Three Memorable Rides = A New Post!

I've been keeping up the pace, even as the sun starts to set earlier every day.  I even hit 6000 miles for the year (Oct 3) with almost 3 months to go!  In the recent past, I'd be happy with this mileage at the end of the year.  Let's see where I end up by New Years!

So, are any of these miles memorable??  It's up to you to decide, but I've got a few rides where I'd say the answer is yes!  You can find the routes on strava, but here's a quick summary of three of them.

1. Strade Bumpi and More (Finally took the dirt over Montara Mountain. Epic-ness! With Steve S. and the "other" Mike G.)
https://www.strava.com/activities/395891571

I've been wanting to do parts of this ride for a few years now. The existing road heading south on Highway 1 from Pacifica to Montara is pretty epic by itself. A new tunnel - wide and safe for bikes - replaced the old road - Devil's Slide - a couple of years ago. The problem is the lead up to the tunnel and the road after it are pretty tight, windy and busy. Not fun for bikes. But the original road over this pass, Old San Pedro Mountain Road, is even more epic! It's about 3 miles up and 3 miles down, a combo of narrow bumpy pavement, smooth fire road dirt and some rutted, but passable segments. It was great! Two pals (Steve and Mike) headed out from San Francisco with the intention of making a big loop out of this route. We went over the pass, continued south and then climbed up Tunitas Creek Road (epic on its own by most standards) and then down into Woodside. With the thermometer hitting 100+ degrees, those guys were toast. But I had this urge to do the whole thing, so motored on as they descended to take BART back from near SFO. It took a 10 hour day of riding, but I did it! 109 miles later, I got back to San Francisco, feeling accomplished as well as a quite tired. I went through the equivalent of 9 water bottles, a couple of bananas and a big bag of gorp. And then it was back on BART to the East Bay. Zzzzzz.

Mike, Mike and Steve on Montara Mountain

Descent off Montara Mountain

Mike descending off Montara Mountain

Mike climbing up from Pacifica

2. Sometimes you pass right by the most interesting things every ride.....Not today! (Diverge into Canyon with Jules)
https://www.strava.com/activities/400869110

The second ride was fairly pedestrian, riding with Jules out to Peets in Danville. But on our return, we decided the standard roll through Canyon on Pinehurst Road needed a little bit of something extra. So, we ascended into the hillsides of this village. Short, but punchy 10-15% grades, neighbors all weedwacking the hillsides (seemed like EVERYONE was out doing winter storm prep cleanup), an old bearded guy resembling Dumbledore peeking out of a little trailer home, a house of papier mache, and views to die for. That's Canyon beyond the post office!

Mike on Canyon's "Redwood Highway".....15% or more....

VW at the top of the climb in Canyon

Papier mache house in Canyon

3. Berkeley to Davis - Recon of New Route over Benicia Bridge (with the Sephora Crew)
http://www.strava.com/activities/406609417

I've been leading rides from Berkeley to Davis for a few years now. They are getting a bit big and we've got one set for November 7th. But I just felt like doing one without the crowds.  So, today 2 friends and I did the "Davis Recon" ride! Why not???!!

Usually, it's the same route, going over one bridge in particular (the Carquinez Bridge). But this ride took another bridge (the Benicia Bridge) and some other scenic side roads. We lopped off about 6 miles, something Dave didn't like (let's go for 100!!), but change is good. The sun was out, the temps very favorable (60-80), but the winds were in our face a bit! Oh, I shouldn't complain, as my two buddies were both very tall and good to draft behind. We did our rest stop in Winters at Steady Eddie's Cafe and then got to Davis with about an hour before the train, so grabbed a pizza and beer and then a couple more beers for the train. Once on the train, Dave and I were both about to raise our plastic cups to a great ride, when up from behind us came the conductor! We chatted him up, attempting to take his mind off the illegal beer and said "we remember you from one of our other rides!" His retort: "I only remember people that I kick off the train." D'oh! But it all worked out fine. A great ride, a tasty beer and a smooth train ride back to Berkeley.  (PS  I love the beer bottle label with a shout out to George Clinton...."Free your mind and your ass will follow!")

