Northern California - Mount Hamilton Sep 1st Reports and Pictures thread

Awesome ride today everyone. Lots of nice friendly faces and pleasant riding companions. We were blessed by a tailwind on much of the climb and we seemed to have a mishap free day with the exception of one crash on the last hairpin turn. I got a real good workout in on the cross bike ready for the first race of the season (Next Saturday). Mant thanks to pete for organizing this. Pictures to follow.......................

Here are my pictures from today. I am very sorry but I have an apalling memory for names so I cant caption very well.

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton001.jpg

The merry throng at the start. here you can clearly see Bike Forum member 1, Bike Forum member 2....etc..etc

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton002.jpg

Here we see two Webcor riders that I rode with for much of the climb. They were both very strong.

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton003.jpg

Two more riders whom I shared the lower slopes with.

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton004.jpg

This chap is experiencing a very spritual moment at the Observatory.

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton005.jpg

The profile of mountain goat

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton006.jpg

The top section of Mount Hamilton in all its twisty goodness

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton007.jpg

Another spiritual moment of Quiet Contemplation.

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton008.jpg

My neon Steed resplendant with its knobbly hooves.

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton009.jpg

This impish sole put in many attacks in the last 5 miles to hurt the legs

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton010.jpg

Two happy Webcor's

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton011.jpg

A kind passerby offers this fallen gentleman some beer (it looks like beer) to help him recover

http://www.zensurweb.com/bikes/hamilton012.jpg

I know this one ! This is my wife "Britpower" cresting the peak. First time up Hamilton and a job well done.

Great turnout today. Thanks for putting this together, Pete (aka Phoebe). Great to re-acquaint myself with some old friends, and meeting some new ones too.

We were definitely blessed by not having such a scorchingly hot day. Looking at the weather reports, it looks like we lucked out, as it calls for higher temps Wed and Thurs.

Hooked up with SesameCrunch for awhile, and climbed for awhile. Then, he wanted a scenic shot, so we stopped about 60% to the top. So, I obliged. Although, there would be more scenic shots at top, it was refreshing to get off. Waited for Paula (MsIncredible), then continued the rest of the climb with her. Doing such a long climb like this is so much better with good company. :D

As we were climbing, we suddenly hear a "beep beep" ... that was Ramon, charging up the hill like we were standing still. He and BottleRocket decided the Mt. Hamilton itself wasn't tough enough, so they threw in Quimby, then intersected with Mt. Hamilton. I think he needs to go back down and climb Quimby again, because he had way too much energy to be passing us so quickly and easily.

We were also passed by BottleRocket a little later. We chatted for awhile, then he wanted to catch up with the rest of the "Gladiators". I think we can include BottleRocket as one of the "Gladiators".

On the descent, who did I find off to the side of the road??? Taxi777. And what happened??? He got a flat. He was bombing down the hill like a madman ... well, I guess he caught one too many pebbles, and had to fix his flat.

There was this one car, that was going sooooo slow ... I think he pulled over 5 times during our descent. They were most likely tourists, as I think they were average 20 mph.

Met up with the rest of the crew back at the school. As luck would have it for Pete, I think he tried to pump up his tire a little more, and then got another blow out. I guess he's hitchin' a ride from BottleRocket.

All in all, a terrific ride. Thanks for the company Alan, Paula, Tim. It made the ride that much more fun riding with you.

Pics to follow.

The group left without me at the start, and people were starting to disperse once I got to the top, so I don't have much in the way of people pictures or a ride report.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/x136/rides/img_0905.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/x136/rides/img_0911.jpg

Couldn't have asked for nicer weather, and what a turnout! I had a great time. Powering up Hamilton really helped make up for an embarrassing Diablo showing a few days ago. Thanks for setting this up, Pete, and for signing me up against my will. ;) Hope you made it home without several more tires exploding on ya.

