Breaking Records!

Two memorable events occurred today. The first was that our team successfully made the 95 mile trip from Ashland to Charlottesville logging 7 hours on the saddle. The second memorable event of the day, at least for me, was the fact that Virginia was the hottest area of the country today (beating out Miami at a mere 88 degrees). According to the local news, Charlottesville tied a historical all time high of 98 degrees for the 7th day in June. Also take into account the fact that the heat index reached above 110. The heat really took it's toll on me. Luckily, I was able to convince Sam and Bob to pull over at the Hitching Post Reststop around 3:15 pm for some cold water, ice, Popsicles, and Air Conditioning. We decided to wait out the heat and start up again once it got cooler out. We hit the road again at 4pm. There were a few occasions where I thought I might lose my lunch. I probably consumed about 5 liters of water (that's not including the Gatorade I drank).
Other than the heat, the ride was scenic for the most part. My favorite part of the ride was the 60 miles we did in the morning. We raced through the Virginia back country and saw some beautiful farmland. We biked through the Lake Anna region which was serene. It had a calming effect on me as the temperatures reached their record breaking points.
I look forward to tomorrow. We are thrust into the Blue Ridge Mountains after only two days of riding. Not only that, but this heat wave is not supposed to subside anytime soon. Water never tased so good...drink up!
Good night!