It's a small HOT world!

[cindysue]

It was triple digits yesterday for the SLO Wildflower. No coastal breeze to cool things off – this ride was all Valley and very hot!

I had the fortune to ride with some great new and old friends. Funny thing – I was rolling along and a guy and a gal came up along side me and started chatting. She was asking about my bike since she is considering buying an Orbea. It turns out she also knows the gal who just started up the Sacramento chapter of the LUNA Chix. She asked me if I wanted to ride with her and her friend for the rest of the day and I said sure! So, we pulled in the first rest stop and she was about to introduce me to the couple she had come to the ride with.....

But before she could say their names - I saw two Amici Veloci jerseys and immediately recognized "Sadie Kate" and "Bubba"! What a small world! And it turns out I had heard stories about the other guy she was with "Homey" - he posts at Bike Journal and did RAAM (race across America) last year! Talk about studly! It sure was great having friends to ride with – it sure made the brutal weather more tolerable!

The SAG wagons were busy yesterday! I felt nauseous for most of the afternoon and we were out all afternoon. This should have been a fairly fast century – lots of rollers, no major climbs. But we were pulling into the shade every chance we could. It was 4:30pm when we rolled into the finish (9 hours after I started) and we had taken the short cut, giving us 85 miles instead of 107 (I wonder how many people did the full 107 given the heat?!).

Despite the weather – the support was fantastic!! I never ran out of water – and I drank a lot of water! (about 8-10 bottles). They were putting water bottles by the side of the road in between the rest stops. The neighbors were also great. There was a lemonade/water stand on the side of the road raking in the cash. And there was another man and woman handing out free water bottles; just some nice couple not affiliated with the ride but very much appreciated for their kindness. There was one exception – there was a woman yelling and taking pictures of riders who weren't riding single file. The organizers had already posted numerous signs telling people to ride single file but she felt it was her duty to enforce it. We were on desolate roads for much of the ride but she was on a mission. All I could think was "you sure have a lot of free time lady."

All in all it was a good day – it's always a good day when you're riding with friends!

Hope to see you all soon! I'll be at Grizzly Peak next weekend. Maybe I'll see you there!

[maillotpois]

I'm so glad you guys had a good ride! I was thinking about you all.

Isn't Bernie great? I think he's like the Yoda of cycling.

[jobob]

Sorry I missed out on the ride! But all in all, it was good I bailed, I'm still in a stamina free-zone.

I'm really glad you had a great time, despite the gawdawful heat. And hooked up with the gang, that's so neat.

[Trekhawk]

Glad you had a good ride but YIKES that sounds bl**dy hot.
Nice to know you had good company to share the heat.

Now I just need to find out from SK if the heat made Bill whine more or less.

[tprevost]

Glad you had a good ride but YIKES that sounds bl**dy hot.
Nice to know you had good company to share the heat.

Now I just need to find out from SK if the heat made Bill whine more or less.

Bill was pretty darned quiet at dinner anyway ... of course, I have no way of knowing if he's that way normally I had the pleasure of meeting SK and Bubba and SK's friend (I am completely forgetting her name.... help SK!!!) at dinner... there were going to dinner and I hijacked them and forced them to eat with us! How great to finally get to meet her and bubba and her friend ... although, the way the table was set up I didn't get a chance to talk w/you guys as much as I would have liked!!!!

We had a great ride (only did the 50) and were done before noon... it was pretty hot by the time we finished but it was tolerable for the short time we were out in it!

Looking forward to seeing everyone again!!!

Trac'

[jobob]

Bill was pretty darned quiet at dinner anyway ... of course, I have no way of knowing if he's that way normally

OMG, Bill was QUIET ?!? The heat must've really gotten to him, poor bunkie.

[SadieKate]

Bill was feeling darn frisky until the 1st rest stop when we found CindySue or she found us or whatever. Then the heat set in and we were all whining. Not talkative normally? Bwahahahahahaha! His stomach was still bothering him. He'd gone past the whining stage.

And Cindy, I did not tell Sue I was starting a chaper of LunaChix. I have no idea where that came from. I told her about the Jelly Belly ride last year.

Trac', we'll catch-up when we figure out a mtb day if I can come also.

[tprevost]

OMG, Bill was QUIET ?!? The heat must've really gotten to him, poor bunkie.

yeah, I think he may have spoken 4 sentences

[tprevost]

Bill was feeling darn frisky until the 2nd rest stop when we found CindySue or she found us or whatever. Then the heat set in and we were all whining. Not talkative normally? Bwahahahahahaha! His stomach was still bothering him. He'd gone past the whining stage.

And Cindy, I did not tell Sue I was starting a chaper of LunaChix. I have no idea where that came from. I told her about the Jelly Belly ride last year.

Trac', we'll catch-up when we figure out a mtb day if I can come also.

