"Dos" and "Don'ts" in the Berkeley Hills

Yeah, I know that this is a bad idea, but it seemed like an OK idea at the time.
I'll put that idea in the "done pile" not to worry about doing again since I got away with it once.




This sort of pass I've done hundreds of times, but I'm beginning to think that this sort of riding ought to stay safely locked in my past too.




50 M.P.H. "Safe & Sane" nearly traffic-free cruising will suffice just fine.

Downhilling? Yeah, we got that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIfBEAqo2aU

Yeah, I know, turn off all that wind noise.
Blurry and jumpy, kind of like what I see at speed on a rough road.

The Days are Shortening

I got in two good 25s after work last week.
Skyline-Redwood-Pinehurst-Tunnel

I greatly enjoyed getting in my rides during the heat-up last week but as the days shorten this fall, I am running out of light for a ride that long after work. I'll shorten down to hour rides next week. I have a nice headlight, but I hate riding in the dark. I just cannot see enough.

Five and a half miles of climbing and gaining a view over Oakland, the San Francisco Bay and the coastal range from near the summit on Skyline.



But on the way back down coming home, it is getting just a wee bit dark.



But it is pretty.
That is Mt. Tamalpais at the coast.

So, where have I been? To London to visit the Queen?

Well, no. Life has just been overfull for a while. After the LiveStrong ride, I took an unplanned hiatus from cycling as things that I had pushed to the back burner began to boil over.

Dale and I did manage to ride a Davis Phinney Foundation fundraiser at Folsom Lake. It was a very pretty 12 mile loop around the lake/river/whatever. It was some beautiful water. If the weather had been any warmer, we definitely would have jumped in. Last year I rode a 40 along the water and it was quite hot. I spent about an hour just soaking in the American River after. Lovely.

The route was all bike paths. It could get a little crowded sometimes, but no cars was great.



Overlooking the water from a high point, about 100 yds.
If you look closely, you can see a section of old rope hanging from the branch.



A fine idea for a rope-swing poorly executed.



A beautiful day riding around beautiful water.



Followed by a first-rate BBQ and raffle.
We are definitely returning next year.



We met up with Karl in Sacramento after for an iced coffee.



On a 20 mile ride with Dale a couple weeks later, we stopped for a breather and a view of Mt. Diablo.



The biggest life-changer lately has been the addition of Miss Macy to the family.
17 pounds of full-grown, 3-year-old Miniature Pinscher.



A little over caffeinated, we cut her back to 3 double espressos 3 times a day.
"Use your words Macy?"
Yeah, we got that.



But with a LOT of exercise, some hugging and feeding, she sleeps like a baby.



Macy loves her new bed and Mr. Blue Squeaky Toy.



She learned to love road-trips crossing half the country from Colorado Springs to Berkeley.
Mom came home to Berkeley after missing for some years in the wilds of Colorado and we get the dog! Mom's duplex is closely surrounded by those who have not yet learned to appreciate an earnest alert of any passing thing. Real or imagined.
In South Campus, we can use just such diligence.



So where did all this time to catch up on my blog come from?
I planned to ride a 25 this evening after work, but Miss Macy really had a tough day with two, count 'em, two moving vans, 6 movers, untold numbers of kids, dogs, birds, and I don't know what-all. I took her for a long walk after work, gave her a Milk Bone, loved her up, and changed into my cycling clothes. But every time I got near the door, she just sobbed and gave me that look like: "You really aren't going to leave me here after the day I just had are you? Dale was way too busy with final portfolios in 3 on-line classes, thesis format reviews, and preparing to teach 2 F-2-F classes this evening to give me anywhere near enough attention. No, I need some serious lap time here buddy."

It was a compelling argument, and she has been sleeping in my lap for an hour and a half.

One can do a lot worse with one's day than make a dog happy.
One even ends up quite happy oneself.
The roads will still be there tomorrow.

The LIVESTRONG Challenge San Jose

Thank you again to everyone who supported my fundraising efforts on behalf of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and thank you to everyone reading along on my blog. The LIVESTRONG Challenge San Jose event raised $1M to inspire and empower people affected by cancer.

As you know, my friend John created Team Glory Days for the event, and many of you generously contributed to him, Dona, Charlie, Amber, my nephew Terrence, Dale, and me raising $3,177.76 in the fight against cancer.

Originally, I set a goal to ride 100-miles, but questions of distance became moot in the face of the need for family support. Terrence and Dale planned to ride the 20-mile route together, but when a 20-year-old that Terrence had been mentoring suddenly died from heart failure, and Dale's father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, the ride became a lot more personal. Knowing how important it was to make sure Terrence and Dale had good rides, I decided to lend my experience and support to my family on the ride. After all, this is what the ride is all about.

All of us on Team Glory Days have already pledged to ride again next year and raise even more money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. For now, my cycling will have to take a back burner for a bit, the flame on low, not off. Dale and I are still finessing the details, but it is starting to look like we are driving a pick-up truck to Colorado Springs, CO to bring my mother back home to Berkeley. She has lived there for a couple years all alone, and it is time for her to return. I'll hope to get in a few short evening rides once in a while, but not much serious riding for a bit. On the plus side, amongst many other things, Dale and I love to road trip and we’ll bring a Flip Cam and still camera along hopefully expanding the scope of this blog. Stay tuned!

