John’s Ramblings

The great heatwave/hot storm/”frying-pan ’07″ (insert further hyperbole here) has apparently broken. For those not here in the Northwest, we had two whole days of heat. It peaked yesterday at stately John manor at 99 degrees.

Not that I mind the heat. I’ve actually traveled to destinations to lay around in it in various states of undress.

No, my concern would have been pedaling my clydesdale-ass 200 miles on Saturday in 100 degree temperatures. I haven’t trained for that, so I imagine that it would have made the trip longer (with more stops), and riskier (salt loss and/or dehydration). Fortunately, the question of how much more uncomfortable can 200 miles be is moot. Saturday should be in the 80′s for most of the day, which is fine by me.

I rode Monday, rested Tuesday, then my Wednesday ride was short-changed by the weather. I am planning on doing a light spin today to keep things limber. I’ve started my hydration and complex carb regime (well, sometime after coffee this morning, anyway). I’ll also start packing today. I’ve got my bike clothes laid out and ready, and I have purchased all the last-minute supplies that I think I will need on the bike. I also have to pack a bag that will meet me in Portland, and a change of bike-kit for the car in case Terri and Nina meet us in Castle Rock or Longview on their way down to P-Town. I’m not sure I’ll want to change clothes, but it sounds like it might be a good idea.

I also need to do an assessment of how much drink mix I am going to need. I always pack my own, and I alway pack more than I actually drink. I’m not sure where the breakdown in my ounces-per-hour calculation is, but on a two hundred mile ride it weighs an extra pound.

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