That would be SO cool if you'd come too!!!!! Sue said she'd like to come also so its gonna be a fun day for sure!!!!! anyone else wanna come along???

[SadieKate]

It should have been the perfect ride. Wonderful rollers, nothing long, nothing steep, just the terrain for a fun and fast cruise through the country. The downhills even seemed longer than the climbs, but our day turned into a Tour de Try Not to Hurl.



Bubba, Sue (our friend who’d ridden it 2 years ago in fabulous weather) and I zipped down I-5 in the Bike Bus Friday night, roared into registration with 5 mins to spare and then checked into the tres chic and luxurious SLO Motel 6. We managed to be on our bikes nearly right on time the next morning, found Homey who is easy to spot even if you’ve never met him. How many people are there built like a 6’4” bear, riding a Colnago and wearing a RAAM jersey?

We spun off through some beautiful country side. Since it had been a dry and warm spring, we knew the flowers would be scarce. Boy, were we surprised. It was almost completely lacking in flowers. One field early on was full of poppies that were probably open later in the day but the flowers were so scarce the rest of the ride that the one or two struggling along were surprises. Bubba was feeling frisky towing us most of the way on the first leg, Bernie sitting in the 2nd spot with Sue and me happily bringing up the rear. I’m more than happy to let someone else do all the work. We cruised into Rest Stop One to find the best surprise of day, Miss Cindy. It was really fun to have her along for the rest of the ride. I mean, it is so much more better to have a larger group with whom to compare levels of stomach and intestinal discomfort. Somehow between RS#1 and RS#2, the furnace turned on. The steepest climb (it’s all rather hazy so Cindy may need to re-order my memory of events) was in here and suddenly we were all suffering. Thank goodness there were kids selling ice water and lemonade on the side of the road in a few spots. With the sudden onset of heat I think we all made a silent pact not to pass by water of any kind, free or otherwise. I am happy to report that I gave away one of my horrible Michelin tubes to a guy stranded on the side of the road. It’ll get him through this ride and then when the valve stem patch separates I’ll be long gone and he won’t even remember it was my tube.

We struggled into RS#2 sometime between 10:15 and 10:30 where everyone was huddling under the big semi-trailer which was the only shade. By this time, stomaches were going, heat stroke symptoms were starting and we were seeing people starting to SAG. The CHP even drove by and used his mike to tell everyone to drink constantly as they were already having riders literally falling off their bikes from heat exhaustion, at 10:30 am! It turns out all of us had had the chills that are a pre-cursor to heat exhaustion; I had gotten dizzy and was seriously worried that I shouldn’t go farther. Just trying to voice my fears put me on the edge of tears. It was that serious. Homey came up with a great tip, saved the day for me so everyone listen up. Take an arm warmer and fill with ice, tying up both ends, and drape around the back of your neck. Once you are on the bike learning forward it will stay there. In my case, I used Bubba’s large arm warmer for an extra large ice pack and used my bolero to tie it around my neck (Homey just laughed when I asked him if I looked like Grace Kelly, maybe I should have said Audrey Hepburn). The extra weight made the base of my neck hurt but it really dropped my core temperature and meant I could continue. To the RS volunteers, sorry if we raided too much ice but somehow I don’t think you were going to need all that whip cream for the hot coffee.

So off our little group struggled. By this time, the wonderful volunteers were out with extra water on the sides on the roads. There was one spot where they just dropped a bunch of large bottles of water. Every SAG that went by the rest of the day was loaded to the brim. We should have had about a 16 mile slight downhill (according to the elevation profile) cruise into the lunch stop but first, it is so brown and sere from the drought that our spirits plummeted. Homey said in a green year that is where the best wildflowers are. Second, the head winds are so fierce that it becomes a struggle just to keep moving forward. Then, Cindy gets a flat where the only shade is a 2 in wide fence post out in the weeds.



But we saw antelope (and a ferret earlier in the day, but no condors ).



Somewhere after this Sue manages to catch the wheel of 4 guys who say their names are George, Fred, Lance and Dave or Tom or something, fancy that?

Lunch. I’ve never taken so long in a rest stop (well, ok, the meet and greet photofest at the Little Red Riding Hood last year). My stomach was so upset earlier I hadn’t been able to eat and I was starting to bonk. We all ended up lying on the grass with our shoes off and I soaked my head for the 2nd time that day. The volunteer wouldn’t stop with the hose until I had my wrists soaking for a while and a good ice cream headache going. He wasn’t going to let me keel over on his watch. There are big benefits to having about 1” long hair in the summer for these impromptu hairwashings I went through during the day. Everyone is having stomach problems and looking like death warmed over. Bill’s legs started cramping somewhere out on the flat stretch and he can barely reach his feet to get his shoes back on. Cindy announces in a very ladylike manner that no one should ride behind her as she may hurl her lunch. Okey-dokey. I think I’ll take the lead out of town.

