Morgan Territory Road

What a beautiful California Saturday. Tricia and I met Joyce at a Peets in Concord near Clayton and we rode Morgan Territory Road, then up the Diablo Southgate, down the North, and back to the cars. It was wonderful. Not too hot, not to cold, not too windy (though I could do with just a touch less during the screaming decent toward Livermore.)

They repaved the road a year or two ago and what a difference it makes. Whoever did that: Thanks!

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Zertz!

Really, it's all about Zertz.

Zertz, of course, is the new miracle elasto polymer made with meteorite dust and the molecular essence of hybrid rubber plants grown in secret silos miles beneath the surface of the Earth.

While Zertz has shown potential for curing both Attention Deficit Disorder and warts, it also has applications in underwater welding and bowling ball construction. But where it really shines is in vibration absorption on really pretty bicycles (RPB.) It apparently can work it's magic on any bike, but does best on women specific red and white varieties.

Naturally, being of such high scientific and artistic sensitivity, this appealed to Tricia. Or maybe it was that she had a Ruby Red Giro Helmet and matching Sedi shoes already. It gets a bit fuzzy here for me. Anyway, she saved up her allowance from the local middle school, did some extra chores there, and the next thing I knew I was standing there saying stuff like "Of course you should buy yourself a new bike. With Zertz. It's not just on the frame you know, it's in the seat post too. You'd be crazy, double crazy, to not get it." and "White bar tape! White seat! What could be more practical than that!"

She often listens to my experienced wisdom when it comes to important matters like this, and she did this time too.

So, here we are, announcing the latest addition to the Tricia stable: Ruby.

I've been annoying Tricia by singing Ruby songs all day (Ruby, don't take your bike to town, Ruby Ruby, Ruby baby, etc...) And pointing out I don't have love handles, I have.... Zertz inserts.

Canyon Classic Century 2009

Tricia and I rode the Canyon Classic metric century (100K or 63 miles) back in 2007. We thought we'd try the classic 100 mile route this year. We're glad we did. The route was much more interesting and fun to ride, even though it clocked in at eight miles more than 100.

We started in Patterson and rode west toward the hills and Mt. Hamilton. We were rained on just a bit, but not much. The ride starts off with a lot of climbing, and spends a bunch of time in the plus-ten-percent range. Tricia enjoyed the constantly changing weather as we went from rain to overcast to cool to warm to pretty clouds and then looped through it all again.

After the climb there was a delightful decent to another long climb. But the stunning scenery let us hardly notice the work. I had no idea we could be so far away from the world yet so still close to the Bay Area. It was apparent why they called this the Canyon Classic as we rode along the sides of some very steep hills. There weren't many other riders on our route. Most of the time it seemed like they'd put on this ride just for us.

After lunch in Livermore we rode up Tesla Road and had an amazing decent back into Tracy. First it was steep, then, even as it dropped to only a few percent, we had a tail wind that let us cruise at 25 while hardly working.

From there we rolled through long straight roads in very flat farm country. At about mile 85 we hit a section of road so wet it looked like the gods had dumped buckets on it. We didn't get rained on, but must have just missed a pretty impressive cloud burst. It was wet enough the bikes ended up looking like they'd spent the day in the rain. I'll have the joy of cleaning them up on Sunday.

Overall, a really nice ride. I just wish the tee shirts weren't white. They had an OK design, and I would have bought one, but do I really need another white tee I'll never wear?

Diablo, Art & Wine, Cervello fail

Tricia, Joyce and I took a pleasant ride on a beautiful day. We went up Diablo Northgate, down the South, around Blackhawk, over to Lafayette, Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill. Fifty miles of enjoyable California beauty. Tricia and I followed up by cycling over to the Walnut Creek Art and Wine Festival.

We did have one interesting encounter. On our way though Pleasant Hill we were both passed unnecessarily closely by a rider in a full-tilt Cervello kit that matched his Cervelo bike. Then, even though he'd blown past, the gap never grew more than 100 feet. We caught him at a light, and he took off. I rode up next to him, mostly to check out the bike, and when he noticed me I could see him try to subtly drop the hammer. I just stayed next to him and said "Hi." He didn't respond, but he did try to burst away again, but couldn't. I could tell he was hating that some old guy was just riding next to him as he tried to show me how cool he was. Eventually he turned right where I turned left. All bike, no legs.

