Northern California - July 5th East Bay BF Kit ride pics

Excellent turnout for today's ride. I'm not sure why, but Richard always seems to get good attendance at his rides. It must be his magnetic personality.

The ride started off at a blistering pace (at least for me) down SPDR. After that my legs were cooked and I only did the first half of the ride (note to self: don't try and keep up with the fast folks).

I experienced my first dog attack. Brentley and I were struggling up Acalanes and this dog races in from the right and starts barking and getting in front of my wheel. I decided that it would be better to plow ahead than stop and let him have a good shot at me. After hitting him a few times with my front tire, he starts nipping at my shoes. Fortunately, he gets distracted and starts going at Brentley and this cyclist who was going downhill. I stopped a little bit up the hill and turned around to see Brentley stopped and yelling at the dog.

Brentley and I missed the rest stop and I was getting very tired so I caught up with Brentley outside of Moraga and told him that I was turning around. He took off to try and catch up with everyone else, which turned out to be futile since they were behind us at a rest stop. I know that since I saw them going the other way as I made my way back to Orinda.

Curtis, here is the pic you wanted.

http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/CliffLowe/July%205%202010%20Jersey%20ride/IMG_1298.jpg
http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/CliffLowe/July%205%202010%20Jersey%20ride/IMG_1299.jpg
http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/CliffLowe/July%205%202010%20Jersey%20ride/IMG_1300.jpg
http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/CliffLowe/July%205%202010%20Jersey%20ride/IMG_1301.jpg
http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/CliffLowe/July%205%202010%20Jersey%20ride/IMG_1302.jpg

Thanks for the photos!
You guys look MARVELOUS.

Yes, the kit looks fabulous. Much better is real than in photos.

I also bailed out early from the ride. Had to be back home. My ride was 25 miles and 2,200' as I started and ended the ride from home.
As Cliff said, Beaker's rides always have great turnaround, for good reason. The route today was very nicely selected with climbs evenly spaced. It was my first time on Happy Valley Rd. from Briones to Lafayette, I have ridden it many times but always in the other direction. Although it is said to be tougher this way I found the climb very enjoyable.
I wish I could have stay longer as Acalanes toward Glorietta would have been a first as well.
After a month off the bike the brisk pace on SPDR was a killer, the young studs went for a gun shot start, I tried to stay at the end of the paceline as long as I could but had to bail and get into a more conservative groove. Henry was very nice to come back and pull ahmose and myself back closer to the group but I never caught up with them. At the first climb I used Brentley and Cliff as rabbits but again only made contact at the regroup at the turnout into Happy Valley. In between it was like being on a rubber leash, I was getting closer on the climbs and then getting farther back the rest of the time.
Thanks again Richard for this nicely orchestrated ride. It was great seeing some familiar as well as new faces.

Thanks for the ride today guys! Rough day in the saddle for me :roflmao2: bit too much fun on the 4th and i was suffering a bit! Skipped breakfast do to nausea and paid the price later on Palomares haha.

Looking forward to the next one :D great meeting you all :)

Great photos as always Cliff - I ended up with 60miles and 5500ft, my longest ride since WCC. Felt pretty good for the first half of the ride and kept pace in the no mans land group of me, Jack, Henry and Ron. Had a good climb up Happy Valley, then Scottie called to inform me tha only impulse power would be available for the rest of the ride, so Pinehurst, Tunnel and Grizzly saw me leading like a good general, from the very back.

Kudos to Adam, our unofficial ride lead. sadly a wrong turn after Happy Valley splintered us off. Unsure where Georges, Brent and Cliff might be we pushed ahead and met the same dog on Acalanes as mentioned above, Adam took one for the team by dismounting and fending him off.

All in all, perfect weather, great company, and I survived. Onwards.

Thanks for the ride today guys! Rough day in the saddle for me :roflmao2: bit too much fun on the 4th and i was suffering a bit! Skipped breakfast do to nausea and paid the price later on Palomares haha.

Looking forward to the next one :D great meeting you all :)

I'd hate to be on the receiving end of a good day for you Keith! Hope to hang with you a little longer next rime

Great ride everyone! Good to see everyone and meet some new folks as well. My legs=fried.