We're heading to CT and Boston soon for a Fall visit and the Head of the Charles crew race!  Look for related strava posts.

Alhambra Valley Rd.

The Sephora Boys (Dave and Jason) heading into Davis

Words to live by...or drink beer by.

Warnings.

After Alan's death and hearing of other fit people keeling over with heart issues at young ages (including the recent Leadville 100 guy), this Velo News story scares the crap out of me.  Seems like a warning for all of us riders.  But is it rational?

Cycling to Extremes
http://velonews.competitor.com/cycling-extremes
______________

I passed by a cyclist the other day who was chatting with some pedestrians and all I heard was "I should get a jersey that says: <I ride, therefore I crash> ".  Yikes.  Isn't that a little defeatist?
______________

I've locked my bike up at BART for more than 20 years with a U-lock.  I should shut up, but the bike seems protected.  Yes, I had one bike stolen out of a box where the wankers used the lock to force open with leverage and break the door of one of those boxes.  Physics in action.  But the lock held up.  Well, this pic shows one such lock at the rack the other day.  Not from my bike, thank goodness.  But so much for these locks.  Warning:  wankers can cut them too.

_________________

Well, now that I've probably scared you, I want to enlighten you with stories of friends who really accomplished something special.  First, there's Eric, who finished the Paris-Brest-Paris ride, which he called "An act of cycling devotion".  How true.  If you don't know what it is, look it up.  Here is a great piece from Strava:  http://stories.strava.com/parisbrestparis  .  Or read part of Eric's account:

One moment stands out for me. Late one night, passing though a pretty little town, an elderly lady was walking down the street. As we passed by, she leaned on her cane, looked up, and quietly said "Bravo". It encapsulated the spirit of the event for me. It felt like each of us was playing a part in a huge public demonstration of devotion... to cycling, to France, to ordinary people attempting extraordinary feats, to history and tradition.

Chapeau.

Courtesy of Strava

And then there's Cyndi.  A local road and mt. biker, she signed up for and rode a good bit of the Leadville 100 mt. bike race recently.   She'll ride with the guys often; keeping up is no problem.  A real powerhouse and a very friendly outgoing one at that.  Nothing holds her back and it's always with a smile!  Except apparently high elevation.  No, she didn't finish.  But her account will make you shake your head and give her a pass.  At about 65 miles and 12,000 feet, as she was pushing her bike passing guys puking on the side of the trail due to elevation sickness, she found out she missed the cutoff by 15 minutes.  Shit.  All that work for nothing?  Not really.  She's still a better rider than most of us.  And with some time to acclimate, she'll come back and kick this race in the hiney.  I know she will.  That's the warning from this story!  She went, she tried, and unfortunately couldn't do it.  But she put it all out there and shared it with her strava buddies and made no excuses.  What a great competitor.

Bonne chance prochaine fois!!

Petites Vignettes de Cyclisme

"Cycling is the next best thing to flying." - Lou after descending Grizzly Peak. "And I love flying! I'm just not very good at it." - Mike

I really like Lou's quote!  I hadn't really thought of it this way, but have to agree.  Under the right conditions, cycling really can be like flying!  Well, although my mileage is going well and riding is always fun, nothing too earth-shattering has happened in my cycling life lately.  But since my last entry was so long ago, I decided to just drop in a few short stories anyway.  Enjoy!

Climbing South Park to set a record.  Some guy set out to climb 100,000 feet in less than 48 hours this weekend and chose South Park Drive in Tilden Park to do so!  It's one of our toughest climbs around....up and down for two days straight.  Nutcase?  Turns out he broke the record of 94,000 feet, but didn't quite make the whole 100,000 feet....only 95,623 feet.  Slacker.  Check these two links out.
https://www.strava.com/activities/365791484/overview
http://www.albertnet.us/2015/08/new-cycling-world-record-set-in-berkeley.html?spref=fb&m=1

Watching the Tour de France.  Dopers or Scenery?  Which wins the day?  That's the question.  The Tour has always held my interest and this year was no different.  The beautiful scenery, the most important stage race of the year, the fitness of the guys.  But yes, there is the constant speculation and mistrust (post-Armstrong era) of anyone who performs well.  I try not to worry about what I can't change, so I just enjoy the scenery and hope to get back to riding in France again sometime soon.  Not quite as fast, but with all the history and highlights!

