On Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 1:50:05 PM UTC-7, Tom Kunich wrote:
For about a month or a little more I've been having to take Claritin almost every day plus nose spray if I forget and take the Claritin a little late.

I have also been having a real hard time keeping up with anyone. Today I rode with a couple of guys older than me - one 10 years older. It was a flat ride but there were a couple of overpasses. Those guys were absolutely killing me on the overpasses.

Has anyone had any experience with the effects of allergies even when you feel clear? Last year at this time the allergies were gone and I could kill guys under the same conditions.

Yah, I got slaughtered on a ride today due in part to allergies -- and probably drinking too much last night (not a ton -- a couple drinks is enough to make my muscles feel tired). You can cut the pollen with a knife up here.. I also use asthma spray, but I should have bought it with me and taken some hits. Allergies can make you feel tired, and on bad days, they can affect my breathing.

Another issue is that it was hot -- not Arizona hot, but hot for Portland this time of year. 85F. A really beautiful day.

And going back to Frank's "take the lane" threads, we got nasty passes from about every-other PU driver (everybody drives a PU) out in the banjo region of Clackamas County. Narrow, one-lane-each-direction road through farm and forest, and it didn't seem to matter where I rode. If I took the lane, the cowboys would pass with three inches of clearance and play chicken with on-coming traffic. Meanwhile, the compliant drivers would hover and wait to pass even if I were AFRAP. It's all about the motorist. Taking the lane works with compliant drivers but not the homicidal maniacs who seem to populate the hinterlands.

-- Jay Beattie