I'd hate to be on the receiving end of a good day for you Keith!

+1

+1

thx guys - cheers ;-)

http://www.vimeo.com/13108912

Good turnout. Good to see the "white sleeves" memo was well received. What I'd planned as a recovery day was anything but, with 3-4 really tough spots trying to keep up with (and being dropped by) Keith and Adam. Now that it's over, it was fun.

Hopefully some of you EB folks can find your way over to the WB Skyline. It's like yours, with less traffic and better scenery. :P

What about these "white sleeves"? I kept looking at them, it was like you all had them and they looked much thinner and nicer for warm weather compared to mine. Are they specially made for warm temps?

What about these "white sleeves"? I kept looking at them, it was like you all had them and they looked much thinner and nicer for warm weather compared to mine. Are they specially made for warm temps?

I wear this. I like them a lot.

http://shop.pearlizumi.com/product.php?mode=view&pc_id=50&product_id=1499883&outlet=

What about these "white sleeves"? I kept looking at them, it was like you all had them and they looked much thinner and nicer for warm weather compared to mine. Are they specially made for warm temps?

Yeah, there are several brands (PI, Capo, etc.) that make lightweight arm covers with UV protection for warmer temps. I lucked out and got my Capos for free and I wear them all the time. The PI's seem to be the better price though.

Same here. I quite like the arm coolers as they provide good UV protection, but will also give a little bit of extra warmth when you hit some colder patches, such as when we started off on SPDR and went over the ridge to Montclair. Not sure they'd work on a super hot day.

Like Chris, I thought it was pretty neat that we all got that part of the kit right to. The next phase is to persuade Bassem to change his bar/tape to white too.


Good turnout. Good to see the "white sleeves" memo was well received. What I'd planned as a recovery day was anything but, with 3-4 really tough spots trying to keep up with (and being dropped by) Keith and Adam. Now that it's over, it was fun.

Hopefully some of you EB folks can find your way over to the WB Skyline. It's like yours, with less traffic and better scenery. :P

I dunno, the views on the Grizzly section across the bay are pretty nice...still you are quite right. A few more of these type of rides and I'll be ready for a peninsula epic again.

I wear underarmor heatgear as a baselayer. it wicks/dries super fast, has 50 UPF for the sleeves, and feels as cool as open skin, if not cooler with the white reflecting solar radiation.

I used to just feel sun-baked and cooked, regardless of how much sunscreen I put on. The sleeves are way more consistent (not to mention cleaner) than sunscreen. I don't feel sun-stroked at the end of rides anymore.

Hmm - might have to try that out Chris. I was demo'ing a Craft sleeveless mesh base layer today, $20 from Chain Reaction - me likey.

Craft makes good stuff. I have always been very pleased with their products.

I agree with Chris these white sleeves are a lot more appealing than putting sunscreen on.

Like Chris, I thought it was pretty neat that we all got that part of the kit right to. The next phase is to persuade Bassem to change his bar/tape to white too.

I like the white bar tape too but how guys keep them clean? I put some on the tandem, they were a mess after the first ride. I like to mess around with the mechanism part of the bike. They were easy to clean though but I am not the type who cleans the bike after each ride.

fizik white bartape doesn't get dirty as fast. it's fairly slick stuff, not as porous.

Wow, I didn't even notice the almost universal use of arm warmers/coolers at first. I've been thinking of getting a set, being that my rate of forgetting to wear sunscreen nears 100%. Of the white variety, there never seems to be a matching set for legs, though.

Yup, that was a great ride. I was really antsy for this ride too, since it was the only day I could go ride (even though it was a long 3-day weekend ... go figure ... at least I didn't have to work today).

Regarding the pace, any time you have a slight downhill or tailwind at the beginning of a ride, you are almost guaranteed to have a blistering pace. Plus, it was a bit frigid at the beginning, so my theory is we all wanted to push the pace so we could warm up. How's that for a lame excuse?