BART bicycle encounter

Tricia and I took our bikes on BART to get close to the Maker Faire and ride the rest of the way.

Sometime after SF a guy got on and sat across from us. He was kind of heavy, not really super fat, but definitely large. He was dressed in blue collar work clothes, and boots.

He had a white Trek Madone with all Ultegra Ice components, super clean white bar tape and a white saddle. It had platform pedals. Everything looked brand new. No computer, pump, bag, scratches. The cassette was a clean as clean could be.

He explained it cost over $4000 and that he took it in every week to be tuned and have the tires filled (huh? tires filled? That's what he said!) and that he'd gone almost 40mph down some hill. I wondered why his bike looked to perfect if he'd actually been out on it. And yet he seemed to know a little. He mentioned that he thought DuraAce cost too much and Ultegra was darn near as good and close enough for him. He said he'd have on different pedals if he weren't just riding around town.

We all got off BART at the last stop. Tricia and I asked directions, waited for the restrooms then eventually got on the road. After about half a mile we see the guy. He's walking his bike along the sidewalk.

I jokingly called out "Shouldn't you be riding that thing?" and he looked up with a surprised expression, as if the idea had not occurred to him. He got on the bike and started riding. Tricia and I stopped for a moment to check a tire and he went by. That's the last we saw of him.

The whole thing seemed only slightly odd a the time, but after a while, and thinking about it, it started seeming odder and odder. What was this guys story?

Fredcast audio report on the Davis Double Century

David, of The Fredcast, my favorite cycling podcast, used my audio report (direct link) of the 2009 Davis Double Century in his latest podcast. It's like being almost famous. You can subscribe, or listen to it on the web page for episode #126. I'm at about minute 41.

You really should listen to the Fredcast if you like cycling, but if podcasts are just too confusing, here's a direct link to just my audio report. It's an m4a file, so it should play just fine.

It was interesting trying to ride and talk at the same time. I have no experience as an audio reporter, so it was fun pretending to be one. I was amazed how many people said "Huh?" when I told them I was recording for a podcast. It was also interesting trying to sort out all the audio when I got home. It's not like sorting images, which can go pretty fast. Because audio exists in real time I had to listen to it a lot. I gave me even more respect for This American Life, a great radio show and podcast.

NorCal Exploding Tire Century

Curtis in his new "Tube Top." Photo liberated from Deborah Gallagher (Thanks!)

We met up in Rancho Cordova to ride 100 miles with our NorCal BikeForums.net friends. We had the best weather you can imagine. Not too warm, not too hot, and a mild breeze. The route was a delight and had just a delightful amount of climbing. Joel, the man who organized the ride, had tee shirts made.

It was all good. Except that I flatted more than I ever had. I think we figured it out at flat 6. (I'd lost count by then.) There was a small tear in the sidewall. I mean, really small. But at 120 pounds of pressure the tube must have been just oozing through it enough to make a bubble and explode. Once we booted the tire with a handy Park sticky boot the tubes stopped exploding.

I was grateful to be riding with such kind and patient people. I'd have just shot me and tossed me in a ditch after flat number two.

Ride of Silence 09 Antioch

It was a thrill to see 35 cyclists show up for the Ride of Silence in Antioch. I was worried that only Tricia and I would show. But many Delta Pedalers, the local bike club, came, and perhaps even more exciting, my daughter Erin got the message out to a lot of her fixed gear friends who came too. Tricia had purchased two rolls of ribbon for armbands. It wasn't enough! We ended up safety pinning smaller pieces on riders. Red bands if you'd been injured -- and almost half had been in run-ins with cars -- and black bands for honoring fallen cyclists. We were a part of 216 rides in 16 countries.

There aren't a ton of cyclists in Antioch. At least that's what I'd thought. And I certainly wasn't aware of the young guys fixed gear community. But there they were. What a cool bunch of young men. And the way they ride those fixies. Amazing. I think they had a good time.

