The crew at News 10 Good Morning mentioned me this morning after I sent in an e-mail about bike-to-work day.

Today, Mike and I rode the 100 mile Delta Century, put on by the Stockton Bike Club. The Delta Century was the first century I ever rode but it hasn't rated as one of my favorites. That's not due to any fault of the wonderful organizers and volunteers; it's just a bit too windy, and today was no exception.

Mike and I headed out from Jessie's Grove at 6:30 this morning. It was cold but Mike forgot his arm-warmers... so we both went without. After I was done patting myself on the back for being such a noble friend, Mike uttered, "I wouldn't have worn mine". Cold as it was at the start, we knew it wouldn't be cold for long. As soon as we took our first turn headed west we were met with... surprise... wait for it... a... headwind!



This year's ride took a different route than it did the last time I rode it. The first rest stop was at mile 26, in Courtland, which was perfect place for it. The ride took us along many of the windy delta roads. The second rest stop felt pretty quick at mile 38, at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg. After that stop we quickly got going again and caught up to a group of other riders that were riding pretty fast. We jumped on their line, along with a few other riders and pushed hard for about 15 minutes at 20-22 (in a cross wind) until Mike and I got dropped like a bad habit; it was fun while it lasted.



We looped back to toward Courtland for the lunch break at mile 63. Yes, that's the same Courtland that hosted the first rest stop way back at mile 26. We actually rode the same stretch or River Road and Washington Ave three times.

After a ferry ride across Steamboat Slough and and more and more headwind, we finally got back to Walnut Grove for the final rest stop at mile 78. Almost all of the last 20 miles was with a tail wind so we got back to Jessie's Grove pretty strong.

This was Mike's first 100 mile century and rode great given the wind.

Overall, it was a good ride. Although, at the start of the day, I preferred the Mondavi start location of years past, Jessie's Grove proved better at for the end of the ride. The volunteers and organizers were great and very friendly. The food at the rest stops was very good, certainly better than the food at the Primavera. The added touch of the pillows and blankets on the grass at the final rest stop was a very nice touch (I believe those were from a generous local guy and not part of the club). The post ride meal, catered from DaVinci's, was awesome. With tons of shade and a DJ playing music and asking trivia.

Four counties... San Joaquin, Sacramento, Yolo and Solano.

100 miles today... and 9,345 total miles for those counting.

Check out the pics here.

I recently posted about my goal of riding my 10,000th mile by July. So far, I recently crossed over the 9,100 mile mark... I am almost there. Given that great weather is ahead, I see no problem smashing my 10,000 mile goal.

To celebrate the miles, I started taking a picture every 100 miles. No matter where I am, when I cross each 100 miles, I take a picture and send it to Flickr. Enjoy.



If you see me riding through Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, etc., and see me taking a picture while I'm riding, get my attention and say, "cheese"!

On Sunday, Mike and I rode the Primavera Century. We got an early start out of Stockton and pulled in to the parking lot in Union City a couple of minutes after 7 AM. I rode the 100 mile route in 2005 but Mike and I decided to ride the 100k.

Mike and I both immediatley noticed that all of the departing riders were wearing long pants. We both neglected to bring long pants. "We'll be fine." I kept saying. We checked in quickly, got our 100k route sheet and headed out! We caught up with a couple of guys from Alamo and had a few good laughs as we rolled through Union City, Fremont and Milpitas. It was a little chilly outside but I was pretty happy that I didn't over dress for the day.

After the first rest stop and just as we approached the first climb at Calaveras road we saw a couple of guys riding fixed gear bikes. Wow, those fixies are amazing! These guys were easily 20 years older than me and were in amazing shape! Mike stayed with me for a minute or so until I punched ahead. I felt great and was happy to be climbing again! I waited for Mike at the top and we headed back down the other side together.

As we got to Sunol I was feeling great. I still ride a triple (52/42/30) but have been considering converting to a double for some time. After climbing very well up Calaveras in my middle ring I told myself that I would avoid the smallest ring all day.

