With the weather getting warmer again, there are noticeably more people out and about.  They’re tearing up more portions of the Marina, again, making way for more walkways and sidewalk entrances.  As I was heading towards the bridge, there were about 5 guys standing near the start of the Golden Gate bridge in white jumpsuits, again.  More than the 2 I saw earlier this week, but still odd.  They had some signs and a box of flyers, but I guess they weren’t too keen on passing more stuff out, because as I rode by, they seemed surprised and unprepared.  On the plus side, I didn’t see them on the way back, so I’m assuming either some bridge police told them to get lost, or they didn’t see many people out.

Either way, as I made my way around Tiburon, I heard the labored breath of a cyclist behind me.  A couple seconds later, he came up right beside me and said, “Hey, I’m on your wheel.”  I looked at him and said, “Cool story, bro.  Good morning to you as well.”  Guy was in a Divine Electric kit, up positioned stem, and some other trinkets.  He dropped back for a second, and caught back up, somewhere in the next few miles.  I slowed through a turn and he made his move around me.  Hey, I’m not on your wheel.

The rest of the ride was fairly lackluster since I didn’t see anyone I knew, or have any amazing Friday moments.  Enjoy your day!

Barely any wind meant that the whole ride seemed to go by in a flash.  For the first time in months, I actually beat the school buses around Tiburon as they were making their initial stops on Paradise drive.  Oh, and of course, my story telling ability is all backwards…prior to this, I was descending Camino Alto and saw a deer in the middle of two lanes, just standing there.  There was enough space to pass behind in, and it was actually facing in the direction of cars coming up the road.  Hopefully no cars or cyclists had any trouble avoiding the deer…I’m glad it was clear from the other lane.

So after that, my derailleurs started feeling a bit…loose.  The front derailleur began throwing chains under the chain-catcher which confused the hell out of me.  I stopped at one of the lights to fiddle with it, and getting it back on by hand wasn’t the easiest thing in the world.  It dropped a couple more times after that, but I was able to coax the chain back onto the ring with the front derailleur, oddly enough.  I guess I’m a bit overdue for some mechanicals, but I didn’t think it’d be so soon.  Time to set up an appointment at the shop.

Oh, and shout out to Travis, who I saw rolling through Sausalito as I was coming back towards the city.  And to Percy, who now appears to be riding for Webcor?  Congrats!  Hopefully, I’ll see you out racing soon!

With the majority of the learning curve over, I’m able to safety say I can walk straight now.  Running stairs with my co-worker has proved to be a challenging task, and with her planned schedule of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday stair sessions starting this week, it’ll start benefiting my riding.  There’s definitely a lot more coordination that goes into stairs than just running flatland, but it’s fun to mix it up.  Anyway, I figured a morning ride was in order.

Nothing notable happened until the ride back towards the city, starting from the bike path in Mill Valley.  A Gary Fisher 29er commuter was chilling at the light across from me, and I was in the left turn pocket, waiting for the light to change.  As the path started, he jumped behind me and stayed put in my “draft”, though I don’t quite know how much energy it was saving him, considering he was 6ft tall riding the bike with a stack of spacers, an upright stem, risers, and a backpack.  Either way, I pressed on, just riding towards the city.  My most successful token random drafter guy to date, though.  He followed me to the edge of the climb leading out of Sausalito, and said, “Thanks for the tow, I appreciate it,” which I thought was pretty nice.  Most guys would ride right past you at that point.  And just as I thought he was going to drop back, I think he came to the realization that I was spinning towards the bridge, he latched back on.  He dropped back once, more, and as I took the photo above, he was no where to be found.  But as luck would have it, I slowed because the construction workers on the bridge were trying to figure out how to back up 2 mini-trucks at the same time, and he caught back up.  So he stayed on my rear wheel through Crissy, the entire duration of the Marina Greens, and even up to the start of Van Ness as I rode towards Columbus.  He turned down on Bay, I think…

Nothing like some 29er action on a Tuesday morning!

We meet again, Berkeley hills.  I hadn’t checked the race registration to see who was racing today, and knowing wouldn’t have really changed anything anyway.  I was expecting the Elite 4′s to be filled.  As a contrast to last year, I showed up a tad earlier and snagged a parking spot a bit closer to the reg booth.  The race started at 7:50, so I had a bit of cushion between getting ready and lining up for the neutral roll out.

