On May 9 , the Earth's atmosphere registered 400 parts per million CO2 for the first time in ~5 million years. Welcome to the future! It's only going to get worse, so might as well enjoy what can be enjoyed while we can. And, I'd just read that heat training was very effective in improving race times, even if race temperatures are normal. So even though I was fighting off a chest infection, I decided to go for it, this hottest day of the year so far. I'd spent the previous night at the observatory, diagnosing the poor pointing issues, and then up at 3am for the occultation of a 10th magnitude star by the asteroid Shaposhnikov - a good opportunity to map an asteroid not yet characterized by astronomers, if we could summon a well-arrayed set of observers.

It was noon now, and about 100 degrees. Coming down Eureka Canyon's steep winding turns I suddenly remembered my previous ride - and the hot rims melting my tube. I thought I should pull over and squirt down the rims with water.... and just as I was applying the brakes more forcefully to come to a stop, I had another thought - no, my tube isn't going to choose THIS moment of max braking to blow, is it? That would be really cruel. A second after this thought, just as I came to a stop and unclipped - BLAM!