Northern California - weekend ride reports - where'd ya ride?

I did a solo century on Saturday starting from home, to scope out part of my 200K permanent brevet route.

Much of it followed the same route I took with the Manly Men of Bikeforums a few weeks ago - up Palomares, Redwood, Pinehurst, and over to Orinda. This time I took San Pablo Dam Road to Castro Ranch Rd and back to Alhambra Valley Rd (Pig Farm Hill was still a stinker :p) and up to Alhambra Ave. I then went to beautiful downtown Martinez, back down Pacheco Blvd, Taylor & Pleasant Hill Rds to Lafayette, Olympic Blvd to Walnut Creek, then Danville Blvd/San Ramon Valley/Foothill to Sunol. About 101 miles, 5200 feet of climbing, and slower'n snot, per usual. :)

JB was on his TnT training ride and we crossed paths somewhere on Redwood Road (I got the nice folks at the TnT SAG stop to tell him I said hi).

But the big excitement of the day was being passed by Freddie Rodriguez (resplendent in his Rock Racing kit) while I was lumbering up Pinehurst Rd. It's like I was standing still. No, more like I was going backwards. :rolleyes:

I did a solo century on Saturday starting from home, to scope out part of my 200K permanent brevet route.

Much of it followed the same route I took with the Manly Men of Bikeforums a few weeks ago - up Palomares, Redwood, Pinehurst, and over to Orinda. This time I took San Pablo Dam Road to Castro Ranch Rd and back to Alhambra Valley Rd (Pig Farm Hill was still a stinker :p) and up to Alhambra Ave. I then went to beautiful downtown Martinez, back down Pacheco Blvd, Taylor & Pleasant Hill Rds to Lafayette, Olympic Blvd to Walnut Creek, then Danville Blvd/San Ramon Valley/Foothill to Sunol. About 101 miles, 5200 feet of climbing, and slower'n snot, per usual. :)

JB was on his TnT training ride and we crossed paths somewhere on Redwood Road (I got the nice folks at the TnT SAG stop to tell him I said hi).

But the big excitement of the day was being passed by Freddie Rodriguez (resplendent in his Rock Racing kit) while I was lumbering up Pinehurst Rd. It's like I was standing still. No, more like I was going backwards. :rolleyes:
come on Jo you didn't even try to catch him for an autograph?:( Sounds like a nice ride though. You should get another BF ride soon over there. I'd be up for it.
Pete

I had every intention of going riding on the river this weekend. . . but then the boyfriend came over. . . and we didn't go anywhere all weekend! <3<3<3

More fantastic weather this weekend - really ideal for cycling, with temps in the 70's and a light breeze blowing.

Saturday I had errands to run in the morning, including a visit to Ed Litton's shop/museum. After a gut-bomb of a Pastrami Reuben for lunch all I wanted was shade and sleep, and after awaking the wife had plans so I didn't get out.

Sunday was a different story. Sunday was an even nicer day than Saturday, so I conned the girls into a little Easter Sunday ride and loaded up the truck.

We started in downtown Danville, and went up the south side of Diablo. I've been up there many times, but this marked the little one's first attempt, on he nice little Battaglin. At first she was giving everything the fish-eye, and was a little on the nervous side. Once we started up, being unfamiliar with protracted climbs, she wasn't pacing herself and getting kind of grumpy. We managed to get her settled into a nice rhythm and kept her mind busy with inconsequential chatter, and soon enough we arrived at the first ranger station.

As we sat in the shade to let her catch her breath, she was hoping we would go back down the way we came. I explained to her that the next section to The Junction was the easy part, and it would be silly to not do it. Besides, for some reason the traffic up there was as heavy as I'd ever seen it - cars and motorcycles everywhere. If we descended back down Southgate, we would be going into steep, blind turns facing a lot of potentially impatient traffic. Northgate, with it's sweeping turns and open sight-lines, was a far safer bet. Also, the Southgate descent is only 3 miles long, and The Northgate route is 7.5. No brainer. She was reluctant, but I convinced her and off we went.

We made The Junction in short order, but had to pull over a couple of times to let rescue vehicles pass. It seems a couple of motorbikes had tangled near the summit, and judging by the emergency response, to include a helicopter, it was a pretty serious accident. It was at this time we noticed that the previously heavy traffic had slowed to a trickle, and later learned that they had closed all the roads coming it to facilitate rescue efforts.

