100 miles solo

Tricia went off to ride the Valley Sokesmen's Cinderella Classic, a women only ride, and left me on my own. My planned ride fell through, so I decided to make up my own adventure. I often sign up for century events, mainly because it seems safer to ride with a lot of other folks, and it's nice to have mechcanicial support and food stops. Today I decided to do it on my own. It turned out to be fun, and not particularly epic. I ended up at 101.7 miles and 6052 feet of climbing.

The route: My house in Antioch to Pittsburg and Bay Point, over the Willow Pass Grade on the bike path, down the freeway for a mile (Yes, it's legal for that short span,) on to Pleasant Hill near PH BART, out to Pig Farm Hill, over the Three Bears, Orinda to Lafayette to Danville, up the Southgate of Diablo, down the North, Back to Walnut Creek for lunch (met Tricia after her ride.) I BARTED back to Bay Point and rode home.

Sightings: The Pink Lady! I stopped and chatted a moment. I didn't ask her name, but her stuffed animal is named "Moosey."
Saw "jonathanb715" of bikeforums out on the Bears.
The poppies are out in force on Mt. Diablo. I love California!

Getting ready for Davis

I think I'm doing a good job of getting ready for the Davis Double. I did a windy century Sunday and on Tuesday I went out with OrbeaJ on a last-minute Diablo ride. Up Northgate, Down South, loop around Blackhawk, the back up Southgate and home. It was a reasonable amount of climbing an I actually felt pretty darn good at the end.
I sure like this year's Davis jersey, so I darn well better be able to ride and finish.

Nor Cal Century Preview Ride with wind

Click map for a larger, readable version

Bikeforums.net's JoelS is planning a century ride. I met with him March 29 to scout the route and check for water and restroom stops. Unfortunately for us, we picked the windiest day I've ever ridden.
We started near Joel's house in Rancho Cordova. When I got home i checked WeatherBug.com and discovered Rancho Cordova had 47.5 mph winds with Gusts to 55.3mph.

It was crazy. At one point I'm was riding down an 8% grade and barely hitting 15 mph. Then a gust almost stopped me in my tracks. But it wasn't the headwind gusts that were worrisome, it was the sideways gusts that moved me around that really scared me.

We saw a tree that blew down into the road. Palms were doing crazy dances. Large metal real estate signs were swinging madly. There were debris blowing across the roads like scurrying insects.

But it was oddly and inexplicably fun. Maybe just that we lived through it makes it good.
The hills are green and filled with flowers. The air was clean and the sky was blue.

Garmin, with smoothing in Ascent say 6024 climbing. I wish it recorded wind.


Click graphic for a larger, readable version

Tricia in Hincapie and Castelli

Originally uploaded by ccorlew

Nice jersey, huh? We got it at the Tour of California prologue Hincapie booth in Sacramento. It goes really well with her Castelli knickers, which have a small white cut-in on the back. I wish I had a guy version of it.

Tricia in Hincapie and Castelli large version on Flickr

Another Bike Forums ride

Pete's NorCal BikeForums.net Morgan Territory ride was exhausting. It was only 60 miles with 3400 feet of climbing, but the headwinds and trying to keep the fast folks in sight wore me out a lot more than the mileage would indicate. I actually felt pretty good the whole time, except for the wind crazed decent down, but keeping up with athletic young dudes just is not part of my game. I need a jersey that says "It's not how well the bear dances, but that the bear dances at all."
Thanks for the photo, Pete

Bike Forum Capay Valley Ride

Tricia and I went to the Capay Valley for a 50 mile ride with other NorCal bike Forum folks. I thought it would be an hour away, but it turned out to be farther. YIKES. The day was cool, but sunny and the ride was grand. It was a bit odd starting from a Casino parking lot and having lunch in a gambling and smoking den. But all in all, a good time was had. I had fun riding ahead and making photos, then trying to catch back on as teh groups went past.
I'll bet you can guess whose scorpion buns those are. Sometimes the scenery is as important as the ride.

What does all this mean?

Help me interpret the signs. Today, the first Monday in March, I went for a ride. It was supposed to rain, but it didn't. I think that's a good sign.