A few action shots ...

http://spingineer.smugmug.com/Cycling/2010-BF-Kit-Ride/IMG1549/924632661_qD8bp-M.jpg

Look, a Jack citing .... we have proof he exists!!!!!
http://spingineer.smugmug.com/Cycling/2010-BF-Kit-Ride/IMG1553/924633573_SDTNx-M.jpg

http://spingineer.smugmug.com/Cycling/2010-BF-Kit-Ride/IMG1550/924632887_6HVjH-M.jpg

http://spingineer.smugmug.com/Cycling/2010-BF-Kit-Ride/IMG1551/924633107_hxboX-M.jpg

http://spingineer.smugmug.com/Cycling/2010-BF-Kit-Ride/IMG1552/924633347_xdXBm-M.jpg

http://spingineer.smugmug.com/Cycling/2010-BF-Kit-Ride/IMG1554/924633776_CaZSq-M.jpg

http://spingineer.smugmug.com/Cycling/2010-BF-Kit-Ride/IMG1555/924633963_XKp9o-M.jpg

http://spingineer.smugmug.com/Cycling/2010-BF-Kit-Ride/IMG1559/924634944_pTddF-M.jpg

More pics at http://spingineer.smugmug.com/Cycling/2010-BF-Kit-Ride/12821532_aPRvd#924632887_6HVjH

http://spingineer.smugmug.com/Cycling/2010-BF-Kit-Ride/IMG1555/924633963_XKp9o-M.jpg


That's what Pinehurst on impulse power looks like.

"She canny take no more cap'n"

BayAreaWheeler setting the pace up SPDR.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4767504830_140fc504c1_z.jpg

Everyone strung out behind BayAreaWheeler
ygduf, benridin, spingineer
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4766866343_514908080c_z.jpg
beaker, jack650, powpow, robocheme
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4766866793_c0eec16edd_z.jpg

ygduf
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4766867247_aef7033050_z.jpg
ygduf, powpow
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4767506432_10684eb64b_z.jpg
powpow
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4766868175_5c3d9e5708_z.jpg
benridin
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4767507338_24fe8c36c6_z.jpg
jack650
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4766869091_36e9e412f6_z.jpg
ahmose
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4766869507_3f0247f305_z.jpg

gotta say, I like the jersey, but those bibs might be reduced to commuting duty. Pad wasn't fantastic, the bunching fabric doesn't look the best. And they're so short that my tan line is showing.

Lastly, looks like I could afford to lose 3-5" off the length of my arms. Are they really that long?

gotta say, I like the jersey, but those bibs might be reduced to commuting duty. Pad wasn't fantastic, the bunching fabric doesn't look the best. And they're so short that my tan line is showing.

Lastly, looks like I could afford to lose 3-5" off the length of my arms. Are they really that long?

the Tan is epic, keep it.

Great ride, Richard. Thanks for organizing it, what with minimizing traffic on the route, dialing in the weather, and providing some good scenery. It was good to catch up with the familiar faces, and to meet new ones. I think the only person I didn't get to say hi to was Brently. Perhaps next time. Let's do something in the Peninsula soon.

I am sorry I had to miss this one. I went up to Sonoma County and rode in Levi country on King Ridge for the first time.
66 miles / 6k climbing. I wore my new BF jersey with pride.

Thanks Richard for organizing such a great ride.
I had serious doubts at first that i was going to wake up in time to make that 56 mile trek from home in South Bay to Orinda, but i'm glad i did.
Route was very scenic, i should definitely try to ride in that part of the bay area again.
Some random pictures:
Our fearless ride leader
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy329/ba553m/BF-Norcal-EastBay-072010/July-2010002.jpg
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy329/ba553m/BF-Norcal-EastBay-072010/July-2010003.jpg
Paceline featuring the new BF kits
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy329/ba553m/BF-Norcal-EastBay-072010/July-2010008.jpg
Jack with some much needed water, generously donated by a stranger
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy329/ba553m/BF-Norcal-EastBay-072010/July-2010017.jpg
Chris and Henry during a quick stop at Peet's.
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy329/ba553m/BF-Norcal-EastBay-072010/July-2010026.jpg
benridin enjoying the views of the bay.
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy329/ba553m/BF-Norcal-EastBay-072010/July-2010029.jpg
jack back at the Orinda Bart station
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy329/ba553m/BF-Norcal-EastBay-072010/July-2010038.jpg
Recovery food (not the ideal combination of carbs/protein i'm sure)
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy329/ba553m/BF-Norcal-EastBay-072010/July-2010046.jpg
Recovery desert:
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy329/ba553m/BF-Norcal-EastBay-072010/July-2010045.jpg

jack back at the Orinda Bart station
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy329/ba553m/BF-Norcal-EastBay-072010/July-2010038.jpg

This gets my vote for best photo of the day, maybe the year.

