riding more and avoiding the heat

I think this is the third straight week of 100-degree plus weather down in Austin, so riding in the early morning and riding more mountain bike than road, are the best ways to avoid the heat this summer. I have gotten up twice this week for 6:30 AM greenbelt SS and mt. bonnel road rides -- it is still in the 80's, but there is a slight breeze and I dont feel beaten down by the sun after a few hours. I also went to Walnut Creek for an evening ride -- there is enough tree cover there to make it bearable -- the trails were great, I discovered a new-to-me section of singletrack. However, it took 45 minutes to drive the 12 miles up there, the traffic is fucking awful. I pray I never have to do a North -South Austin commute again.
My goal is to ride about 10 hours a week for the next few weeks and then try bumping it up to 12 through the end of October. So far I have gotten roughly 6 hours this week. A short ride tommorrow and a 2 1/2 to 3-hour ride Sunday should do the trick.