31 Mile Ride

"Hud" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Today I rode further than I ever have - 31 miles. For some this distance
is

Yeah, 90degrees in the shade can be a lot hotter when you're out under the
sun!

I like to do my rides in the early AM...or at least start them then.

Good job.

Hud said:

Today I rode further than I ever have - 31 miles. For some this distance is
a drop in the bucket; for me it's a record. I pedaled country roads to a
small Ohio town called Harpster, which is 15 1/2 miles away. The weather
was sunny and 90-degrees...a bit hot but a beautiful day for cycling. The
ride was on country roads with very low traffic. Two miles of the trip was
on gravel, a new experience for me. The bike handled it well. I made it to
Harpster and stopped for a ham and cheese sandwich and a cold Pepsi at the
Kwikmart. I figured I'd burn it off on the return ride.

The first 15-plus miles felt good. No problem for this 244 lb. guy. After
eating I got on my bike and headed back home. I felt good the first 10
miles heading back but then got thirsty. I stopped for some water and,
man-o-man, it was hot! The sun baked my water bottle. I drank as much as I
could stand and kept going. When I was about 2 miles from home I hit a
wall. I think it's called bonking out. I had already cycled 29 miles in
the heat, my water was hot and my energy level plummeted. I stopped in the
shade of a tree by the road and poured the hot water from my bottle over my
head. Man! It felt great. Really cooled me down. I got back on the bike,
grinded out the last few miles and pulled into the driveway. I checked my
Cateye computer and it assured me I completed 31 miles. Four bottles of Ice
Mountain water later, I felt pretty good.

congrats

In article <[email hidden]>,

Hud said:

Today I rode further than I ever have - 31 miles. For some this distance is
a drop in the bucket; for me it's a record. I pedaled country roads to a
small Ohio town called Harpster, which is 15 1/2 miles away. The weather
was sunny and 90-degrees...a bit hot but a beautiful day for cycling. The
ride was on country roads with very low traffic. Two miles of the trip was
on gravel, a new experience for me. The bike handled it well. I made it to
Harpster and stopped for a ham and cheese sandwich and a cold Pepsi at the
Kwikmart. I figured I'd burn it off on the return ride.

The first 15-plus miles felt good. No problem for this 244 lb. guy. After
eating I got on my bike and headed back home. I felt good the first 10
miles heading back but then got thirsty. I stopped for some water and,
man-o-man, it was hot! The sun baked my water bottle. I drank as much as I
could stand and kept going. When I was about 2 miles from home I hit a
wall. I think it's called bonking out. I had already cycled 29 miles in
the heat, my water was hot and my energy level plummeted. I stopped in the
shade of a tree by the road and poured the hot water from my bottle over my
head. Man! It felt great. Really cooled me down. I got back on the bike,
grinded out the last few miles and pulled into the driveway. I checked my
Cateye computer and it assured me I completed 31 miles. Four bottles of Ice
Mountain water later, I felt pretty good.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

That's what it's all about.

Well done.

I expect you're hooked now. Especially if you're
eager to do it again.

I envy you your heat. I thrive on it, myself.
Mad dogs 'n cyclists, I guess. Summer is pretty
much over here, in my neck o' the woods.
I miss summer already.

As for that "wall" you hit, I wonder if that was
largely psychological? After all, this ride was
a milestone for you. Now that you physically,
tangibly know that it can be done, I think that
particular wall will disappear. I bet you're
already figuring out ways to adapt to your riding
environment -- to deal with heat, hydration, etc.
And rather than dumping a bunch of unsolicited
advice on ya, I'll just leave ya to it. While
one of the great pleasures of cycling is triumphing
over challenges (as you did with your long ride,)
another is to develop one's own personal adaptations
and style.