But I got a flat, and then realized I'd left my pump on my other bike. That's got to be a bad sign, right? But I was really close to my bicycle commuting sweet wife's workplace, so I got her pump and fixed the flat. Good, right?

Then, as I rode, I saw rainbows. Big, sky-crossing bright rainbows. Bright, and glowing against the dark sky, they'd come and go, but mostly they stayed for a long while. That must be a good sign.

Then, coming home, I had another flat. With almost a boom my front tire was instantly lacking air. That can't be good. But I still had the pump, so I patched the tube and when home. Not that big a deal.

Normally I don't believe in signs, but holy smokes, if ever there was a message this must be one, but what is that message?

Big Bike Love

We've been bingeing on DVDs of HBO's Big Love, the great cable show about a polygamist family; a man and his three wives.

Tricia pointed out I'm a bicycle polygamist with three bikes.
So, of course, we started trying to decide which bike corresponded to which of Bill's wives.

I said the Fixed gear was Margene, because it's young and hip, like her. Nikki is the commuter bike because Nikki knows how to work and handle the grunt work. My Kestrel should be Barb, because it, and she, are good for the long haul.

Tricia had a different take. The commuter bike is Barb because Barb is reliable, and equipped to handle the load. Bill can always turn to Barb, she'll get him through whatever comes along.

Nikki is the fixed gear. She has her own beauty. It's a sparse and simple beauty, but beauty none the less. She does, however, take some getting used to. She has pretty basic needs, but like a flat on the rear wheel of a fixed gear, she has her own special maintenance issues.

Margene is the Kestrel, because your road bike makes you feel young, fast and exciting, and reminds you why you love to ride your bike. A lot. And the drop bars provide a variety of positions.

Tour of California prologue 2009

Tyler Hamilton of Rock Racing and a fanboy on the right.

The Tour of California prologue was cold, windy and totally amazing. Tricia and I almost took our bikes, but it looked like rain so we ended up being pedestrians. You can read all about the tour on a zillion blogs and news sites. I've been going to Versus TV, CyclingNews.com and the Fredcast.com.

But here's what it was like to be there: I've never seen so many bicycles and riders. The teams park trailers on side streets near the start. You can walk up and watch them warm up on bike stands that hold their bikes. You can oogle their equipment. I got to see that Rock Racing rides Kestrel bikes like mine, only they do it faster. Some teams hand out posters and other swag. It's amazing to be so close.

There's a large "Lifestyle Fair" near the start,which is really a lot of mostly bike-oriented booths that ether have cool stuff on display, or are selling cycling stuff. We couldn't resist the great deals at the Hincapie booth, and ended up with a jacket and some shorts.

As much fun as it is to watch cycling gods zoom past, it's impossible to know exactly what's going on. I took my daughter's iPod touch hoping to get a wi-fi signal so I could keep up, but it didn't work. So near the end we found a brew pub and watched on TV, where we could see the whole course and know what the times were.

After the race we went to a restaurant for a meetup with cycling bloggers. We got to meet many of the people whose blogs I follow. David of the Fredcast, Fritz of Cyclelicious, and Jonathan Tessler from Bicycle.net. It was very cool to find out the people I read and listen to have actual faces and drink beer.

Red tires, baby

No big deal, but I got red tires, and even red cable ends for my fixed gear bike. Click to view this photo at a size large enough actually see the red tires and general fine-a-tude of the bike.
I'm starting to like it this fixed thing. I think. I swapped the 18 tooth rear cog for a 17, which feels more natural.
Today I rode it 22 miles with Tricia and a group from Bike Forums. I don't know that I'll ever become a fixed gear zen guy, but I am feeling more comfortable all the time.

Fixed gear conversion

It used to a Gitane Tour de France from the early '70s. I got in '75 and used it as a road bike for years.

Over time it went through many changes. The fork wrecked, so I replaced it with a Columbus steel fork. And had it repainted too.

I got new wheels, pedals, headset, seatpost, saddle, stem, brakes and handlebars along the way.

But over the past years it just sat.

Now it has a new rear wheel -- A flip flop rear wheel. So I'm not sure what it is now.

The derailleur and freewheel are gone, as is the 52-tooth chainring. I'm a fixed gear hipster now. Kinda.