Connecticut Rides.  It's always fun to get away and ride some different roads.  Spending a week in CT with borrowed bikes let us do just that in late July / early August!  We got a few rides in and around Mystic, as well as one with friends from Deep River.  Great weather there this time of year, but too bad it doesn't last very long.

Dean's Mill Rd., Mystic, CT

Pics on Strava.  I've recently had the ability to post pics along with rides on strava.  Dangerous!  I don't want to get sucked into doing this for every ride,  but it does have its advantages.

Is Jeff Obsessed?  So my friend Jeff has been doing sprint triathlons this summer.  And doing quite well, I might add!  A few 2nd places, some no podiums, but also at least one first place!!  The hills around here help him get an edge on other racers.  So good for him!  I hope he doesn't "crash and burn", as sometimes happens.  He's transitioning from sprints all the way to an Ironman, so I hope that works out ok for him.  I'm a little worried he'll overextend (heading to an ironman), but it's his life.  Good luck!

Thinking a little about Dirt.  I'm thinking I might like to get one of these to enjoy road AND dirt.  (A "Diverge".....what an appropriate name!)  Maybe someday soon?

Lanterne Rouge -The Last Man in the Tour de France.   This is a great new book describing an embarrassing, but apparently also prestigious place to be....last man in the Tour de France!  It's like the caboose with a red light (a laterne rouge) hanging from its rear end!  It can happen each day, and at one time guys would fight for it as part of a competition.  This got attention from sponsors and fans, but embarrassed the race organizers.  So they began eliminating the laterne rouge each day so people wouldn't fight for it.  But that rule has been changed...no more eliminations.  I guess it ain't only about winning.  And if you're going to be "off-the-back", you may as well be all the way at the back!  Here are a few quotes listed in the book which caught my attention.

Success, especially your own, is not a good subject.  Failure is.  (Tim Krabbé)

I'd rather finish shattered and last having attacked a hundred times than finish 25th without having tried.  (Jacky Durand)

I can't ride fast.  I can't climb.  I can't sprint....I'm a complete roadman.  A Tour Man, therefore.  (Roger Chaussabel, 1956 Laterne Rouge)

Lanterne Rouge Jacky Durand taunting Monsieur Armstrong in 1999

Alan. A sad note to end this post.  But also a message to heed.  We lost my brother-in-law Alan this past June.  Young (55), fit and someone who seemingly took care of himself more than most, unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack.  Sad, but what's this got to do with cycling, you ask?  Well, he was on his bike when it all happened.  He had gone out for a ride alone near Lake Tahoe, but was soon found dead on the side of the road by other cyclists.  A cause for his crash and subsequent death wasn't evident.  Or was it death and subsequent crash?  No one really knew.  And until an autopsy, it wasn't clear what happened.  We thought he must have been hit or crashed and hit his head, causing instant death.  No obvious bike damage or body trauma caused us to wonder.  My mind raced for the few days when we didn't know the cause, thinking I'd be doing something foolish (or at least be looked upon with fear by my family) for getting out there and taking a simple bike ride.  But it was a heart attack.  Wow.  Given his history of riding, general fitness and not overindulging in anything except humor, that was totally a surprise.  He was too young, but maybe dying doing something you love is what we'd all want.  Maybe it wasn't a bad way to go.  I could ride my bike again, not thinking about my impending doom or have people unnecessarily worry.  Rest in Peace, Friend.  But also, Carpe Diem.  It might sound trite, but do what you love.  Bike.  Fly.  Whatever.  But do it now.  Because you never know when your time will come.

