11/09/00-11/31/01 Endless Tues/Thur morning ride ramblings, visit to TREK & LeMond factory, first ride up Diablo, Sonora Pass, French laundry lesson
01/01/02-07/15/02 Endless Tues/Thur morning ride ramblings, riding in the snow, Gary Klein visit, Millennium Crows, Spooky Old Tree
07/18/02-07/31/02 Incredible trip to the 2002 Tour de France
08/01/02-12/31/02 Endless Tues/Thur morning ride ramblings, 2nd 2002 trip to France, winning Lance-signed frameset, 5th-Annual TurkeyTrot ride, riding in the rain
01/01/03-03/31/03 Yet more ramblings about the regular Tues/Thur ride, Mr. J visits Washington DC
04/01/03-08/28/03 You take the guy with the gun, I'll handle the guy with the Gatorade!
09/03/03-12/31/03 My dinner with Zap, 75000 mile TREK OCLV, meeting Graham Watson
                            TOUR DE FRANCE 2003 TRIP, 2004
04/01/03-08/28/03 Endless Tues/Thur morning ride ramblings, Fast older guys, Sequoia Double-Metric, Grizzly Peak Century
09/03/03-12/31/03 Endless Tues/Thur morning ride ramblings
01/01/04-07/31/04 Endless Tues/Thur morning ride ramblings
07/31/04-12/31/04 Endless Tues/Thur morning ride ramblings
01/01/05-07/01/05 Endless Tues/Thur morning ride ramblings
07/01/05-12/31/05 Endless Tues/Thur morning ride ramblings plus Tour de France ride-a-long in Team Car
11/22/06-07/16/06
07/28/06-12/28/06 Endless Tues/Thur morning ride ramblings, Sonora Pass, caught in a snowstorm


The Tuesday/Thursday ride is now on YouTube! Broken up into three separate segments, about 10 minutes each. Filmed by Millo on 1/30/07
The regular cast of characters on the Tuesday/Thursday rides includes
Kevin the first regular on our ride, and the most regular regular. Has too much time to ride!
Ueyn quite a few years with the ride, an irregular regular who always rides fast
Rob relative newcomer who's rapidly improving and always looking for a way to get an advantage in a sprint
Karl (aka "Fast Karl"), super-nice-guy road racer who can really charge on the flats
Chris, one of the younger guys who thinks he can climb and sprint. He can.
(Karl now with is own page here, Karl's Korner)(but not updated in ages...)
Eric, who likes to torture me up Kings by riding just a bit ahead or behind me, waiting for me to blow up.
Pete one of our more-experienced (that means older than me) guys who shows up from time to time
Preben who proves that age has nothing to do with speed; 60+ years old and 26:14 up King's Mtn. Ouch!
Steve from the way, way, way-back days of my old club, Pedali Alpini
Todd on our staff in Redwood City, Stanford student, who's improving rapidly and is way too fast.
(Todd will shortly be updating his page, Todd's Turn)
Millo, who complains that he's old & slow but somehow always there in the sprints.
George, always out on Tuesdays, nice guy, too fast on the climbs

THE DAY MOUNT HAMILTON ALMOST BLEW AWAY (with us on it)

I was playing with a new camera, getting ready for my trip to France (leaving Saturday), and yet somehow managed to miss the mother duck and many ducklings along the side of Manuella. Karl mentioned it long after the photo op was gone; sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. Oh, yeah, that sprinting thing. The only contested sprint was the run into Sky L'Onda, and to make things interesting, I decided to just go for it from the top of the descent, carrying all the speed I could into the bottom, knowing that I was dragging the other guys behind me and they'd have a huge advantage as they came around. But sometimes you need a challenge, and I just didn't feel like doing what was required to win the sprint... rather, I wanted to really have to work for it. And I did! But hard as I worked, Karl got me at the line, no question. I shoulda coulda woulda, but the truth is, it was a lot of fun, and I think I'll be doing some more of that. If I can get strong enough to beat guys doing that, then I'll be ready for whatever it is that's totally irrelevant and silly to a guy who doesn't race.

07/11/06- THREE SECONDS. LESS TIME THAN A SNEEZE MIGHT TAKE. THREE LOUSY SECONDS. So where did I lose them? That's what I'm going to be torturing myself with today. Karl, Jeff, Milo & Todd rode with me this morning; actually, Todd & Karl rode on ahead, having a casual conversation while I was gasping for air. 26:02 to the top of Kings. What makes 26:02 seem so much longer than 25:59? I was really hoping to pull off a 25-something time this morning, knowing it was going to be close all the way, but when I rounded the final hairpin and rode straight into a 50 mph headwind coming from the coast... oh, did I slip an extra digit in there? Maybe 5 mph headwind. But it was a headwind, and it lasted the entire .38 mile from just past that hairpin to the top.

At least I hadn't cleaned my bike! Not too often that's a good thing, and my bike is pretty much a mess right now, with just a few days left before I (and my bike) leave for France. But had I cleaned it yesterday, it would have been pretty dirty after just this-morning's ride, due to a fair amount of fog & light drizzle near Sky L'onda. Not enough to keep us from sprinting though, although I question whether my moving across the road might have relegated me to last-place. Adding credence to that likelihood is the fact that I beat Todd, and about the only way that's going to happen is if I run him into the barriers. Which I wouldn't do intentionally!

07/09/06- CHURCH, WORLD-CUP SOCCER, TOUR DE FRANCE, WHO HAS TIME TO RIDE? That's how things were shaping up today. I'd had thoughts of getting up early and doing a pre-church ride, but given that I haven't had more than 6 hours sleep/night the past week, I kinda intentionally didn't set the alarm clock, and kinda intentionally went back to sleep when I woke up around 7am or so. I finally dragged by butt out of bed around 9am and watched the recorded coverage of this-morning's TdF stage, and then headed off to church where there were several reminders in the sermon of the world cup soccer finale going on (France/Italy). By the time we got home it was 12:45 so I figured I'd missed the game pretty much entirely but no, still a few minutes left in regular time, then it went on for another hour in overtime and penalty kicks!

So about 1:45 and I'm thinking I'd better get my butt out there, and maybe Todd, who was going to do an early-morning ride, might want to go out a second time. Well, yes, he's ready to ride, but he hadn't strayed from his TV all morning, watching the TdF coverage and then the World Cup...

So obviously, there's nothing left to do but THE UGLY RIDE. Yes, something nasty, not fun, something you do because you have to punish yourself for being a slacker. Something to recalibrate your sensibilities. And there's nothing better for that than heading north on Canada (into a stiff headwing, yuck!), up 92 to Skyline (which you could do faster than the cars, which were bumper-to-bumper, probably all the way to Half Moon Bay), and then the very worst part. That long grind south on Skyline, with several perfectly-straight stretches that seem to go on forever, and the sun beating down on you the whole time.

We headed all the way to Sky L'Onda, down west-side 84 to west-side Old LaHonda, then back up to Skyline and down 84 to Woodside. Kind of an extended variation of our regular Tuesday/Thursday ride, but with the sense of fun generated largely from the shared experience of doing something that wasn't fun in any sense a normal person would understand.

07/06/06- CHECK THOSE TIRES BEFORE YOU RIDE! Actually, you should be checking tires after you ride. This morning, heading down Jefferson towards the start of the ride, I somehow managed a small skid on my rear wheel (unusual, since I rarely apply much force to my rear brake). So when I met up with Todd, Preben and... darn, was that it? Anyway, I checked my rear tire at the start and found two small spots where it had worn through to the casing. Hate it when that happens. So we cut the ride a bit short, skipping the west-side Old LaHonda section, where it's likely the gravel sections might have finished off the tire. Got up Kings in just under 27 minutes, well behind Todd, but just a bit ahead of Preben.

