Diablo Junction - 31 miles
JB and I rode from work and met Randall at the Gate. After a mile or so we left him behind and continued on our own. I was doing another Sub 21 and that was a good excuse to let JB get ahead of me.
It was supposed to be really hot so I had both my bottles frozen but it was cool and even drizzly so I hardly got to drink anything all the way up (still frozen). It's getting easier to do these big gear rides, but I'm not getting any faster!
There's going to be a USCF time trial up North Gate next month - check it out!
ClickHere
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Diablo Junction - 23 miles
Today had to be a quick one because I had a family event in the early afternoon. As I went past the Church, I saw a couple guys nearly ready to get going but I didn't recognize them. JB wasn't at the Gate yet so I waited until 8:01 and put a rock on the post. Just then the two Church guys rode up and I contemplated starting behind them but figured it would be a good challenge to go first and not let them catch me. I also decided to do a "Sub 21" ride again today; meaning I wouldn't use any cassette cogs bigger than my 21 so it would be a big gear workout.
It was windy through the Dips and up past the Dumpster Gate - a headwind the whole way. I half expected JB to catch me and I kept looking back but I didn’t see him and I didn't see the Church guys. The wind got even stronger in the winding section below the Bump. Then I saw my first rabbit so I concentrated on chasing him while not forgetting about climbing the Bump in a 21. Caught the guy just below the Upper Washout and saw he had a white Klein so I said "hi" and he said "nice bike" and that was the whole convo.
Now up near the Ranches I look back and see three guys chasing me. Then I figured out it was a group of two and a solo rider who just happened to be together when I saw them. Then I started to wonder if the two were the Church guys. They came past me pretty quick and it looked like them but couldn't be sure - they were both tall guys with sinewy legs. Then the single guy passed me too and he had a triathlete kind of bike with a triple and he was twiddling about 110rpm in a really small gear - quite a contrast with my big gear mashing. Coming around one hairpin (into the wind) I looked up at the grass and saw that I was going to have a tailwind after the switchback - but as soon as I came around the corner the grass changed directions!
Up above Chainbuster was more headwind but no JB so at least I didn't let him catch me. Junction time 45m51s so that was a slow one. JB showed up after and then went up to the Summit in search of sun.
On the way back home the oddest thing happened. There was a garage sale on Walnut which is usually a pretty nice street to ride on but now there were a lot of parked cars. I was on guard for dumbass drivers and sure enough a minivan pulled out of its parallel parking spot right in front of me. It wasn't close enough to make me skid but they clearly weren't looking and didn't signal or anything. So I pulled up next to the passenger's window and pointed at my eye saying "Watch what you're doing". Inside was a very elderly couple (mid 80s at least) and a little rat-dog. The woman was driving and the man was in the passenger seat. They couldn't hear me but I made it clear that we had just had a close call due to her inattentiveness. Then they got ahead of me but we met up again at the stoplight on Walnut and Ygnacio - I was going straight and they were in the front of the left turn lane and there were now lots of cars waiting for the green. I looked over hoping to see some sign of remorse or contrition but instead I saw the old lady driver giving me the finger! I stared for a moment in disbelief, wondering if I was really seeing this and then the old guy flipped a crooked middle finger at me too! Now this was funny but maddening at the same time and all the other people in their cars were watching so I give the guy my Italian fist-in-the-elbow gesture a couple times and then the light changed and it was all over.
Today had to be a quick one because I had a family event in the early afternoon. As I went past the Church, I saw a couple guys nearly ready to get going but I didn't recognize them. JB wasn't at the Gate yet so I waited until 8:01 and put a rock on the post. Just then the two Church guys rode up and I contemplated starting behind them but figured it would be a good challenge to go first and not let them catch me. I also decided to do a "Sub 21" ride again today; meaning I wouldn't use any cassette cogs bigger than my 21 so it would be a big gear workout.
It was windy through the Dips and up past the Dumpster Gate - a headwind the whole way. I half expected JB to catch me and I kept looking back but I didn’t see him and I didn't see the Church guys. The wind got even stronger in the winding section below the Bump. Then I saw my first rabbit so I concentrated on chasing him while not forgetting about climbing the Bump in a 21. Caught the guy just below the Upper Washout and saw he had a white Klein so I said "hi" and he said "nice bike" and that was the whole convo.
Now up near the Ranches I look back and see three guys chasing me. Then I figured out it was a group of two and a solo rider who just happened to be together when I saw them. Then I started to wonder if the two were the Church guys. They came past me pretty quick and it looked like them but couldn't be sure - they were both tall guys with sinewy legs. Then the single guy passed me too and he had a triathlete kind of bike with a triple and he was twiddling about 110rpm in a really small gear - quite a contrast with my big gear mashing. Coming around one hairpin (into the wind) I looked up at the grass and saw that I was going to have a tailwind after the switchback - but as soon as I came around the corner the grass changed directions!
Up above Chainbuster was more headwind but no JB so at least I didn't let him catch me. Junction time 45m51s so that was a slow one. JB showed up after and then went up to the Summit in search of sun.
On the way back home the oddest thing happened. There was a garage sale on Walnut which is usually a pretty nice street to ride on but now there were a lot of parked cars. I was on guard for dumbass drivers and sure enough a minivan pulled out of its parallel parking spot right in front of me. It wasn't close enough to make me skid but they clearly weren't looking and didn't signal or anything. So I pulled up next to the passenger's window and pointed at my eye saying "Watch what you're doing". Inside was a very elderly couple (mid 80s at least) and a little rat-dog. The woman was driving and the man was in the passenger seat. They couldn't hear me but I made it clear that we had just had a close call due to her inattentiveness. Then they got ahead of me but we met up again at the stoplight on Walnut and Ygnacio - I was going straight and they were in the front of the left turn lane and there were now lots of cars waiting for the green. I looked over hoping to see some sign of remorse or contrition but instead I saw the old lady driver giving me the finger! I stared for a moment in disbelief, wondering if I was really seeing this and then the old guy flipped a crooked middle finger at me too! Now this was funny but maddening at the same time and all the other people in their cars were watching so I give the guy my Italian fist-in-the-elbow gesture a couple times and then the light changed and it was all over.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Diablo Juniper - 21 miles
Today was the first day I drove my car to work since before May. I had my bike on the roof and drove out to the Church right after work. I saw all the DCers leaving just as I got there. I rolled up to the Gate and waited until 5:30 before I started up. JB and Adam and Jeff would have to chase me.
Warm day but not too hot. I decided for fun I'd do the whole ride without shifting lower than my 21t. It was actually pretty easy after a while - I stood up more but kept my cadence in check. Didn't have any trouble going up the Bump, where I passed two DC stragglers. I was breathing hard but controlled.
Wildlife Encounter: A coyote on the shoulder right next to me. I talked to him and he trotted right past me in the other direction with lots of eye contact. They really are a lot smaller close up than they appear to be at a distance… or maybe this one was still a pup. Anyway it was a neat experience.
Up past the Upper Washout I passed a guy with a jersey that had the Spanish Flag on it, and I shouted out "¡Qué viva España! and he smiled at me and said "Viva España" but he didn't say it with as much enthusiasm.
Still in my 21 I plugged along but it was fun. Junction time was 43 minutes so it didn't slow me down too much.
Another big crowd up there. I talked to Jay K about the Sierra Century where a cyclist died from a stupid maneuver in front of a logging truck. Jay found some orange tires for his bike so that pretty much completes the package except maybe his spokes.
The rest of my little group showed up after a while. Jeff and JB went back down North, Adam went home via South, and I went up to Juniper - IN MY 21.
The Blue Oak stretch was quite a grunt in the big gear but the rest of it was fine. It was a little windier toward the top and there were a lot of riders descending from the Summit. The shadows up here get long and dark and can obscure the pot holes so you have to watch out for that. A guy on a touring motorcycle passed me at one point and I thought how nice it was that he had a Honda or something with a quiet engine and good mufflers and not one of those obnoxious Harley noisemakers.
Just a few minutes at the Diablo Valley Overlook (that's what the sign at the Juniper Parking Lot says) to enjoy the view and then it was back down. I'm not a screaming descender but I timed myself and it was about 21 minutes from Juniper back to the Gate.
Today was the first day I drove my car to work since before May. I had my bike on the roof and drove out to the Church right after work. I saw all the DCers leaving just as I got there. I rolled up to the Gate and waited until 5:30 before I started up. JB and Adam and Jeff would have to chase me.
Warm day but not too hot. I decided for fun I'd do the whole ride without shifting lower than my 21t. It was actually pretty easy after a while - I stood up more but kept my cadence in check. Didn't have any trouble going up the Bump, where I passed two DC stragglers. I was breathing hard but controlled.
Wildlife Encounter: A coyote on the shoulder right next to me. I talked to him and he trotted right past me in the other direction with lots of eye contact. They really are a lot smaller close up than they appear to be at a distance… or maybe this one was still a pup. Anyway it was a neat experience.
Up past the Upper Washout I passed a guy with a jersey that had the Spanish Flag on it, and I shouted out "¡Qué viva España! and he smiled at me and said "Viva España" but he didn't say it with as much enthusiasm.
Still in my 21 I plugged along but it was fun. Junction time was 43 minutes so it didn't slow me down too much.
Another big crowd up there. I talked to Jay K about the Sierra Century where a cyclist died from a stupid maneuver in front of a logging truck. Jay found some orange tires for his bike so that pretty much completes the package except maybe his spokes.
The rest of my little group showed up after a while. Jeff and JB went back down North, Adam went home via South, and I went up to Juniper - IN MY 21.
The Blue Oak stretch was quite a grunt in the big gear but the rest of it was fine. It was a little windier toward the top and there were a lot of riders descending from the Summit. The shadows up here get long and dark and can obscure the pot holes so you have to watch out for that. A guy on a touring motorcycle passed me at one point and I thought how nice it was that he had a Honda or something with a quiet engine and good mufflers and not one of those obnoxious Harley noisemakers.
Just a few minutes at the Diablo Valley Overlook (that's what the sign at the Juniper Parking Lot says) to enjoy the view and then it was back down. I'm not a screaming descender but I timed myself and it was about 21 minutes from Juniper back to the Gate.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Diablo Summit – 33 miles
I thought I was getting an early start this morning. Everything was all ready and I pumped up my front tire, then went to pump the rear – gave the valve a little burp before I put on the chuck and the tube ripped right at the valve. It was one of those things you just understand – no need to investigate what happened, the tube was ripped. So I pulled down one of the patched tubes that hangs from my ceiling in the garage and got to work. Got some tree poop in the chain, got chain grease on my hands, got a new tube in my tire and got it all back together again. No time to wash my hands – I can just make it to the Gate if I sprint the whole way.
8:02 and JB was already there. The sun was out and it was clear and warm. JB thought it might have been his first ride of the year with no tights. After about a mile we passed a guy and I said “hi” and then realized that I knew him from somewhere… not sure if I knew him well enough to stop until I figured out he was my neighbor Jim. So we slowed just a bit and Jim rode with us.