I'd put on the poster "Wear a helmet" but these guys came without them. I didn't feel like I could send them away, so they rode helmetless. What's a guy to do?

We did a very slow lap around North-of-the-freeway Antioch. Many people waved, gave us a thumbs-up, or honked in support. I'd been a little concerned about the ride in that this city isn't used to seeing a large group of cyclists become the traffic. But Antioch came through quite nicely. Only one car-driving misdirected soul threw fast food trash at us. Much better than I had worried about.

I need to find money for pizza when I do this next year. Those fixie boys are really thin.



More photos by Branden Hays on his web site.

Park Tool School at REI

Last Sunday I took an eight-hour Park Tool bicycle repair and maintenance class with Andy Phelps at the Brentwood REI. I was a bit tired, having ridden the Davis Double the day before, but the class was interesting and active enough that I hardly was aware of how beat I was.

There were only four other students, so there was a lot of space for us in the shop and a lot of time to pursue individual questions. Andy had a lesson plan, but he was really flexible and good at improvisation. He demonstrated things like pedal and crank set installation, then let us try it. He had a lot of little tips on where to grab the bike for leverage, how to do things more efficiently and what thing should feel like when you do them. He showed us how to get things just right. Some of what we learned will still take a lot of practice to become as fluid as he is, but at least we have direction now.

I've always been somewhat comfortable with the parts I can see, but nervous about the internal pieces. It was great to take apart my old hub and see the loose bearings, and later, to pull off a crank set, see the bottom bracket, and put it all back together.

We also got a short wheel truing demo. That isn't something I'll be doing on my good wheels, but it would be interesting to experiment on an old wheel sometime.

Tricia's bike got a lot of love. I'd taken it in instead of mine hoping to put new cables in for the deraileurs. We used it as the demo bike, so it got cables, adjustments, and the brakes set up up a bit more crisply. I think she's going to be happy on her next long ride.

All in all, it was a fun and educational day and well worth the money. And I even got a certificate, suitable for framing!

Davis Double Century 2009

Curtis and Pete (Taxi777) at the end of the 2009 Davis Double Century

Note: Don't miss my This-American-Life style audio report linked from this page.

I asked a lot of people on the 2009 Davis Double Century why they were riding it. Their answers left me unsatisfied. Then I realized I hadn't really answered the question for myself. I tried on a lot of answers to see how they fit, and discovered many of them were flip, trite, or just wrong if I really examined them. My favorite not-quite-completely-true one was that I really wanted the jersey. They didn't have one last year, and this years is particularly well done. But honestly, is a jersey really enough to do a ride this hard?

I think I rode it because it's important to have something this important that really has no significance.

Let me try and explain that.

This ride doesn't matter. If I don't make it, nothing bad happens. I still have the same life. If I do make it, I get no money, no more love, no extra vacation days, no lovely parting gifts. It just doesn't matter.

And yet, it's huge. It's an attempt at something so difficult that has a chance for failure. For me, a person who has never been an athletic, never played on a high school team, never been fast or quick or been the kind to crush home runs in softball, the Davis Double is a gigantitic undertaking. Like being a kid waiting for Christmas, the build up to the event was a rewarding and exciting experience in itself. I know I'm not alone feeling such anticipation because bikeforums.net normal has about 200 posts from people before the event acting like kids shaking presents under the tree, and another lengthy thread reliving the ride the ride.

A ride like this is like a whole lifetime. The excitement of the start, the sunrise, the realization that you've ridden a long way, but still have hardly started. I went from despair to jubilation, from fear to acceptance and from being sure I couldn't finish it to thinking I just might. As I sit with my feet up I can't believe I put myself through that much pain, yet at the same time the feeling of pain is already gone. I can remember that it hurt, but I can't really remember what the pain felt like.

Here's the blow-by-blow description of my Davis Double century 2009

I enjoyed dinner with BritPower, LanceOldStrong and Taxi777 from BikeForums.net NorCal forum. The pasta was so much better than normal ride pasta we actually talked to the cook about it.

