We all found it hard today. The road crept beneath us. No matter how hard we pressed the pedals, it just wouldn’t move. Everyone had their own individual explanation for that, but what didn’t help either of us was that it was blistering hot and we had the wind against us all day. We also started without breakfast with a 15 kilometer climb, and the climbs continued for the rest of the day. They weren’t steep and they weren’t long, even though we passed our first small pass, but it was hard work.
And then come the evils. The small daily inconveniences, such as muscle pain in the buttocks. That’s nothing special, the buttocks need attention if you cycle 100 km a day. From time to time, apply ointment to the pedals, and with a view to skin irritations, an ointment before departure, that keeps the nuisance within acceptable limits. Stretching and stretching – always good too.
But today it didn’t stop at small buttocks. We sweated a lot, from the first kilometer. The thighs were sore from the start – as if they were screaming for a massage. And I myself became sleepy after a few hours. That is a special sensation: struggling against sleep, while cycling through the French hills. When we stopped a little later to eat and drink and I lay down on a bench, I immediately fell asleep.
Overheating
An attentive fellow cyclist sent me an overview of overheating symptoms. Excessive sweating, muscle aches, cramps, dizziness and faintness indicate heat exhaustion. And yes, the past few days I also had cramps in my hamstrings a few times.
The message is clear: at these temperatures we have to slow down a bit. Fortunately, the worst heat after today has passed, and we have a flat ride tomorrow, with a tailwind.
Then only the buttocks remain. They need attention, every day.