Team picture courtesy of Team Captain John Boegman

Good Thing I Don’t Trust Omens

So, Saturday was supposed to be half a day riding 50 miles in the South Bay early before it got too hot. John mapped a route covering some of Sunday’s LIVESTRONG ride that would climb Metcalf Road: 2.2 miles at 7% climbing something like 1,000 vertical feet. John and I wanted the miles and a chance to climb the heinous hill of Metcalf Rd. Many years ago I climbed this hill during a 25 mile portion of a triathlon. I was much younger and much more fit. It was horrible. Lots of very fit triathletes stopping, walking, throwing-up. I’m not looking forward to this today or next week.

I was on the first train to Fremont where John would pick me up to drive to San Jose. Gilligan and The Captain were on the BART train with me humming the theme song from Gilligan’s Island. I should have known then that this would be no “three hour tour.”

The ride started very well, meandering through back road rolling hills. On a quick descent of Willow Springs Rd. with successions of tight turns, John took a turn too fast. I had a front-row view of his braking hard and swinging out wide into the other lane where fortunately there was no oncoming car. I thought that he was going to recover when his rear tire could not take the sideways force from skidding and it rolled off the rim popping the tube. The next quick succession went something like: nice grippy tire on pavement, to slippy aluminum rim on pavement, to ouchy hip on pavement. By the time I got stopped, turned around, and back up to John, he was sitting in the gutter in a cloud of dust. He said to me: “Not a very auspicious start to the day!”

We walked down the road a bit to a turn-out to clean-up and assess. He had a pretty good patch of road-rash on his forearm and a big patch all along his thigh. Although neither was deep, they covered some good area. I’ve taken to carrying first-aid the last few years and was glad to have it, as was John. We cleaned him up taping a big bandage on his arm and letting his shorts hold several big bandages to his thigh. While tending to John, another rider stopped to help and straightened out John’s bike. My spoke wrench did not fit John’s spokes so I could not true his wheels, but they were rideable. The rider who stopped told us about a bike shop in near-by Morgan Hill and we headed there after thanking him again and going our separate ways.

Sunshine Bicycles did us right and trued up John’s wheels beautifully while they let John use the bathroom to wash some more and change the dressings. As we got back on route I suggested that we cut the ride short and just ease back to John’s dad’s house where we started. A big, tough boy, John was tougher than I knew and he scoffed at me! “This? This ain’t nuthin. We’re climbing Metcalf and getting our 50!”
Yeah, this is the guy on whose team you want to be. OK, we’re on. Then I flat.

Great. We pull over and I start to change out my rear tube. John says: “I told you back on Willow Springs flats usually come in threes!” As we start off again, I notice some pebbles sticking to my front tire and I reach down to brush them off while I ride and cut my thumb. They were more of the glass that popped my rear tire but did not flat the front.

So much for getting to Metcalf Rd. before the day got hot. The climb was brutal. I was melting and pouring water over myself as I climbed. Grinding up the grade, I watched a fuzzy white dandelion seed fluff drifting along side me at the exact same rate. The tailwind was matching my “speed” and I received no cooling air whatsoever. Periodically standing to get up the grade, I saw my front tire spread out on the griddle that was the road. The glass I had picked up earlier causing a slow leak so now I was climbing with more like 20 pounds of air pressure in my front tire rather than the 120 PSI with which I started the day. If I stopped mid-way up the hill, I’d just lie down on the road to become more road-kill jerky that I’d seen all day. No way.

At the summit I dribbled into the off-road dirt-bike park for water, recovery, and to change my front tube. John pointed out a group of cyclists who had a support van waiting with an ice chest full of cool drinks and lunch.

Note to self: need that next time.

The rest of the miles passed uneventfully and I returned home 12 hours after my alarm clock went off in the morning.

Some might take this ride as an ominous omen: a foreshadowing of the ride to come Sunday. We’ll be on many of the same roads including the worst up Metcalf. Good thing I don’t trust omens. LIVESTRONG Challenge San Jose 2010 here we come!

Crow Canyon Rd. the Steep Way

I was on my Crow Canyon 60 mile loop the other day, reliving the old days. Last year I was delighted to be able to return to riding that distance; my rehabilitation phase of life progresses well. However, last year I avoided Reliez Station Rd. and this time it was calling me.

Technically speaking, it is awfully steep.

Many years ago, struggling to clear the spots before my eyes on Hillgrade, a teammate grabbed me by the arm and dragged me over the top. As the spots cleared, there was one that would not go away. I kept blinking and breathing deeply, but one green spot would not clear from my vision. It was hot, I probably had 60 miles on me, and I started to worry a bit.

Then I realized that somebody had spray-painted the “O” on the street sign and I was not in trouble. Pretty funny. After a while.

This time there would be no teammate to help me over Reliez Station. Hillgrade is nothing in comparison. About half a mile long, mapmyride.com indicates sections at 20%. It is awfully steep. But my riding has gone quite well this year and Reliez Station was just calling me. I heeded the call, and while I do not remember it being THAT steep, it was quite doable.

It felt very good to take the steep way home and I’ll be doing that again.
60 Miles, 3,500 vertical feet of climbing, 4:20
http://beta.mapmyride.com/route/detail/18282110/