2012 SMR 18

Just JB and me.  There were two guys ahead of us and when we caught them I went for a long flyer but then faded - stayed ahead of the two guys but JB passed me near the Ranger House.

Also saw Peter at the Junction.

Roadkill Report:  Snake somewhere, I forget.  See related story below.

Side Story #1

I don't remember when I bought these shoes, but it was 2009 or earlier.

Sidis are just the best and worth the extra cost.  

But those little heel pads are worn off and I looked around to find some replacements.  Nice of Sidi to offer this feature... not sure why they don't make them out of titanium or something though.  

New pads came in the mail.  Didn't realize they were so hazardous - could cause birth defects.

I waited a little too long though, and couldn't get a screwdriver into the screw.  Got one out with my screw extractor

The other one I couldn't get at all, so I just cut the pad away leaving the screw head exposed so I could grab it with a pliers.

Here's what the shoes look like without the pads.

There's a couple different versions of the heel replacement pads, mine came with some little nubs that my shoes don't accommodate so I cut off the nubs with a utility knife... no prob.

Finished product!

Side Story #2

Blog Reader Curtis took some great photos of the AToC Stage 3 on Diablo; and gave me permission to add some funny captions.

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Side Story #3
This is awesome... researchers want cyclists to inventory road kill FOR SCIENCE!

 Documenting Roadkill for Science

Cyclists can now help scientists by reporting animals flattened by automobiles.

An organization that pairs data-collecting outdoor enthusiasts with researchers launched a roadkill-observation project this week. Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation is calling on everyone from commuters to expedition cyclists to record information about wildlife carcasses on their route and enter the data online.

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Side Story #4

OK, this is awesome too: a video on teaching a robot how to ride a bike.

2012 Amgen Tour of California Stage 3 ON DIABLO!

The Seventh Amgen Tour of California.  I've seen at least one stage of every single year.  This year they went over Diablo on Stage 3 and your humble blogger was there.

I left work about 10, went to pick up a sandwich and some power water, then drove to Arbolado Park and changed clothes in the restroom.  There were a few other park users and a few other cycling fans; no problem parking or feeling guilty for taking up the spaces.  Started riding at 11 o'clock. 

Coach Marie: spin instructor, triathlete.

There was a pretty steady stream of cycling fans going up North Gate Road, and a few cars.





There was a traffic stop at the Bump.  Apparently a rider who crashed well before I got there, and they had him off the road but they were positioning the ambulance to evacuate him.  Had the guy in a neck brace and back board.

At the Junction, there wasn't even room to breathe.

Went down to my pre-chosen spot and it too was packed with fans and also some cars and tents.  So I kept going down to the helicopter pad where there was good viewing and lots of room.

  Met up with Rick and we watched together.  The race was about 15 minutes late so there was a lot of just joking around and people watching.  Didn't see anyone in a Borat bikini or an inflatable sumo suit.  Did get to see the guy with the ram horns riding up with his helmet on his rear rack.  Rick also showed me the recent battle scars on his bike, shoes, and flesh from the Wente crit.





This guy drove up which I thought was kind of lame, but he brought his wife and infant so that makes it OK.











My Turf

I think I was going to play with the "panoramic" photo thing on my camera but decided it wasn't worth it.  You can just imagine this string of photos all connected into one.

Rick

Thanks Rick!

Finally the race came through and it honestly wasn't very exciting.  Mount Diablo was 50 miles into a 115 mile stage and neither the 4-man breakaway nor the peloton really considered it to be a good place to make a GC move, so everybody just kind of rode it like a training ride.  Still, the atmosphere was what I was there for and there was plenty of that.

I took a little video too - click for the fan experience.

Product Review:  Grace Digital Audio ECO Extreme

Got this with some birthday money (Thanks Mom and Dad!)

I was looking for some iPod speakers for my bike and didn't really like any of the smaller ones so I went with this big one.  I don't usually listen to music while riding, and only occasionally a single earbud.  But sometimes I like to have a little noise, like on the trail coming to work or like a party atmosphere climbing Mount Diablo for the Amgen Tour of California!

I decided on this one, which has a single speaker but it's nice and big, waterproof enclosure, runs on three AA batteries, and you just plug your MP3 player in and turn it on.  It's really great if you have an older version iPod that you don't use much anymore because you can just make it your dedicated iPod Boom Box unit.  It's big enough for your Smart Phone or Blackberry too.

It's way too big to mount to your handlebars though, you'll need a small rack or a handlebar bag or something, or you can probably find a way to make it work with your backpack like shown - it comes with a carabiner thing but you'll want to make sure it doesn't swing around back there.

I'll give it 8 of 10 on the Diablo Scott waterproof music system rating scale.  If it were more bicycle friendly and you could turn it up louder without the distortion it'd get a 10.  Comes in lots of fun colors too.



2012 SMR 17

Today's plan was up and over and around to Sarkis's new house for a visit.

JB was at the Gate packing his jacket or something so I decided to get a head start.  Managed to hold on to most of it and stayed clear to Junction.  Sometimes you just gotta ride your own ride.

More cycling people up there than I think I've ever seen on a Saturday morning.  Gotta believe the credit goes to the Amgen Tour of California stage that's coming through on Tuesday.

Saw this new jersey in the Junction display box.

* Cheaper if you're a member of MDIA.  Available at the Summit Visitor Center

Yeaaaaahhhhhhh!

2012 WNR 06

Most of the work group showed up tonight.  Nice and warm.  Legs feel good after the century Saturday, but not a lot of snap.

