je suis plat.

I got up this morning with the intention of making a tour of the area on my bicycle...an hour or so, before the heat really set in. It is, after all, Sunday ... a day meant for repose!

My neighbor Nicole decided to join me. I should have taken the broken valve on my tire as a sign, but decided to use her daughter's bike ... and off we went.

I had planned a not-too-stressful ride out to Bourdeilles ... the road runs along the river, it is scenic and a respectable 12km one way... it is fairly flat but with a few hills here and there to mount, use the low gears and feel accomplished when done.

Nicole is way more 'sportif' than I and, against my better judgement, I agreed to the 'petit tour de St. Julien de Bourdeilles' with a stop in at a friend's before our return.

3 hours later, on roads littered with higher and higher ascents ... I was back at home. Sunburned. Dehydrated. and very, very cranky.

I suppose I should be congratulating myself I made it. But I'm afraid I was 'un peu desagreeable' upon our return, and turned down the offer of a cold beer at a mutual friend's house.

After a cold shower and a power nap, I'm feeling a bit more myself. but jeez, how do I get myself into these pickles?!