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04-11-09, 09:09 PM
All I can say is, this was an epic ride. But then again, when are my rides not epic? lol
We had a small, but nice turnout. We had taxi777, mellum76, ygduf, reidconti (who met us in Los Gatos), and kankou (this is the first BF ride for him). All were stronger than me, but remember folks ... this is not a competition, so please ... no wagering! :lol:
Oh, a last minute addition ... Marco and Ruth joined us, because they woke up too late to make it to the DMD training ride ... their loss, our gain. :rolleyes:
We headed out under some cloudy skies, but it never really threatened during the day. In the end, the cloud coverage was good for us, so that we wouldn't be so drained from the climbs.
Majority of the group wanted to do Bohlman/On Orbit, since we would be riding past there, might as well add that ... I guess Hicks Road itself is not enough ... but did they actually see the elevation profile? I later looked at the whole ride elevation profile, and Hicks looked to be similar in grade to Bohlman. Oh well ... Everyone went ahead, like a heard of cows, and went up the climb. This was an epic climb. Sierra, Joaquin, Quimby? Doesn't even compare.
After coming down the hill, Marco noticed the headset on the tandem felt a bit loose. We had to go find Summit Bicycles, in downtown Los Gatos, and do some very quick repairs. I was talking to the mechanic at Summit, and told him the tandem made it up Bohlman/On Orbit. He was shocked! Hey, that's saying something when the billy goats at the bike shop are surprised seeing a tandem go up there.
Off we go, and when we started on Kennedy, I already started feeling a strain in my legs. Oh boy ... and then I head towards the back. Hicks started out okay ... nice little rollies, and then, about 1-2 miles before the top at Mt. Umunhum Rd, it started to kick up. I don't have any pictures of this, but I could see the tandem, reidconti, and a few others, tacking up the hill. I should have stopped to take a picture of it, because it was pretty funny seeing that ... oh well. I guess the difficulty of this climb took everyone by surprise.
Up at Mt. Umunhum Rd, we stopped at the restroom, but no water there. Damn ... I think the next time we do this ride, I need to tell everyone to load up on water ... top it off in Los Gatos, because you will need it ... no water available until you get down the other side on Almaden Expy.
After returning back to Los Gatos, I really started to feel weak. Not sure if you could say I bonked, but I didn't have the zip in my legs. I took my time, and didn't try to even get close to the last rider in the pack ... just slowly make it over the hill. I did eat, and I did drink, but I don't think it took effect till much later on ... like when we got to Cupertino?
We stopped by a 7-11, filled up with cold water ... emphasize ... cold water. Also had an ice cream bar ... it may not be the best for you on the ride, but it sure felt really good.
I think the cold water did give me some zip back. I was able to hang on in the front of the pack, on the way back home.
Stats:
83 miles, 7144 feet climbing (oops ... that's the stats from my house to the start).
Pics to come later ... maybe after I regain my energy back?
We had a small, but nice turnout. We had taxi777, mellum76, ygduf, reidconti (who met us in Los Gatos), and kankou (this is the first BF ride for him). All were stronger than me, but remember folks ... this is not a competition, so please ... no wagering! :lol:
Oh, a last minute addition ... Marco and Ruth joined us, because they woke up too late to make it to the DMD training ride ... their loss, our gain. :rolleyes:
We headed out under some cloudy skies, but it never really threatened during the day. In the end, the cloud coverage was good for us, so that we wouldn't be so drained from the climbs.
Majority of the group wanted to do Bohlman/On Orbit, since we would be riding past there, might as well add that ... I guess Hicks Road itself is not enough ... but did they actually see the elevation profile? I later looked at the whole ride elevation profile, and Hicks looked to be similar in grade to Bohlman. Oh well ... Everyone went ahead, like a heard of cows, and went up the climb. This was an epic climb. Sierra, Joaquin, Quimby? Doesn't even compare.
After coming down the hill, Marco noticed the headset on the tandem felt a bit loose. We had to go find Summit Bicycles, in downtown Los Gatos, and do some very quick repairs. I was talking to the mechanic at Summit, and told him the tandem made it up Bohlman/On Orbit. He was shocked! Hey, that's saying something when the billy goats at the bike shop are surprised seeing a tandem go up there.
Off we go, and when we started on Kennedy, I already started feeling a strain in my legs. Oh boy ... and then I head towards the back. Hicks started out okay ... nice little rollies, and then, about 1-2 miles before the top at Mt. Umunhum Rd, it started to kick up. I don't have any pictures of this, but I could see the tandem, reidconti, and a few others, tacking up the hill. I should have stopped to take a picture of it, because it was pretty funny seeing that ... oh well. I guess the difficulty of this climb took everyone by surprise.
Up at Mt. Umunhum Rd, we stopped at the restroom, but no water there. Damn ... I think the next time we do this ride, I need to tell everyone to load up on water ... top it off in Los Gatos, because you will need it ... no water available until you get down the other side on Almaden Expy.
After returning back to Los Gatos, I really started to feel weak. Not sure if you could say I bonked, but I didn't have the zip in my legs. I took my time, and didn't try to even get close to the last rider in the pack ... just slowly make it over the hill. I did eat, and I did drink, but I don't think it took effect till much later on ... like when we got to Cupertino?
We stopped by a 7-11, filled up with cold water ... emphasize ... cold water. Also had an ice cream bar ... it may not be the best for you on the ride, but it sure felt really good.
I think the cold water did give me some zip back. I was able to hang on in the front of the pack, on the way back home.
Stats:
83 miles, 7144 feet climbing (oops ... that's the stats from my house to the start).
Pics to come later ... maybe after I regain my energy back?