed ice inside your riding jacket, so that this 5 lb bag of crushed ice is inside the jacket, sitting over your heart, to cool down the blood flowing to your brain.

Yes, it will be dang cold...and you may not be able to fit the entire 5 lb bag of crushed ice inside your riding jacket, and then still zip it up, so if you are riding with a fellow riding partner, consider splitting that bag between the two of you. But a small box of plastic garbage bags at the convenience store, and share that 5 lb bag of crushed ice with everyone in your riding group.

Yes, the ice will melt, and if you are lucky, not only will it cool you down, but the melting ice will also wet down your inner layer of clothing, so you stay cooler even longer.

Do NOT stop to drink a beer, assuming that this will cool you down...that is a huge error.

Be smart, THINK....and think about all this ahead of time...because if you wait until you are in the moment, and are now experiencing heat exhaustion, your brain will be fuzzy, and you will not be able to clearly think about how to save yourself, as...heat exhaustion and heat stroke can KILL, and in fact does KILL people every year around the world.

As I said, right this minute we have one of our own laying in the ER at their local hospital, this person has family and friends in attendance to make sure they are okay, the sidecar rig is in their garage now, etc, etc, etc, but .......what if you were 1,000 miles away from home, and you get heat stroke....would you be able to survive it ?

Every human body has a different tolerance as to how much heat, or cold, they can take. Some people like the 90+ % humidity, in the 90+ temperatures, whilst other can not take those temperatures of humidity. Personally, I can not, so I prefer to live in, and ride in, much colder temps. They make heated clothing to keep you warm, but very little is out there to keep a hot body cooler when riding.

Yes, they make specialty materials to keep cool, and I have all that myself, and I am an expert at layering my clothing, to keep myself at the temperature I want, to be safe.

But...what about YOU ?

Try the bag of crushed ice inside your riding jacket, and see if that allows you to get to a safe place, and survive the extreme heat.

Okay, it was a long read, but the subject matter is that important. For those of you that did actually read the entire script, you may have just saved your own life, or the life of someone you are out there riding with.

For those that elected to NOT read the entire thing, more is the pity.

I recognize that I am all too verbose on threads like this, but I ask you to listen, because not only am I an extremely high mileage rider, having ridden all over and around the World, but I am also a doctor x3, so...please accept my words and advice as they were intended...to help you.