Biking - Getting out early on a steamy morning

With thunderstorms in the forecast for mid-day, I hit the road fairly early this morning to get in another longish ride. This one would be about 40 miles, including a climb up Grant Hill Road, followed by a breakfast stop in Voorheesville at about 15 miles.



The temperature wasn't all that high as I started out, but the humidity was stifling. I was pretty well soaked by the time I got to the top of Grant Hill and continued on to a much needed breakfast sandwich at Stewarts in Voorheesville. I also downed an OJ, and picked up a second Gatorade to go with the one I already had on the bike. It was going to be a day for lots of fluids.

The rest of the ride was mostly just rolling, with a couple of short slightly steep pitches. A couple of times, I felt the first hint of an approaching cramp, but downed some Gatorade and that seemed to solve the problem. I made it home in time for lunch, but first needed to cool down and dry out. The temperature was in the mid-80s by now, and the dewpoint was still around 70, so it was pretty uncomfortable.

Overall, this ride went much better than the 55-miler of a couple days past, and I rediscovered the touring rhythm of last year where I relax and just don't ever push it. It's a much more pleasant way to ride.