It all depends on your definition of performance. Armstrong is racing in the heat and saying he cant perform properly, all that really means is that he's not going to be breaking any world records today becasue he has to ride a bit slower so as to not generate so much body heat. In order to win you must first finish, so going out hard and burning out is a bit pointless. But the only way to learn your limits is to give them a nudge, thats what training is all about. And while peak performance in the heat is anatomical, getting out in the jeat and having a go is mental. Unless your going after the world record its mental, and only mental.Settle dude, Armstrong trains in the heat but there get a point were it is too hot to ride/perform properly, its anatomical not mental when it get to that certain tempreture.....
Generating heat is central to all of this, if its hot you cant dissapate the heat as quickly as when its cold. Hence you sweat more and you feel hot. You offset that by drinking bucket loads of water, eating properly and regularly, and pacing yourself.
Without speaking for Ranga, I think his point was that you have to suck up the discomfort until you can get comfortable. You will never acclimatise sitting on the couch, you have to get out and work in the heat. There are a few tricks to hydration that have been well covered in this thread, but essentially you need to maximse you energy levels.
Thus you drink room temperature water so your body absorbs it quickly and doesn't waste energy heating it, and you sip regularly instead of gulping. You avoid sports drinks with high levels of sugart and caffiene, and you eat healthy food regularly. Wear suitable clothing and use shade where you find it. Time your rides and plan them around the breeze and the heat.
My point is just because its hot doesn't mean you cant go out for a ride, those of us in the tropics either learn to deal with it or get stuck indoors. Sweat is not the end of the world, and you get a great hit of endorphins after a long hot ride.
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