About 30 minutes before Mike and I rolled in to the Sunol rest stop I got a text message from Dan on Twitter. Oh what fun Twitter is. I only recently decided to jump on the Twitter bandwagon, thanks to David at the FredCast (the internet's premiere cycling podcast!). I love Twitter and have been playing around with tracking keywords via text message. Besides tracking 'Stockton' and 'Lodi' I also started tracking 'Primavera' a couple of days before this ride. All I got was a bunch of stuff in Spanish and had to eventually untrack it. It was my tracking of 'Pleasanton' that introduced me to Dan. This guy flew through the 100k course! His stats were incredible... gave me chills reading it.

After a slight climb up Dublin Canyon and the final rest stop we approached my favorite part of this ride: Palomares Road. Here's a pic of the view in front of me.


This climb was tough but I was able to keep it in the middle ring the whole way up. Again, I felt really good on this climb and marched up the hill gritting my teeth and sweating bullets the whole way. When I got near the top the other riders that were waiting and cheering helped me crest the top. As soon as I could see the top, I stood up and pushed to the top. I waited for a few minutes and then went down about a mile or so to find Mike. I was happy to find him working hard to get to the top and after letting him rest for a a brief spell, I paced him up to the top. Mike often kills me on the flats but will freely admit climbing is not his strength. Given that, I was amazed at his perceiverance and proud that he pushed to get to the top the way he did.

Here's the top of Palomares looking down on the road I took to get here.


On the back side of Palomares, I flew down and enjoyed the prize of a fast descent, topping at 35 MPH! It was a good ride back in to Union City. After we loaded the bikes up we headed to the school for the post-ride meal. I was dissapointed with the food here. The food was just ok but was craving a Pepsi. I normally don't drink soda but have been used to a post-ride pop. Not at this ride. Water, gatorade, lemonade and instant tea (yuk!) were the only options. The lasagna was good but the bread and brownies could have doubled for hockey pucks.

All in all, I really enjoyed this ride. Very clear road markings and decent rest stops. A very, very nice course with great views and awesome hills. Check out the few pics I took here.

Final stats: 64.8 miles / 13.4 MPH

Primavera next year? Absolutely! Maybe I'll even do the 100 miles again. Next big ride - The Delta Century (100 mile).

Check out Dan's blog entry here.

This coming July will mark my fifth year riding. When I looked at how many miles I had in late December I realized I was almost at 8,000 (yes, I log every ride). Looking at nearly 8,000 miles in four and a half years was a painful reminder that I have spent too much time off the saddle. Given that I rode 3,000 miles in my first year, I should be closer to 10,000 miles. With 2,200 miles to go, that became my newest riding goal - hit 10,000 miles by my fifth anniversary in July. In order to do that I would need to ride at a rate higher than I ever have.

With 100 miles already logged this week I left this morning a little after 10 intent to set a new weekly record. I left with every intent of riding my first solo century. I have ridden several local centuries and even joined some friends for an unorganized century or two but have never ventured out on my own for a 100 mile ride.

I headed south to Tracy and of course was met with the nasty wind that makes riding the flats out here feel like climbing. In this picture, I'm headed south on Tracy Boulevard, taking advantage of a cross tail wind. Easily staying at about 20 MPH with a cadence of 90.


I had a nice tail wind through Banta and out Kasson Road easily holding 25 for the whole 7.5 miles to Airport Way. That's when I hit the head wind and nasty cross wind. I would have it all the way home, except for the short parts through the Weston Ranch and Brookside loops.

This was my most productive week, 200 miles, and so far this month (8 days into it) I have more miles than any of the last 17 months.

Check out the rest of the pictures from today's ride here.

I am a self-professed podcast junky. One of my favorite podcasts is Mostly Trivial, with your host Johnee Bee. After doing some research on the penny-farthing bike I bought recently, I decided to pitch some trivia questions to the show. I was driving home from work, listening to podcasts, and Mostly Trivial started to play. I was blown away when Johnee Bee introduced the category as 'bicycles'. I'm practically famous! Finally, I knew all of the questions.