The descent down Northgate was wonderful, and it was a joy to see my girls having fun hop-scotching each other as they made their way down. When we got to the bottom and stopped, it was payday. My daughter, flush with the excitement of her first big descent, looked at me and said "Daddy, you were so right, it was so beautiful up there - that was a blast!!"

The rest of the ride was a nice peaceful romp through the 'burbs, back to the car and lunch.

29 miles and 3,000' of climbing. What a day.

Beginning of the climb. There's a road in there, somewhere:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20032308/climbing-1.jpg

Going up, mom chasing:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20032308/climbing.jpg

The little one, still grumbling a bit:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20032308/climbing-5.jpg

Close to The Junction, still climbing:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20032308/climbing-10.jpg

Springtime bike-love, at The Junction:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20032308/junction.jpg

Looking down:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20032308/descending.jpg

Descending, mom chasing:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20032308/descending-1.jpg

The end. A pic of the mountain from where we started and finished:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20032308/downtown.jpg

The little one, still grumbling a bit:
]
The funny thing is in a couple of years when she starts bringing home the trophys and dragging you up the mountain it will be "come on Dad quit grumbling and try to keep up with me!" ;)

Pete

Hey, two Diablo first-timers in one weekend. :) I went on Saturday. Traffic wasn't too bad that day, but the weather was so nice, I couldn't find it in me to mind.

If Northgate is the side with "sweeping turns" and "open sight lines", I'm kind of glad I missed the turn onto Southgate. :eek:

If Northgate is the side with "sweeping turns" and "open sight lines", I'm kind of glad I missed the turn onto Southgate. :eek:

Well..... relatively speaking, of course. :D

Traffic was brutal on Sunday. It was almost bumper to bumper......

Maybe next time I'll have to go the long way around and come up Southgate, and end the ride with the long descent down the North side.

I saw maybe 20 or 30 cars on Saturday, and 10 or 15 motorcycles. People must've been been taking their out-of-town families on a nice Easter Sunday drive in the mountains.

I think the trick is to go early and get off the mountain before all the cars show up.
Tricia had a moment Sunday coming down the South Gate.

She came around a blind corner, well in her lane, and met an SUV that was passing a climbing cyclists. He took almost all of her lane. If she'd been flying it would have been ugly. She said she had just a few feet left in her lane. It left her pretty rattled.

Went for a Saturday afternoon ride with my BFF. Flatted 19 mi. into a 30+ mile ride. Boo.

Cgallagh and I took the tandem out for a spin on Sunday. He's recovering from the flu, so we had a pleasant ride, over 25 miles, and my Fred tan is already starting. :)

I think I found the route for the "Sacramento" BF ride TBA.
Rode from Clarksburg to Collinsworth and back on Saturday (93 miles). A great ride for BF would be to meet in Rio Vista (half way between Sac and the Bay Area) and do a figure 8 up across the ferry to Ryer Island ride the road around the island (no traffic except for the occasional Harley group) catch the ferry back over to Rio Vista (lunch) and then for those who want to continue an out-and-back through the Montezuma Hills to Collinsworth (across the delta from Pittsburg) and then back to Rio Vista. This ride was blessed with almost 0 delta headwind. Even if there is some, remember that 50% of the ride will be tailwind... :p It was gorgeous and it's a good mix between the delta valley and hilly East Bay. A little something for everyone. And a bonus There's only about 5 miles where you see any cars. I'm guessing the Ryer Island/Collinsworth loop will be about 60 miles-ish.

I spent the weekend in LA, visiting dad. I was able to get some riding in with some friends in my old bike club, Foothill Cycle Club. We passed by the oldest operating McDonald's in the country (I think). This is in Downey, with the old style McDonalds.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/McDonald-Carpinter/P3220089.jpg

Well, if Monday counts as part of a long weekend, with the help of BikeGoddess (TE forum) make that 3 for firsts on Mt. Diablo! I did the up and down the North sidea few months ago, but with a wonderful guide, I not only made it up the beautiful Southside, I made the summit!! WooHoo!! Man, it was shakey for me on that last part! I haven't had that mental battle of pedal/pavement in a looonnng time!

And the parking lot up there was full. Lots of people, hikers, vehicles. Spring break. Luckily, all the drivers were really considerate. We came down the Northside which was fun. Perfect weather, poppies and green hills - it was a GORGEOUS day!

