Pommi's World

Strava: Current week's statistics and Latest Rides

2021-07-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

2011 Recap

2011-12-31T13:21:00.000-08:00

So, another year gone by .... 2012 is just a few hours away.

Since my last post on Oct 29, I've spent all of November in China, just riding a mediocre 150 miles for the month. Then it was finally time to dive into off-season. After a few weeks off, and after the pounds kept piling up, it was time again to get serious on the bike just before Christmas. The 155 miles for this week were enough to reach 4503 miles (7205 km) for the year, and close to 2000 miles more than in 2010.

2011 riding stats:

Some racing stats:

Ranked first in my zip code ... awesome. Overall, not bad for my first year of racing as an old chap.

Racing goals for 2011:
- no Farmville races (Snelling, Bariani, and the like)
- pick flat and fast crits
- and most importantly: don't crash.

Happy New Year !

Sat, Oct 29

2011-10-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

Three months and three races since my last blog post:
- Pleasanton Fast 'n' Furious ... this was a course to my liking, flat and fast; finished 14th of 43 in the 45+4 category.
- Central Coast Circuit Race #8 ... third time there, second time in a row 27th; not sure what draws me there as the rolling hills are killing me there every time.
- Sacramento Gran Prix ... same style and glamor as the San Rafael Twilight Crit ... it was 95F and category was a combined 35+/45+ Cat 3/4. Finished only 49th of 65 (25th in my age group) after almost crashing in the last corner and losing all momentum, otherwise I was in a good position before that last corner to place a lot better.

On today's club ride, I surpassed the 4000-mile barrier:

Next month will be spent in China for the most part, and I hope to get some quality riding done there. You can always follow me on Strava.

Sun, Jul 31

2011-07-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

Today on the agenda, the Foothill College Circuit Race. I did sign up for both the E4 and the 45+ category. The E4 race started 20 minutes late at 9:35am. The course, a 1.1 mile loop with a total elevation gain of 66 feet, was smooth and fast. The hill on the back of the course was fortunately short enough to not cause any issue for me; hills usually are not my terrain. As usual, I was longing for the end of the race while we were just 1/3 into the race, but then, the remainder of a race always passes by fast. I stayed mostly mid-pack, and had not the power and opportunity to move up even in the last lap. Finished 29th out of 60 starters; sounds worse than it was, as we all completed more or less in one group. The second race was the unusual 45+/55+ mix, i.e. all open, no category restriction. My felt legs felt not too bad, and the average speed was actually 0.8mph slower than in the E4 race. Towards the end of the race I started feeling weaker though but always managed to catch up before the hill. On the last lap though, the pace increased and I got dropped at the climb on the back of the course. I limped into the finish 33rd out of 42 starters. This placing is not great but I was happy to be able to finish two 40-minute races, with average speeds of 25.3mph and 24.5 mph respectively. The lesson I have to apply is to stop trying to conserve energy on the last lap, but go all out for a better placing.

As far as riding statistics are concerned: 633 miles and 30k ft of climbing for the month. Year-to-date-stats:

Tue, Jul 26

2011-07-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

Another day to forget the cycling shoes at home ... ended up driving to Canada Rd to only find out then that I just got there to say Hi and wish everyone else a good ride. Returned home to do some hill intervals instead.

Almost 7 months into the year, and I'm already at 2300 miles with close to 100 hours of cycling. 4000 miles for the year should be possible.

Wed, Jul 13

2011-07-13T23:44:00.000-07:00

Just a few days have passed since my last blog post on Feb 26 ... Racing has been a blast and fun, with the occasional disappointing but also satisfying results.

Two races followed in March:
- CCCR #3: Worked for the team until I blew up, before limping into the finish 27th.
- Bariani: 32nd ... was in a solo breakaway until the first climbs, and lost contact soon after. Rode most of the three laps by myself until I caught and passed some stragglers in the last 4 miles before the finish.

In April, two criteriums before heading off to China:
- Santa Cruz: first race as Cat-4. Technical course, failed to clip in timely at the start, was playing catch up, but it was hard to move up. Finished 25th, but 2nd best of our club.
- Menlo Park: fast @ 25pmh average. Benefited from a crash to finish 9th.

On Apr 16, I left for China, with one of my bikes in the luggage. I got the chance to race with the Colossi Cycling Teams from HK and SZ in the Open Category in the Zhuhai Road Race (57 miles). Finished mid-pack, but was never able to obtain official results. This is China.

After my return from China in May, I slacked for a bit before picking up my training again. The first race in June was the Pescadero Classic Road Race. 46 miles, lots of climbing, which is not my specialty. Finished 61st of 73 riders.

Next up a weekend later, was the Burlingame Crit, organized by our club, Peninsula Velo. This race was to redeem myself, and I was able to finish 15th, and 2nd best of our club. Average speed: 26.0 mph.

July came, and my cycling friend Daniel Carruthers came to visit us. He's a 'semi-pro' cyclist, and we both went to race the San Rafael Twilight Crit and the Lodi Cycle Fest Crits the next day, in our respective categories. San Rafael was fast, finished 30th of 43 in E4. Right after, I tried my luck in 35+3/4 but didn't have it to hang on early on, and dropped out. Please also see Daniel's report of his day in San Rafael.

Lodi was on the plan the next day. Racing in the 35+4/5 category, I flatted early after having been in the top 5, got a new wheel from Neutral Support, and continued the race trying to catch up. Tried to move up in the last few laps, but got bumped twice to my detriment. Finished 26th of 42. Daniel's race report can be read here.

So far it's been fun and I'm happy to have not been involved in any crashes. Hope that this streak continues. So far this year I have raced 17 times this year, including the 4 Early Bird Training Crits in January. I also hope to be a little more successful in my upcoming races; otherwise I have few regrets.

Sat, Feb 26

2011-02-26T20:45:00.000-08:00

What a day. Got up at 6:30am to literally ride/rise to the occasion: the 26th edition of the Snelling Road Race. Snelling is probably only known to three groups of people: its residents (all 341 of them), the Google Street View Team, and the bike racing community. As a member of that last group, I headed out the door this morning to take that 100-mile drive to this little town, in order to participate in this 50-mile race. While earlier forecasts told about record-low temperatures and rain, we were actually blessed with low to mid-40's and sunshine the whole day. The race in the 35+5 category started at 12:55pm, with a neutralized ride of close to 3 miles. We rode through that little town, with people waving at us. It felt special, and without sounding elitist, nice to be recognized in a moment like this. Our motorcycle referee continued to guide us out of the town, and then the race was on. In the beginning miles, it started to feel like a club ride, as the pace was not as high as I expected. After a couple of miles, there were some inclines, and this is when I decided to accelerate at a climb. Nobody did follow me, so the choices were "wait" or "keep going". I opted for the latter, and went into cruise mode, and quickly I got a good gap on the rest of the group. It's normally only a matter of time in any bike race, until a breakaway gets caught, so I had no illusions about hanging on to that lead for the remaining 45 miles. The motorcycle ref pulled up to me at one time and said that I got a 20-second gap on the pack. With being by yourself in the wind, and not wanting to waste all your energy in the first of four 12-miles laps, I just waited until I was integrated back into the peloton shortly before end of lap 1. I was still feeling good after this escape. The following 2 1/2 laps were rather uneventful, except for another breakaway of 2 riders that apparently succeeded, until our race was kind of neutralized to let a women team pass, and shortly after, probably Cat1-3 men teams. The women ahead of us slowed down, and therefore us too. The ref neutralized our race to let the women advance. It took several minutes, where we just sat up and cruised, before we were let go just about 2km before the finish. At the last corner, with about 300m to go to the hill finish, I was probably among the top 10, and while I passed two other riders, more others flew by me. As of right now, official results are not available yet, but I think I finished among the top 15. As always, I thought that I should / could have done better, but I'm content with today's achievement.

Tue, Feb 15

2011-02-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

Sun, Feb 13

2011-02-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Early Bird Series in Fremont wrapped up today with an actual race that counts towards your ranking. This series of training crits and clinics, held throughout the first several weekends every year, provides both newcomers and more experienced riders alike a refresher on racing skills. We rookies certainly benefited from the various drills, and today was the day to put everything learned into this final race.

The turnout of Pen Velo riders in the 45+5 category was bigger, compared to prior weekends. We had six riders in the somewhat smaller than expected field of 24 competitors. Before the race, my team mates decided behind my back (how could they ?) that they would support me and another team mate at getting a shot at the podium. Bike racing is a team sport, and often, you have to sacrifice your ambitions for someone who might have a better shot at placing well. So it was lucky me today. As "usual", I tried to stay close to the front, and actually spent most of the time in the top 5, with one team mate pulling at the front for several laps. Last lap, last turn, I saw two other team mates zooming by me. I guess I was in awe for a moment too long, before I latched on, and tried to stay in contact with that lead train. Maybe a gear too low, I was pedaling at probably 250rpm (at least that's what it felt like ;-)), and was passed by few other people. These two team mates went on to place 1st and 2nd, while I hung onto 10th place. Goal accomplished, although in hindsight, I should have done a little better. But no complaints, as it was another crash-free race. Only one other team mate in the earlier 30-44+5 category hit the street, after a rider behind him touched his wheel, which took him out. A bent wheel, road rash, torn lycra, and the statement to never race criteriums again, were fortunately the only outcome. It can always be worse.

The next race is in two weeks, the Snelling Road Race, a 48-mile race in the middle of nowhere. This will be a new experience, after mostly racing criteriums. New experience, new fun.

Sun, Feb 6

2011-02-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

Let's talk about the Super Bowl XYZ$&#@ .... Just kidding. You can click here to read my Super Bowl essay, then come back here to read about bike racing.

Yesterday, it was my first official race of the 2011 season, the Ronde van Brisbeen. After four weekends of training crits, it was time to see what it feels like racing something other than the familiar course in Fremont. The RvB takes place in Brisbane, just north of SFO, and east of 101. I haven't found out why this race has a Dutch name. I was signed up for the Elite 5 category, and along with around 11 other team mates, we started at 8am. After a neutralized first lap, the pace picked up and stayed high. Over the next 40 minutes, I managed to stay with 4 of my team mates near the front, when I failed to bridge the gap to the rider in front of me, due to lapped riders sneaking in between. With five laps to go, I suddenly found myself all alone in the wind and fell back, until I got company for the last 2 laps from another team mate. I finished 22nd with approximately a 1/4 lap back. With a field of 47, only 25 managed to finish without getting lapped or dropping out, therefore I was ok with my placing.

Today, another race, this time the Cherry Pie Criterium in Napa, where the first three finishers' reward is, you guess, a cherry pie. It was an awesome nice day, sunny, clear, and 80F by the time the race completed. I was registered in the 35+4/5 category. Compared to E5, at least you don't have the young crowd in your race, but rather more mature riders, which makes it somewhat safer. It was a big field of 75 riders, and my goal was to finish better than Saturday, without the illusion though to get a pie. My strategy as usual is to try to stay near the front, and counter all surges. While the field stretched out at times, there were ample opportunities to recover, and with only 35 minutes race time, I felt comfortable to maintain position until the end. With one lap to go, I moved up among the top ten, and the pace unexpectedly did not pick up until the chicane before the hill finish. This is when I failed again to get out of the saddle and sprint. Instead, I stayed seated, and lost some steam on the final meters, placing 12th. While I could have done better, I was still happy, considering size of the field and competing with younger Cat-4's.

So, two upgrade points and no pie earned for this weekend, and having managed to stay out of trouble. Next Sunday, the official Early Bird Criterium; my goal: top 10 finish.

