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On Saturday I rode the "Circle of Dawson" route and added the Mt. Wilson climb at mile 90. I rolled at 5:30 am to beat the heat, and arrived back home at 2:00 pm. The highlight was running into a riding buddy along Foothill before 6:00 am, and chatting with him for about 30 minutes. He rode the same route (minus Mt. Wilson) but is a much faster climber than me. 

He commented that I was sweating a lot as we chatted. I responded that I know. I tend to over hydrate the day before a long, hot ride, and I sweat a lot when it’s humid, even if I’m not excerpting a lot of effort.

I was able to climb to the high point of the route, Dawson Saddle, by 10:00 am, where the air temps were under 80 until I started descending. The climbs to Red Box and Mt. Wilson were both above 90, and I had packed sufficient Gatorade and Cliff powder to both refill and drink a full, 24-ounce bottle at each water stop.

I didn’t see any other cyclists until I refilled at Red Box, and the few I saw there looked really hot. They probably got a later start.




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