I had spoken with Jim a few times in the neighborhood. One time a few years ago I saw him with a bike and he told me he was just getting back into riding after a long hiatus. I hadn’t seen him ride much after that though, so I figured he never got that serious. Jim had a different bike now – a Specialized Tarmac. He asked us if we ever rode with the Diablo Cyclists and we said not really but we see them all the time and know most of them. He knew Mark and Amy and Sarkis so that was a nice connection. Then Jim said he was just starting to ride after an injury. He was descending North Gate Road about a month ago when a car coming uphill passed some riders around a blind turn and Jim got hit hard – a shoulder separation and totaled his new $4000 Trek. He had an interesting story about how the other riders viewed the accident compared to what the automobile passengers said. There was a report but nobody got a ticket and Jim had hired a lawyer because he had medical bills, lost wages, and a ruined bike. As he was telling the story we knew pretty quickly that he was talking about Clavicle Cracker so then JB told his story about how he gave the corner its name. Anyone who doesn’t know where Clavicle Cracker is should figure it out and be careful there – it’s probably the most dangerous corner on the Mountain; about 2.5 miles below Junction on North Gate Road… as you’re coming down it’s a right hand sharp hairpin, there’s a 15MPH sign with a right turn arrow, and it’s REALLY easy to misjudge it. I always assume there’s a car passing riders coming at me in my lane when I approach it – that attitude has saved my skin a few times. Most of the Rangers now are bike friendly but I don’t think most of them understand how really stupid some of the drivers up there are.
So at the Upper Ranch, Jim excused himself and said he was just warming up for the Diablo Cyclists club ride that left from Countrywood at 9 so he turned around.
After that JB tried a couple accelerations to shake me and the 4th or 5th one worked and he beat me to the line by about 30 seconds.
At the Junction there was the usual camaraderie of people who don’t know each other but all love bike riding. JB asked around for an 8mm Allen because his cranks were creaking, but nobody had one. I also saw a guy with a Klein that had Rolf wheels. I like to write about the other people I see thinking maybe some day some of them will recognize themselves.
JB went down but I decided to summit. It was a little more breezy up there but still very very nice. Some friends of mine were camping on the Mountain somewhere so I took a cruise through Juniper campground looking for them, but they must have been somewhere else.
At the Summit I rode to the far end of the Lower Parking Lot and found some really great perspectives to take photos from – so I’ll have to bring the digicam next time.
I thought I was getting an early start this morning. Everything was all ready and I pumped up my front tire, then went to pump the rear – gave the valve a little burp before I put on the chuck and the tube ripped right at the valve. It was one of those things you just understand – no need to investigate what happened, the tube was ripped. So I pulled down one of the patched tubes that hangs from my ceiling in the garage and got to work. Got some tree poop in the chain, got chain grease on my hands, got a new tube in my tire and got it all back together again. No time to wash my hands – I can just make it to the Gate if I sprint the whole way.
8:02 and JB was already there. The sun was out and it was clear and warm. JB thought it might have been his first ride of the year with no tights. After about a mile we passed a guy and I said “hi” and then realized that I knew him from somewhere… not sure if I knew him well enough to stop until I figured out he was my neighbor Jim. So we slowed just a bit and Jim rode with us.
I had spoken with Jim a few times in the neighborhood. One time a few years ago I saw him with a bike and he told me he was just getting back into riding after a long hiatus. I hadn’t seen him ride much after that though, so I figured he never got that serious. Jim had a different bike now – a Specialized Tarmac. He asked us if we ever rode with the Diablo Cyclists and we said not really but we see them all the time and know most of them. He knew Mark and Amy and Sarkis so that was a nice connection. Then Jim said he was just starting to ride after an injury. He was descending North Gate Road about a month ago when a car coming uphill passed some riders around a blind turn and Jim got hit hard – a shoulder separation and totaled his new $4000 Trek. He had an interesting story about how the other riders viewed the accident compared to what the automobile passengers said. There was a report but nobody got a ticket and Jim had hired a lawyer because he had medical bills, lost wages, and a ruined bike. As he was telling the story we knew pretty quickly that he was talking about Clavicle Cracker so then JB told his story about how he gave the corner its name. Anyone who doesn’t know where Clavicle Cracker is should figure it out and be careful there – it’s probably the most dangerous corner on the Mountain; about 2.5 miles below Junction on North Gate Road… as you’re coming down it’s a right hand sharp hairpin, there’s a 15MPH sign with a right turn arrow, and it’s REALLY easy to misjudge it. I always assume there’s a car passing riders coming at me in my lane when I approach it – that attitude has saved my skin a few times. Most of the Rangers now are bike friendly but I don’t think most of them understand how really stupid some of the drivers up there are.
So at the Upper Ranch, Jim excused himself and said he was just warming up for the Diablo Cyclists club ride that left from Countrywood at 9 so he turned around.
After that JB tried a couple accelerations to shake me and the 4th or 5th one worked and he beat me to the line by about 30 seconds.
At the Junction there was the usual camaraderie of people who don’t know each other but all love bike riding. JB asked around for an 8mm Allen because his cranks were creaking, but nobody had one. I also saw a guy with a Klein that had Rolf wheels. I like to write about the other people I see thinking maybe some day some of them will recognize themselves.
JB went down but I decided to summit. It was a little more breezy up there but still very very nice. Some friends of mine were camping on the Mountain somewhere so I took a cruise through Juniper campground looking for them, but they must have been somewhere else.
At the Summit I rode to the far end of the Lower Parking Lot and found some really great perspectives to take photos from – so I’ll have to bring the digicam next time.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Diablo Summit plus Hole in the Fence – 31 miles
Just me and JB again. There was a period of a couple years when he and I were the only ones who met at “Eight at the Gate”. The group got big, then small, then big again, and now it’s back to just us most of the time. Anyway it was great weather, a little cooler than it has been… tights and windbreaker cool. I felt pretty good again too. I sprayed some silicon lube on my cleats this morning (Look red and white ones that aren’t supposed to squeak but have been recently), and it worked for a while but then they started to squeak again even though they still felt slippery… they must be worn out. I have some new black ones that I could put on – used to use black ones all the time but got hooked on the red ones when some came with a new pair of pedals.
A little breezy as we started to climb – very clear though, like after a rain. I did some long stretches out of the saddle just to test the legs and it felt good. I got ahead of JB each time so I started to think about beating him to the line. Finally, after Son of Chainbuster I kept on going and I really pushed it the last mile. Junction time was 42m35s and I saw my HRM go to 182.
After I caught my breath, another rider there introduced himself as John, a blog reader who e-mailed me earlier in the week for some Diablo information. In the e-mail he said he was getting back into riding after a long hiatus and was hoping to break 45 minutes. I asked him how he did today and he said he did 45 minutes! He said he saw a rider coming behind him and figured it was me so he poured it on to stay ahead of me and got a great result. I expect you to be a regular from now on John, see you next week.
There was also a guy who came up South who had a Rivendell with a Speed Blend tire and he was happy to demonstrate it for me. I asked JB what was next and he said “anything but up” so we went down South.
The breeze was a lot stronger on this side of the Mountain and I wasn’t descending very well. Then this tall guy blew right past me and then he blew past JB also, and then he slowed down after he was in front of us… the quintessential dufus move. He wasn’t a bad rider, but he should have stayed in back of us.
Back home on Danville Blvd – JB didn’t want to do any of the sprinter hills.
Just me and JB again. There was a period of a couple years when he and I were the only ones who met at “Eight at the Gate”. The group got big, then small, then big again, and now it’s back to just us most of the time. Anyway it was great weather, a little cooler than it has been… tights and windbreaker cool. I felt pretty good again too. I sprayed some silicon lube on my cleats this morning (Look red and white ones that aren’t supposed to squeak but have been recently), and it worked for a while but then they started to squeak again even though they still felt slippery… they must be worn out. I have some new black ones that I could put on – used to use black ones all the time but got hooked on the red ones when some came with a new pair of pedals.
A little breezy as we started to climb – very clear though, like after a rain. I did some long stretches out of the saddle just to test the legs and it felt good. I got ahead of JB each time so I started to think about beating him to the line. Finally, after Son of Chainbuster I kept on going and I really pushed it the last mile. Junction time was 42m35s and I saw my HRM go to 182.
After I caught my breath, another rider there introduced himself as John, a blog reader who e-mailed me earlier in the week for some Diablo information. In the e-mail he said he was getting back into riding after a long hiatus and was hoping to break 45 minutes. I asked him how he did today and he said he did 45 minutes! He said he saw a rider coming behind him and figured it was me so he poured it on to stay ahead of me and got a great result. I expect you to be a regular from now on John, see you next week.
There was also a guy who came up South who had a Rivendell with a Speed Blend tire and he was happy to demonstrate it for me. I asked JB what was next and he said “anything but up” so we went down South.
The breeze was a lot stronger on this side of the Mountain and I wasn’t descending very well. Then this tall guy blew right past me and then he blew past JB also, and then he slowed down after he was in front of us… the quintessential dufus move. He wasn’t a bad rider, but he should have stayed in back of us.
Back home on Danville Blvd – JB didn’t want to do any of the sprinter hills.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Diablo Junction – 23 miles
A business trip saw me in Santa Cruz at 8 am this morning. I got back to the office in the early afternoon and then left early to ride the Mountain from home. Robin was supposed to be having her farewell ride today but she postponed it until next week (when I can’t go). Adam felt sick this morning so he didn’t ride in. That left me and JB again, although Randall said he would like to come too; he’s welcome of course, but he’s not a serious rider so I wasn’t sure what would happen with him.
So I approach the Gate and I see all the Diablo Cyclists about two minutes ahead of me. I put a rock on the post and didn’t wait for JB. Beautiful weather, warm and sunny and I felt good. Passed up the OTB pack of DCers after a couple miles but didn’t see anybody else catchable up the road.
Wildlife Encounter: A snake – about a foot long, in the middle of the lane … road kill waiting to happen. Couldn’t tell what kind, I’m sure it was deadly poisonous and mean though.
Up closer to the Bump I saw another rider that I was slowly catching up to. As I got a better view I realized it was my neighbor Amy A and I said “hi” as I passed. Looking up the road though I didn’t see anyone else at all so it was solo the rest of the way up.
Got to the Junction in 42m30s – one of my better times this year, I’m starting to think sub 40 again finally. There was a huge crowd at the Ranger Shack including lots of people that I can sometimes keep up with; I should have started earlier today. Then JB got there (just after the DC crowd went down South) and said he’d waited for Randall but didn’t find him.
We went back down and at the Gate I stopped to talk with a guy I recognized from a ride a long time ago – the guy who needed a tube with a long stem at the Junction. I told him my story – that after I’d given him my tube (which worked in his wheel) I almost didn’t accept his offer to take his tube (short stem) with me for the short ride home but he insisted and then I got a flat on the way back down so I needed it. He shook my hand and introduced himself as Chris. He had called a buddy to come pick him up that day and I saved him a lot of trouble. I always wanted to tell him that story, now he knows.