You're doin' good.

cheers, & put ice cubes in your water bottle :-)
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Hud said:

Today I rode further than I ever have - 31 miles. For some this distance is
a drop in the bucket; for me it's a record. I pedaled country roads to a
small Ohio town called Harpster, which is 15 1/2 miles away. The weather
was sunny and 90-degrees...a bit hot but a beautiful day for cycling. The
ride was on country roads with very low traffic. Two miles of the trip was
on gravel, a new experience for me. The bike handled it well. I made it to
Harpster and stopped for a ham and cheese sandwich and a cold Pepsi at the
Kwikmart. I figured I'd burn it off on the return ride.

The first 15-plus miles felt good. No problem for this 244 lb. guy. After
eating I got on my bike and headed back home. I felt good the first 10
miles heading back but then got thirsty. I stopped for some water and,
man-o-man, it was hot! The sun baked my water bottle. I drank as much as I
could stand and kept going. When I was about 2 miles from home I hit a
wall. I think it's called bonking out. I had already cycled 29 miles in
the heat, my water was hot and my energy level plummeted. I stopped in the
shade of a tree by the road and poured the hot water from my bottle over my
head. Man! It felt great. Really cooled me down. I got back on the bike,
grinded out the last few miles and pulled into the driveway. I checked my
Cateye computer and it assured me I completed 31 miles. Four bottles of Ice
Mountain water later, I felt pretty good.

Well done.

Now, if you put an old sock around your water bottle and keep it
wetted down, you will have cool water to drink.

Lewis.

*****

"Tom Keats" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Hud said:

Today I rode further than I ever have - 31 miles. For some this distance
is
a drop in the bucket; for me it's a record. I pedaled country roads to a
small Ohio town called Harpster, which is 15 1/2 miles away. The weather
was sunny and 90-degrees...a bit hot but a beautiful day for cycling.
The
ride was on country roads with very low traffic. Two miles of the trip
was
on gravel, a new experience for me. The bike handled it well. I made it
to
Harpster and stopped for a ham and cheese sandwich and a cold Pepsi at
the
Kwikmart. I figured I'd burn it off on the return ride.

The first 15-plus miles felt good. No problem for this 244 lb. guy.
After
eating I got on my bike and headed back home. I felt good the first 10
miles heading back but then got thirsty. I stopped for some water and,
man-o-man, it was hot! The sun baked my water bottle. I drank as much
as I
could stand and kept going. When I was about 2 miles from home I hit a
wall. I think it's called bonking out. I had already cycled 29 miles in
the heat, my water was hot and my energy level plummeted. I stopped in
the
shade of a tree by the road and poured the hot water from my bottle over
my
head. Man! It felt great. Really cooled me down. I got back on the
bike,
grinded out the last few miles and pulled into the driveway. I checked
my
Cateye computer and it assured me I completed 31 miles. Four bottles of
Ice
Mountain water later, I felt pretty good.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

That's what it's all about.

Well done.

I expect you're hooked now. Especially if you're
eager to do it again.

I envy you your heat. I thrive on it, myself.
Mad dogs 'n cyclists, I guess. Summer is pretty
much over here, in my neck o' the woods.
I miss summer already.

As for that "wall" you hit, I wonder if that was
largely psychological? After all, this ride was
a milestone for you. Now that you physically,
tangibly know that it can be done, I think that
particular wall will disappear. I bet you're
already figuring out ways to adapt to your riding
environment -- to deal with heat, hydration, etc.
And rather than dumping a bunch of unsolicited
advice on ya, I'll just leave ya to it. While
one of the great pleasures of cycling is triumphing
over challenges (as you did with your long ride,)
another is to develop one's own personal adaptations
and style.

You're doin' good.

cheers, & put ice cubes in your water bottle :-)
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

I've figured out that I should've refilled my water bottle with cold water
when I had the chance. Another option is to keep my water bottle in my
storage pack with one of those goo filled plastic things that freeze in the
freezer and stay frozen for hours. And, of course, I could've went in the
morning when it was cooler instead of taking off at 1:40 in the afternoon on
such a hot day. Yes, I'm an hooked. I can't wait to do it again.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Hud said:

I've figured out that I should've refilled my water bottle with cold water
when I had the chance. Another option is to keep my water bottle in my
storage pack with one of those goo filled plastic things that freeze in the
freezer and stay frozen for hours. And, of course, I could've went in the
morning when it was cooler instead of taking off at 1:40 in the afternoon on
such a hot day. Yes, I'm an hooked. I can't wait to do it again.