Sun, Jan 30

2011-01-30T16:32:00.000-08:00

Eventually, the weather had to turn to what it is supposed to do during this time of the year: rainy and cold. Expectedly, a lot less cyclists showed up today for the 4th weekend of the Early Bird Clinics and Criteriums. Luckily the rain stopped just in time for the 11:45am clinic, and it stayed dry until end of my race at 2:30pm. With about 20 riders in my group, the race got off to a fast start, thanks to one guy doing most of the pulling. I even got into a breakaway with two others, but it only lasted for one lap, before we were gulped up by the pack. From then on until a couple of laps before the finish, the race got pretty slow. All of us who had done most of the work at the front, were content to be recovering, so by the time the pace picked up again in the last two laps, I was good to give it a better shot at sprinting for the finish. Today I was more patient and waited a little longer before starting the sprint, and going 32mph, I could hold on for 3rd place. Looks like I am getting better at this. Looking for sponsors now ;-).

Sun, Jan 23

2011-01-23T17:16:00.000-08:00

The last Sunday and this Sunday today were the Early Bird Clinic and Criterium #2 and #3 in Fremont. The temperatures went from mid-40's two weeks ago, to close to 60 last weekend, and today we had spring-like weather hitting 70 degrees, allowing us to shed full-finger gloves, and arm and leg warmers.

While last week's clinic focused on cornering, it was sprinting today, an ideal method to wear you out before the race actually starts. So by the end of that 1-hour workout, we all felt toast, so I had to revert to a toast of another kind (the one with Nutella on it) in order to overcome that tiredness. I was closer to taking a nice 2-3 hour nap, than racing for 40 minutes around the block. Soon though I felt better, and waited for my race to start. Just like last Sunday, the start was delayed due to a crash in the prior 30-44 Cat 5 race. Today, one rider had swerved to much during the final sprint, and he catapulted himself off the bike, hitting the pavement hard. After the ambulance had taken him away, we finally started our race. Due to the delay and in order to not mess up the day's schedule, our race was shortened to about 30 minutes. Just like the last two weekends, I tried to stay at the front (not "on the front"), and was maybe 5th coming into the last turn, with 600m to go, when the sprint was on. I was hitting 31 mph, and finished 9th (of 48 riders) as per my account; last week, I was somewhere between 12th and 15th of about 50 riders. Regardless, I was happy again to place well; average for the race: 24 mph. Since the Early Bird Criteriums are not official but training races, there's no official account of the results. There are two more weekends scheduled for the Early Bird Criteriums, with the race on the last weekend being an official, not training race. This is what will count.

Tue, Jan 11

2011-01-11T23:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2011 !

For me, the 2011 race season is already one race old. Last Sunday, the first of five installments of the Early Bird Clinics and Criteriums was held in Fremont. With temperatures in the mid-40's, it was a cold day. If it weren't for the event, I would have preferred to stay home. But if you have some racing ambitions, you have to brave the odds.

Sunday's clinic covered paceline riding. After a few chaotic laps on the 2.2km course, we got our act together, and managed to ride nicely for the remaining laps. Immediately after the clinic, the Cat 5 30-44 group was about to start. All my team mates in the 45+5 group, slated for a start 45 minutes later, abandoned me, and opted to race in the lower age group instead. Smart move, because now I was the one having to wait another 45 minutes longer in the cold. Eventually, my race started, for 10-11 laps or 40 minutes. I tried to stay close to the front throughout all laps, and counter all surges. All worked well, and with about 200m to go, I found myself in 2nd place. With maybe 100m to go, I tried to get past the first rider, and then finally out-sprinted him, only to get pipped on the line but another rider who came from behind. I only would have needed maybe 3 seconds to win the race, but was happy with 2nd place regardless. I hope this was not just a glimpse of pure luck.

Next on the calendar:
1/16 Early Bird Clinic and Criterium #2
1/23 Early Bird Clinic and Criterium #3
1/30 Early Bird Clinic and Criterium #4
2/6 Ronde van Brisbeen Criterium
2/13 Early Bird Clinic and Criterium #5
2/26 Snelling Road Race
3/13 Menlo Park Criterium
3/27 Bariani Road Race

By end of March, I should be eligible for a Cat 4 upgrade.
My goals for these races: finish or better, finish in the pack, and leave no skin on the road.

2010 cycling review

2010-12-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

The year is not quite over yet, but I'm not expecting anything significant happening in the last few days of 2010.

Despite having set no explicit goals for this year, this year has been similar as the previous two years: start out ok for the first 3-4 months, considering it is still winter or just rainy season, then fall off the cycling earth for two months due to travel, and come back with a vengeance (or at least try) for the second half of the year.

2009 / 2010 comparison:
- Jan-Mar: 465 / 518 miles
- Mar-Jun: 388 / 475 miles
- Jul-Sep: 1235/ 841 miles
- Oct-Dec: 1053 / 725 miles

So 2559 miles for the year, which is about 600 miles less than last year, but somewhere in line with the years prior. Clearly, I started out better this year than 2009, but then lost out in the second half. The reason for the August slump was a trip to Germany for two weeks. November was again the best month (2009: 507 miles, 2010: 421 miles) due to my annual cycling camp in Maui, but overall mileage in those last three months still suffered.

In September I decided to add bike racing to my resume, so I joined the Peninsula Velo Cycling club, and participated in two races, the Oakland Grand Prix Criterium, and a week later, the Central Coast Circuit Race in Fort Ord on the Monterey Peninsula. It was a great experience and I was hooked.

My goals for 2011 so far: participate in as many races as possible in the first three months, and move up to Cat-4. After that, either the familiar, annual pattern (travel and forget how to ride a bike), or something new, will happen ... and after getting back to "normal" by mid-year, I will define my goals for the remainder of the year.

Wed, Dec 8

2010-12-09T00:09:00.000-08:00

So what has been happening since I returned from sunny, warm Maui to the rainy and cold Bay Area ?

After struggling several days with the shock of the 35F+ drop in temperature, I finally convinced myself to a 1 1/2 hour ride, which left me with cold feet and no desire to ever ride again at anything below 75 degrees. Alas, this is where I live, so what can I do, considering my 2011 goals.

The first step was to renew my 2011 USA Cycling racing license, and then sign up for "Right Start Beginners Clinic" on Dec 5, held in Livermore. This 6-hour clinic covered some indoor, and mostly outdoor training, from becoming comfortable riding shoulder to shoulder, bumping handle bars, crossing wheels and doing emergency stops. All those exercises were held on a soccer field to avoid any injuries in case of falls or crashes. After lunch, the exercises moved to the road, to practice doing left and right U-turns, even one-handed (!), cornering alone and with one or two more riders, riding in a paceline, and sprinting. Apart from getting this valuable information and practice, I enjoyed the comraderie among like-minded cycling enthusiasts. Joining the cycling club and participating in a couple of races already made several new friends.

A day later, the PV Performance Racing Team kickoff took place, introducing our coach and presenting details about the upcoming season.

So now the race is on, literally. I will start the season with the Early Bird Crits in Fremont, starting on January 9, and running through Jan 30, and ending with the last race in that series on Feb 13. Along with all the upgrade points collected by then, plus some races in February, I should be able to move up to Cat-4 by March. So this is it: the goal. The only thing left to do for now: get back on the road ... despite the cold !

Thu, Nov 18

2010-11-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

Time flies, and the vacation is slowly nearing its end. The cycling part started Nov 8, and lasted for 10 days, or 8 rides, or 361 miles, or ~10.5k ft of climbing alone in the 86-mile ride from Haiku to Hana and back, and the 61-mile ride around the West Maui Mountains. Maui is truly cycling heaven (maybe until I have experienced Taiwan ;-)), and I can't wait to return next time. I said it last year already, but this time the Maui Century eluded me again by being scheduled on the same day as my departure, so there's still hope; need to stay just one day longer next year. The remaining days here are being spent on hanging out at a beach, eating seafood, drinking water (just kidding), and otherwise enjoying the island.

Fri, Nov 5

2010-11-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

The time has almost come to get away from it all. Sunday is the start of the 3rd annual, finite two-week loop of biking, eating, drinking and sleeping on the beautiful island of Maui, or my personal cycling camp. The usual routine is to get up even earlier than at home when I have to go to work, and then leave for a bike ride shortly after sunrise. Last year's highlight was the 10k ft ascent to the summit of Haleakala; this year's ambition is to make the ~100-mile roundtrip from Paia to Hana and back. Actually cycling on Hana Road is completely different compared to what you imagine when driving these roads in a car, and if you have ever driven on the treacherous roads around the West Maui Mountains, the same holds true there: it feels like freedom. Aloha and Out.

Sat, Oct 30

2010-10-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

It's been four weeks after my second and last race this season, and three weeks since I went cycling last time, when we rode 122 miles with approximately 7000 ft ob climbing on that weekend. It feels like I have meanwhile dropped off the face of the cycling earth. A big thanks here goes to a new work project I had taken on, but which is now coming to completion. The time on weekends was spent on either watching the rain, or showing my colleagues and friends from China a bit of California. So instead of riding miles on the bike, it was driving Audi for about 900 miles while visiting Lake Tahoe and Hearst Castle. It was time well spent and everyone enjoyed the trips. Cycling will resume in a week from tomorrow when my annual, personal cycling camp in Maui begins; two weeks of "bike, eat, Mai Tai, sleep, repeat" deserved enjoyment. And once back, it is already time getting organized for the 2011 race season. My ambitions are to survive the literal Early Bird Criteriums in January, and then have fun and no crashes while attending races throughout the season. It seems it will be a busy year, juggling all the cycling activity, with my now regular trip to China, with work, and with everything and everyone else that demands my time.

Sat, Oct 2: Central Coast Circuit Race Fall #3

2010-10-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

In hindsight, I should have stayed home. But then, I would have missed getting a speeding ticket on the freeway, and a DNF on the race course.

Until two days ago, I was undecided whether to race in the E5 category (start at 8:35am) or in the Masters 45+4/5 category (start at 11:20am). The course is a 4.3 mile loop "on completely closed roads- no yellow line rule in effect. The road surface is good and the course features long straights, false flat sections, rolling hills, downhill’s, with a few twisting turns mixed in". Considering a 1 1/2 hour drive down to Fort Ord in Seaside on the Monterey Peninsula, I opted for a sleep-in and the Masters category. While you get older and wiser people in the Masters category, and therefore hopefully less crashes, you also get Cat-4 racers who will soon move up to Cat-3. In the E5 category, you get the 20-year olds who nevertheless can kick your butt. In the end, I think it's a wash. Prior to the race, I had done a reconnaissance loop on the course. While I was not concerned about the straights, false flats and twisting turns, the course has one 4% hill and several smaller hills. It would be tough. The race started out fine, and while I was slower on the hills, I could easily catch up on the descents, especially the one 7% downhill, where I reached 38mph. At the beginning of lap 2, I was in 4th or 5th place, but then the high speed and the hills cost me. On one climb/hill, I felt like hitting HRmax, and found myself last with one other rider. By the time, we turned on to the finish straight, the pack was already gone from sight. Here is where I should have slowed down, recover and pace myself through the three final laps, but instead I just stopped at the side line at the finish, and declared myself "dropped out". With an average speed of 20.1 mph over those two laps, it was a fast race, and fast over for me. Categorizing as "learning experience".

Update:

Steven Woo (Third Pillar) caught a glimpse of me.

Sun, Sep 26 - 6th Oakland Grand Prix

2010-09-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of my new career: bike racer.

