Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ho Ho Ho! <|:)}

To More Great Riding in 2015!

Catching Up.......Some Traveling and Not Much Riding

Paris sign: "No entry, EXCEPT bikes"

As the intro to this blog says, not everything here is about cycling.  So, just like a lot of internet content, this first picture is not necessarily true!   ;-)   With less riding due to dark afternoons, rides have become less frequent.  But anyway, here's a update about what I've been up to....some traveling with a little bit of riding.

I've been "trying" to run a bit too!  I've gotten out there 3 or 4 times recently, so I guess I can say my foot recovery is complete!  Riding hasn't bugged me for a few months, but walking, never mind running, took a bit longer to return to normal because of some bumpy scar tissue on the ball of my foot.  But all is well now.  Yeah!

Check out my "blog-within-a blog", a short recollection of our trip to France.  It's more about a reunion, castles, food and the trials of traveling with a compulsive person than about riding my bike.  It's all part of the story (with pics) found here:  http://bit.ly/1FKLzBR

Until next time, when I have a ride worth writing about, it's over and out for now!

Mike heading out for one of the few rides he took in France (That's Caryn chasing)

Riding Less, but Riding More.....Interesting!

It's Nov 8th and we're back from 3 weeks of vacation on the east coast and France!  Although cycling wasn't the purpose of the trip, one always needs to strive for "mobile meditation" as Robin Williams once said.  And that we did.  We were able to get a few rides in CT with friends and then on the trip to France as well.  While always important to me, the rides in France seemed even more so.  The traditional French seem to want to entertain their guests 24/7, but we're not like that.  We need a little "tranquille" or down time.  And that for me would mean a nice ride, checking out the local environs.  Luckily, the house we rented had 2 good bikes that we could use.  We were in the town of St. Cyprien, in the middle of the Dordogne River valley, near cro-magnon caves,13th century castles and small scenic villages.  There was plenty to see on these rides, no matter how short!  And the weather more than cooperated, hovering in the high 60s and low 70s.  It's back to reality now, but here are a few pics of the scenery from the rides.  Formidable!

Caryn leading Raphael up a climb near Les Eyzies

The bike I used.....pretty nice VTT set up more for the road.  No labels, so I have no idea what brand it was!

Brave or clueless?  Neither.....just an experienced Parisian cyclist.

An old WWI bridge that's now only for non-motorized transit....Le Pont du Garrit near St. Cyprien

Horses on the road to Les Milandes, the castle once owned by American jazz singer, Josephine Baker.

Caryn ascending the road up to Castelnaud, one of the many castles on the Dordogne River.

Caryn, Mike, Jeff and Stirling the day after the Head of the Charles crew race, riding to Hammonasset Beach in CT

Just Enjoying the Bike!

Well, if you read that last entry, you'd think cycling really sucks.  But I want to ensure you, that's not true!  I've been doing some great rides lately and hope to continue so through the rest of the year!  I had a chance to ride with a number of friends from the "Memorial Day Ride" in Napa, Sonoma, and Santa Cruz lately.  Lots 'o hills, varying weather and great company with invariable fun!

It hasn't really rained for months, but we started one ride in the sun in Napa, but got caught got in a little downpour at the top of Trinity Grade in Napa.  Rainbows and thunder were the order of the day too, which are not typical here in predictable California.  Descending a 10% corkscrew road in the rain is no fun.  But moments before we got to that stretch, the rain slowed and the roads dried for us on those steep sections back to Napa on Dry Creek Rd.  Later that weekend, we headed south to Santa Cruz to ride down in the flats of Watsonville and Aptos to the steep redwoods where the fog enveloped us, to the loop of Swanton Rd off Hwy 1, where we discovered an old steam railroad.  We enjoyed roads I hadn't been on for years (or at all!).

Mike and Kathleen goofing around at the Swanton Railroad Museum

Keeping a saw horse at the RR museum safe from accidents.

Then last weekend, the Bay Area Indian summer kicked in with temps in the high 90s, and I did a couple of rides where pouring water on your head made more sense than drinking it.  One started in San Francisco, with thick, low fog at the bridge (and 63º), followed by sunny, sweltering 97º in Petaluma about 40 miles later.  And finally, today we did the classic (almost) century ride from Berkeley to Davis, returning on the train.  We had great weather, favorable winds (most of the time!) and fun pacelines heading up to Davis.

So, it's been a time to just enjoy the bike!  Soon, there'll be a chance to ride different roads with opportunities in CT and the southwest of France.  Keep an eye out for a report soon!

