 Clouds building to the west but frequent checks with radar indicated we should be ok, surprising considering how humid and windy were the conditions. It was the kind of evening when the breeze from riding felt hot too. Guess it gets that way when the heat index is around 100. HEY, got a Saturday route to put up in a few.  Kyle on the right, returned from a vaca in Alaska. He was able to maintain cardio fitness from being chased by Kodiacs and moose.  Hmmmm. we come to the realization that our ride leader may not be coming. Good thing Steve always carries sign-in sheets.  It was so hot, Amanda's hair was on fire. Mark Rossi on the right, making a rare appearance with Karen and tandem. Amanda, aka Corvair for reliability issues, was named B group ride leader and handled the responsibility well.  Older man on the right was sporting a pair of blue socks that I hoped to catch in the image. Riveters dominate the road and also the lone shady spot. There are "plains" Riveters and then there are the "all rounders". The Plains Riveters ride strong and hang with the group on the flat plains but once the road rises at Jones, Thresher, Beechwood, etc... the wheat gets separated from the chaff. Isaac on the left is Chieftain of the Plains peoples.  My ongoing effort of catching a pic of everyone, rolls on.  Another smallish turnout, maybe around 55. With the threat of rain practically every week, we never hit that big group of 90 this season and with Pelotonia in the rear view mirror, the alternate groups were not around either. The Riveters rolled out and while rocketing out 161, dropped several people who joined the A group. Entering Granville, their average was 27 and at the Jones Road climb, Luke, Ken B and Pete C gapped the field and stayed away for the remainder, finishing with a 24mph average. Philippe did next best on the Jones climb but had to spit the bit just at the top.  The A group rolled out next with 15, swelling to 18 at 310 with Borat, David and another Headwind guy joining in. While our average was 24 entering Granville, we had not pushed it to the limits of the group, saving ourselves a bit for Jones and the ensuing climbs. Entering Granville, Jon H had turned around (I hear he ran 60 miles last weekend) and soon saw Brandon did so too. I swear, until then I had not even considered it but seeing those two planted a seed that grew into a giant Hemlock in my brain. Did I really want to ride in the coming hills in this heat and humidity? No, I did not so cut out and soloed back to NA, finishing with 34 miles while my band of brothers finished with a 21 avg and 43 miles.  Here ya go, the back half is brutal. Know the route, load the route or print the route but be aware of the route. Route A/B 43 mile ride file https://ridewithgps.com/routes/9668772 Route C 31 mile ride file https://ridewithgps.com/routes/15771080
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