RED DRESS DAY!!!

On Day Five, Red Dresses are de riguere.

Last year mine got caught in my chain -- near disaster! This year-- a
very short skirt!! The hell with propriety.

Love
Richard

BIKE PARKING IN SANTA CRUZ

2150 riders this year. Alot of bicycles.

DAY THREE !

Today was 68 miles. It included "quad buster" - a hill with a name can
be trouble!

But although I'm slow, I rode the whole way. But I was definitely beat
from the 107 miles on day two!

I've got pictures but between phone battery and slow connections mo
transmission has worked. It may have to wait for a post ride recap.

Tomorrow - 93 miles from Paso Robles to Santa Maria.

Time for bed!!!

READY TO GO ...

Excited and ready to start. Its just after 10 PM and I need to try and catch some sleep. We are getting up at 4:45 in order to be at the Cow Palace by 5:30 am.

Registration went much more smoothly this year. Its a series of stations, each of which can have long lines. First there is a Safety Video which you must watch to ride, shown every half hour. (The first year I did this I was the last person in, the last showing of the video (at 4 PM) - somehow, with last minute packing, purchases, chores, and traffic, we didn't leave Healdsburg until after 1 PM. If I hadn't watched the video, I wouldn't have been able to ride!)  

This year there were virtually no lines. After watching the 1 PM showing of the safety video, my "e-ticket" let me go straight to registration. It documented that I had completed the medical questionnaire (one line skipped), had raised the minimum to ride (skipped the Pledge line), and had a tent-mate (an online simplification instituted this year). And so, after registration I only had to put my rider number on my bike and was free to leave!. 

The safety video emphasizes that bicycles are vehicles and must obey all traffic laws, the interdependence of all the riders, the importance of behaving responsibly in the communities we travel through, and that riders must "Drink before they are thirsty and eat before they are hungry." Dehydration is the single most common problem experienced by riders.

At registration I got my ID tags  - one for me to wear around my neck, one for my tent, and one for my gear bag. If you visit one of the camps, I am in D 007. Come find me! (Santa Cruz, King City, Paso Robles, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Ventura)

I think tomorrow morning will be a Mark Twain winter - summer in San Francisco. A slow, foggy, chilly departure out Geneva Avenue, wending our way to Lake Merced and Skyline.  

Brrrrr..... 6:30 AM departure.

And now it is time to give it up and hit the sack. 

Packing ... The Last Minutes

Just got a sticky bun from the bakery to fuel the moment.

Ready. Set. Go.

Sent from my iPhone

SOME SHORT NOTES

In just six more days I'll depart for Los Angeles. I am going to ride a used bike I bought last fall. The last two years I rode a steel frame made by Trek called a Lemond Buenos Aires. In November I purchased a carbon fiber Trek frame from a local rental shop that was a couple of years old. It is very light and nimble and I wanted it because I had visions of riding a 'double century' this spring. I can't say I came very close to that undertaking. With my slow start training, and competing engagements, I had nowhere near enough preparation to seriously consider doing a double before the AIDS ride. Perhaps, if I don't suffer too much on the way to LA, I'll consider one of the many doubles later in the year. Of course the two easiest (same mileage, but less climbing) are Solvang and Davis, and they are gone until next spring.

Here is a picture from my last long ride, up Rockpile, a ridge that runs parallel to Lake Sonoma for about 12 miles. It is a spectacular ride, mostly up, but with views of raw California oak woodland as well as vineyards, as you can see here. That ride, Healdsburg to the end of Rockpile, and then back through Geyserville was about 70 miles. The amazing think about that road is how few cars there are and how clean it is! I think the Army Corps of Engineers actually sweeps the first 5 or 6 miles, since they maintain the campgrounds and trail access up there.

I met some friends in Geyserville who were heading back the way I'd come, to Dry Creek, so I turned around and went with them. It made the ride a little longer for me, which was good, and I enjoyed the company. The total ascent on the ride was over 5500 feet, which means it would have been a great training ride for a double ... if I had only done one or two of those every week for a couple of months before a double!

At the end of Rockpile there is a gated "toll" road called Kelley Road. It goes out toward the coast almost to Annapolis. I had the good fortune to drive it once after buying some redwood from a small mill out that way. I think the road was built by the Army Corps of Engineers, but sold off as surplus just shortly after we moved to Sonoma County. Here is the sign at the entrance to Kelley Road. There is no toll taker, but a locked gate at both ends insures that only the folks that live on the road and pay the owner the "toll" can use it.

Also at the end of Rockpile is a ranch sign, saying "Cooley Ranch - 13 miles." It is quite satisfying to think that there are still ranches, within a stones throw of Healdsburg, thatare that far in off a county road, and maybe, still being worked.