After warming up, checking if I had my spare tube, cell phone, keys, wallet, numbers pinned, and bottles filled, I rode over to the line.  Some familiar faces, but a majority of the guys I had never seen before.  Steve (Chica Sexy), Vitaly (SquadraSF), Jeremiah (Webcor), Jake, and a handful of other guys I’m forgetting, were all in the mix.  This year’s goal for the race was to ride as long with the front group.  Last season, I was dropped on the 2nd lap of the race on the backside rollers.  Maybe it’d be different this time around.  With a full field of 60 riders, things were going to be interesting.

Oddly enough, I forgot to start up the Garmin after it turned off from being idle.  So a couple of miles into the race, it kicked on, and thus, the lack of data beforehand.  We’d be racing 52 miles, 2.7 laps, with the finish line on the top of the climb called Papa Bear.  The first couple miles were smooth, no one was nervous yet.  The turn for Castro Ranch road came, and things started heating up a tad.  The change in elevation forced people out of their saddles, and the pace increased.  I was near the back for the majority of the race, not feeling particularly good or bad.  It was hard to say, since this was my first real race of the season.  But as the elevation tumbled towards the rollers on the backside of the course, Alhambra Valley road, it was clear that everyone else was feeling strong.  We hadn’t dropped anyone off the back yet – last season, there were a couple guys being dropped per lap on specific parts of the climbs.  Not this year, though.  I was hanging onto any wheel I could snag.  The pace was quickening and as Mama Bear, the 2nd to final climb, came up for the first time, the sinking feeling of last season hit me.  Everyone’s cadence grew faster.  No one was standing up, yet.  And in a race, this is the point where true riding form shines through.  The majority of the whole group was riding as if they were having the best day of the season – or at least, it sure as hell felt that way.

After cresting the finish line for the first time, I looked back to see who we had dropped.  We had dropped maybe 1 or 2 people, if that, the entire lap.  The field was still huge, and as the fast descent came, it became clear that last season’s finish for me, wouldn’t be too far off.  I snagged wheels and caught back up to the group as the road flattened.  We passed by the entrance to the parking lot – on the second lap, things were more lively.  People were pushing the pace on the initial climbs, and hurtling towards the backside rollers.  I stuck wheels, and made it a point to hang on.  The climbs became increasingly more painful, and the bouts of power were spotty…I should’ve rested more this week, but it was way too late for thinking.  We crossed the finish line for the second time, and again I looked back to see if anyone had been dropped.  Maybe 1-2 people, just like last time, but the field was still massive.  Descending at 40mph with a couple dozen riders is a bit nerve racking, and at multiple points on the descents, guys would be hesitating on their brake levers, grabbing them for a second, and releasing.  But that’s racing for you – you can only control your own bike, everything else is up in the air.

So on the final lap, things were heating up even more.  The pace was being drilled up front as the first climbs came.  I was momentarily dropped as the road flattened out, but caught some of the very last wheels I’d see as we made our way to the backside rollers.  The short descent proved to be too short of a recovery for me, and once the backside hit, I slowly slipped away.  1 lap better than last season, but still dropped, nonetheless.  I was passed by a couple other e4 riders, who were chasing to either catch back on, or just finish the race not dead last.  I was shattered, and as much as I tried to catch any wheels, I knew I wouldn’t be able to pull through for them when the time came.  Solo finish…and hopefully not dead last.  I rode the remaining backside and climbs alone, crossing the finish line ahead of another dropped e4 cyclist.

I’m not going to make any excuses up for myself, or hide from the fact that the field was stronger than me.  I was dropped last year, and I was dropped this year, 1 lap later.  I didn’t flat or crash, and for that, I’m grateful.  I missed racing, there’s nothing else like it.  Maybe next season, I’ll be able to hang on for the entire race.  Maybe.

