Home again in Texas, where the daytime temperatures are predictably breaking 100F, and where Covid-19 is just as 'hot'. Wanting to be as safe as possible, I planned to complete August's century in two loops from home.
The first part of the ride started at 6 a.m., an hour before sunrise; it was still in the upper 70's Fahrenheit and humid to match. Even after sunrise, lazy, low, and lingering clouds kept the at bay until well after 8 in the morning: 50km done. I stayed true to the plan, avoiding any stops along the way and rationing my water getting to 100km. I returned home around 10am, just as the day was getting unbearably hot.
I spent the late morning and early afternoon tidying up some computer work, and started an early dinner around 5pm. After that, I was back out the door and on to the bike. The sun still lingered high, but the shadows were growing longer. A few of the local hill repeats were almost entirely shaded by the time I started. The goal was to rack up about 3,000 feet of climbing in about 30 miles (preparing, hopefully, for something like Austin's Das Hugel ride). I managed to meet my goals, and finished the 100-mile day just before sunset.
September will likely follow a similar plan of breaking up the ride and avoiding the heat. Looking forward, I hope that by October, I will be able to slow down a bit, hit a few more desirable routes, and take a few more pictures.
