07/09/2026
I got home from Florida heavier and slower. I didn't change a thing about my eating, and here's why.
This week the scale told me I got fatter and my power meter told me I got slower. Same week. Both lying.
I spent a week training in Florida heat. Nutrition dialed, more volume than I do at home, and I still watched my weight climb AND my watts fall apart. One session I aborted in 91-degree heat, six bottles in two hours, and just called it a bust.
Here's what I had to remind myself, because most riders panic right here and do the exact wrong thing:
In the heat, your body builds extra blood plasma to cool itself. That's real water weight, and it's one of the best endurance adaptations there is. Your power sags in the moment because blood is going to your skin instead of your muscles. So the heat hits you twice, but neither number is fat, and neither is lost fitness. It's the down payment on a faster engine come fall.
The worst move? Cutting calories in the exact week your body is working hardest.
I put the whole thing in this week's post, my actual Garmin data, and the story of how the heat wrecked me at a 6-hour World Championship in the desert.
Link in comments👇