So now I check off Mt. Diablo summit off my list. That was my goal for all of 2008. Now what?? :D

make that 3 for firsts on Mt. Diablo! I did the up and down the North sidea few months ago, but with a wonderful guide, I not only made it up the beautiful Southside, I made the summit!!All right! I didn't know it at the time, but I was only a mile and a half or two miles from the summit when I turned around. D'oh! It would have been quite the surprise. I bet the view from up there is something.

My last day of spring break.... Tricia and I did a Diablo Junction loop, and added in a little jaunt through the wilds of Walnut Creek.
We did see something I knew was on Diablo, but hadn't seen myself before.

http://curtis.corlew.com/hosting/turkey_diablo.jpg

Those are obviously North Gate turkeys...

Most of the day use traffic is people going up for a picnic lunch... the best time way to avoid it is to get off the Mountain before about 10am or ride in rotten weather. Week day evenings are also excellent because few people want to pay the fees to drive up for a short trip.

But you must always assume that there's some dangerous dufus in a big car in the wrong lane around every blind corner.

[
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/1034/img0430bu5.jpg
. :p



Hey, x136, I think I photographed that same batch of poppies on my ride up Diablo!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2022/2343568439_e7d3df40ea.jpg




Hmmmm

http://lh3.google.com/DiabloScottsBikeBlog/R-XmLhW_59I/AAAAAAAACYo/Eg93V6YewoQ/s800/2008-03-22%20014.jpg

I really need a better bike camera.

Tonight was my first ride on Stevens Canyon since the accident. Eerie wind blowing as I rode by the memorial. Then I threw the chain off downshifting, only the second time that has happened on this bike. So I had to stop right by the memorial to get it back on the inner ring. Lots of thoughts going through the mind on my way down Mt. Eden and up Pierce. Gave it my best up 9 and did it in 39 minutes. Descent back was quick, windy and cold. On the way back rode next to another cyclist by the memorial, just acknowledged each other in silence and kept going. 34.4 miles.

Tonight was my first ride on Stevens Canyon since the accident. Eerie wind blowing as I rode by the memorial. Then I threw the chain off downshifting, only the second time that has happened on this bike. So I had to stop right by the memorial to get it back on the inner ring. Lots of thoughts going through the mind on my way down Mt. Eden and up Pierce. Gave it my best up 9 and did it in 39 minutes. Descent back was quick, windy and cold. On the way back rode next to another cyclist by the memorial, just acknowledged each other in silence and kept going. 34.4 miles.

Wow, that's kinda spooky. I think something was telling you to stop by and observe. Having your chain drop ... don't think that's a coincidence.

I actually haven't been through there yet. I guess I'm still a little freaked out about it.

Hmmmm

http://lh3.google.com/DiabloScottsBikeBlog/R-XmLhW_59I/AAAAAAAACYo/Eg93V6YewoQ/s800/2008-03-22%20014.jpg

I really need a better bike camera.

Hmmmm.....Those are my flowers:(
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Flowers.jpg

I guess that's now the official poppy bush of Northern California Bikeforums.

Ronde van Brisbeen, both days. man, my quads hurt.

Yesterday, TnT team ride in the Oakland hills area - we warmed up on the 3 Bears, up Wildcat Canyon/Grizzly Peak (aka Drizzly Peak - the fog was so thick the road was wet), wandered down Skyline to the zoo, then worked our way over to Redwood via Chabot and 7 Hills road (what's with the stop signs at the bottom of each hill?) then back to Moraga via Redwood and Pinehurst. 75 miles, about 6,500 feet of climbing.

Today was an easy-paced recovery ride up to the Mt. Diablo junction via South Gate, down North Gate, then back home via Danville Blvd. 35 miles, 2,400 feet of climbing.

JB

Yesterday was a 32 mile Winters Loop with the club. Today was a solo 56 mile Lake Loop over the dam and up Cardiac. Good weekend.

Well, I think you all saw the reports from Saturday's Tulip ride (63.5 miles, 4500').

Friday I did my commute on my folder. Here's the report (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=403070).

Today I missed BigSean's ride (got up too late) and so I did a solo ride from Stevens Creek Reservoir out to Mt. Umunhum. On the way I did Redwood Gulch to get warmed up and then I climbed a road called Reynolds road which is a dead-end off Hicks road just north of the Umunhum road. They really should mark it with a "Not a through street" sign at the bottom! Towards the top the pavement ends and I continued on the dirt road for another mile or so before it ends with "private property" signs everywhere. Descending on the dirt wasn't too bad, I just kept the speed down. Descending on the paved portion was pretty wild due to the steepness and all the hairpins. I thought I was going to snap my front brake cable!