I had signed up earlier this week for the 6th Oakland Grand Prix in the 35+5 category. It turned out that I was the only one from my new club, Peninsula Velo, that had registered for this event. This morning I arrived early, got a 1-day license and bib#, and waited for things to come. I didn't really know what to expect, except that it would be fast and furious. One advice I got, was to hang on to someone's wheel, and I'd be good; it turned out to be a good advice. The course was an approximate 0.85-mile loop through Oakland Downtown streets, and apart from an incline on the finish stretch, it was flat or slightly downhill. The course also had a hairpin turn, which you were advised to only pass single-file. Both the downhill sections and the hairpin provided sufficient opportunity and time to recover before hitting the finish stretch again. The race started at 10:30am, for 20 laps or 17 miles. From then on it was a blur. As advised, I tried to stay covered, and only once I got "stranded" in no-man's land for half a lap between the first two in the break-away and the pack, before the pack swallowed me up. It was rather uneventful apart from one rider crashing, and another one breaking his chain. At some point, I had lost track of which lap we were in. I asked another rider because I couldn't understand the race announcer. The answer was "2" while I still expected maybe 8 laps to go. So soon, the bell for the final lap rang, and the pace picked up. I hung onto the wheel of someone, who after the race said that he kind of started to bonk during the last two laps, and my attempt to make up some ranks came too late. Alas, it was 9th or last place, but still within maybe 10 seconds of the winner and 2-3 bike lengths between 8th place and me. The whole race was over so quickly. I didn't pay much attention to the speed while racing, but I was surprised to see "26" once going up that finish stretch. Final, average speed was 22mph, courtesy of slower speed when recovering. Irrespective of being last, I was happy to place, because my goal was to just survive. Finishing was even better, and "in the top 10" sounds great ;-). Not finishing last is the goal for the next race.

Tue, Sep 14

2010-09-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

Well, the "taking it easy" year has come to an end. While I decided not to race the Mount Diablo Challenge this year, and while the bike race season is winding down, I have grown the idea to add bike racing to my life experiences. Over the last few weeks, I have signed up with USA Cycling, received a license number (but no actual license yet), have participated in a few club rides, ramped up cycling a bit, and finally signed up with the local Peninsula Velo Cycling Club. So far, so good. I'm still exploring whether or not to sign up for one of the last, local criteriums this year, the 6th Oakland Grand Prix on Sep 26. As of today though, this event is not yet permitted according to USAC. But one step at a time. Experienced Cat 3 racer Rant suggested to race myself into shape, instead of just training for the race. Apparently, there are these progressions in racing:
1. Survive (or DNP ;-))
2. Finish
3. Not finish last
I guess I will be spending considerable amount of time in stage 1, but you have to start somewhere.

Sun, Aug 29

2010-08-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I spent two weeks seeing family and friends, consuming nice food and about 17 liters of beer in Bavaria, Germany. Now this is what I call a healthy therapy. In the end I only spent one day mountain hiking and one day mountain biking, but spent lot of time just walking around. I returned home fearing the worst about my fitness, but today's first ride in three weeks was surprisingly good. Nevertheless, with just five weeks left until the Mount Diablo Challenge, and another weekend coming up with limited cycling opportunities, I think I will skip this year's race. It is after all my "taking it easy" year.

Sun, Aug 1

2010-08-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's poor performance on Diablo, the only thing to redeem myself, was to climb up again today, but also start the ride in Pleasanton instead of Danville in order to get more miles in. In the end, I was able to sustain a higher speed through Juniper, before pacing at about 6mph the next section up to Devil's Elbow, and then climbing the 17% incline just before the summit. Some action at the Summit as a helicopter circled the mountain several times, and the rangers being unclear what actually happened. Totals for the day: 50.6 miles, 4000 ft climbing.
Back down in Danville, the police was still busy with their investigation about the drunk driver who ran over two cyclists a few hours earlier near the corner of El Cerro and Danville Blvd. Fortunately, witnesses followed the truck and detained this a$$hole, who was so drunk that he couldn't even remember his address. The cyclists appear to be fine.
Danville is a dangerous place to cycle; every time I ride through there, there's someone pulling out of a parking space, opening the car door without looking, stopping or driving in the bike lane along Danville's "Auto Row" near the high school, or turning in front of me. Maybe it is safer riding on Iron Horse Trail with deaf runners listening to their ipods, long-leashed dogs, and other slow and erratic traffic. Can't be worse than on the main road.

Sat, Jul 31

2010-07-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

Peer pressure is building to sign up for the Diablo challenge, as colleague Kotaro will be starting in Wave 2 on Oct 3rd. In his inaugural Diablo ride at last year's Challenge, he managed a respectable 1:15h.
However, I'm still not convinced I will be in good shape enough until then. Today's ascent to the Summit was again slow, and interrupted by breaks at South Gate, Junction, Juniper and before the Wall. I'm now really curious how I made it up last year with a new personal record (72 min), while it must have taken me around 1:55h today, albeit with all the breaks. Despite having accomplished 395 miles for this month, I think that working too much lately is just taking its toll. Fortunately there's a temporary relief from it soon as I'll be taking a vacation and heading towards two weeks of beergardens, mountain biking, local food and more beergardens, and other enjoyments in Bavaria. Road cycling will have to take a break, but I hope that I can work on my climbing power in the mountains around Lenggries. Once back, the picture will be clearer.

Thu, Jul 15

2010-07-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

Apparently I'm settling on a blog post per month now. The amount of blogging was usually directly related to the amount of cycling, but blogging now gets the worse part of it: 437 miles cycled since my last post on June 16, and 706 miles since learning to ride again after 8 weeks off the bike.

Thank God that the World Cup is finally over. Despite not being a huge fan of football, special events such as this championship even make me watch the games. In hindsight, considering the wide-spread lack of exciting games and countless epic failures of overpaid, so-called "superstars", I regret that I exchanged miles on the road with beers on the couch. But before the World Cup even ended, the Tour de France started, and the prospect of cycling diminished even further with the Alps Stages live on Versus on weekend mornings. Only a stomach irritation that last weekend topped that, so that I managed to only ride 30 miles but lose 3 pounds (Thank you, Virus).

On the 4th of July weekend a week earlier, we were graced with three consecutive days of good weather. 116 miles more, and one climb up Diablo with TBV. Either TBV is in race-shape already, or I'm still lacking in fitness, as he beat me (up) on the last 2.5 miles to the Summit. I have to do better than that, especially if I will race the Diablo Challenge this year, obviously trying to get a new personal record.

The traditional lunch rides to either Coyote Point or up Ralston have given way to actually going to lunch. So while the remainder of our little group skips food, I can sit down and indulge. Now I should probably add that these rides have been replaced by bike-to-work rides. My plan is to continue to make the 28-mile ride (one-way) twice a week, but compensate with more frequent Diablo rides on the weekend, due to the Ralston climb now falling through the cracks.

Pace-wise, I'm a little behind this year. I'm sure the next 5 months will fix that.

2010 riding stats (2009 stats in parenthesis) as of 7/15:
#of rides: 37 (28), annual mileage: 1224 (966), pace: 2295 (2009 total mileage: 3142).

Tue, Jun 16

2010-06-15T23:17:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since my last post. Thanks to the cool and rainy spring, a 4 1/2 week trip to China, and some time to recuperate from the trip, I was off the bike for a total of 8 weeks. This obviously comes at a price, and cycling since added 268 miles in 3 weeks, but I clearly have been feeling the loss of fitness and strength. Diablo Summit was attempted three times but only conquered once, and every time I felt the "Registration for Mount Diablo Challenge is OPEN" looming over my head. Too early to make a decision. About half time into this year, and the 2010 cycling goals are still non-existent. Even lunch rides are falling victim to the World Cup, a cold, and still the occasional day where it feels like winter. I think I need to take it easy this year, and maybe enjoy more the kind of cycling we did last weekend: riding from winery to winery, while accumulating miles and promille at the same time. Or just drink, for a change.

Wed, Apr 14

2010-04-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year when the weather turns better. Now that it really seems to be happening, after a rather long winter, it would be time to get rolling again. But this is also the time when duty calls one to a foreign country, where the only cycling is the one done on a gym bike. I hope to get one more lunch ride accomplished tomorrow, before the next five weeks will be spent longing to come home and ride the familiar roads.

Sun, Mar 14

2010-03-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

Less blogging means less biking. Today the weather wasn't too shabby, sunny, low 60s, and I was happy to exchange the bike computer in the gym (always displaying a handle bar with white (!) tape) with the real thing. The last three rides I've done stretched out over four weeks and just added 130 miles to my mediocre annual mileage so far. It's about time to get temperatures in the 70s and the weekly lunch rides going again. Still though no cycling goals for this year other than taking it a ride at a time.

Sat, Feb 13

2010-02-13T21:46:00.000-08:00

Planned to ride Diablo today, but arrived in Danville without arm- and legwarmers, so the quest ended at South Gate. The temperature was actually pleasant but didn't want to risk getting cold later, and then even more so racing downhills at 30mph. So it was a short venture today, and I was able to spend more time plucking weed in the afternoon. Sunday is supposed to be an even nicer day; the car's thermometer already read '73F' around noon today here in downtown. I might get away without the extra clothing tomorrow.

This evening, the battle between the Olympics coverage from Vancouver on NBC, and the Chinese New Year Show on KTSF from Beijing. While Beijing is 16 hours ahead, Vancouver is in the same timezone as San Francisco. I can understand that the CNY show is taped, but why the heck is the Olympics coverage not LIVE ?

Sun, Feb 7

2010-02-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

It's the time of year, when a certain nation assembles in front of big-screen TV's in homes and bars, in order to drink cheap beer and eat Doritos and chicken wings, to watch a 6-hour spectacle, where half of the time is spent on something called "Pre-Game show". It's the same time of year where it is OK to fall asleep on someone's sofa before sunset; and the same time when 40-year old's use the half-time break to throw a football in the backyard like 50 pounds and 20 years earlier, and when 20 minutes later, people arrive at the ER, hyper-ventilating, with torn ACL's because they went "deep".
During this hour-long spectacle, millions of dollars are spent on silly commercials mostly featuring geckos and watery substances, and men in suits and ties attempt to analyze each move in the game to the tiniest detail ("The torn shoe laces cost them the game"). The actual game technically only lasts 60 minutes, but it is stretched out over like three to four hours due to insertion of replays from eight different angles, players shown walking around unbuckling their helmets, slow-motion of players getting whacked, more commercials, and due to "I'm tired, I've been on the field for 48 seconds" breaks or timeouts in order to discuss dinner plans. Actual plays only last about 5 1/2 seconds, when players dribble around trying to confuse the opponent, while one guy tries to throw an oval ball to one of his team mates, without getting overrun by 350-pound humans wearing 35 pounds of padding and kitchen towels at their hip. A play ends when someone gets buried under four to five bodies of the opposing team, or fails to catch the ball (try round balls for a change!). The game usually ends with a bunch of people emptying a large water dispenser filled with Gatorade over some poor dude with giant headphones. Not sure why they don't show the Super Bowl on the Comedy Channel.

Anyway, my expectation today was that roads are deserted as usual on Sundays like this. For some odd reason though, it was pretty busy on the roads, either due to people having forgotten that Super Bowl is today, or that people were running late buying last minute essentials (read: cheap beer). The weather was not as sunny as the weatherman said, so while I was happy with the exercise, I wasn't with the cool wind and dark clouds today; even Mount Diablo didn't look inviting, and a fellow cyclist said that is was freezing coming down. For me, 35 miles, with the mandatory stop at Peets. Now, time for a nap.

Tue, Feb 2

2010-02-02T23:10:00.000-08:00

Today's Groundhog day, and apparently there are six more weeks of winter ahead. Since this tradition is not common here in the West, I hope that only the East continues to suffer from snow and ice, har har. The weather was rather nice last Sunday, sunny and temperatures closing in on 60F. The fifth ride of the year and last ride in January added 45 miles to my annual total of 156 miles; it's been always slow at the beginning of a year. I still haven't thought about any cycling goals for this year, but I think I'll take it easier than last year, while just trying to maintain the same fitness and fun level.