So far, after seven miles, I can report that riding fixed is weird. The riding is fine (the old steel bike feels great), but the the stopping is just odd. And I haven't been bucked off, I have been kicked a couple of times when I foolishly tried to coast.

I'm going to try commuting a bit on it and see if I learn to embrace it, as so many have. I'm may find that I'll fine my knees are too old, and I'm too set in my gear changing ways to adapt. Or maybe I'll just become super cool.

Cross-Check a Keeper

After her first real ride on her new Surly Cross-Check Tricia pronounced it a keeper. Let the upgrades begin!

New bike saddness

As I look at Tricia's new Surly Cross-Check, propped up in front of our Christmas tree, I find myself charmed by its new-born innocence.

The cassettes and chain rings are sparkling. The chain still shines. The paint is pure; without adolescent pimples or old warrior battle scars. The tires have barely encountered pavement.
Because it's only a 42cm frame it also has that young colt, all legs and knees look that make me think of spring, hope, and corn ball movies.

What is it about a new bike that makes it so beautiful? In a coldly rational evaluation it's a machine that still needs a water bottle cage, a seat bag with a spare, new pedals (or at least toe straps), a pump, a bunch of adjustments, and, in this bikes case, a rack, panniers, and a light. It will take hours to make it really useful, and when it's done it will be great. But it will also look like a bike with baggage. All its clean perfection will be obscured by the very things that make it ride worthy. It was purchased not to be a jewel, but to be a solid citizen commuter, carrying school papers and a molder of young minds to school each day. It will be doing noble work, and will be dressed appropriately for it's task. It will be beautiful.

So then why am I somewhat sad? Why do I wish she'd just leave it in the warm, dry, safe living room a bit longer?

New Stallion in stable

I innocently took Tricia to the City to "check out" some bikes. After a mere four stores she started to kinda sorta consider the Surly Cross-Check, a cool steel cyclocross bike.

They had her size, and were willing to ship it to a closer store if she called them after she'd thought about it a while.
But, well, after a parking lot ride, and, lunch and, hey, there we were anyway.....

So this will become her commuter bike, and her current commuter bike with transmogrify back to the mountain bike she's been missing.

I guess I'll be working on my fender, computer, rack, seat bag, pump and pedal adding skills soon.

How will Tricia adjust to bar end shifters? Will she actually be willing to add a bunch of junk to her now-clean bike? Will she miss her triple chain rings? We'll see, and of course, obsessively blog about it.

New Years Day on Diablo 2009

Me: I'm getting up early and riding Diablo on New Years day. Wanta go?
Tricia: uuummmmmmmm. I'll think about it.

Me: Coffee's on. Coming?
Tricia: arghmmmmmmmmmm. (rolls over)

Me: Ok. I'm suited up and going. Bye!
Tricia: Wait. I coming with you.

Me: Big smile.

Tricia has done the junction a few times, but all the talk of epic rides and the wall had her a bit... concerned.
Of course, she had absolutely no problem. She didn't even bother to stand up for the wall.

We started off in too much fog, and by 1500 feet elevation I figured we'd be in a cloud all day. But somewhere around 2000 feet we popped into a beautiful day. And unlike he last time I rode Diablo, no wind.

There were cyclists everywhere. I wish I had a count (paging Dr. DiabloScott) even a guess count. It was grand.

Coming down was fun until we slammed into the fog and could hardly see. We could really feel the temp drop as we got to the wall of gray. We were braille-riding for a couple of miles.

My first New Years day on the mountain, Tricia's first summit.
A good time was had by all.

Year end mileage and goals 2008

7730 miles
For the record
Commuter bike starting odo: 3072, ending: 5818, total: 2746 commuter miles
Road bike starting odo: 3481, ending: 8457, total: 4666 roadie miles

Disclaimers:
I sometimes ride the commuter as a mountain bike, or on errands, so those miles are not strictly "going to work" miles.

I broke my Sigma computer part way through the year so I had to guess the odometer miles. I know I'm close, but I'm pretty sure I cheated myself out of a few.

