Prescott to Phoenix. A pedal powered trip.

[SOAZ]

So I was riding my bike thinking about how I was laid off last week and decided I needed some solitude, adventure and most importantly a reprieve from incessantly applying for jobs and "linking in."

So I wondered if I could ride from Prescott to Phoenix on all dirt. I knew the route as I'd done it in my truck and on a dirt bike, but could I do it? Or most importantly could I do it with the weather forecast reading a high of 111 tomorrow?

Well, I didn't die. So that's good. I'm back to applying for new "careers" now, but here is the story and some pics. :sombrero:

Link to the SOAZtim blog with more pics and story here.

And a little bit of video from my GoPro cam.

 

[ttora4runner]

Nice, Tim. How was the ride with the rigid fork?

 

[SOAZ]

Nice, Tim. How was the ride with the rigid fork?

Nice, I'm used to it. I actually prefer it most of the time. Only when it gets really choppy like a section of baby head rocks do I wish for a fork, but even then I'd only wish for a full suspension for those brief periods. The rest of the time I don't miss my full suspension one bit. Overall the reliability and general feel of the rigid is nice. It feels so much more connected to the trail and if you take good lines it's buttery smooth. (thanks to steel)

 

[maxingout]

I enjoyed the Go-Pro video seeing what the trails are like in that section of the country.

I would like to have had a temperature measuring device on your skin to see how high your body temperature went on that trip. When I was a medical student, I remember a marathoner running in 98 degree temperatures, and he showed up in the emergency room in the middle of the race with hyperthermia. His temperature was 108 degrees. I watched the nurses put a cold sheet soaked in ice water on top of him and then put ice cubes on the sheet. That gradually brought his temperature down to about 102, but when they took the iced sheet off him, his temperature shot back up again. I didn't know body temperature could go that high. He ended up in the ICU and survived. It was very impressive to see someone's thermoregulatory center go dysfunctional. Ever since then I am careful about becoming overheated in the summer. A couple of times when I lived in Arabia, there were western expatriates who tried to walk out of the desert or got lost on foot in the summer time, and they died. My wife once had mild heat exhaustion with a very red face working in heat over 110 degrees.

Next time you do the trip, see if there is a way that you can measure body temperature to see how high it goes.

There must be some point at which inadequate hydration coupled with overheating causes body temperature to spiral out of control. It would be interesting to know what those parameters are so you can monitor whether you are getting too close to the edge on a trip like that. You obviously were feeling the heat in the last couple of hours when the heat was 111 degrees, and you were stopping frequently in the shade.

Good adventure. Well done.

 

[SOAZ]

I enjoyed the Go-Pro video seeing what the trails are like in that section of the country.

I would like to have had a temperature measuring device on your skin to see how high your body temperature went on that trip. When I was a medical student, I remember a marathoner running in 98 degree temperatures, and he showed up in the emergency room in the middle of the race with hyperthermia. His temperature was 108 degrees. I watched the nurses put a cold sheet soaked in ice water on top of him and then put ice cubes on the sheet. That gradually brought his temperature down to about 102, but when they took the iced sheet off him, his temperature shot back up again. I didn't know body temperature could go that high. He ended up in the ICU and survived. It was very impressive to see someone's thermoregulatory center go dysfunctional. Ever since then I am careful about becoming overheated in the summer. A couple of times when I lived in Arabia, there were western expatriates who tried to walk out of the desert or got lost on foot in the summer time, and they died. My wife once had mild heat exhaustion with a very red face working in heat over 110 degrees.

Next time you do the trip, see if there is a way that you can measure body temperature to see how high it goes.

There must be some point at which inadequate hydration coupled with overheating causes body temperature to spiral out of control. It would be interesting to know what those parameters are so you can monitor whether you are getting too close to the edge on a trip like that. You obviously were feeling the heat in the last couple of hours when the heat was 111 degrees, and you were stopping frequently in the shade.

Good adventure. Well done.

Thanks Dave. If you know of a device that can measure my temps constantly I'd like to try it to find out if I'm doing as "okay" as I think or if it's dangerously high.
I have naturally very low blood pressure so for me to stay feeling well in the heat it takes an immense amount of electrolytes. I must have taken 16-20 of the tablets throughout the day. (When I first moved to AZ from Calif I used to get light headed and throw up while riding in the summer. As soon as I discovered electrolyte pills and other salty treats I cured that issue and now even enjoy riding in the heat. Somewhat anyway)

Maybe just taking along a normal thermometer on the next ride is in order. I often ride in the heat, but usually for MUCH shorter distances and much closer to help. For instance today I did a 13 mile ride from my house to the center Phoenix mountain preserve. Since it was at about 10AM the temps were "only" 101, but it would be interesting to see what my body temp was. (for example I felt hotter today in some respects because I was really working hard. Since I knew I was close to home I tried to ride fast. On my long Prescott ride I kept the effort level at about 25% to keep from over sweating and overheating)

I think in all I took in about 400 Ounces of water during the ride. (Including the glasses of water at the bar.) At the finish I was dehydrated, but not as badly as I often am after a race. (Seat of the pants meter on that assumption) True dehydration gets scary fast. I've gotten to the point where I stupidly drank coffee all day at work and then headed out for a ride at about 5PM and 100+ temps. I stopped sweating and my head started spinning. Lesson learned.

I'm always looking to learn more though. I think the idea of taking my temp while riding is a good one. (Plus with this fancy phone there is a plug in for a heart rat monitor so it can yell at me as my heart rate hits certain preset levels.) Then I'd also like to take my blood pressure before and after some of these rides.

:bike_rider:

 

[maxingout]

When I was in the navy in Puerto Rico, we had to take PT tests in 95 degree heat in the summer. We only ran a couple of miles, and when the PT test was done, I took my temperature with an oral thermometer, and it was 101 degrees right after the test.

I really don't know what a safe body temperature is while performing physical exercise in this dry heat.

These days in the hospital, nurses use thermometers that touch forehead skin for a few seconds so there is no contact with mucous membranes which could transmit disease. I suppose a person could use one of those thermometers during hot weather to quickly see how the body temperature fluctutates with physical excercise and fluid intake.

We often use spray bottles to put a mist on our face and arms to cool down by evaporation. I know it feels good, but it don't know how effective it is in actually lowering body temperature.

 

[taggart_lumpy]

sounds like a killer ride.
how was the weather in CK?

 

[SOAZ]

When I was in the navy in Puerto Rico, we had to take PT tests in 95 degree heat in the summer. We only ran a couple of miles, and when the PT test was done, I took my temperature with an oral thermometer, and it was 101 degrees right after the test.

I really don't know what a safe body temperature is while performing physical exercise in this dry heat.

These days in the hospital, nurses use thermometers that touch forehead skin for a few seconds so there is no contact with mucous membranes which could transmit disease. I suppose a person could use one of those thermometers during hot weather to quickly see how the body temperature fluctutates with physical excercise and fluid intake.

We often use spray bottles to put a mist on our face and arms to cool down by evaporation. I know it feels good, but it don't know how effective it is in actually lowering body temperature.

Me either, but I can tell you that after sweating even the lightest breeze felt great. Whether it was lowering my body temp or just raising my spirits I'm not totally sure.

sounds like a killer ride.
how was the weather in CK?

It was nice compared to Phoenix, but it was still hot. It was in the 80's when I rolled into town and in the 90's when I left. At the time it felt really hot.