GG Bridge from Sausalito

GG Bridge from Crissy Field, San Francisco

Cockeyed selfie at the fog-shrouded GG Bridge (see the tower??)

Our Winters, CA sugar blast stop on the way to Davis - 18 miles to go!

Chickens in a bike shop window, Solano Ave, Albany, CA (why not?)

Be Responsible or Pay The Price

Cycling is an elegant activity.  Commuting, exercising, socializing, racing, sightseeing, escaping the crowds, grocery shopping, even schlepping your kids.  You and a bike can do all these things.  That's the good news.

The bad news is that there's been a tension between cyclists and what seems like everyone else (cars, trucks, pedestrians, cops, etc.).  I'm convinced part of it is competition for limited space.  Part of it is impatience.  And part of it is conceit (it's my damn road!).  We all want to get to where we are going in an efficient manner, without delay.  And I think too often when people are on their bikes, they do it without concern for others.

It seems like whenever I ride with one friend, another story of a bike/car confrontation is told, inevitably with the "innocent" cyclist being hit.  I'm not so sure it's always that one-sided.  The news wasn't good this past weekend around here in Berkeley when a local guy was killed after allegedly running a stop sign and plowing into a car.  One cyclist friend knew the guy (they were neighbors) and said the crash victim wasn't one to follow road rules.   Witnesses said he blew stop signs just before it happened.  I originally thought this was another person trying to capture one of those strava KOMs on a descent.  (Disclaimer.....I have a strava account and it's fun.  But let's be sensible.)  He wasn't some kid....he was in his 60s, a long time cyclist.  Whatever the reason, the fellow isn't around anymore.  Is that worth getting a KOM?  Or getting home a little quicker?  Or experiencing the thrill of just blowing through stop signs?  Last week on our Tuesday night group ride, one of our guys decided to pass a motorcycle and a car on a descent and then blew through a stop sign at the bottom.  Fucking foolish and we all let him know.  No one was hurt and he seemed to understand that wasn't the brightest move.  Lucky.  Then this weekend, another friend said he heard a case of a cyclist hitting a woman in Central Park while she was walking, rendering her brain dead.  Not lucky.  The event has apparently resulted in more animosity towards cyclists in the already hostile environment of NYC.  Not the first time.  Not the last time.  (A similar case happened in San Francisco's Castro not long ago while a cyclist was aiming for a KOM.  The pedestrian he hit died.)  Again, too many people competing for too little space?  Or stupidity?

I know that cycling can be one answer to getting around quicker in congested conditions.  It can be a beautiful sport, a way to get out and enjoy the back roads, or a cost-effective, low environmental impact mode of transportation.  It can be a stress reliever.  But use a little fucking common sense.  The bottom line....share the road.  There are assholes out there who drive aggressively.  So ride defensively.  Don't be another asshole.  Be courteous.  Signal your intentions.  Wave when someone lets you go ahead of them.  Do all these things and more.  Get used to it.  It'll save your ass.  It's better to enjoy cycling than use it aggressively.  Don't stoop to the level of those redneck pickup truck drivers who hit the pedal on their smelly diesels, covering you with black soot.  Don't be the next guy blowing through a stop sign on Spruce, hitting an innocent driver or pedestrian.  Someone is going to get hurt.  Or worse.  And likely, it'll be you, the cyclist.

Different Roads for a Change!

Niantic-Old Lyme-Waterford Loop with Dave

A great ride with a friend who is my old boss and got me into cycling in these parts 35 years ago!!! (Unfortunately, my phone froze up and I don't have the route.)

I think this entry will finally be one that’s a bit more upbeat!  The title above describes one of a few rides I was able to do on a trip this past week to CT, where I visited family.  My dad and step mom came north from Florida, and being in precarious health, I thought it would be good to make a trip where we were all together as a family.  Who knows how many opportunities we’ll have, right?

So, what does one do when everyone is working and the folks are taking a schnoo-schnoo in the afternoon??  A bike ride, of course.  Or many!  I was able to borrow a bike from one of my sisters and head off, sometimes with friends, sometimes alone, often exploring old roads.  It was fun!  The bike was a bit of a challenge…..a steel hybrid with a kickstand, probably weighing in at a svelte 28 lbs.  Ugh!  Like walking with lead weights around your ankles.  But a ride is a ride!