Goals report:

• Oregon Coast tour (Done)
• Giro di Peninsula (Bonus, Done)
• Sequoia Century (Done)
• Waves to Wine (Done)
• Tierrabella Century (Done)
• Wildflower Century (Done)
• Wine Country Century (Done)
• Davis Double (Done!!!!!!)
• Seattle to Portland (Done!)
• Foxy's Fall Century (100K) (Done)

Tricia's mileage

Commuter bike: 1937 commuter miles
Road bike: 4114 roadie miles
Total: 6041

Busted

Maybe it's the lightweight Mavic 517 rim, or the number of curb cuts I ride over, or the weight of the junk I carry. Whatever the reason, I just noticed I'd actually broken the rim on my commuter bike. What a drag.

I had to decide on a new wheel or repair. I went with repair. I'm keeping the XT hub and having the Wheel Peddler build me a new wheel using a Macic 717 rim. I'll cost. I'm not sure I made the most cost effective choice, but I'm hoping it pays off by ending up with a wheel that is well made and will last forever.

I'm so tired of fog

I am I am I am I am so freakin' tired of tule fog. Today it was much lighter, and I could actually see across the street, but all too often it's been at maximum density.

Here in Antioch, the Bay Area, but really on the delta near the edge of the valley, the fog won't stop. I'm not a huge fan of sub-40 riding, but I can do it. Toss in wet yucky fog and all the fun is gone.

Sea fog can be nice, it has texture. It comes and goes. It's sometimes playful.
The fog here is Stephen King style, dark and relentless, with no redeeming values.

Just to taunt us, it hangs in the low areas where we live, but leaves the peaks clear, just so we know what we're missing. Even a drive over Kirker Pass can reveal a sunny crisp sunglasses day before you descend back into the muck.

The dampness seeps into your clothes even more than rain. It collects on your glasses. It drips off your helmet. It makes you, even if you have a geek-style blinky light, invisible to the cars that seem to speed down the road beyond all reason.

In the "light" of the day, and I use the word light to mean "not pitch black" it's still a depressing gray of evil that looks like smoke, but without any warmth. In the dark it makes a hole in your heart.

Bring me rain. Or bring me sun. Bring me fluffy clouds. This has got to stop.

Diablo ride with Bikeforums

The last 200 yards (correction: DiabloScott, master of all things Diablo, insists it's 300 meters) of Mt. Diablo is an 18% straight-up grunt. It's hard enough without having climbed almost 4000 feet just to get there. So Lanceoldstrong and I sprinted. It was a blast.

The NorCal Bikeforums "Work off the turkey" ride was quite an event. It's always fun to see old friends, but toss in the weather and the wind and it becomes quite an event.

I left home in 45 degree overcast. It was mid 60s at the start. I'd worried I'd overdressed. It was warm climbing, but then the wind kicked in and I was glad to be in by knickers.

The weather station there reported:
11am Windspeed 47mph; Peak windspeed 62mph.

All in all, major fun.

Fenderized at last

I gave in to winter and bought fenders for my commuter bike. I'd been stalling because fenders aren't cool, I didn't want to have to take them off when I go mountain biking, and my bike didn't look like an easy fit.
But wet is... wet, and just how cool did I think I looked before? So I went ahead. I got advice from the commuter forum to not get clip ons, so I went with Planet Bike Hardcore Hybrids. They were even on sale!

I'm not much of a modifier kinda guy, but the help I got on BikeForums.net made me brave.

I ended up drilling a small hole in the bottom back of my fork crown to attach the fender with a very short sheet metal screw and a bunch of washers.

I also bought longer bolts so I could fit the rack and fender in my rear eyelets. (Hardware stores have a zillion bolts that all look alike. Thankfully the hardware store dude was helpful or I'd have bought the wrong size)

I also used zip ties. Everything looks good and doesn't rattle.

The mounting process took way too long. I had thought I'd remove them if I was going to put on my fat tire wheels for mountain biking, but now I realize I'm never going to want to mess with the fender mounting pain again, so they'll stay on all year, forever.

I have discovered that taking the rear wheel off to fix a flat is now a bit of a pain.

I'm also sure I'm causing a drought by being prepared for rain. But at least my bike looks even more dorky than before.