07/04/06- 4th OF JULY RIDE. No big crowd this time, as the early-morning weather looked a bit dismal for the ride out to the coast (most cyclists preferring to head out in the afternoon soon it seems). George, Kevin P (not the "regular" Kevin who's in France right now), Preben and Milo joined me for a ride that was supposed to be a moderate pace up Old LaHonda and down to San Gregorio. Kevin P isn't into moderate though, so he and Preben took off while George kept me company for as long as I could stay with him. Milo didn't continue on with us, as he was suffering from a cold (a mere cold would keep someone from a long ride???!!!), and I don't recall when Preben left us, but eventually it was just George & Kevin at the San Gregorio store... which, at 9:05am, was not open! No matter, we were doing fine, didn't need any extra fueling for the trip up Tunitas.

Oh, right, forgot something (which happens when I'm two days late updating the diary!). I was training for my trip to France 10 days down the road, carrying a backpack with my camera gear. So it's no wonder I couldn't keep up with others on the climbs, carrying 12 extra pounds on my back! Oh darn, weighted it on the scale later, and it's only 6 pounds. Sigh. But it felt like 12! George & Kevin went ahead and played on Tunitas, while I managed to get to the top on the same day. Beautiful day by then too! Lots and lots and lots of people riding up Kings as we headed back down into Woodside.

07/03/06- UPDATE ON TOMORROW-MORNING'S RIDE. Could be just me, or a number of others showing up, I really have no idea. What I do know is that it's going to be longer than normal, so make plans to be back as late as 1pm. The pace will also be a bit more casual than normal, as I'll be using this ride as a test for my upcoming trip to France, carrying a backpack with the same camera gear I'll be climbing Alpe d'Huez and the Galibier with. It's going to be a bit on the cool side, so you might want to wear leg warmers and bring a light jacket. There will likely be several photo stops, particularly if we do the Pescadero/San Gregorio option... it would be nice to get a good shot of the Flamingo house, as well as Machine Gun Man!

07/02/06- FAST PACE ON A SHORT RIDE today; the Alto Velo A ride was a pretty unusual ride today. Up Old LaHonda, north on Skyline to Sky L'Onda, down west 84 to west-side Old LaHonda, back up that to Skyline, south once again on Skyline to Sky L'Onda, now down east-side 84 into Woodside and a brief regrouping at Tripp Road & Kings, where we stopped just long enough to make for a dead-start up Kings, then south on Skyline to 92, down 92 east to Canada and back. Who comes up with routes like this??? It sounds longer than it actually is though; 45 miles total, and about 4800ft of climbing.

I did cheat a bit climbing Old LaHonda. Normally I meet up with the ride at the base and head up with them, which is always a competitive pace. This morning I got there a few minutes early and spotted "Fast Eddy" and his friend Raylene heading up, so I rode with them. Not slowly, but not the torrid pace of some in the A ride either! But I later paid the price for that transgression when, on the return on Canada Road, Greg Drake (former or present Pro rider?) went to the front and rode everyone off his wheel. Well, a couple of us (me included) came unglued well before the rest!

Tuesday's 4th-of-July ride will be an extended version, heading out to the coast for either the San Gregorio/Pescadero loop or San Gregorio/Tunitas Creek. Either way we'll meet at the same place (7:45am Olive Hill & Canada Road) and most-likely head over the hill via 84. Yes, that's right, a Tuesday/Thursday ride that doesn't include climbing King's Mountain! Plan on being back in the neighborhood of 11am-1pm, depending which loop is chosen. Most likely the pace won't be quite as fast as normal, with both Kevin & Karl elsewhere.
 

06/20/06- ONE MORE MONKEY OFF THE BACK. I was a bit concerned how this morning's ride would go, since I hadn't really ridden (other than a single mile on Sunday) since last Thursday, and we usually have the "fast" group showing up on Tuesdays. This morning it was Eric (who usually shows up on those rare days I'm not there, which takes pretty careful planning, since I miss no more than 5 of the 102 rides/year), Jeff, George, Kevin, Preben... but no Karl, Milo, we knew, was on vacation this week, but where was Karl? I figured that George & Karl would be hammering up the hill, preparing for Saturday's Pescadero Road Race.

But I felt better than normal this morning, probably because it was a bit warmer than normal. Finally, the chance to climb in near-60-degree temps, which has an amazingly-positive effect on my lungs. I can actually breathe! I still sound like a freight train, but I don't ran out of steam so easily. I took off at the start, with Eric just a bit behind, and behind him, I'm not sure, but I really wasn't looking. I assumed the rest of the party was right behind, although a glance at the park entrance revealed only Eric. So I just kept going. I made it to the first hairpin past the park in under 9 minutes, so I knew I was doing pretty well. The next timing point, the hairpin where you cross the creek, was just under 13:30. This was going to be (for me) a fast time. And at the final hairpin, under the powerlines where, if you don't die, the end is just 4 minutes away... 21:56. No chance to let up, not even to look back. Finished in 25:54, which is nothing to the guys you regularly get 24 minute times, or the Cat-1s who can do 20 minutes, but for today, for me, it was another indication that I may have managed to accomplish my goal... riding stronger at 50 than 35.

06/18/06- IF YOUR LEG'S HURTING THAT MUCH, WE'RE TAKING YOU TO THE DOCTOR AND GETTING IT CUT OFF! Yeah, how's that for encouragement from Dad, when his son has ridden less than half a mile from the house, on our way up to the far side of Old LaHonda, but having to turn back because he's complaining about his leg (which he'd hurt five days prior while hiking in Stulsaft Park). So we did in fact turn around, I did in fact haul him to the urgent care clinic at Kaiser, and he did in fact have a slightly-bowed and chipped fibula (the non-weight-bearing bone in the lower leg). So no ride for Dad on Father's Day, not this year.

06/15/06- IT DOESN'T GET A WHOLE LOT BETTER THAN THIS. Warm enough to not need leg warmers, no fog or rain up on Skyline, and I get to ride up King's Mtn for the zillionth time with a nice group of people who seem to find little in life more enjoyable than the chance to ride me into the ground. Karl, Jeff, Milo but no Kevin today (he later called to say he wasn't feeling well). Karl was determined to lead me to an under-26-minute time up Kings this morning, but my legs & lungs said otherwise. Actually, had I known it was going to be so close (26:15), I probably would have dispensed with a failed picture-taking effort and really gone for it! But the effort was enough to shut down my first Skyline sprint a bit early, letting Karl ride past with perhaps 20 meters to go.

I apparently just missed my brother Steve and his son (Ed), who'd ridden up Old LaHonda and then down west-side Old LaHonda, where they happened upon a baby rattlesnake. Dang, too bad we didn't see it. Towards the edge of the road, where the rock outcroppings and the great view of the coast are found. Maybe better that we didn't, since I would have insisted on finding something to move it off the road, and baby rattlers tend to be more dangerous (or so I am told) because they don't just strike at you, but tend to hang on for a while. I'll keep an eye out for this little guy though.

06/13/06- AND I THOUGHT WE WERE DONE WITH THE RAIN. Large group today, with Karl, Kevin, Jeff (whom we haven't seen for maybe a year?), George, Preben plus Don and Josh from our Redwood City store. A bit cool but not nastily so; I rode the first part fast but then held up and waited for Don & Josh, who made pretty reasonable time up Kings. Not nearly as fast as George & Karl though. Very tough to keep those guys in sight for very long. We were joined at the top by Milo, and then had a moderately-paced run across the top of Skyline, with the road growing ever-more-wet as we approached Sky L'Onda. No real sprint on the wet pavement, although at the end of the ride Karl took off and kinda road away with the "sprint" on Albion. Thursday, I might try to get a good time on the climb.

