Originally Posted by
looie
From another Cal alum who's spent some time in Silicon Valley, what the heck did you expect wearing that jersey down there? Go Bears!
I expected to be treated with the dignity and respect that a real student, one that didn't go to a farm fer all that book larnin' deserves

. I do really enjoy rolling by Furd every day, I don't often wear Cal, though sometimes I do. I'll share some of my favorite experiences:
1) In 2006 when I first moved to Redwood City and was riding home from work on Middlefield coming from Mountain View (MIPS). I was waiting at a light in Palo Alto, and a UPS driver rolls up next to me and says to me, "Don't you think you should be a little frightened? Don't you know this is Cardinal Country."
To which I respond, "The way I hear it, the only thing to be scared of up here are Bears"Then he gets a quick laugh and the light turns and we drag race out of the intersection. I beat him across the road. but he can go faster than me (I was on a MTB w/ slicks). So we were going 45 and 35 respectively where the Speed limit is either 25 or 30.
2) When I am riding home I usually keep it at a mellow pace but occasionally throw down a TT effort and try to break an hour coming home. Never with aero bars though, that's cheating (commuting). When I am screaming home. Half my ride is to get to foothill the other half is foothill to Alameda to Roosevelt. When I am TT'ing like that sometimes I can get to my magic place where my cadence and HR stabilize and I feel like I can hold it forever (115/190 respectively) Usually holding 27mph or so.
I also drink a bunch of espresso and listen to Happy Hardcore for the extra oomph I need.
One glorious day the Stanford B's (I'm asuuming) were out there practicing and I destroyed them. They were in full TTT form and working hard, (On foothill between Artastadero and Page Mill) I rolled by them at least 3-4 mph faster and dropped em quickly enough they couldn't catch me, though not for lack of trying. The womens A's were out there too, though not as fast as the Mens B's.
3) This one is the most frequent nad most fun. As I mentioned before I often will drink espresso before I go home. Sometimes it's too much on top of the day's gatorade and I have to pee. The only place that is on my route and doesn't require a detour is on Junipero Sierra between Alpine and Campus on the gold course where there is that little bike path thingy so you aren't on the road. I stop and piss on a tree. You know, since the Furd mascot is a tree and bears piss on them. Good times.
4) Occasionally Cardinals will roll down their windows and yell at me or honk at me.