Continuing on, the last mile of Hicks took me completely by surprise. The Stanford cycling page quotes it at 1 mile, 705 feet of climbing, 13.3% grade. By the time I got to the top I was dead tired and pretty sure that my Umunhum plans would have to wait for another day. However I ate all of my remaining food (half a payday bar and a 4oz package of corn nuts) and drank the rest of my Heed ( about half a bottle. I stretched a bit and was feeling much better and decided to go for it.

The road up Mt. Umumhum is in pretty bad condition. Several of the larger potholes have been patched with ... sandbags. I guess a small-ish bump in the road from the sandbag is preferable to a gaping hole. I slowly climbed up to the first "private property" sign and the big white/red banner painted across the entire road warning hikers and bikers to stay out. I kept going to and past the second such painted banner. Finally I came to a big yellow gate across the road with where I finally took the hint and turned around. Just beyond the gate I could see a dirt road branching off from the main road and leading up to the weather station.

The descent was really not fun at all. Very bumping, constantly steering clear of potholes, cold. I continued down Hicks road to the south and that was another very bumpy descent that wasn't any fun. I had no more food and was starving and stopped at the first place I found which was a Round Table Pizza - not quite my first pick but it sure did hit the spot.

The route back was pretty uneventful. Bikely map here (http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/20080405-Umunhum-Climb). I don't have any sort of computer on my bike ever since I lost my Garmin 305 but Bikely says it was 65 miles with 7700' of climbing.

After the ride I went to a friend's bbq and ate his food :D

68889
Dirt road shenanigans on Reynolds Road. Mashing doesn't work here, you just spin out

68890
As close to the top of Mt. Umunhum that I got.

68891
No trespassing indeed!

Well, I rode up Monitor pass for the first time in '08 this afternoon. Rode up the west side, and though it is officially still closed, the road has been plowed/swept and was in great shape. Didn't see another soul the entire way, but I did catch a glimse of a small herd of deer wading across the river just below hangman's bridge.... I didn't set any new speed records today either, unless you count how fast my fingers and toes froze descending from 8300' at 7:00 PM. What a great day !!! :D
Cheers !!!

After dinner with East Hill Saturday night, x136 was nice enough to drive me home from the
restaurant. I needed the extra time to get everything ready to go to Ione for the
Party Pardee 100k.

Since my two coworkers flaked on the ride, I was contemplating bagging the ride too but
decided to go since I paid for the registration. After getting everything together and cleaning
the lubing the bike, it was 2:30a! I set the alarm for 4:00a and planned on getting on the road
at 5:00. So with 1 hour of sleep, I get up, shower, load the car, and go. I went to buy a
double-shot latte so I didn't actually get on the freeway until about 5:25.


Almost sunrise at 6:23a heading down the pass into Pleasanton.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3088/2390641359_8016f1f919_o.jpg


After passing through Stockton and getting on highway 88 (Waterloo Road), I needed a bio
break so I pitted at Starbucks just off highway 99. Down went a second double-shot latte.
With so much caffeine in me, I had to make several intermediate bio-breaks while on the ride :o

Just after checking in as I headed toward the start, someone says to me "hey you're Blastradius
aren't you?". A fellow BF'er, Jeff (Hoo_Koo?) recognized me. He doesn't post much but maybe
he can share his Pardee experience with us too. They were still waiting for someone so I started
on the ride solo.

I wanted to take it easy since in previous years I started out with way too much effort and
was suffering in the end. The first thirteen or so miles up till the first rest stop came and went
pretty quickly. I was hanging with a couple of guys from Fair Oaks (John and Matt I think).
At the rest stop they met up with a couple of other guys and I thought we were leaving together
but when I got to the road and turned around, they weren't there. Oh well, so I started out solo again.

In one stretch of narrow road, I was inching up on a dude with aero clip-ons when a sag wagon
passed us. Further up the road, the sag wagon had stopped to pick someone up so we pulled out to
pass. The aero-bar-dude who was still about 50 feet in front of me blew through an intersection and
about a second after a car flew by through the same intersection. I was thinking "wow that was
close, there should be a stop sign there". Just as I came around the sag wagon, I saw IT. The STOP
sign was obscured by the sag wagon. I came to a quick stop. As I looked for cross-traffic, I saw a
CHP cruiser accelerate like a bat-out-of-h**l from his stalking spot and go after aero-bar-dude.
Poor aero-bar-dude, good luck.

