My week back in California

And Mt Diablo is DONE!

I arrived Sunday morning and the weather required a ride, and I wanted to get back on Claremont for some leg strength. I had a good recovery when I was back home so I got a few PR's



Monday was nice too.. So I went out for a bit easier ride. I wanted to see more of Skyline, and just enjoy the weather.



Tuesday Cam and I went out for a "Tuesday night ride", back in Brantford these are quick and hard... and with a 25 year-old "carrot" in front of me on the climbs we got a really good workout with  a bit of climbing. This is one of the rides my friend from IKEA Emerryville had suggested, and the bottom loop with the climb was just fantastic. Loads of great places to ride just out of the back door!



Wednesday was "warmer" 75°F but I needed a day off so I would be ready for Saturday.

Thursday I wanted to climb easy and just have a good ride, But I had forgotten to charge up the bike computer and only the climb got recorded, Doh!



Friday I had to take Cam to the airport early in the a.m. and work in East Palo Alto store, I took the opportunity to go and visit Palo Alto Bicycles. Back in the '80's they had a catalogue before the days of the internet, and Bike Nashbar was in its infancy, it was one of the few places you could get hard to find bike parts (which back then was almost everything needed for a bike).

Saturday was sleep in a bit, and have a good breakfast, Mt Diablo is getting conquered today!
I knew this ride would take at least 5 hours and any ride I did last year over 4ish hours I was dragging myself home the last bit, so I planned my fuel. Once I found out that Mt Diablo was the penulimate stage of the Tour of California and it was within "reach" of where I was staying I began planning for this day!

Hammer nutrition has several products but I never fully understood what they all did, and I'm a cyclist who rides mostly 3 hours and if decently fueled I have no problem, but after 4 hours fuel is a huge issue, so I talked to some of my Ironman friends and phoned Hammer help line. This is the result, to start off with I had one 3 hour Perpetuem bottle and two bottles of Heed with Endurolites, I also had enough Endurolite fizz to make up four water bottles, and I had 6 Perpetuem solids. The idea is that the Perpetuem has so much good stuff in it that a bottle over three hours starts to go "rancid". In the end I went through the 3 hour bottle and the two Head bottles, and four bottles of Fizz, and this is the first 5 hour plus ride (early in the season too) where I was tired at the end from all the climbing but not dragging myself home! So I now know how to fuel myself for really long rides.

I prefer not to drive to a ride if I don't have too, so I picked an easy pass over the ridge by me and then headed off to Mt Diablo, which when your half way there you can see it looming in the distance, just waiting for you....

I still had a way to go at this point but it is big. Just before I got to the base of the climb there was a community center and I filled up with water, I did not know what was before me and I wanted to be prepared. The grade is 4% average, as per the literature at the top so it's not really too hard, but it just keeps going, you come to the ranger station which is the park entrance and to that point it's not that much climbing, then it goes, when you get the the next station which is just before the turn to the summit, your feeling pretty good about yourself... But the summit climb is the second half of the climb and about half way through if you look up you can see the station at the top, and it's not getting closer very fast... several switchbacks and then the last bit is the WALL and it's a gift, it's not long but you've been climbing for almost and hour and it can only be done standing, then your there and Diablo is in your back pocket!

The decent is always the best part and I've gotten much more confident on descending so its just pure fun! I did not pick the best route home, and I had to make it up staying close to the 24 till I got to roads I recognized from earlier rides. The final climb before home I was a bit slower than the last couple of time but I made pretty good time, and I got a PR on my decent into Berkeley. Then home for Recoverite and "supper"

Where I've been

I know that the last post was leading up to the weekend, but my bike computer crashed, and once I got home I spent an hour with tech support. Basically I had to reformat it and do a factory reset... technology is great until it fails.