If you haven't listened to Mostly Trivial, give it a try. It is a short, very well produced weekly show.

Check out the episode I contributed to here.

Click here for Mostly Trivial on iTunes.

The first century of the year for me was the Party Pardee. This great metric century started in Ione and took us through Amador and Calaveras counties. This was the first time I have ridden in this ride although I have been on most of the roads before on other rides. Mike warned me that the hills were brutal, I just didn't realize how brutal they were.

Mike's son, Spencer, joined us for the ride but had little notion of what he was in store for today. Today was not only Spencer's first century, it was also his first organized ride, and he hadn't climbed this much before. He had a new bike, an awesome looking Trek 1500, which he hadn't even been on before today!!! The odds were stacked against him but he persevered!!! Even though there were times he wanted to take the SAG wagon back to the car, he didn't give up (the Chariot's of Fire theme song would be appropriate here) and kept pounding away at the climbs! Mike rode exceptionally well, especially since he's put less than 150 miles on his bike this year.



This ride was one of the best supported rides in the area and we will definitely be doing it again next year.

At the end of the ride Spencer found his way in front of me and Mike so it looked like he pulled us the whole way. You learn fast, Spencer! So, what did he look like at the end of day? Cool, calm and collected... ah to be young again!



Thanks for the great ride gents!

I only took a couple of pics, but here they are.

After having her new bike for only a week Emily decided it was time to go on a longer ride. We headed out this morning to the wonderful little town of Thornton. We only stopped once at the 76 station in Thornton and then we were back on our way. By the time we got home she had completed her longest ride to date.... 36 miles... she was tired but did very well. 







Emily has said that her goal is to be the first female to win le Tour de France. Well, she got one step closer this weekend when we picked up her first road bike... a sweet looking red Specialized Dolce. She did awesome on her first ride on the new bike... 23 miles and looking strong. She is still proud to be part of the Sprocket Rockets (click here to visit the Sprocket Rocket's web site) 




What a nice Father's Day. I got to sleep in... until almost 9 am... Dawn and the girls made me and Grandpa Jack a great breakfast and then Dawn mowed the front yard (I still did the back yard). After yard work Emily and rode our bikes to Jack & Rita's for dinner. Jack made a killer tri-tip (and made me a great steak). We all practiced our drives and chip shots in his back yard and had a great time. Click here for the videos of our ride (pics, here).

The Sierra Century

What a ride! Even though I was saddened by Chuck's absence at today's century I still managed to get on the bike and win won for the Gipper (wow, was that sentimental or what?). I pulled up to the fairgrounds a little before 0600 and Pete and I headed out at about 0630. Pete had not ridden this century before but had heard me hype it up for the last two weeks. As we started our ride I reminded him that the first leg of the ride goes downhill... and it was going to be cold. We felt pretty good when we hit the first rest stop, at mile twenty-something, in less than an hour! 

The rest of the day, of course, would not be as quick, or as cold. We rode into Volcano and saw Felix (who had no visable signs of being tired). He and his friend, AJ, took off a few minutes before we did but I never saw them again. 

After the lunch stop in Fiddletown (mile 60), we headed back out and, along with another poor sap, followed a rogue arrow marked 200k. We ended up doing a big circle out of our way and met up with a couple of other riders that had turned the wrong way and found themselves almost back to Plymouth. So, all of us (except one guy who was obviously mentally beaten by the fact that he had to re-trace his steps) headed back to Fiddletown to start the second half again. Rodrigo said it best... "I didn't pay $40 to ride 60 miles!" 

After some more moderate climbing Pete and I finally reached the bottom of the famous Slug Gulch... with almost 20 more miles in our legs than we should have had thanks to that rogue arrow. I took the bypass at this point last year and my bike immediately thanked with me a flat. This year I was determined to do Slug Gulch! I had no idea this climb was as difficult as it was. It could have been the 95 miles / 3000+ feet I already rode... but I was almost ready to bonk! All I could think of was getting to the top and getting my pin. We finally made it to the top and after some rest and food we headed back down. 