Feelin' in Shape, If Not a Little Sore.......

Wow, that came and went fast.  The 2015 Memorial Day Ride (MDR) is history.  Already!  It's been a week now since 43 of us made our way south to Santa Barbara from San Jose.  As always, it's a riding highlight of the year, that's for sure!  Here are a few afterthoughts and memories.

Merlin on Nacimiento-Ferguson Rd.

The New Roads
By now, we all know the route south fairly well.  Maybe too intimately.  So, people are starting to tack on new segments, alter routes, or just shake things up a bit.  And that's good!  Usually, the route goes either inland or on the coast, alternating each year.  At least the first two days.  (Then it's all the same for days 3-4.)   This year, the memorable change for me was heading west on Nacimiento / Ferguson Rd. to avoid the typical boat and truck traffic that is common around Lake Nacimiento.  What a great choice!  It made for a combo inland/coastal route.  Gorgeous, quiet, and not very tough at all.  There is also a loop that I've wanted to complete out of San Luis Obispo and we did that this year.  More on that later!  The other alternative route that Peter and Bruce took went over the mountains toward Solvang and then hit San Marcos Pass, which then drops back into Santa Barbara.  It sounded beautiful, but maybe a bit much!  These guys are typically super fast, but they said there was a segment where they had to walk, do bike repairs, and ride on dirt for "4 hours at 3mph."  Those were Peter's words.  Maybe someday....but not for me this year.

Looking north from Nacimiento-Ferguson Rd.

Mike and Janine descending on Nacimiento-Ferguson Rd.

Hwy 1 South from Nacimiento-Ferguson Rd.

A Small(er) Group
The MDR had peaked out at about 55 or so people in recent years.  We sort of create our own moving party, but sometimes there is by far too much chaos.  This year was a pleasant surprise.  We were down to 43.  This smaller number and the absence of a few very fast riders who pushed the pace beyond what I could tolerate made it less chaotic and a bit slower too.  Kinda nice!

About half our MDR group at Gaviota Pass, getting ready to head into Santa Barbara on the last leg!

The Crash
A crash every 30,000 miles?  It was back in 2009 on the MDR when I broke my first bone ever (collarbone) coming into San Simeon.  My estimate is that 30,000 miles have rolled by for me since then.  It was my collarbone-snapping time, but no real crashes since that one.  Well, I guess my time came up again.  Remember that loop in SLO that I mentioned?  Well, I did it, but not until I had a date with gravity and poison oak!  I knew there was dirt coming up on this leg, but not so quickly!  About 6 of us climbed Prefumo Canyon Rd., a beautiful winding, windswept ascent that goes nowhere of note.  That made it quiet and that's what cyclists like!  Two guys turned around at the top and headed back down.  My mistake was not to be one of them.

Off they went down one way and off the remaining 4 of us went the other way to complete the loop.  Down-down-down the other way!  At the bottom of about a mile descent of 8-12%, I saw a narrow bridge with cattle grates.  Hit those babies fast and they'll be smoother.....just like the cobbles in Paris-Roubaix!  With Matt just ahead of me, the little bridge quickly approached.  The road flattened right at the bridge and Matt braked hard.  He saw the dirt and I didn't.  But seeing him, I braked to avoid him, shifted a little to the left, still going pretty good until I saw what was just on the other side of the bridge......gravel!!  Awww shit.  I whizzed by Matt's left shoulder, hit the gravel braking to slow 'er down, but got caught drifting too quickly to the left to maintain control.  The road, one lane wide consisting of loose gravel, quickly ended with a little ridge of dirt.  The front wheel suddenly washed out and I plowed into the ridge with my left arm, hip, leg and....helmet.  I'm sure there was a cloud of dust.

