What happened to our cold, wet spring?

Those of you who were aware of my plans for the weekend and who read last week's report from the previous weekend are probably expecting a lengthy treatise today. Sorry to disappoint, but seems like solo rides are much less eventful than with large groups.

My plan was to leave about 7:00 a.m. I didn't set my alarm and woke up at 8:00. Left the house about 8:40 and headed towards Bogus Basin. Lots of riders on Bogus--guess it's that time of year. Made it up Bogus in 1:22. Once again, took me 45 minutes to get to the sign, but I did from there to the top in 37.

From there I pedaled over to Hidden Springs, where my wife and kids met me with full bottles and some snacks. I took enough time to sit on the grass and have a bite to eat. Due to my late start, I also realized I wouldn't have time to complete the Emmett loop, so I decided to just ride from there to Horseshoe Bend and back.

The climb to Horseshoe Bend is tough but manageable with fresh legs. Not so much when you've already done Bogus and Hidden Springs. On the way up, the climb is broken up by a couple of flat sections that provide a chance to get the heart rate down and clear the lactic acid out of the legs. Once at the top, it's a five mile, 7% descent to the town of Horseshoe Bend. I hit 45 mph in the first stretch without even pedaling. I was really wishing I'd have left early, as I would have preferred to ride all the way to Emmett and over Old Freeze Out than to go back over that hill.

I stopped at the convenience store in town to fill my bottles, then turned around and went back the way I came. When I left the C-Store where my bike was in the shade, the temperature was 96 degrees. As I pedaled out onto the climb and was in full sun, the thermometer kept going up and up. I thought it would level out at 101 or 102, but it kept going all the way to 115. When I finally got to the top, I was cooked, literally and figuratively. And I still had to pedal about 17 miles to get home.

Final stats for the day were 96 miles, 7,678 feet of climbing, and six hour ride time. Can we get another one of those cold fronts, please?