Diablo Junction – 20 miles
Adam really tried to drum up a big crowd from work tonight – he e-mailed everyone he knew with a bike but we wound up with only five of us. And Amanda was the only one who wan’t a regular. It was supposed to be a social ride and we would all go slow and … well, socialize.
Right after we started, a big group of John Muir riders passed us up. It looked exactly like what we were not – cohesive and numerous. So after we got to the rolling section JB, Adam and I left Nicole and Amanda but we still tried to keep the pace conversational. After a bit we started to catch stragglers from the JM group – they had split up and weren’t as cohesive as they first appeared. Passed some more of them on the Bump and some more near Clavicle Cracker. As we got near the Upper Ranch we saw one more guy in a Health Net jersey but I started to fade. Adam told me I had to catch him and then he and JB rode away from me. I tried my hardest but couldn’t keep up. Adam and JB did catch the guy and he held on to their wheels for a little while but then lost it. So it was Adam, JB, Health Net guy, and then me across the line.
We mingled a little bit at the Junction and then turned down to go ride Amanda and Nicole up. It was relaxed but still fun. And now it’s getting dark pretty early so we didn’t stay long, but we decided there was time for some pizza and beer at Round Table.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Diablo Bump d'Bump - 41 miles
Today's plan was for me to ride up North Gate solo, then down South Gate to meet Nicole at 9 o'clock and ride back up with her. Rick's out of town and JB had some other event that required his attendance so it was just me on the way up.
Pretty cool this morning - I had to search a bit for my tights and arm warmers so I got off a little late. My arm warmers were in my back pocket and up until the Lower Ranch I thought I wasn't going to need them but then it got even cooler so I was glad I brought them for later. I didn't pass any other riders on the way up but I saw quite a few coming down.
At Upper Washout I was over 24 minutes and I thought "yeah, that's slow." Probably on track for an almost 50 minute Junction time, but I was enjoying myself and looking forward to some cold weather and even rain in the next few months.
When I did get to Junction it was ten minutes before nine so I just rolled on through but I slowed down enough to see if I recognized any of the dozen or so people hanging out by the shack (I didn't).
Bombing down South Gate I was thinking it would be nice to have my arm warmers on, but I didn't stop to actually do that because I wanted to hook up with Nicole. There were a LOT of riders coming up and hardly any cars - an advantage of high gas prices I suppose. I was having a lot of fun carving those South Gate switchbacks at full speed and thinking I really like these new Hutchinson Fusion Comps but I wasn't quite gutsy enough to push them as far as I would if I hadn't had that front flat a few weeks ago.
And then just as I got to the South Gate tire poppers, there she was. It was perfect timing and I called out that I'd be right with her and then stopped to put my arm warmers on and gulp some HammerGel. In the couple minutes it took me to do that three riders rode up past me and by the time I got going Nicole had almost a half mile head start. I didn't catch her until a mile and a half up the road, but then I slowed down. Nicole isn't a fast rider but she's good company and I'd already put in my hard effort so I enjoyed the slower pace and we talked about Kindergarten, hurricanes, and pets (she just got her kittens fixed) for the next 40 minutes.
Back at the Junction there were another dozen cyclists there including Rick's ex UPS boss and a couple guys that did North Gate in the low 30's - they weren't bragging but I overheard them and they heard me gasp with envy. Also I saw Grant P. trying to help some guy with a Cannondale MTB who had some kind of a front wheel or brake problem... I didn't figure out what it was but they all eventually gave up and they guy looked like he was going to limp home.
Nicole and I bid each other adios and then I went back down North Gate, but I was pretty close to a round number on my odometer so I did a few laps around the Shadelands business park to add a few miles before I went home. Also I got semi-stuck behind some SUV with a "THX YURI" license plate who FINALLY pulled over on the last hairpin before Moss Landing where I went around but of course they came passed me back up a little while later. Good ride today, but I'm feeling some back pain and stiffness that I hope is only temporary.
Today's plan was for me to ride up North Gate solo, then down South Gate to meet Nicole at 9 o'clock and ride back up with her. Rick's out of town and JB had some other event that required his attendance so it was just me on the way up.
Pretty cool this morning - I had to search a bit for my tights and arm warmers so I got off a little late. My arm warmers were in my back pocket and up until the Lower Ranch I thought I wasn't going to need them but then it got even cooler so I was glad I brought them for later. I didn't pass any other riders on the way up but I saw quite a few coming down.
At Upper Washout I was over 24 minutes and I thought "yeah, that's slow." Probably on track for an almost 50 minute Junction time, but I was enjoying myself and looking forward to some cold weather and even rain in the next few months.
When I did get to Junction it was ten minutes before nine so I just rolled on through but I slowed down enough to see if I recognized any of the dozen or so people hanging out by the shack (I didn't).
Bombing down South Gate I was thinking it would be nice to have my arm warmers on, but I didn't stop to actually do that because I wanted to hook up with Nicole. There were a LOT of riders coming up and hardly any cars - an advantage of high gas prices I suppose. I was having a lot of fun carving those South Gate switchbacks at full speed and thinking I really like these new Hutchinson Fusion Comps but I wasn't quite gutsy enough to push them as far as I would if I hadn't had that front flat a few weeks ago.
And then just as I got to the South Gate tire poppers, there she was. It was perfect timing and I called out that I'd be right with her and then stopped to put my arm warmers on and gulp some HammerGel. In the couple minutes it took me to do that three riders rode up past me and by the time I got going Nicole had almost a half mile head start. I didn't catch her until a mile and a half up the road, but then I slowed down. Nicole isn't a fast rider but she's good company and I'd already put in my hard effort so I enjoyed the slower pace and we talked about Kindergarten, hurricanes, and pets (she just got her kittens fixed) for the next 40 minutes.
Back at the Junction there were another dozen cyclists there including Rick's ex UPS boss and a couple guys that did North Gate in the low 30's - they weren't bragging but I overheard them and they heard me gasp with envy. Also I saw Grant P. trying to help some guy with a Cannondale MTB who had some kind of a front wheel or brake problem... I didn't figure out what it was but they all eventually gave up and they guy looked like he was going to limp home.
Nicole and I bid each other adios and then I went back down North Gate, but I was pretty close to a round number on my odometer so I did a few laps around the Shadelands business park to add a few miles before I went home. Also I got semi-stuck behind some SUV with a "THX YURI" license plate who FINALLY pulled over on the last hairpin before Moss Landing where I went around but of course they came passed me back up a little while later. Good ride today, but I'm feeling some back pain and stiffness that I hope is only temporary.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Diablo Junction - 16 miles
Adam again had declared his intention of breaking the 30-minute barrier today. His plan was to do some extra warming up on the way out and start a little later. JB wasn't riding and Nicole was coming late so I left at the regular time all by myself.
After about a mile I spotted a rabbit to chase - he was wearing a blue and white jersey and since I hadn't seen him until now I figured I must be at least a little faster than him. But now there were a couple guys behind me so I was playing an interesting game of mouse-cat-dogs. The two guys behind me caught up at the bottom of the Bump and one guy with a USPS jersey and a celeste Bianchi sprinted passed me right on the steepest part - but then he slowed down about one bike length in front of me so I passed him right back on the right side while holding a steady speed. Seemed like a total beginner move but maybe he was waiting for his buddy. Anyway I stayed ahead of those two but I lost site of the blue and white guy in front of me.
Coming up to the Upper Ranch a guy in an orange jersey with a funky chin beard caught up to me and right after that I heard Adam coming. He said something as he went by and then the funky chin beard guy said "just like we were standing still". I thought he may have been the other guy with the USPS/Bianchi guy but turned out he was riding solo.
Feeling OK, with none of the residual lactic burn I've been having recently so I stayed in semi-fast time trial mode the rest of the way up. As I got near Chainbuster, USPS/Bianchi guy passed me again! And then he blew up again! He said something like "Holy Jeez!" and I asked him if he was surprised by the difficulty of the climb. He said this was only his second time up the Mountain and that he was from Illinois. I told him it got easier after Chainbuster and then I rode away from him again. He must have really flared out though because he finished at least two minutes behind me.
Blue and white guy must have gone up to the Summit or maybe down South Gate because I didn't see him again. Also didn't see any Diablo Cyclists up there but there were about 20 riders from the John Muir-Mt. Diablo Health Care club. Turns out funky chin beard guy, the USPS Bianchi guy and the other dog were with that club too, but didn't have the jerseys. I've never seen any of these riders before last month and now they're putting a big squad up there every Wednesday! Kind of different to hear people talking about hernias, broken bones, and catheters at the Junction.
Adam again had declared his intention of breaking the 30-minute barrier today. His plan was to do some extra warming up on the way out and start a little later. JB wasn't riding and Nicole was coming late so I left at the regular time all by myself.
After about a mile I spotted a rabbit to chase - he was wearing a blue and white jersey and since I hadn't seen him until now I figured I must be at least a little faster than him. But now there were a couple guys behind me so I was playing an interesting game of mouse-cat-dogs. The two guys behind me caught up at the bottom of the Bump and one guy with a USPS jersey and a celeste Bianchi sprinted passed me right on the steepest part - but then he slowed down about one bike length in front of me so I passed him right back on the right side while holding a steady speed. Seemed like a total beginner move but maybe he was waiting for his buddy. Anyway I stayed ahead of those two but I lost site of the blue and white guy in front of me.
