spingineer

Was in SoCal over the long holiday weekend. Due to family commitments, I was only able to go out riding once, up Chantry Flats. Had a really clear view from the Valley, and got to see the LA skyline. 31 miles, 3600 feet climbing.

Lanceoldstrong

30 miles, 2000 feet of climbing with the BigBossMan down on his home turf of San Ramon.
Great last minute get together. Yipee!

Red Rider

Chris and I were supposed to meet up with the race team to climb Mt. George, and possibly descend into Napa, but our breakfast (he made pecan-pie pancakes, mmmmm) made us run late. So we rode up to Monticello Dam, back through Winters, on the flats and through the hills just north of Vacaville, for a 40-miler with about 2500' of climbing. Climbing -- just what we needed!

Anything to boost our '08 mileage while we can...

Beaker

Only a brief 20mile loop, involving self sacrifice up Lomas Cantadas today before looping round and down Wildcat. I did the low key route capturing Loma Vista, bringing a little more suffering to the table earlier in the climb, clocking in around 23-24mins. Solidly 2/3rds into the pack from November's results. Still it felt a bit shorter today which is good. I need to learn how to climb this without redlining my HR/breathing every time.

PS - also nudged my first annual mileage total over 2200.

BenRidin

Beautiful day on Mt. D today.

khill

Same ride Friday and Sunday...Started in Winters, Pleasants Valley Rd over Cantelow, through Vaca Hills and back over Cantelow to Winters. Saw a ton of riders out both days, weather was cool but not bad at all.

scottmorrison99

Friday rode the flats with the race team. Saturday rode out from Vacaville over Cardiac Hill with the race team and back to Fairfield. Sunday, worked...yay!

LouD-Reno

Climbed Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd. on Sunday AM..... Clear & crisp.... w/views to climb for .....
even watched a pair of deer flee the mighty blue merckx by climbing WAY up over the ridge..... What a way to start the day !!!

jsmil4901

From Cupertino,up foothill to Alpine left on Arastradero to Page Mill to Elena back to Foothill and home, great day had a nice chat with a guy on Foothill.

msincredible

Saturday was the Henry sacrifice ride up Mt. Diablo, Sunday I went dirt biking in Hollister.

Beaker

I know it's not the weekend, but I figure that Christmas to New Year is somewhat like an extended weekend for some of us.

Anyhow, was feeling grouchy most of the day due to long list of annoying chores, and the weather being fantastic but with me not on a bike. So I snuck out for a 22mile ride up Pinehurst and down Shepherd Canyon to Montclair - a nice easy 40mph descent, which could be faster if one tried. Bought myself a new pair of gloves from Wheels of Justice and then climbed back up Shepherd Canyon for the first time - not a bad little climb, I'll be trying to get to know some more of the bayside climbs to the ridge in 09.

These 20-30mile rides have been order of the day for me lately with relatives in town and multiple activities to take care of. Still, I feel much better and strangely serene now. I didn't need my knee warmers and just had a short sleeved jersey and arm warmers. I swear I'm faster without all that extra stuff on.

bigbossman 

Took a New Year's day spin with Bikingshearer, Marckopolo, and Lanceoldstrong. No pics, but we left my house in San Ramon, went up/over Norris and then down to Castro Valley and Redwood Road. Up and over Redwood to Moraga, and then looped back via Danville/San Ramon Valley Blvd.

We were in the overcast/fog most of the day, and it was cold and damp. I never really got warm, and when we hit the descents the sweat from climbing chilled me to the bone. Still - A nice ride with great company, with 41 miles and ~2400' of climbing in the books on the 1st day of 2009.

jobob

I went up Morrison Canyon Road for the first time today. Yikes, that sucker is steep. I pooped out shortly after Vargas Road. I'll have to try again some other time to make it up to the airplane (which, I was told, is still there). The descent wasn't all that great, lots of dirt & rocks in the road, oh well.

spingineer

Cool. The only thing about Morrison Canyon is it does get very narrow, and the descent can get a little dicey. The airplane wireframe structure ... it's just weird, the way it is perched up there. One of these days, I'll try going there and taking a few pics.

