My Mt Hamilton Experience: Marco's ride/with Pete&Ramon's 4 mountain challenge
Tim & I took off from SF on the Caltrains at 8am. Little did we know we were boarding the slow train to China? We got on our bikes in S.J. bound for some Starbucks pick-me-ups. Tim was a little fast out of the gate and I think 4 mountain challenge plus no breakfast caught up to me and I started to feel like I was going to pass out.
Coffee did help but I didn’t get a chance to eat my coffee cake until the first regroup. It was really neat to see so many BF’s and guests at the start! The name thing is really hard to figure out at my age. Avatars, names, Bikes. Too much identity symbols. Maybe name tags would help : )
I had to finish my coffee so I started after the main group. I was a little sad at first, but I paired up with Alain, and we caught up on our life stories. Soon Ty and Kary were in the mix followed by Red Conti. We caught up with the regroup and refilled the water and we were off. Bridge regroup, then the race was on! I kept up with Adam, Tim and Ramone…Until a red head in pink with striking legs caught me off guard!
Marie Claire, school teacher FRENCH! Sexy…Another American is challenged in the mountains by the French…It was all I could do to drop her like excess baggage. I fought and I climbed but she kept drawing me back like an Evil temptress playing on my male weakness’s : (… I was finally able to break away from the shameless tart only to collide with yet another “Siren of the Highway”. Dressed in alluring blue and shooting out her barbed arrows of promised mad passion… I was a weak man and I most easily played into her evil web of desire! Then!... I was awakened from my dream by a familiar voice from behind…”Hey dumb dumb, were almost at the top” My savior Alain pulled me from this horrible fate of falling into the claws of this mad cougar who preys on the hearts and souls of innocent humble men!
We got to the top and It was just an amazing view! It had been 20 years since I’d been up here (87 Mt. Hamilton challenge) and It was a new experience again. We all sat around and chatted while Ramon fixed his flat and Bossman arrived after his photo shoot all the way up the mountain.
We shot down the mountain like fallen angels on a suicide mission. Tim’s Wheel slid out and He was able to save it and get back up to his fierce velocity. Henry took a vicious inside turn as if the mighty Lucifer was in chase. All I saw was a blur as my adrenaline pulsed through my veins numbing my rational mind. We we’re thwarted by some numbnuts who refused to pull over and let us by.
We stopped to cool out jets…and we we’re off again. At close to 40 mph my back wheel caught air on a tight turn and slid out almost into a rock cliff with Henry so close to my rear wheel you would not have been able to slip a dollar bill between us! We really caught speed towards the base. Six of us close to the speed of sound. We were all completely exhilarated and had launched into another dimension of mass communication with out uttering a single word. What we experienced was beyond common language. What a great day. Sadly we never got to ride with Marco and Ruth who had initiated this ride in the first place. So thanks Marco, even if you couldn’t make it we all had really been looking forward to riding with you. We’ll do it again a.s.a.p. for sure.
Thanks again everyone I had a great time…and I’ll tell you all about my trip down to L.A. Wish we could all go!
Pete
This was a really fun ride. There was a good turnout, the weather was great, got reacquainted with familar faces, and met some nice new folks. Here are some of the pics (http://alainp.zenfolio.com/p882384394) I took:
Gathering at the start:
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p196404202-4.jpg
Pete's "photobiking" skills in action as reidconti willingly poses:
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p271383700-4.jpg
First regroup at the Joseph Grant Ranch County Park:
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p254357373-4.jpg
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p246159890-4.jpg
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p190091930-4.jpg
Not sure what's off in the horizon but Henry and Miguel just can't seem to take their attention off it. Yet Ramon looks somewhat skeptical...
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p86591627-4.jpg
So, the lead group takes off and Pete "reluctantly" decides to peel off and find subjects for his "Lady in Pink" section of his blog:
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p453028992-4.jpg
And then a few miles further up, he decides to start a new "Ladies in Blue" section for his blog!