One thing I've yet to learn is whether or not
the ice from a 7-Eleven Slurpee machine is free.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Hud said:

Today I rode further than I ever have - 31 miles. For some this distance is
a drop in the bucket; for me it's a record. I pedaled country roads to a
small Ohio town called Harpster, which is 15 1/2 miles away. The weather
was sunny and 90-degrees...a bit hot but a beautiful day for cycling. The
ride was on country roads with very low traffic. Two miles of the trip was
on gravel, a new experience for me. The bike handled it well. I made it to
Harpster and stopped for a ham and cheese sandwich and a cold Pepsi at the
Kwikmart. I figured I'd burn it off on the return ride.

The first 15-plus miles felt good. No problem for this 244 lb. guy. After
eating I got on my bike and headed back home. I felt good the first 10
miles heading back but then got thirsty. I stopped for some water and,
man-o-man, it was hot! The sun baked my water bottle. I drank as much as I
could stand and kept going. When I was about 2 miles from home I hit a
wall. I think it's called bonking out. I had already cycled 29 miles in
the heat, my water was hot and my energy level plummeted. I stopped in the
shade of a tree by the road and poured the hot water from my bottle over my
head. Man! It felt great. Really cooled me down. I got back on the bike,
grinded out the last few miles and pulled into the driveway. I checked my
Cateye computer and it assured me I completed 31 miles. Four bottles of Ice
Mountain water later, I felt pretty good.

Congratulations on your ride, here's hoping you have many more. I
remember the first time I went over 50 miles, it was tremendous
feeling of accomplishment. Next I need to do a metric century. One tip
on your water: You might want to try one of the Polar insulated
bottles. I have two of them and they really do a good job, especially
if you put some ice cubes in with your water.

Smokey

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hud said:

Today I rode further than I ever have - 31 miles. For some this distance
is
a drop in the bucket; for me it's a record. I pedaled country roads to a
small Ohio town called Harpster, which is 15 1/2 miles away. The weather
was sunny and 90-degrees...a bit hot but a beautiful day for cycling.
The
ride was on country roads with very low traffic. Two miles of the trip
was
on gravel, a new experience for me. The bike handled it well. I made it
to
Harpster and stopped for a ham and cheese sandwich and a cold Pepsi at
the
Kwikmart. I figured I'd burn it off on the return ride.

The first 15-plus miles felt good. No problem for this 244 lb. guy.
After
eating I got on my bike and headed back home. I felt good the first 10
miles heading back but then got thirsty. I stopped for some water and,
man-o-man, it was hot! The sun baked my water bottle. I drank as much
as I
could stand and kept going. When I was about 2 miles from home I hit a
wall. I think it's called bonking out. I had already cycled 29 miles in
the heat, my water was hot and my energy level plummeted. I stopped in
the
shade of a tree by the road and poured the hot water from my bottle over
my
head. Man! It felt great. Really cooled me down. I got back on the
bike,
grinded out the last few miles and pulled into the driveway. I checked
my
Cateye computer and it assured me I completed 31 miles. Four bottles of
Ice
Mountain water later, I felt pretty good.

Congratulations on your ride, here's hoping you have many more. I
remember the first time I went over 50 miles, it was tremendous
feeling of accomplishment. Next I need to do a metric century. One tip
on your water: You might want to try one of the Polar insulated
bottles. I have two of them and they really do a good job, especially
if you put some ice cubes in with your water.

Smokey

On a long ride like that you are going to have to freeze the whole bottle of
water and bring two. Oranges are good for thirst and electrolytes. You
will not bonk unless you are carrying around too much fat and working harder
than you should.

Man I wish it was 90 here. We don't even get that in the summer.

