ahpook

Here's mine, x-posted from bloggy blog ( https://ahpook.vox.com )

My second year riding in the Festa Foundation's annual charity century got off to an early start when my duty pager blasted me into consciousness shortly after 4AM this morning. I'm the nighttime on-call person for this week and a maintenance needed some assistance to wrap up. I helped out and laid back down, which was a mistake -- the problem was not actually fixed and I lost a precious half-hour of morning time laying there unable to sleep. When I got back up and checked in on things around 5, there were still problems so my egress to Bay Meadows was delayed going out the gate by about half an hour.

As soon as things at work were cleared up, I loaded up my gear and zipped up the Peninsula to San Mateo -- there's a shockingly light amount of traffic on 101 at 6:05 on a Saturday morning -- and found that I need not have worried. I passed familiar faces in Bikeforums kit on my way to the registration desk, quickly signed in, and we hung out until 6:45 when everyone who was "on the bus" showed up. Out the gate, feeling pretty good, and the nice rollers on Alameda de las Pulgas and Crystal Springs Road served to wake up the legs and prepare for the day ahead.

On Caņada Road I hooked up with Henry and Ramon and we had a nice pace set until Marco and Ruth zipped by on their tandem with Pete on their wheel. Henry made the jump and latched on too, but I held back for fear of using the energy up too soon. Again, I shouldn't have worried: they passed us only a few hundred yards away from the rest stop and there would have been ample time to catch my breath. We regrouped and headed out for the first climb of the day, Hwy 84 to Skyline. I think this is the third or fourth time I've done this climb so I knew what to expect and really kept the pace moderate, kept heartrate within limits and just enjoyed the nice foggy (and not too smoky!) morning among the redwoods. Ben caught up to me, which was not a surprise, but his comment was: "You seem to be faster on the hills than last year!" Nevertheless he quickly pulled out of sight and I contented myself with marking, catching and passing a guy I'd noticed in the parking lot in FULL white T-Mobile kit (shoe covers too!). Before too long I was up at the top. We made a partial regroup and headed over the ridgeline down 84 towards the ocean.

I tried to keep a few new descending tips I'd read in mind: tilt the bike around the curves, while keeping the body upright. Pick as smooth (and short) a line as possible and use pressure on the outside leg and the inner handlebar to stay on it. Point through the curve with the chin. Pedal through most of it to keep legs from stiffening up on the long way down. I followed Ramon down and really appreciated how nice and smooth he descended; I remarked as much to him when we hit one of the flatter portions around San Gregorio Creek. Which, by the way, was simply beautiful. Enough of the fog had burned off to let the sunlight filter through the trees. The warm earthy smell of horses and deep redwood needles provided an olfactory backdrop to the peaceful view of the river as it went past several campgrounds. Less visually appealing were the rural ramshackle homesteads with 8 to 12 partially-torn-down cars scattered about the property, but hey, this is the reality of life in La Honda.

As the road flattened out toward the end of the descent, a very fast paceline of "plus 3" (I think that was the kit, though I can't find them now on google) riders came up behind us. I spun up and caught on and went hard with them for a few minutes. A tactical error put me off the front of the group though, and when I looked down my HRM was reading 171 (106% of LT!). They blitzed past me as I struggled to keep up and the exhilaration gave way to the harsh facts of my own limits as a rider. Ah well, easy come easy go - and I had managed to get dropped right near Henry and Pete, so we formed a little, less insane, paceline of our own and worked our way out to the Stage Road rest stop.

Just like last year, this was the most social of the stops, and I met up with several non-BF folks I knew, along with Adam aka Powpow who'd started out separately but caught up to us here. After food, hydration, chit-chat and more than a couple of locals blasting by in giant pickups screaming for people to get out of their way, we headed up Stage Road on our way to the lovely Tunitas Creek. Adam and I shot the breeze as we climbed and then the breeze shot us as we dropped down towards the cliffs on the Pacific Coast Highway! I got a little rattled by the crosswind and fell off Marco and Ruth's tandem train, but we all met up again going across the valley towards the Tunitas Creek climb.

