I was tempted to take Friday off but was anxious to try my luck in the 106F feels-like temperature peak between 10 am and noon. That's the sort of thing that would usually wipe me out for the day.

Small breakfast, yogurt, cereal and half a banana, one cup of coffee.

I dropped a NUUN fresh lime energy tablet (caffeinated) in my smaller water bottle and drank that during the first half of the ride. Plain water the rest of the ride, about 30-40 oz over a 25 mile ride. Wasn't pushing too hard due to slight knee pain, although it was a faster than usual pace for me. I'm gradually getting accustomed to the road bike after two years on a hybrid, and may be getting closer to having the saddle and handlebar height and position dialed in.

Ate a Kind bar (less sweet than Clif and others) and chewed a Glukos tablet at the halfway point when I felt the early warning signs of a bonk. No problems afterward.

Anyway, felt good after the ride. No cramps or exhaustion like the second week of June. Maybe I'm just getting re-acclimated to summer heat, but I'll give some credit to the NUUN stuff. I've tried other sports drinks but usually didn't drink enough because they tasted awful.