A fun story, first brought to my attention by Diablo Scott, is the attempt of some dude to rename Mount Diablo to Mount Ronald Reagan:

Mijares, a devout Christian, says he believes the word "Diablo" — Spanish for "devil" — is "derogatory and profane," according to the federal board report. Mijares was unavailable for comment Thursday.
In 2005, he attempted to change the name to Mount Reagan, but the board, citing its Commemorative Naming Policy, told him the late president needed to be dead for at least five years before receiving such an honor.

Well, good luck with that request.

Wed, Jan 27 - Apple iPad and the Epic Whining on the Internet

2010-01-27T19:36:00.000-08:00

What this has to do with cycling ? Nothing really.

Today, Apple announced its much anticipated tablet computer, the iPad. I didn't follow the presentation closely, and while I was not thrown off my chair by the iPad, a bigger version of the iPod Touch, I didn't see it as what whiners on the Internet described as "Epic Failure". These whiners'^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hcritics' comments ranged from "This is terrible. A flop that will set Apple back at least two years", "Where’s the DVD drive?" to "No phone, no Google voice, no camera, no flash, no PDF support, no expandable memory …. No thanks Steve. No deal!" and "lets sell all Apple stocks before is too late!!!" ... woah.

Well, let me chip in with the whining:

1. 64GB flash drive? Are you kidding me ? My Espresso machine has a larger disk. 1 TB is the minimum.

2. 3G only ? What about 4G ? Or 5G for that matter (wait, wasn't this the acceleration that the iPad can sustain ?)

3. Can't make phone calls, can't use as a TiVo, can't use it as a Slingbox ... this thing is USELESS !

4. I really expected an entry-level price of $79.99. I mean for such a useless computer, asking for $499 ???

5. Even if it had one camera, I need two, or better, three. Need to shoot 3D movies.

6. And Yes, where's the DVD drive ? And the second DVD drive to make drive-to-drive copies ? Not even mentioning an 5.25" floppy drive.

7. The screen is too small. I mean, do I need a magnifying glass to use it ? Everyone here in the office has a 24" LCD monitor, so why does the iPad only come with this tiny 9.7" screen ?

8. No built-in FM tuner, how in the world should I listen to radio now ?

I think I can find many more points to whine about. What was Apple thinking ???

< /sarcasm >

Fri, Jan 22

2010-01-22T18:15:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year ! Yes, it gets old quickly.

Started out the year with three rides in the first three days of the month, including the first ride up Mount Diablo, and another ride one weekend later. Then last weekend, after I failed to get myself out the door, winter hit the West Coast with a vengeance. If 5-10 inches of rainfall weren't enough, this week we had approximately 5 winter storms, with thunder, with hail, snow on Mount Hamilton again, thousands of people without power, 18 ft swells at the coast, coast lines falling into the ocean, and even a tornado warning for the Bay Area. At least the water reservoirs are filling up quickly, something that is needed in Year 3 of the Drought. Tomorrow, Day 7 since "winter" started, we are supposed to get a break from the rain .. at least a small one. I hope to be able to get out for a bike ride; two weeks can do some real harm to your fitness.

2009 cycling review

2009-12-29T19:19:00.000-08:00

Having goals is good. Goals keep you focused, but have the tendency to induce stress and disappointment if it becomes obvious that the goal moves further away or out of reach, rather than getting closer. So sometimes, not setting goals, or at least setting a lower threshold, is a saner approach, especially for the things in life that are supposed to be fun. Like cycling.

My goal for 2008 was to ride the Diablo Challenge on a new bike, in 1:20h or less. Also, I wanted to ride 3000 miles. Well, a broken collarbone plus surgery, shattered (no pun intended) that goal in August. In November, I attempted to summit Haleakala, but faltered at 6500 ft. Well, there's always a new year, but considering the missed goals, I didn't really make any for 2009.

The 2009 cycling season started on January 10th, followed by a ride up Diablo the next day. With still no goals in mind, I just managed to ride 707 miles until end of April. Then came May and a trip to China, so the total for that month was an astonishing 0 miles. June added a mere 145 miles, and by mid-year, I had only accumulated 853 miles. With 120 miles less than at the same time in 2008, riding 3000 miles seemed already out of reach.

Riding the 2008 Diablo Challenge was not up on my radar until some time in August. I wouldn't commit to the race until being confident that I would be in good enough shape to beat my old record. Once I signed up, I became serious in my training efforts, and rode 954 miles in August and September, more than in the first 6 months of the year. So now I had a race and my "old" goal just ahead of me: ride Diablo on new bike in 1:20h or less. However, a day before the race, the frame cracked, and left me riding on my old clunker. Disappointment was immense, but maybe with that goal gone, some pressure was too, and in the end I rode a new personal record of 1:12:41h.

After the Diablo Challenge, I eased a bit, picked up my new bike (frame) and by the end of October, my total mileage was at 2348. With two months left in the year, and two weeks of Maui cycling coming up in November, making the 3000-mile mark was suddenly back on the horizon.

Riding Haleakala in 2008 was still fresh in my memory, so I was not very much inclined to repeat it again this year. Once on the island, I thought that I just have to do it. Call it 'saving face'. 340 miles cycled in Maui, about 30000 ft of elevation gain, and another 167 miles cycled back home in the month of November, bringing the annual total to 2856 miles.

Reaching 3000 miles was now just a formality. On December 20, I passed the mark, and being European, I set the next goal to 5000 km, which I reached December 29. So what is left for this year ? Today was the 99th ride of the year ... so I am still aiming at number 100. We will see if the weather cooperates, but if today was the last ride of this year, so be it. No need to be stressed out about it.

So if you don't have goals, make them (up) as you go along. Goals are good, if you keep them realistic. For 2010, I have no cycling goals. Considering 3142 miles, 5027 kilometers, a new Madone 6.5-pro frame, from sea-level to 10023 ft, and in 72 minutes up Diablo, how can I possibly beat that ?

Sun, Dec 20

2009-12-20T15:44:00.000-08:00

This weekend, rides #95 and #96, bringing the annual mileage to 3023. Next goal: 5000 km, which is 163 km or 102 miles away; if the rain won't spoil the remainder of the year, this should be doable.

Tue, Dec 15

2009-12-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

Today, the 94th ride for the year, for an annual total of 2952.5 miles so far. Will I reach 100 rides and 3000 miles for 2009 ? The suspense is killing me. Stay tuned.

Mon, Dec 7

2009-12-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

This morning, you could enjoy a rare sight on Mount Diablo:

I rode up to Junction two days ago, where it was 48F; at the summit, the temperature was just 33F at the time (at 11am today: 25F). Due to logistical reasons, I can't just head back home now, grab warm clothes and the bike, and then just ride up ... I wish I could.

As far as my 2009 mileage is concerned, I'm 84 miles away from reaching the 3000-mile mark. With little over three weeks left in this year, the goal and another Summit ride should be achievable.

Sun, Nov 22

2009-11-22T23:32:00.000-08:00

Maui summary:
- 7 rides in 10 days
- 340.7 miles, average: 48.5 miles
- ~30k ft climbing

Next year's idea: participate in the Maui Century, which happens to "always" (this and last year) fall on the same Sunday when I leave Maui.

This year's total so far: 2763 miles; with about 5 weeks left in this year, I should be able to finally hit the 3000-mile mark.

Thu, Nov 19

2009-11-19T13:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, on Day 11 of this year's Maui trip, I wrapped up my cycling with a ride up from Paia to the summit of Haleakala Crater. The ride begins at sea level and climbs up to an elevation of 10023 feet, or 3055 meters. Our group of 7 riders started at about 9am from the Maui Cyclery. The route goes up Baldwin Ave at a moderate grade, and not 10 minutes into the ride, we got showered with rain, and not for the only time during the whole ride. Blaming the West Maui ride from two days earlier, I didn't feel strong, and fell about 5 minutes behind before reaching the first stop after about mile 14 at Kula Lodge, at ~3200 ft elevation. Even before reaching Kula, I was certain, that I won't make it again up to the Summit, just like last year. After consuming electrolytes, Fig Newtons, energy bars and gels, and plenty of water, all of us resumed to take on the next two thirds of the climb. Haleakala Hwy / State Hwy 377 soon turns left to become Crater Rd / State Hwy 378. The mile marker starts at 0 miles, and from there it's another 22 miles of climbing. I hooked up with another rider, Sean, who realized that riding the first third up to Kula while red-lining, won't get him up to the Crater. It is always a good distraction from the pain and suffering if you can chat with another rider, so the the ride up to about 6000 feet felt easy and was uneventful, when soon after the wind and drizzle started to really question us about how much longer we would last on the mountain. At the 6500 ft marker, at the planned rest stop, we donned arm and leg warmers, jackets and over-sized gloves, as it had gotten cold, mostly due to the wind-chill. The two ride leaders, Donnie and Mark, as well as the Support Van driver, would turn back from here, as the National Park doesn't allow any tour operations within park boundaries. So in other words, for the remaining 3500 ft of climbing (or 13 miles), we would be on our own. The other three riders, Bill, Steve and Emily, had already taken off, so Sean and I loaded up on water and nutrition, and resumed our ride. The park entrance is not too far from there, at about 7000 ft elevation, and unlike motorists, cyclists only pay $5 park fee. The first Visitor Center appears close after the park entrance, and along with it a flat of the rear tire. In the end, I had to patch the tube after having found the hole in the tube and the thorn in the tire, and realized that the stem of the spare tube was too short for that rim. Long story short, we were soon on our way again. The grade of Crater Rd past the park entrance is fortunately less steep than prior to it, so the ride stretches out because of distance and not because of elevation gain. Between 7000 and 8000 ft, the weather got nasty again, after it was sunny at the Visitor Center. Sean started having cramps and repeated "I'm spent", with just 20% elevation or another few miles to go. I convinced him to keep going, because only with mutual effort, we would make it. If it weren't for him, just riding by myself, I probably would have turned back earlier. The weather cleared up, the grade got less steep (so I felt), and at 9000 ft, it was obvious that now only a volcano outbreak would prevent us from going all the way up. Just before reaching the second Visitor Center below the summit, Bill and Emily, were already on their way down, so maybe just 15-20 minutes ahead of us; Steve had already passed us 30 minutes earlier. The last half mile to the actual Summit parking lot is tough, after having had a rather mellow incline for the last 2000 ft. Now, at 10000 ft, 6 hours of climbing and about 12% grade, the computer just reported a speed of 3.9 mph. Elation then after having reached the parking lot, and having ridden up the short path to the shack at Pu'u'ula'ula Summit and 10023 ft elevation. The obligatory round of pictures were taken, but not much time spent on enjoying the view. By now it was around 3:30pm, and we had another 36 miles back to Paia. Riding down, we hit the same cold and wet weather at 8000 ft and below, and going 30+mph didn't help keeping us warmer. We briefly stopped at the Visitor Center at 7000 ft to rush into the building and warm up for a few minutes before they would close at 4pm. By now, the weather had also gotten worse at lower altitudes, and only at around 4500 ft, it felt like we're coming back into warmer climates and out of the clouds. At the State Hwy 377/378 intersection, I shed the wet gloves, and we continued down through Kula and Makawao before another rain shower welcomed us back to Paia. It was 4:55pm, and it's been a long day in the saddle with 72.3 mile distance, and 10331 ft total elevation gain. I decided then that this would also conclude the cycling for this year in Maui; there's nothing that can top an epic ride like this.

Steve, myself, Emily, Bill, Donnie, Sean at the Kula Lodge rest stop

Happy on Arrival

Team Effort

Tue, Nov 17

2009-11-17T13:50:00.000-08:00

Day 6, as said, was a a repeat of the Paia to Keanae Peninsula ride, except for a side trip to Wailua Village, an isolated taro-farming community; total mileage / climbing: 53.2 miles / 5534 ft.

Day 7 was a rest day.

Day 8, an early morning ride to Lookout Point and back, 33.3 miles.

