I\’ve got a Le Tour question.

We read of many aspects of the TdF: what riders do when they need to \”go\”; eating during a race, and what not.

What I\’d like to know is when and how they reapply sunblock while whizzing along at twenty-some mph. Do they have a special sunblock that lasts for five hours? Or perhaps, with their bike-handling skills, they can pedal no-hands while slathering it on.

When I rode today, I sure needed lots of sunblock. It was clear, with no relief from the sun. I felt unaccountably tired; on the way home, I had to stop numerous times. Even in Zone 3, I kept feeling out of breath.

Possibly it was that most of the time it felt like I had a headwind, and was pedaling at a higher cadence than usual and in a lower gear. It could have been the heat. It was only after I was back home that I learned that there\’s a heat advisory in effect. It said the temperature would be about 100 degrees!

I drank lots of water; a gallon or so of it. That\’s about one quart per hour, and I was starting to feel bloated during the last few miles. I also guzzled over a quart of electrolyte drink.

Now, over an hour after reaching home, and even with compression stockings on, orthostatic hypotension is creeping in. I\’d like to know exactly what causes it. It better not force me to give up riding!

And I still don\’t have an answer to my Le Tour question.