Just quit another race making 3 in a row which is exceptional for me, I never quit races!
The reason for quitting is performance - my power seems to be fading quicker than usual and I get to a point where I feel I have nothing to give and am massively uncompetitive so just give up. I think I might be between 5 and 10% down on where I’d expect to be.
In my last race (today) my 20 min power was however only a small bit down on my average race 20 min (for all of 2026 up to June) but my heart rate would not come down (max 184 and ave 176 today versus 191 max and 164 ave from June for example).
I was away on holiday until last week so wasn’t on Zwift between 15th June and 1st July but was riding when away (including some big rides (for me) with respectable altitude gain). I don’t believe this can account for what I’m experiencing. I also don’t believe I’d just have a sudden, unexplained 5-10% drop in performance in such a short period.
The only factor I can identify is the heat - I live in North Wales and it is exceptionally warm here at the moment. 25oC today depending on where you look and it has been higher over the last few days with temperatures I think reaching 30oC. I am racing indoors and have no fan, but do have a small breeze with doors and window open. I was pouring with sweat today, way more than usual.
I started using Zwift last October so this spell of warm weather is my first time trying to handle higher temperatures while racing on Zwift so I have no reference point for what to expect.
Is it plausible that heat would have a 5-10% impact on performance? I can certainly believe that it’s going to elevate heart rate and make it harder to get that down. Or am I just going through a bad patch?
A popular fan in the UK is the Vacmaster Cardio54. That’s a good design for use with a trainer - moves a lot of air and has a fairly tight focus. Has a remote so you can dial it up as needed. https://www.cleva-uk.com/products/vacmaster-cardio54-fan
Also, if you DNF then your racing score won’t go down, which it could (up to a point) if you finish the event. It’s better to lose than quit if you want a chance of racing in a lower starting pen.
We have had Extreme temperatures in the UK for the last 2 months pretty much.
I use 2 fans one being the cardio 54 and a shark fan.
I’ve been struggling even with 2 fans and been going through the motions in races and finishing way down the field lol.
Even outdoors is really difficult, its the Humidity that’s the killer in the UK.
We had a max of 37C which is pretty extreme TBH.
same here in the States, going to be about 95F here today (thats 35C for y’all) and I’m still going to the local group ride tonight… just have to be prepared!
I spent a summer heat training in Texas, two of my running races were at 110f (43.3c) and 105f (40.5c), and yes, the heat will impact your performance - especially if you’re not ready for it. On my current indoor setup I have four fans, ceiling fan, Vornado’s on the front and front sides of either my treadmill or SB20. I keep my A/C at 82f (27c), so I don’ go into shock when I got outside (currently it’s 90f/32c outside, we have a cold front come through yesterday).
Mate, you need a small industrial fan! 450mm and angled up at you. Or even two of them, one each side of the bike.
I ride indoors in some summer afternoons and it can be 34°C or higher with window open and all the heat I generate over a two hour effort at Z4, as the heat goes up your performance slides.
One guy I sometimes ride with who races very successfully at the top level suggested an idea that he uses for elite MyWhoosh races when it is very hot - get a cold gel pack or one of those cooling scarf and put that around your neck.
I tried it on a really hot afternoon (40°C day) for an ADZ lap, it really worked, he was absolutely right!
Just have something to catch the condensation off the gel pack so it doesn’t drip onto the trainer. You still need a fan going flat out but it kept my temperature lower and I could go better.
I am very well heat adapted, but you still need to keep on top of the cooling.
This works, so if you are struggling with heat - give it a go, but just make sure the moisture doesn’t drip down on your trainer.
The UCI position on this is nonsense and I don’t agree with it. In extreme temperatures this is completely right to use those means to stay cool and avoid health impacts. Maybe the teams all have to boycott the UCI.
It was just for the TTT, which was short… 20 minutes or so. And the position of the ice was on their chest, not behind on the back. You can see the rest of the stages have been full of ice socks being used on the backs all day.
Thanks all for the helpful and really appreciated applies - it seems abundantly clear that I’m the only person racing without a fan
What I take from this is:
• Yes, the heat will definitely impact performance!
• Get at least 1 good fan, ideally more if possible (the Vacmaster is unavailable at the moment so I might have to find an interim option). And don’t overlook options like ice packs.
• Hydration really matters.
• (This is a note to myself more than anything) Adjust expectations i.e. don’t get upset when you’re below where you want or expect to be, that’s just not realistic when you’re body / heart are dealing with the added load caused by temperatures well above the normal (respect to all the TdF riders dealing with the European heatwave!)
Thanks again all, feeling more settled now about my Zwift existence
And hydration takes time. You need to be well hydrated when you begin the effort, which means hours of work on that. You can’t pour a huge amount of liquid into your body to achieve it on short notice.
Your local hardware store or work tools store should have all manner of various size industrial fans from right sized for your needs up to enormous. You can connect them up to smart plugs to control them from your phone and get around the problem of being too cold at first.
I have tried the big 750mm fans and they aren’t greatly better than the 450mm options, but they take up huge space and are really heavy to move. If you have a permanent trainer “cave” you could get one of those big wall mount 750mm fans - provided the wall is strong enough to hold it. Then have a smaller 450mm in front of your bike.
Another decent option would be Vornado. They make relatively small high CFM fans so you get a blast of air where you need it (on you). Here’s an example: Amazon.co.uk
Nothing wrong with ice packs but another thing you can do is chill your water bottles. Put ice in them and get that cold water onboard before you start, and during the effort.