Henry was my climb buddy, and man, did that make things go easier. We just settled into a nice mellow pace and pushed our way up through the redwoods. The only things that marred the stately serenity of the redwoods were a few descenders who were going at unsafe -- make that "ludicrous" -- speeds down the road. Why O Why would you descend Tunitas at more than a gentle glide? The road is in such disrepair that it's highly likely you'll be thrown, break something on a wheel, or at the least have your teeth jarred loose from your head. Most of the crew (ACTC from what one sane descender said) were very well behaved and calls of 'rider up!' echoed through the sequoias. But a few folks were coming down very quickly and one even smacked into Ben's rear wheel somehow and then kept riding cursing him for not hewing to the right half of the road -- a road which is a single lane in the best of spots. Sorry, but blasting down when there's clearly an event ride going on with dozens of folks on the upslope... that's just ignorant.

Rant mode off -- really it was a minor thing and the vast majority of the climb was good conversation, great scenery, and a watchful eye on the HRM to keep myself from blowing up. At the top we regrouped and then zipped down King's Mountain. I was much less confident on this descent than on the earlier drop down 84, probably due to fatigue and the fact that my still-healing right hand was hurting pretty bad. But down at the bottom I saw a sight that made me forget my pain. Two Harley riders had blocked the turnout from KMR to 84 to let FIVE HUNDRED of their biker brethren pass uninterrupted. Five hundred harleys take a long time to stream past. It was truly an impressive collection of metal and leather. I believe most of the jackets were for the "Noble Creed" MC though there were a fair number of red-n-white in attendance as well. Finally the train made it past and Ivan set a pounding pace out to catch up to the ones who'd made it across before the river of steel started up.

I did not turn out to Caņada immediately off 84 as I'd planned, instead I got caught up with the group and headed up Portola towards the fire station rest stop. About a mile in, just after I'd motioned to Adam and Ben and broke out to catch up to the folks in front, some kind of winged insect zipped right down the open neck of my jersey and buzzed around for a few seconds before deciding to sting me right in the stomach. OUCH. I flapped and hooted and got the thing out of my clothes but my momentum was broken, along with my spirit. Further news at the rest stop of a bad wipeout at Page Mill and Altamont convinced me my original plan was best so after some deliberation and troop-rallying, Ron and I set out back towards Food and Home as the others headed up for an extra 20 mile loop.

The way home was tough, no question. The afternoon headwind had picked up and we were tired. I kept losing Ron and picking him up again, but we linked up solidly at the Edgewood Road rest stop and (after chatting with a BF'er whose name I didn't catch) we made the final push back towards San Mateo. I envied the Time Triallers headed south down Caņada, tucked over their aerobars with the wind at their backs. We were much less graceful, trying to keep momentum and pushing as hard as tired muscles would allow. It wasn't pretty, but we got to the end and rounded the corner at Sawyer Camp Trail for a fun descent down Crystal Springs and then, painfully, the Heartbreak Hills of Alameda de las Pulgas. Were those hills really so large on the way out? It didn't seem so, but at least I recalled correctly that there were only three. We rolled into Bay Meadows and picked up t-shirts then headed for the infield and LUNCH.

Ty and Kari were almost done eating but they graciously shared the table as Ron and I queued for pasta, meatballs and salad. Scarf, scarf. Keep hands, fingers and other body parts away from the mouth or they will get munched too! More friendly conversation and more pasta, please. Saw this great Bike Friday Triplet -- a dad and two (twin?) sons pedalled off; the mom saw us cheering them on and told us about the bike. It's pretty neat! They can take out the middle seat and make it a two-seater or pack the whole thing into two suitcases and off they go. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

FInally the inevitable could be delayed no longer: it was time to head home. I packed up, Ron stayed at the table to wait for the 100-miler crew, and then it was back to reality. I'm just really pleased with how the ride went. Our crew stayed safe and injury-free (well, except the beesting), I stayed hydrated and fed well enough to avoid a bonk or migraine, and my fitness level let me push it pretty hard when the situation called for it while still leaving enough gas in the tank to get back home.