Day 9: in anticipation to ride Haleakala on Day 11 (Wednesday), this was supposed to be a longer ride, followed by a rest day on Tuesday (today, Day 10). After having talked to two other cyclists here who rode around West Maui, it reduced my objections to ride on this hilly route. The North-west / north corner is usually rather breezy and rainy, but the radar didn't really show any rain until I actually got drenched for the first time, a few miles before Kahakuloa. The ride through that village was treacherous, with slippery metal plates over a one-lane bridge, and then the tires having no grip on a small and steep incline, so that I had to walk the bike up the incline. From thereon, the road surface got worse, and a while later, it started to rain again, just before State Highway 340 begins. The descent into Wailuku would have really been awesome and fast, if the road would have been dry; instead, with lots of water running on the road, and brakes not working as efficiently, 20 mph was the maximum speed I could achieve. Before reaching Wailuku, the rain ceased, and I stopped for a moment to drain the water from my shoes. The ride back south on Highway 30 to Maalaea Harbor was fast, as I took advantage of strong headwinds and a decline, reaching 40 mph. From there, another 16 miles to Ka'anapali, for a total of 60.7 miles and 4k ft of climbing.

Day 10, today, resting and pondering whether to ride Haleakala tomorrow, or this time ride all the way to Hana.

Thu, Nov 12

2009-11-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

Day 3: Morning ride to the Lookout Point along Hwy 30, and back to Kaanapali for a total of 32 miles in 1:50h. Picked up a Subway sandwich on the return, took a nap, had lunch, and somehow got around the afternoon. Dinner at Aloha Mixed Plate, a cheap place that serves Hawaiian food. Hawaiian beer and the Hawaiian performance from next door's Luau made it pretty authentic. Mission accomplished.

Vista Point Hwy 30

Day 4, Wednesday, was a ride from Paia up to Kula. Five of us, two ride leaders and three clients, headed up Baldwin Ave, and soon dropped one rider who had ambitions to ride up Haleakala without any arm warmers, vest and leg warmers; I don't think he made it very far. Four remaining, we continued through Makawao, and soon it fortunately cooled down which helped us significantly with the climbing. Rest stop was at La Provence. Cappucino and tasty pastries was all we consumed there today, definitely I have to come back here. The remaining ride was fast and uneventful; total: 35 miles, 4044 ft climbing.
After Monday's Two-Pizza lunch at the Flatbread Company, I was lucky again there as I got the Buy-One-Get-One-Free-Beer Special. The evening was concluded with the usual Mai Tai's.

At Hookipa, famous surfing spot on the North Shore

Day 5, today, was supposed to be an easy recovery ride up from Kaanapali, but after having to fix a flat before even leaving, and realizing then that the tire had a side-wall cut with the tube lurking through, I decided to ditch the bike and instead drive around West Maui. This is a trip by itself, not for the faint-hearted due to one-lane roads and lot of rocks on the road.

If the weather holds, tomorrow's ride will be a repeat of Monday's ride, from Paia to Keanae Peninsula and back.

Mon, Nov 9

2009-11-09T22:01:00.000-08:00

Day 2 in Maui. The motto for this vacation is "Bike, Mai Tai, Eat, Sleep, Repeat" (or any other order). Started with a Mai-Tai yesterday after I arrived, and in the morning today, I picked up the rental bike from Donnie Arnoult's Maui Cyclery, and rode 55 miles from Paia to Keanae Peninsula and back. The route is Hana Highway, and despite the rolling (5678 ft of climbing out and back), narrow and winding road, it's actually fun riding this stretch because cars are usually slower, and at times even can't pass. So the road belongs to you. At Keanae Peninsula I stopped for a few minutes before heading back. 27 miles later, back in Paia, it was time for lunch. Thanks to someone who forgot to put mushrooms on my 12" pizza at the Flatbread Company, I got to enjoy two pizzas for the prize of one. If you like pizza and come to Paia, this is the place to go. After returning to Kaanapali, I met up with two friends, who had just arrived and were thirsty for some drinks, and this is how we ended up having a couple of Happy Hour Mai-Tai's. Wasn't this a perfect day ? Now it's time to sleep; the bike wants to ride at 7am.

Sat, Oct 31

2009-10-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is already November, so there might be just one more nice weekend like this one left in the year to go out and ride Diablo. After a rather lazy four weeks since the Diablo Challenge, with only one ride up to the Junction since then, it was about time again to go all the way. Met up with TBV in the morning, and rode up to Junction, where he decided that this would be enough of pain for today. I continued to the Summit, enjoyed the views and chatted with two newcomers to the mountain. Uneventful ride down to Danville. I think that I have now connected with the new bike; hope it lasts longer than the previous one.

Wed, Oct 21

2009-10-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was the first ride on the new bike. It still felt like I borrowed someone else's bike, instead of riding my own. First order obviously was to introduce the new bike to Mount Diablo, so I rode up to Lookout Point, past Junction, before considering that without vest and arm warmers, it would get too cold. Indulgence and just two bike rides within the prior two weeks were obviously detrimental to my fitness, as even on the new bike, I felt slow. Or maybe was it the additional weight of the new frame ? I asked Trek:

I rode a 62cm 2007 Madone 6.5 SSL until the frame cracked, and the dealer replaced the frame with a 2009 Madone 6.5 model, also 62cm.

The 2007 bike weighed 15.7 pounds without pedals on the dealer's scale when I bought it, and the 2009 bike weighs 18.8 pounds with pedals. The pedals are 280g each, so roughly 1 pound total. Based on this, the 2009 frame is about 2 pounds heavier than the old 2007 frame I had.

[...] The dealer says that the 2009 frame is lighter but the scale doesn't lie.

Trek answered:

I suspect the weight difference you're encountering is from the added material in the 2009 Madone's integrated seatmast. To make it more of a fair comparison, you should put the 2009 Madone's mast cap on, insert a seatpost into your 2007 frame, and install the bottom brackets for each bike. These are two places where the redesign we introduced in '08 saves weight compared to a traditional bike design.

That being said, please keep in mind that our focus when we redesigned the Madone in 2008 was not to make the lightest bike on the market. It was to make the best bike on the market. If it were possible to take '07 Madone and an '09 Madone and have two identical riders ride two identical races on them, the '09 rider would come out on top every time. The redesigned Madone has better power transfer from the BB90 bottom bracket cluster, better tracking from the stiffer 1-1/8" to 1.5" front end, and better endurance from the seatmast's greater vertical compliance.

The bottom line seems to be "The '09 is the better frame, don't complain and enjoy what you have". OK, I will.

Sat, Oct 17

2009-10-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

Today I picked up my new bike at Chain Reaction Bicycles in Redwood City; two weeks ago, and one day before the Mount Diablo Challenge, the frame of my then "new" bike cracked, and left me racing on my older bike.

I weighed the bike at the store: 18.8 pounds / 8.3 kilogram. This is about 2 pounds heavier than the old bike. The saddle bag should not account for most of that. Hmm.

Don't know yet if I have time for the virgin ride tomorrow.

Sun, Oct 11

2009-10-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

It must be Off-Season.

The plan for the days after the Mount Diablo Challenge was to take a break, and then resume the workout albeit at a lesser intensity. However, this week has turned into off-season. Typical symptoms:

- Thinking about a bike ride actually reduces your heart rate
- It takes days, not minutes, to finally fix the flat tire
- You eat more pizza and ice cream than energy gels and Cliff bars, and drink more beer than Gatorade
- Wife's "suggestion" to vacuum the house is not countered with "I have to go out for a ride" or "I have to clean the bike"; instead, you cave in.
- Cyclists post on Facebook about their desserts instead of their pace on Diablo
- You finally clean the fireplace from last winter's usage

In addition, the weather has turned cool and windy, so I am not very much inclined to step out the door right now. Also, with rain on the way, the cycling outlook remains bleak. I hope that by the time the new frame has arrived and the bike is reassembled, that we get those usual sunny and warm October days back. If not, my cycling season will resume in Maui in a month from today.

Thu, Oct 8

2009-10-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

It's now been a few days after cracking my bike frame and racing up Diablo.

Monday:
Rest day. Trek will replace the frame with a 2009 model; and they've never seen anything like that before. Pondering whether to get the 2010 model instead and pay the difference. Waiting for Trek to respond.

Tuesday:
Rest day.

Wednesday:
Rest day.

Thursday:
Rest day. Amici's pizza for lunch. Still waiting for Trek's response.

Friday:
It will also be a rest day.

Total: 0.0 miles, 0:00h.

Sun, Oct 4 - Mount Diablo Challenge post-race report

2009-10-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

Following yesterday's bike tragedy, I got sufficiently demoralized to skip the race today, instead sleep in and be depressed about the loss. After all, the bike was part of my goal to ride the 28th Mount Diablo Challenge today and achieve a new personal record; and the bike was not "just a bike" to me.

Several people tried to cheer me up and insisted that I should race anyway, considering I spent many miles on the bike, many hours in spin class, some hours in the pub, all in preparation for this one race of the year. So last night, I started collecting warm clothing and my senses, and decided to show up at the start.

This morning, 40F at the summit at 6pm, and upon arriving in Danville, a mere 41F. There are already two things that I don't like about mornings: "cold" and" early". Interestingly, every year it is 41F on the morning of the Mount Diablo Challenge. Dressed up for the 2-mile ride to the start, I was still wondering when my fingers would go from blue to black and then fall off. With all 10 fingers though, I arrived at the start, collected the bib and the timing belt, and shed the warm clothes; even in shorts, jersey and arm warmers, you will feel warm at those low temperatures when you ride a mountain.

TBV showed up shortly after, and then I ran into colleague Kotaro, on his first time to participate in the Mount Diablo Challenge, and on this first time to ever ride Diablo. From then on, it was waiting for your wave to start. We three were all in wave #3, slated to start at 8:45am, after waves #1 and #2, and the women-only wave.

Then, 10-second rolling start, and we were off. I really had no plan on how to ride today. My original goal was to achieve 1:20h with the new bike. Lately, after making it to the summit in 1:15h (albeit from a location a bit up after the official start at Athenian School), I adjusted my goal up to 1:15h. Today though, riding the old clunker, I reset the goal back to 1:20h, just trying to make the best of the situation.

The first riders of wave #3 quickly took off, and I only saw them again later at the summit. This dispersed the crowd quickly though, and I made good progress and speed. All through the ride, I tried to keep a straight line (and straight face), not following the bends of the road. If the pro's do it, it can't be wrong. I reached South Gate at 0:21h and Junction at 0:37h, and only then did I think that I could actually make it in 1:15h. After Junction, I slowed down a bit and paced myself through the grind at Toyon Picnic Area, and reached Juniper at 0:54h, 2 minutes ahead of my personal record. Grabbed a cup of water, and paced myself further up to Devil's Elbow. From there, it's only a mile to the summit. I forgot at what elapsed time I was at that point, but I knew that I now could beat 1:15h. Tried to stay close behind two faster cyclists for a minute, to conserve some energy. Reached the Lower Parking Lot, people cheering on the riders. This where the final incline started, going the left road up to the summit. This is the hardest part of the ride, a final grade of maybe 10-12%, for the last 150 meters. Then finally, crossed the finish line, stopped the clock, 1:13:00h. I did it; what an elation.

The official result came back later as 1:12:43h, ranked 451, according to the printout. TBV also reached his goal of achieving 1:20h or better with a 1:16h time. Kotaro, on his very first visit to Diablo on a bike, got a respectable 1:15h time.

A new record was not broken today, the top time was 47 minutes and change. If I saw correctly, none of three top finishers of the last two years (English, Laue, Phipps) raced Diablo today.

I'm glad I raced today. Will post links to official results and photos later, after taking a nap.

UPDATE 5pm: Official results still have not been posted. Please check back later.