In my opinion, this has to be the best century in the area, bar none... even with the hillbillies cursing at us. The 300+ volunteers are everywhere!!!! They truly make the day a great one with their attention to detail (having Advil and sunblock at the lunch stop, getting the applause at the top of Slug Gulch, and not having to make my own sandwiches at the rest stop). 

118 miles.... a lot of climbing! 



Emily and I headed out to Paradise Point... what a hot ride. 

 

 

I hate FLATS! Oh well... Emily got her first on-the-road flat! Front tire and only a few miles from home. I decided to change it for her but gave her pointers along the way. 




It's time to ride...
Here are some up coming centuries on my calendar...
 

4/9/05 - Tierra Bella Century 
4/17/05 - Primavera Century 
5/1/05 - Delta Century 
5/21/05 - Lodi Sunrise Century 
5/24/05 - Ride to work... ok, so it's a week late but I rode from Stockton to Pleasanton and then back to Stockton after work... wow! What a ride! 
6/4/05 - Sierra Century

The Newman Bike Club (Chuck & Bill) traveled all the way to North Stockton for an early 0530 start.  
We rode through town to the Calaveras trail and then through UOP and on through the beautiful downtown Stockton.  Much to their disappointment, we didn't see a single gang banger (probably because it was too early in the morning).  We turned west at French Camp and headed right into a head wind at Mathews / Howard roads.  We rotated turns up front but I kept dropping back.  I kept promising a rest stop at mile 20 or mile 30 but as we rolled through the twentieth mile with not a damn thing in site other than dirt and road I realized it was 25 or 30.  Bill was so distraught over having to ride further than expected to get to the 1st rest stop that he, in anger, tried to take me out of the ride.  He clipped my back wheel and bit it hard!  Well, of course I'm joking about his intent... he had one hand on the bars and one hand on his water bottle when he looked up and WHAM! Actually it sounded more like, "OH SHIT!!!" and then WHAM! Bill was down hard!  Chuck and I stopped and after a couple of minutes we were back on the road again.... Bill suffering a major cut to his arm and probably a deep raspberry on his ass.  He'll have to re-tape his bars soon, too.  
We finally made our first stop at mile 31 in Tracy (205 & Tracy Blvd) and then headed toward the raging metropolis of Banta.  As we crossed 11th street and Grantline Mike text paged me with the results from the Tour (Lance takes the stage and is now 22 seconds behind the Yellow Jersey)!  
This ride could be coined as the HEADWIND TOUR because it seems we got it from every direction.  Going East on Grantline, South East on Kassoon and North on Airport, it all felt like we were riding right into it!
I kept falling off the pace on Kassoon and Union and Bill and Chuck were gracious enough to allow me to catch up (mostly because they didn't know the way back).
Bill rode extremely tough and I did my best to keep up as much as I did.  All in all, ass kicked and all, it felt awesome... plus I knocked 45 minutes off my time from when I did this same ride in April.

I met Chuck early on Saturday morning in the big city of Patterson.  He promised me an incredible ride... he promised me a lot of climbing... he promised me more than 100 miles of lung pounding, leg screaming roads.  Well, once again, the coach delivered!   
The first order of the day was to get over the famed Del Puerto Canyon (after I went back and did the first .75 miles twice because I FORGOT MY WATER BOTTLES) [see 6-12-04 and 9-20-03] which I finally did without a rest!  On the way up a guy flew past us like we were standing still.  When we approached the wall (the last 1.5 miles, Chuck took off strong, eventually passing that same guy (who, by the way, never made it to the top).  We re-grouped and rode to the junction to fill our water bottles with the nasty tank water (this time, we brought plenty of powdered energy mix to kill the taste).
It was now 31 miles to Livermore with more climbing, beautiful views and far more bikes than cars.  Chuck caught a swarm of bees in his helmet on a downhill stretch and flung his helmet off... only to realize that his shades went, too.  He was able to save his frame and nose piece but he would have to ride the rest of the day without any eye protection because the lens was demolished!
We had lunch at a Subway in Livermore and headed back toward Patterson.  The hills were even more brutal on the return trip and it was getting hotter and hotter.  Somewhere up Mines Road we stopped where there were three very young girls selling ice cold lemonade for $1 glass!  These girls were very entrepreneurial.  I said that, given all of the cyclists out, perhaps selling cytomax would be more profitable... Chuck, on the other hand, pointed out that in a few years, when they were all "legal" they would surely sell "A LOT MORE LEMONADE!" 
Chuck caught a flat shortly before the Junction on the return trip so we had an unscheduled (but much needed by me) rest stop.  
After filling our bottles at the Junction we headed back for town.  Chuck made me power over the last couple of little baby climbs (which I still feel today).  
Total miles: 112
See y'all on 7/17/04 . . . Stockton, French Camp, Tracy, Manteca...