Now for some steak...

STATS
79 miles
5h 22m total time, 4hr 21m active
62 mph top speed (??) Really ~42
221 bpm top heart rate (??) Really 172

(My Polar HRM started flipping out on the way back up Caņada and read these insane values for both speed and heart rate. Weak batteries or something.)

Ty.S

You write a great report ahpook. I think Kari took some comfort in being able to share a mutual complaint about being "on call" with you and Ron. Sucks about whatever stung you, glad to see there wasn't a reaction. Hopefully sooner then later Kari and I will both be up on our mileage and we can team up with the longer distance groups.

I was going to put up a ride report, but after reading yours I need to "rethink" my version. Maybe I'll do it later when I've had some sleep.

silentben

Hey Eric, nice ride report. That guy tearing down Tunitas seemed to be just looking for a confrontation. Supposedly he yelled at a couple other BFers who were ahead of me (Ivan or Ramon maybe?).

So the story from my perspective is that I was climbing Tunitas and I decided to pass a couple other riders. In retrospect it was a bad place to pass without much visibility around a left turn. I was on the wrong side of the road when I hear someone ahead yell "Bikers up!". Before I could even react I see two cyclists flying down the hill directly at me. I got over to my right as best I could but I really had no time to maneuver. One of the riders grazed my bike and the other one yelled something like "Get the **** out of the way". I'm very thankful that nobody crashed. Afterwards I stopped and adjusted my front brake which was rubbing (the last thing you need when climbing Tunitas!) and then continued up.

Going down the other side on Kings Mountain I was having a hard time concentrating and was seriously thinking of cutting the ride short with Eric and Ron. But after the Portola rest stop I was feeling a lot better and decided to soldier on.

My overall impression of the ride was that I didn't pace myself very well (exerted way too much energy going down the back side of 84). I had trouble finding a good rhythm and it seemed harder than I expected. Lunch back at Bay Meadows certainly hit the spot though, especially the meatballs and sausages, a much needed change of pace from cookies and brownies

After lunch I rode to the San Mateo caltrain and finished buying my ticket literally as the train pulled up. I saw the new bike cars that someone else posted about and yes, they surely are a step backwards! It was another 3 miles from the Menlo Park station to my house which should put me right at about 100 on the day after a couple shortcuts that we took. It was good riding with so many of the folks on this site. Looking forward to the next group ride!

r6matey

That was Mateo and me (Ryan) that stopped and talked to you and Ron at Edgewood. Nice meeting you.

ahpook

Hey there you are. Nice to meetcha, sorry I was a bit spacey!

spingineer

There are two Giro ride report threads ... so I guess I'll post my ride report here, and pics in the other one.

This is my third year doing the Giro. There was concern about the air quality, due to all the fires in Northern California, but I am glad to report this was not even an issue. It was overcast most of the day, but it was definitely a great day to go for a ride.

I got to registration at 6 am. However, they did not have my name on their list. I kindly explained that I got about 5 reminders about this event via email, so I know I am registered. They were kind enough to just get my contact information, and let me ride it. I applaud them for this.

Met everyone by Curtis's car. We were all ready to roll by 6:30 am, but one person was missing ... hmmm I wonder who that could be??? Marco .... POLO !!!!!! Even though he is the closest from the start, he was the last to show up. We got rolling at 6:45 am. We even passed by the street where he lives ... < 1 mile from the start!

The pace was brisk and aggressive in the first 5 miles. I knew I would not be able to keep up at this rate, so I eased up quite a bit. We all decided to regroup at the first rest stop. That was the last time everyone would be together.