I took four rides, all great fun and with wonderful dry, clear and sunny weather, something not always guaranteed in summer coastal CT.  My first ride was with my sister Sharon around the North Stonington backroads, across the border into Rhode Island and then to the shoreline (Westerly, Stonington, Mystic).  We clocked about 53 miles.  When I grew up here, I took these places for granted.  But now that I no longer live here, these places always remind me of the Cape without the crowds or kitsch.  Not bad at all.  It’s really nice in the summer, but unfortunately, too short an outdoor season.  Sharon did well, but I had to “force feed” her and make her drink liquids, but we did good!

North Stonington backroads

Mike and Sharon

Pano of River Rd. in Stonington

The second ride was late one afternoon, after helping with shopping, having lunch, yakking, etc., with Dad.  Everything seems to take SO LONG with older folks.  (Or maybe with folks who aren’t trying to fit in a workout and need to fill their days with minutiae.)  But I finally got out for about 90 minutes.  I rode up the biggest hill around, Rte. 201 near the casino: ½ mile at 9%.  Pretty stiff climb on the old hybrid, and then some out and back flats rolling by the corn fields out to Rte. 165.  It made for a good 23 mile workout.  Then we were off to an evening outdoor concert / picnic – the last of the season, which ends early in New England!

 

North Stonington near Downtown

My third ride was really an exploring ride.  Dad used to live up in Voluntown, about 40 miles from where we grew up.  I recall the roads being really quiet and remote back in the day.  So, why not check ‘em out??  I took Hwy 49 (not Gold Country in Calif!) after crossing through North Stonington on really quiet roads, some quite bumpy.  But 49 was all newly repaved and very quiet!  After finding and riding by Dad’s old house, I traversed over to Beach Pond, which straddles the CT / RI border.  I made my way back to Voluntown and tanked up on Gatorade, getting stares from the locals (but no lycra comments).  Then it was back on 49, but with a diversion.

 

Two curious fellas off Route 49

The dirt road where the neckers and the dumptruck met.

I found this parallel road on the map (Gallup Rd.), so decided to take that for the return.  After about a half-mile into the cornfields, it took a right and turned to dirt.  Hmmm…..let’s see…why not?!  I went along without much problem besides the occasional “almost” front tire washout (thanks goodness for those hybrid tires - 700x32).  Before the dirt ended after a couple of miles, the quiet changed.  There sitting in the middle of the one-lane road was a car.  Excitement for these parts!  Ok….just roll by, I thought.  At least two people were inside, just chatting or maybe making out….but I didn’t stop.  No pot smells, but I heard a girl squeal with surprise.  Not sure if it was caused by me or her boyfriend.  But I waved from behind and kept going.  No problem.  Then about 100 yds ahead, here comes a huge dump truck!  On the one lane road.  Not going fast, but not stopping.  I barely unclipped, but got by ok.  I wasn’t so worried about me, but what’s he gonna do when he arrives at the stopped car?  Those poor kids, trying to get some privacy and make out, were in for a surprise!  Ahead was the end of the dirt and a nice scenic junction in the road.  I stopped for a “nature break” and a bite to eat, but never saw either vehicle.  They must have worked things out…..or maybe a ménage à trois in the woods??  No?  Ok, no.  Pushing ahead on this side road, now paved (but barely), it was still quiet, but a little more unnerving.  Up ahead was a sign for the local “shooting club”.  Hmm….  Keep low.  Go fast.  Don’t mention the true meaning of the 2^nd Amendment.  Being a weekday was probably to my advantage.  I heard no shots or saw anyone, but the signs on the fence must have gone on for about a mile.  Soon, I was back to well-paved, slightly downhill Hwy 49.  Whoosh…   finished the ride by going by my sisters’ favorite local winery, Jonathan Edwards, and about 10 more miles of backroads to make it 58 miles in 4 hours flat.  Not bad for a lumpy ride on a hybrid!

 

Sandhill Rd. Pano  (North Stonington/Voluntown border)