Coming up to the Upper Ranch a guy in an orange jersey with a funky chin beard caught up to me and right after that I heard Adam coming. He said something as he went by and then the funky chin beard guy said "just like we were standing still". I thought he may have been the other guy with the USPS/Bianchi guy but turned out he was riding solo.
Feeling OK, with none of the residual lactic burn I've been having recently so I stayed in semi-fast time trial mode the rest of the way up. As I got near Chainbuster, USPS/Bianchi guy passed me again! And then he blew up again! He said something like "Holy Jeez!" and I asked him if he was surprised by the difficulty of the climb. He said this was only his second time up the Mountain and that he was from Illinois. I told him it got easier after Chainbuster and then I rode away from him again. He must have really flared out though because he finished at least two minutes behind me.
Blue and white guy must have gone up to the Summit or maybe down South Gate because I didn't see him again. Also didn't see any Diablo Cyclists up there but there were about 20 riders from the John Muir-Mt. Diablo Health Care club. Turns out funky chin beard guy, the USPS Bianchi guy and the other dog were with that club too, but didn't have the jerseys. I've never seen any of these riders before last month and now they're putting a big squad up there every Wednesday! Kind of different to hear people talking about hernias, broken bones, and catheters at the Junction.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
San Francisco Grand Prix
Dear daughter (age 5.5, she and I have been to all five SFGPs together) and I took BART into the City - $4.15 each way each person made for a $16.60 round trip... Usually I take BART for the convenience but with gas at $3/gal and the Bay Bridge toll it would probably have been about the same cost to drive (if I could find free parking). Met Sarkis on the train with his MTB and lots of other bike race fans, and we got off at Embarcadero right where the race
starts and finishes.
Rumors were that with Lance retired the crowds at this year's race would be much smaller - could be but not by much. Lots of people were there but the schwag expo was a *little* less elaborate than prior years. I scored some Don Francisco coffee, a Gerolsteiner/Levi water bottle, some Jelly Bellies, and a few other things. Then we walked down the block to watch the start.
Our plan was to walk the course during the first few laps, making our way to Taylor Street where the decisive selection is usually made. Rick called me from Fillmore and said he'd meet us on Taylor too. One thing that makes this race so much fun to watch is all the interesting people you see in between the laps... the kinds of people you can only see in San Francisco.
As usual in this race, the steep hills break the peloton into a bunch of splintered little groups. Michael Creed from Discovery was on a solo break with no chance of winning but he was the first one up the climbs for quite a few laps and the crowd loved him for it. Finally another break of three guys including McCartney and Lieswyn caught him and took over the race lead. Here's the photo I took:
The group of three lost the Kodak-Sierra Nevada rider on the next lap, Then a couple Gerolsteiner guys who had been chasing hard the last lap or so pulled one out and Fabian Wegmann caught up to the group of two. Here's my shot of that move:
Rick took a photo of me and daughter on the street, and you can see Alcatraz in the background.
Wegmann rode the last couple km perfectly and won the sprint to be the King of San Francisco. He looked really happy to win. I hope this race continues to grow every year, it's such an exciting and fun event.
Thank you Barclay's Global Investors. Maybe they're keeping track so check out that link. Also send them a thank you note like I did, telling them you appreciate their sponsorship. Here's a link to their website feedback form FEEDBACK (that's not specific to the race so be sure to put in a good subject line).
Here's a link to Ken Papai's digital photos of the SFGP - he makes my photos look like garbage. PAPAI
Dear daughter (age 5.5, she and I have been to all five SFGPs together) and I took BART into the City - $4.15 each way each person made for a $16.60 round trip... Usually I take BART for the convenience but with gas at $3/gal and the Bay Bridge toll it would probably have been about the same cost to drive (if I could find free parking). Met Sarkis on the train with his MTB and lots of other bike race fans, and we got off at Embarcadero right where the race
starts and finishes.
Rumors were that with Lance retired the crowds at this year's race would be much smaller - could be but not by much. Lots of people were there but the schwag expo was a *little* less elaborate than prior years. I scored some Don Francisco coffee, a Gerolsteiner/Levi water bottle, some Jelly Bellies, and a few other things. Then we walked down the block to watch the start.
Our plan was to walk the course during the first few laps, making our way to Taylor Street where the decisive selection is usually made. Rick called me from Fillmore and said he'd meet us on Taylor too. One thing that makes this race so much fun to watch is all the interesting people you see in between the laps... the kinds of people you can only see in San Francisco.
As usual in this race, the steep hills break the peloton into a bunch of splintered little groups. Michael Creed from Discovery was on a solo break with no chance of winning but he was the first one up the climbs for quite a few laps and the crowd loved him for it. Finally another break of three guys including McCartney and Lieswyn caught him and took over the race lead. Here's the photo I took:
The group of three lost the Kodak-Sierra Nevada rider on the next lap, Then a couple Gerolsteiner guys who had been chasing hard the last lap or so pulled one out and Fabian Wegmann caught up to the group of two. Here's my shot of that move:
Rick took a photo of me and daughter on the street, and you can see Alcatraz in the background.
Wegmann rode the last couple km perfectly and won the sprint to be the King of San Francisco. He looked really happy to win. I hope this race continues to grow every year, it's such an exciting and fun event.
Thank you Barclay's Global Investors. Maybe they're keeping track so check out that link. Also send them a thank you note like I did, telling them you appreciate their sponsorship. Here's a link to their website feedback form FEEDBACK (that's not specific to the race so be sure to put in a good subject line).
Here's a link to Ken Papai's digital photos of the SFGP - he makes my photos look like garbage. PAPAI
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Diablo Junction - 18 miles
Standard after work Wednesday ride. I met JB and Nicole at the start and we began easily. Adam would be coming but we didn't know when. Nicole dropped off the gruppetto at Moss Landing and then JB and I started to chase some of the riders we had seen earlier. After the Bump though JB rode away from me and then at the Upper Ranch Adam came around. I told him he could probably catch JB but he didn't seem too in that idea.
At the Junction most people had already left. Just a small crowd to BS with for a while. Season's winding down. Saturdays will be busy for a while yet as the Diablo Challenge gets closer, then it will just be us hard cores over the winter again.
Standard after work Wednesday ride. I met JB and Nicole at the start and we began easily. Adam would be coming but we didn't know when. Nicole dropped off the gruppetto at Moss Landing and then JB and I started to chase some of the riders we had seen earlier. After the Bump though JB rode away from me and then at the Upper Ranch Adam came around. I told him he could probably catch JB but he didn't seem too in that idea.
At the Junction most people had already left. Just a small crowd to BS with for a while. Season's winding down. Saturdays will be busy for a while yet as the Diablo Challenge gets closer, then it will just be us hard cores over the winter again.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Diablo Junction - 28 miles
Rick was very strong today. He, JB, and I were the only ones to show up this morning. Rick had on his new King Kong DeFeet socks that I gave him for his birthday a few weeks ago. Looked to be a fast one from the start and I felt pretty good. Not too hot, not too windy, a good day to ride bikes on Mt. Diablo.
We were pretty steady until after the Bump. Rick went into power mode and I stayed on his wheel. I could hear JB gasping for breath behind us and I thought “go Rick GO!”. We put about half a minute on him but JB never gives up and I was on the rivet and pretty soon I couldn’t hold onto Rick’s wheel any more. Of course that meant JB would smell blood and find some extra juice – which he did. I finished a demoralizing third.
Man there were a lot of people at the Junction - maybe some people who were used to riding later in the day came early to beat the heat.
Rick’s still got his Campy Neutron wheels on (with the higher low gear) and he’s training for the Diablo Challenge. He went on to the Summit, JB went down South Gate, and I went home to tackle my honeydew list.
Next week – the SAN FRANCISCO GRAND PRIX !!!
Rick was very strong today. He, JB, and I were the only ones to show up this morning. Rick had on his new King Kong DeFeet socks that I gave him for his birthday a few weeks ago. Looked to be a fast one from the start and I felt pretty good. Not too hot, not too windy, a good day to ride bikes on Mt. Diablo.
We were pretty steady until after the Bump. Rick went into power mode and I stayed on his wheel. I could hear JB gasping for breath behind us and I thought “go Rick GO!”. We put about half a minute on him but JB never gives up and I was on the rivet and pretty soon I couldn’t hold onto Rick’s wheel any more. Of course that meant JB would smell blood and find some extra juice – which he did. I finished a demoralizing third.
Man there were a lot of people at the Junction - maybe some people who were used to riding later in the day came early to beat the heat.
Rick’s still got his Campy Neutron wheels on (with the higher low gear) and he’s training for the Diablo Challenge. He went on to the Summit, JB went down South Gate, and I went home to tackle my honeydew list.
Next week – the SAN FRANCISCO GRAND PRIX !!!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Diablo Junction - 23 miles
I left work early and rode my commute bike home, then changed and rode to the Mountain from there. When I went past Countrywood I saw all the Diablo Cyclists getting ready to roll, but I didn't wait for them. I felt pretty good and figured I could put in a hard effort. I got to the Gate a little early and did some stretching. The Diablo Cyclists rode on by but I waited for JB and Adam. Then I saw Adam riding up with his wife Sarah, who's been threatening to come up with us one of these days. So riding with a first-timer sounded more interesting than riding for a fast time and I changed my objective.
Almost perfect weather, just a little windy. I rode a lot of the Mountain in a big gear with slow cadence. Adam and I pointed out all the interesting places along the way. Sarah started to lose her positive attitude after the Bump but we encouraged her and lied about how much easier the rest of the Mountain was and she kept on riding. Adam offered to stop for a while so she could take a rest, but she said it's better not to stop - that was cool. When Adam and I got a little too far ahead, we had a track stand contest while Sarah caught up to us.