The gathering ...
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310001.jpg

Alan (SesameCrunch) new ride. He flew out to England just to pick it up. That's some dedication. I guess UPS, Fedex lost out there.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310002.jpg

Everyone re-acquainting with old friends
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310003.jpg

Jonathanb715 ... Aw, do you have to take my picture again?
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310004.jpg

Waiting and waiting ... Let's Get On With It
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310005.jpg

Off and running
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310006.jpg

Leaving the school
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310008.jpg

Climbing Alum Rock
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310009.jpg

Starting the climb
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310010.jpg

One of many overlooks, this one at the beginning of the climb
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310011.jpg

Spingineer taking a breather
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010013.jpg

Panoramic shot from top of Mt. Hamilton
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/panfromhamilton.jpg

SesameCrunch at top of Hamilton
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010018.jpg

Jin ... made it! I saw him cramping on the descent. Hope you are okay.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010017.jpg

My apologies ... I don't remember who this is.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010016.jpg

Superunleaded ... love that name
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010022.jpg

AlainP ... he always takes a great pic ... so photogenic
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010023.jpg

Blastradius ... showing it all off
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010025.jpg

Blastradius and Superunleaded ... showing off matching socks
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010026.jpg

Melissa ... Giddy Up
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010030.jpg

The gathering ...
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310001.jpgI count about thirty heads there. Nice!


Off and running
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P8310006.jpg...And off to the left of that picture, you'll find me, putting my shoes on, wondering where everyone is off to. :lol:

120 inch Telescope
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010029.jpg

Pete ... all smiles ... for now at least
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010031.jpg

OMG ... what did you do Pete? I guess you were just bombing down the hill so fast, you couldn't avoid that pebble ... flat????
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010034.jpg

What's that between your legs?
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010033.jpg

Pete, showing frustration ... blames it all on me ... :lol:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010032.jpg

The puncture bug bites again....who's next ?

Great photos guys. Keep 'em coming! Really enjoyed the ride and the good company. Got to climb up with Johnathanb in the beginning and finished up the ascent with Jinws and Lorri (?). The summit was chillier than I thought which made me glad I wore a base layer. Descending is always an issue for me but I got down in one piece this time although I heard someone took a spill near the bottom. The last 6-8 miles was a blast with the newly paved roads and smooth, quick descent. That's where Jin and I finally passed the lol (aka little old lady) who passed us by as Jin was nursing a cramp! Thanks, Pete, for setting up another great ride :thumb:.

Great ride everyone! By the way for those of you who I didn't get a chance to meet today, my name is Colin (white jersey, black shorts). My friend Will (neon green trek 2 decades old), sends his greetings as well!!

Kudos to Pete, thanks for the great ride. It was great to see familiar faces and to meet new people. That has to rank as my most difficult ascent so far. I must have stopped 10+ times before I reached the top. Thanks to Harold and Rob for waiting up for me before you guys descended. I was feeling so much like crap, it was great to ride down with somebody.

Oh, I almost took a spill too. I somehow ended up off roading on the ditch while descending.:eek: The only things I can think of was to stay upright, resist the urge to brake and somehow get back on the pavement without taking a spill. I have no idea how it happened but I did get back on the road safely. Man, someone must have been keeping an eye on me up "there".

Good job on the recovery, Tony :thumb:. Glad you got back in one piece.

Oh, I almost took a spill too. I somehow ended up off roading on the ditch while descending.:eek: The only things I can think of was to stay upright, resist the urge to brake and somehow get back on the pavement without taking a spill. I have no idea how it happened but I did get back on the road safely. Man, someone must have been keeping an eye on me up "there".Yikes. Some of those turns are a bit hard to read. Luckily you went off into a ditch instead of down a steep embankment!

My first time up Hamilton from this side. What a great workout. Met some nice folks today and caught up with some "old" friends as well. That's what's great about these BF rides.

It was also my first big ride with the new folder - a Moulton TSR30. It's a fully suspended road bike with small wheels. It was really great coming down the mountain with the suspension, that's for sure!

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e157/sesamecrunch/IMG_3449.jpg

Kudos to Pete for setting up the ride. He can sure draw a crowd!

Oh, I almost took a spill too. I somehow ended up off roading on the ditch while descending.:eek: The only things I can think of was to stay upright, resist the urge to brake and somehow get back on the pavement without taking a spill. I have no idea how it happened but I did get back on the road safely. Man, someone must have been keeping an eye on me up "there".

