150 miles outside this week.  Rest of the time, again, trainer in the basement.  The crops seem to be behind but with all the rain they will catch up.  Rode to Bloomington last Tuesday and encountered construction between Goodfield and Carlock.  Good news, bad news.  The good news is the road work involves installing 15 inch paved shoulder.  Great for bikers avoiding having to ride on the road.  Yet, most likely, they will put rumble strips down the middle of the shoulder which will put the riders back on the road.  Let hope not but it seems it is being done on a regular basis.  On another note, a former student and two of his buddies are doing a 5 day 250 mile trek across Missouri.  The route they will be taking is flat and smooth.  Now, let it be known that Missouri is quite hilly but the path they are taking is transformed railroad path.  That will be really helpful to rookie distance bikers. I met with him for breakfast Tuesday.  He wanted some advice on what he should do for a successful ride.  Best advice to new distance bikers is to train enough so the saddle will be comfortable to complete the ride.  Chamois buttr of come kind is a must.  I wear two pair of biking shorts to ensure comfort.  My second point is to be sure to eat foods that provide lasting energy.  High carbs the night before and energy bars along the way.   As for the bike, chain should be oiled after each day, check for debris prior to the days ride and have confidence that changing a tire is relatively easy.  He stated he was going to use a pump in case of repairing a puncture.  My advice was to purchase  CO2 cylinders as they are fast and easy.  Ultimately is boils down to taking care of Body and Bike.  I wish him and his buddies the best and look forward to he sharing the adventure when he returns.  More on that later.

 

Finally, finally, finally...after a Spring where I was only to bike outside two or three times, after a three day Mothers Day holiday, the temperature was where an outside ride was possible.  Tuesday with a 15 mile southern wind I rode 35 miles to Magnolia.  Now the bad news.  The temperature hit the 90 degree mark.  Afterward I could really tell.  And,  since I had not much outside riding it really took a toll.  But, I finished in fine fashion and was glad I completed the distance.  So I was so jacked up to ride outside again, I planned a 40 miler for Wednesday.  The wind was under 10 mph so I would do my regular route to Goodfield.  Now the bad news.  I knew it would be in the low 90 degree temp so I decided on an earlier starting time.  As luck would have it I didn't get on the road until 11:00 a.m. During my warm=up mile I felt the temperature would  be manageable. As the miles past I started to question if I had made a good decision.  Since there was no way to acclimate to the high temperature I thought I should stop rest and maybe call for a ride.  As I have often stated, if you start something finish it.  So I rode on and by the end of the trek I was pretty well done.  Good thing for air conditioning.  The lovely Veronica informed me that the temp was 94 with a heat index of 107.  Not smart to bike in those conditions without conditioning but nobody ever accused me of such.  Obviously it took extra time for recovery and my repaired knee began to hurt.  Lesson learned....be smart before biking in those types of conditions.  I've got absolutely nothing to prove.  Tomorrow is a hot day, I will bike but not as far and with a rest.  More later