The rest of the ride was pretty ho hum other than a couple of urgent bio stops due to the coffee. The last 4-5 miles I was feeling pretty good so I pushed the pace a bit. About four guys latched onto my wheel which helped decrease my effort (the same speed, less effort).

I finished with a total rolling time of 3:55 and 65.6 miles according to the CatEye.


Local denizen
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2010/2391472362_9fbccccd36_o.jpg



First hill, it was just a bump really
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2178/2390641633_8a83cb6a63_o.jpg


One of the little valleys we saw
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2390642573_c67cb4fb27_o.jpg


"nice yard" or "glad I don't have to mow that lawn", take your pick
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2067/2390642745_f34fbaa783_o.jpg


Pardee resevoir, just after crossing the top of the dam
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/2390643493_6faa4350a3_o.jpg

As BlastRadius mentioned, I was among the other 1200 or so riders in Ione yesterday morning. As I finished up registration I noticed a guy in a full-on NorCal kit with an uber-cool Bianchi. I recognized him from some of the recent postings here and introduced myself. That makes two BFer's I've bumped into in the past couple months, having run into Spingineer on Sierra Rd at the ToC. (I guess that was Bostic with him too, but we didn't get a chance to chat).

But, I digress-- I would've invited BlastRadius to join our little group of riders (co-workers and buds from the Sacto area), but one was having mechanical issues with his Ksyrium spokes, and the other was delayed in registration, and I wasn't sure how long we'd be before we'd get rolling. (BTW, major kudos to the Mechanics from Patriot Bicycles who had the proper wrench to get my buddy's wheel trued.) Oh well, hopefully another time. I'm trying to convince these guys to head out to join one of the BF Bay Area rides.... So far, no luck.

Once we actually made it on the road, it seemed everyone else was feeling pretty spry but me. The first few miles to the 1st rest stop were basically flat, but I just wasn't in the groove. HR was up, MPH was down-- hmm, not a good sign. Luckily these opening miles through the green rolling hills of Ione were fairly tame and I just hoped things would improve.

Following the first rest stop the sun was warming us all up. Jackets were stowed and muscles were loosening. The mood was boosted by a decent tailwind that pushed us along some more rollers as we made our way south towards Camanche Reservoir. But the hills were getting a little steeper than the "bump" that BlastRadius described, and a little longer. Some of the riders were starting to show the strain. I managed to find my climbing legs and was able to keep a good steady pace up the climbs for our group. Once at the 2nd Rest stop, everyone was in good spirits-- certainly our small band of riders were feeling no pain. The long lines for the Blue Rooms were kind of a bummer, but less patient riders made do (or "doo") by hiking a few yards off road into the trees.

The next leg had the most climbing of the whole shebang. Over the next 17 miles the road was pretty much pointing upwards, generally in the 5-6% grade, with occasional peaks near or at 10%. I doff my helmet to those who muscled up on their full-zoot TT bikes with standard cranks and 11x23s (and there were more than a few of them). These old legs are quite happy with the compact crank and 12x25, thank you very much. I managed to avoid the confusion at the four-way intersection that BlastRadius got caught up in-- still, it was a little unnerving to come off a nice descent with a big sweeping turn and be suddenly faced with a stop sign. Maybe the ride organizers should post a "stop ahead" warning sign up the road apiece...

Rest Stop 3 was an opportunity to chow down on some real food besides the standard cookies'n'fruit. Properly re-fueled and re-hydrated, we peeled off the final miles at a good pace, and I finished feeling a lot better than I had at the start. This was followed by the usual inhalation of the post-ride meal, swapping of war stories and awarding of bragging rights on the drive home.

My ride stats were nearly identical to BlastRadius! 3:55:38 over 65 miles per my Edge 305. Maybe if I'd stopped for a double espresso on the way over I'd have chopped a few seconds off my time...

