Return to Glorieta

It has been a long time since I climbed Acalanes Rd. to Glorieta. Probably at the summit where the road name changes is the city limit line between Lafayette and Orinda. While the climb is only half a mile, and a couple hundred feet, it hits 20% for a bit and is quite steep. Feels good.

I was planning a 40 last night, but I hung around eating frozen yogurt with Dale so I just cut 5 miles and a climb and suddenly, I’m back on schedule! I felt good right off. I planned and ate well setting up for the ride. I only took two large size water bottles and did not need to bring any food along. Climbing Tunnel Rd. was just swell. I dropped right down Pinehurst to Canyon and then out through Moraga to Lafayette. Descending Moraga Rd. to Lafayette is a very nice, fast road that allows pedaling through all the turns in top gear while draped out on my aero-bars in a position similar to a skier’s tuck. I got a bit of recovery rolling through Lafayette to Acalanes Rd. It was just calling me last night. Oh yeah. I shifted all the way down to my easiest gear and still needed to stand up, but it was good. Real good. There is something about climbing hard when you feel it. It is just satisfying.

Rolling over the summit, I began shifting up and speeding up, and OOPS, missed that stop sign. I’ll do better at the next one. A bit of notice wouldn’t have hurt. Maybe there was and I just missed it because I was still breathing hard and bleeding lactic acid out of my eyeballs. Feels good.

The last real climb of the day was Wildcat Canyon that also went very well. Starting out the climb in second gear, I upshifted as the gradient eased toward the top and then blasted through Tilden Park. Before descending into Berkeley, I stopped to put on a long-sleeve jersey and the perfect wind vest Karen found at Goodale’s Bike Shop in Nashua, NH when I was looking for the right one. A good shop when you are in the area.

Basking in the twilight and afterglow of my ride: Glorieta 35, I turned on my bike lights and shot down Spruce Street. Ah, the simple pleasures of life: going uphill, going downhill, and hammering the flats. Feels good.

35 miles, 2,400 vertical feet of climbing, 2:20 averaging 14.6 mph.