This week there are only some short rides, to keep my legs warm, but not a time for serious distance or endurance. After Wednesday, no more riding until Sunday. And that's a long one, San Francisco to Santa Cruz, with a cold start. If San Francisco weather is true to form it is bone chilling getting out of the City. It takes a long time for 2500 riders to exit the Cow Palace, and then it is stop and go until we reach Ocean Beach and the start of the hill up toward Daly City.

I don't know if I will be able to post here from the ride. But there are daily updates from the ride, both video and stills. After Friday the 29th, there will be daily updates about the ride here. There is also a twitter feed, but I don't think I am ready to enter that world... just another technologic distraction.

I hope to post once more, before going to San Francisco on Saturday morning.

Thanks again for your interest and your support.

IF ONLY APRIL WERE A LITTLE LONGER

This is the ride I did on April 18th.

Thirty days has September, APRIL, June and November ... I could have used a few more days to get on my bike last month. The other things I was doing got in the way of the consistent and steady training habits of the last two years. One of them, the Healdsburg Visioning Project, has its first milestone tomorrow night, and those efforts should become less intense in the near term.

A couple of weeks ago I did a wonderful ride (see above), that, at the end of the day, was just at the edge of my capacity. I ended up taking a nap late in the day, like on the Geysers a few weeks earlier, but I wasn't cramping ... I was just tired. Because driving to the start of a ride is anathema to me, I chose to ride to the start of a training ride that friends were leading. They started in Sebastopol, at Ragle Park. So I rode there from Healdsburg (17 miles) at 7:30 in the morning for a 9:00 AM start. We rode out to Occidental and then down Bohemian Highway to Duncans Mills. I had a great croissant with some coffee.

From there we headed out Highway 116 to Highway 1 and took a left. Our eventual destination was Tomales. The Sonoma Coast State Park is this incredible string of beaches and bluffs from the Russian River down to Bodega. I never appreciated it as much as I did riding by on a bike. It was a beautiful day and there were many people on the coast - most coming north, not in the south bound lanes. Which was a good thing. There are a few places where the bluff is eroding and the shoulder almost isn't.

There is a detour around the town of Bodega Bay, called Bay Hill, which some strong young guy from the City said was really beautiful. But it is a hill. I was riding with Roxanne, another Healdsburger, doing the AIDS ride for the first time. We happened to be riding close to one another, behind many others and decided to take it ... for the promise of spectacular views of the coast. On this Saturday there was a wonderful fog bank over the Bodega Headlands, but the surf line was clear. We were definitely rewarded by the views but we paid the price of a long hard climb! (It turned out we were the onbly two who opted for the detour. The 'strong and fast' riders in the lead just stayed on Highway 1 and braved the traffic in Bodega.)

We made a right turn at Highway 1 (oops!) but lucked out before we'd ridden too far and saw a couple of others from our group going the other direction. We would have been very disappointed to ride into Bodega after working so hard to avoid the weekend traffic! Rode down Highway 1 through large ranches and grassland to Tomales. PB&J for me... and some chocolate ice cream. Coming back inland from Tomales turned into a bit of a struggle as we had stiff head winds. And finally, to totally demoralize the few of us who were riding together, the route map mislabeled a turn and we rode an extra 6 miles to reach Roblar Road and the meander back to Sebastopol and Ragle Park.

About 5 miles from Ragle I decided I really needed a rest and so I said goodbye to the riders I was with and lay down on the first mowed driveway we passed, ate some more PB&J wedges (I make them in Pita bread and quarter it), drank, took some electrolyte tabs, and closed my eyes. The sun was warm and I think I slept for about 25 minutes. I got back on the bike and stopped to visit friends on Watertrough - another 15 minutes respite, and then I rode into Ragle Park and seeing no one from the training ride, continued on to Healdsburg. I stopped again at friends on Eastside Road but no one was home. So I sat on the porch, soaked in the setting sun and took another break. And then home. Total of about 105 miles, with the ride to and from the start.

Regular routine: iced my knees, took an aspirin, ate some protein. Then to the gym for a shower and sauna. And back home. I had hoped to hear my friend Michael play at the Palette Cafe, but after a dinner I fell into bed and sound asleep! I was beat.

Two days later, on Monday, I met two friends and we rode up to Cloverdale and back to Healdsburg over the Geysers. This turned out be a challenge also, but I made it without mishap or too much suffering. About 65 miles. And since then only sporadic rides, short and intense. And workouts at the gym. Going to the gym just doesn't do it for me and the truth is, its hours on the bike that make the AIDS ride a comfortable and satisfying experience. You don't need power or speed, just endurance!