Another cool ride with the entire NBC (Newman Bike Club)... Chuck and Bill.  We met in Livermore and then drove out to Antioch to start the ride.  Chuck had been promising a lot of climbing on this ride and within the first several miles we knew what he meant.  
Against a horrific head wind, we climbed up Kirker Pass and into Concord.  The next climb was Morgan Territory.  With plenty of shade, never a car in sight, some long but gradual climbing and just enough flat spots makes this one of my favorite places to climb.... not to mention the killer descent on the south side!  With a nasty head & cross wind coming at us I was never able to get over 42. We thought we lost Bill on the ascent but later learned that he hadn't tightened his new saddle well enough and it was tilting back quite a bit.  None of us had any tools but thankfully there were some other riders that did.  Chuck empathized... I, on the other hand, told Bill to be a man... take the damn seat off and ride on the post!!! 
We then headed to Danville and to Mount Diablo.  We rode up very strong... and I shaved 7 minutes off my to-the-junction time.  At this rate... I'll be able to get to the Summit in one hour... in 2008!
From the junction we headed down to Walnut Creek and up Yngacio Valley.  Near the end, we faced the other side of Kirker Pass... it was very hot but we got to the top and then FLEW down into Pittsburgh!  This descent was awesome... I got it up to 53... wow, what a rush!!
What a great ride... Bill pushed hard on the climbs and kicked my ass on the last 10 miles. Chuck, of course, dominated in the hills!
Our ride ended up only being 80 miles... but 80 miles with a lot of climbing!

I met Chuck and Bill in Newman early... and it was already warm.  Bill rode the 20 miles out to the road up the canyon and then turned around and headed home (he had a prior engagement).  Chuck and I rode the 25 miles up the road... plenty of shade, few cars, lots of turns and subtle climbing (subtle, but long).  The last mile-and-a-half was harder than I remembered from the 9-20-03 ride.  I have ridden a couple of thousand of miles since being here but I still was not able to get that last big climb without a breather.
When I finally got to the top I confirmed with Chuck that the junction store was only a few more miles up the road.  I did tell him that my big fear kept flashing before my eyes.... we get to the store and it's closed (for the record, it was 10 am and the store didn't open until 11!!!! "Don't worry, it's open... I was just here a couple of weeks ago" Chuck said.... famous last words of a fool.... you guessed it.... it was closed!!!!  
Chuck and I trespassed on the property and nervously filled one bottle each of the nasty yellow water that came from a huge tank.  I got up that damn climb partly because of Chuck's tantalizing account of all the wonderful food and drink that awaited us at the store... gatorade a plenty... powerbars... clifbars... rice crispy treats... cold water... it's a cyclist's heaven. 
We eventually made it back to Patterson and got refilled at the AM/PM... but after 70 miles.  
There were some nasty winds on the last 20 miles but overall it was a great ride.... about as great as can be expected as 6 hours or Chuck talking smack can be.... ha ha!
90 miles... a lot of climbing... 
Next week.... Diablo, Morgan Territory... etc.... 104 miles.... a lot more climbing.... ouch.... I can't wait!

The early start from Plymouth was cold but by 8 am I was glad I started when I did because it was starting to get hot!  
Just like I was warned at the last century, the first 20 miles had a lot of downhill.  I was told to not push too hard... hard to resist... but I knew I had to save my legs for the  climbing.  The first rest stop came early but I still stopped.  

