Andy and I went road riding on our bikes today. I must say that the Motobecane Nemesis is superfast. I used to bike everywhere on my mountain bike. Now, I feel that they're way too slow on the road. The difference is unbelievable. There were a lot of people biking out here today. We didn't get passed by anyone on the way to our destination. In fact, Andy and I passed a lot of roadies, especially on the way back. Even on the uphills like climbing Santa Fe Dam, I sprinted uphill. Even though I could keep up with roadies on my mountain bike, I could never go that fast before. The difference is like night and day. Of course, I still love my MTB for bombing down mountain trails. Going down fast on a road bike provides unique thrills of its own. One time on the way back, I was slowing down for Andy to catch up to me. When I looked behind, it was another roadie. He passed me. Then, I said to myself, "No way, Jose." I put the bike in high gear and blasted past him without even looking back. I was going about 28 mph on flats while sprinting. I kept going at a fast pace, maintaining an average cruising speed of 24 mph on flats for a couple miles. Then, I slowed down and waited for Andy to catch up. The roadie I passed was a middle aged Hispanic guy who seemed to be pissed off. He kept saying "Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" as he passed me by later on. Today's bike experience was a huge rush for me because of the acceleration and speed I felt and also because I passed a bunch of roadies. I feel totally motivated to enter a bike race now.

However, a shocking turn of events happened to me towards the end of my ride. I looked at my arms and they were covered with bumps and hives! I was shocked and scared. What's happening to me?? Well, I think I'm allergic to the sun. Yes, it's true. Whenever I go out in the sun, I start getting hives on my arms. They cover my inner elbow and arms. This is the first time this has happened to me. But, I've been getting it all day. Now, I can't go out in the sun, especially when it's hot outside. I first noticed that my whole upper body started getting really itchy when it was really hot last month. It's been continuing ever since. Now, I'm getting hives. I think it's called Polymorphous Light Eruption (PMLE). Now, I can't even go biking. My favorite form of exercise. This is devastating since I just started really experiencing the joys of my new ride. Will I have to give up my dreams of competing in a triathlon? Why is this happening to me? My body is falling apart these days. I've got numerous other problems besides this new health problem I just got today. This is not a good sign.