Yesterday, Sunday 21 June. Summer Solstice. The longest day of this year. A group of tourists-in-training left for a 65 mile test ride. Friends, it was warm out there!
Important Disclaimer: I was the dragging anchor on this ride.
It can't be said often enough, “Ride long enough, and everything happens to you. Good or bad.” It’s a truth. We don’t always have our best days. Sooner or later we all get to take a turn carrying the lanterne rouge. Honestly I wasn’t in my very best shape before the ride started. I’d allowed myself to become pretty fatigued in the past couple of weeks. And then there was the sunscreen!
Those of you who know me, know I am a firm believer in sunscreen. Yet here is a case where I was brought low by that very item. Specifically, it was Kroger, store brand, “Sunscreen 50 spf.” It says on the bottle, “Very Water Resistant.” Of course on the back, under warnings, it says, “Keep out of eyes. Rinse with water to remove.”
I applied the stuff liberally, which is my usual practice. Then, almost as soon as we started to ride, certainly as soon as I started to get a bit heated, the gunk melted and ran into my eyes. I was almost instantly fighting “sweat blindness.” It stung. That was only the beginning. It stung a lot. I dowsed my face with water. Things improved a bit, and then got a lot worse.
I ended up with a terrific case of chemically induced conjunctivitis. That’s a fancy way of saying “pink eye.” It’s an extremely painful irritation of the outer layer of the eye, and the inner layer of the eyelid. Worse, this triggers a huge case of “faucet nose.” So there I am, almost blind, and barely able to breath. Not my best day on the bike.
I really need to commend my friends and fellow riders. They were patient and courteous to a high degree.
So what else happened on the ride? Read on.
Present were Chris, Ray, Ed, Ryan, Cindy, and me.
Chris had to modify her participation. She’s a doctor, and was on call. She couldn’t risk being out of range of the beeper. So she rode with us to Palmetto, then turned back, rode to the shop, then back tracked our route to meet us in Fairburn and do the final leg back in with us. Now that’s dedication.
Ray, wisely, chose the better part of valor. I have to commend him for his mental toughness, and his wisdom. Ray has had some medical issues. He’s recovering from them wonderfully. But he is only lately back on the bike after a long hiatus. He decided to throw in the towel as we were heading down the South Fulton Scenic Highway. That was a good decision, Ray. The hardest part of the ride was ahead, and you lived to ride another day.
Dear friends, let me tell you, it was hot out there. The Weather Service Office in PTC recorded a high of 94. It’s always a good 5 to 7 degrees warmer out on the road. This is particularly true of fully exposed, unshaded roadways.
Likely the most challenging part of this ride was the stretch including the three mile long “forever climb” from the Chattahoochee up to GA-166, and the nine mile set of big rollers along GA-166 up to GA-92. These roads are fully exposed, unshaded, and we hit them during the hottest part of the day. Hard work indeed.
Ryan summed it up very well, when he said, “Any of us who have completed this ride are now hot weather certified for 2009.” Absolutely!
And on that note, one of our member voiced a concern at the end of the ride. Quote, “After this, I’m not sure I can do anything more.”
That’s a valid sentiment. Let me assure, you can. This ride was deliberately set over very challenging terrain, and timed to put us on the most challenging part of the route, during the hottest part of the day. If you can do this, and have anything left, you will be able to handle the Cheaha Two Day. Remember, we'll be starting much earlier in the day. We'll get the bulk of the riding done before the heat really comes on.
The Numbers: (Note: We were all carrying our full Cheaha load, plus a little “training bonus.”)
Distance: 66.2 miles
Ride Time: 5:33:46
Overall Time: 6:20:00 (most of the stoppage caused by me clearing my eyes)
Rolling Average: 11.9 mph
Great job, group! Bravo!
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