My final riding day was a two stage day, meeting friends for each of them.  The first ride, 32 miles, was with my old boss, Dave Reed, who is THE guy who introduced me to cycling 35 years ago!  He commuted to work, did centuries, crits, time trials, built up his own bikes, etc.  And he’s still doing all of the above at 75 years of age!  He rolled up on a beautiful BMC carbon frame (“RoadRacing”, I think?) and while he’s 75, I knew Dave from before, so I thought this might get interesting.  Is my steel hybrid deficit and his advanced age enough to balance us out?  Or is this going to be one of those rides where one of us will be hanging on for dear life and the other having a conversation with himself???  Well, luckily it was the former…we were civil, had conversations, but still got a workout.  Or at least I did!  We chatted about the office from 30-35 yrs ago…who was doing what, etc.  He’s been retired for about 18 yrs, but still does about 8K miles/yr!  Riding even in the New England weather.  Sh*te.  Hope I can be like that!  (In California!)  Towards the end, there was a good 2 mile or so incline (2-4%) where I went off the front (I wanted to do my part to pull some!) and pushed it, but 75 yr old Dave was RIGHT THERE!  Turns out it was a nice 32 mile ride.  (Note:  My Garmin has been dead for about 2 weeks, so I’ve been relying on my phone for the GPS.  Disappointing day….when I went to stop the Strava app, the phone app hung up and I had to reboot to get things up again.  No ride recording….grrrr.)  Ride two for this last day of CT riding was with old friends Jeff, Shelley and Stirling.  Given schedules, this was the only possible day for us to get together….they are always fun, so I’m glad we were able to do it.  We met at Stirling’s and coursed our way through New London to head towards the beaches.  But not without crazy Stirling running many red lights and almost getting clipped.  Nuts, man.  Aside from that, we had good conversation, saw a great sunset at Pleasure Beach (overlooking the local nukey plant…..”it has a double glow!”) and stayed on roads that were mostly very quiet and scenic as the sun set.  Another 22 miles for the day.  Then it was pizza, salad and beer at Stirling’s, served up by Stirling’s wife, Karen.  Very nice little reunion.

 

Stirling, Mike and Jeff at Pleasure Beach

So, a week of visiting family and 4 nice (somewhat unexpected) riding days.  I think I ended up with 187 miles on the heavy hybrid bomber.  Hopefully that’ll make my Merlin feel like a feather when I get back!  Oh…and the foot really behaved itself this week too!  A little extra padding and some patience with time seems to be leading to a nice recovery.  Let’s hope it stays that way and we’re onto bigger and better things! 

I didn’t get to see all of my friends while here…that unfortunately can never happen, especially during short trips.  But hopefully we’ll all keep in touch somehow!  ;-) 
 

From Fit to Fat in Less Than 6 Easy Weeks

July 1st - Well, we'll see if that title is accurate.   It's been over 5 weeks since I started this episode of down time.  No riding, no walks, no runs, no nuthin'.  (Not even a real shower!)  Foot surgery can really slow you down.  Well, I did get into pushups and situps a bit.  (400-500 each per day, but 'd rather be riding!)

It's funny how one can adapt and start to put up with almost anything.  When I first started this downtime, I think I was pretty darn fit.  Almost 3000 miles in the first 5 months of the year.  Plenty of long rides and able to deal with it.  I knew had the foot issue, so got it (reluctantly) taken care of.  But the time off seemed to be something harder to deal with.  I do want to return to my past state of fitness, but at the same time, see how someone could easily drop into fatness.  If you can't, you don't.  And if you don't, you get used to it.  And get out of shape.  ~too easily~  I just hope when I start riding again, I don't find that I'm too far "off the back", as the blog says.  I want to feel anxious to be out there and get into it again!  It's summer, with long evenings and (mostly, except when it's foggy) nice weather!  It's not the time to be sitting around!  I do get real jealous of many friends who are in Europe this summer riding, seemingly all at the same time!  Dave, Eric, Ana-Sophia, Dan, Lauren, Jeff....all taking these great trips with lot of riding!   The Alps, the Dordogne, the Dolomites, the Pyrenees, Tuscany, Switzerland.  Arghhh....I want to be there too.  What a temptation!  Well, with the stitches coming out, let's get better  And then I'm up for the challenge!!!!

I have learned to respect my feet a bit more.  They are tender, but necessary instruments.  They take the pounding, but can't heal like a simple cut on a finger.  Depend on them, we certainly do.  So take care of them.  From picking to poking to cutting to real surgery, it's been a slow evolution of foot repair progress for me.  Hopefully, the time off will now pay off and I'll be able to get back into shape real quickly.  More later..........


July 15 - There's a chronology below, but I'm back!  Got the stitches out over a week ago, starting riding a few days later and have hit the hills again a bit too.  I'm ready for more!