I immediately thought....oh, that wasn't so bad....kinda soft....let's get up and go!  My buddies stopped, offered help and their own thoughts on the cause of the pileup.  They checked me and my bike.  Then one said, "ooh...that's all poison oak you landed in....clean up as soon as you get back".  Then I thought...oh...that's why it was so soft!  That worried me more than anything else.  I didn't seem to tear any clothing, so I thought yeah, this P.O. is what I need to worry about.  That'll last 10 days!  Poor Matt apologized over and over, thinking he should have warned me or not braked so hard.  But it was my fault.  Gotta keep your eyes ahead up the road.  No one's fault except mine.  I straightened the brake handles, mounted back on the bike and hit the gravel road with a newfound burst of adrenalin.

I actually felt ok and rode the next mile of gravel mostly ahead of the guys.  Maybe they wanted to keep clear of the crazy, poison oak covered guy?  Or maybe I was faster!  Uh....probably not.  The next few miles of See Canyon Rd. was nicely paved,  sinuous and quiet.  It's a small back road heading towards Avila Beach.  So, off we went for the last 10 miles back to the hotel and I felt ok.  Once back, I cleaned up, bagged the P.O. covered bike clothes and took a few ibuprophen before heading into town for dinner to see Brendan.  Even with the "vitamin I", the adrenalin was wearing off, so the hip started talking to me.  While riding was ok, walking was getting labored.  I made it ok, but sleeping was a bit tough.

The next morning, I rolled a bike around the parking lot early to see whether it made sense to ride that day.  It seemed acceptable.  It was the last leg of the trip and I really wanted to ride the whole thing, since so far I had ridden every mile.  So, I thought, what the hell.  I rode the 110 miles and it wasn't bad at all!  Walking and lifting the left leg proved a little tough for a few days, but I feel much better now and I'm glad I rode that day!

The cattle grate and start of the gravel.....with my crash point marked

Isn't one Mike enough?  (Top of Prefumo Canyon Rd, right before the tumble!)

The Spill
Not off the bike, but oil.  Santa Barbara had a terrible oil spill back in 1969.  People down there have since been understandably concerned about what might again happen to their gorgeous coastline.  And two days before the ride start, it did happen again.  It was far smaller, but right along our course, there was a pipeline break just inland from Refugio Beach on Hwy 101.  100,000 gallons spilled out of a broken pipe and of that, about 20,000 gallons made it to the ocean.  Sadly, it fouled about 7-10 miles of the coast and many critters.  Of course, folks from my office were soon down there in an emergency response capacity.  When we passed, there were lots of hazmat suits, boats, a helo and ships out there aiding the cleanup.  And causing traffic jams too.  We rode past many orange cones on our final leg into Santa Barbara, but more importantly, it was sad to see what can happen to the environment.  When I returned to work this week, I found out we had 7 EPA folks down there helping out.  Hope we made a positive difference.

Brendan and Mike in SLO

The Lingering Pain
Arnica.  Use it for all kinds of pain!  I used the Te-Nu poison oak cleaner right after the crash, but nothing else except a few ibuprophen.  3-4 days later, the hip/leg pain was still there.  I started using Arnica topical ointment at about day 6, and don't know whether it was just the time since the crash or the Arnica making a positive difference, but things started feeling really better after using Arnica for a couple of days.  Yea!

Bob, Matt and Mike ascending Harris Grade (photo courtesy Garrett Lau)

So, that's it for the 2015 MDR.  370 miles.  Favorable tailwinds.  Some nice new roads.  Good folks and good weather.  I got to visit Brendan.  Yeah, some trials and tribulations with the bike spill and the oil spill.  But it's a fun tradition with wonderful memories for another Memorial Day.  And so yes, I'd do it again in a flash!

Ramping UPpPp.....for MDR!

Has a year passed already since the annual MDR....the Memorial Day Ride to Santa Barbara?  Wow!  I know time compresses as we age, but this is crazy.  Seems like we just finished the last one.  That's ok....this trip is one of the riding highlights of the year!  So, how's the prep going?