JB passed us up a little while later and continued on by himself. Sarah almost gave up near the Upper Ranch, but a little more cheerleading kept her going and she made it to the Junction with a time of about 65 minutes.
A little while after that Jamshid, a friend from the old days, arrived also. Haven't seen him in probably 5 years, so that was nice. He rode with some friends from his current workplace and looked like he enjoyed himself, but would rather be playing soccer.
I left work early and rode my commute bike home, then changed and rode to the Mountain from there. When I went past Countrywood I saw all the Diablo Cyclists getting ready to roll, but I didn't wait for them. I felt pretty good and figured I could put in a hard effort. I got to the Gate a little early and did some stretching. The Diablo Cyclists rode on by but I waited for JB and Adam. Then I saw Adam riding up with his wife Sarah, who's been threatening to come up with us one of these days. So riding with a first-timer sounded more interesting than riding for a fast time and I changed my objective.
Almost perfect weather, just a little windy. I rode a lot of the Mountain in a big gear with slow cadence. Adam and I pointed out all the interesting places along the way. Sarah started to lose her positive attitude after the Bump but we encouraged her and lied about how much easier the rest of the Mountain was and she kept on riding. Adam offered to stop for a while so she could take a rest, but she said it's better not to stop - that was cool. When Adam and I got a little too far ahead, we had a track stand contest while Sarah caught up to us.
JB passed us up a little while later and continued on by himself. Sarah almost gave up near the Upper Ranch, but a little more cheerleading kept her going and she made it to the Junction with a time of about 65 minutes.
A little while after that Jamshid, a friend from the old days, arrived also. Haven't seen him in probably 5 years, so that was nice. He rode with some friends from his current workplace and looked like he enjoyed himself, but would rather be playing soccer.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Tour d’Organics 2005
Tour d’Organics 2005, Sonoma County – 108 miles Century Ride Review
Put some new handlebar tape on the Klein. Deda Silver Faux Carbon. Not as cushy as Cinelli cork wrap but pretty nice.
A little background on this ride: this is the first year it’s been held and it’s put on by Organic Athlete, whose name pretty much describes its mission but you can check out their website for more info. Adam is on the Organic Athlete bike racing team but there are also Organic Athletes in many other sports. All the rest stops were going to be at organic farms and have fresh-picked organic produce, and the post-ride meal was going to be a vegan delight. There’s a special place in my heart for Sonoma County and this ride sounded like a fun and different event so I talked Rick into doing it with me, and Nicole decided she’d like to do the 35 mile route as well. Keeping with the theme of the day, we car pooled in their Prius hybrid car.
I’d heard some rumors that Organic Athlete had been having some organizational problems so I resolved to be self-sufficient and packed extra PowerBars and HammerGel than I normally would. Check in at the Sebastopol Community Center was very smooth, but there weren’t that many riders – I can’t remember ever being able to park so close to the check in desk. There was a lot of food still in boxes but it was all for the rest stops; there wasn’t anything to eat before we got started.
The route sheet didn’t have a map, just a list of streets and turns and mileage – that always bugs me because if you miss a turn it’s very hard to figure out where you are. There was also a hand-written sign that pointed out an error on the route sheet and how to correct it.
We rolled at 7:20. Missed our first turn at 7:22… a half dozen riders all grouped up including some locals, we studied the route sheet and figured out where we were supposed to be… our odometer mileage was already off the official count by 1 mile. I usually don’t pay much attention to the route sheets, and count on the painted road arrows to be correct and observable; I started to lose this confidence already today. Anyway pretty soon we were on a multi-use trail out of town. After we hit the open road, Rick and I left Nicole and rode a fast early tempo.
It was cool and really foggy, almost everyone had arm warmers on, and a few people had tights and light jackets. The condensation was dripping off my helmet and onto my sunglasses. Quickly we arrived at the first rest stop down a long gravel driveway.
Rest Stop #1 – 13 miles (14 ridden). This first rest stop had several different melons and grapes and corn on the cob (raw and cold). The farmer husked the corn while we munched and pulled out an occasional worm to prove he didn’t use any pesticides. Would have been nice to get a muffin or a bagel. I ate half my first PowerBar and then we left.
The next leg had a few rolling hills and some gentle slopes. It was still chilly but fun to push ourselves a bit. We tooled along, following the painted arrows in the road and passed some other riders feeling great and full of enthusiasm. Suddenly we noticed people stopped on the road, and some turning around and riding the other way. Rick studied the route sheet and couldn’t figure out where we were but decided we weren’t on course. We turned around too but other people were telling us we shouldn’t be… it was very confusing. While we were re-tracing our path, we came upon Nicole who had also been led astray and just turned around. We rode with her until we found the source of the problem – a painted arrow that should have pointed straight across the road, instead pointed for a left turn. A couple on a tandem then covered up the erroneous direction with some rags they found, hoping to spare following riders from our long detour. Rick and I now had 9 miles more than our route sheet directions so that made things all the more confusing.
Leaving Nicole again, we cooked along a rural highway with a wide shoulder. At the bottom of a gradual descent there was a red light with a couple cars and a lot of cyclists waiting to cross the intersection. I anticipated having to weave my way through the pack of riders up the hill on the other side, and not having much room to pass, but just as the light turned green, a pick-up towing a tall trailer full of junk passed us slowly and I slipped into the slipstream. As the truck accelerated, I stayed with him and passed the whole peloton at 30mph up hill! That was cool. When Rick caught up to me finally we’d both burned up too many matches for this early in the ride.
Rest Stop #2 – 20 miles (29 ridden). This was at a non-descript organic farm down some long flat country roads. More melons and strawberries. Wish I had an organic bagel and some cream cheese.
The third leg of our century brought us back to the Sebastopol area and onto the trails again. Several miles of trails actually, even the third rest stop was on the trail behind some guy’s farm.
Rest Stop #3 – 38 miles (47 ridden). This was basically a fruit stand. Lots of berries, more grapes and melons. My stomach was gnawing at me now. I did see an interesting site here though – a local rider, tall guy maybe 60 years old, rode up to see what was going on… the funny thing was he had one of those old Giro helmets (the ones that look like they’re made out of rubber) and the buckles of the straps that are supposed to be below your ear were right over the top of his ear. It looked dumb and uncomfortable, but I decided not to say anything to him.
Leg #4 would bring us to the lunch stop. I started sucking my HammerGel and I had already eaten both my PowerBars. We headed north to Geyserville and we finally had some fun roads to ride. We crossed some neat old bridges and had a couple good descents, but the road surfaces were pretty crappy – chip seal with pot holes and wrinkles. By the time we got to lunch I was feeling pretty tired and beat-up.
Rest Stop #4 – 61 miles (70 ridden). Finally some substantial food, but not substantial quantities. There were some tasty raw veggie wrap things but there was also a wrap Nazi and a warning sign to take ONLY ONE. I also got the last half banana that they had (how do you run out of bananas on a century with hundreds of riders yet to come?) They had some interesting looking Asian pears, but they had the consistency of a raw potato – I took a bite and spit it out. I ate some more watermelon, Rick sneaked a second wrap. Jeez, I wished they had something salty and some kind of bread. I downed some more HammerGel and we sat on the grass for a long time. It was hot now and I took off my arm warmers finally. Rick got a call from Nicole who had just finished her ride and she said they didn’t have any lunch ready for her – she was the first short loop rider to finish and they weren’t ready.
16 miles to the next rest stop. We passed a small general store and there were quite a few riders stopped there for Twinkies and Coke. I thought about it but Rick slapped me to my senses. The WinnerPhoto guy took this photo of us http://www.winnerphoto.com/organics/1240/124022_0911_organics.htm (they’re too smart to allow me to cut and paste the thumbnail here.
uh-oh, first twinge of a cramp in my right hamstring. Usually that happens when I’m not getting enough salt and spinning too low of a gear. I put it in the big ring and dropped my cadence to about 50. It was now a game to climb the gradual hills in a huge gear out of the saddle and keeping the cramps away. DZZZZTT – a cattle prod to the hamstrings again, I had to be careful. Then there was a short but steep hill right before the next rest stop. Rick had soloed his way over already and there was no chance I could tackle this bugger in a big gear, so I downshifted and twiddled. DZZZTT. DZZZZZZZZT. Electroshock therapy to both hams at the same time and they both seized up BAD. I reactively unclicked both cleats just as I crested the top and my legs curled up. CRAP, now I was coasting at 2mph with no propulsion possible and I couldn’t get a foot down. I was going to fall on my face and look ridiculous in front of a whole swarm of riders I’d just passed – NO WAY! I forced myself to straighten out both legs (whoa, ouch!) and braked hard to come off the saddle and straddle the top tube. It was painful and not pretty but it was a lot better than falling over. After a couple minutes I was able to continue on to the next stop.
Rest Stop #5 – 86 miles (95 ridden). OK, me and Rick were both wasted now. He has foot pain and I have neck pain and leg cramps and we’re eating more freaking fruit. I go to mix up some Cytomax and THERE’S NO WATER. Are you kidding me? The rest stop is in this farmer’s back yard and there’s a nice fountain and some chairs. Finally someone discovers a garden hose and I have a taste – OK, that’s drinkable. Rick’s also getting intestinal problems from eating all this raw food (he’s carnivorous generally) and spends a curiously long time in the portapotty. We decide to finish off this ride ASAP.