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p440736386-4.jpg
Oh yeah, there was actually a view on this ride:
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p125530659-4.jpg
alainp
05-26-08, 10:57 PM
More pics:
At the top:
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p306701930-4.jpg
Was that it? I was hoping for more climbing!
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p421225020-4.jpg
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p76506527-4.jpg
Ramon rides a flat for the last three miles of the ascent. "Stopping to repair the tire and ride on fully functional tires is for mere mortals!!!"
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p15289685-4.jpg
Bigbossman, aka Mr. USA, aka John, reaches the summit with a big smile:
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p487474407-4.jpg
Everybody found the warm asphalt comforting:
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p268386479-4.jpg
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p245081602-4.jpg
Great pictures! :thumb: Sorry I missed it, I was home taking care of a sick boyfriend and convalescent dog.
x136
05-27-08, 12:12 AM
Wow, what a turnout! :beer: If the weather down there was anything like it was up here, it was an excellent day for a ride.
jinws
05-27-08, 12:12 AM
Pete,
Seriously, how many kits do you have? I swear, every ride report, you're wearing a new jersey.
Ty.S
05-27-08, 12:25 AM
It was a great ride, and a great time. The weather was pretty much ideal, and traffic was light.. so nothing to complain about here.
How can you think anything will go wrong when you're all setting your computers and you look up.. and there is Pete.. rollind down the street in a wonder bread jersey, holding a camera in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other...
Was great to finally get out on a group ride and roll with you guys. I'm still not certain I have the mental toughness to grind it out on one of your 100mi. 50,000 calorie burner rides, but this was a blast. We have a great group of characters in this section.
By the way t4mv... you and your son need to change your names to Team Meteor.. you guys BOMBED that downhill man.. When my wife and I got back to the car one of the first things she said to me was.. "Oh my god, did you see the tandem guys pass us like we were standing still".
Great way to spend memorial day.. Thanks to all!!!
Feathers
05-27-08, 12:31 AM
cool! need more narrative on the pictures! :)
BlastRadius
05-27-08, 02:13 AM
Beautiful day it was and such a great turnout. It was great to meet some new people and put some faces to names. Here are the pics I managed to take.
Miguel (kb5ql) charges the hill
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/2526577457_7583cfb5c2.jpg
Ramon (bostic) and Eric (Ahpook) looking pretty fresh
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/2526577659_d9c446c920.jpg
Adam (powpow) and Tim (bottlerocket) moved quickly up the mountain.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2265/2526577755_8f149daf9c.jpg
Kari and Ty (ty.s) enjoying the ascent.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2069/2527399220_b0e2fa9095.jpg
Denizen of the mountain
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/2527399478_8bcd417af1.jpg
Enjoying the warm asphalt
Alain (alainp), Brian (damnpoor), Ramon (bostic), Tim (bottlerocket), Reid (reidconti), Eric (ahpook), Adam (powpow)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2294/2527399604_912a58a490_o.jpg
spingineer
05-27-08, 06:57 AM
Great pics, and as usual, great poetry Pete. Sorry I couldn't make it. Spent a mellow weekend here in LA, and lots of posing.
I guess it was too warm for a penguin citing? I guess you escaped from the pesky penguin.
alainp
05-27-08, 07:21 AM
Pete,
Seriously, how many kits do you have? I swear, every ride report, you're wearing a new jersey.
I think he goes through jerseys like disposable underwear. When you're sponsored by corporations and teams like Wonder Bread, Liquigas, Klein, Trek, Amgen, and manufacturers of all other equipment he's been sporting, you can't be caught being seen in the same outfit twice :rolleyes:.
uspspro
05-27-08, 07:39 AM
Nice pictures guys. Sorry I didn't make it earlier. I had been getting over this "stomach flu" type thing from Thursday. Then there was the bike...
I got a new crankset for the tandem, along new bottom brackets and a Campy Comp Triple front derailleur. So I installed this stuff earlier on this weekend, but still needed to dial in the front shifting and new saddle positions. Easy enough, right????
