Desert Racing: Heat, Dust and Blisters
Desert racing · Skin is gear

Hours of whoops, heat and dust. The desert takes it out of you a little at a time.

Desert racing, from hare and hound to the long Baja events, means hours at speed in heat and dust. Hands blister on the bars, the sun cooks every inch of exposed skin, lips crack, and the body runs dry. Here is the desert rider's kit, from the start line to the pit.

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Skin is gear
Why the desert wears you down

Heat, dust and distance.

Desert racing is long. The whoops and washboard never stop, so the hands work the bars for hours and blister in the same spots every race. The sun comes from above and off the sand, and any skin between the jersey and the gloves cooks. The air is dry enough to crack lips and knuckles before the race is half over, and dust gets into every cut and every pore.

The routine is about lasting. Dry Spray on the hands and feet the night before. Tape the known spots. Cover up and keep drinking. At the pit and after the finish, cool down with Cleanse spray, put water back into the skin, and close what opened. The desert is the biggest track there is.

A desert race, pit by pit

From the start line to the finish.

Where desert riders' skin and bodies go wrong over a long race, and what goes on at each stop.

The night before · 9 PMDry hands, dry boots.

Dry Spray on the palms and feet before bed. Less sweat in the gloves and boots over a long, hot race, and the tape holds.

Dry SprayPerformance
The start · 6 AMCover and tape.

Zinc on the lips, a sun layer under the jersey for exposed skin, tape on the blister spots.

Reef Safe SPF 15 Zinc Lip Balm – Gentle Vanilla ScentSun Hoodie - Bamboo - SPF 50Rhinos' Own Adhesive tape
First pit · 9 AMCool down.

Cleanse spray on the face, neck and hands. Hydrate on sun-tight skin. Pocket Water for the next stretch.

CleanseHydratePocket Water
Second pit · NoonThe hot spot.

Gloves off, dry, Split stick on anything open, retape.

SplitRhinos' Own Adhesive tape
The finish · 4 PMBody work, then close up.

Cleanse spray on scrapes and gear. Massage Cream and Repair on the forearms and back. Split+ whipped balm overnight.

CleanseMassage CreamRepairSplit+
Find your way in

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The pack

What's in the pit bag.

Travel sizes in the pit bag. Full sizes in the chase truck.

New To Rhino?
All of it, one boxNew To Rhino?

The core products in travel sizes. A season of desert races to try them.

The whole routineNew To Rhino?$58.65$39.95
12 items · pick a size, hit Add
Hands, feet and braces, the night beforeDry Spray$18.95
Cream versionPerformance$18.95
Known hot spotsRhinos' Own Adhesive tape$3.95
Pit-stop blistersSplit$4.95
Whipped balm, at the finishSplit+$18.95
Cool-down spray, skin and gearCleanse$9.00
Sun-tight skinHydrate$18.95
LipsReef Safe SPF 15 Zinc Lip Balm – Gentle Vanilla Scent$4.95
Under the jerseySun Hoodie - Bamboo - SPF 50$19.95
Every pitPocket Water$12.95
Body work after the rideMassage Cream$18.95
Recovery, every nightRepair$18.95
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The crew

The people who test this in the desert.

Hare and hound racers, desert crews, chase-truck regulars. They tell us what the heat did to them.

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Seen in the desert

Show us the dust.

The start line, the pit, the finish. This wall is yours.

Rhino Cleanse spray shown with outdoor gear@rhinoskinsolutionsRhino Crash bamboo sun hoodie, UPF 50@rhinoskinsolutionsHoodie with nature-themed design on a white background@rhinoskinsolutionsPhysical therapist treating a shoulder — Rhino muscle and joint care.@rhinoskinsolutionsPhysical therapist treating a knee — Rhino muscle and joint care.@rhinoskinsolutionsTag us
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Field reports

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