Welcome to summer!

It's June, and it's hot! Not like when I was a kid – of course, but then, we're changing the climate, so we can expect things to get even hotter.

What's a poor cyclist to do? ADD WATER To WIND CHILL!

Water, when it evaporates, has a cooling effect. We all have experienced this, coming out of a swimming pool, or just washing our hands and letting them air dry. And it's one reason sweat helps us stay cooler.

And cyclists, unlike runners, always have a breeze, anywhere from 10 to 20 miles per hour, much of the time. This means that sweat may evaporate before we know it – so we sweat less than runners working just as hard.

What happens when we put water on our arms and legs? We cool off, because the water evaporates.

So, going home now (and even some mornings), I sprinkle a little water from my water bottle onto my arms and legs, and my face as well. If I can, I rub it onto my skin, for maximum effect. Old water bottles even came with a separate “sprinkle” lid so that you could put a little water over parts of your body.

Right now, I only need spritz myself three to four times for my half-hour commute, and I stay very comfortable In hotter weather, I'm sure I'll do it more often. I also tried to teach this to another commuter to my building.

Note: I do NOT dump a water bottle on my jersey. It's flashy and dramatic, so you'll see it on TV, and I find it doesn't work that well. Yes, the water may evaporate from the jersey, but unless it's skin-tight (and most of mine are not), then it's not cooling me off.