In article <%DhOi.1961$Da.1695@pd7urf1no>,

smn said:

On a long ride like that you are going to have to freeze the whole bottle of
water and bring two. Oranges are good for thirst and electrolytes.

Peeling an orange whilst awheel might be somewhat of
a challenge. And then, what does one do with the rind?
I suppose, being organic, if you toss 'em, the crows 'n
rats will get them, sooner or later.

I guess one could pre-juice some oranges and put it all
in a bottle. Maybe throw in some grapefruit juice just
to perk things up a bit. Get yer non-dairy calcium.
A bland base of papaya juice supporting some orange/grapefruit
stuff and stepped-on with a squish of lime just to give it
some pizazz might just do the trick. One of these days
I'll have to try it. I wonder if there's a Malibu[tm] version?

Quoted message said:

You
will not bonk unless you are carrying around too much fat and working harder
than you should.

Some folks where I work have these water bottles --
they're cobalt blue, have a cinched-in waist, and
some sort of inner core which can be filled with
water and frozen, thereby keeping the outer liquid
water cool. They wouldn't fit in a bike bottle cage,
though. That's okay for me, 'cuz I just huck 'em in
the milk crate (within reach behind me) anyways.

Quoted message said:

Man I wish it was 90 here. We don't even get that in the summer.

I hear ya.

You will not bonk unless you've starved for a couple of days
and attempted a double century.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Hud said:

I've figured out that I should've refilled my water bottle with cold water
when I had the chance. Another option is to keep my water bottle in my
storage pack with one of those goo filled plastic things that freeze in the
freezer and stay frozen for hours. And, of course, I could've went in the
morning when it was cooler instead of taking off at 1:40 in the afternoon on
such a hot day. Yes, I'm an hooked. I can't wait to do it again.

One thing I've yet to learn is whether or not
the ice from a 7-Eleven Slurpee machine is free.

A cup full of ice at QuickTrip is 16 cents here in the Dirty Souf.

\\paul

In article <[email hidden]>,

Paul Myron Hobson said:

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Hud said:

I've figured out that I should've refilled my water bottle with cold water
when I had the chance. Another option is to keep my water bottle in my
storage pack with one of those goo filled plastic things that freeze in the
freezer and stay frozen for hours. And, of course, I could've went in the
morning when it was cooler instead of taking off at 1:40 in the afternoon on
such a hot day. Yes, I'm an hooked. I can't wait to do it again.

One thing I've yet to learn is whether or not
the ice from a 7-Eleven Slurpee machine is free.

A cup full of ice at QuickTrip is 16 cents here in the Dirty Souf.

That sux. It should be free.

Anyways, when I said "Slurpee" I meant "Big Gulp."
Same diff, I guess. But I opine we should be allowed
to hike our water bottles up to the Big Gulp machine
and load 'em up with free ice. Then take 'em outside
and load 'em up with free water from the gas station hose.
Damn 7-Eleven to perdition anyways, for concocting
those horrid Hoagies which can't be rendered tastebudworthy,
even with any excess quantity of condiments. All that
7-Elevens are good for is providing shady vagrants with
parking lots to congregate in.

I'd also like to be allowed to enter a cinema lobby without
buying a movie ticket, just to access the Coke fountain.
Sometimes maybe the Orange Crush fountain.

Cinemas should have the concessions more street-accessible
than the tix box.

16 cents?! So you give 'em a couple of dimes and they
give you back 4 pennies to wear a hole in your jeans pocket.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

"Tom Keats" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <%DhOi.1961$Da.1695@pd7urf1no>,

smn said:

On a long ride like that you are going to have to freeze the whole bottle
of
water and bring two. Oranges are good for thirst and electrolytes.

Peeling an orange whilst awheel might be somewhat of
a challenge. And then, what does one do with the rind?
I suppose, being organic, if you toss 'em, the crows 'n
rats will get them, sooner or later.

I guess one could pre-juice some oranges and put it all
in a bottle. Maybe throw in some grapefruit juice just
to perk things up a bit. Get yer non-dairy calcium.
A bland base of papaya juice supporting some orange/grapefruit
stuff and stepped-on with a squish of lime just to give it
some pizazz might just do the trick. One of these days
I'll have to try it. I wonder if there's a Malibu[tm] version?

