El Toro Joe
FYYFF
Now, if someone would come up with one that will fit in my tank bag...lots of us suffer from sleep apnea and go undiagnosed---- cpapp's are life savers
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Now, if someone would come up with one that will fit in my tank bag...lots of us suffer from sleep apnea and go undiagnosed---- cpapp's are life savers
You can start by being aware that tiredness is a thing, and that it will happen sooner or later on a long ride. Pay attention not just to the road, but to how you are feeling and how you are riding.Or, in other words, you don't know what you don't know until you know it, so how do you know it?
Was hoping you'd weigh in on this one, Tony. You've certainly earned the right.Great topic Steve!I will post some thoughts when I get a chance.
Working my 3rd straight week without a day off.
12 hours a day. Fatigued! LOL
I have found some solutions that have not been mentioned that have yielded great results!
The article by Don Arther (linked to above) goes into a lot of that and is from an MD of some experience.Aside from the examples above, what specific advice might you experienced riders give to fellow riders to help them learn to identify their own signs of fatigue?
1. YepThe heat problem can really sneak up on you.
We were riding in the US Southwest in July (I know...mad dogs and Englishmen...) and we thought we were drinking enough but still got sick.
It was like driving into a hair dryer!
Next day, a stop every hour and lots of fluids.
Agree with Twigg on the benefit of keeping buttoned up. I crossed the Nevada desert in '13 when the temperature was an indicated 110+ for over 8 hours. I was using a manual method of providing water onto my UnderArmour shirt (from water bottles in my tank bag) and kept the jacket fully closed up with no vents open. I was able to make it with only a single break under some very rare trees at a rest stop just west of Tonopah, then made it the rest of the way to Alamo NV in pretty good shape and without any adverse reactions.Heat is a whole other topic, but directly linked as it can, and does, contribute to fatigue.
I've lost the link to the article now, but there was a paper published that shows the relationship to the ambient temperature and your body core temperature.
Broadly though, it can be broken down into two temperatures, and two types of rides. Long and short rides, above and below 95F ambient.
For short rides, and by short I mean 30 minutes or less, wear what you want your body can cope. I'd still recommend ATGATT, but ballistic mesh and cordura works well. Once the length of the ride increases it gets more complex.
Under 95F and that cooling breeze can be encouraged. It is still carrying away much of the excess heat your body is trying to shed. The way it does so is to sweat, so you are losing water and need to maintain the levels. Gas stops and occasional water breaks are NOT sufficient. You should be drinking water (or an electrolyte solution), steadily and gradually. Your pee is the best gauge. If you continue to pee normally, and the colour doesn't resemble tea, then you are doing okay. If not, you need water, and lots of it. On one day ride in Texas a few years ago I got through 2 gallons of iced water in a 10 hour ride. Ambient temp hit 117F and I remained hydrated. On-board hydration is mandatory, or take the car and enjoy the air-con.
Now it gets counter-intuitive.
When the temperature goes over around 95F, that cooling breeze is no longer cooling you it is heating you! This is critical as the situation worsens as the temperature rises. Days where the ambient rises to 100+F are common, and these temperatures can kill a motorcyclist. Without preparation you can be in trouble in as little as an hour, and you will not notice until it is getting very late to redress the situation.
In these temperatures you need to restrict the access of the wind to your skin. Shut the vents. If you have a mesh jacket then fit the waterproof liner. I know, it feels like you will fry but you can do something about that too.
My hydration system is a 1 gallon Coleman cooler. The water is pumped through the drinking tube by a small submersible pump. This means that not only can I drink it, I can pump it inside my jacket. With just the cuffs loosened, and a loose collar, the air can flow through slowly and the evaporative effect can make 100F feel chilly. Drink some, pump some down the jacket, and keep rolling.
LD Comfort also sell "sleeves" that are designed to aid this process, and they are a better solution than any "cooling vest", most of which work on the same principle but only for a few hours. They may work for you if your ride is about four hours or less.
I have yet to find a gas station that wouldn't let me replenish my iced water, they are usually very willing and happy to help. Honestly, most are so bemused that you are daft enough to be riding that they don't want your death on their conscience
It is perfectly possible to cross Death Valley, in the height of summer, on a motorcycle and be relatively fresh at the end of it. It helps if you understand what the heat is doing, what the mechanic is, and prepare accordingly. Folk will stare at you with your heavy riding suit all buttoned down when they are finding their T-shirt too hot, but you can smile to yourself, because when they get heat-stroke, you will still be enjoying the ride.
Hope that helps
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