8/4/07 Today's Ride -- Hot Hot Heat

Route: 26.91 miles, Levi Jackson loop.

Weather: Mostly sunny and hazy, 91 degrees, 4 mph wind.

Performance: average speed 15.7 mph, time 1:42:36. Average HR 142 bpm.

Motionbased.com link: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3551730

Comment: My loyal readers (you know who you are) have no doubt been missing the trials and travails of my "Today's Ride" posts. Truth being told, I have been riding, albeit in a limited and boring way ever since I shredded something in my left knee doing Gran Tourismo last year. That nagging tight and tender sensation would creep up at some point during every ride since. After completing the Tour de London all hopped up on 4 Advil, I decided to give the ol' legs a rest. All was well until, while scaling the ridiculously vertical steps of the Great Wall in November, I felt the same sensation. That made me a bit worried. I eased back into riding gingerly in May, all being well on 7-milers. Then, when I tried to add a little distance (a whopping 10 miles), there was that sick old feeling again. Not wanting to miss the whole summer, I remembered that I had read somewhere to raise your seat should you encounter pain in the front of your knee. I did it, and lo, the tightness vanished. I've still been cautious.

So I've been rehabbing since then. Nothing exciting. Today I wanted to increase the distance some more, and chose my good old Levi Jackson loop as a good route. The only problem was it was dang hot. Not just warm, sticky hot. Dog days hot. You build up to riding in that kind of heat. You don't do it a couple of months after getting back on the bike.

Unfortunately I didn't consider that fact before I left. By mile 10 or so I was ready to go back. My legs were beginning to feel like rubber. My temporary lapse of insanity didn't block my foresight to bring a bottle of HEED for liquid refreshment, though. It kept me going.

Now I know you're hungry for another "redneck heckler sighting". I can't provide on this outing since everyone seemed to be uncharacteristically respectful to random strangers on bicycles this day. I will, however, share with you a summary of the Q & A I had with some guy who walked by while I was taking a breather on the bench in front of the Levi Jackson pool. He was fascinated by my ride. Some of his queries and observations included, verbatim:

• Did you get that at Wal-Mart?
• (Did) it (cost) more than a Schwinn?
• That thing ain't got no spokes!

and, finally,

• How much was that thing?

He was soon distracted by a girl in a bikini walking to her car and I made my getaway.