Wow, glad you made it down safe and sound, Tony. I've been a bit conservative on my descents, and I also swear by the light colored shades. It allows me to see the road better, especially when going from light to dark.

My first time up Hamilton, that was fun guys! I had done Diablo for the first time on Saturday, definitely was feeling it today, but not too bad.

Alan, Ron, Henry, and Tim, great riding with you guys. :thumb:

Tim, hope you heal up quick. Don't forget the ice and the anti-inflammatory and vitamin E. ;)
Tony, glad you made it safely down.

My camera is not doing very well (I busted the LCD screen) so I only managed a picture of my bike at the top.

http://paularickert.net/albums/userpics/hamilton2.JPG

You guys remember that funny looking peacock sitting on top of my head today? Well, we made a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM4uKvwy3K0

Hope you guys like it! :D

anybody wanna buy some bikes? I'm retiring!

You guys remember that funny looking peacock sitting on top of my head today? Well, we made a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM4uKvwy3K0

Hope you guys like it! :D

That was cool! I really enjoyed that stretch of road on the descent (although around 4 minutes into the video the white car was in your lane for no reason). I was expecting to see Pete freak out or something when you were riding up on him from behind!

anybody wanna buy some bikes? I'm retiring!

:eek: It's September 1, not April 1.

anybody wanna buy some bikes? I'm retiring!

Oh no, you're not! We're not letting ya! :p

Great photos guys. Keep 'em coming! Really enjoyed the ride and the good company. Got to climb up with Johnathanb in the beginning and finished up the ascent with Jinws and Lorri (?). The summit was chillier than I thought which made me glad I wore a base layer. Descending is always an issue for me but I got down in one piece this time although I heard someone took a spill near the bottom. The last 6-8 miles was a blast with the newly paved roads and smooth, quick descent. That's where Jin and I finally passed the lol (aka little old lady) who passed us by as Jin was nursing a cramp! Thanks, Pete, for setting up another great ride :thumb:.

hey, thanks for ridin with me when I got the cramp, would've definitly called for a ride if you weren't there.

and a big thanks to Mike for hooking me up with the magic little pill.

and Lorri, it was nice chatting with you on the way up.

My apologies ... I don't remember who this is.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/BF%201st%20Year%20Anniversary/P9010016.jpg



That was me, right after a blowing a big exhale from the gut.



and a big thanks to Mike for hooking me up with the magic little pill.


sure thing, dude. i tend to carry too much gear and stuff w/ me. glad it came in handy.

happy to meet and ride w/ y'all! ... and a pic ...

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/4972/s3700076wa5.jpg

Thanks for the ride everybody. It was nice to see such a big group turnout. I'm a little bummed we left without Alex.. that kinda sux man, sorry Alex.

Was good to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones. For those of you making your first climb up Hammy congrats!!

Wish I could have made a few more introductions, but there will be more rides for sure. We needed BF nametags for this ride, most of you would have done fine putting them on your back since that mostly what I saw today.

Lorri sup with that retirement? You could always join the "Nomads" <-- Motorcycle gang at the observatory, they liked you.. A LOT.. But we like you more so you can't retire, sorry.

EDIT: My attempt to do the no-handed wheelie up hamilton was foiled from the outset as I simply chickened out.. But hey, I'm sure this dude didn't get it on his first try: (from ride thread)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_6lSLuwU6Q <-- I can't get enough of this for some reason

Here is our 1 picture from the day. It's not even original as we copied the idea from Pete:(. Hey Kari couldn't resist, and who am I to argue.
http://usera.imagecave.com/BoilerCyclist/Mt.Hammy-Mirror.jpg

Great ride all!! I will try to do a longer writeup once I get my wits together. I ended up with around 65 miles today and was hurting on the home stretch. I have two sets of shout outs though: first, to the 'ride to the start' crew - 1jack and pat, steverino, lorri and pete. Second, the climb pals: rumbutter, david/monkeytom, ifox and annie. Gonna sleep well tonight :)

Fantastic ride today...........for the most part. So it seems that the only two people out of the whole group to tackle Quimby also happened to be drummers.........that's saying something (but I'm not quite sure what). Quimby was a *****. It always seems whenever I ride in the South Bay or Peninsula I'm never happy with my gearing. That last section was a challenge in the 39/25 and it took quite a bit out of me for the rest of the day, but it made the rest of Hamilton feel like a cakewalk.