06/11/06- WE'LL MAKE A CYCLIST OF HIM YET! Didn't have time for a big ride on Sunday, so went out with my 13-year-old on The Loop. Normally nothing too noteworthy, except that I had him drafting my wheel at about 25mph on Alpine. He actually seemed mildly disappointed we couldn't head up Old LaHonda, so I took a bit of a risk and took him up Godetia, that nasty little cutoff road between Jefferson and Canada. No stopping, no walking!

06/09/06- PRETTY PROUD OF THESE GUYS. No, I'm not talking about the Tuesday/Thursday-morning crew that rides me into the ground. They don't need further encouragement! Rather I'm talking about my daughter Becky, and Kyle, both Chain Reaction employees, who graduated today from Woodside High School. Hard to believe my daughter is 18 and out of High School. Equally hard to believe that Kyle managed a better-than-4.1 GPA and was one of the top 9 in his class (he always seemed so... normal). I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for both of them. Should be a lot more interesting than the usual Tuesday/Thursday-morning drivel posted here!

06/08/06- THE LEGS ARE BACK but in the relatively-cool (50 degrees this morning) air, the lungs just weren't working the way I'd like. Karl, Kevin & Chris were serving up the morning meal of humble pie, with Milo, Steve and Josh waiting at the top. I finished the climb on the same day, but not much faster than Tuesday. The fog magically burned away just ahead of us, giving us one more in a long series of beautiful days. A bit cool, yes, but if that's the worst we can complain about (and right now it is), this is a great area to ride indeed!

06/06/06- I'VE LOST CONTROL. As if I ever had it in the first place! Pretty decent-sized group this morning, including Preben, making one of his rare appearances, and Paul (if I have his name right), a customer who was showing up for the first time on our Tuesday/Thursday cruise. Also Chris, Kevin, George, Karl, and Steve at the top. My legs felt... well, they still hurt a little bit after Saturday & Sunday's 100-milers, but worse than hurting, they just didn't seem to have any zip to 'em. So instead of charging hard up the first part of the hill, I engaged "survival mode" and just watched as they rode on ahead. All of them. It wasn't as if I couldn't make it up the hill, or that it was terribly difficult. It was just impossible to go fast. Eventually I got to the top, and looked upon a large group of well-rested riders, who saw fit to continue to push things on Skyline, leaving me in the proverbial dust. Or maybe their turbulence. I wasn't in a position to even see any of the sprints, much less take part in one, although as the ride went on, I did seem to find a bit more of my legs, bit by tiny little bit. By the time we got to the end of the valley on west side Old LaHonda, I there was actually a small amount of power in my legs.

All was still not completely right with the world though, as descending 84 I went quite wide in a corner, not wanting to take the usual line because something didn't feel quite right, possibly a flat. So I stopped, checked out the bike and realized it was all in my head. It seems that both physically and mentally, those back-to-back centuries (in two different parts of the country) did take their toll. But the good news is that I'm feeling better all the time, and perhaps on Thursday I'll be back to normal. But for now, I'm still wondering just why I'd want to climb Sonora Pass at the end of the month.

06/03/06-06/04/06- CENTURY IN WISCONSIN ON SATURDAY, PALO ALTO ON SUNDAY. CAN IT BE DONE? It seemed both crazy and yet possible... I was heading back to Wisconsin for some product meetings (Trek, LeMond & Fisher), and at the end, on Saturday, was the opportunity to ride the Trek 100, one of the larger benefit rides (childhood cancers). Then fly back that night and do the Sequoia the next day. Pretty silly to even consider, but the Trek 100 was supposed to be pretty flat (it is Wisconsin, after all), and how could I miss out on my favorite local century?

So Saturday I met up with Brian K, a former Chain Reaction employee who has moved back to Wisconsin, and had a very nice ride at a very different century. Different? Well, for starters, there were rest stops every 8 miles or so. And the food? They say that this is one of the few centuries where you are likely to gain, not lose weight, and with rest stops featuring such things as fried chicken wings and bread pudding. Pretty killer cornbread too. And at the end, something I definitely haven't seen at a California century... beer! But remember, this is Wisconsin we're talking about. Terrain was a bit hillier than I'd expected, but it was a beautiful day, mid-70s, low humidity and light breeze.

The plane trip home was on-time and uneventful, almost pleasant even (If you fly United and you're on an A319 or A320 plane, make sure to request row 6, probably the best economy-class seats you'll ever find). Arrived at 10:45pm, came home and got the bike ready (in Wisconsin, LeMond supplied me with a bike so I didn't have to bring mine) and managed to get almost 6 hours of sleep... about average for the past few days.

But how would my legs feel for the Sequoia Century the next day? Pretty much as I expected- mush. Legs & arms both felt a bit lacking in energy; the climb up Redwood Gulch was merely the first in a series where the idea of stopping and walking for a short bit didn't seem entirely unreasonable (although it most assuredly wasn't going to happen!). The plan was to do the 200k version of the ride, so we (forgot to mention that I was riding with Todd from the shop) did the extra Rodeo Road loop south of Santa Cruz and I gotta tell you, I wasn't entirely optimistic about being able to finish. I'd already had one episode of my body rebelling and "sweating out", with another one to follow on the East Zayante climb. By the time I got to our "secret" soda stop at Bear Creek & Skyline, there was so little left in my legs & arms that I was having a difficult time visualizing finishing the ride. But an ice-cold Mountain Dew had a wonderful effect (along with sitting in a chair in the shade for a bit), and within a few miles, I felt almost human. Todd had ridden on ahead but I soon came upon Elaine, who provided a perfect, even pace that kept me going.

In the end Todd & I skipped the Portola Valley loop that would have made the ride 125 miles, and finished with 108. For me, a very tough 108 miles, but it was enough to be able to claim the weird bragging rights that come with doing a pair of centuries on adjacent days, 2000 miles apart.
 
05/30/06- IT'S FUN! Right, that's what I have to tell myself some mornings. It's fun to get out and ride with the guys, getting up earlier than I otherwise would so I can... what? Have fun, of course! And who would I be having fun with today? That would be Kevin, Karl & George, and, of course, the hill. King's Mtn. Something I've climbed literally over a thousand times before, nearly 100 times a year, and it's still there. You'd think it might have moved by now! But no, it's still there, like a bad dream. And sometimes, that's what it seems like, and you wonder why. Why you keep climbing it, twice a week. It's not just because it's there. But darned, it is convenient. Just a few miles from home. And it's pretty darned safe, with virtually no traffic. And, perhaps best of all, it allows you to get in a hard effort in minimal time. Figure half an hour of climbing; a bit less if you're really pushing. And, back in the day, you were rewarded with a nice cruise along Skyline, followed by the beauty of west-side Old LaHonda.

That... was then. This is now. Rarely does our group just cruise along; on any given Tuesday or Thursday morning, you can assume that George, Karl or Kevin (and recently Chris) is going to push the pace up Kings. And I get to decide where I want to be. Do I want to push hard and try to keep the leaders in sight for as long as possible, or cruise along at a more relaxed pace with whomever has decided not to kill themselves on this particular day? Maybe 7 times out of 10, I'll push. Partly because even if I ride with somebody taking it easy, I'll still be at a disadvantage in lung power, doing the heavy-breathing thing while they're able to yak away... at least until the temps get a bit warmer.

So this morning Karl took off, Kevin & George guarded the rear, and I tried to keep Karl in sight as long as possible. 26:39 when it was all over; at this point in the year, I can generally do mid-26 times at will. And afterward, I'll be thinking, couldn't I have pushed a bit harder? Gone a bit faster across the middle section, and shaved off another 40 seconds? Yeah, that's what I think afterward, and maybe if I had someone yelling at me with a bullhorn I'd be thinking that while climbing the hill, instead of worrying that I'm about to blow up.

