:beer: Nice pics, Vance! Thanks for sharing! Lovely group (and the angels in particular with VG added) and it looks like you all had a nice ride. :)

I tried to get VG front and center, but she's soooo shy around the camera!

Shy? Huh? :rolleyes: Tell her to put it out there front and center next time!

Good job Vance. We can now start PM who bring the camera next time :-)

No way, man, it's all you! I never remember to pull the camera out. Too busy breathing.

I'm in the picture , the one with the big toothy grin standing in the back. Gosh I'm tall .

The RJ century was great. Never been through Hidden Valley or Paradise Valley. The snowcapped peaks looming over the valleys while riding through beautiful farmland was one for the memory banks. Big crowd of folks rolling through Mulholland and Westlake, and then various groups splitting off to take slightly shorter routes (as little as a year ago, I couldn't conceive of calling 90 miles a "shorter" route). Weather was cooler the entire day, but we had sun for most of the afternoon. The RJ century ended up with about 110 miles.

Big John, Vance, Valleygirl, Keith -- all were rollling well. I think Keith was doing a sub-100 HR ride, as he wasn't up front as usual. Met Ovoleg's Reseda riding partner. Great guy, real strong rider. Special shout out to my man Stan, who admitted to lurking here on occasion. Stan took some monster pulls on Saturday, and actually seemed amenable, when asked, to tow me up some hills.

RJ, happy birthday. You're a strong rider, and great route leader. Best of luck on your impending double.

If folks have never ridden with SFVBC, and you live in or near the area, you really owe it to yourself to check it out. Every week, they have rides ranging from 30-120 miles. Full route sheets. Strong riders, and more recreational ones too. No one there to necessarily hold your hand, so know your level, but the variety of rides offered is unparalled without the road nazi attitude. Between the formal rides and the informal ones led by SFVBC regulars (Big John, Vertical Bob, birthday rides), you cover most of the great routes in northern Southern California. I'm hardly a regular there (hope to be), and there are others on this forum that can speak better about the club, but in my experience, this is the best non-racing-club oriented cycling group around.

Thanks guys/gals.

I haven't ridden with other clubs, but I certainly agree with you about SFVBC. I feel very lucky to live only a short ways from the starting point and I have never been lacking for a good route and good riding partners. There is something or someone for every riding level too. I should know, I started as an absolute beginer on a garage sale beater. So watch out newbies if you show up , you might become a cycling fanatic.

Where were you this morning, Shai? Big group... even Ovo made it out (for 8 miles).

Like I told you on the Wed ride. I felt it coming... I am sick :(
My family is all sick. Wed was the last time I was on my bike, and the last day I went to work too.
I hope to get better in few days because I want to do the Mulholland Challenge Training Ride next weekend, but I am not sure if my body will have what it takes?!
Both My kids running 103F for 4 days now; I took my wife to the E.R two times this week.; I just handing there...
Any photos for the big group?

Are you healed up enough to ride tomorrow, Shai? At least one more day of perfect weather...

Don't wreck him tomorrow if he shows.
We want him healthy enough to ride on Saturday.

I might join you guys for part of that ride Saturday. It's been too long since I've been up in the SM's.

Part???!!?

The climbing part. ;)

Beleive it or not, I am still sick.
This is my FIRST time ever (from 10/15/2006 when I got my bicycle) that I didn't use it for 7 days; and No, I will not ride it tomorrow :-(
I am almost in a panic attack becasue of it; I dreaming about cycling... I wishing I was out side...
Am I going nuts?

I am getting better and will go to the office for few hours, and maybe Thursday will ride to work.
The truth is that I am a bit scared of taking 80miles with 8k as my first ride, but I really want to do it.
( And with Cassave in front racing VanceMac, they will not even be in my photo shoot )

I hope you're through with that mess, Shai. And don't worry, you'll come back stronger than ever, just in time for the big ride Saturday. Any thoughts on that new bike? :)

Shai;

It's been three weeks and I'm still not 100%. That's a very tenacious bug going around this year.
You know the area, plenty of bailouts and no need to ride the entire 85 miles.
And BTW, I think you were nuts even before you got a bike.

On the Wed ride today, when we got on to Mulholland just east of Cornell... as we looked out through the mts toward Malibu, the clouds were incredible. I don't think I've ever seen a more finely delineated weather front. The mass of clouds looked almost like a huge wave wall.

It was moving pretty fast, too, because by the time we got to the other side of Las Virgenes, the wind picked up significantly and it felt like it dropped 15 degrees. Fortunately, it looks like it's only bringing wind, and no precip.

It's amazing how much time you can have to watch the clouds after you get dropped and are crawling up the hills!
Ron, thanks for the push! Maybe when this flu really leaves, I won't need it :)
Has anyone heard from Caryn?

What happened to Caren, Mike?

A little mtb'ing at the top of Reseda this morning (should we rename Reseda in honor of Ovo?). The temperature wasn't bad, but compared to the last few days, it was downright frigid. And windy.

No threat of rain, but you can see that Joy wasn't kidding when she said she got poured on (Palos Verdes in background):

Caren, I hope you don't mind my posting this!

Caren took a spill on Wednesday's return ride via Mulholland. At the top of a hill with a gated community entrance, her gears were skip-shifting; as she looked at them they shifted to an un-balancing gear and she tumbled. Sue rode back and brought a car, we got her home with her lower back quite sore. She called me today and said x-rays show two cracked vertebrae. Back brace and no riding for a bit. Please send her your good thoughts and wishes!

Thanks Mike, I talked to her tonight, and she sounded pretty good, all things considered. I can't believe she cracked vertebrae and will be out 2-3 months from an almost 0mph fall. She's a tough one, though... and will certainly bounce back.

Man, that's horrible! Caren, if you're reading this, I hope you feel better soon. Heal quick.