Shortly after leaving the Ione stop I hitched a ride on a paceline with an Anne, 2 Steves and a Jeff (that's how Anne introduced them all).  I was happy to hook up with these four riders because they were very tall (great to draft behind them) and strong.  I took my turns pulling and had a good time going with them for about 15 miles.  Once the climbs came, however, they dropped me.  I saw them at the Volcano rest stop but left before they did.  I also saw Steve from Foster City (the Steve that helped pull me the last 20 miles in the Sunrise Century).
Leaving Volcano had some great climbs and it was getting hotter.  At the end of that climb came the 10 mile descent into Fiddletown... wow, what a descent!    I stayed too long at the Fiddletown rest and felt a little sluggish getting back on the saddle.  
I stopped at a water stop to get my derailleur adjusted and then headed off again.
I found plenty of other riders to pace along with through the rest of the climbs but decided against doing Slug Gulch, opting for the bypass option.
Toward the end of that bypass climb I was already regretting not taking Slug Gulch... and then I caught a flat... first one in over 500 miles... I hate flats!!!!  
Once back on Omo Ranch road it was an easy push back to Plymouth.  Little wind... hot, but a some shade.  
Shortly after I got back, Steve N. pulled up who left a few minutes before me... I knew something was up if he was just minutes behind me... well I was right, he did Slug Gulch plus the extra 20+ miles (the Challenge - the Double Metric)... that guy is incredible!
Overall, my third century was great... my favorite of all...  SAG was everywhere (again, luckily I did not require)... rest stops were awesome... route was excellent... volunteers were plentiful and very nice. 

What a trooper!!! Emily had no problem taking a 15 mile jaunt with me to her grandparents house... 3 pm on a day that hit 97 degrees.... pretty impressive! She's already talkin' about doin' Centuries with her dear ol' Dad... hmmmmm... perhaps a tandem someday!

 




Perfect weather today for a ride!  Left Lodi High at 7:00 and within the first few miles found a few guys to pace.  The first 20 miles into Clements was cool as the four of us took turns pulling to the first rest stop.  I grabbed a bagel and strawberries and threw some more food in my jersey and took off by myself... not wanting to wait around too long.  From there I headed up to Lake Camanche.  The climbs were mild but I could still feeling them,  I only needed my triple one during the whole ride.  The views going up were spectacular ... and the oddest... I've never before seen an ostrich and an emu on the same ride!
After the lunch stop at mile 52 in Wallace I headed out on Hwy 12 looking for riders I could pace.  I didn't get to any other riders until Johnson Rd and rode with a group of guys for 8 miles or so.  That group flew past 4 huge painted arrows indicating a turn... luckily they heard me yelling, "HEY, TURN, TURN... ARROWS" or they may have ended up riding way out of their way.  
Then came a 9 mile stretch of Clements road that was very long, straight, no shade and had a killer side wind.  At one point there was a nasty dust cloud from a farmer plowing a field... visibility was cut to a maybe a hundred feet so I slowed down to cut through when there were no cars nearby.
Finally making it to the last rest stop in Linden I rested a full 10 minutes or so and then waited to find others that were leaving at the same time so I could draft.  Heading West was difficult after 75 miles... right into a nasty headwind.  No one else was leaving so I took off before this one guy that looked like he was leaving soon.  Sure enough, he passed me a mile later and held on for dear life.  Heading west, we traded pulls for 45 minutes or so, through the toughest part of the ride.   He helped me get the next 20 miles and then I had to drop back and let him go on his way (thanks Steve!)
I finally rode back in to Lodi, tired but feeling great.  I met a lot of other riders (most giving me great advice for my next century - The Sierra Century).  I also beat my goal by 10 minutes so I was not disappointed at all.

