Helge Pedersen, famed adventure rider and author of "10 Years on 2 Wheels," took some time during GlobeRiders’ recent ‘Africa Adventure,’ to film a handful of informative ‘Tips from the Road.’ In this installment, Helge gives us some tips on staying cool and hydrated.
Staying hydrated is particularly important when you are riding long distances in hot climates. Dehydration leads to fatigue which makes riding more difficult and dangerous. One way to know that you are getting enough fluids is by making sure that you drink enough so that you need to go to the bathroom more frequently than normal. If you never have to expel any fluid, you aren’t putting enough fluids into your body. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and by trying out this simple ‘Tips from the Road’ technique from GlobeRiders.
– Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day on a long ride.
– If you never have to go to the bathroom, you aren’t drining enough fluids.
– Keep your riding suit zipped up to prevent the escape of moisture and fluids from your body in really hot temperatures.
I’m here in Swaziland on our first day. It’s pretty scalding hot here. As long as you keep moving it’s okay and today I experimented by keeping all of my vents shut on my riding suit, because if you go all day with all ventilation open then it’s just going to drain all of the humidity out of you. If you are riding in really hot weather it’s actually good to close your vents up so you don’t lose all of the liquid in your body. Of course I am compensating (by drinking lots of water) but I think I need to compensate a little less if I have everything buckled up. I’m sweating a lot, though.
– Helge Pedersen, GlobeRiders
Stay tuned for the next GlobeRiders ‘Tips From the Road’