Then JB and I rode down the rest of the way toward the church and found Randall – he’d gotten his instructions mixed up and had been waiting for JB at the church while JB was waiting for him at the Gate. Randall had ridden part way up by himself after a late start but turned around after a mile and a half. We apologized for the confusion and neither one of us had the heart to tell him his helmet was on backwards.
A business trip saw me in Santa Cruz at 8 am this morning. I got back to the office in the early afternoon and then left early to ride the Mountain from home. Robin was supposed to be having her farewell ride today but she postponed it until next week (when I can’t go). Adam felt sick this morning so he didn’t ride in. That left me and JB again, although Randall said he would like to come too; he’s welcome of course, but he’s not a serious rider so I wasn’t sure what would happen with him.
So I approach the Gate and I see all the Diablo Cyclists about two minutes ahead of me. I put a rock on the post and didn’t wait for JB. Beautiful weather, warm and sunny and I felt good. Passed up the OTB pack of DCers after a couple miles but didn’t see anybody else catchable up the road.
Wildlife Encounter: A snake – about a foot long, in the middle of the lane … road kill waiting to happen. Couldn’t tell what kind, I’m sure it was deadly poisonous and mean though.
Up closer to the Bump I saw another rider that I was slowly catching up to. As I got a better view I realized it was my neighbor Amy A and I said “hi” as I passed. Looking up the road though I didn’t see anyone else at all so it was solo the rest of the way up.
Got to the Junction in 42m30s – one of my better times this year, I’m starting to think sub 40 again finally. There was a huge crowd at the Ranger Shack including lots of people that I can sometimes keep up with; I should have started earlier today. Then JB got there (just after the DC crowd went down South) and said he’d waited for Randall but didn’t find him.
We went back down and at the Gate I stopped to talk with a guy I recognized from a ride a long time ago – the guy who needed a tube with a long stem at the Junction. I told him my story – that after I’d given him my tube (which worked in his wheel) I almost didn’t accept his offer to take his tube (short stem) with me for the short ride home but he insisted and then I got a flat on the way back down so I needed it. He shook my hand and introduced himself as Chris. He had called a buddy to come pick him up that day and I saved him a lot of trouble. I always wanted to tell him that story, now he knows.
Then JB and I rode down the rest of the way toward the church and found Randall – he’d gotten his instructions mixed up and had been waiting for JB at the church while JB was waiting for him at the Gate. Randall had ridden part way up by himself after a late start but turned around after a mile and a half. We apologized for the confusion and neither one of us had the heart to tell him his helmet was on backwards.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Diablo Junction plus Hole in the Wall – 33 Miles
Rained overnight but things were pretty much dried up this morning. JB and I met up at the Gate and set off for a leisurely one. Last week Adam said he thought he could do a faster time on a morning ride; this morning JB said he’s never as good in the morning as in the afternoon.
So we discussed financial planning and the weather and just about everything except riding and it was a nice mind clearing ride and we finished in the high 40’s. We hadn’t seen more than three or four riders on the way up and there still weren’t many riders at the Junction. We didn’t know if the overnight rains kept people away or maybe last Saturday’s weather was so good that everyone came out on the same day. JB also asked the ranger about repaving and he said that the bid went out and they did get some bids and he thought the schedule said to start in June. Summit Road is getting pretty cracked up so if that’s all they do I’ll be pretty satisfied. The lower part of South Gate Road – down below the tire poppers, is really bad but that’s a political issue since it’s privately owned… not sure what the deal is there.
I told JB that Rivendell was having a garage sale today and they advertised all kinds of bike parts new and used, so we decided that would be a good thing to do but they didn’t open until 10 o’clock so we went down South Gate and through the Hole in the Fence. There were many more riders coming up now, and this side of the Mountain was a lot more foggy. I never know quite where I am in those Alamo neighborhoods so I always let JB lead the way.
We got to Rivendell’s shop about 5 minutes before the official opening and they had a boss guy there who wouldn’t even let people look at the merchandise until ten so we checked out their show room which is actually pretty cool – way better than they’ve had before. At ten o’clock they let people start rummaging through the boxes and it was really a bit of a hectic scene with all the Rivendell groupies there. They had dozens of tires for $5 each so I picked up one Speedblend Pasela and JB bought two regular Paselas (but he had to borrow the money from me).
They had boxes of derailleurs, handlebars, shifters, brakes, and all the assorted bits you might find in somebody’s garage except a lot more of them. Wheels were $20 each and they were a popular item. Neat idea on Grant’s part.
Rained overnight but things were pretty much dried up this morning. JB and I met up at the Gate and set off for a leisurely one. Last week Adam said he thought he could do a faster time on a morning ride; this morning JB said he’s never as good in the morning as in the afternoon.
So we discussed financial planning and the weather and just about everything except riding and it was a nice mind clearing ride and we finished in the high 40’s. We hadn’t seen more than three or four riders on the way up and there still weren’t many riders at the Junction. We didn’t know if the overnight rains kept people away or maybe last Saturday’s weather was so good that everyone came out on the same day. JB also asked the ranger about repaving and he said that the bid went out and they did get some bids and he thought the schedule said to start in June. Summit Road is getting pretty cracked up so if that’s all they do I’ll be pretty satisfied. The lower part of South Gate Road – down below the tire poppers, is really bad but that’s a political issue since it’s privately owned… not sure what the deal is there.
I told JB that Rivendell was having a garage sale today and they advertised all kinds of bike parts new and used, so we decided that would be a good thing to do but they didn’t open until 10 o’clock so we went down South Gate and through the Hole in the Fence. There were many more riders coming up now, and this side of the Mountain was a lot more foggy. I never know quite where I am in those Alamo neighborhoods so I always let JB lead the way.
We got to Rivendell’s shop about 5 minutes before the official opening and they had a boss guy there who wouldn’t even let people look at the merchandise until ten so we checked out their show room which is actually pretty cool – way better than they’ve had before. At ten o’clock they let people start rummaging through the boxes and it was really a bit of a hectic scene with all the Rivendell groupies there. They had dozens of tires for $5 each so I picked up one Speedblend Pasela and JB bought two regular Paselas (but he had to borrow the money from me).
They had boxes of derailleurs, handlebars, shifters, brakes, and all the assorted bits you might find in somebody’s garage except a lot more of them. Wheels were $20 each and they were a popular item. Neat idea on Grant’s part.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Diablo Junction plus SGR
Lots of us from work today. Since tomorrow is bike to work day, a few people planned on riding home tonight and back in tomorrow, leaving their cars at the office. So Amanda, Robin, Jeff, JB, Adam, and I all rode the Mountain today. There were lots of other riders there too - dotted all along North Gate Road. Jeff said that Mark P was coming but we didn't see him at the Gate.
Just as we crossed the start line, Adam started sprinting and said "I'm going for 30 minutes!" and then he disappeared (he was sub 31). JB was feeling strong so he pulled as the rest of us sat on for the flat bits. He was strong though and pretty soon it was just me on his wheel. Robin was also strong because she did the 100 mile option on the Tour de Cure with some fast friends. By the time I got to the bottom of the Bump, JB was past the top of the Bump, and I hardly caught a glimpse of him after that.
It was pretty hot and my jersey was all the way unzipped and my frozen Cytomax was melted. I was pushing pretty hard but didn't seem to be going very fast… probably my tire pressure wasn't at absolute perfection - HA! Actually I was afraid Robin might pass me up - but then I realized the person that was catching me was someone else.
Then I caught up to Mark P riding with his friend Todd who appeared rider but not a strong climber (he later turned around and didn't make it to the Junction). Mark's going to Mexico with his family at the end of the month for a vacation.
So just under 45 minutes to the Junction where there was the biggest crowd I've seen in a long time. A lot of Diablo Cyclists and a lot of people I've never seen before. Probably 30 cyclists just out for a nice afternoon ride.
Robin asked me if I was going to go up any higher and I said I was thinking about going down South Gate and she asked to come along. Descending felt weird - maybe it was a funky wind or something but I wasn't cornering very well and didn't feel very fast on the straight bits either. Then after we went through the HOLE IN THE FENCE, I followed a pickup down the wrong road and we wound up on the busy section of Diablo Road that I was trying to avoid.
On the trip back up Danville Blvd Robin told me about riding here with the members of her triathlete team who sometimes train in this area. Then we were back at the office and the ride was over.
Lots of us from work today. Since tomorrow is bike to work day, a few people planned on riding home tonight and back in tomorrow, leaving their cars at the office. So Amanda, Robin, Jeff, JB, Adam, and I all rode the Mountain today. There were lots of other riders there too - dotted all along North Gate Road. Jeff said that Mark P was coming but we didn't see him at the Gate.
Just as we crossed the start line, Adam started sprinting and said "I'm going for 30 minutes!" and then he disappeared (he was sub 31). JB was feeling strong so he pulled as the rest of us sat on for the flat bits. He was strong though and pretty soon it was just me on his wheel. Robin was also strong because she did the 100 mile option on the Tour de Cure with some fast friends. By the time I got to the bottom of the Bump, JB was past the top of the Bump, and I hardly caught a glimpse of him after that.
It was pretty hot and my jersey was all the way unzipped and my frozen Cytomax was melted. I was pushing pretty hard but didn't seem to be going very fast… probably my tire pressure wasn't at absolute perfection - HA! Actually I was afraid Robin might pass me up - but then I realized the person that was catching me was someone else.
Then I caught up to Mark P riding with his friend Todd who appeared rider but not a strong climber (he later turned around and didn't make it to the Junction). Mark's going to Mexico with his family at the end of the month for a vacation.
So just under 45 minutes to the Junction where there was the biggest crowd I've seen in a long time. A lot of Diablo Cyclists and a lot of people I've never seen before. Probably 30 cyclists just out for a nice afternoon ride.
Robin asked me if I was going to go up any higher and I said I was thinking about going down South Gate and she asked to come along. Descending felt weird - maybe it was a funky wind or something but I wasn't cornering very well and didn't feel very fast on the straight bits either. Then after we went through the HOLE IN THE FENCE, I followed a pickup down the wrong road and we wound up on the busy section of Diablo Road that I was trying to avoid.
On the trip back up Danville Blvd Robin told me about riding here with the members of her triathlete team who sometimes train in this area. Then we were back at the office and the ride was over.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Diablo Summit – 31 miles
Karl from Seattle e-mailed me last week saying he was coming to town and wanted to ride. I offered him my foul weather bike and he was very grateful. Karl also came down in August of 2003 and did an after work Junction ride with us on my Eddy Merckx – it’s blogged in the archive.
He pulled up to my house in his rental car and I knew I was in trouble – he looked lean and strong. I gave him a water bottle, we got the seat adjusted, and headed out.
