I finally did the Hamilton Corner–Horseshoe Bend loop today. I set out at an easy pace and just rode in Level 2 for the first few hours. I was enjoying the warm weather and the kicking tailwind I had on the way out. In Emmett, I could feel the heat sapping my energy but I decided to continue on to Horseshoe Bend, after refueling.

As I headed towards Black Canyon, a bug flew in my mouth. This usually doesn’t bother me as a quick swig from the water bottle will send it on to its gastric death! But this time the bug was pretty big and as I was a fumbling for my bottle, I felt a “sting” on the inside of my throat! That’s right, I was stung by a bee on the inside of my throat! I took a few swigs of drink stuff to wash it down but it felt like something was still there. So I started to cough hoping to dislodge whatever it was (stinger?)! Well, nothing came up except for Accelerade. The slight pain quickly subsided. It actually didn’t hurt too much, not like getting stung on my ear last week! I guess the bees have it in for me this spring!

I hung out by a couple guys working on a fence and told one of them what happened. I also called Heather and told her. At least they’d be able to tell 911 what had happened if my throat swelled shut. I know I’m not allergic, but I wasn’t sure if it would have a different effect since it was directly on my throat! But after five minutes, my throat was still clear so I headed on my way.

I continued eastbound on Hwy 52 (aka, Black Canyon) and now I was pushing into Level 3/Tempo territory. After yesterday’s ride and three hours of riding so far today, I could feel my legs getting tired. I had a quick stop for more water in Horseshoe Bend and rode tempo up Old Horseshoe Bend hill. It was a slow time for me of 29 minutes even. I noticed the hives are now out by the end of Hwy 52 before H.B. and near the top of the Old Horseshoe Bend hill. I made sure I got as small as possible when I went by them as I didn’t want to get stung yet again. Fortunately, I didn’t have any more issues.

Once I arrived at home, I ate and drank a ton, but still feel slightly dehydrated as I write this. Time to drink more and make a big dinner. I burned 3,600 calories…woo hoo! My average wattage was low compared to what I’ve been doing lately, but it’s been a while since I’ve done a long endurance ride. Plus, the last two hours were mostly tempo so I figure that’s way to do it. It’s safer to do these long rides as a negative split. Going hard at the beginning of a long ride can turn a nice ride into a death march!