Kevin & George came up a few minutes later, and we met up with Milo (who'd left earlier and was waiting at the top of the hill for us). And now for that fun cruise along Skyline? That was then, this is now. Yes, it's fun, but it's a very different type of fun these days. Because now the fun is in challenging yourself; seeing what's left after the main climb and continuing to push yourself. Three sprints, the first being the long uphill past Swett Road, made a bit more challenging today by allowing Kevin to literally hang onto my jersey on the way up. In the end it was a non-sprint, but it took its toll on my legs, which are still reeling from it. George took the sprint at the Skegg's parking lot, while I recovered enough to take the big one into Sky L'Onda. From there it's sitting on Karl's wheel while he hauls us all down 84 towards west-side Old LaHonda. Dang he does that well! Then up the twisty, deteriorating-yet-friendly and always-beautiful Old LaHonda. Generally civil until the far end of the valley, and then it's often a free-for-all to the top.

But is it really fun? Pushing yourself to the limit, riding past others who clearly have a different idea of what it means to enjoy being out on a bike, sprinting to imaginary and yet well-understood lines... is it really fun? Yes, it's really fun. It's something you can look forward to, something reliable and enjoyable that's disconnected from just about everything else in your life. And maybe even more important, it encourages a feeling of immortality. A feeling that, despite being 50, you can do something today as well as, if not better, than you could 10, maybe 15 years ago. That alone makes it worthwhile.

05/28/06- DIFFERENT KEVIN TODAY, as I rode with my 13-year-old instead of the big boys. Not a lactic-acid-special, to be sure, but any chance I have to get him out on a bike is one I have to take advantage of. Did the Old LaHonda, eat-at-Alice's (Sky L'onda) and then descend 84 back into Woodside ride again. Nice ride because it's not hopelessly long, includes a good climb, and has a reward (Alice's).

05/25/06- SLOW KEVIN SHOWED UP TODAY and I was kinda glad. After a couple of pretty fast rides up King's Mtn, I was beginning to feel a bit pressured, and it was nice to be able to relax a bit on the hill. Karl and new-guy (actually rode with us once before) Brian rode on up ahead, and at the top, we were joined by Milo and Steve. The easy ride up the hill made for easier sprints than normal, which was fine with me. Probably the most-challenging part of the ride was the descent on 84, where Karl was definitely pushing the pace. He's got two entirely different descending speeds... wet & dry. When wet, he's the most-cautious person in our group. But when it's dry, he's an entirely different animal!

Kevin did confess today that he's cutting back on his diet coke habit; at some point he admitted to drinking more diet cokes in a day than seems believable, but given the number of times he has to take a "natural break" (as they call it on the Tour de France coverage), you begin to believe it. On the other hand, as we headed back to the finish of the ride, we passed a young woman (well, these days anyone under 40 seems young to us!) rather proudly wearing a "Diet Pepsi" t-shirt. I told Kevin it was one more sign that his diet coke days ought to be nearing an end.

05/24/06- WRONG DAY, WRONG TIME! I decided to revisit yesterday's events one more time, just to make sure I hadn't made an error in reading the HAC4 chart. At first, all appeared as I expected... it was actually a 27-something ride up the hill, not the 25-minute scorcher that George had said. But then I noticed I was reading the wrong file; it had defaulted to the oldest one stored in the HAC4, not the latest. So I can say with reasonable certainty that my actual time up King's yesterday was 26:18. That I can live with. Fastest time so far this year, and puts a 25-something time within reach. Probably not tomorrow though.

OK, it's time to talk about something really silly. Something I haven't talked myself out of... yet. Next week I fly back to Trek for a mini product show and, on Saturday, will be riding in the TREK 100 in Wisconsin, a benefit ride to fight childhood cancer. I fly back Saturday night, arriving at 10:48pm if things go according to plan... and then, the next morning, ride the 200k Sequoia Century. Back-to-back organized centuries are one thing... doing them 2,000 miles apart is quite another. Don't think they make any special patches for that one!

05/23/06- A TIMELY TALE. It was a nicer morning than every-other-Tuesday-morning usually is, because the garbage collectors, on recycling day, didn't arrive at their usual 5:45am time, banging on everything they can find in an attempt to let the world know what that your $34/month aren't going to, ahem, waste. Instead, they showed up at 7:04am, just one minute ahead of the alarm clock. I can deal with that!

Harder to deal with is the deadly quad of George, Chris, Karl & Kevin for the ride up the hill. I'm modifying my pace a bit lately, choosing to ride a bit slower at the start, hoping not to die quite so many (or such painful) deaths in the middle section. Chris rode on and out of sight, while Karl kept a respectable distance in front of me, without making it look too easy. I eventually lost track of him as well, but then George cruised past, gaining about half a minute on me by the top. But that's where things get a bit confusing, as George, who didn't have an "official" timer running (just his watch), thought he got about 24:30, leaving me with an unbelievable time around 25 minutes. Unbelievable, indeed. Nearly unverifiable as well, since I'd neglected to start my Garmin GPS unit, but did have my backup HAC4 running... which required that I download and analyze later on, extracting the actual climb from the rest of the data manually. And that time? A far-more-believable 27 minutes. I'm still looking for where I might have made a mistake... how I goofed and the time was actually 26 minutes, maybe. 25 minutes though, not a chance. Maybe later this season. But for three or four hours, there was this chance, this possibility that George really did ride 24:30, and since he was within visual range at the end, I was in fact about 30 seconds behind. But not this time.

At the top we were joined by Milo and Steve, so we had a pretty healthy-size group going. Made pretty good time, and I might have had fun in the third sprint except that something just didn't quite feel right on the descent, so I stopped to make sure I didn't have a low tire (I didn't) before continuing. Sometimes that's just what you have to do... stop, collect your bearings, relax a bit and then get back to it. Highly recommended if you start feeling a bit sketchy on a descent. Don't force it if it ain't there.

05/18/06- NOTHING IF NOT CONSISTENT. Rather lonely at the start of the ride, with just myself and Karl. Steve came driving past and said hello, goodbye, have a fun ride. Fun ride with Karl charging up the hill? Fortunately I didn't totally blow a gasket and made it up in 26:38, just 9 seconds slower than Tuesday. Looks like I'm finally in the "repeatable mid-26" range again, which is pretty normal for this time of year. At the top of the hill we found Kevin hanging around, briefly... he apparently needed to get to work and couldn't ride the rest of the way with us. But we did pick up Milo and Josh, enough for a good run on Skyline. Josh hasn't quite figured it out yet, but when I ride hard up the hill, I'm going to have problems in the first couple of sprints, and today was not an exception. In fact, it was actually Josh taking both! The second one was a lot of fun, with Josh and Milo going at it pretty hard, and I'm just sitting between them, just a foot or two back, enjoying the view as their draft is sucking me along. Should have brought a camera and taken pictures!

05/16/06- OOPS, HE DID IT AGAIN! That would be the most-unlikely-to-ever-win-a-spring, Kevin (the original), who managed to pull off the Skegg's Skyline sprint this morning. But it's not as if I didn't die trying. The ride started out nicely enough, at a reasonable pace up the hill, made a bit less reasonable for me by the memory of my 27:01 time last Thursday. So today I had the Garmin set up to show my time and I managed to get up in 26:29, a respectable time that just barely kept Kevin in sight. Karl and George battled it out for top honors though; not sure who made it to the top first. Gosh, all that work and I was the last person up the hill, or am I forgetting someone? At the top we were joined by Milo and Steve, who had left a bit earlier (perhaps I should think of doing the same, especially since the more-moderate pace would leave more for the sprints to follow!).

