Hottest day in months, would have made sense to get out early, right? Watch the Vuelta coverage, which finished at 8:45, then get out and ride before it gets really warm. That’s what a sensible person would do.

But a person with less sense? That person gets various things done first and doesn’t hit the road until 11:23, pretty much guaranteeing a hot & long day in the saddle. It actually wasn’t all that bad though; maybe 80 degrees climbing Old LaHonda, and I actually got to stop about 2/3rds of the way up and help a couple guys visiting from Hong Kong with their route. The fact that they were stopped was an indication they weren’t really up to the task at hand; they wanted to know how much more climbing, and they were relieved to know just a mile or so. I asked where they were heading. Out to LaHonda then up West Alpine. I let them know what to expect… something much hotter and much steeper than what they were presently on, and suggested perhaps they ought to just head south on Skyline and drop down Page Mill. I have a feeling even the stretch on 9 to Page Mill was going to be tough for them!

Stopping on Old LaHonda wasn’t an issue in terms of wrecking a Strava time; I wasn’t feeling very frisky today. New, higher medication level isn’t exactly performance-enhancing. However, the climb up Haskins went easier than expected. Got to say it’s a lot more fun heading out to Pescadero when someone else is helping to fight the headwinds! It will be nice when Kevin’s broken arm is a thing of the past.

Thankfully the coast was cooler… much cooler. Pescadero was about 70 degrees, with fog sitting right at the coastline. Fueled up for the return at the Pescadero market (Arcangeli), and then, heading north on Stage… kind of hit the wall. Not much energy on the two climbs, just putting one foot in front of the other. Not a very classy way to climb, but eventually, you get to the top. Great views, as you can see in the photo at the top of this page.

Tunitas? Not today. I wimped out and rode back via 84. In some ways Tunitas actually feels easier, because it has a definitive beginning, middle and end. Heading in from 84, you have some annoying little rollers until you get to La Honda, where it becomes a long-ish hot climb without tree cover. But nice to do something different once in a while, and I started regaining a bit of power about halfway up.

Hopefully the new higher doses of Hydroxyurea will significantly improve my platelet numbers, because I’m certainly seeing a negative effect on my cycling. In theory the stuff does a number on your heat tolerance, but even though it hit 96 on my ride today, heat really didn’t seem to be the issue. Off the bike, another thing entirely; you feel hot & sweaty mid-day at work. But riding? No issue. Life could be worse!