Oh No in Oley! - July 6, 2013

Not much to be said for this ride. A group of four riders started out from the churches on Covered Bridge Road in Oley Township. Oley is scenic, but since the township is largely agricultural the roads aren't tree covered. Leaving at 10:30 AM didn't let us beat the heat; instead the heat beat us. Eight miles in we stopped for drinks at a gas station, and noted the temperature was 95 degrees. I conked out before mile 12, when I became nauseated and couldn't pedal up little rises. I waited to be picked up at a shaded recreation area along the Manatawny Creek. The rest of the group struggled too; only two of us completed the planned twenty some mile route, and one of those riders was running on fumes by the time he was done.

I think my problem on the ride was due to a combination of factors. The heat, of course, was one of them. And while Oley isn't hilly, it has more elevation change than the rail trails I've been riding. But the biggest factor is that I simply hadn't gotten enough sleep. My day job isn't a day job, its in the afternoon and evening, and morning rides can be very tough for me. Add in the heat and climbing and it was too much for me with my present level of fitness. Until this extreme heat breaks I'll have to be careful when riding, and perhaps defer long rides to another day.