The first sprint I managed to snag, despite being more than a bit dead from the climb up King's, but the second sprint... well, Kevin took off a bit early, and I was waiting for a wheel to come by... and waiting... and waiting... and finally realize that nobody's going to come around me, I'm going to have to chase him down on my own. Yuck! My legs were protesting like never before; I died a thousand deaths trying to get to Kevin. And I did. About five feet past the point we sprint to. All that work for nothing. Not really; it helps to force yourself like that and still keep going. The final Skyline sprint I hardly even bothered with; I think George took it. The other guys thought they'd managed to box me in, but the truth was that there were at least two ways I could have gotten through, had I the legs. I did, however, manage to take the last sprint on Albion. Two out of four. Not enough to maintain control over the wolves, who are most definitely now smelling blood. And if this is what I do for fun...

05/14/05- EVERYONE NEEDS A TODD! It's Mother's Day and you're trying to get a ride in before church, and you want something at least mildly challenging. A quick ride over 84 to LaHonda, then back up West Alpine. But two flats later, time is running out. That's when you're glad you've got Todd with you. That 7 mile run on Skyline between Page Mill and 84 zipped by in 17 minutes instead of the usual 25. Made it back home with at least 22 seconds to spare!

05/13/06- WATCH & LISTEN TO THE GIRO d'ITALIA FREE! If you've got DSL or Broadband cable, and haven't sprung for the $20 OLN on-line package, you might check out these links-

---RAI video feed-  http://www.media.rai.it/mpmedia/0,,Sport^4292,0.html
---Eurosport audio feed- http://www.eurosport.com/eurosport/mc_vid20993.shtml

So you watch the RAI video while listening to Eurosport audio. Eurosport typically doesn't start their audio until the very last part of the race, but that's OK; can you ever get enough "grouppo compacto?"

05/11/06- FAILURE SEEMS FAR EASIER TO DEFINE THAN SUCCESS.

The graph above is from my Garmin Edge 305 GPS, showing the climb up King's Mtn this morning, starting at Tripp Road and ending at the stop sign at the top. On the one hand, I can look at it and say hey, I'm finally burning off some of that winter fat, and getting close to a respectable (26:xx) time up the hill. But on the other hand, 27:01... how many places could I have saved just two lousy seconds and been in the "26" range?

I had my chance, as I was pretty much on my own. Kevin was doing an easy (slow) ride, Milo and Steve had gone on ahead, Chris was riding with Kevin... I'm forgetting someone, but the point is, I was setting my own pace, with no distractions. I didn't actually know what that pace was, as I haven't figured out everything yet on the Edge 305, and I was guessing it was going to be something close to 28 or so. It was only after getting home and downloading the info into the computer that I found it was 27:01. The irony is that I would have been happy with 27:25, but I'm unhappy with 27:01. 27:25 would be a success, while 27:01 represents a failure.

Sprints? The first was neutralized, the second & third ones on Skyline I managed to snag, but that last one on Albion? Chris took that one good. I might have been a bit distracted by the squirrel that ran in front of me, or nailing that bump in the center of the road pretty hard, or simply gave him too much room on the inside. It won't happen next time! You can't let the other guys think they can beat you, or you're finished. Time to shut down their hopes, their dreams of getting to the line ahead of me. Right. Who am I kidding? It's great that Chris is getting stronger, and there's sure no way I can hang onto his wheel on the climbs. I'm not worthy! :>)
 

04/30/06- ANOTHER RIDE WITH THE "OTHER" KEVIN UP OLD LaHONDA today. The original plan had been to ride the Wildflower Century in Chico, but since I'll be heading to Sacramento on Monday & Tuesday for the PedalPower bicycling lobby event, I decided to stay closer to home and do a ride with my son. After all, next Sunday we're scheduled to revisit the Delta Century 35-mile ride again, possibly with both my 13-year-old son Kevin as well as his 18-year-old daughter Becky. I'd like to say Kevin had an easy time riding up the hill, but truth be told it was a bit of a struggle, as he hasn't put in much time on the bike lately. Of course, for the Delta ride, there won't be any big hills (nothing more than an overpass or two), but there will definitely be some butt-time on the saddle!

04/27/06- FOGGY AT THE COAST, WARMER INLAND. FINALLY NORMAL APRIL WEATHER! It was just yesterday morning that I finally woke up to the sound of a whole lot of birds outside the bedroom window... haven't heard that noise in ages. Yes, even the birds had given up on Spring. Until now. This morning the sun was out, the roads were dry, and my bike felt fast. Maybe not fast enough for the ride up the hill; we had Milo, Kevin, Karl, new Kevin, and Chris. Enough to assure that I was in the bottom-third heading up the hill. I'd like to pretend I was saving myself for the sprints, but no, 27:42 was all she wrote. Maybe it was just so nice I wanted to enjoy it, rather than kill myself? Nope, did that anyway! Chris made it to the top first, but didn't have a bike computer and so was estimating a virtual time that would have him leading the Tour de France. We brought him (gently) back to reality, pointing out that Kevin & Karl weren't that far behind, and they'd be more likely to serve as mere domestiques in the 'Tour.

The roads did feel fast though, fast enough that a combination of brute force and fierce intimidation allowed me to win the sprints along the way. Heck, I was even able to keep up with Milo heading down 84, something very rare indeed.

For anyone riding with us next week, I'll be missing Tuesday's ride, as I'll be in Sacramento at a cycling lobbying event (meeting with the various legislators, trying to get a small piece of the massive infrastructure bond set aside for cycling projects).

04/25/06- THE FOUR CYCLISTS OF THE APOCALYPSE? That would be Kevin, Karl, Milo & George, joining me on the usual Tuesday/Thursday ride up Kings. It was one of those "yak-yak" days, when Kevin, Karl & George were discussing their race last Saturday (Wente Brut), in which, if I remember correctly, George took 2nd. Or maybe it was Karl. I know it wasn't Kevin, since he's not a sprinter, but he did manage to pull off a solo effort towards the end of the race, for an entire lap, getting caught maybe 300 meters before the finish. And me? What tales of racing glories do I have to tell? Zip. Zilch. Nada. Didn't even do the Sea Otter this year, figuring it would be too muddy. Wimped out.

So I'm huffing & puffing like a steam engine, while they're riding off the front, yakking away casually. Ah, that's it! They're using up all the oxygen in the space ahead of me. That explains everything! But all that aside, it was a good, strong ride this morning, including at least one sprint in which, without the bets of tactics, there's no way I would have pulled off. Karl's catching on to me though; he knows that I'll keep the speed down on the lead-in to the Sky L'onda sprint, so nobody has the opportunity to swing around a fast-moving rider and catch someone by surprise (me). The final sprint on Albion/Olive Hill tends towards pure power though, and, for the moment, I can still pull it off. Won't be able to for long though, as Karl gets stronger and stronger. Not too worried about Kevin; it generally takes him a day or two for his "sprint" to wind up. Milo? He's frequently there at the end, with a tenacity that's stronger than his horsepower. George is the strong, silent type. I'm never sure what he's up to, but sometimes he just suddenly appears. But in the end it's George & Kevin & Karl who are out there actually racing on the weekends, so whatever I manage in a sprint can be seen best as training for them, not a victory for me. Maybe if there's a road race somewhere, on a Sunday, without a huge climb in it... (ironic since in my racing days, I would have been tempted to skip anything relatively-flat, favoring instead nasty climbs you could sink your teeth into).

