Northern California - 2008 Your Cycling Year In Review: Post Here

Like Pizza Man I feel incredibly lucky to have the Bay Area as my personal biking playground. I will probably be moving out of the area within 6-18 months (depending on when my girlfriend finds out where her doctoral internship site is). Until then I'm trying to wring the most out of my time here!

Sorry to hear you might be leaving!

You better get in all the rides you can.

I will probably be moving out of the area within 6-18 months (depending on when my girlfriend finds out where her doctoral internship site is). Until then I'm trying to wring the most out of my time here!

There's always Online Degrees :D



Maybe a Sierra foothills BF ride in ‘09?

That'd be swell, but planned well ahead so we can make sure to get that time free.

Climb all of the big three Bay Area mountains - still have Mt. Diablo to do.
.

Henry: If the weather cooperates, I'll still ride up with you before the year is out!!!


Alan, that was a highlight for me too. :)

:thumb: :love:

It is great to read about everyone's successes.

I am a copy cat so I thought I would use Velodiva's format.:D

A look back at 2008 racing season:
We have been training with the Russians now for one year (started December 2007). We have been very dedicated, not missing a workout and following the program. I have made a lot of progress with a lot of work to do.

By far, the highlight of the year was watching my wife win the Masters Track National Championship in the 2k individual pursuit. Yes, I participated as well and beat a couple of guys which was a great feeling at that level of competition.

A review of the statistics with some short commentary:
# crashes: 0
# falls: 0
# cycling-related injuries: 0
# friends made through cycling: Many
# new bikes: 3 (Cervelo R3, Cervelo P2C and Planet X Pro Carbon Track)
# pounds lost: 0
% body fat change: 5 % down

# Races this year: 21
4 hill climbs
10 time trials (3 tandem TTs (one unsanctioned)), 7 ITT (5 unsanctioned)
2 road races (1 circuit race)
0 crits
5 track events (3 unsanctioned)

Details
Hill Climbs:
WebCor King of the Mountain
Mt. Diablo Hill Climb
Mt. Tam
Mt. Hamilton Low Key Hill Climb

Time Trials:
Berkeley Hills TTT
Bay Area Senior Games
Dunlop TT
Northern CA/Nevada Tandem TT State Championship
Esparto TT
Canada Beat Beat the Clock TTs

Road Races/Circuit Races:
• Spring Hill Road Race
• Diamond Valley State Championship Road Race

Track:
Beat the Clock: 2K, 3K pursuits on my Cervelo TT road bike
Track Masters National Championship: 500 meter; 2K individual pursuit

We finished the season with a fabulous 10 day tandem tour of Mallorca – highlights were the epic Col de Soller climb and the climb out to the Formentor Lighthouse – great times shared with new and old friends.

Looking forward to 2009 – goals are set.

Great thread!

Highlights:

Met P-Zippy!

Saw Curtis on the bike path once or twice.

Completed San Jose LAC, first Century since 1978 - met many nice people, great experience!

Hoped to get over 4K miles after ~3,500 in 2007 (too lazy t' get up and look); so far 4528.

Big One:

I now work 4.5 miles (by bike) from home instead of 167 miles, so I can ride every day! ...and see my family every day!!

Big One #2: Enjoy riding.

2009: Hope to ratchet up the miles over 5K (and speed) complete several Centuries, for sure the Wildflower and San Jose LAC, have fun! and get skinnier.

Alan, that was a highlight for me too. :)Ditto.

There's no party like an Alan Bike Party. :beer:

I'm hoping for another ride or two but:

Miles: 4,673 - I was just so busy I didn't have time to do group rides, so this is about 95% solo.

Ascent: 397,616 (I'd like to hit 400k hence the need for another ride this year)

Ascent per mile: 85 and what is cool about this is that about 90% of the miles were from my house. There just isn't a flat option.

Average Speed: 16.02

Even with some lunch stops on long rides, my cumulative stopped time (stoplights and two flats included) was only 8 hours out of 300 hours, almost 3 hours attributable to just two group rides. Not bad time efficiency though.

If I base my accomplishments as compared to y'all, I ain't done diddly.
Luckily I only really compare myself to what I could do a year ago.
I'm 55 and this year I started riding in ways that the 30 year rider I once was wouldn't even attempt.
I'm pretty happy with my year, yeah.
A lot of things came off the list... I start on the remainder next year :D

Organized rides....

Solvang Century
Tour of the Unknown Coast
The Death Ride (all 5)
AdventureCorps Shasta Corps Camp
Shasta Summit Super century (135 miles/16500')
Tahoe Sierra Century (only the Metric, but pulling my 2 boys on the Sovereign/Piccolo)
Death Valley Double Century

Miscellaneous....