The AgOnY of DeFeEt - Chronology

MDR, May 2013.....hotspots on ball of foot on hot days....bought footpads for bike shoes to relieve stress
Summer, Fall 2013 - bearable....no real problems
Winter 2014 - removing "warts" on occasion with "sharp implements", but the problem was brewing below the surface (bursitis)
March 2014 - More pain in FLA when it got hot, but bearable
April 2014 - used wart remover (liquid) - opened up scar.  It's like it drilled a crater in the ball of my foot and it's not healing!  This can't be good.
April 27 - Wildflower Century - 40 miles in the rain, cold - the beginning of the end (infection?)
April 29 - Tuesday night GPC ride.....can't deal with the pain anymore.  I stopped riding and called Kaiser for an appointment.
May 2 - Kaiser minor surgery (bursal sack drained).  One week off.  Boot, crutches, no showers.
May 10 - Back on bike (earlier than suggested), back to showers, but cleaned it 2x/day.  Ramping up for MDR...still some pain, increasing swelling, and still weeping open sore.
From May 10 to MDR - About 350 miles, with Sacto bike trail (some pain), Diablo day (very painful end of ride when warm), but I need to be persistent and ready for MDR!  (Consider dropping out?? Never!!)
MDR - May 22-25 - 4 days of riding....289 miles....progressively more painful....to the point where I had to quit with 40 miles to go into Santa Barbara.  Every bump on the road was painful.  Even walking after was somewhat painful and foot swelled.
May 30 - Kaiser check - more liquid squeezed out, but no infection.  "Keep off it".  This time I listened.  No more riding.  Tried a couple of short walks.  Still painful.  Still swelling.  Still weeping.  This ain't right.....
June 12 - Kaiser visit.....not good....come in tomorrow for surgery.  Uh-oh.
June 13 - Kaiser surgery.  Boot, cast, crutches, no showers, work at home, conference cancelled, work-at-home for next 2-3 weeks.
June 26 - Kaiser checkup.  Cast off, big bandage off.  Looking good, but one more week for stitches.  Keep off it and keep the small bandage on.  Still no showers.
June 30 - Back to work on this Monday with boot, crutches.
July 3 -Got the stitches out today.  Yeah!  Seems like a big step.  The doc said "still take it easy for a couple of days.  Wait until the scab heals."  I thought.....what?  I'm good now!  Why wait??!?!
July 4 - We went to Sonoma and I took my bike thinking I might now be able to get a ride, but things still hurt.  So I was good...no rides.  No pool.  Only beer drinking.
July 6 - Still in Sonoma, I went for a 10 minute walk....the first steps still hurt.  The scar tissue was kind of uneven on the ball of my foot and the top of my foot felt very weak...I couldn't stand on my right foot with tip toes, as it was too painful.  Hmmmm...ok, a few more days.  I got home and decided to give it a go with a short ride.....my first in 6 weeks!  I just went down to the Richmond Marina, but it felt pretty good to pedal.  Standing on the pedals (for hills) was another story.  That also hurt like it did standing on my toes.  Not the ball of the foot - that seemed to be healing - but the top of the foot.  Maybe it atrophied?  Not sure, but I figured as long as the incision is healing and not painful, I wasn't damaging anything and it was just a matter of time.
July 7-13 - More rides, with eventually some hills on Saturday (July 12) and very little pain...only from the still slightly swelled foot.  I ended up riding 7 out of 8 days for about 130 miles.  Yeah!  The pain was less, the swelling less, the scab almost gone and I'm feeling better all the time.  I even had a nice ride with some folks who hadn't done the MDR in14 years and that was fun getting back together!  It's now July 14th (Bastille Day!) and I'm taking a break, but feeling like I'm on my way, thanks goodness!

Mike, Sherry, Travis and Mark on Sherry's boat after my first hilly riding weekend in 7 weeks.

Travis, Mark and Mike

Grrrrr.....

When getting together with an old friend for the first time in years (many years!), one is always curious about whether you'll actually be able to spot each other.  I had that opportunity the other day and said to her:  "Just look for the guy with crutches".  Her response:  "Great....I''m sure you'll have a good story to tell!"  Ughhh....that's just the beginning of the story because the foot wasn't getting better.

Long story short.....I had surgery on the darn thing.  Whether it was traumatized from my stubborn refusal to let it heal, or if the doctor's earlier work was incomplete doesn't really matter at this point.  I'm down for at least another couple of weeks.  No walking or biking or showers.  I'm even working at home, since the darn thing can't have any pressure, even with crutuches.  Public transit would be a real challenge.

But I'm trying to be optimistic and looking forward to this being the final fix for this setback!  Let it heal and then let me get back to action!  Another friend gave me a nice card the other day.  Here it is with the message from the inside.  I hope it is right!