Homey, the local, informed us long ago that we could cut the last 20 miles off the 107 route and we’ve all agreed at this point. We start the last climbs home. Two little measly gentle climbs that would hardly be noticed on a cool day become a death march. Everyone is climbing from shady spot to shady spot. About mile 77 a SAG with an open spot finally shows up and Bill gets in as both legs are cramping badly and every inch of clothing is caked with salt. The driver is thrilled to hear that Bill will come back for others as soon as he gets back to the car. Remember this little factoid.

The rest of us start putzing away again. I’ve NEVER been pushed up a hill. Even though he’s having stomach issues also, Homey starts giving Cindy and me little pushes to get over the stupid little rollers. I mean, this are blips and they look like mountains. We’re thinking Bill will be back before the last climb. Oh no. The SAG driver has spent the next 7 miles stopping to talk to each and every person. Not just asking out the window if they need a ride, but getting out of the van and chatting up a conversation with each and every person. Nothing like having legs cramps and sitting in a hot car for an hour when the driver knows you’ve volunteered to pick up some folks, relieving the overtaxed SAG drivers. They get to the last rest stop only a few miles from the end and he announces he’s going to turn around. What??? So Bill drags himself back onto his bike and rides the last few miles. He finally shows up with the Bike Bus after we’ve crested the last climb. Homey’s shoes even sink into the hot asphalt while he’s talking to Bill but he talks Cindy and me back onto our bikes because we are so close and the climbing is over. Sue has just decided she can’t stop and is in front of us somewhere. Near the end, we are riding about 1/10 of a mph faster than a couple in front of us but I don’t have the sprint to get around them in traffic. Homey gives me such a big push I had to tell them as I “flew” by that Homey pushed me. I mean, how demoralizing is it to have someone that you’ve seen struggling up the hills at the same miserable crawl suddenly flying by you. I’d want to stick my pump in their spokes.

Bill’s back at the finish by now trying to figure out how to change shoes because his legs won’t bend. I’m lying on cold concrete in the shade. I can’t even get as far as the BBQ. Bill and Homey find each other and then Sue who was, as usual, talking up a storm with everyone and eating, OMG, garlic bread. Just the thought made my stomach whirl again. Cindy came in from her car (how does she keep her hair looking good through all this?) and needs to get going because she has, OMG, dinner guests. Homey admits he was very glad when we’d all stop in the shade because he was about to hurl also but it wasn’t “manly” to say he needed to stop. The wimmenfolk could do it.

Our little group was such a benefit. I think everyone of us, but Homey, would have quit earlier. It was really a rather dangerous day with the fire dept/EMTs out all day and the SAG drivers roaring back and forth shuttling people in. The whining actually got rather minimal as we had gone over the edge of reason and were just silently concentrating on turning over the cranks. Drinking and riding at the same time had become a difficult. Homey was grateful to ride our snail’s pace because he would have hammered with his normal ride buddies and gotten sick, so we can take credit for giving him lots of good mental training for the Mojave section of RAAM.

One lesson learned: smack your hubby upside the head when his legs are jerking with cramps and he still insists on riding. Smack harder if he doesn’t listen.

Another lesson: ride with Homey for mental inspiration, good jokes and a very large draft.

The biggest lesson learned: do not let SK and Bubba ever pre-reg for a Wildflower ride, EVER. The one and only time we’ve ridden the Chico Wildflower there were record high temps. So just be warned. Don’t sign up unless you know that we haven’t.

Oh yeah, and I poured water over my hair again when I “dressed for dinner” with Trac’ and friends. I hope she noticed my elegant do.

[tprevost]

Oh yeah, and I poured water over my hair again when I “dressed for dinner” with Trac’ and friends. I hope she noticed my elegant do.

that's too funny; I woulda sworn you'd just gotten outa the shower, you looked fresh and beautiful

[jobob]

Cindy came in from her car (how does she keep her hair looking good through all this?)

LOL, she did it again?! Fresh as a daisy after the Cinderella century as well. Good thing she's such a sweetheart, otherwise we'd hate her.

[SadieKate]

Would someone please explain to me why the first photo in all my posts will be fine and then will transpose to the link only? Grrr...

[cindysue]

And Cindy, I did not tell Sue I was starting a chaper of LunaChix. I have no idea where that came from. I told her about the Jelly Belly ride last year.

different friend (although her name also happens to be Sarah).....

[cindysue]

Our little group was such a benefit.

Great ride report! I'm thankful you all were there because I would have probably tried to do something stupid like finish the whole ride (stubborn dumb*** that I am). They would have found me passed out on the side of the road being photographed by our friend as evidence of rider stupidity