Summer has arrived

Hi, Greetings from the heart of summer here in Tucson. It has been over 100 deg. F for most of the past two weeks. That means it has been hot. I can hang with it till about 105, then it really gets to me. The other problem has been that it has also been humid getting ready for the monsoon. That means I am twice as drained. Mostly menas you need to learn from the lizard. Lay low during the day and be active from dusk till dawn. Only problem here is that I need to do stuff during the day and sleep at night. Good think dawn comes early here. In Arizona we don't do day light savings time, so the sun is up around 5:30am or sooner. And then it is hot by 6:30 or 7:00 so that getting up takes on some extra urgency to avoid extreme heat stress and dehydration. My person favorite is getting dehydrated.

So inspite of the obstacles, I have actually gotten out and ridden quite a bit lately. Something interesting about being out there early and alone in the heat. Kind of fun. I've even gotten some intervals in. That is hard though, because I am usually so thirsty by the time I get home I end up spending the next four hours drinking constantly to try to catch up. Mind you I ride with a 100 oz Camelbak and usually drink though that after two and a half hours. There is an interesting article in the latest Bicycling about the differing technology approaches of various teams competing in the Tour de France. Allen Lim with Garmin talks about how much energy is used to stay cool and that to speed recovery you need to cool down quickly after riding. I usually hop right in the shower with only the cold water on. It works OK, but the water isn't really cold. It is ground temperature so it is coolish, refreshing but certainly not cold. I am considering how to build an ice vest to aid cooling my core down. It hasn't been perfected yet. Maybe soon.

Speaking of Rodale press, the last issue of Mountain Bike had a review of the GT FORCE CARBON. http://www.bicycling.com/gear/detail/0,7989,s1-16-84-2212-0,00.html They like it a great deal. Doesn't surprise me, since my Marathon Carbon is fantastic and I imagine the Force is more of a good thing. I am considering if I need one. I would love to see how it rails around the local trails.

till next time