I took off on the F-5 just before 6:20 this morning and rode my Athens to Canton loop route for 80 miles. I ended up with a 16.2 mph average, which is a bit faster than I usually ride. It’s three weeks until Hotter ‘N Hell Hundred, so I’m trying to get my old arse in shape for that. It was 73 degrees when I took off, a very nice morning for August in Texas, but it warmed up quickly, and was over 90 degrees when I finished at 11:40. I probably need to do another 80 mile ride next Saturday.

I ended up with 510 miles total for July, not an especially good mileage month for me. There were a lot of days over 100 degrees in July, which made me hesitate to ride in the afternoons after work, and my work schedule was busy enough that I had a tough time getting in as many early morning rides as I would have liked.

Today’s route: