Managing the heat became almost as important as riding the bike itself. The strategy that worked: early starts (on the road by 8:20), cooling vests, constant water stops, and shortening riding stints when the temperature peaked.
A hand pump full of icy water, operated by our guide Chantelle, became legendary — she happily soaked anyone who queued up. The pump made a noise remarkably like a seal barking. Small comforts matter.
Keep your visor shut in extreme heat, use a cooling vest plus an ice-soaked skull cap and neck tube, and treat any air-conditioned building — even a petrol-station walk-in fridge — like a gift from heaven.
Those little things made a huge difference. A iced coffee at McDonald's in Needles tasted like one of life's great luxuries.