Sunday Night...
So I tried for hours to get the front shifting to work properly, but it was just jacked! Chainline was good, just seemed like the spacing was off. The shifting worked fine the last ride... So I thought maybe it was the new FD, so I swapped the old on back... no dice, same results. At this point, I decided it was the shift lever. The new Veloce levers with the "escape mechanism" just did not have the right built-in spacing for this new crankset/chainline/etc...
So, I took the Chorus left side lever off of my CAAD8 and installed it on the tandem. However at this point I had loosened and tightened the cable bolt (on the FD) so many damn times, that half the strands decided to snap and fray up.
So, I cut it short of the FD... grabbed a short section of cable from my tool bag... I used a bolt/nut and two washers to clamp on the the end of the cable and make and "extension."
Chorus (and up) levers are the best! The micro adjust and lack of built in spacing makes for the easiest FD adjustment ever. Everything worked fine. At that point I PM'd Pete, that I'd probably be driving in, since it was now 4:51AM :eek:
Sleep... for 3 hours.
Then we woke up and dialed in our positions.. Done... I shifted the FD and snap... my little extension cable did not hold :o
OK... So we decided we couldn't make the ride :(. So would rest in bed a little longer, then pack up the bike and go to Bicycle Outfitter on the way to Hamilton to pick up a tandem length shift cable, and I would install it in the parking lot.
Rest.... Followed by shower... then getting ready.
So we head over to Bicycle Outfitter at one something. Bought the cable, strung it up, rode around the parking lot... Perfect! (I LOVE Chorus levers). Bike went back on the rack and we were off to Hamilton.
See next post for OUR ride report :thumb:
uspspro
05-27-08, 08:23 AM
So... with nothing but a Banana, some crackers and an energy bar in our system thus far... we head over to Mt. Hamilton.
I anticipated I would see you guys on your way down either right at the School parking lot of shortly thereafter. I arrived at the school, and saw everyone's car still there. Cool. Setup the bike, and we were off.
On Alum Rock heading toward Mt. Hamilton Road, I see a group of riders flying down the hill. First I see Ramon, and yelled out "Hey Ramonnnnn" I think he was laughing. I see the rest of the group right behind, including Henry, and yelled "Yo Henryyyy." Haha. That was pretty cool. You guys were flying.
So up the mountain we go. We see many riders from the group on our way up. The next person I saw was Miguel on the early section of Mt. Hamilton Road. I saw a few others including the father/son tandem, Eric (I think) and the husband/wife duo (I think). It's hard to tell when decending riders fly past you, and you trudging it up the hill :o.
Ruth and I had an excellent rhythm going, and did some alternating standing on the steeper sections. The weather at my house was around 60s and cloudy. I figured the mountain, might be cold.... FALSE :crash: I ended up wearing that damn jacket/jersey thing again.... SO I was a bit over-dressed. All I could do was unzip it and keep going, the breeze made it not so bad.
We did not stop until the base of the third climb on the little bridge. Ate some gel/energy bar/drink and took some pictures. So onto the last climb, the best part of the ride. We were passed by one rider on his single, we were able to keep him in sight for a while, but he gradually pulled away.
We got to the top and it was actually a little cold at this point. We didn't break any speed records :o but made it up in a respectable 2:12 (from the school). However it was now 5:45 and the Observatory was closed!! :mad: My water bottle-filling, vending machine using dreams of leisure came crashing down. ;)
I found a hose spicket on once of the buildings, tested the water (tasted fine), and decided to go with it. So we headed down the mountain. Took it easy on the descent, since we were a bit spent. Some motorcycles left at the same time were going about the same speed and refused to pass. It was kind of annoying, so I slowed and waved them by, then accelerated again. We followed the motorcycles all the way down right on their tail, until we caught a slow ass in their car :crash: However, no big deal, since we caught the car right before the first little climb on the way back. I think Ruth was running out of energy (lack of food) at this point, since this little climbs on the way back seemed to be hurting her.