UPDATE 7:40pm: Official results are here. My rank and time were corrected to 448 and 1:12:41.8 (or maybe I didn't look correctly earlier at the printout), with an average speed of 8.92mph. TBV rank 524, 1:16:33.6; Kotaro rank 504, 1:15:23.8.

UPDATE 9pm: Photos:
Me: @ Devils' Elbow, @ Finish 1,2
Kotaro: @ Devil's Elbow, @ Finish
TBV: @ Devil's Elbow, @ Finish 1,2,3,4

Sat, Oct 3

2009-10-03T17:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know what to say.

Decided to go out for an easy ride today. In Dublin, I hooked up with a group of cyclists, and we zoomed north on San Ramon Blvd. At mile 7.7, just past the Danville Town Limit Sign Sprint, I drove through a small ditch (not a pothole), heard a cracking sound, and felt the saddle tilt back. I stopped immediately and then it took only a second from thinking that maybe the saddle screw was lose to realizing that this was the last ride on this bike.

As if a broken frame wasn't enough, the ride completed with two flat tires, after apparently having rolled through a nest of thorns ... how else do you explain 5 punctures in 2 tubes ?

This definitely wasn't my day.

Brought the bike to Chain Reaction; they will contact Trek on Monday. This kind of damage is not supposed to happen. The seat post was sufficiently deep inserted into the seat tube. I expect / hope that Trek will replace the frame.

Most of my motivation for tomorrow faded away over the next few hours, but after leaving the bike store, I got my old clunker Trek 2000 from my office, just in case my motivation comes back. With a bike 7 pounds heavier than the Madone, I have no illusions about achieving the race time I like. If I go, I probably take it as an early morning exercise.

Fri, Oct 2

2009-10-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

The day of the race is almost there. The training log for the past week:

Saturday:
Danville - Juniper and back, 24.0 miles, 1:40h.

Pattern#2 repeated: no beer, no performance. Anticipating hot weather ahead, I started at 9am. But it's already a bad sign, if at that early hour, you see lots of cyclists coming down the mountain. Met Diablo Scott on the way between South Gate and Junction. It was a rather pathetic ride and a hot day today, and by the time I reached Juniper, I was done.

Sunday:
Canada Rd - Woodside - OLH Rd - Pescadero - HMB - 92 - Canada Rd, 57.6 miles, 3:40h, 5700ft of climbing. Unlike yesterday, today I felt a lot better. Started at 8:30am to beat the heat; interestingly, it got warmer the further up OLH Rd I got. On top, elapsed time 26.5 minutes. Continued down 84, where it got noticeably cooler, and for a brief moment, I thought of returning. But went on to continue to Pescadero, and then headed north on Hwy 1 to Half Moon Bay. Took 92 back to Canada Rd. I'm glad that I headed to the coast; those 70s on the Pacific Plate were a lot more pleasant than the 90s on the American Plate.

Monday:
Rest day.

Tuesday:
Lunch ride to Coyote Pt and back, with TBV and Bill. Little windy today, so it took 36 min outbound with 11/12 mph at times. 18.3 miles, 1:05h.

Wednesday:
Spin class, 1:00h.

Thursday:
Lunch ride to Sawyer Camp Trail and back; 15.6 miles, 1:08h, with Bill and TBV. About 5 minutes of those 1:08h were spent talking to a cop who pulled TBV over after he ran a STOP sign at 20+ mph. Luckily, the cop didn't cite him. This was just bad timing because Bill and I were just a few seconds ahead, also speeding through the STOP sign. Somehow it's pointless talking to a cop since they think in this way:

do
{
nothing();
}
while (!broke_law());

Therefore they can't or don't want to accept an even good explanation why and when we would not stop.

Friday:
It's a crazy world ... again no time + again no car = again no beer.

This week's total: 115.5 miles, 8:33h.
Last week's total: 100.6 miles, 6:32h.
2 weeks ago's total: 102.4 miles, 6:15h.
3 weeks ago's total: 134.8 miles, 9:19h.
4 weeks ago's total: 68.8 miles, 5:14h.

I am ready for Sunday.

Fri, Sep 25

2009-09-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

Only 9 days left until the race; the training log for the past week:

Saturday:
Danville - Diablo Summit, 28.1 miles, 2:11h.

I see another pattern:
Last week: Friday beer -> Saturday great Diablo ride
This week: Friday no beer -> Saturday feel crappy ... so I was just dehydrated :).

More cyclists than usual ... sign of the upcoming race. Half way up the wall, I made a rookie mistake to let cars pass; when restarting, bike did a wheelie, and somehow I pulled something in my right shoulder. Driving back home with a stick-shift wasn't much fun when pulling and pushing hurts. At least I finally got to enjoy a beer at home, before I installed my new Selle SMP saddle; looking forward to more comfortable riding from now on.

Sunday:
Pleasanton - Walnut Creek and back, 38.4 miles, 2:17h, avg. 18.1 mph.
The first 38 miles on the new saddle felt great; I hope the saddle quest is now over.

Monday:
Spin class, 1 hour; during this hour, the only thing I heard, was "out of the saddle!".

Tuesday:
Lunch ride to Coyote Pt and back with TBV and Bill. 19 miles, 0:59h.

Wednesday:
Rest Day = Company Retreat = Picnic = Beer.

Thursday:
Lunch ride to Sawyer Camp Trail and back with TBV and Bill. 15.1 miles, 1:05h.

Friday:
It should be prohibited by law to schedule meetings on Fridays anywhere close to noon, let's say between 10am and 3pm. How should one otherwise get to have a couple of well deserved beers ???

Total: 100.6 miles, 6:32h.

Fri, Sep 18

2009-09-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

Only 16 days left until the race; the training log for the past week:

Saturday:
Danville - Diablo Summit. On the way down, just past the 2000 ft elevation sign, I met TBV sitting at the side of the road with a flat tire. Together, we rode back up to Juniper, then back to Danville, 2:38h, 34.3 miles, 4480ft of climbing; 1:15h from Hole in the Wall up to Summit, excluding the obligatory breaks at Junction, Juniper and Lower Parking Lot. It was a quiet day on Diablo; the early morning rain and thunderstorm probably kept people at home, before the weather cleared at around noon.

Sunday:
Pleasanton - Walnut Creek and back, 1:55h, 33.o miles, avg. 18.4 mph.

Monday:
Couldn't find my list of excuses, so went to spin class, 1 hour.

Tuesday:
Lunch ride to Sawyer Camp Trail and back, 15 miles, 1:05h, with TBV and Bill. I notice a pattern: crappy legs the day after spin class. Pondering to make Wednesday a rest day, and visit REI instead.

Wednesday:
Rest day indeed; legs still feel a bit sore, maybe a sign of over-training ? Visited REI to load up on Cliff bars and cycling socks.

Thursday:
Lunch ride to Coyote Point Gate, then doing a 3-minute Campus crit because TBV hadn't gotten enough exercise after 57 minutes on the road; 20.1 miles, 1:00h.

Friday:
Mmmh, beer ... or so I thought. But if people show up at work without a car, then how do you get to the beer ? At least I didn't make a drunk expression to the VP during my presentation.

Total: 102.4 miles, 6:15h.

Fri, Sep 11

2009-09-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Only 23 days left until the race; the training log for the past week:

Saturday:
Danville - Diablo Summit - Danville, 2:07h, 28.1 miles; 1:15h from Hole in the Wall up to Summit, excluding the obligatory breaks at Junction, Juniper and Lower Parking Lot. It was also another "Bring your car to Diablo"-Day, and noticeable number of cyclists, apparently also getting ready for Oct 4.

Sunday:
Rest day, lawn mowing and mental preparation for the Labor Day Ride.

Monday:
Labor Day Ride with TBV and Dave F, Fairfax - Nicasio - Tomales - Pt. Reyes Station - Nicasio - Fairfax; 4:10h, 73.5 miles, avg. 17.6 mph. Only Dave B remarked being sore the next day.

Checkpoints:
Cheese factory: 16.2mls - 0:59h,
Tomales: 37.3mls - 2:13h,
50.0mls - 2:52h,
Pt.Reyes St: 54.0mls - 3:05h
60.0mls - 3:26h,
70.0mls - 3:59h,
back in Fairfax: 73.5mls - 4:10h

Tuesday:
Little tired this morning. Tried to make list of excuses to avoid the lunch ride, but then decided to man up and go: Coyote Point and back, 1:00h, 18.4 miles, with Bill.

Wednesday:
Spin class, 1 hour; actually no class and just spin, because instructor Elaine was out sick. Additional hardship: spinning to music of Cirque Du Soleil is only for the toughest.

Thursday:
Late lunch ride to Sawyer Camp Trail and back, 1:02h, 14.8 miles, with TBV. It was hot and legs felt like crap.

Friday:
Did I say rest day ? Happy Friday was celebrated with cheeseburgers and Stella at the usual joint.

Total: 134.8 miles, 9:19h.

Fri, Sep 4

2009-09-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

Now it can't be undone: I registered for the 2009 Mount Diablo Challenge.

The race uphill for 10.8 miles and 3249 ft of elevation is 30 days away. After last year's absence due to injury, I have to make good on my original goal: "riding the 2008 Mount Diablo Challenge on a new bike in 1:20h or less". The bike is not so new anymore, and it's 2009 now. I've beaten 1:20h before, but not as part of this race, so this time it counts.

I haven't trained explicitly for this year's race as I did in 2007, but for the fun of it, I'll start a training log for the remaining 4 weeks and change.

Saturday:
too hot; instead, worked in the back yard, enjoyed red wine and tiramisu.

Sunday:
35.4 miles, 2:16h total, mostly flat, except going up to Diablo's 1000ft marker. Maybe I indulged too much last night ?

Monday:
Traditional rest day.

Tuesday:
Lunch ride to Sawyer Camp Trail and back, 1:04h, 15.1 miles, with Bill.

Wednesday:
Spin class, 1 hour.

Thursday:
Lunch ride to Coyote Point and back, by myself, 30 min out, 24 min back, 18.3 miles.

Friday:
The original, traditional rest day, where the emphasis is on having beer at lunch.

Total: 68.8 miles, 5:14h.

Mon, Aug 24

2009-08-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend: 62.9 miles on Saturday, and a recovery ride of 30 miles on Sunday.
Total for the month so far: 413 miles.

2009 riding stats (2008 stats in parenthesis) as of 8/23:
#of rides: 46 (56), annual mileage: 1548 (1734), pace: 2395 (2008 total mileage: 2630).

Sun, Aug 16

2009-08-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend started out as usual: zero motivation at 7:30am in the morning to do anything else than turn around in your bed and continue to sleep for another 2-3 hours.

An SMS from TBV then got me awake: "Leaving now for Sierra Rd". Ok, good, here comes peer pressure as some motivation to get me ready and going. The ride to San Jose was flat and fast, and before reaching Sierra Rd and the begin of the climb, we loaded up on carbs and sugar at Una Mas. Instead of the nap after a meal, we acted refreshed after burrito and Pepsi, and soon turned onto Sierra Rd, with the 10% upfront climb in nice sight. With my great ability to go out too fast and bonk early, I dropped back at about half way up, and rather struggled my way up for the remainder of the 1800 ft climb over 3.7 miles. By the time I reached the summit, TBV had grown a nice beard, completed a 1000-piece puzzle, and summer had turned to autumn. On the following false-downhill (yes, there are not only false-flats) I recovered enough to change my mind from taking a nap to continuing via Calaveras. Next stop was Sunol at mile 55; regained energy with Monster Energy and Gatorade, before continuing west-ward. Ride finished after 65.9 miles.