I was thrilled to have a chance to chat with the jersey designer. The jersey and its high-quality design were motivations for me doing this ride. I was disappointed there wasn't a jersey last year -- they only do one every five years, a detail i didn't know in 2008. I was determined to get one, and to do it had needed to ride this year. I even got a copy of the poster using the design, so I'm double happy.

We met to leave 4 a.m., and I felt kinda bad that BritPower, a bikeforums.net friend, wasn't there with us, but I knew if I was going to survive I needed to launch on time. I figured she'd pass me at some point anyway.

I like riding in the dark with lights. It's magical seeing the sky lighten and eventually see the sunrise. We joked and laughed and rolled pretty well. I swear the corner marshal and sign weren't there when we rolled past the turn, even though both were on our return. It added a few miles and minutes, which contributed to my slightly-later-than-last-year finish.

Then, well, I blame it all on bikeforums.net 's LanceOldStrong, who set a blistering pace for many miles. As the sun got light enough to see my speedometer I saw we were well above 20 for an extended period. For several minutes we were running at 27. This is not a speed I ride on level ground. I eventually got smart enough to let them go before permanent damage was done, though I do think that later I paid dearly for the mornings speed run.

I caught them at rest stop 2 (or was it 3, who can keep this stuff straight?) after Lake Berressa. I hate stopping, so I grabbed water and rode off alone.

I rode smart up Cobb Mountain, at least for me. I took it easy from the start. Last year I had to stop three times on the way up to let my heart rate settle. This year, no stopping. No speed, but no stopping.

I met my friend Pete at the summit rest stop, and we descended together and then hit lunch together twenty-something miles later.

Again, I was afraid if I waited too long I'll stop moving, so I left quickly, figuring Pete would catch me like he always does.

The ride from lunch to the next rest stop was harder than last year. I've never hurt so badly, or for so long, on a bike. I'm pleased I didn't stop at all, but it was ride-ugly, survival-style riding, barely turning the pedals. I'd miscalculated the distance to the rest stop and kept thinking--for five steep miles -- it was right around the next bend. I think that's why I made it, I kept thinking I was almost there. Later I heard it was 104 degrees on that hill. One report said 110, I just know it was amazingly hot, maybe hotter than last years hotter than hot ride.

I was almost ready to leave when Pete sagged in. I was amazed. He is so strong, but he had bonked on the hill. But seeing me alive seemed to cure him. I think he likes me. He rested a moment, decided he didn't want to wait to be sagged all the way to the start, and he took off. Even though he seemed beat moments before, I couldn't keep up with him going uphill the next half mile. Go figure.

We limped down the valley and into the next rest stop. Again, I left early and eventually Pete came by on a pace-line. We hit the next rest stops together, and rolled in together for the second time in two years.

Notes:
I'm amazed how hard it is to think when I'm that hot and tired. Just doing the tasks I'd dreamed about riding uphill: Get water, hit restroom, sunscreen up, adjust computer, record for pod-cast, make a photo were SO hard to remember, and I had trouble figuring out what to do first, second, and third.

I got through on Hammer products (HEED and Perpetium). I didn't eat real food at all until mile 140, where I had a half of peanut butter sandwich. All the drinking that liquid and not having to deal with chew food worked for me.

Smarter this year: I didn't just fill my bottles at the rests. I drank more than 1 full bottle, then refilled and left.

All in all, this years Davis Double was a lifetime on a bike. I'm glad I did it, and finished it, but I'm still not completely sure why.

Bike to Work Day 2009

Tricia on the way home from middle school Open House. Every day is bike to work day for her.

Bike to work day seemed a bit bigger this year. I saw more people on the trails, and Antioch had two energizer stations. Tricia and I picked up a couple of grocery bags and patch kits. The people at the Lone Tree energizer station said they saw my announcement for the Ride of Silence in the local paper, so maybe I won't be doing it alone.

At Los Medanos College the turn out wasn't as large. Last year I papered the place with posters. This year there weren't as many. But the students put up a booth and handed out goodies. A volunteer even gave me her BTWD shirt after I'd admired it. Can't beat that.

