Headed down to the Big D (and I do mean Dallas) to visit family this past weekend. Everything is bigger in….

One of the reasons I love cycling so much is that you can socialize while exercising. It’s really more then 2 birds with 1 stone. I met up with my old friend Thomas and we cruised around White Rock Lake Saturday morning. Catching up and exercising at the same time with a little sightseeing mixed in. Beats going to the gym any old day. Good times, in good company.

The neighborhoods around White Rock Lake are really cool. Some of the houses are pretty incredible.

 The lake has a mixture of paths and roads around it. About 9 miles.

 We stopped by the George W.Dubya Bush Presidential Library. Located on the SMU campus. It’s worth a trip.

A piece of the WTC. The most moving thing about the library for me was the 9/11 exhibit. Hearing the now infamous bullhorn speech again gave me chills. I watched so many other people have the same reaction. Still such powerful words at a powerful moment.

 3 Grunnagle’s vs. 2 George’s. They have the height advantage but we have the numbers.

A Texas sized dollop of guacamole. I like how they roll down in these parts.

So ever sense the humidity has crept back up I haven’t felt the same while riding. It’s like someone pulled the plug on the power output. I’ve been having trouble just riding in the wheels. I guess it’s time to focus on hydration and do some longer slower rides hoping my body adjusts. My issue is that I’m a heavy sweater (sorry folks who ride behind me). I can easily lose 3-4 pounds in a two hour ride. A couple years ago I consulted my buddy who raced professionally for many years and he helped me come up with a hydration strategy. What surprised me the most was the amount of liquid. He suggested I should be drinking two bottles per hour. That’s a lot. So yesterday on an 85 mile ride at just over four hours I drank 5 bottles and 1 coke. I felt okay but had no power and just couldn’t take in any more fluids. Thankfully Art was riding well and didn’t seem to mind towing me around Arkansas.  Art I owe you some gas money bro. In good company.

 Barns, Bikes & BBQ? Barns Bikes & Bruce?

Coming from Texas back to the Natural State the first thing I notice is how big the trees are here. Much of the Pig Trail is covered in canopy.

A lot of this was new road for me to ride. What a day!