04/24/06- SAD NEWS TO REPORT as we find out that a rider that Burt, one of our employees, saw down on the pavement on Palomares (during the Primavera Century) was later found to have died from his injuries. Nobody's certain what happened; could have been hitting another rider's wheel, could have been a heart attack, but either way a grim reminder of our mortal nature. The irony is that there's a part of me (actually a very good-sized part of me) that believes that riding keeps me alive; that while I'm on a bike, I can pretend that all is right with the world, and that my body will never fail me. And truth be told, there are far more dangerous things than riding a bike. But, as they said in Hill Street Blues, "Let's be careful out there."

04/23/06- THE PHANTOM RIDER AT THE PRIMAVERA CENTURY. Read all about it here... not quite the way a century normally goes for me, but what the heck, losing a rider is an experience everyone should go through at least once! Not.

04/20/06- I WASN'T REALLY SURE HE'D SHOW UP, but sure enough, at the start of the ride this morning, there's Josh, on his brand-new Trek Madone 5.2SL. Josh had never been up to Skyline before, so showing up for a ride with the big guns was kinda gutsy. Either that or it says something about Josh's estimation of our capabilities! And I suppose before we get further carried away, I should point out that Josh is one of our employees in Redwood City.

So at the start we had Josh, Eric (who rode with us some time ago, and drives up from the Lexington Reservoir area), Kevin, Mark, Milo... I must be forgetting somebody. Kevin and Mark predictably went racing up the hill, and I hung with them for a while, before deciding that wasn't too civil for new-guy Josh, who wouldn't know anything about pacing himself up the climb. Milo wasn't in it for the long haul this morning, showing up on a fixed gear and turning around at the clearing on Kings. Josh did pretty good... actually, excellent for a first-timer, at about 32 minutes up Kings.

Heading south on Skyline, I complained that none of the sprinters were with us today, which Kevin suggested Mark should take offense at, and I waited for a pump in my spokes or maybe an elbow, but alas, they were all talk today. We didn't even get to contest the final, fastest sprint just before Sky L'onda, as Mark had a rear tire blowout that required Kevin to head back home (near Swett Road) to get his car and rescue him. That left just Josh, Eric and I on the west-side 84 & Old LaHonda section, which was fine with me! I did miss not having Karl to push the pace heading down 84 though!

Hopefully we'll see more of Josh in the future, but I suspect it won't be too long before he's the one pushing the pace. Hate it when that happens!

04/18/06- TIME TO GET OUT THE NICE BIKE AGAIN AND GO FOR A RIDE! How long has it been since I've been able to ride my Madone, instead of the rain bike? Far, far too long. And it's not as if my rain bike (a "ruggedized & weatherproofed" 5900) is any slouch. But the Madone... just a couple turns of the crank and you feel the difference. A bike that wants to go, and go fast. And right now, coming off our extended winter, I need all the help I can get.

Kevin, Karl, George, Chris all at the start, with clear skies and temps just a bit on the cool side... something we'd normally be complaining about, but we're just so happy to have the sun out, and no rain. George, Karl and Chris took off and raced up Kings, while Kevin wasn't feeling quite so hot and only managed to pass me about halfway up, finishing perhaps 30 seconds ahead. Normally I would have liked to have been up there where the action was, but that's going to take a few more weeks, and maybe a bit warmer weather. At the top we were joined by Milo, who'd left a few minutes ahead of us.

Karl is getting smarter, recognizing that if he tires me out on Skyline, before we get to the sprints, I'll either not be there at all (having been blown off the back) or too winded to put in a strong effort. That should have been the case today, but wasn't... I hung on and barely held him off. The final sprint before Sky L'Onda was the most interesting, as I was in the lead on the descent just prior to it, but held down my speed so there wasn't as much advantage to drafting. Then when Milo came around, I let him go for a bit before grabbing his wheel, which delayed Karl (who was sitting on my wheel) just enough to take it. Of course, it's all kinda silly, since Karl, Kevin, George & Chris all ditched me on the west-side Old LaHonda section. Realistically, if they didn't want me around for a sprint, they could get rid of me without much trouble. They're just too nice to make a practice of doing so.
 

04/17/06 (Addendum) OPEN THE POD BAY DOOR, HAL. That's what I was thinking when I was 14 minutes out from home, desperately trying to make it back in time for the extended-family Easter Brunch at a restaurant. I knew my timing was going to be a bit tight, trying to squeeze in a good ride in just an hour and a half... and the first half hour of the ride, I felt like a total slug. Didn't help that the scale showed a weight I hadn't seen in about two years, mostly because I would have had two centuries under my belt by now. That plus a bit of a headwind, but I'm still thinking I can do it. Not just the normal loop, but with an extension up West Alpine. The plan was to get the first mapped ride from my new GPS (Garmin '305) up on the website.

It's both fun and scary at the same time, as you're flying down Alpine towards Sand Hill, knowing that you've got to get back home by 1:15 at the very latest (the plan was to drive to the restaurant at 1:20, and my wife said I had to be back by 1pm, but I figured as long as I had at least one foot in the shower by 1:15...), and trying to figure out, from where you are at the time, exactly how long it will take to get back. Do you go flat-out and risk flaming out, or a measured effort? No choice, go for speed. 12:30pm and I'm at Alpine road, a bit above Arastradero. Can I make it back home by 1:15? That's 45 minutes... it takes about 14 minutes from Roberts in Woodside... so can I possibly get from here to there by 1pm? 30 minutes. Long light at the messy Sand Hill/Alpine junction. It's 12:41 by the time I'm making the left turn onto Sand Hill. 19 minutes to go up Sand Hill, north on Whiskey Hill and down into Woodside. Funny thing is, even though I've lived in this area all of my life, ridden these roads hundreds if not thousands of times, I just don't know. It seems so far, and the time seems so short. 12:52 though, and I'm finished with Sand Hill and onto Whiskey Hill. How long is Whiskey Hill? Thankfully, not as long as I'd remembered... I got to Roberts at 12:56.

So this is the moment of truth. You're about 14 minutes out; it's 12:56pm, and your wife was expecting you at 1pm (so you'd have enough time to shower and dress for the restaurant). Do you just put down the hammer and race home, ignoring the cell phone that will inevitably ring at 1pm with an exasperated voice at the other end of the line asking "Why aren't you home yet?" Or do you pull over, call just prior to that 1pm deadline, and tell her you're on the way? I chose the latter option, calling in with a minute to spare, and telling her to have someone open up the garage door so I could sail right in (and thus the "Open the pod bay door, Hal" bit, from the movie 2001). By 1:13 I had a foot in the shower, and by 1:20 I was nearly as ready to go as anyone else in the house. Don't think my pulse went into recovery mode until we were well on our way in the car though!

04/16/07- BARELY SQUEEZED IN A RIDE TODAY, AS I NEARLY WIMPED OUT. Well, truth be told I did wimp out; the original plan was to get out early in the morning, before church. And I did wake up in time... in time to see pretty nasty rain, plus the added excuse of being able to watch the end of the Amstel Gold road race on the 'net.

Fortunately, I guessed correctly that the rain would let up later on, and sure enough, I was able to leave in only the slightest drizzle just before noon and get in a high-speed run out on the "Loop." Only I chose to do the Loop with an added bonus, by heading up West Alpine and over the infamous "Walking Joaquim. West Alpine was downright noisy as the small creek was looking more like an angry little river! I've put up a quick web page showing this loop, for the benefit of anyone who hasn't had the pleasure yet.

As for the rain... the 10-day outlook doesn't look quite so bad at the moment, with only 2 or 3 days of rain showing. Could be we're finally leaving the wet stuff behind, which suits me just fine.