As we started on Hwy 84, the gladiators went up ahead. Meanwhile, the sacrificial lambs concentrated on simply turning the crank over. I tried to go up Hwy 84 on my middle chain ring, but half way up, I was just not climbing well. I couldn't resist, so put it in my granny. My cadence started going up again, and that helped my pace going up the hill.

Going down 84 was fun! I picked up some pretty good speed, and hooked up with two other riders, and the three of us kept a pretty good pace. We kept this up almost till the next rest stop, but I just could not sustain the pace. Then, one of the riders put the hammer down, and there went the paceline. Oh well ... it was fun while it lasted.

The actual route, from the 2nd rest stop, had the route going straight to Hwy 1, then heading northbound till making a right on Tunitas Creek. However, we took Stage Road instead, just so we could avoid all the car traffic on Hwy 1.

Pete and I were climbing from the back. Pete had bonked a little, but he waved me on ahead. I was not climbing the best, and was being passed by quite a number of riders. Then, one woman, Claudia, passed by me slowly, and seemed to want some company, so I more than happily obliged. What a difference climbing, while chatting has on you ... the climb would have been miserable for me, but being able to converse takes the struggle on the backburner. If you are reading this Claudia, thanks.

Descending Kings Mountain was also fun. Hmmm ... do we sense a theme here? I was able to make my left turn onto Woodside before the large motorcycle pack rolled through. In retrospect, I should have took out my camera and took a picture of it. It was quite a site.

At the next rest stop, I decided, along with Eric, to just head straight back to the finish (instead of climbing Page Mill). I did this for two reasons ... first, I knew headwinds would be bad the later in the afternoon you get, and second, I didn't want to descend Altamont (where I had my fall several months ago).

Thanks Eric for waiting for me. The headwinds were really brutal and painful. Eric waited for me at the last rest stop, and we rode back together to the finish. Still, even with the draft, it was difficult riding back.

Saw Ty and Kari at lunch, and they were kind enough to stick around to eat with us. It was cool, and nice to compare our on-call sob stories.

I waited around for the century riders. Ty, Kari, and Eric had to boogie. After hearing from Ramon, they had just about as bad a time with the headwinds that I did. At least that made me feel a little better.

This was a great day for a ride. Great support, and great company too. Pictures to be uploaded in the other thread.

x136 

I can't provide nearly as complete a ride report. My brain was pretty much fried after nine hours on the bike.

I do know, however, that it was a perfect day for a ride, weather-wise. The smoke finally cleared out, the early-morning fog was very pretty, and the temperatures were just right. Too bad the lovely weather was a backdrop for a relatively crummy day.

Highlights:

I'd never done Tunitas/Kings before. Tunitas just. wouldn't. end. Holy crap, what a brutal road. Starts off not so bad (like a longer, straighter, shallower Old La Honda), but then it decides it'd be fun to go pretty much straight up for a few miles. After that, it flattens out a (little) bit as if to say "you've made it!", but you're still miles away from Skyline. Heh. The descent down Kings Mountain was a blast, though.

Came across one guy on an old rigid mountain bike, complete with knobby tires and an extra tube held to the rear rack with a bungee net. He meant to do the 100k, but he didn't notice that the people at the check-in gave him the hundred mile route. (He made it!)

All day long, I was fielding compliments for my socks. That was fun.

Adding Page Mill that late in the day is pure evil. Ugh. That whole easterly Portola/Page Mill/Altamont/Foothill/Alpine section was just a slog, really, though maybe that was just me. I was feeling pretty terrible by the last 30-35 miles.

I made it, though. 103 miles, 9:02 ride time, average speed an eyebrow-singing 11.4MPH, max speed 42.5 (coming down Highway 1, IIRC).