It was great to talk with Ron and Paula on the way up a bit about music. Ron you're probably more of a musician than you think.

So yeah........I had a little spill on the way down at the last hairpin. I think I was feeling a little too confident at that point and had just passed another rider so I was taking it a bit too hot. I know I've taken corners at that angle before so it was a bit of a shock when I could feel my front tire and then my rear tire start sliding. There was no way to save it at that point so I did a little slide in to home base on my right side. I think that corner was a bit slicker than the others with all the leftover tire rubber melting in the heat. That's my theory anyways.

Thanks to everybody, especially Lori and Paula, for the advice on patching myself up. And thanks also to rumbutter and wife for the little antiseptic wipes of pain, the ibuprofin and the bacitracin. After the most painful shower of my life I'm all cleaned and wrapped up and am feeling pretty good. My wounds looked a lot less impressive after getting the dirt out. My forearm lost the most skin and the rash on my leg is not too serious (I'm a newly converted leg shaver from now on!) But I do have a nice welt on my hip that I'm icing right now. My bibshorts and jersey are salvageable. My bike and ego are the worst off (no frame damage by the way.....whew).

Got to catch up with Pete on the way home. All in all it was a good day.

I'm going too feel this in the morning :(

I'm a little bummed we left without Alex.. that kinda sux man, sorry Alex.Ah well, no biggie. I'm sure I was late by that point. I had initially arrived 20-25 minutes early, so I figured I had time to hit a restroom before I pulled in. Of course, I couldn't easily find one... :rolleyes:

Regardless, I would have gotten dropped soon after anyway. :P Thankfully Henry stuck around to help me find my way in the right direction. I would have felt really dumb had I given up and gone home, only to find that the route consisted entirely of "turn right, climb for twenty miles, then turn around."

From the pics and reports it looks like everyone had a good time...flats notwithstanding. :innocent:

I wish we could do every BF ride, but dang! So many rides, so little time.

We hope to make it next time.

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay127.jpg

So let me tell you how I really feel…

This very day last year… I couldn’t ride my bike 2 feet, let alone be able to sprint the last hundred yards trying to catch the likes of Henry and staying a wheel in front of the Bottle Rocket!

I couldn’t imagine I would live to see the next week…let alone the next year.

So let me tell you what I really feel…

Even though this has been the most difficult time of my life… It has been the most beautiful and enriching time…I’ve learned more about life and people than I ever thought possible.

I am going to tell you exactly how I really feel…

Every one of you is more important to me than you could ever imagine and you have affected me so deeply, you may never know how much …You have made life worth living.

You are all such wonderful and complicated beings… How does one ever get bored or lonely with such beautiful souls?

Sorry if I’m a little “Sappy”, but this is the way I really feel…

Pete

PS. I’m also sorry if I missed some shots of any of you…It was hard to keep track of all you crazy people. I really love my NorCal Family!

Thanks for making me feel life.

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay135.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay136.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay146.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/PeteMelissa.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay128.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay132.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay134.jpg

...

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay094.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay102.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay103.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay104copy.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay106.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay108.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay110.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay111.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay113.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/HenryAlexcopy.jpg

Great gathering everyone, had a good time riding hamilton again and met a few more people along the way to the top.

Here's some pictures of two 1st timers i met on the way to the top:

Tony of Sunnyvale - congrats to the top
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/2819865333_2a48c904ab_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/2819862965_86f225288d_b.jpg

Some pictures of Rob from San Francisco - hope you get more long rides in the future with the group.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2819865101_c582e426ab_b.jpg

A picture of myself
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/2820706918_9d2fa0dd43_b.jpg

Candid shots:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3053/2819864613_912accbcf5_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/2820706096_20d31e3c6a_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3201/2820705330_060a931cc8_b.jpg


See ya all next time!