The last leg of the route was again mostly on trails. More views of dairy farms, vineyards, and sewage treatment plants. At least it was shady. Suddenly it was all over and we were back at the Community Center. Nicole had already eaten but Rick and I were famished. There was some tasty stuff like Thai salad, mashed potatoes with mushrooms, curried garbanzo beans (I got the last scoop, they ran out of these too) and some disgusting apple crisp that wasn’t very crispy. No soft drinks, no breads, and nothing salty or crunchy. The Nazis were here too, making sure no one got any seconds. We decided what we needed was a bag of chips and a Coke so we packed up and left, but not before leaving some useful criticisms on the comment cards they provided. On the way out we heard quite a few other riders talking about what restaurant they were going to for some more food. We wound up at El Torito and made a lot of jokes about salt and carbs. Rick said this ride was harder than the Seattle to Portland in one day ride that he did last month.
The guys at WinnerPhoto.com wouldn't let me copy a thumbnail so here's the link with my photo: MeAndRick
Tour d’Organics, 108 miles
Ride Time: 6 hrs
Total Time: 8 hrs
Scorecard (10 = perfect):
Course: 5
Difficulty: 4
Organization: 3
Food: 2
Put some new handlebar tape on the Klein. Deda Silver Faux Carbon. Not as cushy as Cinelli cork wrap but pretty nice.
A little background on this ride: this is the first year it’s been held and it’s put on by Organic Athlete, whose name pretty much describes its mission but you can check out their website for more info. Adam is on the Organic Athlete bike racing team but there are also Organic Athletes in many other sports. All the rest stops were going to be at organic farms and have fresh-picked organic produce, and the post-ride meal was going to be a vegan delight. There’s a special place in my heart for Sonoma County and this ride sounded like a fun and different event so I talked Rick into doing it with me, and Nicole decided she’d like to do the 35 mile route as well. Keeping with the theme of the day, we car pooled in their Prius hybrid car.
I’d heard some rumors that Organic Athlete had been having some organizational problems so I resolved to be self-sufficient and packed extra PowerBars and HammerGel than I normally would. Check in at the Sebastopol Community Center was very smooth, but there weren’t that many riders – I can’t remember ever being able to park so close to the check in desk. There was a lot of food still in boxes but it was all for the rest stops; there wasn’t anything to eat before we got started.
The route sheet didn’t have a map, just a list of streets and turns and mileage – that always bugs me because if you miss a turn it’s very hard to figure out where you are. There was also a hand-written sign that pointed out an error on the route sheet and how to correct it.
We rolled at 7:20. Missed our first turn at 7:22… a half dozen riders all grouped up including some locals, we studied the route sheet and figured out where we were supposed to be… our odometer mileage was already off the official count by 1 mile. I usually don’t pay much attention to the route sheets, and count on the painted road arrows to be correct and observable; I started to lose this confidence already today. Anyway pretty soon we were on a multi-use trail out of town. After we hit the open road, Rick and I left Nicole and rode a fast early tempo.
It was cool and really foggy, almost everyone had arm warmers on, and a few people had tights and light jackets. The condensation was dripping off my helmet and onto my sunglasses. Quickly we arrived at the first rest stop down a long gravel driveway.
Rest Stop #1 – 13 miles (14 ridden). This first rest stop had several different melons and grapes and corn on the cob (raw and cold). The farmer husked the corn while we munched and pulled out an occasional worm to prove he didn’t use any pesticides. Would have been nice to get a muffin or a bagel. I ate half my first PowerBar and then we left.
The next leg had a few rolling hills and some gentle slopes. It was still chilly but fun to push ourselves a bit. We tooled along, following the painted arrows in the road and passed some other riders feeling great and full of enthusiasm. Suddenly we noticed people stopped on the road, and some turning around and riding the other way. Rick studied the route sheet and couldn’t figure out where we were but decided we weren’t on course. We turned around too but other people were telling us we shouldn’t be… it was very confusing. While we were re-tracing our path, we came upon Nicole who had also been led astray and just turned around. We rode with her until we found the source of the problem – a painted arrow that should have pointed straight across the road, instead pointed for a left turn. A couple on a tandem then covered up the erroneous direction with some rags they found, hoping to spare following riders from our long detour. Rick and I now had 9 miles more than our route sheet directions so that made things all the more confusing.
Leaving Nicole again, we cooked along a rural highway with a wide shoulder. At the bottom of a gradual descent there was a red light with a couple cars and a lot of cyclists waiting to cross the intersection. I anticipated having to weave my way through the pack of riders up the hill on the other side, and not having much room to pass, but just as the light turned green, a pick-up towing a tall trailer full of junk passed us slowly and I slipped into the slipstream. As the truck accelerated, I stayed with him and passed the whole peloton at 30mph up hill! That was cool. When Rick caught up to me finally we’d both burned up too many matches for this early in the ride.
Rest Stop #2 – 20 miles (29 ridden). This was at a non-descript organic farm down some long flat country roads. More melons and strawberries. Wish I had an organic bagel and some cream cheese.
The third leg of our century brought us back to the Sebastopol area and onto the trails again. Several miles of trails actually, even the third rest stop was on the trail behind some guy’s farm.
Rest Stop #3 – 38 miles (47 ridden). This was basically a fruit stand. Lots of berries, more grapes and melons. My stomach was gnawing at me now. I did see an interesting site here though – a local rider, tall guy maybe 60 years old, rode up to see what was going on… the funny thing was he had one of those old Giro helmets (the ones that look like they’re made out of rubber) and the buckles of the straps that are supposed to be below your ear were right over the top of his ear. It looked dumb and uncomfortable, but I decided not to say anything to him.
Leg #4 would bring us to the lunch stop. I started sucking my HammerGel and I had already eaten both my PowerBars. We headed north to Geyserville and we finally had some fun roads to ride. We crossed some neat old bridges and had a couple good descents, but the road surfaces were pretty crappy – chip seal with pot holes and wrinkles. By the time we got to lunch I was feeling pretty tired and beat-up.
Rest Stop #4 – 61 miles (70 ridden). Finally some substantial food, but not substantial quantities. There were some tasty raw veggie wrap things but there was also a wrap Nazi and a warning sign to take ONLY ONE. I also got the last half banana that they had (how do you run out of bananas on a century with hundreds of riders yet to come?) They had some interesting looking Asian pears, but they had the consistency of a raw potato – I took a bite and spit it out. I ate some more watermelon, Rick sneaked a second wrap. Jeez, I wished they had something salty and some kind of bread. I downed some more HammerGel and we sat on the grass for a long time. It was hot now and I took off my arm warmers finally. Rick got a call from Nicole who had just finished her ride and she said they didn’t have any lunch ready for her – she was the first short loop rider to finish and they weren’t ready.
16 miles to the next rest stop. We passed a small general store and there were quite a few riders stopped there for Twinkies and Coke. I thought about it but Rick slapped me to my senses. The WinnerPhoto guy took this photo of us http://www.winnerphoto.com/organics/1240/124022_0911_organics.htm (they’re too smart to allow me to cut and paste the thumbnail here.
Rest Stop #5 – 86 miles (95 ridden). OK, me and Rick were both wasted now. He has foot pain and I have neck pain and leg cramps and we’re eating more freaking fruit. I go to mix up some Cytomax and THERE’S NO WATER. Are you kidding me? The rest stop is in this farmer’s back yard and there’s a nice fountain and some chairs. Finally someone discovers a garden hose and I have a taste – OK, that’s drinkable. Rick’s also getting intestinal problems from eating all this raw food (he’s carnivorous generally) and spends a curiously long time in the portapotty. We decide to finish off this ride ASAP.
The last leg of the route was again mostly on trails. More views of dairy farms, vineyards, and sewage treatment plants. At least it was shady. Suddenly it was all over and we were back at the Community Center. Nicole had already eaten but Rick and I were famished. There was some tasty stuff like Thai salad, mashed potatoes with mushrooms, curried garbanzo beans (I got the last scoop, they ran out of these too) and some disgusting apple crisp that wasn’t very crispy. No soft drinks, no breads, and nothing salty or crunchy. The Nazis were here too, making sure no one got any seconds. We decided what we needed was a bag of chips and a Coke so we packed up and left, but not before leaving some useful criticisms on the comment cards they provided. On the way out we heard quite a few other riders talking about what restaurant they were going to for some more food. We wound up at El Torito and made a lot of jokes about salt and carbs. Rick said this ride was harder than the Seattle to Portland in one day ride that he did last month.
The guys at WinnerPhoto.com wouldn't let me copy a thumbnail so here's the link with my photo: MeAndRick
Tour d’Organics, 108 miles
Ride Time: 6 hrs
Total Time: 8 hrs
Scorecard (10 = perfect):
Course: 5
Difficulty: 4
Organization: 3
Food: 2
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Diablo Junction - 16 miles
JB’s on vacation so it was just me and Adam today. Nicole decided for a late start to beat the heat. Adam again announced his intention to break 30 and go home down South Gate, and he ordered me to break 40. He said he’d wait for me at the Junction until the 40 minute mark and then he was leaving.
From the Gate – he started hammering. I slid into the sweet spot and hung on for dear life. Stayed there for a long time even though it was killing me. I was determined to hold on until Moss Landing and determination is all I had as we got close. After that I exploded off the back and tried to recover as Adam rode away from me into the distance.