At the Gate Karl did another little adjustment and then JB showed up. We all rode together for a while but Karl was feeling his oats and riding pretty fast. I stayed with him but JB dropped back. By the top of the Bump Karl had a big gap on me and I was losing time. I stayed within eyeshot of him the rest of the way up but he still beat me by almost a minute. I also knew he’d want to do the Summit since he obviously enjoyed making us hurt so much. JB said he wanted to do Southgate but consented to do Juniper at least.
There were a lot of riders on the Mountain today – not like in the Death Ride training period, but more than I would have expected for a mid May morning. It was already warm and the bugs were getting pretty bad – biting bugs that really pissed me off.
The ride to Juniper was a little slower but it was still the same order – Karl, me, then JB. Since I was saving something for the Summit I let JB pass me near the top of the Blue Oak Speedway. So we hung around the Juniper parking spot for a while and Karl talked about how nice it is to ride with hardly any traffic and I knew he was right. It’s nice to be reminded of how special this mountain is for me and the other people who ride it.
Then JB went down and Karl and I went up. I had entertained private thoughts about stopping at the lower parking lot (skipping the Summit Wall). Would I be cheating myself? Would I feel like a wuss? But as I went around Devil’s Elbow I felt fine and knew it wouldn’t be a problem. Karl waited for me at the bottom of the Wall and I told him to start first. I thought I left a big enough gap behind some other people who started just before us but I had to pass them near the top – not a problem, I just prefer to have the whole width of the lane available for weaving if I need it.
The bugs were bad at the Summit too so we didn’t stay long. I didn’t want to challenge Karl to any descending contests since he was riding MY BIKE, so we took it easy all the way down and then he bought me a Jamba Juice and we talked for a while.
Karl from Seattle e-mailed me last week saying he was coming to town and wanted to ride. I offered him my foul weather bike and he was very grateful. Karl also came down in August of 2003 and did an after work Junction ride with us on my Eddy Merckx – it’s blogged in the archive.
He pulled up to my house in his rental car and I knew I was in trouble – he looked lean and strong. I gave him a water bottle, we got the seat adjusted, and headed out.
At the Gate Karl did another little adjustment and then JB showed up. We all rode together for a while but Karl was feeling his oats and riding pretty fast. I stayed with him but JB dropped back. By the top of the Bump Karl had a big gap on me and I was losing time. I stayed within eyeshot of him the rest of the way up but he still beat me by almost a minute. I also knew he’d want to do the Summit since he obviously enjoyed making us hurt so much. JB said he wanted to do Southgate but consented to do Juniper at least.
There were a lot of riders on the Mountain today – not like in the Death Ride training period, but more than I would have expected for a mid May morning. It was already warm and the bugs were getting pretty bad – biting bugs that really pissed me off.
The ride to Juniper was a little slower but it was still the same order – Karl, me, then JB. Since I was saving something for the Summit I let JB pass me near the top of the Blue Oak Speedway. So we hung around the Juniper parking spot for a while and Karl talked about how nice it is to ride with hardly any traffic and I knew he was right. It’s nice to be reminded of how special this mountain is for me and the other people who ride it.
Then JB went down and Karl and I went up. I had entertained private thoughts about stopping at the lower parking lot (skipping the Summit Wall). Would I be cheating myself? Would I feel like a wuss? But as I went around Devil’s Elbow I felt fine and knew it wouldn’t be a problem. Karl waited for me at the bottom of the Wall and I told him to start first. I thought I left a big enough gap behind some other people who started just before us but I had to pass them near the top – not a problem, I just prefer to have the whole width of the lane available for weaving if I need it.
The bugs were bad at the Summit too so we didn’t stay long. I didn’t want to challenge Karl to any descending contests since he was riding MY BIKE, so we took it easy all the way down and then he bought me a Jamba Juice and we talked for a while.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Diablo Junction from Work
Brad told me he wanted to come today so I told him I’d meet him at the bike rack at 5:10 or so, but when I got there his bike was already gone so I assumed he left without me.
Adam said he was going to be late so JB and I left the parking lot just as Mark A was riding by on his way out, so we rode with him to the Gate. Interesting how people have slightly different ways of getting out there; Mark almost took a couple turns different from us but stayed on our route today. Adam caught up with us on Walnut and he and Mark did some verbal posturing about how they weren’t going for a fast time today… that was humorous.
It was a pretty hot day and I had ice in both bottles. JB packed his arm warmers just in case… he’s a lot more sensitive to cold than I am I guess.
Wildlife Encounter: Little brown lizards all over the road, all the way up; never seen so many of them.
JB and I were still together nearing Clavicle Cracker and then we came up to a small group riding together. He accelerated and passed them quickly: I accelerated and passed them not so quickly. I kept him in my sites all the way to Junction but he beat me there by almost a minute.
At the Junction Brad finally rode in and gave me hell for not waiting for him. Turns out he brought his bike into his office to change clothes and that’s why I didn’t see him or the bike.
We don’t get as much post ride socialization as we used to. Adam went down South, JB went home, Brad went for a High Tech Burrito, and I went back to the office to pick up my civvies.
Brad told me he wanted to come today so I told him I’d meet him at the bike rack at 5:10 or so, but when I got there his bike was already gone so I assumed he left without me.
Adam said he was going to be late so JB and I left the parking lot just as Mark A was riding by on his way out, so we rode with him to the Gate. Interesting how people have slightly different ways of getting out there; Mark almost took a couple turns different from us but stayed on our route today. Adam caught up with us on Walnut and he and Mark did some verbal posturing about how they weren’t going for a fast time today… that was humorous.
It was a pretty hot day and I had ice in both bottles. JB packed his arm warmers just in case… he’s a lot more sensitive to cold than I am I guess.
Wildlife Encounter: Little brown lizards all over the road, all the way up; never seen so many of them.
JB and I were still together nearing Clavicle Cracker and then we came up to a small group riding together. He accelerated and passed them quickly: I accelerated and passed them not so quickly. I kept him in my sites all the way to Junction but he beat me there by almost a minute.
At the Junction Brad finally rode in and gave me hell for not waiting for him. Turns out he brought his bike into his office to change clothes and that’s why I didn’t see him or the bike.
We don’t get as much post ride socialization as we used to. Adam went down South, JB went home, Brad went for a High Tech Burrito, and I went back to the office to pick up my civvies.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
2006 Tour de Cure – Napa Valley, 26 miles with CJ
Thanks to all of you for supporting CJ and me and the American Diabetes Association in this fundraiser.
Sunday morning I got the bikes loaded onto the old Infiniti by 6 o’clock. Claudia and I had some oatmeal, got dressed, and packed our stuff that we laid out the night before. We were on the road at 6:30 for an 8 o’clock check in. Traffic was lighter than expected and we arrived at the Yountville Veteran’s Home about 7:30 which gave us lots of time to eat the free bagels and drink the coffee and juice. We got checked in and received our event T-shirts and met up with some of the other people on Team Brown and Caldwell – most of whom I didn’t know. Some were from other offices and others were from companies that we partner with like Verizon Business Systems. Our ride was supposed to start at 8:30 but they delayed us until 9:30 because the rest stop wasn’t ready so we wound up spending a lot of time in the start area and enjoying the atmosphere and refreshments.
I really wanted Claudia to have a positive experience on her first organized ride so I had talked her through all the things that would happen ahead of time. I told her we could stop and rest if she got tired or sore, that this wasn’t a race (even though we were the fastest), I explained what charities do with the money we raise, and I also tried to explain how diabetes affects people, and that we’re helping them and having fun at the same time.
She really liked identifying herself as part of a team that all had the same jerseys. There was one couple on a regular tandem (Wendy from our Sacramento office and her husband Richard) and our team captain Jeff was on another tandem with his son Ian. Everyone else was on single bikes and there was quite a range of cycling skills and experience in the group. There were also some trailer cycle riders that weren’t on our team but they must have been doing the 10 mile ride because we didn’t see them again after the start. It was pretty chilly but Claudia said she wouldn’t need her jacket and it was supposed to warm up quickly so we left it in the car.
All of us assembled at the start line and got a little pep talk and safety lecture and then our journey was begun! Here's the route sheet.
The first few miles were through residential areas and farm land. We saw some wild turkeys in a vineyard just outside of town including one big tom strutting around like he was really something special. We also saw some cows with the biggest horns I’ve seen outside of Texas. When we got to Highway 29 we stopped to regroup and Richard hopped off the back of his tandem, opened up his saddle bag, pulled out a glucose monitoring kit and tested his blood sugar right there! I didn’t know he had diabetes until just then and I explained to Claudia what he was doing. He was doing just fine and didn’t require any medications so we all turned north together.
Now we were on a wide shoulder with the wind at our backs but there was more traffic so we didn’t bother passing too many people. We just rode at a comfortable pace and enjoyed the company and the views of the beautiful Napa Valley.
At Rutherford we made a right turn to go east across the valley floor and here there was no traffic at all. CJ said she felt great so we decided to burn a few matches and we raced Jeff and Ian to the other side. Everyone we passed cheered us on and it was a lot of fun.
Next we turned south on the Silverado Trail but Jeff got a flat tire and didn’t have a pump so we stopped to help him. It was only another couple miles to the rest stop so he just got enough air in there to make it that far and we didn’t have to wait too long. It was a good chance for the rest of our team to catch up to us though. Both tandems, us with our Halfwheeler, and another half dozen BC members pulled into the rest stop at the same time.
The rest stop was staffed with great volunteers and they had lots of good drinks and snacks. It was definitely getting warm now so sitting in the shade really felt good. I realized here that a lot of these folks don’t really ride too much because after only 12 miles some of them were really in pain! People were groaning and asking for ibuprofen and complaining about how far they still had to go. It was sort of funny but it was also nice to see people who were challenging themselves physically for a cause they believed in.
One thing the organizers could have done better – more porta potties… the line was about 30 people long. Seems to be a common shortfall on events like this.
Jeff got his tires checked and topped up by the mechanic volunteers and then we all started off again. Claudia was still doing terrific but I kept the pace comfortable until I was sure she could handle some more speed. We had some rolling hills here going south until we got to Oak Knoll Avenue where we turned west and headed back to the other side of the valley. Now there was only about 8 miles to go and I knew she was having fun so I asked her if she was ready for some “megapower” and she responded in the affirmative so we poured on the velocity and passed riders by the dozens. There were a lot more riders on the 25 mile ride than on the longer rides so it was pretty much a steady stream of cyclists the entire route. We gave them all a friendly greeting with my bike bell and Claudia’s parrot horn – most of them didn’t seem to mind our passing them at all and most shouted out cheers for us. There was one group though that all had matching jerseys with no identifiable team affiliation that I called “Team Roadhog” – they were all over the road, not paying attention, and not getting out of our way! We got away from them as quickly as we could.