Remember, this 4 day ride is about 360 miles if you do the whole thing.  Sags are available, but we "manly men" try to avoid those like the plague!  It's not THAT difficult, but you won't be having fun if you aren't fit.  So I've been trying to ramp up the rides as much as possible, given work and the desire to keep this stuff fun!  It's been over a month since the ride to Davis.  That's a pretty good test of about 100 miles.  Get to 100 miles and see how you feel.  Because on the MDR, you better to be able to do this for most of 4 days in a row!

For a few weeks right after the Davis ride, I was able to ride about 60 miles or so each Saturday, along with a few more rides during the week to average about 140 miles/week.  And then recently, I was able to ramp it up more over the past two weeks.  Over a 10-day stretch, I rode 83 miles (most of the Grizzly Peak Century), 102 miles (up to Lake Natoma to see Caryn's crew race) and 85 miles to watch Stage 3 of the Tour of California, which included some stiff climbing.  Well, yes, I did catch a decent cold after the first 83 mile ride.  But I'm glad I'm recovering!

Am I ready?  Is there more prep?  I feel good.  There will be a Saturday ride and some more miles leading up to it.  So, the answer is yes!

A little about these miles....I tried to make them somewhat interesting for a change too.  I rode some new or less traveled roads with point-to-point rides, added a little bit of public transit to extend my normal range, and had a mechanical (broken spoke) slowing me down for about 17 miles to add an unplanned challenge!  Up in Sacramento,  I sucked onto the wheel of the pro BMC team for 10 miles on the American River bike trail in Sacramento.....that was a first!  And I used the crazy GoPro camera for video and that's kind of fun.  But up in Sacramento for Stage 1 of the race, I got some "VIP" treatment from my friend Amy, who works in cycling TV.  I got introduced to many famous folks in pro cycling world, including the guys most fans associate with any English language cycle coverage, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen.  Very cool and inspiring!  So yeah, I think I'm ready!

Attached below are a few pic from recent rides, which included checking out two stages of the Tour of California this week.   The MDR starts in one week (May 21).  It's just about here!  I've got no big rides planned...maybe it's time to taper and build up my appetite for 4 solid days of riding down to Santa Barbara?  Do I want to be idle?  Nah...I don't think I can sit still.  Look back for a post on that trip sometime soon!

Dawn balloons rising from Winters, CA

Spotted in Davis, CA

 

 

The BMC team I latched onto for 10 miles.....and foolishly pulled out my camera to shoot!

Bikes as Art

Phil, Mike, Paul

Lead out on the Bell Lap!

Stage 1 podium (with winner Mark Cavendish)

The peloton on Stage 3 up Calaveras Road (10-14%)

Post flat "push" up Quimby Road (10-12%)

Toms Skujins - leader and later winner of Stage 3

 
PS  My friend Lou, who crashed about 5 weeks ago, is recovering nicely.  He's been back on his bike a bit, but is still skittish....can't blame him.  He invited me to a "Blessing of the Bikes" a couple of weeks ago, which was a new one for me!  I didn't think I needed that, but it can't hurt.  Even though there were no Judeo-Christians represented (Buddhists, Hindus, etc. were well represented), there apparently is a patron saint of cycling.  Here are more pics....I guess I'm well connected now!

"No Crash" protection

Holy water, incense and peacock feathers:  The Blessing of the Bikes

The ride from Berkeley to Davis is catching on! Is that good or not?

We did it again last weekend.....rode from Berkeley to Davis and took Amtrak home!  It's a good time and has sort of become "my ride", for better or worse.  I've always liked the ride, which is a nice round distance of about 100 miles and not all that much climbing for around here (4000 feet).  I've put the word out in the spring and fall and say "Hey, join me for another ride to Davis!"  And the number of folks that show up had been typically 3-6 or so.  That's pretty manageable.  But this time we had 23 people!  And that's when the questions start to pop up.  Where are the maps?  (no maps)  Will you wait for me? (for you, sure!)  Can I take a shower at your house?  (get in line, but make it quick....there's a drought!)  Will the rider speeds leave people in the dust?  Are there going to be enough spots on the train?  I just feel responsible for these folks, although that's a self-imposed flogging.  They are adults, after all.  But I wouldn't want to be left behind!

