I've been a bad blogger. 6 days is the longest blog-less stretch since I started. No special excuse, just preoccupied w/some of life's obstacles and challenges. So I'll be filling in some posts retro style. I have plenty of material, but the following few posts won't be chronologically correct.

After the last fiasco with countless flats I was a bit apprehensive and reluctant to hit the rode again. But you gotta get back on the horse that thooo'ed ya. So I went on a solo long ride down the same roads as that ill fated flat trip. Same bike, same rider, different wheels, and different result - no flats. Got around 110 miles in too. 88 degree heat and 18-20 mph headwinds made it a real challenge. The first 3 hours or so were just about directly into the wind. Rode over my favorite (Pungo Ferry) bridge, then out past a Correctional Institution (as in JAIL) to Benefit Virginia to ride next months TT course. New roads to explore. Even got held up by a train. In that much wind and heat you don't really know how much fluid you're losing as the sweat just evaporates too quick to notice.


Didn't stop till about 4.5 hours into the ride. Shoulda stopped sooner, but no stores around. By the time I hit the Creed's store on the way back, I was pretty dehydrated, tired and over heated. Stocked up on some fluids, poured some water over my head, and laid back on the bench using my helmet as a pillow. Next thing I knew it was 40 minutes later. HAH. Caught a nice impromptu nap. Felt way cooled down by then. Air and body temp had dropped, and had a tailwind for the last 30 or so miles. I did bring 3 tubes and a hand pump just in case.......

How much of a factor was the wind? One stretch of road into the wind took 58 minutes. Same stretch on the way back (with almost 5 hours in my legs) took 42 minutes.

Felt great to be out there getting my

RideOn

esp. w/no flats!

JB