Very brisk and foggy weather out this morning.  I was thinking about taking a rest day off the bike, but definitely should’ve done it yesterday.  I figured that resting the day before a race wouldn’t be ideal, so today’s ride was purely for recovery.  I don’t think I’ve done such a slow ride before, and while I was riding out towards Marin, it dawned on me that I should’ve brought warmer clothes.  But besides that, it was going to be an awesome ride.  I hadn’t ridden Barber Shop loop in a long time, and previous to this, I had only done it once.  But it seemed pretty straight forward, I was excited to be out on the bike again.

As I rode through Sausalito, some random BRITEsport guys passed me, along with 2 Chica Sexy riders who I didn’t know (sarcasm).  I continued on, determined to keep on spinning easy, riding smooth.  A bunch of AIDS Lifecycle riders were behind Mike’s Bikes, waiting to get their group/training ride started.  I passed a couple people riding in a Gran Fondo thing, too.  Two riders in front of me “cut” to the front of the line of Gran Fondo riders at the edge of the bike path, at the light – one hilarious guy in a florescent jacket, velcro strapped bento box on the top tube, sandwich sized saddle bag, and a helmet from the 90′s with a mesh cover over it said loudly, “Really guys?  Really?”.  He was looking around at the other Gran Fondo riders, looking for recognition that what they did was “wrong”.  Oddly enough, the bento box super Fondo rider dropped back right as Camino Alto started, so I’m not quite sure what the big deal was.

On the descent, I saw two orange vests at a standstill through the trees.  I slowed to see one rider on the ground who had crashed out, blood coming from his head, another rider holding up his head, and 2 ride leaders alerting people to slow down.  I can’t quite say what happen, so I’ll refrain from any statements about how he was handling his bike, road conditions, or any possibly fault from another rider.  I hope the guy is okay, everyone be as safe as you can out there.

With my first “real” race of the season coming on Sunday, I figured I should ride easy and spin the legs out today.  I was still feeling rather sore from the stair sessions earlier this week, but figured if I didn’t at least get out on the bike, I’d lose momentum with riding in the morning.  After all, sleeping in doesn’t take advantage of the empty morning roads.  So with that in mind, I headed out towards the bridge.  To my surprise, all the scaffolding had been removed from the east side walkway, leaving 3 more feet to the right side of the entire path, all the way through.  This is going to be stellar on the weekends, considering there are so many more tourists out and about.  It’ll be much more maneuverable and safer for everyone.

On my way back, I saw Travis and someone else behind him that I couldn’t quite make out.  Hope you guys had a good ride!  As I approached the end of the bridge, 2 guys in white jumpsuits were handing out fliers:

Golden Gate Waste, hm?  I mean seriously, people probably aren’t going to die from some paint on a bridge unless they’re living on new segments of freshly painted rails for years on end.  And the fact that the city is wasting money isn’t really anything new.  I thought the white jumpsuits were hilarious considering the guys were about 50ft away from any painted segments.  Oh, Fridays…

As I rode across the bridge, a small group of people awaited runners and riders at the end, Marin side.  Marin County Bicycle Coalition had a fuel station up, giving out food, pamphlets, and friendly smiles – apparently, it was bike to work day (for Marin).  So as I dropped down into Sausalito, it came as no surprise that behind Mike’s Bikes was another tent for commuters to stop at.  And at the end of the bike path, one more MCBC tent.  As you can probably imagine, the path was fairly busy for a weekday, but not as crowded as an 11am pass on a weekend.  It was great to see people enjoying their commute on their bikes – a couple people even had their kids riding behind them.  If they’re not used to riding to school, I’m sure they’re going to be sleeping really well tonight.

On my way back, I snagged bar from one of the MCBC volunteers:

Yummy.  Kudos to everyone that rode to work this morning, and a huge thanks to MCBC for making my morning that much better!

Firstly, big thanks to Travis for truing my wheels yesterday night.  I left work a bit earlier to take the wheels to the shop so Dustin could work on them first thing today, but Travis was nice enough to just give them a glance while I waited.  With both wheels perfectly true, I rolled out this morning and noticed the difference immediately, mostly on the rear wheel.  It could’ve been the combination of shoddy front tire pressure yesterday, but whatever it was, the bike rolled smooth.  And then I saw the same skunk in the same spot this morning while cutting through Fort Mason.  If the guy (or girl) is going to keep running across the path to collect stuff for its nest, I’m going to have to find a different route to get to the Marina.  It’s sketchy…and I don’t want to smell for days and days.