Pleasants Valley Road....one of the prettiest sections of the ride

Alright, they are "1st world problems", as a friend likes to say.  But if I do a ride like this, I just want to ride and be sociable, not be a sag wagon for slow riders!  In the end, it (mostly) worked out fine.   One friend did do the ride mostly by himself, but he was a sport about it.  There were 3 or 4 flats in the group, so that neutralized things a bit, since it was the fast people who flatted.  And there was a nice split at the very end, which allowed about half the group to take one train back and the rest of us the time to grabs some beers and food and get back only 45 minutes later.  Not bad.  And then a bunch of us headed to dinner at the new Bier Garten in the neighborhood....that's rather convenient!

Heading across the Carquinez Bridge (mile 30)

Next time, will I say "bring all your friends"?  When rolling together, the little peloton was fun!  When waiting around for arrivals, flats, etc., there were some anxious folks.  So I'm not sure....the smaller groups are nice too and that might be a better way to enjoy this trek beyond our normal foraging area.  We'll just have to see!

(Most of) the Riders at Steady Eddie's, Winters (crazy after 80 miles)

Steady Eddie's welcome sign for bikes

The ride home

PS  This just in.  This past Friday, a good friend (Lou) had a bad bike crash, losing 3 front teeth and needed 17 facial stitches.  He's home and recuperating, but it puts things in perspective....we had a great ride to Davis and no one got lost, hurt, or otherwise.  It was a great time and I just need to enjoy it and stop complaining about minutiae.  Get out there and ride!

Irrational Exuberance Leads to Open Roads

I had been here before visiting my Dad.  Lake Placid is a place off the beaten path, in between the Florida coasts and a couple of hours from both Orlando and Tampa.  There aren’t many cultural amenities if you are used to a city of any size.  But it’s a place some people want to be.  My Dad is one of them.  He and Nancy retired here 22 years ago and really like it.  No crowds, no traffic, small town feel, inexpensive.   In the 60s, developers thought there would be more people like my Dad, following the sun to retire south and escape from the northeast and Midwest winters.  But the developers got it wrong.  There are a number of "communities" nearby that were laid out with streets, signs, but currently with very few homes.  They are basically empty of life.  Since the 60s, only a handful of homes and even fewer real neighborhoods were built in these former orange groves.  It’s a bit eerie, but strangely enough, it’s a good place to go for a bike ride on some well paved roads (or off road if you’re ready for that!) with literally no cars.  So, that’s where I’ve been these past few days.  And I even bought a used bike!

A typical "vibrant" Lake Placid 60s neighborhood

Last spring I visited too.  Then I was able to connect with a local cycling club and some nice folks hooked me up with someone who lent me a bike.  Very nice!  This time, I wanted to ride again, but also didn’t want to wear out my welcome with the club.  So I asked around and found a shop with a compatible, inexpensive bike to buy!  I figured with my dad and now sister (Kathy) owning homes here, I will likely be back to visit.  So, why not spend the money on a bike that I can use and they can use as well?  I did it!  It’s about a 10 year old Trek 1000 SC aluminum frame that seems barely used.  Most of the wear seems to be from sitting around too much in someone’s garage.  Some cables are a bit oxidized, but it’s clean, has good tires, working gears and brakes.  And it’s Florida orange!  As of now, I’ve taken three rides already, almost clocking 100 miles on it with no problems.

Seems like a good buy to me, about equal to shipping my own bike round trip on an airline.  And I have it for future visits!  Makes sense to me.  I’m getting to take advantage of the irrational exuberance of both the real estate developers who didn’t fill those roads with homes and the former bike owner who really didn’t use my new purchase much at all!

The New-Used Trek 1000SC - in Florida Orange!

What about other recent rides?  With basically no rain in the Bay Area, the miles continue to be on an uptick.  I don’t think I’ve missed a weekend ride all year.  The grass is a beautiful green right now due to a couple of storms.  But they won't make the drought go away.  Here are a few pictures from recent rides on Morgan Territory and in Marin going up the “7 Sisters” climb.  But it might be nice to actually not have to worry about drought too!