04/14/06- FINAL CLOSURE? (not bike-related) My daughter's long journey choosing a college may very well take her to UC Santa Cruz, where she can be a slug (their official mascot, believe it or not) just like her dad. It's a strange and curious thing, looking at colleges and going to the website for your old school and seeing what has... and hasn't changed. I found myself looking at the alumni page and feeling a bit guilty about not being a member, but then remembered why I stopped so many years ago... the endless calls for more money from young students who seemed to think that I was a successful business mogul who was going to donate money for a new building. Er, no, not someone who owns a bicycle shop.

But it also rekindled something else- those weird dreams I had for quite a few years after graduation... dreams that have come back a few times recently... dreams that I never finished some needed requirement, and thus didn't actually graduate. This was a very real concern of mine when I was approaching graduation, since I'd come down with Mononucleosis in the 2nd quarter of my senior year, and ended up taking 25 units my final quarter to make up. Even after graduation I was never really sure, until my diploma finally arrived many months later. But the dreams didn't stop. They represented unfinished business, and it's not as if there's ever been a time in my life when I could say there wasn't some!

I found it interesting, researching the UCSC website (www.ucsc.edu), just how different college is from high school, at least in one respect. Where it talks about academic advisors and such, it tells parents that they're not allowed access to information about how the student is doing, no able to talk with their academic advisor, unless the student has given permission and is present. Guess it's that growing-up thing, but I don't recall it happening so quickly, without any intermediate steps between full (and welcome) parental involvement and an almost-absurd degree of separation. Yes, every once in a while something hits me like this and I realize that I am a parent, but my kids are growing up and things aren't quite the same as they used to be.

So what did I do tonight to try and get a sense of closure to it all? I finally ordered my complete transcripts. Something I've never had all in one place, nor do I recall even looking at those from my final quarter (because, arriving well after graduation, they almost seem posthumous and thus irrelevant at the time). Should be interesting, since UCSC, at the time, didn't give grades, but rather detailed written evaluations. Maybe those rare-but-occasional dreams will finally end. But more likely they won't. Quite possibly they'll continue until my daughter graduates. That would, indeed, seem to be the relevant piece of unfinished business left in the puzzle.

04/13/06- NO RAIN! Not even that many clouds, but the roads still looked pretty wet outside the house, and there was still a small threat of a rogue shower or two, so one more time I went down to the garage and dragged the rain bike upstairs (my Trek Madone lives in the main part of the house, but there are limits to how many bikes are allowed to sit in hallways, dining rooms, foyers...). Pretty warm too, at about 50 degrees leaving the house. The ride up over Jefferson made me feel good about taking the rain bike, as water was still cascading down the pavement from the rain-soaked hills. I didn't, however, have to bring along the heavy rain jacket.

Kevin and Karl this morning, along with another Kevin, a long-time customer I'd recently sold a Madone to. I've got to stop doing that; the pattern repeats itself frequently. Sell someone a nice new bike, and then watch them ride away from me on the hill. He couldn't quite keep up with Kevin & Karl (give him time, and maybe) but did manage to stay out front, just out of range, after passing me about halfway up the hill. I do have an excuse though; he had to turn back at the top (to get to work on time), so I can rationalize that he could put on the afterburners because he didn't have to ride the rest of the way with us.

Kevin (the regular Kevin), Karl and I headed south on Skyline, and for the first time in a bit, the sprints were contested again. It's not really fair on days like this, when I'm not climbing terribly well, since logically that means I've got a bit more available in the sprints than Karl (I could include Kevin too, but he's more of a "roller" than a sprinter... it takes him a couple minutes to get up to speed, but once he does, he might ride you right off his wheel). After the second sprint Karl waited up for Kevin but I kept on going, mostly because the roads were getting a bit messy and I didn't feel like contesting that final high-speed sprint into Sky L'onda on wet pavement. But even with the often-wet roads, it was still one heck of a nice morning to be out on a bike. It felt almost... almost like how it feels riding in April in California. Oh, right, it is. Well, we're at least getting hopeful that we might come out from this extended winter we've been having.

04/11/06- THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR. The Tuesday/Thursday-morning ride isn't just about getting in shape (or trying to keep from getting too-badly out of shape). It's also that shared-experience thing; seeing the guys (rarely does a woman show up on our ride, apparently being too sensible) and talking about last-weekend's race, discussing what's worse, the stuff coming up from the wet pavement or down from your nose... ok, maybe I can see why the women aren't riding with us. Whatever the case, twice each week I'm out with... well, people I can call my friends. It's kinda funny; you grow up with sitcoms where your role models hang out in bowling alleys (OK, really old sitcoms) or bars or whatever, and wonder if it's normal that you don't have friends you do that with. People who do this or that every Friday night. But what is it, exactly, that I'm missing out on? Instead of drinking beer, we have Cytomax. Instead of getting into arguments & fights, we ride each other into the ground in sprints and on climbs. But those discussions about our work, kids, wives, ex-wives, relationships, the touchy-feely kind of nonsense that guys have to have a few drinks before they start into? That's what west-side Old LaHonda's for. If the road had ears...

OK, on to this-morning's ride. It started too early, as the garbage men were making one heck of a racket at 6am. Usually they're not so bad, but this morning? I eventually did get back to sleep, and then dragged myself out of bad at 7:05 and prepared the rain bike for another soggy morning. If not for the fact that people will be waiting for me at the start of the ride, I wonder if I'd continue to be as insistent about riding every Tuesday & Thursday morning, no matter what? But the question is academic; over the years, we've accumulated a few die-hards who are willing to brave the elements on the worst of days. This morning it was Kevin, Milo, George and Karl. Actually, Karl was running a bit late and didn't catch up to us until the regroup at the top of Kings. The pace started pretty easy, so easy that I found myself quickly putting some distance between myself and the others, without intending to do so. This is rarely a good thing, especially with Kevin & George back there, who can turn up the heat very quickly. But what the heck, I figured I'd ride it out as long as I could, and found that, while my heart rate was running a bit high (170-172 instead of 165 or so), I didn't feel too bad. Still, it was always with a certain amount of fear and trepidation that I forced myself to look back from time-to-time to see where they were. At the halfway point I had about 40 seconds on them, and the gap was coming down quickly. George finally caught up with (and passed me) a bit after the clearing, but I did manage to keep Kevin at bay.

From that point on things were a bit more casual, as we talked about the recent races Karl & George & Kevin had done, and I felt just a bit more than slightly envious. These are all guys about my age, and they're living a dream that used to be mine, so many years ago. No sprints today, partly due to the wet conditions, and partly just a bit more relaxed atmosphere than normal. George did push the pace on the "return" section of west-side Old LaHonda, and for some reason I felt comfortable going down 84 a bit faster than normal for a wet descent (possibly because I'd finally installed new brake shoes?). So much for the technical details. But the reality is that we're just a bunch of guys out for a good time. 50-year-old guys can still do that. Hopefully 10 years from now I'll see that 60-year-old guys can too!

04/06/06- DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO. I've dispensed some pretty decent advice over the years; sometimes it would be helpful if I followed it myself. That was the case this morning, when, as I got ready to inflate my tires, I noted a big bald spot on the rear tire, where the rubber had worn completely through to the casing. As I've told my customers many times, don't check your equipment before a ride, check it after your ride! That way, if you find something, you've got time to fix it before the next ride. This morning, I was up against the clock in terms of leaving the house and getting to the start of our ride on-time... so, with changing a tire involved, I was going to run about 8 minutes late. No way would they wait; they'd assume something must have happened, like maybe I died. In over 20 years of doing this ride, I've been late maybe 3 times, and each of those only by a couple of minutes. Fortunately, I was able to get word to them, since my daughter leaves for school about the same time I leave for my ride, and she drives right past the start, so she was able to tell them I would be there shortly.