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay002.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay003.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay004.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay006.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay020.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay066.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay077.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay091.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/AlainKerry.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/BFGang.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Collage1.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/DaveAlain.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/bf1-1.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/DaveLisa-2.jpg

flats notwithstanding. :innocent:Pete's a good man. Took a sacrificial flat (okay, two) so none of the rest of us would be inconvenienced!

Thanks for making me feel life.:beer:


http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/LaborDay135.jpgAw crap, I thought I'd made it through this one without being photographed. You're a sneaky one. :P

:beer:

Aw crap, I thought I'd made it through this one without being photographed. You're a sneaky one. :P

TWICE DUDE!!! You forgot about this one!!
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/HenryAlexcopy.jpg



Bwahahahahh!!!!!:twitchy:

Hey what happened to the autobus? I'm definitely confirmed as the lanterne rouge of the group.

The good news: I got to see everybody, and I made it to the top.

The bad news: I got to see everybody only twice -- once at the start, and second time when I was still climbing and everyone else was descending.

Anyway, great ride, glad I did it, really enjoyed the hillsides especially when we crossed out of the Valley into the Joseph Grant Park and then Mt. Hamilton.

And I may be the only one who got to see quail scurrying across the road in the late afternoon.

Statistics: 3:45 saddle time going out, 1:30 return. Actual time: too embarrassed to say. :o

Hey pete! you are one sappy dude!

but it's all good, I'm sure I can speak for all when I say we always enjoy your company. and as always, thanks for taking so many pics and posting/organizing them.

So let me tell you how I really feel…


Pete:

You know it goes both ways. You've enriched us as well.

Your recovery is amazing, I'm sure your doctors don't know what to make of you :thumb: You should be a poster boy.

Pete:

You know it goes both ways. You've enriched us as well.

Your recovery is amazing, I'm sure your doctors don't know what to make of you :thumb: You're should be a poster boy.

just in case you're not sick of hearing this yet, your bike is a piece of art. I'm sure it rides great too, but it looks soooo good. That Brooks package just puts it over the top, love it!

congrats on the new addition.

Pete,
As others have said, thanks for putting this on. Met a lot of very nice people and looking forward to more rides in the future :D

Regards,
Gunther - aka - Im2dt - aka - Eric

Pete was faking; I was gaining on him on that descent before he "had a flat". I'm on to you, buddy!!

first, thanks to Pete for putting together such a fun group yesterday. also, thanks to the guys who helped me up the top of the climb -- I can't remember your names, then again, I couldn't remember my name while we were climbing.

yesterday was pretty messy for me, but a great lesson. I've been focusing on weight loss the past month or so and sustaining a pretty significant caloric deficit to do so. of course, this means not a lot of glycogen in the tank for longer bouts of exercise. I felt pretty good on the first section, averaging about 240 watts and riding just behind the lead group of guys. but somewhere near Grant Ranch, my glycogen stores were depleted, and the rest of the ride was a struggle. I'll honestly say it was probably the worst ride in my 10-year riding career. my average power was down to about 160 watts -- I could barely move my legs.

lesson learned: long rides + caloric deficits = bonk

typically when I'm focused on weight loss, I don't do anything longer than about 90 minutes. but Hamilton sounded fun. I should've either not ridden Hamilton, or I should've upped my caloric intake for a couple of days prior.

but even though I was miserable, it was great meeting so many of you. and thanks again to the guys who stuck with me to the top!

Lorri

Nice pics/report everyone!

I seem to always miss the Labor Day ride. :(

Hey what happened to the autobus? I'm definitely confirmed as the lanterne rouge of the group.

You made it, and that's what counts. :thumb: :beer:


And I may be the only one who got to see quail scurrying across the road in the late afternoon.

Henry, Tim and I did catch sight of some turkeys on our descent.

Pete,

Thanks for organizing the ride and thanks for the great pics!

Henry, Tim and I did catch sight of some turkeys on our descent.

I almost ran over a squirrel on the way down. He darted across the road right in front of me. Missed him by about a foot. My heart was in my throat at that point!

OTOH, that would have been a good test of the bike's suspension:D