Quoted message said:

You
will not bonk unless you are carrying around too much fat and working
harder
than you should.

Some folks where I work have these water bottles --
they're cobalt blue, have a cinched-in waist, and
some sort of inner core which can be filled with
water and frozen, thereby keeping the outer liquid
water cool. They wouldn't fit in a bike bottle cage,
though. That's okay for me, 'cuz I just huck 'em in
the milk crate (within reach behind me) anyways.

Quoted message said:

Man I wish it was 90 here. We don't even get that in the summer.

I hear ya.

You will not bonk unless you've starved for a couple of days
and attempted a double century.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Anyone here ever cycled after a day of fasting? How'd it go? I read
somewhere the metabolism doesn't slow down until after about three days.

Tom Keats said:

Quoted message said:

Tom Keats said:

One thing I've yet to learn is whether or not
the ice from a 7-Eleven Slurpee machine is free.

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Paul Myron Hobson said:

A cup full of ice at QuickTrip is 16 cents here in the Dirty Souf.

Paul Myron Hobson said:

That sux. It should be free.

[snip]

Quoted message said:

16 cents?! So you give 'em a couple of dimes and they
give you back 4 pennies to wear a hole in your jeans pocket.

Well to be fair, they have that oh-so-wonderful crushed 'baseball' ice
that you seem to only find there, at Zaxby's, and little league
concession stands. Also the cups are reusable (at home or QT).

Come to think of it, you might actually be paying for the cup. I'll
take my own cup in next time and see if it's free 😉

\\paul

Hud said:

Today I rode further than I ever have - 31 miles. For some this distance is
a drop in the bucket; for me it's a record. I pedaled country roads to a
small Ohio town called Harpster, which is 15 1/2 miles away. The weather
was sunny and 90-degrees...a bit hot but a beautiful day for cycling. The
ride was on country roads with very low traffic. Two miles of the trip was
on gravel, a new experience for me. The bike handled it well. I made it to
Harpster and stopped for a ham and cheese sandwich and a cold Pepsi at the
Kwikmart. I figured I'd burn it off on the return ride.

The first 15-plus miles felt good. No problem for this 244 lb. guy. After
eating I got on my bike and headed back home. I felt good the first 10
miles heading back but then got thirsty. I stopped for some water and,
man-o-man, it was hot! The sun baked my water bottle. I drank as much as I
could stand and kept going. When I was about 2 miles from home I hit a
wall. I think it's called bonking out. I had already cycled 29 miles in
the heat, my water was hot and my energy level plummeted. I stopped in the
shade of a tree by the road and poured the hot water from my bottle over my
head. Man! It felt great. Really cooled me down. I got back on the bike,
grinded out the last few miles and pulled into the driveway. I checked my
Cateye computer and it assured me I completed 31 miles. Four bottles of Ice
Mountain water later, I felt pretty good.

Congrats on the ride! One thing I do is drink in smaller doses
throughout the ride. But 31 miles is around the time I need some
carbs too to avoid just crashing. Since you're burning a lot of
calories a granola bar and fruit half way through won't hurt a bit.

Peeling an orange whilst awheel might be somewhat of
a challenge. And then, what does one do with the rind?
I suppose, being organic, if you toss 'em, the crows 'n
rats will get them, sooner or later.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<,,

You can cut them up and put them in a baggie like I do for my basketball
team. Buy organic oranges if you want to be enviro conscious. Tastes 100
percent better anyway. put the rind back in the bag. I have a handlebar
bag for things I need on the run non stop I guess but I take breaks. I am
not out to kill myself. I want to enjoy another day and another and
another. Otherwise no use doing it.

In article <[email hidden]>, Hud

Quoted message said:

Anyone here ever cycled after a day of fasting? How'd it go? I read
somewhere the metabolism doesn't slow down until after about three days.