I was almost recoved when I hit the Bump but not enough to push it so I just twiddled up. Then I was almost recovered again when I got to the Upper Washout, but I still kept it semi-easy. Then I decided to keep it semi-easy the rest of the way to Junction and finished with a time of 44m.
Adam was still there and said he did about 33 and talked about how he could break 30 next week.
I didn’t stick around long, rode back up a ways with Nicole when I got to her, and then finished the descent.
Tour d’Organics is SUNDAY!
JB’s on vacation so it was just me and Adam today. Nicole decided for a late start to beat the heat. Adam again announced his intention to break 30 and go home down South Gate, and he ordered me to break 40. He said he’d wait for me at the Junction until the 40 minute mark and then he was leaving.
From the Gate – he started hammering. I slid into the sweet spot and hung on for dear life. Stayed there for a long time even though it was killing me. I was determined to hold on until Moss Landing and determination is all I had as we got close. After that I exploded off the back and tried to recover as Adam rode away from me into the distance.
I was almost recoved when I hit the Bump but not enough to push it so I just twiddled up. Then I was almost recovered again when I got to the Upper Washout, but I still kept it semi-easy. Then I decided to keep it semi-easy the rest of the way to Junction and finished with a time of 44m.
Adam was still there and said he did about 33 and talked about how he could break 30 next week.
I didn’t stick around long, rode back up a ways with Nicole when I got to her, and then finished the descent.
Tour d’Organics is SUNDAY!
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Diablo Junction - 16 miles.
I got my car working this week so I drove in to work with the Klein on the roof and drove to North Gate Road at 5 o'clock. Jeff and Adam rode from work and were planning on riding home together down South Gate since they both live that way. When I got to the Gate I found Mark P who did the Death Ride a few weeks ago and who agreed to ride Tour d'Organics with me and Rick on the 21st. So at the Gate, Adam sprinted away and I rode with Mark and Jeff who didn't seem to be in any hurry. We got passed by a few folks and I figured it would be fun to chase them down later but we all got to talking and it never happened.
Mark told us about the Death Ride experience - he said at one stop a guy leaned his bike up against a bunch of other bikes in a rack and then tipped them all over, including Mark's: no serious damage but he needed some new handlebar tape anyway. He said he felt pretty good but at the last check point he called it quits and didn't do the 5th pass.
Jeff has some American Classic wheels on his new Orbea and a while ago I told him about a recall I heard about and he did have the recalled hub so the bike shop did the recall repair work on it and now the ratchet is much louder than it was and that's annoying. He also said the bike shop was irritated at American Classic since they only received vouchers to buy more American Classic componentry instead of getting reimbursed in cash for the labor they put into fixing all these wheels. The recall had to do with the ratchet failing so you could be just riding along and suddenly you would be unable to drive the wheel.
As we got close to the top, Mark and I pulled ahead of Jeff and then Adam came down after finishing his climb so he rode with Jeff; Mark and I finished together. Then we all BS'ed for a while and everybody went down. I got passed by a car that was going way too fast and then I got stuck behind a moped carrying two people who didn't know much about descending, but when I came across Nicole coming up I turned back around and climbed up a ways with her before I finished going down.
I got my car working this week so I drove in to work with the Klein on the roof and drove to North Gate Road at 5 o'clock. Jeff and Adam rode from work and were planning on riding home together down South Gate since they both live that way. When I got to the Gate I found Mark P who did the Death Ride a few weeks ago and who agreed to ride Tour d'Organics with me and Rick on the 21st. So at the Gate, Adam sprinted away and I rode with Mark and Jeff who didn't seem to be in any hurry. We got passed by a few folks and I figured it would be fun to chase them down later but we all got to talking and it never happened.
Mark told us about the Death Ride experience - he said at one stop a guy leaned his bike up against a bunch of other bikes in a rack and then tipped them all over, including Mark's: no serious damage but he needed some new handlebar tape anyway. He said he felt pretty good but at the last check point he called it quits and didn't do the 5th pass.
Jeff has some American Classic wheels on his new Orbea and a while ago I told him about a recall I heard about and he did have the recalled hub so the bike shop did the recall repair work on it and now the ratchet is much louder than it was and that's annoying. He also said the bike shop was irritated at American Classic since they only received vouchers to buy more American Classic componentry instead of getting reimbursed in cash for the labor they put into fixing all these wheels. The recall had to do with the ratchet failing so you could be just riding along and suddenly you would be unable to drive the wheel.
As we got close to the top, Mark and I pulled ahead of Jeff and then Adam came down after finishing his climb so he rode with Jeff; Mark and I finished together. Then we all BS'ed for a while and everybody went down. I got passed by a car that was going way too fast and then I got stuck behind a moped carrying two people who didn't know much about descending, but when I came across Nicole coming up I turned back around and climbed up a ways with her before I finished going down.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Diablo Junction - 23 miles
Nobody in our little group rode on Saturday for various reasons, so I figured I’d ride at a different time just to see what it was like. Sunday at 10:40 when I left the house was already pretty warm and it was getting hotter by the minute.
Crossed the line at the Gate at 11 o’clock and anticipated about a 45 minute ride. I saw a lot of people descending in ones and twos but no larger groups. Near the Bump I saw a woman ahead of me and it took me quite a while to catch her. We both said “hi” when I went by and she looked determined but having a hard time. I almost offered to stay with her for a while to make sure she was OK, but I didn’t. A few switchbacks farther up I looked down and didn’t see her. I couldn’t have put that much distance between us in so little time, so I assumed she had turned around… too bad.
Wildlife Encounter: Lots of butterflies – pretty orange ones and yellow ones, I’ve never seen so many on the Mountain. Maybe they like the heat.
Rolled into the Junction at 45 minutes. There were about 8 riders hanging around talking. A few more rode up every couple minutes and a few others went down. I was sitting on the bench near the steps enjoying some shade and I heard a guy ask some other guys if they had a long-stem tube. They said they didn’t so I called out that I had one. I wasn’t even sure who was asking or what the problem was, so when he appeared around the corner I asked him what his story was – did he not pack a spare? Was his spare bad? Did he not know he needed a long tube with his wheels? He said “No, basically I just had my head up my ass!” Everybody laughed at that and then we watched him change his tire. He said his tire just blew up while it was in the rack in front of the Ranger Station. He tried to put in a short-stem tube but couldn’t get the pump on it; his wheels were the first generation Shimano low-spoke count guys like this:
He looked like he knew what he was doing but lacked the confidence of someone who’s changed a lot of tires. He used his plastic tire lever to help re-seat the bead and I was afraid he was going to pinch my tube and wind up stuck again. He said he’d been at the Junction for quite a while trying to come up with a fix and had given up, calling a friend for a ride home. He was glad I came along and I think his friend was too since he got the call that he wasn’t needed. His rims didn’t look much deeper than mine but I guess they must have been. My wheels are Bontrager Race Lites
and they’ll accept a short stem valve but it’s easier to get my pump on longer ones so that’s what I always buy. He offered me the spare he had tried to use as payment and I told him just to keep it and give it to someone else who would need it in the future but he reminded me I didn’t have any spare so I agreed it would be a good idea.
Descending back down North Gate Road, the wind felt really nice. Near Chainbuster I went past the woman I thought had turned around nearly half an hour before! She was still going up and still determined, good on her! Then in the winding section above the Upper Washout my front tire decided to go flat!!! Not a blow out but it went soft very quickly and I just about biffed going around those turns on my rim. A little scary but I wasn’t going that fast so I stayed vertical and found a nice shady spot to change the tube. Then I thought about how I had almost refused the extra tube and I would have been trying to patch my bad one in this heat. The CO2 gadget grabbed the short stem just fine and I was back on the road in 5 minutes but I finished the ride in extra cautious mode.
Nobody in our little group rode on Saturday for various reasons, so I figured I’d ride at a different time just to see what it was like. Sunday at 10:40 when I left the house was already pretty warm and it was getting hotter by the minute.
Crossed the line at the Gate at 11 o’clock and anticipated about a 45 minute ride. I saw a lot of people descending in ones and twos but no larger groups. Near the Bump I saw a woman ahead of me and it took me quite a while to catch her. We both said “hi” when I went by and she looked determined but having a hard time. I almost offered to stay with her for a while to make sure she was OK, but I didn’t. A few switchbacks farther up I looked down and didn’t see her. I couldn’t have put that much distance between us in so little time, so I assumed she had turned around… too bad.
Wildlife Encounter: Lots of butterflies – pretty orange ones and yellow ones, I’ve never seen so many on the Mountain. Maybe they like the heat.
Rolled into the Junction at 45 minutes. There were about 8 riders hanging around talking. A few more rode up every couple minutes and a few others went down. I was sitting on the bench near the steps enjoying some shade and I heard a guy ask some other guys if they had a long-stem tube. They said they didn’t so I called out that I had one. I wasn’t even sure who was asking or what the problem was, so when he appeared around the corner I asked him what his story was – did he not pack a spare? Was his spare bad? Did he not know he needed a long tube with his wheels? He said “No, basically I just had my head up my ass!” Everybody laughed at that and then we watched him change his tire. He said his tire just blew up while it was in the rack in front of the Ranger Station. He tried to put in a short-stem tube but couldn’t get the pump on it; his wheels were the first generation Shimano low-spoke count guys like this:
He looked like he knew what he was doing but lacked the confidence of someone who’s changed a lot of tires. He used his plastic tire lever to help re-seat the bead and I was afraid he was going to pinch my tube and wind up stuck again. He said he’d been at the Junction for quite a while trying to come up with a fix and had given up, calling a friend for a ride home. He was glad I came along and I think his friend was too since he got the call that he wasn’t needed. His rims didn’t look much deeper than mine but I guess they must have been. My wheels are Bontrager Race Lites
and they’ll accept a short stem valve but it’s easier to get my pump on longer ones so that’s what I always buy. He offered me the spare he had tried to use as payment and I told him just to keep it and give it to someone else who would need it in the future but he reminded me I didn’t have any spare so I agreed it would be a good idea.