That weekend was a pretty good weekend, I attempted Mt Diablo, but my legs were not into it. Being a person not to waste great day enjoed the day and ride. On Sunday I went out to Alameda which is flat, it is also the home of the abandoned Alameda Navel complex where the Myth-busters do there car smashing. This was intended for a spin and an active recovery (it's hard to find flat here). Monday Robert and his son Cam arrived and we rode for a good 90 kms with good climbing.

Then I went back to the frozen tundra of Brantford... weekday riding was motivated by my friend Greg where we got on our bikes in his basement a couple of times to keep/get our legs moving. The weekend was some good roller work for me. Yesterday was supposed to be a fairly nice day in Brantford, but at 9:00 a.m. it was pretty darn chilly (0°C) and it went up to 2, I bailed and planed to ride on rollers in my sunroom, I had wanted to do the Sufferfest's Blender using Trainer Road but alas I wimped out.

Then today with daylight savings I got up very very early to fly to California... and when I got here it was +18°C  and very sunny, so what do you do with a Sunday afternoon? Go riding. No great photos I was just out to enjoy myself clear my head and put in some klicks.

a Hooker ride

Well today to have a recovery ride I did a Jeff Hooker ride... you just go out and buzz around town... the only "flat' around here. I went through the campus and saw some of the sights and the bell tower... which I can see from the highway coming home from IKEA. I then went around a bit of town and then ran across a CHEAP Mexican food place and my plans were thwarted, I had a enchilada  and taco with rice and beans and nearly free beer... then sat and listened to a cycling podcast in the beauty of the evening outside.

I know that one of the Frat houses is the Thorsen House, built in 1909 it is one if not the last of the Greene and Greene homes built. I have seen in on my rides returning home and I do want to get a photo, if not get inside... I am a finish carpenter and I did do custom furniture for years... I do know my craftsmanship and this is a Greene and Greene home!

Still have not found what I am looking for...

I had plotted out my ride, loaded it up, and was out to do the three bears. Well, it seems the file did not save my new course so I ended up climbing, which is not bad but did not get my course I wanted. It seems most people around here do it clock wise, so Friday is the next attempt.

BTW I have to send a big "shout out" for Mike's Bikes... Wednesday night is an open shop night where you can go and work on your bike... very cool when traveling to tune up the bike.



I stopped at Inspiration Point and took a photo of Mt. Diablo my goal before I leave, the first half is about like Claremont, which I've gotten good at over the last week, then the second half is a little more gradual, but still its after climbing, we shall see.

The Valley to which I descend to NOT find Bear Creak Road.

And off to the Right is Mt. Diablo of which I am going to conquer

"spring training" in San Francisco

First off I know it's been a while, I missed writing about last fall's "wine tour" which was a BLAST, and a few other rides that were worth blogging.

I am in San Francisco doing the commercial lighting in IKEA stores here, and it's "cool" 60°F or 16°C, which when climbing I could just wear a jersey, on the decent... I needed my long sleeve fleece lined jersey, and then a wind vest when I got on the back side of the "hill" this is just beautiful country, the views are amazing and the photo does no justice to the view, it was into the sunset, on a hazy evening with a cell phone so there.

http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/230053712/

The climb is less then a half kilometer from where I'm staying so there was no warm-up other than the climb... jump in with both feet! After the climb and getting off course a few times, the amount of self discipline to stay on course once on Skyline is tough, I could spend hours up there it's just fantastic, but alas being on major road descending in the dark is not very wise and I now have a few grey hairs so that means I have wisdom. I did use that wisdom and stayed the course. I arrived "home" safe and sound (I'm glad I have my mega bright LED rear light). I then grabbed my sling, wallet and my lock and headed out to explore Berkeley (and buy a chicken to roast), I zipped around town, talked to a young couple, popped into a few stores, and then went to the "other" Berkeley Bowl and got my chicken. I just would like to point out it's nice to walk through a store in a cycling kit, with helmet on your head and no one looks at you like your odd... it's somewhat normal here... just sayin'

I am pretty darn sure that this area and the stay will bequeath a few more blog entries so stay tuned.