Marian Rosenberg had a recent post/thread on her experiences with a
mountain bike race during a fast. See the thread "Easy Fast" in
rec.bicycles.racing, 9/32/07. Message ID from a Google Newsgroup
search: <[email hidden]>

Dan

"Hud" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Today I rode further than I ever have - 31 miles. For some this distance
is a drop in the bucket; for me it's a record. I pedaled country roads to
a small Ohio town called Harpster, which is 15 1/2 miles away. The
weather was sunny and 90-degrees...a bit hot but a beautiful day for
cycling. The ride was on country roads with very low traffic. Two miles
of the trip was on gravel, a new experience for me. The bike handled it
well. I made it to Harpster and stopped for a ham and cheese sandwich and
a cold Pepsi at the Kwikmart. I figured I'd burn it off on the return
ride.

The first 15-plus miles felt good. No problem for this 244 lb. guy.
After eating I got on my bike and headed back home. I felt good the first
10 miles heading back but then got thirsty. I stopped for some water and,
man-o-man, it was hot! The sun baked my water bottle. I drank as much as
I could stand and kept going. When I was about 2 miles from home I hit a
wall. I think it's called bonking out. I had already cycled 29 miles in
the heat, my water was hot and my energy level plummeted. I stopped in
the shade of a tree by the road and poured the hot water from my bottle
over my head. Man! It felt great. Really cooled me down. I got back on
the bike, grinded out the last few miles and pulled into the driveway. I
checked my Cateye computer and it assured me I completed 31 miles. Four
bottles of Ice Mountain water later, I felt pretty good.

Awesome.

Congrats to Cleveland Indians!

In article <[email hidden]>,

Hud said:

A
"Tom Keats" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <%DhOi.1961$Da.1695@pd7urf1no>,
"smn" <[email hidden]> writes:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You will not bonk unless you've starved for a couple of days
and attempted a double century.

Quoted message said:

Anyone here ever cycled after a day of fasting?

Yes, but rather than "fasting" I call it "being broke."

Quoted message said:

How'd it go?

One notable time was a couple of years ago when I was
doing construction labour. I was running with my
physiological gas gauge on "E" the whole day.
Handbombing crush gravel backfill in an excavated
building foundation. At the end of the day I scraped
together just enough pocket change for a bottle of Coke
from the gas station next door, just for the calories
to ride home.

That was one of the best bottles of Coke I ever had.

Periodically not eating screws-up one's regularity,
and I highly recommend /against/ fasting. It's damaging.

Quoted message said:

I read
somewhere the metabolism doesn't slow down until after about three days.

My metabolism never slows down. I have the metabolism
of an hummingbird. I guess that's largely because bike
riding is such an integral part of my lifestyle.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Hud said:

Today I rode further than I ever have - 31 miles. For some this
distance is a drop in the bucket; for me it's a record.

Outstanding! It wasn't that long ago for me that a 20-mile ride
was an accomplishment - I remember it well. I'm still pretty much
a novice cyclist, really; most weeks I average 100 miles or so, and
I'm comfortable with 65 miles in 4 hours on relatively level terrain.
I *did* manage to come in a solid 580th place this weekend in the
Mount Diablo Challenge (out of 1000 riders :-)).

Quoted message said:

I pedaled country roads to a small Ohio town called Harpster, which
is 15 1/2 miles away. The weather was sunny and 90-degrees...a bit
hot but a beautiful day for cycling.

Some folks like heat, but you have to be *extremely* careful about
staying hydrated. You probably want to consume about 1 liter/hour
of water with electrolytes under these conditions (or perhaps more).
Dehydration can sneak up on you and really knock you down.

Quoted message said:

Two miles of the trip was on gravel, a new experience for me.

In my book, that effectively adds at least a half-mile compared to
riding on pavement :-)

Quoted message said:

The bike handled it well. I made it to Harpster and stopped for a ham
and cheese sandwich and a cold Pepsi at the Kwikmart. I figured I'd
burn it off on the return ride.

It's good you're thinking about fuel - more about that later.

