My last week in California

With much colder temperatures back home I did try to find an IKEA co-worker to adopt me, but there were no takers... Oh well I have to leave 18°C and overcast for 7°C and rain (and I hope NO SNOW). It is what it is.

The last two weeks have been very busy at work trying to get two stores finished, last week was a disappointment I could not ride as much as I wanted because it was very nice out, but this week has been quite cool and overcast or raining (and pretty hard for the Bay Area).

First off in training you build and take an active rest week then start building again, so after doing a mountain a weekend for two weekends my body wanted a rest, and add to that long days at work a tired body just can not turn the pedals. The first ride after Hamilton Mountain was out of the loft to the bike trail. I got started rather late in the evening and I knew I would probably not get as far as I wanted and kept a watch on  the time, even with flashing lights in a bike friendly city after dark on major roads is a bit dangerous. The trail itself in not too exciting but safe and nice to have such an asset so close to "home". The ride around the Lexington Reservoir was beautiful.



Friday I was able to finish work early, so I took a nap when I got back to the loft, made some coffee (this becomes a theme). And went out on the trail for the hills. There is one nasty little dirt hill on the trail just before you get to the damn that goes UP, last time I hit sand and had to walk, this time I used all my cyclo-cross skills, picked my line and got up on the bike. Then onto the highway to get to "the climb" The only thing I did not know about the road I was going to take is that it's 9-10% average with a fair bit of 13% and there was one hairpin at 15%, this is difficult climbing and I almost gave up... Remember when you're on a new road especially a climb you have no markers of when that 15% is going to hit you, or how much further you have to go. But once I got up to Summit Road, I was VERY glad that I finished. The only problem with a phone camera on a sunny day you can't tell when all your photos are blurry, so no visual memory's of that ride.



Saturday was pack, laundry (the loft had a VERY nice washer dryer) and move day. Once I got back up to Emeryville, people were driving crazy on the highway. A Saturday drive took me almost two hours to do a hour drive, I missed out on two accidents by being alert, whew. I then got checked into my hotel, got some groceries at the Berkeley Bowl, I will miss the grocery store with all of it's produce, it was late. The weather was not very nice but the roads around Eastbay are great for riding. So I called this one "A run from the Rain" it did catch me at the last of my decent off the hill so I had to slow down.



I decided that I would splurge and go out. I found this place calle B Side BBQ and enjoyed an evening of good BBQ good beer (Thelonious Triple Belgian Beer), the night before Flanders.

I originally had plans for Easter that involved me being on the other end of the Bay on Sunday a.m., but I had no intentions of driving over an hour both ways for a church service. And I also planned on waking up early to watch Flanders, my body had different plans I slept like a rock and do not remember turning off my alarm.  I decided to go for "brunch" and found this little hole in the wall café Doyle Street Cafe and had Huevos Azteca's, and good coffee.

The rest of the day was reading what I could about Flanders, a quiet time and doing two AutoCAD drawing for the next phase of work.

This week began long hours and DIRTY work, Monday was come home shower eat and bed... Tuesday I could have done the same but the evening was quite nice and I just wanted to be outside so I went out on the Bayview trail, for a coffee ride (nice little coffee shop at University) and up the bike shop to add air to my tires. I've got to find a floor pump that is lightweight and will fit in my luggage.

Tuesday I was hoping to ride but there were clouds over the hills (which are still there today as I write). It was just as well as I was just tired, but I found that the Bayview trail goes all the way to the San Rafael Bridge which has a bike lane and then you're in Marion County!

Then the rain did come and just as well as I was in the need of rest, but come Friday I wanted to do the hills one last time, so after work (a full day), I came back took a nap and had some coffee and off to the hills. It only takes a tired rider 20 minutes to get to Claremont climb, so as I said it's a nice place to be. It was quite an overcast day and a bit cool but I packed my kit for the Bay Area two months ago and I've learned that I have to take stuff off to climb and put stuff on the flats and add more on the descents, and for the last two months I've been out of reach of the team car to take my gear or hand me my gear so I look like the Hunch Back on the climbs.

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After this ride I packed my bike... the Ritchey Break-Away fits into a suitcase, Ritchey's video says it takes 20 minutes to pack, a Cyclingnews.com reivew says after a while it takes 20 minutes to pack... I'm at the one hour and 45 minute mark... though I think next time I may be able to cut some time off? maybe.

Now it's time for my flight home to Toronto. Which before I even woke up this morning it was delayed an hour. I've not had one single flight this year that has not been delayed... Oh well the joys of travel.

This week in Tuttle

First off, I'm posting the Strava maps because I do have several readers who enjoy looking at them... and some who do not, so if you don't just pass over them. This blog is also my personal cycling journal. And one day I do hope to connect up with George Mannus (Who is with me in the photo from 1983) and ride with him again. This is my journal of life and cycling. OK so that's out of the way.

This week was Monday OFF, I could have and wanted to ride, but it was a busy weekend last weekend. Then Tuesday and Wednesday was rain and I just commuted, and worked. Then came cool and sunny Thursday. PR on Claremont! Yea, it's a pretty hard little climb but I've learned how it needs to be climbed. It was still quite cool out because of the rain and on the decent on Pinehurst was a bit damp and there was one corner that I was just a wee bit "hot" going into it... but I amaze myself on my bike handling (humbly I say this) and just made the corner... but was expecting the worse. And in the shade on the "dark side" of that Berkeley ridge BURR... its just cold.