Yesterday was Sean's doomsday ride. Today up in San Francisco I rode over to Sausalito to pick up a few things at A Bicycle Odyssey. Wore the messenger bag so I could tote everything around. The extra weight helped on the downhills. On the way up back up the hill I drafted behind a lady who was setting a skitzo pace. I don't think she ever shifted out of the 53 ring. She made a left to head to the bridge and I made my way up the Marin Headlands out of breath. Wind was absolutely terrible after the first climb and tourists were not being cooperative in their vehicles trying to find parking. I slugged it out to the top at Hawk's Hill and ate some food and enjoyed the clear view of the bridge and city. The steep descent down Conzleman was difficult with such strong gusts of wind and more cars weaving too much on the single lane. I didn't even have to pedal on the downhill which leads past the buildings and got up to 37mph.

I really enjoy the 42 middle ring on the flat sections such as the one after the descent before the return climb. With the wind at the back it was smooth sailing along the bumpy road. On the climb back up Mccullough I rode with a cyclist who had just bought a new Bianchi Carbon full Dura Ace bike. That thing was a beauty. I forget the brand of wheels but they had kevlar spokes. Once we got to the top I followed him on the descent since I'm not very fast and with the bad wind didn't want to hold up the show. Trip across the bridge on the way back was brisk with the wind really helping out.

I stopped again at the park on Bay st right before the freeway entrance to refill water and put on the arm & knee warmers. The sun was out but it was starting to feel chilly. So now it was time to test the new triple. Mosied on over to Fillmore and got up the two steep hills. Next I headed over to Filbert but I kept missing it and went up about five extra hills trying to find it. I slowly pedaled my way up the pre exhaust hill the block before which is already steep. After about five minutes rest I gave it my all and in my lowest gear, 30x26 got up the 31.5% grade of Filbert. Standing and with weight as far forward as possible to not lift the front wheel. Filbert is shorter than 22nd St. which is also 31.5% but I had failed on all previous attempts to make it up. I also rode up Lombard seated which was also difficult and probably not good on the knees.

On the way back to the Richmond district I took it easy on Union street to the Presidio. Rode up the long block of Arguello which stinks when the wind is trying to slap you sideways in every direction. One last short steep hill on Anza at 27th and back to my mother's apartment. 31.8 Oversized miles.

Sunday and Monday, rode in the exotic locale of...St. Louis

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=403070&page=2

Last weekend I went up to Coe Ranch, just about 4000' up and 45 miles round trip from home base. It's a challenging climb with 10-14% grades being common, maxing out at 22% for a brief segment over the 10 miles up the steep section.

This coming weekend I think I'm going to go ride the two mountain segments of the Wildflower route, since my normal ride takes me through parts of it anyway.

Last weekend I went up to Coe Ranch, just about 4000' up and 45 miles round trip from home base. It's a challenging climb with 10-14% grades being common, maxing out at 22% for a brief segment over the 10 miles up the steep section.

This coming weekend I think I'm going to go ride the two mountain segments of the Wildflower route, since my normal ride takes me through parts of it anyway.

Wow, I've ridden this for years and I'm impressed now with finally seeing some numbers on those grades. I'm guessing the 22% was near the top after the cattleguard?

I know that Team CSC used that climb for training last year when they had their camp in Gilroy before the TOC.........dialing in their SRM's.

Wow, I've ridden this for years and I'm impressed now with finally seeing some numbers on those grades. I'm guessing the 22% was near the top after the cattleguard?

I know that Team CSC used that climb for training last year when they had their camp in Gilroy before the TOC.........dialing in their SRM's.

Yep, the 22 was that last steep curve past the cattle guard. The area a mile or two past the lake (above that old farm shack thing on the hairpin) up until you drop into the valley is a sustained 12-15% for quite a ways.

Quick weekend trip to see some family in Orange County. Took LAX then light rail to Long Beach.

Beginning of trip at Long Beach.

http://www.zaftig.net/images/bike/latrip/1.jpg

Riding along Ocean in Long Beach. I think you can see some offshore rigs in the distance.

http://www.zaftig.net/images/bike/latrip/2.jpg

Along the Back Bay just opposite Newport Beach.

http://www.zaftig.net/images/bike/latrip/3.jpg

Nice ride all along the PCH. Ended up doing 30 miles. Even though there wasn't a whole lot of climbing, the 50 pound trailer was definitely a workout. I rode the rig right into John Wayne airport to pick up my rental car. THAT WAS FUN ;)

Flying back to San Jose, I didn't realize there was a path leading straight from Long Term parking right to Central Expressway. I was able to ride from there to work Monday morning. (That was the main reason for lugging the bike, so I could have transportation back.) Can't beat a 30 minute commute from the airport to work.