By the time I got in (about 4:30), everyone had left, the food was gone, and the person passing out the t-shirts and patches had left, so I basically got to hop off the bike, pack it in the car, and get back on the road. Awesome.

spingineer

Way to go Alex. Big congrats to you for completing it. At least you made it! Too bad about the food gone, and the t-shirt and patch.

reidconti

First century, yeah? Congrats!

x136 

Thanks, guys.

I was contemplating cutting out that easterly loop (And I'm glad to hear that's what you guys did. Seeing you already going in the other direction made me feel even slower than I actually am. ), but I decided to "tough it out" () and go for that three-digit computer readout.

Sort of. I did the Wine Country Century earlier this year, but had to take a shortcut, which took it down to ~90 miles. But I rode to and from the start, which added another 15 miles or so.

So... first time I've completed the designated route.

spingineer

In my book, as long as you did 100 miles (no matter if it's part of an organized route), that constitutes a century. So Alex, this is your 2nd century, and don't short change yourself.

MyLilPony

Congratulations!
Curtis and I also completed the entire official designated route for 100 miles...unlike some others (and you know who you are) that took a "shortcut" up Stage Road.

We did arrive in time for remnants of lunch and to see the t-shirts being packed away. If I'd known you hadn't arrived yet (I just assume I'm always the last on in ) I would have snagged one for you.

Hopefully we'll see you next week for the Wheelsuckers ride!

BlastRadius

I think they were "Le Matin Racing"... indeed you are not only climbing faster, but faster overall. Good work in preparing for your racing season next year.


Great job Alex. There's some tough climbing on this century and just making it without cutting it short is commendable.


Cool. Glad you decided to do the ride after all.


Not only did we shortcut up Stage Rd, we cut off the return route on Alpine in favor of Sand Hill > Whiskey Hill. 6 miles shy of 100

cccorlew

6 miles short????

Maybe you (and all the others) rode the Giro Obiettivo di breve

taxi777

Of course living life in my own world, I got 111!
Hey Congrats Alex that feat of bravery enters you automatically in to Gladiator Hood, and very well achieved act of tenacity!

pelikan

We ended up just doing our own kinda easy ride. Tons of people doing the GdP though!

zorrov999

Indeed a great ride

Sorry for not hanging out for lunch!! I had some commitments and had to be back home, so I just got the t-shirt and left.

This was like a last-minute decision for me to do the Century. This year I haven't been riding consistently, but the weekend before I did my longest ride of the year (80 miles) and I felt pretty good, so I figured I should try the Century.

BTW, this was my second century every, but my first organized one. My first Century was the "Coastal Century", organized by Alan.

It's always great to see some familiar faces (Ron, Pete, Ramon, Henry, etc) and new BF'ers..

I was able somehow to keep up with the group on the rest stops, until the William Church rest stop (mile 68). Then we took off and I missed 1 green light on Foothill, and I was never able to catch up with the group again. I really started feeling tired and foothill / Alpine Rd seemed interminable. That was my slowest part of the ride.
By the time I got to the next rest stop (Portola Valley, mile 80) the group was gone, so I took my time to rest and stretch.

When I was about to leave I saw Tricia and Curtis. And finally I got my second wing. I felt strong riding back through Canada (skipping the rest stop at Edgewood) and finally arriving to Bay Meadows.

Not much to add to the ride report, other than someone who was going up Kings Mountain was signaling everybody to slow down, and I was not very comfortable going fast downhill, I was expecting some accident or something around each corner, but never saw anything and I ended up not going as fast as usual (on the downhill on Hwy 1 I reached 46.5 mph )

Total Distance: 98.6 mi
Total Time: 6:59
Avg. Speed: 14.1
Max Speed: 46.5
Total Ascent: 7,355 ft.

It was a great ride and I'm looking forward to see most of you next weekend at Alan's ride !

Angel.

Congratulations Alex !! Good Job!

x136 

Oh, no, I still count the Wine Century, despite it being a bit of a piecemeal century. I just wanted to see the computer say 100 all at once.