For the birds

This isn't my photo, but these quail are about the size of the ones I saw. These may even be bigger.

There I am, rolling on my morning ride and feelin' pretty good when I see a van parked in the bike lane. I'm used to this, so I just roll on by. But as do, I get a glimpse of a woman with an almost-panicked expression on her face and I hear her yell something. I make a U-turn and roll back.

She is almost in tears and blubbering something that it takes me a moment to decipher. It seems that her worries are caused by a dozen of the most tiny California quail I have ever seen. They are barely big enough to be alive-- they're so small they'd be dwarfed by a ping-pong ball, even half a ping-pong ball. They're stuck in the gutter next to a tall curb, with no curb-cut in sight, frantically running back and forth as their mother tries to make them jump higher than they can. What can I do? I try to herd them so I can lift them over, but that's just silly. They are so fast.

I asked the woman if she had anything at all in her van, a poster, book, just anything at all. She came back with a child's jacket that I promptly threw in the gutter. It made a dandy little ramp.

I herded the quail over to it and up they went, quick as can be, and reunited with their frantic momma quail.

The woman was so happy, she kept apologizing for parking in the bike lane and for disturbing my ride.

I've had less interesting rides.

Ride of Silence in Antioch

I missed the Ride of Silence last year and didn't want to again. But there isn't one anywhere near Antioch. So I'm rolling my own. I've asked local the cycling club Delta Pedalers to join me, as well as the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. You might join me too. We'll silently ride eight miles or so at less than 12 mph.

We'll meet at Antioch City Hall on 2nd Street on May 20 (that's a Wednesday) at 7 P.M.

We all know someone who's been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. This ride is for:

• Mourning those cyclists killed or injured.
• Telling the world cyclists are not going to be chased or intimidated off the streets we legally share.
• Making motorists aware of the life long legal, as well as life changing, problems that can ensue from killing a cyclist.

If you can't join me in Antioch, at least think about finding a ride closer to home. They're listed on rideofsilence.org

Wine Country Century = Wet Country Century

We had planned to do the Wine Country Century that starts in Santa Rosa, but with the possibility of rain (30% according to Weather Underground) we thought we'd do the 100K route. But plans don't always work out exactly as one hopes. As kb5ql over on BikeForums.net commented: "It rained. And rained. And KEPT RAINING. It didn't stop. It rained some more. Did I mention it RAINED?"

Then we missed the 100K turn marker, which had been rained off the road. We ended up on the 100 route with a lot more climbing. That turned out to be a good thing as climbing was about the only way to stay warm. Normally uphill is a grunt, downhill is a reward. This time up was a warming relief, down in rivers of flowing water was worrisome at best.

Tricia rocked. She is so tough! She just cranked her way through the day. I, however, got so cold and wet after the first rest stop if there had been any way to just concede and just be warm again I would have done it. But there was no one to surrender to. Eventually pedaling hard warmed me up. After about 40-something miles we though we'd had enough of that kind of fun and took a 10-mile bail out back to the car.

Highlights:

• Best thing about the ride: Hot peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! What a grand idea.
• Second best thing: No problems with the rims heating up on big downhills.
• Feature: Tricia say she didn't dehydrate at all, she just absorbed all the water she needed.
• Feature 2: No wheel suckers. My massive rooster tail kept them all at bay.
• Feature 3: Sunscreen savings!
• Bonus fun 1: Missed the 100K turn and ended up on the 100 mile route
• Bonus fun 2: Flatting in the rain. That makes it a full-experience ride, and it didn't cost any extra!
• Priceless: Bailing after 52 frozen wet miles and going wine tasting on the drive home.

Learning experiences:

• Water resistant doesn't mean what I thought it meant.
• "Thirty percent chance of rain" still leaves a lot of room for a downpour.
• I worried about the weight of my bike, but failed to factor in 97.3 pounds of wet clothes.

Results:

• 52 miles
• 2700 feet of climbing
• 1 case Sarah
• About 1.5 hours of grunge grime filth bike cleaning on Sunday
  

Diablo Century 2009

Tricia and Joyce at the top of Morgan Territory Road.