Very cool Miguel. It's hard to believe the trailer is 50lbs. Once you put the bike in it, doesn't it go over the weight limit?

Very cool Miguel. It's hard to believe the trailer is 50lbs. Once you put the bike in it, doesn't it go over the weight limit?

Trailer w/ bike == 47.5 lbs. :D

Trailer w/ garment bag and backpack ~ 40-50 lbs.

Wow, it was hot out there today, huh? Went from China Camp to Nicasio, up the hill to the first rest top they use on the Marin Century (the school) and back, 60 miles. Pretty sure I bonked and got dehydrated, won't make that mistake again. It was nice otherwise.

What a great day for riding Saturday was. A few of us started at the bridge at 7AM, headed for the Headlands down Conzelman Rd:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2046/2410396059_1ce8c7202a.jpg

Just about done with the Headlands, as we descend Coastal Trail toward Muir Beach.

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Halfway up Deer Park Fire Road, headed toward the Pantoll Ranger Station.

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Then, back on the pavement again as we climb to West Peak and the Rock Springs trailhead.

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Headed toward Bolinas-Fairfax Rd.

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Once we hit Bolinas-Fairfax Rd., we started climbing again, toward Alpine Lake. Tons of cyclists on the road, it was great to see.

Finally, we hit the Bolinas Ridge trailhead, about six or so hours into the ride. Clearly my bike will be highly visible to any mountain lions we might be sharing the road with:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2024/2410392065_9ef00336a7.jpg

Stopped taking pictures at this point but the journey continued. We took Randall Trail down to Highway One; after hours of going 3 - 8 MPH up dusty fire roads and slogging through the thick carpet of pine needles and broken branches on Bolinas Ridge, the pavement of Highway One seemed incredibly smooth and fast-rolling.

We took Sir Francis Drake back to Fairfax and stopped at the little java hut in the parking lot of the vacant grocery store. We typically stop there for a coffee and a scone -- and because we were there so late (after 5PM) and they were in the process of closing and had a lot of baked goods left, they didn't charge us for the scones. And urged us to take home more -- they had dozens of scones, bagels, muffins, croissants to dispose of. Since I'd been eating strawberry newtons all day as my main source of calories, I wasn't in the mood to take full advantage of this opportunity, so only took one croissant. But if you ever find yourself in Fairfax between five and six, stop for a coffee and you might hit the pastry jackpot.

The rest of the ride home was on paved streets. We ended up back at the Bridge a little after 7PM, twelve hours after we'd started.

If anyone is interested doing these kinds of "mixed terrain" rides, we are doing more in the upcoming weeks, all culminating in a July 19 ride dubbed "La Ruta Loca," a 200K route with an estimated 13,000 - 14,000 feet of climbing. Here is a tentative schedule (http://bike.duque.net/ride-calendar.htm) of upcoming rides. If you're interested, just confirm that we're actually riding that day. We meet at the Golden Gate Bridge.

International Oddball Ride (http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=407028) on Saturday. Twenty-something miles of riding through the streets of San Francisco, on the 77-gear-inch fixed-gear bike which I haven't ridden much lately. My legs were feeling it this morning.

So did I stay home? Nahh. Went back out to San Francisco this morning for (at least part of) Pete's Big Ride. Train delays caused me to miss out on it, which is probably a good thing. I rode around for 25 miles or so, and I was about spent. Now my legs really hurt. Recovery ride my arse. :lol:

All was not for naught, though. I rode across the Golden Gate for the first time (and probably only my second or third time crossing it at all), and it was a really nice day out, once again.

http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/9855/img0577qd0.jpg

If anyone is interested doing these kinds of "mixed terrain" rides, we are doing more in the upcoming weeks, all culminating in a July 19 ride dubbed "La Ruta Loca," a 200K route with an estimated 13,000 - 14,000 feet of climbing. Here is a tentative schedule (http://bike.duque.net/ride-calendar.htm) of upcoming rides. If you're interested, just confirm that we're actually riding that day. We meet at the Golden Gate Bridge.

Those mixed-terrain rides look fun.
Time to give my reborn CX bike a good run.
I think I might be able to make the 4/26 mixed-terrain ride.
Where exactly is the Strauss statue?