I have raised almost $5000 for the AIDS Foundation. I plan to make one more pitch. Its never too late to ask, and no amount is too small. I am always surprised by the generosity of the communities I know. So thank you, in advance and after the fact. You are wonderful!

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN

A surprise on Bohemian Highway.




Looking East from Barnett Valley Road

My sincere thanks to the thirty one donors who have helped me meet the minimum fund raising level of $3000 in just under a month! Over the last two years they have contributed over $18,000 to help end AIDS. With people feeling pinched - there is a lot of belt tightening going on - I am extremely grateful for every donation, no matter the size.

It has been slow to get back in the pattern of training necessary for riding 80 miles, day after day for 7 days. Two weeks ago I did a long solo ride over the Geysers ... somewhat unprepared (not enough food, limited water, late start, etc). It is a tough climb and fairly isolated. After riding to Cloverdale (25 miles) I talked myself into testing the north side of the Geysers Road. It offers an alternate route back to Healdsburg, but adds 3400 feet of climbing. But, as with most questionable decisions, one thing led to another... and after about ten miles in, still feeling pretty good, I thought, I might as well continue on (and up). And so I did.

But it was a poor decision. I came upon the steepest part of the climb and my legs started cramping. I have to get off the bike, walk a ways (if I can), and then hydrate, eat, and take a break. On the Geysers, I definitely had to walk about a half-mile of the steepest portion. About half way up that, I lay down in the grass and took a nap. Forty-five minutes later I got up, walked the second quarter mile, and began the ride home. I did OK, and was, looking back, sorry I had tempted myself with the start of the Geysers. I should have returned on the flats. Here is the route.

These are from a ride from San Francisco to Fairfax.

It was freezing on the bridge!

But warm enough to draw flocks to the beach...........................................

One of the real pleasures of cycling distances is "getting somewhere." I generally hate to drive to the start of a ride. It feels so wrong. So when training rides get longer, it is possible to get somewhere that feels really different. A place that seems too far to think of driving on the spur of the moment. Like the beach! Loading the car, planning a lunch, getting the dogs ready, putting some clothes together for the inevitable shift in the weather ... you know, it makes the ocean seem really far away - even though it isn't!

A long ride can actually get you quite a ways from home. No time to sun on the sand or drop in to a gallery for a show, but an incredible feast for the eyes, ears, and nose, riding through the countryside. Last Saturday I rode to Sebastopol to join a training ride that was going to Marshall! Yup, that place on Tomales Bay that has a couple of oyster bars, and a sense of being lost in time. It hasn't changed much in the 30 years I've been in California. A sleepy, salty, weathered cluster of pilings holding up some structures that never seem to quite emerge from a dream state. With the ride to the start it turned into an 80 mile ride for me. The wind was fierce and I was quite glad to accept a lift from Sebastopol to Healdsburg at the end. It also helped me keep my promise to Linda to be home with time for dinner and unhurried drift over to a concert at the Raven (Beausoleil with David Lindley - very nice to have such fine music within walking distance!)

Well, its less than 50 days until the RIDE. Gotta keep pedaling...

A THIRD TIME -- HOW COULD I NOT?

This image is looking SE from about 3 miles up Geysers Road, from Red Winery. It is easy to see why it is so pleasing to bicycle in Sonoma County. I was eating the dust of six local cyclists who were going all the way to Cloverdale. It's a serious climb and I wasn't ready for it! Turned around here and took a picture. Turned out to be a 40 mile ride for me.

So here it is, mid-March, and I'm beginning a serious training push. I am feeling good, although I've gained some weight this winter, and haven't ridden quite as much as last year at this time. I am definitely looking forward to that state of readiness that regular training produces. By the end of the month I need to be riding 125 miles a week. 12 hours total, bike + gym.

Last year's ride was both easier and harder than the first time. I knew what I was facing and was confident. I expected to ride the whole distance and understood the patterns of camp life, food, and pedaling. And so I was not at all anxious.

But it felt harder when I got going. In 2007 I must have had a lot more adrenaline, not knowing from hour to hour, or day to day, what was next. That had always been fun, in the neighborhood, finding new places to ride. But riding for the first time for 7 days in a row, I that uncertainty and the edge of anxiety that caused was a great stimulant! A little extra momentum. But last year, I was relaxed, even blase about the effort. And so, every time I climbed back on the bike, I would wonder "how can I possible ride another 4 hours?" And the thought was echoed in my heavy legs and aching arms and labored breathing. What was I in for?

But after about a half hour, when I dropped the thought, it was just like riding around home - a familiar effort, feeling confidence in my body, more attentive to the rider next to me, the view, or ... even the next feed stop! It became pleasurable again. So this year, I'm going to cultivate a healthy edge of anxiety, just to make it more exciting and easier ...