Recovery food (not the ideal combination of carbs/protein i'm sure)
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy329/ba553m/BF-Norcal-EastBay-072010/July-2010046.jpg

I've had these at La Mediterranee. So good. I'm hungry now.

That looks really tasty! What exactly is it?

This gets my vote for best photo of the day, maybe the year.

Jack has such a swimmer's build. Too big for cycling!

Those are some flashy kits. One might not know who was hungover, who was ready to go, who showed up for the pic and went home. Chapeau to the designer.

That looks really tasty! What exactly is it?
We ended up getting the fillo combination dish from La Mediterranee (/http://www.lamediterranee.net/pages/lamedberkeley.html) in Berkeley. The desert one is stuffed with dates and nuts.

What about these "white sleeves"? I kept looking at them, it was like you all had them and they looked much thinner and nicer for warm weather compared to mine. Are they specially made for warm temps?
Forgot to mention that i got mine on sale from Velowear UV protectors (http://www.velowear.com/products/1240182WHTSML.aspx)
I got the idea for UV arm warmers initially from Beaker at the WWC.
So I decided to buy them since the wife is not thrilled with the "weird" tanlines, in addition to the comments at work.
I like them so far. I feel the sizing maybe a bit off, YMMV ofcourse.
White bar tape would match nicely, but i don't have the skillz to change it myself !

I wear underarmor heatgear as a baselayer.

Sorry to derail this thread even further, but +1 to this. I LOVE UA stuff, for cycling and snow sports. I wear it on every ride.

Sorry to derail this thread even further, but +1 to this. I LOVE UA stuff, for cycling and snow sports. I wear it on every ride.

long sleeves prevent skin cancer!

Forgot to mention that i got mine on sale from Velowear UV protectors (http://www.velowear.com/products/1240182WHTSML.aspx)
I got the idea for UV arm warmers initially from Beaker at the WWC.
So I decided to buy them since the wife is not thrilled with the "weird" tanlines, in addition to the comments at work.
I like them so far. I feel the sizing maybe a bit off, YMMV ofcourse.
White bar tape would match nicely, but i don't have the skillz to change it myself !

Bassem,

YouTube is your friend; just type in bar tape installation. Of course if you go with white bar tape, you'll have to get a white saddle. Those are the rules.

My arm coolers are from South Africa! :P

http://www.capestorm.co.za/products/detail/157?cat=10&activity=30

Sorry to derail this thread even further, but +1 to this. I LOVE UA stuff, for cycling and snow sports. I wear it on every ride.Any particular item of theirs? I looked through their website, but they've expanded so far beyond their original line that it's hard to find anything.

And where is this stuff sold? I need some kind of something, but I haven't decided if I should go for just arm coverings, or a full shirt.


Of course if you go with white bar tape, you'll have to get a white saddle. Those are the rules.Rules? Where we're going we don't need... rules.

http://velospace.org/files/nishiki-cs.jpg

Any particular item of theirs? I looked through their website, but they've expanded so far beyond their original line that it's hard to find anything.


summer = heatgear line, sold at "regular" sporting goods stores. Sports Authority in Sunnyvale has the long-sleeved heatgear compression shirts that I like. That's where I got mine. (and them getting them cheaper off amazon once I knew what size I wanted)

Any particular item of theirs? I looked through their website, but they've expanded so far beyond their original line that it's hard to find anything.

And where is this stuff sold? I need some kind of something, but I haven't decided if I should go for just arm coverings, or a full shirt.


I have long and short-sleeve heatgear, which is basically their thinnest/lightest layer. The long-sleeve has UV protection. I got mine at Sports Authority. Seriously, it's so comfy underneath a jersey that it feels weird now when I don't wear it.

Cool, thanks guys. I'll check out Sports Authority.