Last week I was dreading this past Saturday's ride because I knew it was going to be long and hot. I was already tired going into it, but didn't feel tired until the last hour of the ride. I accidentally set the wrong alarm time and woke up half an hour late, so twelve minutes after waking I was in the car, getting dressed while stopping at red lights. By the time I arrived at the group meeting place, I had eaten a powerbar, was wearing my helmet and one shoe (the right one off so I could still drive), and almost ready to go. I pumped some air in my rear tire and it became evident that the stem had a hole where it attaches to the tube. One of the men fixed my flat, delaying the group about ten minutes. Not a great start to a long ride. However, I felt pretty strong until the last five miles. My bike logged about 68 miles by the end. I flatted out again about a mile from my car, so one of my BBC teammates picked up my car and brought it to me. The temperature was in the upper 90s for the last couple of hours of the ride, and that was brutal. I would rather not ride in such heat, but I was hoping it will temper me for the upcoming omnium in Huntsville at the end of July. My group stopped every hour or so to fill up on beverages. Once I had returned home, taken a cool shower and eaten my fill of lunch, I retired for a long afternoon nap. I was useless for the rest of the day.

An omnium is a bike race involving three sections: a road race, a time trial and a criterium. This will be my first omnium to race in, and I am excited about it. I just hope the heat that weekend won't be as brutal as it's going to be this week.