Down again, then up. On the second climb, I told Ruth to grab the gel out of my jersey pocket and she felt bettter :) Last part of the descent is always fast and fun. Despite being tired, we cranked it up to 46.5 on Alum Rock.
Despite missing you guys, we still had a great day on the mountain. Hope to see many of you at Sequoia! Now here's the pics (next post)...
uspspro
05-27-08, 08:27 AM
The beast (notice the mismatched Chorus/Veloce levers :rolleyes:)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2092/2527319334_56c26b9a3a_o.jpg
Stop before the last climb... Pics of Ruth and I..
Great pics, such a cute couple. Sorry about all the mechanical probs. See you next ride!
bigbossman
05-27-08, 09:00 AM
Bigbossman, aka Mr. USA, aka John, reaches the summit with a big smile:
http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p487474407-4.jpg
Ummmmm...... It was Memorial Day.
A belated "Thank You" to all that served.
cccorlew
05-27-08, 09:10 AM
Looks like fun! Great photos and report.
Pete always makes rides sound EPIC.
Bostic
05-27-08, 11:18 AM
Pete always makes rides sound EPIC.
The last downhill to Alum Rock was epic. Henry was setting a furious pace and cadence and I was trying to keep up while struggling to adjust the cap under my helmet to allow some sort of vision. Pete was trying to sneak in but Tim and Adam kept him in check. Then he attacked and took off. I waited a few seconds for his match to burn out and went after him. I knew he didn't have a 50x11 so I upshifted on the final descent and went all out to the stop sign putting my fate in the stopping power of the Mavic calipers.
To work on my out of saddle technique I decided to stand the entire third climb. It was going quite well until I noticed the flat in the front tire... RATS. The last few times up Hamilton I have had a flat so I grumbled to myself and sat back down and hoped the slow leak would get me to the summit. A tiny green piece of glass was the culprit.
bigbossman
05-27-08, 11:39 AM
I used this ride as an excuse to finally take a crack at Mt Hamilton. I've been up Diablo many times, and have ascended Mt Tamalpias as well. Mt Hamilton was the only one of the "big three" that I had not yet done. Since I climb like ivy I knew I wouldn't be able to keep the group pace, but it's fun to be out with a group and you folks are a pretty fun bunch to hook up with - if only for fleeting moments. :)
I arrived at the starting point early enough, and re-introduced myself and had a nice chat before starting out. I rode with Pete for all of half a mile or so before he dropped me, and kept pace with a couple others until I stopped to shed my jacket. At that juncture I was on my own during the initial 6 mile climb, and re-joined the main group at the park 7 miles from the start. After snack and water we started off again, and I rode with damnpoor for a bit before he went to join the main group further on up the road.
I chatted with several passing cyclists, and was kept company off and on by a tandem crew (Blastradius?) It was a nice steady climb and the weather was nice, so I stopped several times to take pictures and had a nice time. The last 7 mile climb was a bit on the arduous side for me - the road coils on the front of the mountain like a fat, lazy snake, and all those switchbacks had me talking to myself. After grinding out seemingly endless loops of black asphalt, I was finally rewarded with the summit.
Poor climbing ability coupled with frequent stops to take photos got me to the top just in time to catch my breath, gulp down a Power Bar, and wash it down before Pete declared it was time to descend.
I was sure glad I had the rare foresight to bring a jacket and full-fingered gloves. The descent from the top was a bit on the chilly side. The descent was fun, but I had to pay close attention to bind curves with opposing traffic, sand/gravel on the inside corners, and the odd pavement deficiency. It made for a lively run, and before I knew it the first 7 mile descent was in the books and I was climbing out off the middle valley. The final 6 mile descent back to the school was a real treat - smooth paverment with excellent sightlines, and a relatively mild gradient into a slight headwind that allowed for a relaxed ~25mph coasting glide all the way down.
For the 4th (and last) time of the day I hooked up with the main group, chatted for a while, and headed for home.