Then we saw the signs for the event photographer – I told CJ what was up ahead and we practiced our waves so we would have the perfect photo. We practiced three times and then she said “I got it Daddy”. When we got to the site though – there were FOUR cameras so we weren’t sure which one to look at. They wound up taking five photos of us and we’re not looking the same direction in any of them.
So now with about 4 miles to go we were back to our relaxed pace and were approaching Highway 29 where there was a stoplight. I noticed the group of cyclists accumulated at the intersection was pretty big so I figured the light was about to turn green and I skillfully maneuvered our long rig up to the front and timed it perfectly. We passed about 25 riders in one quick jump and were all alone out in front on the frontage road headed north back to Yountville. CJ said she had lots of energy left so we hammered all the way back to the Veteran’s Home and up the long hill to the finish line where we got a big hero’s welcome.
They had a bouncy house for kids set up there and Claudia played in that for about 20 minutes before we decided to go through the lunch line. The volunteers here were really well organized so even though the line was long it went very quickly. They had Portobello mushroom sandwiches for us and some noodles and cole slaw too so it was a very nice après ride meal. There were about ten Team BC people at the same picnic table so we swapped stories and congratulated each other while we ate.
I was so proud of how well Claudia did, and I was so happy that she really enjoyed it. Her arthritic knee didn’t give her any problems at all and she probably could have done another 15 miles… the best possible way to finish an epic ride.
Now when I say that I raised over a thousand dollars for the American Diabetes Association, what I really mean is that all of you donated your money on our behalf and I really can’t tell you how honored I am that you do this. We had a lot of fun on this ride but I never forget why we’re doing it or who makes it possible.
Warm regards,
Scott and Claudia.
OK, here’s the best part. On the way home it got kind of hot in the car and Claudia said she would like a Slurpee. So I suggested riding bikes to the Slurpee store after we got home and she said “YEAH!”
Thanks to all of you for supporting CJ and me and the American Diabetes Association in this fundraiser.
Sunday morning I got the bikes loaded onto the old Infiniti by 6 o’clock. Claudia and I had some oatmeal, got dressed, and packed our stuff that we laid out the night before. We were on the road at 6:30 for an 8 o’clock check in. Traffic was lighter than expected and we arrived at the Yountville Veteran’s Home about 7:30 which gave us lots of time to eat the free bagels and drink the coffee and juice. We got checked in and received our event T-shirts and met up with some of the other people on Team Brown and Caldwell – most of whom I didn’t know. Some were from other offices and others were from companies that we partner with like Verizon Business Systems. Our ride was supposed to start at 8:30 but they delayed us until 9:30 because the rest stop wasn’t ready so we wound up spending a lot of time in the start area and enjoying the atmosphere and refreshments.
I really wanted Claudia to have a positive experience on her first organized ride so I had talked her through all the things that would happen ahead of time. I told her we could stop and rest if she got tired or sore, that this wasn’t a race (even though we were the fastest), I explained what charities do with the money we raise, and I also tried to explain how diabetes affects people, and that we’re helping them and having fun at the same time.
She really liked identifying herself as part of a team that all had the same jerseys. There was one couple on a regular tandem (Wendy from our Sacramento office and her husband Richard) and our team captain Jeff was on another tandem with his son Ian. Everyone else was on single bikes and there was quite a range of cycling skills and experience in the group. There were also some trailer cycle riders that weren’t on our team but they must have been doing the 10 mile ride because we didn’t see them again after the start. It was pretty chilly but Claudia said she wouldn’t need her jacket and it was supposed to warm up quickly so we left it in the car.
All of us assembled at the start line and got a little pep talk and safety lecture and then our journey was begun! Here's the route sheet.
The first few miles were through residential areas and farm land. We saw some wild turkeys in a vineyard just outside of town including one big tom strutting around like he was really something special. We also saw some cows with the biggest horns I’ve seen outside of Texas. When we got to Highway 29 we stopped to regroup and Richard hopped off the back of his tandem, opened up his saddle bag, pulled out a glucose monitoring kit and tested his blood sugar right there! I didn’t know he had diabetes until just then and I explained to Claudia what he was doing. He was doing just fine and didn’t require any medications so we all turned north together.
Now we were on a wide shoulder with the wind at our backs but there was more traffic so we didn’t bother passing too many people. We just rode at a comfortable pace and enjoyed the company and the views of the beautiful Napa Valley.
At Rutherford we made a right turn to go east across the valley floor and here there was no traffic at all. CJ said she felt great so we decided to burn a few matches and we raced Jeff and Ian to the other side. Everyone we passed cheered us on and it was a lot of fun.
Next we turned south on the Silverado Trail but Jeff got a flat tire and didn’t have a pump so we stopped to help him. It was only another couple miles to the rest stop so he just got enough air in there to make it that far and we didn’t have to wait too long. It was a good chance for the rest of our team to catch up to us though. Both tandems, us with our Halfwheeler, and another half dozen BC members pulled into the rest stop at the same time.
The rest stop was staffed with great volunteers and they had lots of good drinks and snacks. It was definitely getting warm now so sitting in the shade really felt good. I realized here that a lot of these folks don’t really ride too much because after only 12 miles some of them were really in pain! People were groaning and asking for ibuprofen and complaining about how far they still had to go. It was sort of funny but it was also nice to see people who were challenging themselves physically for a cause they believed in.
One thing the organizers could have done better – more porta potties… the line was about 30 people long. Seems to be a common shortfall on events like this.
Jeff got his tires checked and topped up by the mechanic volunteers and then we all started off again. Claudia was still doing terrific but I kept the pace comfortable until I was sure she could handle some more speed. We had some rolling hills here going south until we got to Oak Knoll Avenue where we turned west and headed back to the other side of the valley. Now there was only about 8 miles to go and I knew she was having fun so I asked her if she was ready for some “megapower” and she responded in the affirmative so we poured on the velocity and passed riders by the dozens. There were a lot more riders on the 25 mile ride than on the longer rides so it was pretty much a steady stream of cyclists the entire route. We gave them all a friendly greeting with my bike bell and Claudia’s parrot horn – most of them didn’t seem to mind our passing them at all and most shouted out cheers for us. There was one group though that all had matching jerseys with no identifiable team affiliation that I called “Team Roadhog” – they were all over the road, not paying attention, and not getting out of our way! We got away from them as quickly as we could.
Then we saw the signs for the event photographer – I told CJ what was up ahead and we practiced our waves so we would have the perfect photo. We practiced three times and then she said “I got it Daddy”. When we got to the site though – there were FOUR cameras so we weren’t sure which one to look at. They wound up taking five photos of us and we’re not looking the same direction in any of them.
So now with about 4 miles to go we were back to our relaxed pace and were approaching Highway 29 where there was a stoplight. I noticed the group of cyclists accumulated at the intersection was pretty big so I figured the light was about to turn green and I skillfully maneuvered our long rig up to the front and timed it perfectly. We passed about 25 riders in one quick jump and were all alone out in front on the frontage road headed north back to Yountville. CJ said she had lots of energy left so we hammered all the way back to the Veteran’s Home and up the long hill to the finish line where we got a big hero’s welcome.
They had a bouncy house for kids set up there and Claudia played in that for about 20 minutes before we decided to go through the lunch line. The volunteers here were really well organized so even though the line was long it went very quickly. They had Portobello mushroom sandwiches for us and some noodles and cole slaw too so it was a very nice après ride meal. There were about ten Team BC people at the same picnic table so we swapped stories and congratulated each other while we ate.
I was so proud of how well Claudia did, and I was so happy that she really enjoyed it. Her arthritic knee didn’t give her any problems at all and she probably could have done another 15 miles… the best possible way to finish an epic ride.
Now when I say that I raised over a thousand dollars for the American Diabetes Association, what I really mean is that all of you donated your money on our behalf and I really can’t tell you how honored I am that you do this. We had a lot of fun on this ride but I never forget why we’re doing it or who makes it possible.
Warm regards,
Scott and Claudia.
OK, here’s the best part. On the way home it got kind of hot in the car and Claudia said she would like a Slurpee. So I suggested riding bikes to the Slurpee store after we got home and she said “YEAH!”
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Diablo Junction from Work – 31 Miles
Amanda and Edgardo joined Adam, JB, and me today. Amanda (Blitz) got an early start and Adam got a late start but Ed, JB, and I left the Gate at 5:40. Ed didn’t keep up for long though so it was mostly me and JB. No sign of any of the Diablo Cyclists, they must be leaving pretty early still.
Wildlife Encounter: Between the top of the Bump and the Upper Washout there was a small rattlesnake coiled up in the uphill lane. He didn't move or anything and I joked that he would be waiting for JB on the way down.
This isn't him, I just decided to add more photos to my blog - that is until someone starts screaming copywrite infringement or fair use yada yada.
There was a strong breeze pretty much the whole way up. JB and I passed a few other riders but stayed together until past Clavicle Cracker. That’s when he saw Adam coming up from behind and decided to have a go. I almost hung on to him but he was a little faster today and when Adam passed me JB was about 100m ahead. Then when Adam caught JB they rode together for a while pretty fast.
So 44 minutes to the Junction and Blitz was already there too – she said her head start was almost 30 minutes and she got there at the same time as Adam. There was a motorcycle guy there who paid his day use fee at the Junction station and told the ranger he wished he was fit enough to ride a bicycle up here… I don’t think I’ve ever heard a motorcyclist envy a bicyclist before (at least out loud).
Jay K was there also and we talked a little about his successful Devil Mountain Double ride. I just discovered that his profile (or rather his bike’s profile) is on the Litespeed website: He also has some good ride reviews and stories on his quirky website – and some of them include me! (No DMD review yet)
After the ride we regrouped at Ed’s car. Everyone but me was going out for carbos and suds but while we were talking I saw Jay and his riding buddy coming down and right in front of them a minivan pulled out of a driveway and cut them off. I gave the driver an Italian fist-in-the-elbow salutation and then went on my way.
Last chance to sponsor me in the Tour de Cure.
Amanda and Edgardo joined Adam, JB, and me today. Amanda (Blitz) got an early start and Adam got a late start but Ed, JB, and I left the Gate at 5:40. Ed didn’t keep up for long though so it was mostly me and JB. No sign of any of the Diablo Cyclists, they must be leaving pretty early still.
Wildlife Encounter: Between the top of the Bump and the Upper Washout there was a small rattlesnake coiled up in the uphill lane. He didn't move or anything and I joked that he would be waiting for JB on the way down.
This isn't him, I just decided to add more photos to my blog - that is until someone starts screaming copywrite infringement or fair use yada yada.There was a strong breeze pretty much the whole way up. JB and I passed a few other riders but stayed together until past Clavicle Cracker. That’s when he saw Adam coming up from behind and decided to have a go. I almost hung on to him but he was a little faster today and when Adam passed me JB was about 100m ahead. Then when Adam caught JB they rode together for a while pretty fast.
