First, let me restate the obvious, just in case anyone missed it ... IT WAS REALLY, REALLY HOT OUT THERE!

There, that feels much better. Now, to continue ... Despite a number of warnings from Jim, and the pre-dawn departure plans of the rest of the gang, Andrew and I opted for a more relaxed approach to Saturday's 100k. Up at 6, out by 6:30, rolling by 7:30, done by noon - simple, right? It was a good plan, just a pleasant little jaunt for Mr. & Mrs Lees. With no one waiting on us, and no one to meet up with, we could freely engage in all that sticky sweet talk that couples make when preparing for a big outing. You know ... "Honey, I thought you were going to fix that flat last night" ... "Sweetie, could you just give me hand with this so we could leave already" ... "Babe, did you (put the dog out, lock the door, grab my bag, find the keys, make any coffee, print out directions)?" Yep, quality couple time at our house! Still, I didn't even have to bite my lower lip to keep from pouting as I watched Craig and Corrine pull away from their driveway, off to do the 50k. After all, the sun was just up, the air was balmy, and we still left the house by 7 AM; how much difference would another thirty or forty minutes make? As it turns out, it did make a fair bit of difference by the day's end ... In Lodi, Andrew and I grabbed one of the last parking spots in the lot, and whipped into registration, where the quiet was actually a little unsettling ... maybe a dozen riders started with us just after 8 am, and maybe half of those were 100k folks. The first 20 miles were just about as quiet, with little else of consequence but our own idle chatter and the pleasantries we exchanged with most everyone we encountered, making the first rest stop in decent enough time to be hear a familiar voice calling to Andrew. We had zipped up just in time to join the Burghis for a snack and a photo or two, along with a brief club update - the Silva brothers were about 20 minutes or so ahead of us. Has anyone else noticed all these Valley Wheeler people? It seems like everywhere we go, there we are! Anyway, the smarter of the two couples (meaning not Andrew & I) turned around in Clements and headed back for lunch and air conditioning. We got right back on the road, too, just as soon as somebody finished buying himself a cup of joe for the road ... up and down over the little rollers we went while he sipped his coffee. Not much chance of catching the Silva boys with the pace we were keeping. Much more chatting ensued. Eventually we found ourselves in the deep shade of walnut orchards, peddling in time to the chit-chit-chit of irrigation sprinklers, completely alone. Were we the only two people left on the ride? No matter. It was still only mid morning, we were still making good time and I was traveling along roads I hadn't seen before ... The next rest stop was Linden, which must be synonymous with languid in some language or another. Quieter even than the first, the little conversation anyone made was done with "inside" voices. I started to wonder if the hospitality crew was simply waiting for us to finish so they could clean up and head back to the barn! A few 100 mile guys rolled in, though, and I asked as to the time they had begun - 6:20 am! Yow! Could JIm, Jer, Jose, Luis and Leonel be just ahead, or just behind us? I tried to sort out the timing of it, but the rising heat was starting to do funny things to my brain ... I kept getting distracted by a dripping hose lying next to the wall. Sticking my head under running water for a few minutes sounded so appealing ... but my riding partner was itching to get started again, so I reluctantly took to the road for the last leg. That was probably a mistake on my part ... Note to self: Next time my body tells my head to go stand under a garden hose, I'm doing it! The next 24 miles took two long hours as the heat really started to climb. Shade all but disappeared. Nature turned its blow dryer on us full force. I whimpered and sucked my husband's wheel shamelessly, threatened to throw up, had to stop four, maybe five times? Thought about Big Dave off riding the Davis Double and hoped he was having a much better day than I was. Honestly, the last ten miles was just plain hard, for both of us, and it felt like we'd be ending on a sour note, but then I felt this huge mix of gratitude and pride rush through me as we rolled up to the parking lot ... these two kind hearted women were sitting in the heat clapping and cheering us in ... and, of course, who else would it be but our own Michele and Kristine! Those Valley Wheelers again, don't you just love 'em? Then, thankfully, MicheIe took my bike away from me before I passed out! :) I was still trying to shake off heat exhaustion when our 100 mile gang came into view less than ten minutes later. Even Luis was rather quiet for a bit before we all began comparing ride notes. Four of our own were unavailable to give an account of their day ; Marci and Gary, who'd also been sighted at the first rest stop by Michele and Kristine, and the aforementioned Silva boys, all their vehicles gone from the lot. Jer was last in for the day, but not by all that much, arriving in time to join us for the post ride grub-fest ... tri tip - yum! salad- excellent! sodas - ice cold, yes! air conditioning - oh, heavenly! Kudos to Drew for finishing his first 100k - up until Saturday his longest ride to date was our Del Puerto Canyon ride this past winter. He's since admitted that he was a little apprehensive about taking on this one, but I knew he'd be fine :) And my unending admiration to everyone who went out and rode on Saturday. Corrine, that was your first organized ride, right? Way to go! The Sunrise organizers said that the 'no shows' for paid and registered riders was between 10-15%! Dave 'The Davis Double Defying' DeSantis - you are truly a force to be reckoned with! Ray The Racing Rocket' Carrier - how do you continue to turn it up yet another notch? Okay, I've finally released some of my pent up email energy that I've had to hold on to in recent weeks while I tended to annoying obligations ... like work! I'll be quiet now :) Max And I haven't even touched on the weekend's soirees at Leonel's and at Luis's homes ...