Not me, but a scene from the Tour de France, 2002

The Agony of DeFeet

The title says it all.  After a fairly tough time with my foot during the MDR, I guess I got my comeuppance.  It just wasn't healing from the bursitis surgery four weeks prior, so I saw the doctor again a week ago and she gave me the news....."You need to stay off of it for 3 weeks".  Doh!  I'm at the peak of my annual cycling fitness after the MDR ride and I have to stay put?  Not even a walk??  Or an erg?  Ughhh.  Well, patience doesn't come easy to me.  But this isn't what I expected!  Looking back, I guess it makes sense.  I probably shouldn't have cycled at all for a couple of weeks after the initial procedure, but I did.  And now I'm paying for it.  No walking.  No riding.  For three weeks.  I can't even take a regular shower, as I need to avoid getting it wet.  Grrrr.  Here are a few things that keep going through my stubborn head.

1.  I'm sure if I asked the doctor if I could go on the ride, she'd have said no.  It's one of the highlights of the riding year, so can you blame me?  ;-)
2.  I had a great May for mileage....about 650 miles!  June will be sh*t.
3.  I don't like to sit still, but better now than before or during the MDR.
4.  I asked the doctor when I would know if it was better.  She said the swelling will decrease, it'll stop hurting and will stop draining.  Another doh!  Maybe I should be in medicine?!  Maybe not.
5.  I'm sure riding didn't help it, but maybe showers actually contributed more to its slow healing than anything else?  I thought after a few days, it would be ok to shower.  But maybe not.  This time, I'm following directions (sponge baths, baby!) and hope that makes the difference.
6.  I've been wearing the boot and using crutches for a week now.  What a pain in the ass.  I hope it pays off.  I've even changed my commute and I'm taking the bus as it's a shorter walk.
7.  While it's also a pain to explain my problem time after time, even people who never talk to me seem to be friendly and inquiring.  And I get a good seat on the bus!
8.  I want to ride, so please get better!  qUiCkLy!

25th Annual MDR

The MDR...the 4 day Memorial Day Ride from San Jose to Santa Barbara.  I did it!  Again!  Well, most of it.  It's a fabulous annual ride and now that it's complete, that 25 years worth in the books.  (A mere 15 for me......I started in '98, but missed a couple along the way.)

The 25th MDR gang at the start

How was it??  Well.....the damn foot did act up.  I can't believe it's still not healed, 4 weeks since the minor surgery.  But I have to look at the bright side.  I plugged along for much of the ride, doing 289 out of the total of 350 miles.  Admirable, but I was hoping for the whole thing!  Instead, I did my duty of driving a 25 leg out of Carmel.  But that wasn't my only down time.  It warmed up on day 4 and I had some pain during the 3rd leg, so I packed it in at mile 68.  Too bad....I didn't even get to descend down to Gaviota Pass!  It really did hurt.  And as much as I wanted to continue, when I saw one of our cars stop for someone else, I hopped in too.  A little bit like sticking up your hand for the Team car in a race.  The ego hurt, but the foot hurt more.  I know.....I should have had it checked before the trip.  But you know how it is!  If you have something like this trip planned, you don't want to ask someone who might tell you to sit the whole thing out.  No f*ckin' way!  I will get it checked again, but really wanted to go on this ride too. 

In any case, it was a lot of fun!  Riding great roads, eating good food, drinking tasty beers, being with fun friends.  And repeating 4 times!  Here are some more fave pics so far.  If I see anymore, I'll post them too.

Bixby Bridge, 13 miles south of Carmel

At the "Quad C" - the Central Coast Coasting Competition on Turri Rd.

Mike on Big Sur

Mike and Jeff nearing SLO

Mike on Hwy 1 south of Carmel

Mike bike on Turri Rd.

The beginning of the Gaviota Pass drop to Hwy 101 (2 miles @ 7%)

Tour de France!  (Cheese store in SLO)

MDR group south of Carmel

Bixby Bridge

South of Lucia on Hwy 1 through new avalanche protection tunnel

The Best and "Not So Best" of Times? We'll See......

Well, maybe the title sounds worse than it really is...but what does that all mean?  Simply, I'm in pretty good riding shape, but having trouble riding!  Huh?  Yeah, I've had a great year for mileage (almost 3K miles) and looking forward to this year's ride to Santa Barbara, the annual Memorial Day Ride (MDR - just days away).  But foot issues are slowing me down!

I had some minor surgery a few weeks ago to get rid of some bursitus, which is like a callus under the skin that can hit a nerve or bone.  Right on the ball of my right foot!  Eek.  It's probably from old cycling shoes (rub rub rub...) and I've had it for well over a year.  But until recently, it's been very manageable.   Then, about a month ago, it starting getting inflamed and then during a particularly cold and wet ride up in Chico (the Wildflower century), it really started to flare up.  To the point where I couldn't deal with the pain and thought maybe it was getting infected.  It was almost like stepping on a nail.  Yikes!