Red Rider

We rode with Joel S and some club-mates on a Lake Loop -- Vacaville to Monticello Dam to Lake Berryessa, then through eastern Napa County back to our county, Fairfield and Vacaville. We rode to the start and then back home, and logged 66 cold, damp, foggy miles and just over 4000' of climbing. BBMan, you were so right about the chill cruising downhill. And despite proper gear my feet were like blocks of ice by the time we got home.

It was a fun time nonetheless and I'm happy to get 2009 off to such a rousing start.

khill

I wussed out on the Lake Loop, hoping it was going to get a bit warmer in the afternoon, fat chance.
It was 43 deg at 12:30 when I left Winters and 44 when I got back 2+ hours later...Went on Pleasants Valley to over Cantelow, made a loop around the Vaca Hills to back over Cantelow to Winters. Saw a ton of riders out braving the cold!

Ken

LouD-Reno

Tuesday.... Moutain Bike.... Mt. Tam....
Wednesday AM... Moutain Bike.... Mt. Tam....PM Road Bike... Marin Headlands...
Thursday AM... Road Bike... Stinson-West Bo-Fax-Seven Sisters-Panoramic Loop.... PM Limantour Out&Back (17% !!! Yikes !!! Happy New Year !!!)

jwill911

My self and ~ 8 other Team Alameda members did a New Years Day century. Ran into some Cherry City Cyclists on E. Castro Valley Blvd and saw them again two more times as we had intersecting routes. Started from Alameda just after 7:00AM rode out to Sunol across Livermore and out to Blackhawk for lunch and returned back over the Dublin Grade. It was really cold, never got out of the 40s and only saw the sun for a brief 10-15 minutes in Livermore. I was worried I had over dressed NAH!

Good way to kick off the New Year.

jw

nachomc

Rode in Granite Bay today. Will ride there again tomorrow. I don't like road biking in this cold

Red Rider

Rode with a few of my race team, 4 guys and 3 ladies (and 2 Divas ). It was 39* with 15 mph winds, gusts up to 35 mph, 33.3 miles, and I got it handed to me today. We climbed Cantelow but I was dropped even before then; between the wind and traffic lights I fell behind and couldn't catch up in the headwind. Pacelining was ridiculous; echelons hard to maintain. For about 2 months I've done long, slow distances, and my lack of intensity training certainly showed today.

I limped home with a tailwind, thankfully, and before I could get cleaned up the team owner came over to give me some pointers and work to do.

So while painful, this ride was very valuable to me. Tomorrow: Hill repeats! *feigns enthusiasm*

Pizza Man

I wanted to join the BF crew for the Mt. Tam ride, but my friend Hans was having his 48th birthday ride. I left home at 7:20, met a few guys at the bridge at 7:35. Eric, who I just met a week ago brought me a new Specialized Toupe 130 Ti seat to replace the broken one I've been riding on for 6 months - he works at a shop and will send the broken one back to Specialized under warranty After I swapped out the seat we were off to meet Hans and the rest of the group in Marin.

It was a bit cold in the morning, especially through Lucas Valley with lots of frost on the sides of the roads, but by the time we went by the Cheese Factory we were warmed up pretty good. We had a total of 12 for most of the ride and picked up a couple others along the way. Hans had some prizes for the schoolhouse sprint and a couple KOM's. I won the $15 Starbuck gift card for the Marshall wall KOM , but lost the KOM on the climb out of Stinson Beach heading toward Muir Beach to Chirs J. visiting from Philly.

Ride totals: 110 miles, 6:15 riding, just enough climbing.

The ride was followed by a huge burrito and a 2 hour nap. Perfect training.

scottmorrison99

I passed on the team ride with Red Rider for a easy ride of 35 miles. I have the Early Birds tomorrow, so I didn't want to get wiped out training today.
It sure was nice out today, wasn't it?

taxi777

Jeesh! that's a pretty quick 110!

taxi777

Man, scottie you sure got the racing but bad!!!

Red Rider

Yeah, he's who I'd be if I was his age.