One of the largest bike rides in central Arkansas, the Tour de Rock, kicked off at 7:00 am this morning. For the first time in several years, I didn’t ride!

I had planned to ride; I got up at 5:30 this morning and assembled my gear–water bottles, electrolyte pills, helmet, gloves, etc. By 6:15 I had loaded my bike and was on my way. After driving a couple of miles, I turned around and came home and pouted.

Two things influenced my decision not to ride. First, the weather forecast called for thunderstorms and heavy rain. The greatest probability for storms was for the afternoon, and I thought the rain might hold off until after the ride. But, it started to rain about 10 minutes after I left home. Second, I was dizzy this morning. This is the third day in a row that I’ve felt dizzy. So, the thought of riding nearly 70 miles in a pouring rain on slick roads while feeling dizzy, was enough to cause me to stay home.

It was a wise decision. It poured rain all morning—over 2 inches in 3 hours. I can’t imagine that riding a bike in a downpour could be the least bit fun. Because of so much rain, the 100-mile ride was suspended after 2 hours, and some rides were canceled.

My dizziness is no doubt related to a previous spell of dizziness that caused me to crash my bike into a rock wall. In order to figure out what might be causing the problem, I’ve been wearing a heart monitor for the past 3 weeks and will wear it another week. I’ve been instructed to press a button on the monitor anytime I feel any symptoms, like dizziness. I’ve been pressing the button quite a lot over the past couple of days. I am hopeful the monitor will provide sufficient data so a doctor can diagnose my problem.