Descending back down North Gate Road, the wind felt really nice. Near Chainbuster I went past the woman I thought had turned around nearly half an hour before! She was still going up and still determined, good on her! Then in the winding section above the Upper Washout my front tire decided to go flat!!! Not a blow out but it went soft very quickly and I just about biffed going around those turns on my rim. A little scary but I wasn’t going that fast so I stayed vertical and found a nice shady spot to change the tube. Then I thought about how I had almost refused the extra tube and I would have been trying to patch my bad one in this heat. The CO2 gadget grabbed the short stem just fine and I was back on the road in 5 minutes but I finished the ride in extra cautious mode.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Diablo Junction from Work - 30 miles
Very warm, high 80's, a little wind at the bottom.
I left work alone, JB and Adam were running late so I took an easy ride to the Gate. I figured if I didn't push it Adam worked JB trying to catch me he might be easier to stay with on the climb. They caught me on Walnut and then we stayed together until the Gate. Adam announced that today he would be breaking 30 and we chuckled because he's said that a bunch of times but hasn't been very close to that time in more than a year. But at the Gate he jumped on it and we didn't see him again.
JB and I rode together until the Double Dips where I took a little flyer and soon I had a huge gap on him. I was going harder than I could maintain, but that seemed too easy. I kept it up for a while and saw that he was catching up again near the bottom of the Bump. But there was a guy in front of me - a guy with brown hair, a yellow sleeveless jersey, no helmet, and an older Miyata with downtube shifters (the kind that mounted on TOP of the downtube, not on the sides? very interesting). So I was chasing no-helmet guy and JB was chasing me and that was kind of fun. I passed no-helmet guy and he said "whew!" or something like that and then I hammered through the easy part after the Upper Washout and the gap to JB got bigger. But suddenly he caught me and I got on his wheel for a few minutes while we went around Clavicle Cracker and past the Ranches. He rode away from me after the Upper Ranch and wound up beating me by a couple minutes.
Junction Time: 41m04s - but I felt a lot better than other recent rides so maybe I'll be going for some fast ones soon.
Very warm, high 80's, a little wind at the bottom.
I left work alone, JB and Adam were running late so I took an easy ride to the Gate. I figured if I didn't push it Adam worked JB trying to catch me he might be easier to stay with on the climb. They caught me on Walnut and then we stayed together until the Gate. Adam announced that today he would be breaking 30 and we chuckled because he's said that a bunch of times but hasn't been very close to that time in more than a year. But at the Gate he jumped on it and we didn't see him again.
JB and I rode together until the Double Dips where I took a little flyer and soon I had a huge gap on him. I was going harder than I could maintain, but that seemed too easy. I kept it up for a while and saw that he was catching up again near the bottom of the Bump. But there was a guy in front of me - a guy with brown hair, a yellow sleeveless jersey, no helmet, and an older Miyata with downtube shifters (the kind that mounted on TOP of the downtube, not on the sides? very interesting). So I was chasing no-helmet guy and JB was chasing me and that was kind of fun. I passed no-helmet guy and he said "whew!" or something like that and then I hammered through the easy part after the Upper Washout and the gap to JB got bigger. But suddenly he caught me and I got on his wheel for a few minutes while we went around Clavicle Cracker and past the Ranches. He rode away from me after the Upper Ranch and wound up beating me by a couple minutes.
Junction Time: 41m04s - but I felt a lot better than other recent rides so maybe I'll be going for some fast ones soon.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Diablo Junction from Work - 26 miles
Another hot one this afternoon - although not nearly as hot as the last three Wednesdays. Adam, JB, and I left from the office and scurried up Ygnacio Valley Road around all the traffic gridlock to Montego where you can cut behind the medical areas and get to the trail. We didn't wait for anyone and the Diablo Cyclists were just leaving the church so there was a big group for a half mile.
Everything split up right away at the Gate. Adam took off with a guy he recognized as a speedster, JB tried to ride off by himself but a small group of us stayed behind him and heckled him until he finally got away. I was with the small group until the Bump where I drifted off the back. I just couldn't get comfortable on the bike today and I felt weak and unmotivated. I must be overtrained!
Product Review: Specialized Body Geometry Cycling Gloves
Cycling gloves last me about three years, and I needed a new pair. I was getting tired of the same old Pearl Izumi White Line gloves that I always buy at Performance in Walnut Creek and I happened to be in El Sobrante a few weeks ago so I checked out the selection at The Pedaler (I'd link but their website seems to have been hijacked today… check back later). These gloves come in a "PRO" version that doesn't have any loosening strap, and a "COMP" version that has a traditional Velcro closure - I got the COMP version. The palm padding with these gloves is a little different than I'm used to having, but it seems to be really well thought out. There's the right amount of padding, but it's in a little bit different place than in most gloves - I guess that's the idea, anyway it feels comfortable and is supposed to be better at absorbing road vibrations. The fit is very good, and the stitching quality and materials are excellent. The snot wiping area is adequate and hopefully the bright blue color won't fade as fast as the Pearl Izumi gloves I had before. They were a little more expensive than the Pearls but not outrageous. I like them and recommend them and give them a DiabloScott rating of 9.
Another hot one this afternoon - although not nearly as hot as the last three Wednesdays. Adam, JB, and I left from the office and scurried up Ygnacio Valley Road around all the traffic gridlock to Montego where you can cut behind the medical areas and get to the trail. We didn't wait for anyone and the Diablo Cyclists were just leaving the church so there was a big group for a half mile.
Everything split up right away at the Gate. Adam took off with a guy he recognized as a speedster, JB tried to ride off by himself but a small group of us stayed behind him and heckled him until he finally got away. I was with the small group until the Bump where I drifted off the back. I just couldn't get comfortable on the bike today and I felt weak and unmotivated. I must be overtrained!
Product Review: Specialized Body Geometry Cycling Gloves
Cycling gloves last me about three years, and I needed a new pair. I was getting tired of the same old Pearl Izumi White Line gloves that I always buy at Performance in Walnut Creek and I happened to be in El Sobrante a few weeks ago so I checked out the selection at The Pedaler (I'd link but their website seems to have been hijacked today… check back later). These gloves come in a "PRO" version that doesn't have any loosening strap, and a "COMP" version that has a traditional Velcro closure - I got the COMP version. The palm padding with these gloves is a little different than I'm used to having, but it seems to be really well thought out. There's the right amount of padding, but it's in a little bit different place than in most gloves - I guess that's the idea, anyway it feels comfortable and is supposed to be better at absorbing road vibrations. The fit is very good, and the stitching quality and materials are excellent. The snot wiping area is adequate and hopefully the bright blue color won't fade as fast as the Pearl Izumi gloves I had before. They were a little more expensive than the Pearls but not outrageous. I like them and recommend them and give them a DiabloScott rating of 9.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Diablo Summit - 33 miles
Rick called while I was on my way to the Gate. He said he was going to be late and that his brother Chris was with him. So JB and I did a warm up ride to the bottom of the Bump and then turned around. Rick, Chris, and Nicole were already started but we went all the way to the Gate before turning around. Then I sprinted to catch up with the three and JB mysteriously disappeared. I rode with them for a while and then this guy with a Saeco jersey passed me just before the Bump. Later JB caught up to us and he said he thought the Saeco guy wanted to race him. Then took off together and we passed the Saeco guy near the Lower Ranch - he looked to be about 60 and in good shape.
Then I accelerated and gapped JB. Near Chainbuster I figured I had about 20 seconds on him. I thought "If I can keep this gap up for another half mile I'll have the win in the bag". Then I looked back one more time and he was right there! I got on his wheel and figured he couldn't keep up that speed for long, but he kept it up long enough for me to poop out... so I did.
Big re-grouping at the Junction and Chris decided he'd like to try to go up to Juniper even though he didn't have much energy. JB decided to go down South Gate and return on the flats. Rick and I decided to do the Summit. He was feeling good because he had ridden slowly to the Junction, but I had burned some matches trying to stay ahead of JB so I was a little tired and Rick dropped me near the Muir Picnic Area and stayed ahead the rest of the way.
On the way back down we saw three interesting things: a bagpipe player on one of the pull outs, an uber-naturalist riding up on an old beater bike with corduroy pants and a towel on his head, and a guy with an overheating pickup who was putting washer fluid in his radiator.
Rick had a transparent section in the back of his shorts, I cracked up (ha!) watching the view in the little window! He led me out for a sprint up the Double Dips but I went too early and it was windier than I thought so I faded before the top.
We went to the coffee shop and were surprised to find JB there too. He got to the South Gate kiosk and changed his mind about going back on the flats so he went back to Junction and down North Gate.
Product Review: Hutchison Fusion Comp Tires
I've got about 100 miles on these now and I really like them. I got the black and silver ones because they match my saddle. They corner well and roll smoothly and they look well made. In my opinion they're at least as good as the Michelin Pro Race tires that I've been using and significantly cheaper. I give them my highest rating: 10.
