Sweltering

Summer finally hit Oregon on Thursday with temperatures in the 90's. The nice part is that summer has lasted for at least three days and might stick around for a little while longer. Late Wednesday night the C and the kids got back into town. It just so happened that summer's arrival was timed with their return. I appreciate them bringing the sun back with them from their Southern adventures. All of them had dark tans and smelled of coconut oil. Well, maybe not the coconut oil but they did have nice tans. I am happy and relieved that they are back safely and the boys survived.

The riding is always better when you don't have all this extra clothing on - like it was this week. I rode every day this week; 6 days in the saddle. Some days had significant miles, others were just a run to/from work. All told, 170+ miles over almost 11 hours of bike time. It was another week of hill work. All the strength training will pay off at the STP and later in the summer. Only two more weeks till the ride. I picked up our packets yesterday and reviewed the ride book - pretty much the same as last year.

This week will be some riding to work, a 4th ride, a JD Hogg special on Saturday, and a route review on Sunday. The last week of preparation will be another one full of miles. Probably a bit more than the recommended 120. Over the last four weeks, I have averaged over 170 miles. For the year, I am averaging over 110 miles a week. Definitely hitting my goal of riding more this year than last. The weight has been stable at 206 for two weeks now but I have phase 2 of the plan to implement. I look forward to next week seeing if it works or not.

It's been fun - See you on the road...