The first ever Diablo Century hosted by the Jewish Community Center in Walnut Creek was a delight. They did a great job, even without considering it was their first. Good route markings, interesting food, cool logo, nice after dinner ride. But the star was the route. ride this area a lot, but they found a good to get us from Walnut Creek to Morgan Territory. Then Livermore to Sunol, over to Hayward/Castro Valley, down through Canyon and Moraga, up to Orinda and back to WC in 100 miles and just a bit over 6000 feet of climbing.

It was a bit cool and windy, but Tricia and I along with our BikeForums.net friends all had a grand time. I'd have bought a jersey if they offered one.

UPDATE:
Elevation profile here
Huge map here
Google Earth Fly-over KMZ file (download and play in Google Earth)

Los Vaqueros Dam Time Trial 2009

The big news: Tricia took first in her group! First race, first medal. First in the family to get a cycling first. She wasn't even going to enter, but I talked her into it when we got there. As Tricia points out, it was a category of two. But that isn't her fault, and she did beat everyone who showed up. What more could she have done?

My goal was to better my 11:10 of last year; to come in under 11:00. This year there was a lot of wind and I thought I'd be in trouble. But I hit 10:51, and finished fourth in my group, 2.5 seconds out of third. Tricia has told me I must stop obsessing about that 2.5 seconds. But I can't. I left everything I had on the course. My heart rate was at 102% of what I had thought was my max for most of the way. It's amazing how much you can hurt in only three miles.

It was a delightful and fun day in the sun. The event was well run, and the other cyclists were fun to visit with. I'm already looking forward to the event next year.

It was also nice to see my two favorite local bicycle companies there supporting the event, The Brentwood Bike Company and The Wheel Peddler. Thank youz guys!

This was the second Dam Trial put on by the folks at the Contra Costa Water District Los Vaqueros Reservoir and Watershed I enjoyed the first, but this one was better. They had ankle bands that measured time, which was very nice. The Tee Shirts they gave out aren't white, which is a big plus in my book. They had food goodies and plenty of water. It was just an all-around well run event. Here's hoping it grows over the years.

Lots of Bears

Bikeforums NorCal Matt along the Scenic Drive

I rode 8 of the 3 Bears this weekend.

Saturday was a Bikeforums.net Slowpoke ride that included 2 of the 3 Bears on Bear Creek Road. Tricia and went on that 34-mile fun-fest and had a grand time. A grand slow time.

When LanceOldStrong broke a shifter cable we stopped in at Sharp Bicycle in Lafayette to get a replacement. Tricia saw a jacket that was exactly what she'd been looking for. And being as it was only half price we bought it. Pretty swell, no?

Sunday I went out with 2 other Bikeforums.net NorCal riders and did 48 miles with 4717 feet of climbing. We did the Bears out and back, along Pig Farm Hill both ways and a loop through the Scenic Drive along the river near Martinez.
The weather was perfect. It was one of those "I love California so much" kind of days.Curtis and Matt along the river.

I've joined the Sidi cult.

Tricia and I went to two East Bay bike swaps on Sunday.

I wasn't going to buy anything. Really. At least not much. I got a couple of tires for the commuter bike at a good price. It was all going well. Lots to look at, but really, I didn't need to buy

Then Tricia started looking at shoes at a booth I'd walked past. She couldn't find what she wanted in her size, but as she was going through boxes and such we stumbled on a pair that looked nice, are way cool, and just happened to fit me perfectly. So it's all her fault. Well, not all her fault. All the BikeForums.net folks that just won't shut up about Sidi didn't help me stay strong. So, there I was, pulling out dollars, leaving with shoes.

These aren't just shoes. They come with a shoe bag and two instruction manuals in oddly translated-from-Italian phrases. And stickers. The stickers might have been what really pushed me over the top.

I did, however, at least get Tricia a jersey to punish her for causing me to spend money.

Anyway, I'm in that shoe club now.

And now that I have my cleats mounted and have given them a test spin, I am amazed. They feel so good. All shoes should cradle your feet and make them happy like these do. No wonder there is a Sidi cult.

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.