justin came up to the city for a nice, easy stroll around paradise loop.  we left the bridge at 7am and the roads couldn’t have been any more clear.  there was no one out in their cars, running/jogging, riding their bikes.  no one anywhere.  well, besides that one token random drafter guy on the bridge who refused to pass both of us.  justin ended up telling him to just pass us but the random drafter guy responded with, “oh no, it’s okay.”  no really, guy, pass us.  he eventually did ride ahead of us in his capris, red windbreaker, and single nylon band toe straps.  neither of us understood why he was catching a free ride anyway, we were both going fairly slow.

everything else following that hilarious incident was fairly normal.  my knee was feeling superb after the restful week, and the weather was stellar.  as we came back around, bigger group rides started heading out, and there were a lot more cyclists out on the road.  enjoying the better-than-summer weather spell we’re having, I suppose.  summertime in san francisco is foggy everyday from june to august – this weather is far better.  and we’ve been really lucky with the rain holding off.

it also appears that my powertap magically started working again about 15 minutes into the ride.  but then shut off completely, again, near the end of the ride.  powertap, you’re hilarious.

freewheel hayes has 6 low track bikes in stock.  each are flawless in person.  and still handmade in san francisco.

originally from freewheel hayes.

quietest friday morning in a long time.  no school buses, barely any traffic, nearly perfectly timed street lights, and few clouds made for an awesome morning ride.  there’s a bit of construction going on near the pedestrian side entrance on the golden gate bridge, which isn’t really a problem.  except for when early morning commuters cut the turn.  I was riding up the short pathway, approaching the right turn when a mountain biker came flying through the apex.  he jammed his brakes and swerved, as did I.  we stopped about an inch from each other, with him being directly in the opposite lane from where he should have been.  close call…too close for a friday morning.  but I’m extremely glad it wasn’t a deadly head-on (apply directly to the forehead!).

so with the token near-accident of the day narrowly avoided, I proceeded on with the rest of the ride, thankful for a bit of morning sunlight.  didn’t see anyone I knew this morning, but I hope everyone that had a chance to ride enjoyed the awesome winter weather.  we’ve been really fortunate this season.

suddenly, you should feel the need to ride more.

originally on wob, good stuff, jb!

any time raw is an option, it’s always the right option.  jealousy ensues…

originally on low, support your local.

I forgot to stop to take a photo of the less than ideal weather.  yesterday’s warm morning had me expecting more of the same today, but when I stepped outside, the ground was draped in water and a fine drizzle was in the air.  I went back into the house to grab my rain shell, and to ditch my gloves.  there’s nothing worse than the feeling of wet paper towels on your hands when you’re trying to ride.  the wet toes, feet, and ankles were inevitable.  time to settle in to a cautious morning ride.

one of the plus sides to riding in the wet is the empty roads.  less runners, a lot less cyclists, and surprisingly, less traffic early on.  as I rode up to the bridge, there were two mission cycling guys waiting at the fork.  not the best morning to be sitting out, waiting for other people to show up for a ride, that’s for sure.  the knee was feeling significantly better, and as I kept riding, the soreness was still there, but definitely not as bad as last week, or even a couple days ago.  thank you, bike gods (and the magical powers that fall into the category of copious amounts of stretching).

I saw vidal riding out in marin as well, which was awesome – initially I passed him, and as I did, he called out to me.  he pulled up beside me and I finally realized it was him.  power intervals, out to the top of camino alto and back.  hope you had a safe ride!

on my way back, I had the best 29er random drafter guy.  one of the best to date.  I passed him on the bridge coming back into the city, and from there to to the edge of the marina, he was stuck on my rear wheel.  rear rain fender and all.

oh, wednesdays…

the knee pain subsided a bit overnight after a couple long stretching sessions so I opted for half paradise.  I rode down the embarcadero with a fresh new gatorskin on the front and the gp4000s on the back – both at 105psi.  I don’t expect any more sidewall blowouts, but I had my fingers crossed the entire ride.  it was significantly warmer out, to my surprise.  it seems as if we’re coming out of our cold spell, and possibly into more springtime weather.  maybe it’ll bring more rain, too…hopefully not though.

with the sun rising earlier every day, it’s becoming much easier to maneuver out into marin.  people are dimming down their high intensities and riding a bit smarter now they can see more with the natural light.  half paradise hasn’t changed at all, as you’d expect.  the knee was holding up, surprisingly.  a bit sore, but not too bad.  unfortunately, I still had to pass a school bus, which made for an awkward couple minutes.  I would ride ahead as it would slow down to pick up a bunch of kids – then the bus would pass, but stop to pick up more kids, and then eventually pull off towards the waterfront.  at least the driver was courteous, I had a couple drivers cut inches away from my elbow.  just one of those mornings, I presume.

I’m glad the knee is feeling better, and that I had no flats.  simple pleasures of riding pre-dawn.  oh, I spotted maurice (+a guy in a britesport kit) and percy while out today – hope you guys had good rides.  it feels good to be out there again.

flawless.  look at the bottom bracket gusset – enough said.

originally on low, support your local.

second shot is definitely in san francisco – cykel sf!

tipped from flwrider, read more on wired.

after 9 days of not riding (and 6 days of not running), my knee managed to feel a tad better.  but only after numerous stretching sessions.  a lot of stretching, to say the least – thanks for the suggestions, justin.  so I headed out to do half paradise, or however long it took me to sense if the knee was doing better.  as I made it across the bridge, the tingly pain started creeping in – it would probably be a ride out to the edge of the bike path in sausalito, and back.  unfortunately, I didn’t make it too far.  my rear tire hissed and flatted right at the end of the bridge.  I inspected the tire and found a huge gash, probably the width of a thumbnail at least.

I swapped out the tube, and called it any early ride ender.  it wasn’t worth taking the risk heading out farther away from home without at least a spare tube, and with my knee already starting to feel wonky, I figured it’d be the smart thing to do.  quality riding over quantity of riding.  I can’t afford to lose a knee, I don’t think anyone can.

san francisco sunrises are always a treat.

and as I rode back across the bridge, I saw the cause of the flat.  a broken (clear) glass bottle was spread across the entire walkway at one point, it’s a wonder I didn’t get another flat riding back across it.  I hope no one else flatted there, it was pretty treacherous.  glass shards everywhere…

we’ll see how the knee feels tomorrow, I may opt for a shorter ride depending on how the knee feels.  I’m glad to have ridden a bit today, though.  half paradise tomorrow, with no flats, please.