Summer Stuff I Like.

Oh hey, it's July! I love July. I love riding on the days when everyone else is being a total whiner about how hot it is. Bring it! There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING like riding on a summer evening. It's light until 9, the cicadas are humming, everything is green and lush and warm and BEST. There's one section of trail that's a little dark and when you ride through it all the lightning bugs go crazy. Magic! Oh, and shirtless runners! That part is great too. But yeah, it's hot and there's ample poison ivy and what have you. Here are the things that are working for me in the hot months:

My helmet. It's a Catlike Kompact'O and I've had it about a year. It fits well and vents well and even has little bug netting in the front which is great for when you ride through a spiderweb because otherwise you're convinced that spider is now running around inside your helmet. (This is a bad feeling.)  My only real annoyance with this helmet is that the pads are disintegrating. I wash them pretty often because you have to (please do) and now they're completely falling apart. Why do companies not give you two sets? WHY. I can buy an aftermarket replacement set on Amazon but they're not cheap. Hmph.

Snacks. Clif Shot Margarita Bloks. Ohhh, I love these in the summer. They have salt in them which is just so nice when you're feeling kind of bonk-y and dehydrated. Perfect for a quick trail snack and super tasty. I'm also fond of Payday candy bars for longer rides. They have sugar, protein and salt and are way cheaper and tastier than Clif Bars or whatever.

My booty. Enzo’s ButtonHole Chamois Cream is what I've been using and really liking, despite the super-terrible name. It's really good stuff, no parabens and it's pleasantly minty. I'm not going to go into detail but anything that prevents saddle sores is okay by me.

The rest of me. Tecnu Poison Ivy Scrub is pretty damn good stuff. There is a lot of poison ivy on the trails I ride so I scrub down with this stuff after every ride even if I don't think I've been exposed. So far this summer I've been poison-free! I know people swear by Zanfel but that stuff is SO BLOODY EXPENSIVE and this does the exact same thing.

Hydration. I generally just drink water, but I occasionally mix up some Skratch Labs exercise drink mix. No fake sugar, no artificial ingredients or funny stuff and it tastes really good. I also love a cold can of coconut water when I get back from a summer ride. I've tried it in a bottle but warm coconut water tastes terrible.

Now you! Tell me what helps you get through rides during the summer.