So 44 minutes to the Junction and Blitz was already there too – she said her head start was almost 30 minutes and she got there at the same time as Adam. There was a motorcycle guy there who paid his day use fee at the Junction station and told the ranger he wished he was fit enough to ride a bicycle up here… I don’t think I’ve ever heard a motorcyclist envy a bicyclist before (at least out loud).
Jay K was there also and we talked a little about his successful Devil Mountain Double ride. I just discovered that his profile (or rather his bike’s profile) is on the Litespeed website: He also has some good ride reviews and stories on his quirky website – and some of them include me! (No DMD review yet)
After the ride we regrouped at Ed’s car. Everyone but me was going out for carbos and suds but while we were talking I saw Jay and his riding buddy coming down and right in front of them a minivan pulled out of a driveway and cut them off. I gave the driver an Italian fist-in-the-elbow salutation and then went on my way.
Last chance to sponsor me in the Tour de Cure.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Diablo Juniper – 31 Miles
Today was the Devil Mountain Double so I saw many small groups of ultra marathon cyclists coming down as I heade up toward the Gate. This is one of the toughest double centuries around and those riders have my highest respect. Didn’t see anyone I knew though.
JB and I left the Gate and started up in the breezy cool air. He admitted to having too many beers last night at a farewell party so I accepted his silent offer to make him suffer. The groups of riders got fewer and farther between as we rode up and we didn’t see any DMDers above the Ranches so we figured we’d seen the last riders. The last riders left the San Ramon Marriot at 6am and it’s about half an hour’s ride to South Gate from there so figuring 60 – 90 minutes to the Summit and another half hour back down the last riders would be finishing before 8:30 and that was about right.
So between the Gate and the Bump it was cool with a strong breeze but clear. Then above the Bump it got really foggy and cold, but still – it became one of those rides where you didn’t really know where you were on the Mountain because the visibility was too low. There’s lots of running water and wild flowers up there though and JB also noticed a strong smell of some plant that has the odor of redwood trees (but I can’t remember the name of it).
We were going at a pretty relaxed pace; over 25 minutes at the Upper Washout, and my heartrate was generally way below 80% but JB was struggling and I think he wished I would just drop him but I kept slowing down when I found myself too far ahead. Finally after Chainbuster I did a little time trial to finish in 48 minutes.
It was cool and foggy at the Junction too but some guys coming down from Summit Road (including one guy who worked the Summit DMD rest stop) said that it was warm and beautiful up there another 600 feet higher so I told JB we had to at least go to Juniper and we went up. Sure enough, somewhere below the Blue Oak Speedway we popped out of the clouds and were suddenly warm and the road was dry.
At Juniper we stared out over the clouds for a while and then turned back around. It was a cold, damp descent and I stopped at Junction for a while to warm up my fingers and talked to a guy in a wool jersey with a Rivendell about what it was like at the higher elevations.
Nice ride – sure beats yard work.
Last chance to sponsor me in the Tour de Cure
Today was the Devil Mountain Double so I saw many small groups of ultra marathon cyclists coming down as I heade up toward the Gate. This is one of the toughest double centuries around and those riders have my highest respect. Didn’t see anyone I knew though.
JB and I left the Gate and started up in the breezy cool air. He admitted to having too many beers last night at a farewell party so I accepted his silent offer to make him suffer. The groups of riders got fewer and farther between as we rode up and we didn’t see any DMDers above the Ranches so we figured we’d seen the last riders. The last riders left the San Ramon Marriot at 6am and it’s about half an hour’s ride to South Gate from there so figuring 60 – 90 minutes to the Summit and another half hour back down the last riders would be finishing before 8:30 and that was about right.
So between the Gate and the Bump it was cool with a strong breeze but clear. Then above the Bump it got really foggy and cold, but still – it became one of those rides where you didn’t really know where you were on the Mountain because the visibility was too low. There’s lots of running water and wild flowers up there though and JB also noticed a strong smell of some plant that has the odor of redwood trees (but I can’t remember the name of it). We were going at a pretty relaxed pace; over 25 minutes at the Upper Washout, and my heartrate was generally way below 80% but JB was struggling and I think he wished I would just drop him but I kept slowing down when I found myself too far ahead. Finally after Chainbuster I did a little time trial to finish in 48 minutes.
It was cool and foggy at the Junction too but some guys coming down from Summit Road (including one guy who worked the Summit DMD rest stop) said that it was warm and beautiful up there another 600 feet higher so I told JB we had to at least go to Juniper and we went up. Sure enough, somewhere below the Blue Oak Speedway we popped out of the clouds and were suddenly warm and the road was dry.
At Juniper we stared out over the clouds for a while and then turned back around. It was a cold, damp descent and I stopped at Junction for a while to warm up my fingers and talked to a guy in a wool jersey with a Rivendell about what it was like at the higher elevations.
Nice ride – sure beats yard work.
Last chance to sponsor me in the Tour de Cure
Friday, April 28, 2006
Product Review: Expresso Fitness Spark
My health club just got a group of these new exersize bikes and usually they’re in use but I had a chance to ride one tonight. They have some very good features and some really bad flaws.
http://www.expressofitness.com
These machines have some really great video game type graphics that allow you to ride different courses while you exersize. The handlebars steer to keep you on the road, the hills make it more difficult to pedal, there are riding companions (or not) and a pacer with a constant power output, and displays for wattage, hill grade, elapsed time, heart rate, etc. Here’s a screen shot:
I can’t stress enough how cool the graphics are – several times during my workout I felt like I needed to shift my weight back so I wouldn’t go over the bars on a steep descent! There are 20 different course to ride with varying scenery and levels of intensity. They also have television if you’d rather watch that, and pre-programmed music channels so you can plug in your headphones and race your pacer at the same time. Really outstanding work on the audio visual side of things. Also, you can race against people on the machines next to you if you do the same course.
Other nice features are the two sided pedals so you can use your SPD shoes. and there is a shift lever that allows you to change through 30 sequential gears for more speed or torque.
The mechanical interface is not nearly so well designed though. The saddle adjusts up and down and front and rear but no tilt. The handlebars don’t adjust at all and they are a funky shape like you’d see on a garage sale exercycle from the 80’s. The saddle itself seemed OK but I couldn’t get it into a position that kept my butt from falling asleep. The result was a very upright riding position which puts too much weight on your ass, limits your pedaling speed, and keeps your arms tucked in too close to your body; really really awkward… almost like a dog paddle position... you can see in that top photo how high the bars are.
And one ridiculous error - the gradients on the hills are ... well, ridiculous; I rode up one that was listed as 41% !!! That probably means nothing to most people but I've never seen anything that's steeper than 32% and I'd have to walk up anything over about 20% so that just bugs me. A grade of 15% is really really steep, there's no need to exaggerate.
So the Spark gets a 7 on the Diablo Scott rating from 0 to 10. The audio video is just so cool that the time goes by a lot faster than on a spin bike, but the machinery portion needs a major redesign.
My health club just got a group of these new exersize bikes and usually they’re in use but I had a chance to ride one tonight. They have some very good features and some really bad flaws. http://www.expressofitness.com
These machines have some really great video game type graphics that allow you to ride different courses while you exersize. The handlebars steer to keep you on the road, the hills make it more difficult to pedal, there are riding companions (or not) and a pacer with a constant power output, and displays for wattage, hill grade, elapsed time, heart rate, etc. Here’s a screen shot:
I can’t stress enough how cool the graphics are – several times during my workout I felt like I needed to shift my weight back so I wouldn’t go over the bars on a steep descent! There are 20 different course to ride with varying scenery and levels of intensity. They also have television if you’d rather watch that, and pre-programmed music channels so you can plug in your headphones and race your pacer at the same time. Really outstanding work on the audio visual side of things. Also, you can race against people on the machines next to you if you do the same course.
Other nice features are the two sided pedals so you can use your SPD shoes. and there is a shift lever that allows you to change through 30 sequential gears for more speed or torque.
The mechanical interface is not nearly so well designed though. The saddle adjusts up and down and front and rear but no tilt. The handlebars don’t adjust at all and they are a funky shape like you’d see on a garage sale exercycle from the 80’s. The saddle itself seemed OK but I couldn’t get it into a position that kept my butt from falling asleep. The result was a very upright riding position which puts too much weight on your ass, limits your pedaling speed, and keeps your arms tucked in too close to your body; really really awkward… almost like a dog paddle position... you can see in that top photo how high the bars are.
And one ridiculous error - the gradients on the hills are ... well, ridiculous; I rode up one that was listed as 41% !!! That probably means nothing to most people but I've never seen anything that's steeper than 32% and I'd have to walk up anything over about 20% so that just bugs me. A grade of 15% is really really steep, there's no need to exaggerate.
So the Spark gets a 7 on the Diablo Scott rating from 0 to 10. The audio video is just so cool that the time goes by a lot faster than on a spin bike, but the machinery portion needs a major redesign.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Diablo Junction from Work - 31 Miles
Adam and I left from work about 15 minutes after 5 o'clock. Bud got his bicycle stolen from the rack at work yesterday so we were all upset. The thief cut his cable lock which was a pretty good one but not as big in diameter as mine - plus I have a U-lock in conjunction with the big cable so I guess that crook took a look at my bike and decided to steal something easier - too bad for Bud but better him than me! JB was planning on meeting us there but he had already left when we got to the Gate about 5:40. Adam practically sprinted the whole 5 miles from downtown to the mountain so I was already half cooked by the time we got there just from staying close to him. It was warm but pretty windy this afternoon. Last Wednesday my Cytomax got too warm so this time I had refrigerated it almost to freezing before we left and I was really glad that I had.
Just as we were getting to the Gate we passed a small group of women with racing kit - I knew they might pass me back up but I figured I'd ride faster that way. Adam announce his intention of doing a series of 6-minute intervals. At the end of every 6 minute stomp he would mark his location and then ride back to me. (I joked "what if I'm ahead of you?) So it turned out that it pretty much took me 9 minutes to ride what he did in 6 minutes… for every single interval.
At the Upper Washout I was already at 23 minutes. Must be the headwind.
Wildlife Encounter: At Diablo Ranch there was a dead squirrel in the road and on the Diablo Ranch driveway sign there were two turkey vultures with their wings spread out just waiting for me to pass by so they could go snatch it up. The wingspan on those birds is really impressive.
Racer girls never caught up to me. JB was already at the Junction. Mark A was there with his singlespeed QuickBeam and cyclocross tires - he said he did 31m30s and Adam said he did 31m15s so that gave him some motivation. Grant came up a little later with the same setup - except he had slicks. There was a little Junction BSing and then we called an end to another Wednesday night ride. On the way down some guy passed me at Moss Landing (!) but he couldn't hold his speed and I had to slow down or race him so I backed off a little bit.
Can't stop thinking about the bastard that stole Bud's bike.