Those mixed-terrain rides look fun.
Time to give my reborn CX bike a good run.
I think I might be able to make the 4/26 mixed-terrain ride.
Where exactly is the Strauss statue?

It's in that plaza right below the pedestrian entrance to the bridge, very near the little store. On Saturday mornings, there are always lots of cyclists congregating there for various rides. It looks like this:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1280/1339417114_c3e10425dc_o.jpg

I won't be at the 4/26 ride because I'm doing the Cycle for Sight (http://www.cycle4sight.com/) ride (and post-ride wine tasting) in Napa that day.

To confirm that some people will actually be riding that day, check the messages at the SF Randonneurs Yahoo group site (http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/sfrandon/). The week before a ride, Carlos usually posts a note announcing that the ride will be happening. Sometimes, it's just two or three of us, but hopefully more will start joining in as the date for La Ruta Loca approaches.

But if you ever find yourself in Fairfax between five and six, stop for a coffee and you might hit the pastry jackpot. Good to know, thanks !! :D I'll keep that in mind next time I do Willy N's Jittery Jaunt permanent (http://callmepokey.blogspot.com/2008/04/i-did-it.html).

International Oddball Ride (http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=407028) on Saturday. Twenty-something miles of riding through the streets of San Francisco, on the 77-gear-inch fixed-gear bike which I haven't ridden much lately. My legs were feeling it this morning.

So did I stay home? Nahh. Went back out to San Francisco this morning for (at least part of) Pete's Big Ride. Train delays caused me to miss out on it, which is probably a good thing. I rode around for 25 miles or so, and I was about spent. Now my legs really hurt. Recovery ride my arse. :lol:

All was not for naught, though. I rode across the Golden Gate for the first time (and probably only my second or third time crossing it at all), and it was a really nice day out, once again.



Sorry we missed you. It was definitely a long day. I didn't get home till about 8:45 PM, but at least I got some miles in. The wrist is feeling okay ... I can now shift on my left hand. Only painful part is when hitting a bump. My wrist gets the brunt of the impact. We'll see how it is by end of week.

This weekend I packed up the kids to my folks' place in Tahoe City. Mrs. Caloso was at a conference in Reno and she met up with us on Saturday. Took a couple of nice mellow rides on the bike path with my son. To see the grin on his face....

Mr. RR & I took a long, flat tandem ride, the reverse of the Dunlop TT route. We threw in some sprint drills for grins and ended up with about 40 miles and feeling our workout.

Yesterday we brought out the half-bikes because my BFF and team mate and I needed to do some hill repeats and sprints. Chris was the rabbit and we chased him down a couple of times. He said he wasn't in terrific shape but he sure made us work! We climbed both sides of Steiger Hill, Cantelow, and rode a modified Winters loop for a total of 39 miles. Our legs were like this:
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w76/cgallagh/a-slice-of-burnt-toast.jpg

Good times, good times...

I needed some quality suffering on Sunday, so...

Canada - 84 - Portola - Sand Hill Rd - OLH - 35 - 84 - Huddart Park - Kings Mountain - Kings Mountain - Manuella - Albion Ave - Canada
:D

The wrist is feeling okay ... I can now shift on my left hand. Only painful part is when hitting a bump. My wrist gets the brunt of the impact. We'll see how it is by end of week.

After I broke my wrist (bike accident, what else), well actually after it healed a bit, I rode for a while with a wrist guard (the kind used for Rollerblading) and it helped a lot.

After I broke my wrist (bike accident, what else), well actually after it healed a bit, I rode for a while with a wrist guard (the kind used for Rollerblading) and it helped a lot.

You're still scaring me with the clipless pedals...

I think you need one of those self-defense suits. You know, what the guys wear when you're kicking them in the naughty bits.

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/export_images/601/601.x231.th.rev-002.jpg
:p

Good to know, thanks !! :D I'll keep that in mind next time I do Willy N's Jittery Jaunt permanent (http://callmepokey.blogspot.com/2008/04/i-did-it.html).

hey joanne, congratulations on completing the jittery jaunt! nice write-up too -- the headwinds from petaluma to anywhere west (tomales, valley ford) are always a mental and physical test. and the bridge delay at the start must have been frustrating.

I haven't done the Jittery Jaunt, but as i look at the route it strikes me as a great "food" ride -- it goes past my favorite italian deli in petaluma, the valley ford deli where they sometimes barbecueing out front, the marshall store, the bovine bakery, etc. Sounds like a fun ride.