So, off to the hospital I went May 2nd for the surgery...but even now (2.5 weeks later), it STILL is not fully healed.  I wore a "boot" to keep the pressure off (no fun), did nothing for 5 days (no rides, no walks, no showers).  The after about a week, I slowly got back into walking and some short rides...dealing with things, thinking it would get better.  And I suppose it has, but way too slowly.  The doctor never said it would last this long!

The post-op bandage

The "boot"

 Last weekend, I may have pushed it too much.  We went to Sacramento for a crew race, and I rode 62 miles on the bike path, thinking no climbing wouldn't bother it.  The good news is that I saw many of the Tour of California (TOC) pros out there training....yes, on the bike path!!  Double pace lines, passing grannies and kids on bikes.  WOW!  That was unexpected!  But also unexpected was the pain...it really hadn't gotten much better yet.  I really pushed it three days later by going up Diablo to watch another stage of the TOC.  It was an exciting stage (!) and I had no real pain going out there.  But returning was pretty damn painful. 

 

"Sir" Bradley Wiggins leading up Diablo (He ended up winning the whole race!)

Turned out to be an 80 mile ride.  40 miles out ok and 40 miles back in pain.  Ouch.  Not from the miles, but from the damn foot.  But looking at the bright side, the race was cool!  Here are my pics and 4 videos from that stage....TOC Stage 3 up Mt. Diablo.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=112371152910629742937&target=ALBUM&id=6014258831752019921&authkey=Gv1sRgCKCPhfrk3aD1wQE&feat=email

The high temps (90-100) that day probably made things worse....expanding feet, etc.  I thought it through and said WTF...new shoes must be part of the answer.  So, off I went and found a pretty good price on the same type of shoes (Sidi Dominator 5) and crossed my fingers that they would be better.  So far, it seems to have worked.  I suffer a bit after riding from my foot expanding a bit, but not like earlier.  I rode two 40 milers (Sat/Sun) and didn't do too bad.  With three days until the big MDR....I'm hoping we are there.  If I keep the incision clean and take it fairly easy, maybe I can do it.  I'll report back....hopefully with good news and not a need for another hospital visit.  ;-)  Because the big event of the year, the MDR, starts Thursday, May 22nd and I don't want to miss it!!

What's in a (Bike Ride) Name?

Our rides these days seems to need a name.  With strava and everyone posting their rides, you want to show everyone how fun your ride was, but it seems you need a catchy name too.  Well, I guess I've fallen into the trap.  Here are some recent ride names I've come up with since the beginning of this year....they all have some "inner meaning" and I'm sure you can figure some of them out.  Sorry if they are too esoteric!  You can find them all at my strava page (http://www.strava.com/athletes/77170).  I hope it's more than "a ride is just a ride is just a ride"!

Goin' Loopy

LimBo Rockin' with the Sistas

A Mile for Each Year? ;-) (some with Lou Q)

Port, Parks and The Peak (Urban Exploring)

Noodling up Grizzly and Environs

Flats sans flats

Still perfecting my rain predicting skills (with Amy)

That close to a Century and you stopped?? (Ride to Davis - back on Amtrak)

Back on the Chain Gang (with JM and Jeff)

Triathlon (Walk/Fly/Ride).....back to only the ride....

"Da Bears", Pig Farm and Happy Valley (with Jean-Marie and Mark G)

Highlands Cyclists Breakfast Club Ride (sans breakfast!)

Lou Reed Ride (Such a perfect day!)

Feeling Flat...like the road

Bumps, but no bruises (small climbs that is) - Butters, Skyline, Charing Cross

Wildcat-Wilder-Snap! (Broke my chain and had to call the team car - Caryn - for a lift home)

New Year's Eve Champagne Ride on a Beer Budget (Great weather in Marin/Sonoma with Jared)

Ride Update....Busy!

Hi!  Sorry for the lack of reports lately.  Here is a picture from our train ride back after riding from Berkeley to Davis last weekend (April 5).  Great day for a ride!  More updates later.....been too busy riding to report!

So......what was 2013 like??

