Today’s ride - well, today’s DEMI-ride - led to me learning a new term: Heat Syncope

This is a condition, less severe than heat exhaustion, wherein if you’re not acclimated to heat and you exercise, your body shunts all your blood to your skin, and the rest of you - like your brain - doesn’t get enough. You get lightheaded, sweaty, elevated pulse, maybe nausea. Stop exercising and cool off and it fades within minutes.

So, that happened.

I’d just done the climb from Crystal Springs in Hillsborough up Polehemus to the Ralston Trail (according to Strava, a Cat 4 climb!). No problems on the climb. No problem on the following descent. Got to Cañada Rd., felt…okay. Rode 1/2 mile, stopped. Felt woozy. Called Mrs. FBW, told her to meet me 4 miles down the roadl.

Felt worse. Sat down leaning against the guardrail. Considered whether this was what dying feels like.

1 minute later, wondered why the hell I’d been wondering THAT.

2 minutes later, felt 90% of normal.

2 more minutes later, felt fine getting back on the bike, and riding to the pickup point.

Ride to pickup point was completely fine. Mrs. FBW, OTOH, was PANICKED!!, even though I’d been real casual when I called - “Hi hon. I’m just not feeling it today. Can you come and pick me up?”

Got home, looked up heat-related problems. I kept seeing heat exhaustion and heat stroke, but both those are MUCH worse than what I had. Finally found ‘Heat Syncope’.

I’ve had it twice before. Once, when it was a HOT day, after a summer of not riding much, so no heat acclimatization. The other time, like today, on the first warm - not hot - spring day one year. I decided to do a local climb. Halfway up, it hit me. I sat down, sweated like mad for a few minutes, felt better and rode back down.

Next week, same temp. Same climb. Passed the place where I’d bailed 1 minute ahead of the previous week’s time.