I did a 39 mile ride after work yesterday, starting from home. It was hot, but not as hot as today.
On a 200k permanent on Sunday, I slowed down to stay with a friend who was struggling. This rider is usually much stronger than me, but hadn't ridden a 200k in several months.
It was a role reversal, as on a 300k two weeks earlier, and a 200k the week before that, it was me who was wiped out by the heat, and someone else dropped back to stay with me. Sometimes you're the windshield; sometimes you're the bug...