Friday was a Friday and I was tired but when the weather is just SO nice that all you want to do is be outside... Plus, Sunday was planed for Hamilton Mountain, and Saturday was laundry, packing and moving to San Jose, so this was just a quick and easy ride... and I posted the photo on Facebook because the weather back in Brantford is not quite as nice (I hope spring shows up in two weeks... Stupid ground hog what does he know?)

And Like I said Saturday was a busy day of packing and laundry...

Sunday... was a bit more laid back in the a.m. and I had a good breakfast, and then began working on some AutoCAD drawings. Chatted with a friend, caught up with all that happened back in Brantford via Facebook and watched Gent-Wevelgem, chatting with my Scottish friends on Twitter during the race (btw, only time I tweet is during pro-races).

Finally... after cleaning the bike (with baby wipes), and checking all my bolts, and everything that the bike's fit and ready to go, I'm out to take on Hamilton Mountain, where the Lick Observatory is located. I think this  climb is "easier" than Mt Diablo... but it only took me twenty minutes to get to the climb where as at Mt Diablo it was 2:15 before I was on Mt. Diablo road... what makes this climb difficult is the two dips where you go down, which one might think is a rest but what it does is it throws your rhythm and once I started climbing again it took a good 10 minutes before I could get it back again... so that was a new experience for me. One thing that I have noticed with climbing... when I was in Denver, we just climbed and when you were at the top you were at the top, you just did not know when you were there... Here both at Diablo (you could see the station at the top) and Hamilton (you could see the observatory) it makes it harder because you can see your goal, and it just does not get closer very fast. This week I had planned my climb and I had an ETA so I kept telling myself it's 30 minutes away, its 20 minutes away... and that really helped. 

Once I got there I had to see the observatory, I made the tour for the historic Lick observatory, from 1800's and the wood work in the place is cool, and the mechanics of the system is very cool.  And the obligatory photo of me at the top... (it is my blog)

The decent required arm warmers the whole way down, and my MEC wind vest half way down which I took off very "pro like" passing another cyclist... yea I'm cool... but only when on a bike... Util I got to the last part... stupid cars go so darn slow... I was behind two BMW Motorcycles who were be hind a mini van and car that were just SLOW! Really pull over and let us by! Then on the ride home I hit every city traffic light red... AGRH!

I got home worked a bit more on my drawing while supper was cooking... a nice cracked peppercorn roasted chicken with green beans in a balsamic vinaigrette, al fresco, you have to have a good recovery meal...

All ready for a long day of work tomorrow... Mondays!

A lazy Sunday

I woke up and watched Milan - San Remo, and I was very glad I was not there! It was a good race to watch from the sofa.

I then headed over to San Rafael to do the Point Reyse ride for a recovery from yesterday. This area is pretty, I made a loop where the first round was open, at 68°F which is a bit too cool for me to have bare arms but I thought I'd go for a tan line today (kind of wish I took the long sleeve jersey), and then on the way back Major California forest, these trees are MAJESTIC! (could not get a good photo, camera phone just did not want to deal with the canopy and light shining through.

I was surprised and happy how well my legs worked after yesterday. I'm getting in shape and this should be a good year for riding.



The weather is so amazing that it's hard to take a nap or rest... one just wants to be outdoors!

Tonight I'm going to go treat myself to a pizza and a beer, I do believe I earned it and the place I'm going is pretty "economical"

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 Busy Busy weekend.

I started my weekend by going on a bike ride Friday afternoon still looking for the Three Bears, to no avail. That was O.K. because I did not have as much time as I thought and I had also plotted new accesses passes over this "hill" behind me. Then went out for Indian curry, yummy. Early to bed.



Saturday a.m. time to Conquer the Three Bears, which were kind of anti-climactic, it was the climb after the three bears that was cool, winding and on back roads that I'll remember.




After this it's home for a shower and left-over lunch, then walk down to the BART station and head in San Francisco for the afternoon/evening. It seems every-time I get out of an underground it takes me a few minutes to figure where I am... no orientation underground and "tube" maps are not to scale. Just the same, at the base of Powell street is where the Trolley's are that go up to Bay street... HUGE line up, so I walked up to the next stop and caught this!

As you can see it's pretty open air and they are TINY! but pretty darn cool. I then got up to Bay street where I walked around Pier's 45 to the famous Pier 39... TONES of tourist and not really my cup of tea, but I saw Alcatraz, Sea lions and Buskers. 

Then back through town, stopping to relieve myself and off to China Town where I had a very inexpensive dinner and back on to the BART home again!

 And I did ALL that JUST so I could get my daughter this sweat shirt to add to her collection.

Sunday Morning I rode with Skye from the Emeryville store

I love it when you can climb and descend this easy from one's front door, We had a good ride, it got Skye out of his house and it allowed me an easier Sunday ride. After we finished the ride I went out for Brunch at Rick and Ann's which is a half km walk from my front door, and sat a a communal table and enjoyed a good talk with my table guests. Then back home to the car, first time needed this weekend! Off to explore Highway 1, which I know people who have ridden it, and I did see cyclist but, TOO many cars and fast motor cycles on it for my taste, and to note any serious cyclist when asked if it can be ridden say "it could but.." Point taken, there are enough other fine roads around here without cars that make this not worth riding.

Back to my Sunday Drive, I drove along the road, and it's a 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock drive for sure, keep both hands on the wheel. I drove out and past Stinson Beach, where the road turns inland a bit, and became much less scenic, and a lot less traffic... Stinson Beach is packed, so I decided to go in and see what it was all about, I walked on the beach and stopped at a restaurant and had some nachos and people watched a while before getting back in the car and heading back home. It was a very pretty drive and great to get to enjoy God's creation.