Monitor Pass-through the deep snow in April...
Camping/riding in Markleeville nearly every weekend from early April 'till the Deathride....
Climbing Monitor Pass on fathers day with my boys on the Sovereign/Piccolo
Riding up Ebbetts with my 5yo stokin' the Sovereign...
Numerous training rides up and over Donner Summit with my boys on the Sovereign/Piccolo
Climbing Nacimiento Fergussen on the way to Solvang in March
MTB the Marin Headlands & Mt. Tam (up rock spring & over rocky ridge...)
MTB with my 5yo on the back of the Picante with my 8yo riding his own.... North of stampede & Blue Lakes/wet meadows
Finally Riding my track bike at Hellyer

I had a great year!

1. I took up flatland BMX again at age 33. This connected me with a few childhood friends and I've met many new ones. I wish I never quit (I'd probably be pretty damn good by now!), but that's life. It's amazing what the body remembers after 17 years. My body did forget how much crashing on a 20" bike hurts, though. It's a lot of fun, but pretty painful if I ride for longer than 5 hours. Oh, BTW, here's a vid of me and my friends - grown men on little kids bikes (little kids bikes that cost thousands of dollars!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C30D6ZXnFBw

2. The wife and I graduated from hybrids to real road bikes. This changed my way of pursuing road riding and I feel much better/stable/faster/goal oriented on my Scattante CFR Race bike. I've been averaging about 200 miles a month, which is decent for a somebody who battles with time constraints. The wife took a nasty spill that's kept her off the bike for teh past few weeks. Cracked rib, bruised hand, etc. Her helmet saved her life!

3. Got a track bike that I have yet to take to the track. It's wonderful for changing up my road ride route, though.

4. I built a utility bike. It's a 1989 Schwinn Cruiser with 700c wheels w/coaster brake and BMX handlebars. I have the two biggest baskets both on the front and rear Wald offers. This year I took it to go Christmas shopping while other sat around waiting for parking spaces. :)

2009 will be the year of the MTB. I just ordered a Motobecane Outcast 29er SS and I'm ready to try trail riding again.

2008 was a re-do of all the riding I was trying to do in the past, but never was able to get a handle on it. I've always ridden, but this year I really focused on training (on and off the bike) and diet. I'm also reading a book "Bike for Life - Ride to 100" and it's basically changed my entire view of cycling.

I had a great year!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C30D6ZXnFBw

"Bike for Life - Ride to 100" and it's basically changed my entire view of cycling.

DuDE!!!! Freaking Awesome!!!! Rock on Bro!

great writeup story

I still have yet to do San Bruno Mountain. Too late to sign up for the race on New Year's Day. One of these days I'll make it up there. Otherwise, I feel like I've conquered most of the big ones here, including Mt. Hamilton, Mt. Diablo, Mt. Tam, Sierra Road, Montebello ... only one's I haven't done are Bohlman/On Orbit (and no real urge to), Welch Creek Rd (again, no real urge to), Soda Springs Road, and Mt. Umunum. But the quandry is what to train for next year ... long distance, or mountains?

I still have yet to do San Bruno Mountain. Too late to sign up for the race on New Year's Day. One of these days I'll make it up there. Otherwise, I feel like I've conquered most of the big ones here, including Mt. Hamilton, Mt. Diablo, Mt. Tam, Sierra Road, Montebello ... only one's I haven't done are Bohlman/On Orbit (and no real urge to), Welch Creek Rd (again, no real urge to), Soda Springs Road, and Mt. Umunum. But the quandry is what to train for next year ... long distance, or mountains?

Ron, why don't you just come up to watch and wait at the top, that way you can do the mountain and cheer us on?

Climbing Monitor Pass on fathers day with my boys on the Sovereign/Piccolo

It is great riding with your kids, isn't it?
I think there are going to be some strong cyclists in NorCal in the future judging from how many kids are mentioned in this thread.

By the way, climb much? ;)

But the quandary is what to train for next year ... long distance, or mountains?

Yes. :D


Veronica

Yes. :D


Veronica

:lol:

Perfect answer! :D

Ron, why don't you just come up to watch and wait at the top, that way you can do the mountain and cheer us on?

Bringin' on the cowbells!

Jack Tripper totally kicked my ass up and down OLH and Kings for 55 miles and about 5000'.

You bonked, that's all. Great riding you've been doing since then!

Didn't do too much in terms of riding in 2008. Commuted more often, and also took my folder to two different countries. The highlight of the year, though, is the chance to meet many of the BF'ers. This community is incredible.

Thoroughly enjoyed drafting and climbing...probably more the former than later. What's with that heart-pounding feeling you get while climbing anyway? :lol: I look forward to meeting many more of you, to climb more, to ride further, and to eat more pastries!

Also, as an old photographer, we need a PHOTO category....