Thanks, and congrats to you guys (and everyone, shortcut or not!) as well. The shirt is no big deal, really (probably wouldn't wear it anyway), it just would have been a small morale boost at the time.

Thanks, and yeah, there was some tough climbing. I'm definitely sold on upgrading to a triple after Tunitas Creek!

Only 111? I figured you and a few others would have made an "accidental" left turn up Old La Honda, just for the hell of it!

If I'm going to have gladiatorship foist upon me, I'll have to create a new subclass of Eventual Gladiators, so as to not sully the good name.

That stinks! After the insanity of Tunitas, I took great joy in blasting down Kings like there was no tomorrow. Maybe he was just trying to slow people down because people like me were scaring the **** out of him.

Gee3

Here's 70k report...

I rode with Eric (airrix, new bf member), another Gary (ghalpin), Thien (thien) and his girlfriend Carol. Thanks for riding with me!!

It was Eric's first real ride, that is, a ride longer than 10-12 miles. But he did very well and stayed within himself and paced the ride to his abilities. I think this helped get him hooked and will continue to ride his new Madone! All in all we covered the 45 miles in about 4hrs and 40 mins, which included the rest stops. Actual on-bike time was about 3hrs and 8 mins. So we jacked around at the rest stops a little too long! haha! But the first rest stop (and eventually the last) was a really good one, espcially those rice krispie treats and red potatoes!

We didn't have anywhere as much climbing as you 100 miler guys but I also didn't want Eric to hate me and never ride his shiny new bike again. That and I am in no shape to cover 100 miles of anything anyway!! That was evident by my wheel sucking behind ghalpin! hehe! Thanks Gary!

Plus, with Andy (Necro632) getting ready to become a father I've pretty much lost him for a few months of riding!

And for those that don't know me I was the one with the RoadBikeReview jersey on! hehe!

I had a good time and felt stronger than I usually do. I guess that happens when you ride more than once a month!

Good to see everyone! Hopefuly the wife will let me out to play again soon!

Gary

ghalpin

Here are my stats from the 70k:

total time: 4:50
moving time: 3:02
eating time: 1:48
snacks eaten: 2 cookies, 1 brownie, 1 slice orange, 4 slices watermelon
distance: 45.2
moving speed: 14.9
max. speed: 39.2
elevation gain: 3107

Gee3, thanks for organizing our little group! It was a fun ride!

1jacktripper

Gary, I do remember finishing with a group of 3 where 1 has the RBR jersey on. Did 1 of you have the brown Swobo jersey on?

1jacktripper

It was a very good ride. I was afraid at the beginning that it might be a long day since my legs didn't feel so fresh (still feeling the soreness from a mid-week tempo run). On top of that, I was kinda grouchy because a) the buddy that came with me had various "mechanical" issues with his Polar HRM (it reads speed, but not cadence, then the other way around, and then back and forth) such that we stopped 7 times in the first hour and b) I didn't get a chance to hang out with the BF group in the beginning as I had a dead-line to arrive home by 2, essentially meaning I had to finish my ride in 7 hours. Nevertheless, I met Curtis and Tricia first, then Ron, Henry, Ben, and...that's it? Damn. It was a big group, too. Oh well.

All is well, however, as soon as I got to 84. I've never ridden up 84 from the eastern side, and am always wondering about those who climbed when I descended after finishing OLH. It was quite a nice climb: not too steep but just long enough to let you settle into your rhythm. I rode along a tandem couple and remarked about their hybrid wheels. They were very friendly, and totally encouraging me about my plan to sucker my SO into a tandem ride one of these days.

At the top of 84, my buddy finally decided that he was abandoning the idea of going out to the coast and climbing Tunitas. Might just as well as I was nearing telling him that he's going to ride by himself if he doesn't stop with the incessant whining and moaning about his life. While he was deliberating, people I passed on 84 were all moving past us. As soon as my buddy came to his conclusion, I quickly hopped on and descended down 84 without too much goodbye. I might have hurt his feelings there.