My first Century... what a blast!  When I first started riding 10 months ago I set this date on my calendar as my first Century and it showed up on a great day.  I had always planned on riding it solo but Chuck decided, the day before, to join me.  
I pulled up to the parking lot at the Mondavi Woodbridge winery at 6:00 am (noticing that the first vehicle in the parking lot was Chuck's), threw my jersey on and headed to the registration tables.  At 6:30 we were on our way. I felt good in the morning and was happy to have Chuck with me... going solo on my first Century would've been boring.  The first rest stop was at New Hope school in New Hope (I never knew this little town existed) at mile 18.  

me and Chuck just before mile 18 

yours truly 

I don't recall where this is ... I think leaving Walnut Grove...
cell phone lady in the front, Noah, David, me, Chuck, ???, ??? 

From there we made our way through Thornton, Walnut Grove and Courtland for the lunch break at mile 48.  At mile 66 (and not a moment too soon), there was an unofficial break at the ferry crossing.  I don't think I've ever been on a ferry... certainly not with a bike.  After eating and re-filling the water bottles we headed out to Hood and Clarksburg and back to Walnut Grove for the last rest stop at mile 78. Finally, home stretch!  After riding 80 miles a few weeks prior I was feeling pretty good at this point and knew I was near completion of one of my first year's goals.
We met up with David and Noah from Oakland who were also riding their first Century.  Chuck and I spent a lot the day trading places with this father and son duo.
The views were pristine and the roads sometimes bumpy.  SAG was always around (knock on wood, we had no mechanical problems!)  There were a lot of winding roads that made the ride very enjoyable.  
Next Century... Lodi Sunrise Century 5.22.04... see ya on the road!

Back to the mountain!  What a perfect day for a ride up here! I met Chuck and Bill for a ride up the back-side of Diablo.  Going up from Walnut Creek seemed harder than starting in Danville... I guess the jury's still out.  I was very happy to climb again less than a week after the SBC ride.  This time I made it to the top with only a short (less than 2 minute) stop at the ranger station.  I felt very good today but was bummed to see Chuck resting on the side of the road with only a couple of miles to the summit.  What a crappy place to pick up a flat... without an extra tube.  When I passed him he just yelled at me to keep going and to catch back up with him on the descent (thanks, Coach!).  I was nervous about "the wall" but made it up just fine, rested and then went to get Chuck.  Well... Chuck's luck kept getting worse.  I gave him my tube and pump... my pump broke and then the tube croaked when Bill CO2'ed it!  So, now we had 1 tube and a 12 canister of CO2 between us... thankfully it worked.  
Bill made it to the summit (great job, Bill!) eventually we all got down.  What a great ride... thanks guys!

I finally made it out to the Old Sac - Folsom trail.  Since I heard there was flooding in the Discovery Park area I decided to start from Folsom.  This is one of the coolest rides in the area... no cars... a lot of other bikes, which I will take over cars anyday!  I only had time to go from Folsom (Beale Point) to CSUS and back.  Next time... Old Sac or bust!

What a ride!

We met at the Airport in Livermore just after six o'clock in the morning.  It was cold (of course) but there was almost no wind.  
From Livermore we headed north through Collier Canyon to Danville and then came face to face with the Devil himself... that's right sports fans... Mt. Diablo !!!  We made the climb to the ranger station (half way up) with no stops (easy feat for Chuck but not for me and Bill).  The climb was made more tough since we had a 20 mile ride just to get there.  
We descended from Diablo and headed into Walnut Creek (after my flat of course) and then cruised through Clayton.  Little did we know that the fun had just begun.
Our second helping of hills came in  courtesy of Morgan Territory.  We climbed the several miles to the top and then hit the killer downhill road back to Collier Canyon and then back to Livermore.  
What an absolute killer ride ! As I am writing this Sunday morning my legs and chest are still reeling from the pain.  As our coach always says, "Cycling rewards consistency" - he was right and now I know why he pushes me every Saturday. 
Total distance: 70 miles
 

We met at Chuck's pad in Newman and took off on a 45 mile trek to the beautiful Diablo Grande Golf Course.  Being new to cycling this was my first taste of terrain (up 'til this point I had only been on flat land).  I loved this ride... great views and just enough hills to make me hurt (for almost a week).