I guess it was a bit more quiet than usual, and though I found myself ahead of the school buses, one caught up to me from behind, which was a first.  One thing about school bus drivers in Marin though, they wait until the path is clear before attempting to pass, and they always leave at least 4ft+ when doing it.  After all, safety first.  The legs felt more or less like jello the entire ride, mostly because I ran some stairs with my co-worker yesterday.  Good way to opening up the lungs, that’s for sure.  And it breaks the seemingly endless cycle of work, so thus far, it seems to be a great routine.  Oh, and shout out to Percy, who was at the edge of the bridge as I was coming back in.  Hope you had a good ride!

Good stuff, Wednesday.

I guess I was long overdue for a flat.  Up until that point, everything was going really well, though.  As I made my way over to the Marina Greens, I saw a skunk pacing back and forth across the walkway.  A runner was a tad farther back behind me, and the mood was tense.  The skunk made it’s way to the left, behind a short wall – we breathed a sigh of relief.  But wait, now it’s back from behind the wall, now in the middle of the path…so to go in front of it would probably make it scared, and it’d turn around and spray.  To pass from the back would mean that it could get scared, in which case it’s tail is right next to you.  So it was pretty much a lose-lose kind of situation, but as I crept up slowly, a couple feet away from the skunk, it jumped into the bushes on the right.  We got lucky.

And then from that point on, I must’ve seen at least 3 dead racoons (not counting the one that’s been basically turned into a fur on the side of the highway on the way back from Paradise) and 2 dead snakes.  As I headed back towards the city, through Sausalito, I smacked this rock that was camouflaged in the shadows of the path.  Uh oh…something felt, not right.  The bike started tracking all weird, and I was worried that I had either sent the rims out of true, dented them, or possibly cracked the frame.  About 10 seconds after those thoughts went through my head, the front tire started going flat, which was sort of a relief – it at least meant that the bad handling of the bike could’ve been due to the lack of air pressure.  Upon closer inspection, the rock appeared to have smacked my drive-side crank and then under my rear rim, but not before running straight into the front wheel.  The rear rim was a hair out of true, which was kind of a bummer, considering I just had it retensioned last week.  Could’ve been worse, I suppose.

I caught a bunch of tailwind on the way back home, which didn’t make the ride back too bad.  Until we meet again, Tuesday.

I felt extremely lazy this morning and ditched the idea of a ride.  And then the more I thought about all the people up in Sacramento racing the Golden State Series crit and circuit this weekend, the more I like the sound of a city loop on the CAAD5.  After all, I hadn’t ridden it for a while, and with the nice weather, it’d be the perfect opportunity for some cruising.  Or at least that was the idea, initially.  So with a slew of sunscreen on, I rolled out of the house.  We’ve been having somewhat of a heatwave here, and today was one of the warmer days.  I guess that’s what I get for leaving all late.  As soon as I jumped onto the bike, my idea of cruising went right out of the window.  With the wind and hordes of tourists out, it was about to be a jammer.  My lungs could use the burn, anyhow.  First race of the season is next week, and I’ve basically done nothing but base riding.

Admittedly, it felt great to open up the valves all the way.  The sensations of puke and lung collapse now remind me how fun it was climbing through the Presidio, dropping down and then heading up to the Legion of Honor.  I was planning on tacking on Lake Merced but it’d be all wind-blown, and I would’ve run out of water by then.  Might as well just keep it strictly mountains (bro).  The park was packed as I headed up through to get to Laguna Honda.  I hit the longest light ever halfway through, but figured, ‘Ah what the hell, could happen at a race, too.’  More burning lungs and I made it to the top – cue photo above.  The descent pretty much sucked because of traffic, but I guess I wasn’t in it for the hill bombing, anyway.

Quick cut through the city back into the Presidio, which in hind sight was a horrible idea since Doyle Drive was being torn down, and all the roads that lead back towards the Marina were basically detoured.  At that point, I was just riding to get back home though, so it wasn’t too bad.

It felt amazing going a bit faster for a change.  I forgot how un-aero riding flatland with risers was, that slayed me.  At least I could tuck a bit on descents…