Next century: Tour d'Organics
Rick called while I was on my way to the Gate. He said he was going to be late and that his brother Chris was with him. So JB and I did a warm up ride to the bottom of the Bump and then turned around. Rick, Chris, and Nicole were already started but we went all the way to the Gate before turning around. Then I sprinted to catch up with the three and JB mysteriously disappeared. I rode with them for a while and then this guy with a Saeco jersey passed me just before the Bump. Later JB caught up to us and he said he thought the Saeco guy wanted to race him. Then took off together and we passed the Saeco guy near the Lower Ranch - he looked to be about 60 and in good shape.
Then I accelerated and gapped JB. Near Chainbuster I figured I had about 20 seconds on him. I thought "If I can keep this gap up for another half mile I'll have the win in the bag". Then I looked back one more time and he was right there! I got on his wheel and figured he couldn't keep up that speed for long, but he kept it up long enough for me to poop out... so I did.
Big re-grouping at the Junction and Chris decided he'd like to try to go up to Juniper even though he didn't have much energy. JB decided to go down South Gate and return on the flats. Rick and I decided to do the Summit. He was feeling good because he had ridden slowly to the Junction, but I had burned some matches trying to stay ahead of JB so I was a little tired and Rick dropped me near the Muir Picnic Area and stayed ahead the rest of the way.
On the way back down we saw three interesting things: a bagpipe player on one of the pull outs, an uber-naturalist riding up on an old beater bike with corduroy pants and a towel on his head, and a guy with an overheating pickup who was putting washer fluid in his radiator.
Rick had a transparent section in the back of his shorts, I cracked up (ha!) watching the view in the little window! He led me out for a sprint up the Double Dips but I went too early and it was windier than I thought so I faded before the top.
We went to the coffee shop and were surprised to find JB there too. He got to the South Gate kiosk and changed his mind about going back on the flats so he went back to Junction and down North Gate.
Product Review: Hutchison Fusion Comp Tires
I've got about 100 miles on these now and I really like them. I got the black and silver ones because they match my saddle. They corner well and roll smoothly and they look well made. In my opinion they're at least as good as the Michelin Pro Race tires that I've been using and significantly cheaper. I give them my highest rating: 10.
Next century: Tour d'Organics
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Diablo Junction from Work
I thought Adam was going to rip our legs off just riding from the office to the Gate. We got there alone, no other riders. Adam said he was going to do some big gear drills so it was easy to draft him for a while but it was hot so I let him go in favor of surviving. JB stayed with me for a while but figured he could hang with Adam today so then I was isolated. I had two bottles completely frozen when I started out and they were melting at a nice rate providing me nice cold Cytomax and water.
I passed Diablo Cyclist Craig down below the Bump. He's not one of the faster riders but he does the Death Ride and double centuries and he's got several very nice bikes so he's a serious rider and he's a friendly guy.
21 minutes at the Upper Washout - I figured about 42 for the Junction. It was like a desert up there tonight - hot and very dry, I could feel my lips cracking, begging for some moisture.
45 minutes at the Junction. Not a lot of riders up there, but several of the regulars. The thermometer on the shack said 93°F in the shade so it was OK to blame the heat for my crappy ride.
I thought Adam was going to rip our legs off just riding from the office to the Gate. We got there alone, no other riders. Adam said he was going to do some big gear drills so it was easy to draft him for a while but it was hot so I let him go in favor of surviving. JB stayed with me for a while but figured he could hang with Adam today so then I was isolated. I had two bottles completely frozen when I started out and they were melting at a nice rate providing me nice cold Cytomax and water.
I passed Diablo Cyclist Craig down below the Bump. He's not one of the faster riders but he does the Death Ride and double centuries and he's got several very nice bikes so he's a serious rider and he's a friendly guy.
21 minutes at the Upper Washout - I figured about 42 for the Junction. It was like a desert up there tonight - hot and very dry, I could feel my lips cracking, begging for some moisture.
45 minutes at the Junction. Not a lot of riders up there, but several of the regulars. The thermometer on the shack said 93°F in the shade so it was OK to blame the heat for my crappy ride.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Diablo Junction plus SGR to the Tire Poppers - 35 miles
I felt good this morning... not great but a hell of a lot better than the last couple rides. It was a bright sunny day but there was still some chill in the air and the wind felt good on my skin. Didn't get a lot of sleep last night (woke up early to watch the Tour) but I felt rested, recovered, and a bit cheeky.
Rick was back from the Seattle to Portland ride but I wasn't sure if he was going to show. JB had been out of the office and I wasn't sure if he was going to show. The Death Riders shot their collective wads last weekend and I didn't know if anyone at ALL would be on the mountain. No one was at the Gate, but while I was waiting a few people went by that I thought I could pass and so that was my goal.
At five after I put the rocks on the post and set off for a solo ride. I passed two guys that seemed like they were beginners pretty early on and then I settled into my own pace. Near the bottom of the Bump I noticed someone closing on me in a white sleeveless jersey so I tried to maintain my coolness. As the rider got closer I realized that she was a triathlete woman so I tried to look studly and control my breathing. As triathlete woman (whom I shall henceforth refer to as "La Donna del Diablo") came around me she said some nice things about the heat and showed me her heels. She was smooth, strong, and… OK, excellent eye candy. I decided not to show off by sucking her wheel – it wouldn’t have been pretty.
Finished at the Junction with a time of about 41 minutes. There were a half-dozen or so riders hanging around and then Rick pulled in. He had on a full Jelly Belly kit that he got at a swap meet in Seattle to Portland. He also showed me his cool new Cyclosport computer that downloads data to his computer. Then a couple minutes after that JB rolled in. We asked each other what we wanted to do next (this is a way of feeling out who is feeling strong and who’s not). I recommended SGR to the Boundary Gate and back up and they both agreed.
South Gate is a fun road to descend – it’s got a few more trees and some sections of flat and even a couple tiny climbs. The switchbacks there are also tighter than anything on North Gate so there’s some technical skill involved too.
At the tire poppers we turned around and JB looked already to be off his game.; Rick and I rode away from him pretty early. I was feeling much better though and the temperature was still nice so I didn’t mind pushing it a little bit. A couple times I opened a gap on Rick but it was too early to go for it so I let him catch back up.
I always fade at that long straight section of climbing above Rock City where the road goes past the trail crossing and the Stagecoach area, so today that’s where I decided to attack – working on my weakness and all that. It was kind of fun, I treated it like a big gear/slow cadence drill and I got way ahead of Rick and affirmed to stay there.
Of course I started to fade in the final bit and Rick closed in on me but I crossed the line about a minute ahead of him so that was a good feeling. Too bad La Donna del Diablo didn’t see me.
It was very warm by now so we all went to Mia Café and I drank a liter of Snapple with lots of ice.
I felt good this morning... not great but a hell of a lot better than the last couple rides. It was a bright sunny day but there was still some chill in the air and the wind felt good on my skin. Didn't get a lot of sleep last night (woke up early to watch the Tour) but I felt rested, recovered, and a bit cheeky.
Rick was back from the Seattle to Portland ride but I wasn't sure if he was going to show. JB had been out of the office and I wasn't sure if he was going to show. The Death Riders shot their collective wads last weekend and I didn't know if anyone at ALL would be on the mountain. No one was at the Gate, but while I was waiting a few people went by that I thought I could pass and so that was my goal.
At five after I put the rocks on the post and set off for a solo ride. I passed two guys that seemed like they were beginners pretty early on and then I settled into my own pace. Near the bottom of the Bump I noticed someone closing on me in a white sleeveless jersey so I tried to maintain my coolness. As the rider got closer I realized that she was a triathlete woman so I tried to look studly and control my breathing. As triathlete woman (whom I shall henceforth refer to as "La Donna del Diablo") came around me she said some nice things about the heat and showed me her heels. She was smooth, strong, and… OK, excellent eye candy. I decided not to show off by sucking her wheel – it wouldn’t have been pretty.
Finished at the Junction with a time of about 41 minutes. There were a half-dozen or so riders hanging around and then Rick pulled in. He had on a full Jelly Belly kit that he got at a swap meet in Seattle to Portland. He also showed me his cool new Cyclosport computer that downloads data to his computer. Then a couple minutes after that JB rolled in. We asked each other what we wanted to do next (this is a way of feeling out who is feeling strong and who’s not). I recommended SGR to the Boundary Gate and back up and they both agreed.
South Gate is a fun road to descend – it’s got a few more trees and some sections of flat and even a couple tiny climbs. The switchbacks there are also tighter than anything on North Gate so there’s some technical skill involved too.
At the tire poppers we turned around and JB looked already to be off his game.; Rick and I rode away from him pretty early. I was feeling much better though and the temperature was still nice so I didn’t mind pushing it a little bit. A couple times I opened a gap on Rick but it was too early to go for it so I let him catch back up.
I always fade at that long straight section of climbing above Rock City where the road goes past the trail crossing and the Stagecoach area, so today that’s where I decided to attack – working on my weakness and all that. It was kind of fun, I treated it like a big gear/slow cadence drill and I got way ahead of Rick and affirmed to stay there.
Of course I started to fade in the final bit and Rick closed in on me but I crossed the line about a minute ahead of him so that was a good feeling. Too bad La Donna del Diablo didn’t see me.
It was very warm by now so we all went to Mia Café and I drank a liter of Snapple with lots of ice.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Diablo Junction Plus - 28 miles
I still don’t have my car running so I rode my Klein to work, and stored it in Adam’s office.