Morgan Territory Road on the descent to Livermore

More of Morgan Territory with Marius posing before the descent

Climbing Panoramic Rd. up towards Mt. Tam (one of the famed "7 Sisters")

Finally.......

Rain, not usually a friend to cyclists, finally showed up for the first time in 2015 this weekend.  But that's ok.....we really need it!  It was the driest January in San Francisco in 150 years of record keeping.  Not just dry, but there was no rain at all.  None at all....0.0".  So this weekend it is welcome!  Missing a day or two of riding ain't no big deal.   And I've been lucky in that I've been able to ride every weekend this year anyway.   Not bad.  Today (Sunday) it only rained in the morning, so I probably could have ridden later in the day.  But I chose not to.....it's nice to take it easy for a change!

So, what's the real news?  None, really....so how about some silly ride names from my strava posts?  Oh and this....I got a GoPro camera for Christmas that I hesitate to mount on my bike...I always thought they were a little geeky.  But who knows...I may try it soon!   But for now, here are some wacky ride names from the past few months.

GoPro Hero 3 - mount on the bike?  Not sure.....

11/27/2014 Berkeley, California - Two Turkeys and a Spaniard (Mike, Jeff and Jean-Marie)

12/06/2014 Berkeley, California - JMMM Roll (Jean-Marie, Mark and Mike)

12/07/2014 Berkeley, California - Sunday (Not So) Holy Rollin'

12/12/2014 Albany, California - Wet roads? Who cares....let's ride! (Patrick G sighting) (with Amy)

12/13/2014 Berkeley, California - When the rain stops, they all come out - Lots o' Mushrooms, Green Grass and Cyclists (with Stef, Mark and Jean-Marie)

12/20/2014 Berkeley, California - Peets/Danville (Start with Jean-Marie, Lou, Chris and Mark and part way return with BBC, until they dropped me on Wildcat. That means coal in their stockings....)

12/24/2014 Berkeley, California - 'Twas the day before Christmas and I snuck in a ride. Too early for Santa. Too early for hide (of reindeer).

12/26/2014 Berkeley, California - Almost Touching the Farallones....Super Clear Day! (w/Lou and Chris)

12/30/2014 Berkeley, California - Felt like a Sirocco, Mistral, Vent(oux) or just plain WIND! (w/JM and Chris)

12/31/2014 Glen Ellen, California - Earning my Champagne....New Year's Eve ride!

01/01/2015 Glen Ellen, California - Ignoring "Private Road" signs (Dead Ends) on New Years Day

Beautiful Sonoma view on my New Year's Day ride.

01/04/2015 Berkeley, California - Pedestrian Pinball ---OR--- A Sunday Ride on the Richmond/Emeryville Bike Trail

01/11/2015 Santa Cruz, California - Santa Cruz Weekend, Day 2 (Dan's Birthday Ride - When does this hill end?) (with Jeff, Steve, Dan and Lauren)

01/16/2015 Berkeley, California - Electra Glide Lunch Ride

01/24/2015 Berkeley, California - Slow Steady Solo Ascent to the Saddle (Halfway up Diablo on a gorgeous winter day)

01/31/2015 Berkeley, California - Ride on beautiful January day with no arm/leg warmers......Priceless. 0.0" of rain in January.....Not so priceless.

02/01/2015 Berkeley, California - "No Deflations" on the Pre-Superbowl Ride! (with Jean-Marie, Lou and Chris)

11/23/2014 Berkeley, California - I've run out of witty names (with Dave H, Jean-Marie, Lou, Chris, Stef and Mark)

Riding in 2014 (acc'g to strava)

-->  Strava has rolled out a couple of new functions for 2015, including this look back at 2014 using posted data.  Kind of interesting, but it doesn't make me want to pay money for an account.   It's really just a bunch of numbers.

http://2014story.strava.com/video/77170