Quoted message said:

The first 15-plus miles felt good. No problem for this 244 lb. guy.
After eating I got on my bike and headed back home. I felt good the
first 10 miles heading back but then got thirsty. I stopped for some
water and, man-o-man, it was hot!

More about hydration:

So - how often were you drinking water along the way? You probably
wanted to be drinking about one 20-ounce bottle of water with
electrolytes every hour, and *doing* so before you felt thirsty.
Drink often, like 3-4oz every 10 minutes, and take advantages of
opportunities to refill. That way, even without ice, the water isn't
likely to be as hot.

When I say "water with electrolytes", that could mean sport drink,
it could mean adding electrolyte packets to your water bottle, or it
could mean sucking down gels and chasing with water; more on this later.

Quoted message said:

The sun baked my water bottle. I
drank as much as I could stand and kept going. When I was about 2 miles
from home I hit a wall. I think it's called bonking out.

You probably weren't bonking the way that the term is usually used.
Bonking/hitting the wall usually means running out of carbs, this
happens when you've depleted your muscle reserves, and almost
certainly takes further than 30 miles.

I suspect you were getting dehydrated; the first thing that
happens is that your body starts to run hot, and then you
start feeling tired-out pretty quickly. Research suggests
losing like 1% of your body weight in water is enough to start
running hot, and losing 2% can be enough to bring on the feelings
of exhaustion. Losing 2-3 pounds of water sounds like a lot, but
keep in mind, one 20oz water bottle is over 1 pound of water alone.

Quoted message said:

I had already
cycled 29 miles in the heat, my water was hot and my energy level
plummeted. I stopped in the shade of a tree by the road and poured the
hot water from my bottle over my head. Man! It felt great. Really
cooled me down. I got back on the bike, grinded out the last few miles
and pulled into the driveway. I checked my Cateye computer and it
assured me I completed 31 miles. Four bottles of Ice Mountain water
later, I felt pretty good.

Heh. So consume that water during the ride next time and you might
not start to [censored] out as badly :-)

An outstanding accomplishment! Next thing you know, you'll be
reporting on the metric century you rode.

Now, about fueling - it's related to hydration. There's a lot of
advice and information about fueling and it can be difficult to
sort through it all. There are a few basic rules that seem to work
well for me.

- Just before and during a longer ride, you really want to fuel
on carbs. Sport drinks, Clif bars, gels, stuff that's high in
simple carbs and low in fat and protein. You want stuff that'll
make it into your gut and into your blood pretty quickly.

- You're probably capable of metabolizing about 250-350 calories
(kcal) an hour, so that's a decent intake rate to aim at - you'll
probably need it.

- Muscle reserves of usable carbs represent something like 1500-
2000 kcal, if you're eating properly in general.

- Burn rate is highly variable depending on weight, pace, incline,
wind, heat, etc., so you won't come up with an exact number for
any given ride. There are a number of calculators out there
that give a reasonable ball-park number (such as
http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm )

- Once you plug some numbers into an energy calculator, you'll quickly
realize that, at anything above a moderate pace, you'll burn more than
400 calories/hour while riding, more than you can replenish at the
same time. At the same time, if you're not riding at a really
strenuous pace, your muscle reserves will probably make up the
difference for at *least* 4 or 5 hours.

You can achieve both the fueling and hydration goals by (a) using
sport drinks or (b) by taking a handful of gels with you and drinking
water. I find that I prefer gels for longer rides, because that way
I can use any source of drinking water and don't have to pack a lot of
sport drink, but I prefer sport drink for shorter rides (1-2 hours)
because I don't have to mess with the gel packets (I just carry
two water bottles loaded with sport drink).

That ham and cheese sandwich probably wasn't hitting your gut until
after you were home - it just takes that much longer to digest.
During a ride, favor carb sources; before the ride, you might start
with a big bowl of cereal. My favorite pre-ride fuel lately has been
Cream of Wheat, 45-60 minutes before a ride, which provides a longer-
burning base of carbs.

Great ride!
Dana