What an awesome theRide!

No, it’s not a typo, it’s the official name of the annual motorcycle ride a bunch of us do every year. And while it seems the group changes from year to year based on who can and can’t make it and whether or not there are any new people, it’s been pretty much the same core group for 4 years now.

This year, as in years past, we try to find roads we’ve not done and explore areas we’ve never been. The funny thing this year was, we were never more than a couple hours from home.
As a matter of fact on Friday, when we finally stopped for lunch, I called my wife and told her I was at Alice’s. Her first question was why it took us most of the day to get to a place 30 minutes from home……she just doesn’t understand….

We ended up Friday in Monterey, had dinner at what turned out to be a great little Italian restaurant and retired to the motel parking lot for cigars and Patron – I almost felt bad for the other people trying to sleep in the motel.

Saturday, we headed out. Our final goal for the day would be the Holiday Inn in Atascadero. Again, we took backroads and secondary roads which were wonderful. There was that one time coming up over the hill to find that the road made a hard left…..probably should have been going a little slower on that one.
Saturday night, after a swim and hot tub, was spent at Outlaws card room and restaurant which turned out to be much better than I expected. That will teach me to pre-judge. Other than a nice midnight hike looking for the lost penguin, it was a perfect day.
Here’s a tip. If you’re ever in Atascadero and want a tattoo, the parlor (yes, there’s only one) closes at 8pm, but there’s a pretty decent bar right next door so your walk won’t be a total waste.

Sunday, we headed out to explore the roads east of Atascadero with a goal of Ojai for lunch. The roads were fantastic, the weather was fantastic, the lunch was fantastic….pretty much a fantastic day. (ok, so I need some new adjectives) Hwy 33 is probably one of the nicer roads I’ve ever ridden. It was…........wait for it…................fantastic!!!

Sunday night, the group split, with some going back to Outlaws and others of us ordering in pizza and hanging out in the lobby of the motel watching the Olympics.

Monday, the last day of the ride was to be a fairly short day. We’d be taking Hwys 41, 46 and 25, to Hollister where we’d check out the Corbin factory and Wizards café for lunch.

The weather was much warmer, but the roads were great and traffic was pretty much non-existent. Ray and I went on ahead so we could get some photos of the others as they rode by.

It worked fine except that when he and I got back on our bikes to catch up, a Sheriff pulled out and followed us for about a half hour…..which obviously means we had to obey the speed limit…..not something we had really paid any attention to all weekend.
The Corbin factory was cool and lunch was good. Afterwards we said our goodbyes, promised we’d ride together more than once a year as we always do and headed our separate ways.

Night photography is fun…..

My oldest daughter and I have been taking a photography class one night a week at the local rec. dept. And, although it’s only served to reinforce the fact that I’m not smart enough for the camera I have, it’s been a lot of fun.
Last week we worked on night photography which was actually very cool.
I had no idea how we were supposed to take pictures, at night, without the use of a flash.

Well, it turns out that exposing the picture longer, which is completely different than exposing yourself (that's downright weird....and illegal), actually makes for some really cool night pictures.

It turns out that fiddling with all those little tiny buttons, in the dark of night while trying to take pictures was one of the more challenging parts of the evening. Thank goodness my daughter with her better eyesight, bigger brain and smaller fingers was there to take care of that portion.

A different kind of ride….

This coming weekend we’ll be going on the annual 4 day ride. In years past we’ve gone up the coast, through the sierras, into Oregon or down and around the central valley….This year, we’ll be heading down the coast.
Oh yeah, and lest you think I’m super-human, I should probably explain that this is on motorcycles.

Every year for the past several years now, a bunch of friends and I have taken 4 days and explored this amazing state we live in. We’ve dabbled in adjoining states, but the majority of the miles have all been within the boundaries of California.
It’s amazing to me the diversity we have here in CA. On one ride the year before last we left the northern coast at 9:00am in fog and drizzle and two hours later were coming down out of the Trinity mountains into 100 degree weather.

A year or so before that we were at the base of Mt Whitney in the morning, the highest peak in the contiguous United States which is only 75 miles from the lowest point in the US…..crazy

This year, we’ll be heading south. The funny part is we’ll be riding on motorcycles some of my favorite bicycle roads. Skyline Bl is just gorgeous in San Mateo County. Pescadero Creek Rd is one of my all time favorites, and Hwy 1 is just a beautiful ride no matter what you’re on.

So, for 4 days, I’ll be off the bicycle and on the motorcycle. Going faster will require no more effort than turning the right wrist a little further. Going uphill no longer requires strong lungs and legs…..catching up to someone ahead of you pretty much only requires thinking about it. It should definitely be fun.