Down 84, I was very glad to pass Pescadero Creek as I remembered climbing up that torturous route the last time I came down 84. Along the flats of 84 I got buzzed by a pickup truck (metallish gray?) and called out "yo" to him, but don't think he got/heard the humor. After the truck, and still on the flats with the wind picking up, I asked a big guy (Clydesdale, I believe) in Peet's Coffee jersey and some TnT paraphernalia whether if I can draft behind him. I offered to rotate but chuckled at the nearly nil wind I could possibly block for him. He was gracious enough to allow me behind him and that got me to the Stage Road rest stop.

Nothing of note at the Stage Road rest stop except I caught a glimpse of a lady on a Klein that looks very much like the one taxi777 rides. Sadly, I don't remember what the lady looked like (except she was tall). I'm such a nerd. I also got a sneer from this older guy in his 60's when I suggested HWY 1 has less climbing than Stage. I didn't argue further as my legs were a bit wobbly already, and he could probably beat me with his helmet. This is when I also saw the tandem couple about to re-mount and decided to go before they took off so they wouldn't think me stalkish.

This got me to Tunitas. I didn't feel as spent as soon as I got to Tunitas. I started to climb again and was surprised at this guy with a camelbak drafting off of me on the first section of Tunitas. Couldn't quite figure out why he was drafting since there was no wind and I wasn't going that fast. I wish, though, he would at least come ride next to me and start up a convo first before following so closely. There were indeed a few people bombing down Tunitas that puzzled me also, given that the road condition was quite poor, and one little mishap would've probably throw them off...and into the climbers' way! But their intense looking faces while descending were pretty entertaining, so that took the mind off the climb for a bit. In the second section of Tunitas was also when I finally threw in the granny gear. I don't know why I'm kidding myself about "graduating" to compact chainring. The knowledge of the "bailout" gear alone is so worthy mentally. I think I'll stop thinking about compact gearing...for now.

On top of Tunitas/Kings, I saw 1 lady cyclist in the Roaring Mouse kit and her friend in a Poggio (?) kit. The Poggio I remembered most fondly because I followed her down Kings. A very nice descent indeed.

The rest of the ride was a bit unmemorable, except for the descent down Altamont where I locked up my wheels due to lack of judgment in how fast to come down Altamont. The lack of judgment was probably also from muscle fatigue as at that point I just wanted the bike to ride itself. On Foothill, I drafted behind a guy with just the most dazzlingly clean drive train and the best maintained bike I've ever seen. He was riding an 8-y.o. Seven Axiom and on his way to Roberts Market for a sandwich. I was proud of myself at this point for finally not being so shy as to ask for permission to draft. Of course, that moment didn't last. I pulled up next to this guy on Canada a bit north of Roberts and used my spiel about drafting off him. His response was: "You're tired? I'm tired. I'm just back from Tunitas and by the time I finish, I'd have 50 miles already. I'm 56 and my friend is 57!" At this point, I accepted defeat and decided to face the wind with whatever dignity I still had in possession.

It was uneventful along the rest of Canada and, surprisingly, I hit second wind on Skyline just right after 92. I even pulled a few Benicia Cycling club members up Skyline to Crystal Springs. Anyway, the finish came and I decided to not drop in for lunch (but not knowing there was a T-shirt to claim at the end! ). The final tally:

Total time: 7:28 - had to drive home super fast
Actual ride time: 6:45 (stopped at 3 rest stops, 1 at Stage Road and the other 2 at Portola/Alpine)
Avg. speed: 14.9
Avg. cadence: 68 (yikes! )

airrix

yup. Brown Swobo jersey was me!

It was nice meeting some of the BF members. I'm really bad with names and faces. The only members I can remember was Pete, Henry, Eric and Gray (funny how those names are so common). It was a great ride and experience. Can't believe I made it all the way. I plan to do more rides in the future! Hopefully, I can make it furture and a shorter time period.

