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!