I left the house at 8:15 am this morning, it was overcast and looked like it may rain. Which it did about 6 miles out, so I went looking for a place to stay dry. I looked at my phone for the weather forecast and rain was predicted in another hour. So I headed back to the house, and only got 14.5 miles ride today. Also, on the ride home the wind was gusting up to 30 mph from the NNE and luckily I only had about 2.5 miles on that stretch of the bike path.

My 3rd ride of 2026, not counting the hour I spent yesterday on my rollers. My saddle soreness is fading away, my hands, shoulders, and neck are adjusting. I'm a little faster, and felt some improvement in my speed over my previous 2 rides. I've had some issues with Strava recording my heart rate, I think I have that squared away now. No time to ride on the weekend, but I should be able to get in 3 or so rides during next week.

My big crash in September seems to have had an unexpected benefit. Since that time, I no longer suffer from any symptoms of tachycardia. Recently, when I had been off the bike for any length of time, I would start suffering from an elevated heartbeat. It would sometimes rise up to more than 130 bpm when just sitting at the table. The symptoms are now gone. This may not be related to my crash, but then again it may. Anyway, I'm back on the bike, and feeling better for it

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I left for a ride today at 11:40am, it was very late, but I was waiting for the temperature to get above 50 f degrees. Also the wind was a lot lower today than yesterday so that was nice. I rode for 22. 4 miles .

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Point Reyes for the first time with my friend who lives further up north. I also saw the elk of Pt Reyes for the first time. 16 miles and 3,095 ft elevation gain. Fun decent on on the gravel bike!

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I did ride for 2 hours today but didn't take any pics. It's was too cold to stop and take my gloves off, get my phone camera set up and take pics. The more I stop the harder it is to keep warm, my phone also shuts down and won't restart until I get home and warm it up. I just keep moving and only stop to have a warm drink which I carry with me. That's the reality of riding in cold winter weather, it's fun but it can be really challenging at times.

I left the house this morning at 7;36 am due to the weather and winds that were going to pick up. I got a 15 mile ride in and then got home before the winds picked up.
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I was going to... the plan was to fit a pair of thumb shifters to my Motobecane.

(Couldn't find my cable cutter though so it's not quite done yet.)

This (of course!) is on my trainer, since it's Winter here & I'm not inclined to be out riding a bike when it's 6°F... even if the sun is shining.

Got 'em mounted after some tedious moments. Need a new rear brake cable (maybe housing too) though before I venture outside with this rig come spring.

I think I'm gonna like thumbies when compared to the down tube shifters she came with 54 years ago.

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25 miles for a breakfast burrito this morning. Life is good.
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Loco Hermanos… incredible.
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Yes, my wife and I did, on our tandem. We went out with the group we rode with before I had my CABG (coronary artery bypass and graft) in April. Only 26 miles, but we kept up with the group and had some serious fun. We were blessed with an actual sunny day and 40°. Next Sunday looks good too, quite amazing for this time of year here. Maybe I'm BAAAAACK. Tomorrow is MLK day and we'll get in about 4 miles of walking, perfect for the day after. "Hope springs eternal."

A quick 17 miles, 900ft, on a very gray day. Stopped by Pulgas Water Temple, which is a historic marker for the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct. It is only monumental now. but a beautiful spot. Lots of wedding and formal portrait photos taken in this area.

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Right-O! I have a distinct memory, back when I was starting to ride some distance on an old downtube bike. I caught a guy on a modern bike with brifters and was drafting him. But every time I had to shift, I lost him and had to get him back. Of course, some of that was my inexperience, but still . . . I went through a couple of bikes of similar vintage, actual "10-speeds," finally bought a new carbon bike. I always felt like I was going to rip the bars off the old bikes when i sprinted, no such sensation on the carbon. I bought the new bike in 2000 and except for our tandem, it's my main ride. I built a rain bike though I don't ride in the rain much anymore.

I'm new to brifters the last couple years.

That '72MBGR's came as a 10-speed, 2023 saw me going to x3 up front.. Hills here take more teeth than the original pair of rings could muster!


My '23 CF SL-7's got 'brifters. So does the '26 Al Diverge I bought late last year. I'm liking them both a lot!