Just one more and then I’m done……

I’m pretty sure I’ve told myself that while justifying the purchase of every bike other than my first. And it makes perfect sense too….

When I got back into riding and bought my first “real” bike, a mtn. bike, I wanted to do something that would give me a workout without really being exercise.
I remember riding my bmx bike as a kid and having a blast. A mt. bike is just a bmx bike for grownups right? So it should be just as much fun…..and it is.
It can go anywhere and do anything. It's the one bike for all seasons....the perfect bike. Sure it was kind of expensive, but I'll never need another one and this one should last me forever!

But then, after having been riding for a while, I met a friend that rode road bikes. So, after borrowing one and going with him, I enjoyed that too so I had to have a road bike.
Well, I already have one bike why would I need two? It’s a little excessive isn’t it?

Well, no. Riding a mtn. bike on road rides just doesn’t work. Even after putting slicks on it, the bike wasn’t right. It was heavy and slow. It had full suspension so it bobbed every time I climbed a hill and after all, isn’t it better to be more efficient so I don’t have to work as hard? See how the rationalization begins????
And rationalization works. I was soon down at the bike shop buying what for sure would be my last bike…..I would have everything I would ever need, the planets would line up, the weather would be perfect from now till eternity and there would be world peace…..I was in total bliss.

Now, when my friends called to go for a ride, I had my mtn. bike and my road bike. I was armed and ready for whatever came at me and there was no reason to ever go to a bike shop again…except maybe for tubes and tires…..

And then I saw a single speed…… Wow, that looks fun…..going back to my roots... no shocks, no gears, lightweight and the perfect tool for our weekly lake Chabot rides….and so it started again.
Only this time, instead of buying a fully built, off the shelf bike, I was going to build one. I should be able to save some money while at the same time, building a bike that was just for me. I would never see one just like it on the trail. So, I bought a frame, then some wheels, seatpost, seat, stem, bars, grips, crank, pedals, chain, etc,etc,etc……
Did I say I could save money building it myself? I’m pretty sure it cost me about 2X what it would be to just buy a similar bike off the floor at the shop…of course since it’s totally custom, there isn’t one like it anywhere on the floor of any shop……

Well, this is it then. I now have my road bike, my single speed mtn. bike and can use my full suspension mtn. bike as a loaner in case any of my friends want to try riding…..
Now, I’m done. Won’t need anything else, got everything I need, never to be tempted again…..

And then I realized….if I’m having so much fun on the SS mtn. bike, I bet a SS/Fixed road bike would be a blast. And besides, it’s a harder workout so I’ll actually be able to get the same workout in less time. Perfect! More time for the family….I need to spend more time with them. This bike is really for the family and not for me….yeah, that’s it! the family!

Again, I built it up for about twice what I could buy it off the floor for and again, it’s different than anyone else’s and there’s no way I could even find one like it if I tried…..

Ok, so now my quiver is finally full…..I can’t even think of another bike that I would need. I have every tool for every job. I’m done. Completely finished and will never need to visit a bike shop again…..except for tubes and tires of course……

(btw – did you see those cool fixie track bikes on Monday at the velodrome????)

Round and round we go…..

So, Monday evening my buddy Chris and I went down to the San Jose Velodrome (www.ridethetrack.com) for one of their beginner sessions. At first I was actually kinda nervous, never having ridden a track bike and never having ridden in a group of people I didn’t know.

I got there early and was able to watch some guys from the San Jose bike club doing some workouts. These guys really fly around the track. (ok, even more nervous now)

Once they were done and everyone else showed up, rented their bikes, filled out their waivers and promised to “keep pedaling” the session started.
It starts out with the leader, Michael, (the guy on the geared bike, keeping up with the race bikes in the picture) a thin, super-fit, racer dude, explaining the basics. The track layout, each of the positions on the track, the wall, the stayers line, the sprinters line, the edge of the world and the apron. Then he talked about the etiquette of the track. Where and when you can get on and off the track, where you’re supposed to be when you’re riding, passing, relaxing, etc. and what you can expect of others while you’re on the track. (Man, I hope there isn't a quiz)
This last part is very important and since we were riding with a bunch of people we didn’t know, it helps that everyone understands what their role is.
Michael was actually a really cool guy and he and his helper made the whole experience a lot of fun.

From here we broke into two groups – those that had done this before and those that hadn’t. Those of us that hadn’t went over to the warm up circle to get familiar with our bikes, the ringers – oops, I mean, those that had done this before went out on the track to do some warm-ups and practice entering and exiting the track.