Adam and I left from work about 15 minutes after 5 o'clock. Bud got his bicycle stolen from the rack at work yesterday so we were all upset. The thief cut his cable lock which was a pretty good one but not as big in diameter as mine - plus I have a U-lock in conjunction with the big cable so I guess that crook took a look at my bike and decided to steal something easier - too bad for Bud but better him than me! JB was planning on meeting us there but he had already left when we got to the Gate about 5:40. Adam practically sprinted the whole 5 miles from downtown to the mountain so I was already half cooked by the time we got there just from staying close to him. It was warm but pretty windy this afternoon. Last Wednesday my Cytomax got too warm so this time I had refrigerated it almost to freezing before we left and I was really glad that I had.
Just as we were getting to the Gate we passed a small group of women with racing kit - I knew they might pass me back up but I figured I'd ride faster that way. Adam announce his intention of doing a series of 6-minute intervals. At the end of every 6 minute stomp he would mark his location and then ride back to me. (I joked "what if I'm ahead of you?) So it turned out that it pretty much took me 9 minutes to ride what he did in 6 minutes… for every single interval.
At the Upper Washout I was already at 23 minutes. Must be the headwind.
Wildlife Encounter: At Diablo Ranch there was a dead squirrel in the road and on the Diablo Ranch driveway sign there were two turkey vultures with their wings spread out just waiting for me to pass by so they could go snatch it up. The wingspan on those birds is really impressive.Racer girls never caught up to me. JB was already at the Junction. Mark A was there with his singlespeed QuickBeam and cyclocross tires - he said he did 31m30s and Adam said he did 31m15s so that gave him some motivation. Grant came up a little later with the same setup - except he had slicks. There was a little Junction BSing and then we called an end to another Wednesday night ride. On the way down some guy passed me at Moss Landing (!) but he couldn't hold his speed and I had to slow down or race him so I backed off a little bit.
Can't stop thinking about the bastard that stole Bud's bike.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Diablo Junction
JB's been out of town all week but he e-mailed that he'd be at the Gate at 8 so I left in plenty of time to be there. It was cooler than I was expecting but I was hoping it would warm up by the time I had to come back down - I had on shorts, arm warmers, and a vest. Arrived at the Gate about 5 minutes early so I stretched and relaxed for a while. At five after, a guy with a yellow jacket that I thought might be JB rode through but it wasn't him so I put a big ass rock on the post and headed up. After sizing up the yellow jacket guy I decided I could pass him and did so. He stayed within a hundred meters or so for the longest time and I thought I might embarrass myself by getting re-passed later on but when things got tougher the gap got bigger. I also kept looking back for JB but couldn't see him.
22m with 3mtg - that means about a 44m Junction time - there was a bit of a headwind and that unmotivated me some. No wildlife, no hang gliders, the only people I passed were stopped on the side of the road. Lots of running water still, and green green grass, and tons of California Poppies I always like that. I noticed that I am less satisfied with the comfort of my saddle and shoes and I wish I had a better anatomic section on my handlebars.
44m at the Junction - a self fulfilling prophesy. I finished my Cytomax and then JB finally rode in. He saw the rock. There was a tall guy at the Junction on a pretty normal looking bike but he had the most spacers I've ever seen on a threadless headset - must have been four inches between his frame and the stem. He fiddled with it a little bit but didn't seem to have a problem, but that's a LOT of cantilevered steerer.
I'm riding the Tour de Cure in two weeks - click HERE to sponsor me… THANKS!
JB's been out of town all week but he e-mailed that he'd be at the Gate at 8 so I left in plenty of time to be there. It was cooler than I was expecting but I was hoping it would warm up by the time I had to come back down - I had on shorts, arm warmers, and a vest. Arrived at the Gate about 5 minutes early so I stretched and relaxed for a while. At five after, a guy with a yellow jacket that I thought might be JB rode through but it wasn't him so I put a big ass rock on the post and headed up. After sizing up the yellow jacket guy I decided I could pass him and did so. He stayed within a hundred meters or so for the longest time and I thought I might embarrass myself by getting re-passed later on but when things got tougher the gap got bigger. I also kept looking back for JB but couldn't see him.
22m with 3mtg - that means about a 44m Junction time - there was a bit of a headwind and that unmotivated me some. No wildlife, no hang gliders, the only people I passed were stopped on the side of the road. Lots of running water still, and green green grass, and tons of California Poppies I always like that. I noticed that I am less satisfied with the comfort of my saddle and shoes and I wish I had a better anatomic section on my handlebars.
44m at the Junction - a self fulfilling prophesy. I finished my Cytomax and then JB finally rode in. He saw the rock. There was a tall guy at the Junction on a pretty normal looking bike but he had the most spacers I've ever seen on a threadless headset - must have been four inches between his frame and the stem. He fiddled with it a little bit but didn't seem to have a problem, but that's a LOT of cantilevered steerer.
I'm riding the Tour de Cure in two weeks - click HERE to sponsor me… THANKS!
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Diablo Junction from Work
Jeff was trying to drum up support for tonight's ride as a training ride for the Tour de Cure (click HERE to sponsor me), but it was only him, me, Adam, and Amanda that came. Amanda got a new bike - a Specialized Allez that is a perfect match for her - she said the bike shop in San Francisco really helped her make up her mind and get her set up. Jeff got an early start so Adam, Amanda, and I left from the office at about 5:15. I've been making a more serious effort to drive less this year so I didn't have my car at work - I left my backpack in a locker, knowing I'd have to come back to get it before going home. Anyway, the three of us got to the Gate at 5:40 or so and then we all split up. Adam decided to go for a fast one and Amanda decided not to so I was in the middle. Actually Adam rode up with me for about half a mile, then turned around to re-start so he could go hard all the way.
Just up the road I passed Grant P and another Rivendell rider - Grant was on his Quickbeam but I didn't notice if it was in fixed mode. A little while after that Adam had just caught me back up and we were together when we saw Mark P coming down. Adam was really moving and I thought about doing intervals but instead just pushed the upper boundary into the anaerobic zone and tried to maintain as long as possible. I was hoping that Adam and I would hook up with the Diablo Cyclists at the Junction and then go down South Gate for a longer ride home because he also was going to return to the office first, but we were running kind of late.
Up after the Bump I saw a group of a half-dozen or so riders above me - I don't think they were together, they just happened to be bunched up. One by one I passed them as they got farther and farther apart. All except one guy in an orange vest and knickers who I never quite caught up to, and another guy who passed me from behind. Then I noticed a bunch of Diablo Cyclists coming down so I knew there wouldn't be anybody left at the Junction when I got there. I was almost at orange vest guy's wheel near Chainbuster when Adam came down to meet me. He said he did his third best time ever - sub 31, so he was sure he could crack the 30-minute barrier this year.
I underestimated how warm it was going to be and I didn't bother to refrigerate my Cytomax - won't make that mistake again.
Got to the Junction at 43'50" and that's probably my best time for the year but I'm itching to get fast again. I wasn't dogging it though; my average HR for the ride (starting at the Gate) was 172 and my max was 188! With that kind of effort and some better conditioning I'll be able to put in some good times soon. Jeff was already there so we talked for a while. I saw Grant come in and check his watch as he crossed the line so I guess he DOES care about how fast he is.
Jeff was trying to drum up support for tonight's ride as a training ride for the Tour de Cure (click HERE to sponsor me), but it was only him, me, Adam, and Amanda that came. Amanda got a new bike - a Specialized Allez that is a perfect match for her - she said the bike shop in San Francisco really helped her make up her mind and get her set up. Jeff got an early start so Adam, Amanda, and I left from the office at about 5:15. I've been making a more serious effort to drive less this year so I didn't have my car at work - I left my backpack in a locker, knowing I'd have to come back to get it before going home. Anyway, the three of us got to the Gate at 5:40 or so and then we all split up. Adam decided to go for a fast one and Amanda decided not to so I was in the middle. Actually Adam rode up with me for about half a mile, then turned around to re-start so he could go hard all the way.
Just up the road I passed Grant P and another Rivendell rider - Grant was on his Quickbeam but I didn't notice if it was in fixed mode. A little while after that Adam had just caught me back up and we were together when we saw Mark P coming down. Adam was really moving and I thought about doing intervals but instead just pushed the upper boundary into the anaerobic zone and tried to maintain as long as possible. I was hoping that Adam and I would hook up with the Diablo Cyclists at the Junction and then go down South Gate for a longer ride home because he also was going to return to the office first, but we were running kind of late.
Up after the Bump I saw a group of a half-dozen or so riders above me - I don't think they were together, they just happened to be bunched up. One by one I passed them as they got farther and farther apart. All except one guy in an orange vest and knickers who I never quite caught up to, and another guy who passed me from behind. Then I noticed a bunch of Diablo Cyclists coming down so I knew there wouldn't be anybody left at the Junction when I got there. I was almost at orange vest guy's wheel near Chainbuster when Adam came down to meet me. He said he did his third best time ever - sub 31, so he was sure he could crack the 30-minute barrier this year.
I underestimated how warm it was going to be and I didn't bother to refrigerate my Cytomax - won't make that mistake again.
Got to the Junction at 43'50" and that's probably my best time for the year but I'm itching to get fast again. I wasn't dogging it though; my average HR for the ride (starting at the Gate) was 172 and my max was 188! With that kind of effort and some better conditioning I'll be able to put in some good times soon. Jeff was already there so we talked for a while. I saw Grant come in and check his watch as he crossed the line so I guess he DOES care about how fast he is.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Up Northgate Down Southgate and Around - 35 miles
Well I missed last Saturday for sickness and last Wednesday for bad weather so I was really looking forward to this morning's ride. It was threatening to rain but maybe it would hold out long enough for a decent ride - regardless, I mounted the Belgian Beast and put on my Flemish face. For once I got out of the house early enough to make the Gate by eight even though I hit most of the lights red. No rock on the post so I stretched for a few minutes - a few riders went up while I was waiting, and then JB showed up on his Della Santa. He said his bike felt better (than his Trek 520 he's been riding) but his engine was still in bad shape. I said I've been producing enough mucus for ten sick people and then blew a giant loogie on the road. So with our excuses made we started up.
In short order we caught up to and passed one of the guys who went through the Gate while I was waiting. He was a tall rider and had a new Specialized Tarmac; it looked like a really nice bike but the unusual top tube made it look like the frame was much too small for him - may have been fine, but it looked wrong.
There's still lots of running water in the ditches up there - we have gotten a LOT of rain the last couple months. At the Bump I did a hard turn and opened a big gap on JB but then let him catch up - maybe he was having a bad day after all. Near Clavicle Cracker we saw another guy who must have started up before I got to the Gate and that's where JB made it his mission to drop me and catch him. I held on for a while but finally let him go. Both of them beat me to the Junction by a couple minutes.