Millo and Kevin joined me at the (late) start on the first beautiful morning in... well, a very long time! A few clouds but no threat of rain. A bit cool, dropping as low as 41 degrees, but not unpleasant, not as long as we could ride without fear of a low-traction shimmering liquid road surface. Milo rode up Kings at a moderate pace, while Kevin... well, Kevin's back, and he's nasty. No way can I hang with him, not past the first 3rd of the climb anyway. I managed to keep within maybe 30 seconds of him on the main climb, which I was both happy & frustrated with. But truthfully, if Kevin had really been feeling good, he would have been out of sight in no time. At the top we were joined by Ueyn, and from there on made pretty decent time. Got a pretty good shot of Milo on the second (Skeggs) sprint.

04/04/06- THE TALE OF THE BIG ORANGE BLOB. Once again the TV is on, showing the latest weather radar, as I'm getting ready to ride. And once again she (the wife) asks "You're not going out in that, are you? Look at that big orange blob. It's heading straight for us!" While it would seem rude, crass and generally not the appropriate thing to say, I said it anyway. "No duh." Why does she bother to ask? Perhaps because we've only been married such a short time (26 years)? Perhaps she's thinking a bolt of lightning struck me and suddenly made me sensible? I don't get it. On Tuesday & Thursday mornings, I ride my bike. That's what I do.

And so I set out, in a heavy downpour, actually thankful that it was coming down in buckets. Seriously, what's the difference between it being wet enough to be annoying, and really dumping? The difference is that it's impressive riding when it's really dumping. It gives you a reason for having put on all that clothing. Your bike doesn't just get messed up, it almost gets washed clean. Bring it on!!! Plus, well, I'll admit it... there's bragging rights to riding when it seems like any sensible person would stay home.

Today's bragging rights went to me and... Milo. Saw two other guys out on the road, nobody else. Kevin had left a message that he couldn't make it, Karl is relatively sensible, and the others just thought there might be someplace better to be. They were wrong, of course. Heading up Kings Mtn when it's really dumping is an experience everyone should have, at least once. If I had to describe it in just one word, it would be loud. The creek seemed more like a small river, and even the rain itself was noisy. Nothing fast about the ride, just a reasonably-brisk social pace. I did consider, briefly, dropping down 84 back into Woodside and skipping the OLH-West section, but... why? 44 degrees, raining, yeah, those specs don't sound so good, but it was nearly windless, and there was the curiosity about what might be left of the roads. And, of course, I couldn't wimp out, not with Milo there! Can't have witnesses to such things (and besides, would have to figure out how to rationalize it here).

04/02/06- WILL IT RAIN, OR WON'T IT? Dumb question; of course it will rain, that's what it does these days! Still, there was some hope that perhaps it would hold off long enough in the morning that I'd get my son Kevin back up to Skyline again. And so it was, on Saturday night, that Kevin's attitude was one of "Gee Dad, I sure hope it doesn't rain tomorrow, so I can suffer terribly on a bike ride with you!" Not quite in those words, of course.

But as it turned out, it didn't rain. Not only that, but we even talked my daughter Becky (who works a couple days a week at the shop) into riding with us as well. Not much chance we could get her all the way up Old LaHonda, but anytime I can get one of them, let alone two, out on a ride... that's something I can't pass up.

We made it about a quarter way up before Kevin had a flat, and while Dad is very well prepared to take care of something anybody else might suffer on the road, he'd neglected to bring along the 650c tubes that fit Kevin's bike, nor was the patch kit in the seat bag. But then Tom Ritchey comes riding up the hill and I ask if he's got a patch kit... well, he sorta does, or at least a soggy glueless patch. I thanked him and sent him on his way, only to find that soggy glueless patches don't stick. But it's not time to give up yet; there ought to be a way to make a 700c tube work in a 650c tire, and to my pleasant surprise, I find it's not that big a deal, so we're back off and running. We eventually make it almost halfway up the hill before it's clear that Becky's lack of riding, along with a recent mild bout of walking pneumonia (we'll call it mild here because Grandma might be reading this) is giving her enough trouble that we turn around at that point and head back for home. But all in all not a bad ride, especially since the skies cooperated so nicely!

03/30/06- SOMEDAY, EVERY CORNER ON 84 WILL BE NAMED AFTER ONE OF US. Given the context of that remark, I hope not, but we'll get to that later!

For once, it wasn't raining, so I got to ride the Madone SSL with the way-cool wheels and just generally that nice, how-could-a-bike-do-anything-better feel. A bike I haven't had much opportunity to ride lately! Pretty big group this morning, with Karl, Millo, Kevin, George & Todd at the start. Todd's presence meant I wasn't going to be winning any sprints, but that's OK, I need something to remind me of what's possible. The ride up the hill was pretty harsh, with Kevin finally recovering from whatever virus had flattened him the past couple of weeks. Millo left a couple minutes before us, which is probably not a good idea since having a rabbit up front only makes people ride that much harder. Karl & George quickly rode out of sight... we later found out they did something around 24:30, not bad for March! We'd caught up to and passed Millo around the Park entrance, which was also about the point that Kevin passed me. I don't even recall where Todd was, but it was either shortly ahead or behind me. I dragged my tail in for a time of 27:11 which was actually quite a bit faster than I thought I was going (and leaves me wondering, had I known, could I have gotten 26-something?).

At the top we came across Ueyn and Katie (Ueyn being one of our former regulars, who says he'll be coming out more in the future, and Katie being a fellow Stanford cyclist), who'd left a bit earlier, concerned, like Millo, that they might not be able to keep up on the climb up Kings. We're a pretty sizable group now, cruising along Skyline at a pretty good pace. Todd, predictably, took the first sprint, and the second one as well. The run into Sky L'onda was pretty wet so I stayed out of the final sprint; there's something about wet roads and skinny tires that kills my desire to get silly on a bike. Just before Sky L'onda we picked up one more rider- local legend Lindsay Crawford, who accompanied us as far as Old LaHonda, on his way out to the coast.

After the pleasant run up west-side Old LaHonda we headed down 84, which is normally an uneventful and safe descent. Water on the pavement changes that. Millo is one of our more-aggressive descenders, and this morning I watched as he passed by me at a faster speed than I'd dare to ride, and shortly afterward go sliding across the lane in that infamous backward-banked hairpin with the chopped-up pavement. Fortunately he wasn't hurt; just torn up clothing and a helmet that got a bit chewed up sliding across the road. Better that than his head!

03/28/06- SO WERE YOU THE ONLY PERSON RIDING THIS MORNING? You would think, after all these years, that my wife would know the answer to that question. Just because it's raining, just because it's fairly cold, she thinks I'd be the only person on the Tuesday/Thursday morning ride? Rarely would that be the case! This morning found Kevin, George and Millo all out there in the muck. Actually, the rain slowed to a drizzle just as we set out, allowing us to pack up the jackets for a more-comfortable cruise up the hill. More comfortable for some anyway; my lungs just don't like the combination of cooler temps and damp air. I was doing that fish-out-of-water-gasping-for-air thing, with my heart rate way up but no power. Toughest 30-minute climb I remember ever doing, but I got to the top and we had a very nice ride from then on.

But I gotta watch out for that George guy! I took the first sprint, but for Skegg's, he copied my move, perfectly. I had no idea what he was up to, figuring that maybe he was holding off and not going to contest it, when all of a sudden he comes flying around at a speed way too high for me to grab his wheel. What he'd done was to come up from behind, cut across my wheel to gain speed and then zipped past. I was impressed. I'd like to say that on a good day I might have recovered and got him, but that might be wishful thinking.

Thursday... maybe... they're saying we'll have a dry day. I'll believe it when I see it!