So, what makes up a great year of riding??  No rain to speak of, long rides almost every weekend, and some epic ones (like the Nifty 10-50) are some of the great memories of this past year.  Oh, and no crashes!  What's not to like?  Ok, maybe it was unofficially bracketed by two parts failures....the crankarm failure on New Year's Eve 2012 and a broken chain in early January of 2014.  And both were in the middle of nowhere.  Is that the appropriate way to mark the year?  Well, sure, why not?  Both ended up ok and it was all part of the adventure!  I guess I could carry more tools, but....maybe not!  With an "almost" record of about 7700 miles, it may be tough to pick out the best.  But let me try and tick off, in no particular order, my top 10 rides.  All of these rides and more can be found here:  http://www.strava.com/athletes/77170

1-2. Berkeley to Davis (2), April and Nov 2013.  What a great bunch of folks both times, followed by dinner at our house.  I think it's becoming a date on peoples' calendar!  The best part is the last 35 or so miles through the farmlands of Vacaville into Davis, followed by the train back to Berkeley with a cold beer.  Superb.

3.  Nifty 10-50.  50 miles of the "steepest sh*t" in the East Bay, adding up to 10,000 feet of climbing.  Throw in bad brakes on Brendan's mt. bike and you've got an epic ride.  Right to the last mile, where I almost bit it on Indian Rock because the brakes were no longer holding.  So much for disks?  Well, so much for my ignorance about disks.  All I had to do was turn the little knob and they would have been re-adjusted.  But hey, that would have taken away the thrill!  ;-)

4.  The Diablo stage of the TOC....Stage 7....especially the descent down the mt. to North Gate with the pros and 100's of other cyclists all at the same time!  Smooth.

5.  Furlough ride - San Francisco to Tunitas Creek and down into Palo Alto and back over the Dumbarton Bridge to Fremont BART.  I love those point-to-point rides!  Not the quietest or even prettiest ride, but a goal was met.  And like a few others in October, I was paid for it!  (Keep it up, Repugs.)

6.  MDR day?  That's the Memorial Day Ride.  It's our annual 4 day ride from San Jose to Santa Barbara, totaling about 375 miles.  I suppose I should be able to pick the best day, but they're all good.  Good company, good weather and good roads.  Who can pick a favorite?  Not me.  Let's do it again....for about the 15th time!

7.  Rides to the Farm.  I rode up to Kenwood to our friend's place a few times this past year from Larkspur.   It's about 60 miles and it's always a great ride.  There are a few busy sections through Petaluma.  And the hard climbs are at the end, when I'm pretty sapped of energy.  But for the most part, it's a beautiful ride.  The hardest parts are indeed the most beautiful as well.  Sonoma Mt. Road can't be beat.  Hard, bumpy, and steep.  But quiet, pretty, and remote.  The best there is if you're a cyclist.  And it's only a few miles from a cold beer at the house!!!  In fact, the year ended on New Year's Eve with a ride to the Farm accompanied by my workmate Jared joining me in Kentfield and departing in Petaluma.  Nice way to end the year.

8.  The Grizzly-Skyline-Pinehurst Loop.  I do this loop so many times each year (every Tuesday night in spring and summer), one would think it's not part of this list.  But it's emblematic of the unbelievable riding we have at our back door here in the East Bay.  Serious climbs.  Mostly quiet roads.  And wonderful descents.  Right into town.  That's the name of the game with this 38 mile loop.

9.  The American River Bike Path.  Not near home, but still accessible, this is the flattest 60 miles one can find around these parts.  It's the path that goes from Sacamento to Lake Natoma, where Caryn's and Brendan's crew meets are held.  I have a habit of losing patience and wanting to ride during these events, so always bring my bike up to regattas.  And it's so flat that I can set my own land speed records for mph.  Nearly 20 mph for 60 miles!  That's what you get when there's no elevation or cars.  Not bad.

10.   Grizzly Peak.  Why is this so special?  It's on almost every ride we do around these parts.  Well. this was the year they repaved that sucker!!!  After 20+ years, they repaved it this fall and it was SO SMOOTH, it was hard to believe.  There is a god.

That's the top 10, but there were many other great rides that didn't make the list.  Our coastal ride in CT among the colorful leaves.  The Chico Gran Fondo, which I need to do again to appreciate it more.  And the Patterson Pass / Del Puerto Canyon / Mines loop with Marius and Jules.  Been hearing about that 100 mile loop for years, but this was the first year I did it.  One memory of that ride was cruising along at 28 mph for 16 miles with no work.  There's a lot of wind in that valley.  And thank goodness we were riding in the southerly direction!  And finally, riding on Todd's birthday ride (43 miles for 43 years that turned into 72 miles).  It wasn't the course or the distance as much as the company.  I was able to talk to Calvin T. for quite awhile hearing about the history of Bay Area and California racing, including how he "taught Greg Lemond how to race".  Hmmm.

Here's to more memorable rides in 2014!