Thanks to Gary (Gee3) for nudging me to get into this wonderful life sport.

Now I need to get a Nor Cal Jersey to fit in!

Gee3

Don't worry Eric, I'll get you an RBR jersey! hehe!

Yup, that was Eric and I... And [another] Gary (ghalpin) was in a yellow jersey. Thien and his girl Carol were riding with us too but Carol hadn't ridden in a while so they decided to take a shortcut.

It was cool to see all the NorCal jerseys out that day too.

Thanks again guys for riding with me!

One of the Garys

uspspro

It was a great ride.

I think I left everything out on the first loop (84/84/Stage/1/Tunitas), and left very little for the Los Altos/Portola filler miles at the end. Which is fine with me. I'd rather go hard on the really fun stuff (I like the coast loop).

In the beginning of the ride we passed through my neighborhood (around 20th and Alameda de las Pulgas), and hit my local bumps I always have to do when I start rides from home; Alameda between 92 and Crystal Springs, Crystal Springs to Sawyer Camp, Skyline to Bunker Hill.

The whole ride we were (barely) keeping up with the faster group from our BF crew. We would lose them on the uphill sections (but stay close), pass on the downhills (to get caught again on the uphills), and get drafted on the few dead flat sections (like Foothill Expy, and some sections of Canada Rd).

Ruth and I kept a pretty good pace up 84, passed many solo bikes, got passed be only a few. Pete and Henry were giving chase to some enemy rider , and passed us just before the top.

We stopped at the top for a few minutes, and Pete took off We got clipped in and gave chase. I caught and passed by Pete, who was flying, but a descent like W84 is where the tandem shines. We pedaled through every turn, except for maybe 1 or 2, and were hammering. 40+ the whole time, sometimes 45+. I think W84 is one of Ruth's favorite roads (at least on the tandem).

Then there was the rest stop at stage, bumped into powpow, and Ivan (ifox) as well as some non-BF acquaintances. We continued up Stage, not because it's a shortcut, but because it is a nice road (much nicer than the section of HWY1 it replaces). The little downhill on HWY1 from Stage to Tunitas, with the cliffs, is always fun. Ruth and I hit 51.5 mph.

Tunitas is always fun, but in different kind of way. We tried to keep Henry and Ben in sight for as long as possible. Which we did, until maybe the last couple switchbacks of the steep section. We passed lots of solo bikes. There was this one group of middle-aged guys on some expensive machines commented as we passed: "Ooh look at that" (maybe commenting on Ruth) .... "Look how hard she's trying".. At that point I kind of chuckled, and dropped the hammer a bit more, then one of them says "Man that's demoralizing." That made my day just a little bit better

Bombing down Kings was awesome. Pete tried to jump us again, with Henry immediately following. Ruth and I hopped on and caught them. We passed them on that one long-ish straightaway near the top (Pete had to stop because his saddle pack was about to fly off). We were flying though. Henry followed closely behind. The only problem was Ruth kept flying out of her seat from the speed/bumps. One time, she said "Marco, seriously, I'm airborne right now." I think I need to get her a seatbelt (j/k). When Henry tells us "nice carving" I take that as a great compliment, since he is one of the best descenders I have ridden with.

The rest of the ride for me was bonk-ish. We did get some good hammering in on Foothill Expy. Page Mill was disastrous for me. We were slogging it up that hill. Same thing with that false flat to the fire station on Portola, the bit up Sand Hill and the southern section of NB Canada. I got a 2nd wind after the Edgewood rest stop, and tried to reel in the fast crew, but you guys were hammering. We were getting close coming up to 92, but we missed the light.

Flew down Skyline and Crystal Springs, was happy to get to food.

The lunch was fun, interesting conversation (as usual) Ice cream was great.

Can't wait for the Sunday ride! Later.