On top!:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/2008%20rides/Mt%20Hamilton/bikes.jpg
powpow
05-27-08, 11:39 AM
The last downhill to Alum Rock was epic.
I agree. Definitely a descent to remember. Henry just shot out of some turns like a rocket. Great ride and great pics all!
- Adam
t4mv
05-27-08, 12:08 PM
I agree. Definitely a descent to remember. Henry just shot out of some turns like a rocket. Great ride and great pics all!
- Adam
Agreed, we were cruising down the first descent off the summit when I saw Henry pull out just in front of us...wtf?...we're gonna run up his back wheel... NOT! He accelerates smoothly up to speed (which as nearly as I could tell was somewhere between 25-30 for most of the turns, but I was too skeeered to look down), with us about 50 meters behind, and then he just pulled away to the bridge at the beginning of the first climb on the way down. The man is FEARLESS!
BlastRadius
05-27-08, 12:48 PM
Aw shucks
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Face-blush.svg/120px-Face-blush.svg.png
Steverino
05-27-08, 04:17 PM
I, too, totally enjoyed the ride - a great challenge, made better in the company of some super people! And the ride down was a screamer, even though i wasn't in the lead group, it got pretty exciting at times, particularly in the dirtier corners, and on some of the bumps.
The penguin that greeted us the last time I was on Hamilton, was nowhere to be seen. Couldnt ask for better weather.
The skills of the riders in our group aside, one of the most amazing things I saw was on my climb, at the corner leading onto the second-to-last switchback. Coming down the hill were 3 "tandems", each consisting of a Dad plus a kid on a trailer cycle attachment, then the Mom's following on their own bikes. They probably didn't hit BlastRadius speeds, but, judging from the smiles on the kids faces, they were having almost as much fun! Although the dad's must have had to put in an impressive amount of work to get those rigs to the top of the hill.....
Thanks again to all for a great ride!
Steve
BlastRadius
05-27-08, 04:22 PM
I, too, totally enjoyed the ride - a great challenge, made better in the company of some super people! And the ride down was a screamer, even though i wasn't in the lead group, it got pretty exciting at times, particularly in the dirtier corners, and on some of the bumps.
The penguin that greeted us the last time I was on Hamilton, was nowhere to be seen. Couldnt ask for better weather.
The skills of the riders in our group aside, one of the most amazing things I saw was on my climb, at the corner leading onto the second-to-last switchback. Coming down the hill were 3 "tandems", each consisting of a Dad plus a kid on a trailer cycle attachment, then the Mom's following on their own bikes. They probably didn't hit BlastRadius speeds, but, judging from the smiles on the kids faces, they were having almost as much fun! Although the dad's must have had to put in an impressive amount of work to get those rigs to the top of the hill.....
Thanks again to all for a great ride!
Steve
Oh yeah, seeing them started my mind cogs turning with thoughts taking my son (or daughter) up there. That was great to see.
uspspro
05-27-08, 04:23 PM
Oh yeah, seeing them started my mind cogs turning with thoughts taking my son (or daughter) up there. That was great to see.
Whoa.... Glad I wasn't on THAT kind of tandem :thumb:
damnpoor
05-27-08, 04:35 PM
On the second uphill section Pete, Ramon and a few others took off up the hill. I got excited when I came around one corner and saw Pete up in the distance. When I finally got close enough I realized that he had slowed to chat with a young woman. I should have known.
alainp
05-27-08, 04:42 PM
On the second uphill section Pete, Ramon and a few others took off up the hill. I got excited when I came around one corner and saw Pete up in the distance. When I finally got close enough I realized that he had slowed to chat with a young woman. I should have known.
Which one :rolleyes:?
BlastRadius
05-27-08, 04:50 PM
Shhhhh. You're going to get him in trouble with Kathy.