I haven't much either, but I hung a pair of Specialized DryTech 52mm fenders on the Diverge, so I may stretch my horizons a little this coming season.

I used to do a lot of rain rides. They're fine. Feels nasty to start, but one warms up quickly. It feels rather like one is in a cocoon if your clothing is right. It's easy to dress too warmly. One wants to be comfy at the 3-mile mark. Feet are the only real trick. Go to a dive shop and buy a pair of ankle seals - they're rubber rings that deflect the water off one's skin. Put them on your bare skin so they cover the tops of the waterproof booties you wear over your shoes. No wet feet - solves the major source of discomfort. Gloves are another problem. Just plain heavy knit wool gloves see a lot of use. So what if your hands get wet - they'll still be warm. I don't wear anything that's waterproof. I need a little water to reach the layer that's next to my skin - otherwise I'd overheat. Oddly, getting rid of heat is still an issue. Of course that depends on how hard one rides. I ride at about the same pace I ride in the dry.

r.e. bold -- TOTALLY different here in SW FL in the summer for rain riding. My 69th Birthday Ride began at 12:11AM in light rain with the night skies soon opening the floodgates. Along with the deluge was lightning and thunder and dressed in my regular kit with open toad Bike Nashbar Sandals made for a comfortable electrifying ride. Finally the rain moved on so I went home, dried out, had some breakfast, changed my kit and back out I went to complete the required Double My Age plus a bit.

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I got out on the road this morning at 7:30 am and rode for 22 miles. The temp was 59 f degrees with partly sunny skies. I love the location of this house.
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A surprise sunny day this afternoon in Woodside. In the mid-60s, zero wind. 21 miles, +1,513 ft. 1hr, 32m ride time.

Climbing Alpine Road, I had a nice chat with Randy from Saratoga He was on a 50-60 mile ride from Saratoga! He is a couple decades past 50+ !
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Oh how I miss that ride! Thanks for the memories! We lived in Portola Valley and West Menlo 2003-2010, with plenty of rides single and tandem. Often requiring a stop at Buck’s apres ride!

Cool. It is a great area. a good variety of ride options. Buck's is still as popular as ever. Though, I rarely go there.

Staying inside for a few days.
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I was out of the house and riding at 8:30 am and rode for 22 miles. The weather was nice with the temp at 60, and full sunshine. I find that my rides are taking longer but I am not riding more. So I think it must be traffic lights. I usually take a 20 minute break and I understand that time but it has totaled 40 minutes lately. I know some of the traffic lights in FL last awhile.

I went out just wanting to ride 12 miles, got through 16.5 miles! First time I’ve ever gone that far! I want this to become the norm not the exception for me. Usually I was only going maybe 8 miles at most a ride. Twenty miles a ride is on that horizon!

Damn Chilly 45-50°F in the trees! This was a planned group ride. Much, much earlier than my solo rides. ride start was 9:30! I was surprised how dry the trail was already and still had my fenders mounted. It must be the wind because it was windy up there, at 3,100ft. we did 7 miles, 1195 ft. then I went back to ride some of the trail to get in at least 10 miles.

Was great to have a retro bike rider with us (much younger than me), rocking his late 80's Univega 26er!


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Awesome Susan, soon twenty will be a piece of cake for you! I love it!

I did something stupid today and I'm blaming it on the cold weather. On my way back to home base after doing my usual 25 miles, my fingers were freezing and I decided suddenly, even surprising myself, to take a shortcut instead of going another 1/2 mile to a light with a left turn lane. I glanced behind and saw clear road and nothing coming around the corner ahead of me so I swung a wide left arc across 3 lanes plus a center turn lane. I was moving about 15 MPH and had just reached the center turn lane when a pickup came flying around the corner doing close to 50 MPH. I aimed straight for the far shoulder and swung hard left at the last moment to keep from going over and into the ditch. I had barely straightened out on the shoulder and now heading in the same direction as the pickup when he went flying by with his horn blaring. It's a 40 MPH zone, but I feel completely at fault and like a real idiot. Won't happen again. I don't usually do stupid stuff like that, but I am old and I was cold, does that justify my actions? :o

glad you’re still here. lived to tell the tale

I can vouch that vehicles come out of nowhere. you’re not alone