 

 

 

 

JB stopped at the start to adjust something and I went ahead to get a gap.  He and Seppi caught me at the bottom of the Bump and then JB went in to sub 40 pace.  Seppi tried to stay with him and did for a mile or so while I dropped back.  Then at the Ranger House he flared out so I passed him back... after making sure he was too tired to counter attack.

 

Passed 'em - Passed me ratio:  3 to 2, including one round trip.

Saw three county sherrif cars and an ambulance coming down while I was climbing - they appeared to be in a hurry but didn't have lights and sirens on so it must not have been too bad... whatever it was.

Remind me to clean under here next time.

It is black widow!

The buzz is getting louder surrounding the AMGEN Tour of California on Mount Diablo! - signs along Oak Grove announcing delays next Tuesday.  I'm thinking they'll hit the bottom of SGR at about 1pm so where ever you want to watch from, you'd better be there by then.

The official Stage Log says sometime between 1:00 and 1:30, with 15 minutes (!!!) to the KOM at Junction... I'm guessing nobody really checked that calc.

2012 Wine Country Century - Santa Rosa

Century Day is Here!  This ride sold out within 12 hours of open registration several months ago.

Early reports were for rain... didn't happen.  Did get pretty windy in some parts though.  A little chilly in the morning but they offer drop bags for extra layers at two rest stops - these guys know how to put on a ride.

Left home about 5 o'clock.  Not many people on the road before dawn on a Saturday morning.  I'd occasionally see another vehicle with bikes getting on the freeway and that's kind of a neat feeling to know you're all going to the same event.  As I got closer to Santa Rosa there were more and more cars with bikes and people in bike clothes.

SRCC said they had 400+ volunteers to support the ride; what a logistical masterpiece.  Check in was fast enough.  Rest stops were perfectly organized and had all the right stuff to eat and sit on.  Saw SAG vehicles every 10 miles or so.  Police and safety folks stationed at key intersections.  Lots of services I didn't use but others did - like massage tables and mobile repair booths.  Could've used a few more outhouses at the busier stops but I've seen worse.

There were four rest stops, breaking the ride into 5 legs.  No really long climbs, but a few half-mile grunters.

I don't know what this guy's selling, but if you go to his website, tell 'em "Diablo Scott sent me!"

Klein Krown goes to this Aura - don't see many of those.  Didn't find the owner.

I felt really good for the whole ride.  I've gotten some pretty bad leg cramps in the last few centuries I've done, including the last time I did this one, so I was a little worried.  I've tried those Hammer Endurolytes but they didn't seem to work, and I always use the sport drinks and gels that have even more electrolytes, and still I have a problem.  So I was reading the jar on the Endurolytes and it says to take 1 to 6 caps per hour!  I'd only been taking like one per rest stop so maybe I just needed to take more.  

Century Project Plan:  one bottle of Cytomax and one bottle of Perpetuem in each leg.  One E-Gel, three Endurolytes, and one ibuprofen at each rest stop.  Planned on no more than a handful of rest stop munchies between legs and not too much lunch.  This worked great; no cramps, and never felt close to bonking and only a little sluggish after the veggie sandwich at the mile 70 lunch stop.

Before the ride, I decided that my rear tire was worn out, so I rotated the front one to the rear and put a new one on the front.  43 miles into the ride I get a blow out on the front and I realize I pinched the tube with the new install.  No problem, quick fix in a shady location and I was back on the road.

Roadkill Report:  skunk and jackrabbit.

Thanks to Miles John photography for the action photos - I hope he makes a ton of  money from this event.

Now it has always been my view, that there are very few cyclists who can pull off the "lycra short-short" look.  But the ones who can, are shaped like this:

The last rest stop was at mile 85, and Chalk Hill was at mile 92.  Not an especially tough climb if you're fresh, but there were a lot of people going really slow in here.  I was happy to be feeling good and not have any cramps even though the legs were starting to wear out so I kind of powered up the hill and then did a fast pace over the last few miles finishing strong.

As I got closer to the end at the outside of town, the riders would get bunched up at stop lights and then all roll together on green - that was a neat feeling too.  We've all been out there for hours doing our thing, and now we were finishing together.

Some data:

SEGMENT	MILE	DURATION
LEG 1	0-26	1h 43m
REST STOP 1		12m
LEG 2 (including flat)	26-48	1h 39m
REST STOP 2		24m
LEG 3 AND REST STOP 3 (forgot to hit stopwatch)	48-70	1h 55m
LEG 4	70-86	57m
REST STOP 4		15m
LEG 5	86-100	54m
RIDE TIME	6h 07m
TOTAL TIME	7h 49m

Vineyards and redwoods and quaint little towns and great people.  This century is an 11.  Well done Santa Rosa Cycling Club!

Requisite event video worth a click:

2012 WNR 04

Got an early start this afternoon - office remodel and new carpet so we had to get out of the way.

Wildlife Encounter:  turkeys at the Upper Ranch.  I love how they're so graceful despite being so awkward-looking and dumb.  At first these two hid in the grass when I came by, then they decided to cross right in front of me.

Passed 'em - Passed me ratio:  2:2

Product Review:  Clean Bottle.  Works fine.  It's a little stiffer squeeze than a conventional bottle, and the valve is a little harder on your teeth, and the caps on both ends can kind of get cross-threaded if you're in a hurry.  But it is easy to clean, and it doesn't have that stinky new bottle smell, and it looks nice.  Clean Bottle gets an 8 of 10 on the DiabloScott Sport Bottle Rating Scale.