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:hXGumTpcFm8G2M:http://blog.messenger.yahoo.com/images/emoticon_shh.jpg
Ty.S
05-27-08, 10:27 PM
PETE!!! You even asked me how to spell my name and you got it wrong. Henry spelled my name right and he never even asked how. :notamused: Even so, I had a great time on my first big hill climb and norcal group ride. I have never climbed a mountain before and I am pretty proud of myself. I do have to admit that the last 2 miles where pure torture for me. I was getting really tired and it showed. The long rest at the top was well needed. I am not sure but I don't think we were too far behind everyone both going up and coming down the mountain. I was impressed at how fast you all came down the mountain. I think my fastest was 25mph. The turns made me very nervous. I guess we will just have to come out on more rides so I can get more comfortable on my bike. So Pete...will I still make your pink lady section with my pink helmet? Thanks for a great first ride, guys. Kari (Ty S's. wife) :)
ahpook
05-27-08, 10:27 PM
On top!:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/2008%20rides/Mt%20Hamilton/bikes.jpg
Ah that's lovely, thanks for posting that one.
taxi777
05-27-08, 11:22 PM
PETE!!! You even asked me how to spell my name and you got it wrong. Henry spelled my name right and he never even asked how. :notamused: Even so, I had a great time on my first big hill climb and norcal group ride. I have never climbed a mountain before and I am pretty proud of myself. I do have to admit that the last 2 miles where pure torture for me. I was getting really tired and it showed. The long rest at the top was well needed. I am not sure but I don't think we were too far behind everyone both going up and coming down the mountain. I was impressed at how fast you all came down the mountain. I think my fastest was 25mph. The turns made me very nervous. I guess we will just have to come out on more rides so I can get more comfortable on my bike. So Pete...will I still make your pink lady section with my pink helmet? Thanks for a great first ride, guys. Kari (Ty S's. wife) :)
OOPs I'm sorry Mary...I've gotten very feeble err..I'm 98 years old today! It's my birthday and I was in the civil war, my wife Betsy made flag.....too. where's my Geritol? well Terry I have to go now, the nurse is here and I need my diapers changed... have a nice Christmas and tell your husband Ronald I enjoyed riding with his troops...That Eisenhower was a great man.... Hello. Pink page...? ohh I did:love::D
x136
05-27-08, 11:42 PM
Pete, I think you're missing more than your Geritol. A lot more.
Don't worry Carrie, Peet spelled my name wrong too, and it's in my flippin' yousername.
Kari S.
05-28-08, 01:17 PM
I am not worried. I wanted to give Pete a hard time and it appears he is willing to give me a hard time back. I look forward to my next ride with everyone.
redspoke
05-28-08, 02:01 PM
No problem - here is some more gratuitous bike porn from the ride:
YIKES BBM!!! You one post shows more steel than most young kids will see in their lifetime... :thumb:
taxi777
05-28-08, 02:06 PM
I am not worried. I wanted to give Pete a hard time and it appears he is willing to give me a hard time back. I look forward to my next ride with everyone.
Well we are happy to ride with you and Ty!:)
If no one gave me a hard time around here I wouldn't feel loved:(
You can ask Ron, He picks on me all the time! I'm just a very old man....
Oh and we like riding with you too "Red Convoy"
Peet aka Taxxi 776:twitchy:
spingineer
05-28-08, 02:20 PM
Well we are happy to ride with you and Ty!:)
If no one gave me a hard time around here I wouldn't feel loved:(
You can ask Ron, He picks on me all the time! I'm just a very old man....
Oh and we like riding with you too "Red Convoy"
Peet aka Taxxi 776:twitchy:
You've been demoted to 776? :eek: Wasn't my fault ... I had nothing to do with it. I was 350 miles away .. I'm innocent!
taxi777
05-28-08, 02:28 PM
You've been demoted to 776? :eek: Wasn't my fault ... I had nothing to do with it. I was 350 miles away .. I'm innocent!
So innocent you have your buddy the penguin as an avatar...Something very, very dark there??.....:innocent:
Hey Ron, BTW did you get your T.D. Max email yet
Check us out at www.tourdemax.org. We have a link to our Active.com signup page from there! The jersey design is there as well.>