Sunday started similarly as Saturday, though today I was even more determined than yesterday, to stay home. Wife though insisted "go, go, go", and TBV's message about an easy 71-mile ride got me out the door. We met up at 9:15am, and rode south to Sunol and east to Livermore before the burrito stop. Energized, the ride back was next interrupted by the ice-cream stop in San Ramon. There must have been something in that ice cream, because next thing, we were riding at 25+ mph for the next 4 miles to Danville. Soon after, we split up, and I completed my ride in Pleasanton after 49.2 miles.

Total mileage for the weekend: 115.1; this is second most mileage cycled on a weekend; most mileage, 117.2, was exactly one year ago, Aug 16 and 17. After having cycled 72.3 miles on Saturday, the ride on Sunday came to a crashing halt at 45.2 miles.

Sun, Jul 26: Stage 32

2009-07-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

Today's stage was 48.6 miles, from Pleasanton /plɛzɑ̃̃tɔ̃/ to Mont Diabloux and back. Pommi's mission today was "I have unfinished business", meaning the missed opportunity to summit last weekend, and to ride up all the way today. At Mile 6, Pommi took the sprint points at the Danville Town Limit sign, ahead of a vintage guy on a vintage bike, wearing vintage cycling clothing. The climb to Mont Diabloux began at Mile 13, and from thereon it was a grueling 11 mile ascent of the Horse Category (because you really need a horse to pull you up the mountain). Pommi took the KOM points at Col de la Junction (ahead of the rider with the trailer with his two kids) and at the Summit of Mont Diabloux. The 22-minute ride down (compare this to 1 1/2 hours riding up, excluding the 1 hour for rest stops) was similarly uneventful and unrefreshing as last weekend, with temperatures now in the Oven Category. The final 10 miles back were not very enjoying after having emptied a bottle of Gatorade instead of water over my head. The ride ended with a sprint on Dublin Elysees; not because of more points to collect, but because I really wanted to go home and take a nap.

Mon, Jul 20 - Tour de France Live Feeds

2009-07-20T11:31:00.001-07:00

For all those reaching this site by googling 'versus live feed'

cyclingfans.com
steephill.tv

Sat, Jul 18

2009-07-18T16:37:00.001-07:00

Today I made a mistake by picking the Middle East Bay as cycling venue. I wanted to ride Mount Diablo today, so I left home at a comfortable 72F at about 9:30am; about 15 minutes later, across the ridge in the San Ramon Valley, the reading was mid-80's. At the start of the ride, 87F. Nevertheless I struggled my way up to Juniper before turning around, hoping to cool down a bit; it worked until turning the corner at South Gate, when it started feeling like a giant hairdryer blowing hot air. 102F by the time I finished; tomorrow: cycling closer to the coast.

Fri, Jul 3

2009-07-03T21:37:00.001-07:00

Another weekday off work since it's 4th of July weekend. The weather today was too gorgeous to pass up on a ride up Diablo; mid-70s when I started, and when I finished, the thermometer in the car said 102F ... probably closer to mid-90s. This has just been my sixth bike ride in the last four weeks, and since I came back from China.

Thu Jun 25 - Sun Jun 28: Vancouver

2009-07-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

In order to escape the masses on the 4th of July weekend, we scheduled a trip one week earlier, and flew out to Vancouver Thursday night. This was about the 6th trip up to north of the border; we simply love this city. Saturday, we rented a bike to ride along the shore, through Stanley Park, by English Bay and False Creek.

Bike fashion in Vancouver:

Mon, Jun 22

2009-06-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Slowly I seem to be making it back to my usual cycling life ... a mediocre 47 miles the weekend before last (Diablo Junction one of the two days), and last weekend a more reasonable 80 miles. Still haven't resumed the weekday lunch rides, but it's all a matter of time.

2009 riding stats (2008 stats in parenthesis) as of 6/22:
#of rides: 24 (27), annual mileage: 865 (945), pace: 1817.

Thu, Jun 11

2009-06-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

No biking, no blogging; it's as simple as that. Last ride / accrued mileage: Apr 26 / 707 miles ... *gasp* ... thanks to cool and rainy weather, the annual trip to China (lasting a month, or 5 weekends), meetings, work, and as always, lame excuses. Hope to change the numbers this weekend.

Sun, Apr 19

2009-04-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

After little over two years, back again at Mines Rd. This time, we went past the Alameda/Santa Clara County Line, back up to the Summit and down to the "what we call the Store", just before Hwy 130. Coming back, riding time from County Line back to Tesla Rd: 19.5 miles in 58 minutes. Total distance: 57.4 miles, 4295 ft of climbing.

Total distance for the weekend: 88.6 miles.

In other news, another encounter of car vs cyclist:

Cyclist struck by hit-and-run driver in Saratoga suffers head trauma, but conscious

A competitive cyclist who was struck by a car on Sunday is conscious and speaking, although she suffered head trauma and bleeding in her brain, her boyfriend said today in an interview.

Ashley Jackson, 24, a Category 4-grade competitor who rides with Alto Velo/Webcor, can't remember anything about the 5:30 p.m. collision as she cycled along Highway 9 near Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga, said boyfriend David Nelson, 41.

But other than that, the West Valley College student doesn't appear to be suffering from other types of amnesia and can recognize everyone in the room, he said.

"Neurosurgeons are watching her and doctors and nurses are asking her questions every hour,'' said Nelson, who was also clipped by a car he described as a silver BMW, either a 745 or 750, with a dangling right side mirror.

Nelson said his injuries were minor.

Jackson is being treated at Valley Medical Center. She broke her clavicle, and has had one MRI and three CT scans so far, Nelson said, and she is awaiting an official prognosis on her recovery. She is listed in serious but stable condition and no word has been given about her hospital release, Nelson said.

The two were cycling together, he said, single-file in the bike lane, with helmets on. The BMW struck Jackson first, then Nelson, and then appeared to pull over to stop for a moment before speeding off, Nelson said.

Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies are investigating. But as of this morning, there was no new information to report about a suspect, according to Sgt. Don Morrissey.

Source

The hunt is on:

Late model Silver 7 series BMW hit a cyclist on Highway 9 and Fruitvale at 5:30 pm Sunday in Saratoga and drove off. She was in the BIKE LANE. The girl is in critical condition with massive head injuries. She is only 24 years old.
No witnesses to report license. If you saw a BMW with a broken or missing side mirror PLEASE PLEASE contact the Saratoga police.
Dont let this a$$hole get away with this.
Somebody has seen this car, somebody......

Sun, Apr 12

2009-04-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

The Easter Ride today was from Canada Rd down to Cupertino, 2000ft of climbing up Montebello Rd in 4.1 miles (average grade 9.2%), and returning the same way. 61 miles in 4:03h riding time.

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T09:46:00.001-07:00

Sun, Mar 29

2009-03-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Long time, no blogging .... but the last few weekends were either rained out or too cool, so since February 1 I only added 160 miles of riding prior to this weekend.

Yesterday was a very good day for cycling: sunny, mid-to-upper 70s. For the second time this year, I rode up to Mount Diablo Summit.

Today was a very good day for .... sailing: sunny, blustery, temperatures about 15 degrees less than yesterday. Nevertheless I headed over the bridge to ride my Canada Rd - Los Altos loop.

74 miles for the weekend, only 450 miles for the year; my pace for the year a mere 1865 miles.

Sun, Feb 15 - 2009 ToCA - Prologue

2009-02-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

The 2009 Tour of California is underway.

I had signed up for a volunteer position at the Prologue in Sacramento on Sat Feb 14, and was assigned the job as a course marshal between 6th and 7th Str on the north side of Capitol Mall. The job of the five os us assigned to this 350-feet stretch there, was to ensure the safety of all participants, in particular spectators, who like to walk blindly onto the road and into the path of the incoming lead motorcycle, cyclist, team car and sometimes more entourage.

Early on we saw teams out on warm-up and reconnaissance rides, and lucky us, after the Garmin-Slipstream squad ...

... Team Astana rode by, headed by Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer ....

Lance on this TT bike, which was reported to got stolen, along with other road bikes belonging to Janez Brajkovic, Steve Morabito and Yaroslav Popovych.

Other riders that I recognized were Jens Voigt, Chris Horner, Fabian Cancellara, and then of course there was Floyd:

During the race, that started at 1:30pm, with the 136 riders departing in 1-minute intervals, there were only few chances to take pictures.

Today's stage has now started, going from Davis to Santa Rosa.

Thu, Feb 5

2009-02-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

For everyone not attending the Prologue 2009 ToCA in Sacramento, maybe attending the San Jose Cycling Classics on Feb 14 is tempting:

"It will be a cycling celebration with professional, amateur and community cycling activities, including a competitive time trial race, a newly added non-competitive tour ride, a CEO Challenge and a criterium. The San Jose Cycling Classic will bring together a projected 1,000 cycling athletes, 20,000 spectators and cycling-related exhibitors. San Jose will show cyclists everywhere that San Jose is a one of the best places in the world to cycle!"

Sun, Feb 1

2009-02-01T22:09:00.001-08:00

There's hardly a better day to ride the bike than on Superbowl Sunday. My disdain for American Wussball is known to the few readers (me and GoogleBot) of this blog, so I go out and enjoy roads less traveled that day, and so did a large number of cyclists as well. With temperatures just short of 70F, I spent 84 miles on the road this weekend. Total for this year: 216 miles.

Tue, Jan 27

2009-01-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

Couple more weeks left until start of the 2009 Tour of California.

My plan:
2/14 - Prologue Sacramento - attend as Course Marshal
2/16 - Stage 2 (Sausalito - Santa Cruz) - watch race on Skyline/Tunitas Creek Rd
2/17 - Stage 3 (San Jose - Modesto) - watch race on Sierra Rd

Sat, Jan 17: Diablo

2009-01-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

The spring-like weather continued so after last weekend's failed attempt to reach Mount Diablo Summit, I rode up today. Apparently it was another of those "Bring your car to Diablo" days because the parking lots at Rock City, Juniper and the Summit were FULL. I got some nice shots and used my Canon Powershot as video camera to capture the feeling of racing downhill.

Above the haze, at the Summit

Perspective

2009-01-16T10:29:00.001-08:00

Redwood City Truck Driver May Have Aimed for Cyclists

2009-01-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KCBS) -- The CHP is investigating a possible road incident in Redwood City, where a pickup truck driver allegedly tried to run a group of cyclists off the road over the weekend.

Four cyclists were riding downhill on Skyline near Skylonda on Saturday morning at about 35 miles per hour, when a driver in a white Dodge or Chevy pickup truck allegedly tried to knock them off their bikes.

”I’m pretty banged up, so it’s been slow getting up and getting to work in the morning,” said team captain Anthony Borba, who was knocked off his bike. “My neck is pretty injured, I’m having trouble turning my head.”

A motorcyclist was able to chase the truck down and write down a license plate number.

Borba said that the incident gave them pause because two members of their team, Kristy Gough and Matt Peterson were killed last year in Cupertino when a Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy accidentally hit them with his patrol car.

Link to news article on kcbs.com
KCBS Podcast

Sun, Jan 11

2009-01-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

TBV (ret.) and I decided to ride Mount Diablo today. It got noticeably warmer with increasing elevation, and at the Junction it was 68F (I love global warming ;-)). None of us though was in shape today to continue up to the Summit. On top, the 35 mph wind would've only made things only more strenuous today, so instead we rode down North Gate and returned via Walnut Creek. Today's mileage: 27.8.

The following two pictures were taken exactly one year ago, on the second Sunday in January:

Today, the weather was a carbon copy of last year, and the Phonak rider too:

Sat, Jan 10 - first ride this year

2009-01-10T16:32:00.000-08:00

What an awesome day it was today to get out for a bike ride. Many cyclists used the opportunity of spring-like conditions today to have their first ride of the year. By the time I finished my 45-mile ride to Los Altos and back, the thermometer said "70F". Tomorrow's plan is to ride Mount Diablo.