Today was the hottest day I’ve ridden in at least a year. I knew it was going to be a tough ride so I tried to stay hydrated all day. But when you’ve been in a nice air conditioned building for 9 hours the heat can hit you like a load of bricks.
Adam, Brian and I rode together to the Gate and we met JB there. Adam took off right away. I hooked up with Jay and Dave for a little while – if I’m feeling really good I can stay with them but I was feeling really drained and spacey today so I drifted back. I just didn’t have much power and it was MOSTLY because of the heat but maybe also lack of sleep from getting up too early to watch the live Tour coverage.
On the Bump, Brian passed me – he was riding JB’s Della Santa and I was really being careful about over doing it. He looked like he was killing himself to pass me and I half expected to see him chunder farther up the road. He didn’t though – he did a good ride.
JB passed me around the Lower Ranch – he was on his Atlantis and he was hot but he seemed to be tolerating the heat better than me.
After that no one passed me and I was on my own for the rest of the way. There were times I thought about pulling over in the shade for a break but I kept on chugging. It really annoyed me that I didn’t have something extra in the tank and just felt weak and slow.
Finally made it to the Junction with a time of 46 minutes. I was so spent all I could do is sit on the bench and sweat until it was time to go down.
Wildlife Encounter: A racoon raiding the garbage can at the Junction. He found an empty cookie bag and couldn’t figure out why it smelled so good but didn’t taste like food. Cute little booger.
Still hot at 11pm!
I still don’t have my car running so I rode my Klein to work, and stored it in Adam’s office.
Today was the hottest day I’ve ridden in at least a year. I knew it was going to be a tough ride so I tried to stay hydrated all day. But when you’ve been in a nice air conditioned building for 9 hours the heat can hit you like a load of bricks.
Adam, Brian and I rode together to the Gate and we met JB there. Adam took off right away. I hooked up with Jay and Dave for a little while – if I’m feeling really good I can stay with them but I was feeling really drained and spacey today so I drifted back. I just didn’t have much power and it was MOSTLY because of the heat but maybe also lack of sleep from getting up too early to watch the live Tour coverage.
On the Bump, Brian passed me – he was riding JB’s Della Santa and I was really being careful about over doing it. He looked like he was killing himself to pass me and I half expected to see him chunder farther up the road. He didn’t though – he did a good ride.
JB passed me around the Lower Ranch – he was on his Atlantis and he was hot but he seemed to be tolerating the heat better than me.
After that no one passed me and I was on my own for the rest of the way. There were times I thought about pulling over in the shade for a break but I kept on chugging. It really annoyed me that I didn’t have something extra in the tank and just felt weak and slow.
Finally made it to the Junction with a time of 46 minutes. I was so spent all I could do is sit on the bench and sweat until it was time to go down.
Wildlife Encounter: A racoon raiding the garbage can at the Junction. He found an empty cookie bag and couldn’t figure out why it smelled so good but didn’t taste like food. Cute little booger.
Still hot at 11pm!
Sunday, July 10, 2005
No Diablo ride this weekend. Finally put on the new compact crank on my Eddy Merckx though. It's an FSA Gossamer Compact with FSA Platinum ISIS bottom bracket; watch for the product review coming soon. It all went together very well, initial impressions are very good, and my old crank and bb are for sale on eBay:
ClickHereToBuyMyOldCampyCrank
My Eddy Merckx With New Crank
Close Up Of Crank
ClickHereToBuyMyOldCampyCrank
My Eddy Merckx With New Crank
Close Up Of Crank
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Diablo Junction - 28 miles
My car broke down last weekend so I rode my Klein to work and parked it in Adam’s office. After work JB, Adam, Amanda, and I all rode together to the Gate but JB and Adam were late getting out the door so we didn’t leave the parking lot until 5:20. Brian had a flat in the parking lot and decided not even to go. Amanda didn’t know the way since she usually gets a ride from me or Nicole so we had to stay with her – she’s improved a lot but she’s not very fast yet so by the time we started up North Gate it was 5:45 or so.
Just before we crossed the line a guy on a roadified mountain bike (whom henceforth shall be called “Slick”) passed us and we all kind of chuckled nervously. At the line, Adam announced that it was his intention to do intervals after a 5-minute tempo ride. I hopped right on his wheel and had no trouble with his tempo because there was a bit of a headwind and he was working harder than me. JB decided not to join in the tempo riding. We passed Slick at about minute two. At minute five Adam started his sprint intervals and I just let him go. For some reason I didn’t have much focus today and my power was low also so I just rode within myself.
By the Lower Ranch both JB and Slick had passed me so that was pretty demoralizing. Adam actually came back down and turned around… literally riding circles around me. I did see some of the Diablo Cyclists hanging out in the shade so it wasn’t just me that was having trouble. No excuses today, I was just really feeling the chain. Finished up with a time of 43 and change. Hung around for a while, thought about going down South Gate but decided not to.
Got behind a car that wouldn’t pull over on the way down so that wasn’t very interesting either. I hope Saturday’s ride is better than this. Usually the TdF really motivates me.
My car broke down last weekend so I rode my Klein to work and parked it in Adam’s office. After work JB, Adam, Amanda, and I all rode together to the Gate but JB and Adam were late getting out the door so we didn’t leave the parking lot until 5:20. Brian had a flat in the parking lot and decided not even to go. Amanda didn’t know the way since she usually gets a ride from me or Nicole so we had to stay with her – she’s improved a lot but she’s not very fast yet so by the time we started up North Gate it was 5:45 or so.
Just before we crossed the line a guy on a roadified mountain bike (whom henceforth shall be called “Slick”) passed us and we all kind of chuckled nervously. At the line, Adam announced that it was his intention to do intervals after a 5-minute tempo ride. I hopped right on his wheel and had no trouble with his tempo because there was a bit of a headwind and he was working harder than me. JB decided not to join in the tempo riding. We passed Slick at about minute two. At minute five Adam started his sprint intervals and I just let him go. For some reason I didn’t have much focus today and my power was low also so I just rode within myself.
By the Lower Ranch both JB and Slick had passed me so that was pretty demoralizing. Adam actually came back down and turned around… literally riding circles around me. I did see some of the Diablo Cyclists hanging out in the shade so it wasn’t just me that was having trouble. No excuses today, I was just really feeling the chain. Finished up with a time of 43 and change. Hung around for a while, thought about going down South Gate but decided not to.
Got behind a car that wouldn’t pull over on the way down so that wasn’t very interesting either. I hope Saturday’s ride is better than this. Usually the TdF really motivates me.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Diablo Junction plus SGR - 28 miles
On the way to the Gate this morning, I caught up with a guy named Mark who must have been a Greg Lemond fan because he had an old ADR jersey and a GL frame. I passed him on Bancroft but then he caught up to me at the light on Ygnacio so we introduced ourselves and rode the rest of the way together. At first I thought I was stronger than him and I didn’t mind doing all the pulling, but then he came around me and insisted on doing a turn at the front so that was cool. We caught up to JB just below the Gate and then Mark took off by himself.
There was no sign of anyone else coming so JB and I started up alone. He looked like he had a few too many beers last night and wasn’t feeling too perky so I figured I might have some fun. It was warm this morning and I brought two bottles with lots of ice – that tasted really good as we got a little higher.
We didn’t see Mark after the start – he must be a fast climber. We did see the guy with the motorized mountain bike – he came around us quite fast above the Bump and looked like he was having fun. JB and I were riding at a casual pace and he seemed to be breathing harder than usual so with a mile and a half to go I launched my escape and stayed away until the Junction.
I tried to talk him into going down to the tire poppers and back up but he would only agree to the South Gate Kiosk so I took what I could get. On the way back up he was feeling better and did a little escape of his own at the steeper part just before the Junction. Nicole got there from North Gate at the same time as we returned from South Gate and so then we all went out for a Planet Juice. Then when I got home I put on my new tires – Hutchinson Fusion Comps… but they clash with my purple handlebar tape – might need to change that as well.
On the way to the Gate this morning, I caught up with a guy named Mark who must have been a Greg Lemond fan because he had an old ADR jersey and a GL frame. I passed him on Bancroft but then he caught up to me at the light on Ygnacio so we introduced ourselves and rode the rest of the way together. At first I thought I was stronger than him and I didn’t mind doing all the pulling, but then he came around me and insisted on doing a turn at the front so that was cool. We caught up to JB just below the Gate and then Mark took off by himself.
There was no sign of anyone else coming so JB and I started up alone. He looked like he had a few too many beers last night and wasn’t feeling too perky so I figured I might have some fun. It was warm this morning and I brought two bottles with lots of ice – that tasted really good as we got a little higher.
We didn’t see Mark after the start – he must be a fast climber. We did see the guy with the motorized mountain bike – he came around us quite fast above the Bump and looked like he was having fun. JB and I were riding at a casual pace and he seemed to be breathing harder than usual so with a mile and a half to go I launched my escape and stayed away until the Junction.
I tried to talk him into going down to the tire poppers and back up but he would only agree to the South Gate Kiosk so I took what I could get. On the way back up he was feeling better and did a little escape of his own at the steeper part just before the Junction. Nicole got there from North Gate at the same time as we returned from South Gate and so then we all went out for a Planet Juice. Then when I got home I put on my new tires – Hutchinson Fusion Comps… but they clash with my purple handlebar tape – might need to change that as well.
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