Now that us beginners have proven we can start and stop on a fixed gear bike without killing ourselves they let us loose on the track with the others and we do a couple of laps to get used to riding in big circles. Basically it’s just like Nascar except a little bit slower….go straight, left turn, go straight left turn…..easy breezy right? (ok, maybe a LOT slower than Nascar)

Next we did some sprint drills to get used to riding fast, holding our line and generally getting comfortable riding with people you don’t know. Basically, we’d line up 4 across on the track, pedal along, Michael would blow his whistle, we’d sprint until he blew his whistle again and we relax. Then we’d swap positions on the track and do it again. (hmm...this is a pretty good workout)
Ok, so now it’s really getting fun….I felt good, my legs were warmed up and I thought I was doing pretty well on the sprints.

Alright so now that we’ve done this, let’s do some racing. They broke us into two groups a “faster” group and a “not as fast” group. Well, Chris and I decided to try the “faster” group. (populated mostly by the people that skipped the beginner training circle) We lined up on the wall and Michael, after reminding us to keep pedaling, said go. We soft pedaled around to turn 3 and then he blew his whistle and I understood what the “faster” group meant. It meant they were all “faster” than me. Once I fell outta the back of the group, I was done. They took off and Chris and I and one other guy were left in the dust. Granted, Chris and I were having some communication issues with our teamwork. Evidently he was waiting for me to pull through and I was happy sitting on his wheel letting him do all the work. So, 5 laps later we finished my first ever “race”….and I was hooked. It was a total blast!

After the second group did their 5 lap race, we got back out there for a 7 lap race.
This was a mix of both groups so although I didn’t keep up with the first group of finishers, I wasn’t dead last either.
All in all it was a totally awesome experience and I can’t wait to do it again....

Now, how am I going to sneak a track bike into the garage……

Biking to work....

For the past couple of months I’ve been talking about riding my bike to work. It’s usually prefaced with “I would ride to work but….” And they’re all pretty legitimate excuses, but they’re just that….excuses.

You’d think that with all of the benefits we know riding bestows, we’d all be riding to work more often.

• It’s good for our health - Physical activity reduces the risk of premature mortality in general, and of coronary heart disease,hypertension, colon cancer, and diabetes mellitus in particular. Physical activity also improves mental health and is important for the health of muscles, bones, and joints."- Audrey F, Manley, M.D., M.P.H., Acting Surgeon General of the United States (source: Center for Disease Control)
• It doesn’t contribute to the air pollution
  Motor vehicle emissions are the major cause of air pollution in the Bay Area http://www.baaqmd.gov/pln/prevention/bicycles.htm
• It saves gas (which at almost 5 bucks a gallon is a huge benefit in itself)
• It’s probably faster if you drive in a high congestion area
• It’s fun

So, starting next week, I’m going to try to pick at least 1 hopefully 2 days a week, when I can ride my bike to work…..besides, I only live about 2 miles from the office so it barely qualifies as a commute.

The joy of suffering…

I was reading www.fatcyclist.com today and he was talking about how he enjoys climbing. As I read it, I was thinking how I totally agreed with him. I mean I LOVE to climb.
When I first started riding I hated climbing, I hated the way it hurt and made my lungs feel like they were going to explode and how on some occasions, I was pretty sure I might even lose my lunch……but after a while, I realized I wasn’t hating it anymore. I was actually enjoying it. I even got to the point where if the ride didn’t have any climbs I didn’t really enjoy them as much….

But then I rode with a buddy of mine (we’ll call him Mark) on a flat ride and he totally destroyed me….I was suffering so bad trying to keep up with him going down Foothill rd (which is completely flat btw) that it actually felt like climbing. My legs burned, my lungs hurt and my vision was getting fuzzy around the edges…..
It was then that I realized it wasn’t really climbing that I enjoyed, it was the suffering.

Now, I know that actually sounds kind of weird and before you start picturing me as a closet masochist that enjoys various leather garments, let me clarify….

I’ve always enjoyed exercise. I used to run and workout and cycling is the latest iteration of my love of exercise. I’ve also always believed exercise should be a workout, should involve sweat and should involve some level of suffering for the greater good.
Sort of the whole, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger kind of thing.
I’ve never understood those people at the gym sitting on the exercise bike with a book and a latte and just tooling along.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to relax, but if I’m going to relax, I’m going to do it in my lounge chair in front of my big screen TV with a beer and a remote…

The point is, that when I exercise, I expect there to be some suffering. And, whether it’s climbing, doing mad sprints with my fast friends or just doing intervals or signpost races with my buddies, it’s way more fun if, at the end of it all, I know that I worked out and that I’m now free to do my relaxing and beer drinking with absolutely no guilt whatsoever…..

Besides, the ability to suffer is a valuable tool in our arsenal when dealing with the everyday issues of life. It’s nice to know that no matter how high the mountain or how long the sprint, eventually the climbing will end and the pace will revert back to normal.