We decided to go down Southgate even though there looked to be rain down there, because I wanted to end my ride at Encina Biycle Center and they don't open until 10 o'clock. On the descent, near Rock City, I was leading and then some guy passed us very fast. No problem there, but then he slowed down. I wasn't bombing the down I was just cruising and I didn't want to pass this guy back and have him think I was trying to race him, but he really slowed down and it bugged me. He kept looking back to see if I was still there so he probably thought I was using him to pace my ride but I was really wishing he'd get out of my way. We cut off at the hole in the fence and when we got onto Diablo Road, the same guy (who apparently took the road past Athenian) was just going by so I thought "Great, now he's really going to think we've marked him." After a while though he finally managed to drop us - HA!
In Alamo it started to drizzle on us and by the time we got to the trail in Walnut Creek it was really coming down. We were pretty wet when JB waved good-bye and I turned to cross the little bridge through Shadelands and the shortcut to Encina.
I went to Encina because my brake pads are worn out to almost nothing. I've got older Ultegra components on the Beast and I thought they may not be the standard pads anymore but the guys at Encina usually come through. I was prepared for the "we'll be happy to order that for you" response but instead they looked though their big box of brake pads trying to find a solution. They found some Dura Ace shoes at $25/pair (ouch, but maybe), and they had some generic ones that would fit my calipers but only had one pair of them. They considered opening up a box of new brakes to give me the pads from them, and didn't flinch when I suggested maybe taking some off of a new bike on the floor! But we agreed that if they did that, the guy who wanted to buy that bike would walk in 5 minutes later. So in the end, we put on the one pair of generic pads just on the rear since the front ones still have some life in them. Actually I figured I'd just bring home some pads and do it later but they installed them and adjusted the front ones while I waited (remember my bike was still dripping with rain and road grime) and only charged $5 labor. It was fun because virtually everyone in the shop was brainstorming on ideas and possibilities just to help me with some cheap brake pads. That's why I continue to send people there when they ask me about shops with good service.
Change your pads before they get this bad. Surprisingly, they still worked pretty well with not much more than a few mm of rubber left.
Well I missed last Saturday for sickness and last Wednesday for bad weather so I was really looking forward to this morning's ride. It was threatening to rain but maybe it would hold out long enough for a decent ride - regardless, I mounted the Belgian Beast and put on my Flemish face. For once I got out of the house early enough to make the Gate by eight even though I hit most of the lights red. No rock on the post so I stretched for a few minutes - a few riders went up while I was waiting, and then JB showed up on his Della Santa. He said his bike felt better (than his Trek 520 he's been riding) but his engine was still in bad shape. I said I've been producing enough mucus for ten sick people and then blew a giant loogie on the road. So with our excuses made we started up.
In short order we caught up to and passed one of the guys who went through the Gate while I was waiting. He was a tall rider and had a new Specialized Tarmac; it looked like a really nice bike but the unusual top tube made it look like the frame was much too small for him - may have been fine, but it looked wrong.There's still lots of running water in the ditches up there - we have gotten a LOT of rain the last couple months. At the Bump I did a hard turn and opened a big gap on JB but then let him catch up - maybe he was having a bad day after all. Near Clavicle Cracker we saw another guy who must have started up before I got to the Gate and that's where JB made it his mission to drop me and catch him. I held on for a while but finally let him go. Both of them beat me to the Junction by a couple minutes.
We decided to go down Southgate even though there looked to be rain down there, because I wanted to end my ride at Encina Biycle Center and they don't open until 10 o'clock. On the descent, near Rock City, I was leading and then some guy passed us very fast. No problem there, but then he slowed down. I wasn't bombing the down I was just cruising and I didn't want to pass this guy back and have him think I was trying to race him, but he really slowed down and it bugged me. He kept looking back to see if I was still there so he probably thought I was using him to pace my ride but I was really wishing he'd get out of my way. We cut off at the hole in the fence and when we got onto Diablo Road, the same guy (who apparently took the road past Athenian) was just going by so I thought "Great, now he's really going to think we've marked him." After a while though he finally managed to drop us - HA!
In Alamo it started to drizzle on us and by the time we got to the trail in Walnut Creek it was really coming down. We were pretty wet when JB waved good-bye and I turned to cross the little bridge through Shadelands and the shortcut to Encina.
I went to Encina because my brake pads are worn out to almost nothing. I've got older Ultegra components on the Beast and I thought they may not be the standard pads anymore but the guys at Encina usually come through. I was prepared for the "we'll be happy to order that for you" response but instead they looked though their big box of brake pads trying to find a solution. They found some Dura Ace shoes at $25/pair (ouch, but maybe), and they had some generic ones that would fit my calipers but only had one pair of them. They considered opening up a box of new brakes to give me the pads from them, and didn't flinch when I suggested maybe taking some off of a new bike on the floor! But we agreed that if they did that, the guy who wanted to buy that bike would walk in 5 minutes later. So in the end, we put on the one pair of generic pads just on the rear since the front ones still have some life in them. Actually I figured I'd just bring home some pads and do it later but they installed them and adjusted the front ones while I waited (remember my bike was still dripping with rain and road grime) and only charged $5 labor. It was fun because virtually everyone in the shop was brainstorming on ideas and possibilities just to help me with some cheap brake pads. That's why I continue to send people there when they ask me about shops with good service.
Change your pads before they get this bad. Surprisingly, they still worked pretty well with not much more than a few mm of rubber left.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Diablo Junction – 23 Miles
Daylight Wasting Time has finally ended. The rainiest March in history was now over, but things haven’t changed much so far in April. My plan for today was to ride Eddy in to work, up the mountain after work leaving my backpack at the office, and then home after the ride and pick up my stuff later.
Adam talked JB and me into starting a little early so we all rolled out of the parking lot just before 5 o’clock. JB was on his touring bike with panniers so I thought if I had trouble keeping up with him then I was really in bad shape. We encountered a guy in a Pegasus jersey on Walnut Avenue and he rode with us for a while without saying anything.
At the Gate, JB decided to take off his jacket and then Pegasus guy left us. So the three of us left the line at the same time. Adam is really frisky because he just upgraded to Cat-2 and is racing the Sea Otter Classic P-1-2 circuit race alongside the likes of Gord Frasier. But we all stayed together until the double dips where JB drifted off the back. I stayed on Adam’s wheel for another half mile until I was well out of JB’s site and then I settled down into a sustainable pace, and Adam did a long interval – one of those where you pedal too big of a gear for too long. Shortly after that the Pegasus guy came back down and we all figured he was a flare.
About half way up the Bump, I saw Adam coming back down. Earlier I had joked that he could literally ride circles around JB and me with his intervals, and it seemed that was exactly his plan. He kept on going until he got to JB and then did another interval back uphill until he caught me near Clavicle Cracker and kept going for a little while before he turned around again. I hadn’t seen JB for quite a while so I was sure I wasn’t going to be humiliated and that gave me a little satisfaction, but I wanted more… I wanted to not let Adam pass me a third time so bit the reins and pounded the last couple miles.
Up near Big Shady Oak I caught sight of a few straggler Diablo Cyclists, and passed them right at Chainbuster. Right at that time Jay K was coming down and did a U-turn to ride back up with them also but when he recognized me he went with me instead. We talked about Performance Bicycles, De Ronde Van Vlaanderen, the Devil Mountain Double, and Tom Boonen. I got to the Junction with an ET of 45m… pretty bad, but better than JB who came in at 50.
At the Junction I noticed how many people had different bikes for the wet weather. Just about everyone except Adam (who had his ultrabike and race wheels; btw the only reason he didn’t pass me the third time was that he had a spoke come loose and had stopped to investigate). Diablo Cyclist Brian asked me about my Merckx because he’s been thinking about getting one of the Merckx 7-Eleven re-issued frames that are coming out. http://www.bikyle.com/images/Merckx7-11frame.jpg Brian asked about the head tube angle and other frame specifics but I couldn’t answer his questions – so I just told him that I really liked the way it handled and let him ride it around a bit. Brian you’re surely welcome to take it out for a long ride whenever you’d like – I’ll even put on the sew-ups for you.
On the way back home I noticed that the good old reliable Conti 2000’s had developed a sidewall split so those sew-ups may be on sooner than I expected. For now though, I put on the Conti UltraGatorSkins I got at Performance last week. Watch for the ride review on those.
Daylight Wasting Time has finally ended. The rainiest March in history was now over, but things haven’t changed much so far in April. My plan for today was to ride Eddy in to work, up the mountain after work leaving my backpack at the office, and then home after the ride and pick up my stuff later.
Adam talked JB and me into starting a little early so we all rolled out of the parking lot just before 5 o’clock. JB was on his touring bike with panniers so I thought if I had trouble keeping up with him then I was really in bad shape. We encountered a guy in a Pegasus jersey on Walnut Avenue and he rode with us for a while without saying anything.
At the Gate, JB decided to take off his jacket and then Pegasus guy left us. So the three of us left the line at the same time. Adam is really frisky because he just upgraded to Cat-2 and is racing the Sea Otter Classic P-1-2 circuit race alongside the likes of Gord Frasier. But we all stayed together until the double dips where JB drifted off the back. I stayed on Adam’s wheel for another half mile until I was well out of JB’s site and then I settled down into a sustainable pace, and Adam did a long interval – one of those where you pedal too big of a gear for too long. Shortly after that the Pegasus guy came back down and we all figured he was a flare.
About half way up the Bump, I saw Adam coming back down. Earlier I had joked that he could literally ride circles around JB and me with his intervals, and it seemed that was exactly his plan. He kept on going until he got to JB and then did another interval back uphill until he caught me near Clavicle Cracker and kept going for a little while before he turned around again. I hadn’t seen JB for quite a while so I was sure I wasn’t going to be humiliated and that gave me a little satisfaction, but I wanted more… I wanted to not let Adam pass me a third time so bit the reins and pounded the last couple miles.
Up near Big Shady Oak I caught sight of a few straggler Diablo Cyclists, and passed them right at Chainbuster. Right at that time Jay K was coming down and did a U-turn to ride back up with them also but when he recognized me he went with me instead. We talked about Performance Bicycles, De Ronde Van Vlaanderen, the Devil Mountain Double, and Tom Boonen. I got to the Junction with an ET of 45m… pretty bad, but better than JB who came in at 50.
At the Junction I noticed how many people had different bikes for the wet weather. Just about everyone except Adam (who had his ultrabike and race wheels; btw the only reason he didn’t pass me the third time was that he had a spoke come loose and had stopped to investigate). Diablo Cyclist Brian asked me about my Merckx because he’s been thinking about getting one of the Merckx 7-Eleven re-issued frames that are coming out. http://www.bikyle.com/images/Merckx7-11frame.jpg Brian asked about the head tube angle and other frame specifics but I couldn’t answer his questions – so I just told him that I really liked the way it handled and let him ride it around a bit. Brian you’re surely welcome to take it out for a long ride whenever you’d like – I’ll even put on the sew-ups for you.
On the way back home I noticed that the good old reliable Conti 2000’s had developed a sidewall split so those sew-ups may be on sooner than I expected. For now though, I put on the Conti UltraGatorSkins I got at Performance last week. Watch for the ride review on those.
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