Sat, Jan 10

2009-01-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

What I didn't manage ;-) ...
Ryder Hesjedal's (Garmin Slipstream) Haleakala record attempt; he beat his boss' old record set in 1993.

Fri, Jan 9

2009-01-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2009 !

The weekend and temperatures in the 60s are upon us; this means only one thing: get out for a bike ride (or two). Mount Diablo looks great on the webcam, but it looks better from the bike: the plan is to ride up on Sunday. More later.

Tue, Dec 23

2008-12-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

Chain Reaction Bicycles posted some really cool pictures from a recent ride up Kings Mountain Road; click on the picture to see the photo album.

Sat, Dec 20

2008-12-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

The only thing worse than riding in 53F weather, is riding in 48F weather. Despite the cold temperature, I decided to go for a short ride today, because some exercise is better than no exercise, and the forecast for the coming days will not entice me at all to go cycling. The ride ended up being really short; after 25 minutes around the Cal State campus, I had enough and returned home for a hot shower. This was definitely the last ride this year. Now it's time for a fresh-made eggnog.

2008 riding stats: #of rides: 85, annual mileage: 2631.

Wed, Dec 17: The Shoe Aftermath

2008-12-17T15:46:00.001-08:00

Without doubt, the best memory ever of the worst president of all times.

The Original

Flash Games:
Bush Shoe throwing Game
Bush's Boot Camp
Sock and Awe
Ridiculopathy.com

Static Images:
George W. Bush - Matrix Style
Security Upgrade

Animated Images:
George Bush Captured
Shoe Thrower
Saddam's Head Thrower
Bush Defense Initiative (BDI)
Cat Thrower
Quantum of ShOeLACE
Dodgeball
Bush Hunt
Stomp
Cake Thrower

Sun, Dec 14

2008-12-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

Hayward (pln) - Pommi prematurely ends the 2008 cycling season after the weekend was just friggin' cold and wet. Folks in areas where it's about -2F right now, are probably rolling on the floor laughing hard. There's just one more weekend left this year for some California cycling, but the chances for 60+ degrees are rather slim.

With 2624 miles for the year, I came up 92 miles short of last year's mileage, and 376 miles short of my initial goal; as mentioned before, May and September were spent in China and recovery.

Breakdown by month:

Jan	110.0
Feb	111.5
Mar	361.8
Apr	150.6
May	31.6
Jun	207.8
Jul	393.3
Aug	367.4
Sep	69.0
Oct	334.1
Nov	430.0
Dec	57.5

My 2009 goals are undefined as of yet except participating in 2-3 centuries.

The 2009 New Year ride will not be on a bike up Diablo, but on a train from Frankfurt to Munich; my cycling season will start January 10.

Until then, Happy Holidays, and don't drink too much eggnog.

2008-12-14T11:53:00.001-08:00

Mobile blogging via sms ....

mobile blogging via email

2008-12-14T11:49:00.001-08:00

how does it work ?

Mon, Dec 8

2008-12-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

Weekend stats:
- mileage: 57.5 miles
- average temperature: 53 F

On Saturday, I still got away riding with half-finger gloves and just a vest over the bike jersey; yesterday, the temperature at start was just 51F, and required full-finger gloves, shoe covers, skull cap, and jacket.

I have 92 miles of riding and two weekends this year left to at least beat my 2007 mileage of 2716.

Sun, Nov 30

2008-11-30T15:55:00.000-08:00

With temperatures in the 70s (other locations in the US getting half of that today), I rounded up the weekend riding 84 miles, bringing the month's total to 430 miles, and the annual mileage to 2567, still more than 400 miles short of my goal. Considering the one-month trip to China and my crash, I would've already passed the 3000-mark; maybe next year.

Wed, Nov 26

2008-11-26T21:18:00.000-08:00

Placed a new picture into the blog header: a ~135-degree view from the Haleakala summit.

Cyclist killed in Port Costa hit-and-run

2008-11-25T22:20:00.000-08:00

MARTINEZ — An avid cyclist killed by a hit-and-run driver Monday during a routine bike ride in Port Costa was remembered as an energetic man who had a knack for sensing when his friends and family needed help, relatives said.
Mark Pendleton, 49, of Martinez, was struck sometime in the early evening hours by a driver who remains at large.
[...]

Link

Wed, Nov 19

2008-11-19T22:06:00.001-08:00

Four more days left here on the island. This morning I rode for one more time, bringing the total for this vacation to 8 rides and 272 miles in 11 days.

Other impressions

Different day, same ocean.

Mon, Nov 17

2008-11-17T23:02:00.000-08:00

Today, on top of Haleakala, at a balmy 48F; with wife and without bike.

Sun, Nov 16

2008-11-16T23:11:00.001-08:00

Week One is over, Week Two to start.

Saturday I took a break from cycling, and I picked up my wife from the airport. Today I only got 20.9 miles accomplished due to the Trade Winds being back and bringing morning showers.

Remaining day's view:

Fri, Nov 14: Road to Hana

2008-11-14T19:51:00.000-08:00

Today was the 5th consecutive day of riding; total Maui mileage: 196 miles.

I also heard that the weather conditions on Haleakala above 7000 feet two days ago were not any better than at 6500 feet, where two of us turned around; conditions at the Summit were described as "almost snowing" and "I couldn't move my fingers to break". This sounds more like mid- to upper 30s, instead of the forecasted 57F.

The ride today was out from Maui Cyclery in Haiku, on Hana Road to Keanae Peninsula and back, for a total of 46.8 miles in about 3 hours. And it really really doesn't get any better than this:

Wed, Nov 12 - Haleakala

2008-11-12T21:43:00.000-08:00

To make a long story short: the ride to the House of the Sun ended up being a ride to the House of the Fog.

At about 7am, it looked to be a clear and sunny day on Haleakala. We started the ride close to 8:50am at the Maui Cyclery in Haiku. The route took us on backroads up to about 3100 feet, and the first stop, at the Kula Lodge. It was noticeably cooler already than at the start of the ride, and at the next stop at about 5000 feet, arm warmers and vests came on. At 6500 feet visibility was maybe 100 feet at times due to the fog. With still 13 of 22 miles on Highway 378 to go to the Summit, we decided to turn around. We had a blast going 40 mph downhill, and were back to Haiku an hour later.

Climbing 6500 feet is the equivalent of riding up Mount Diablo twice, and despite the failure to summit, I enjoyed the 44 mile ride. In retrospect, I regret that I gave up, because physically I could have continued on the final 1/3 of the ride, but mentally I wasn't ready for the cold and another 13 miles of uphill riding. At least Haleakala doesn't go anywhere; one day I'll complete the ride.

Tue, Nov 11

2008-11-11T20:29:00.000-08:00

Typical day on Maui (so far):

6am: get up
7am: hit the road

9:30am: return to hotel
10am: hit the beach
12pm: lunch
1pm: hit the beach
5:30pm: watch the sunset

6pm: dinner
9pm: hit the sack

Scheduled for tomorrow: the ride up Haleakala.
Forecast:

Mostly sunny with isolated showers. Breezy. Highs 59 to 65 at 7000 feet to around 57 at the summit. Southeast winds 10 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Sun, Nov 2

2008-11-02T16:23:00.001-08:00

The weather was my friend today as we got a break from the rain. Headed over the hills to Pleasanton to ride to Walnut Creek and back. Diablo looked inviting, but I didn't trust the weather. Between Danville and Alamo, Chris Phipps and friends from the Morgan Stanley / 24 Hour Fitness / Specialized Cycling Team passed me, so I drafted them at about 28 mph until Rutgear Rd. Returned via Olympic and Tice Valley Blvd. Today's mileage: 34.4, average 18.4 mph.

In a week from today I'll be sitting at the beach in Maui, and enjoying just about everything there. Instead of schlepping my bike there, I'll rent one from West Maui Cycles, and hope to get some of the 830 miles done which I am short of to reach 3000 miles for the year. The plan for Wed, Nov 12, is to ride up Haleakala, with Donnie Arnoult's Go Cycling Maui. Aloha!

Evening Sky over SF Bay

Thu, Oct 30: HealthNet goes OUCH with Floyd

2008-10-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

Cyclingnews.com reports on the sponsor replacement of the HealthNet cycling team, to be now called "OUCH presented by Maxxis", and Floyd Landis riding for OUCH in 2009:

Landis, ex-Health Net together under OUCH

After a lot of speculation, the replacement for Health Net as title sponsor of the five-time top NRC men's team is now official – OUCH Sports Medical Center, based in Temecula, California, will take over the sponsorship of the team run my Momentum Sports Group, to be officially named OUCH presented by Maxxis. As well, it is confirmed that Floyd Landis will join the team following the end of his suspension in January of 2009.

Dr. Brent W. Kay, MD, co-founder and executive director of OUCH Sports Medical Center, is the impetus behind the sponsorship. Dr. Kay is Landis' long-time personal physician, and testified at his USADA arbitration hearing. He is also the doctor who oversaw his hip replacement surgeries.

"We are very excited to showcase Floyd's Smith & Nephew hip, to play on the bionic man theme with his return," Dr. Kay told Cyclingnews. "We think it is going to set a precedent about what these joints can do."

As for how the sponsorship came about, as well as combining it with the plan for Landis' return, Dr. Kay said that the pieces just fell into place. "I knew that Health Net was not going to be sponsoring any more, and the opportunity just presented itself, so I jumped on it. I am really excited because I want to help Floyd return and also it is going to help get out message out. We are going to do some seminars next year about joint replacement, not just to the athlete community but also to the general public. "

Dr. Kay is himself an accomplished track cyclist, who attempted to break the world hour record for ages 40-44 in 2006. "I started cycling at age 40; I had done triathlons for twenty years before that, but because of severe arthritis in my shoulder I got into cycling. Shortly after that I met Floyd on a ride near my home."

OUCH is not new to cycling sponsorship, as it was the sponsor of American track star Sarah Hammer for her 2006-2007 season. It also supported the American Women's Track Cycling Fund. Dr. Kay said that currently the plans for a track team are still to be determined.

Wed, Oct 29: SF Bay Expo coming next month

2008-10-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

From cyclingnews.com:

San Francisco Bay Area Expo and Swap coming next month

The inaugural San Francisco Bay Area Bicycle Expo and Swap, presented by rideSFO, will happen November 29-30 in San Francisco, California. The Expo and Swap will be about everything on human powered two wheel machines and related. Booth space will be available for exhibitors such as bike manufacturers, eco-friendly vendors, bike shops, teams, and advocacy groups. Bike demos, shows and a raffle will be part of the activities.

For more information, visit www.ridesfo.com.

Mon, Oct 27: ToCA 2009

2008-10-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

"Thank you for your interest in the 2009 Tour of California. The Sacramento Sports Commission has received your contact information from the AMGEN website and you are now a registered volunteer for the overall start of the 2009 Tour of California!
[...]
We are still looking for willing volunteers to assist the Sacramento Sports Commission with this event so if you are aware of anyone who might be interested please refer them to www.amgentourofcalifornia.com to sign up. [...]"

Sun, Oct 26

2008-10-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today's ride: Pleasanton - Walnut Creek - Diablo North Gate - Junction - South Gate - Danville and back, for a total of 49.3 miles and 334 miles for the month. This is the same route I took on Aug 17, before I crashed in Dublin, about one mile before completing that day's ride; fortunately, no broken bones today.

Sat, Oct 25: Diablo #10

2008-10-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

This is one of those days where you get up and don't feel like riding but rather sleeping for another several hours. Nevertheless, fearing that I will regret it if I don't go out for a ride, I packed my things and headed towards the usual hunting ground. It was also good to start early, because by the time I passed the South Gate Kiosk on the way down from Mount Diablo Summit, the breeze had turned from refreshingly cool to 85F+.

Today's view from the summit

Not for sale ...

On Diablo Road ...

Fall colors in Danville