Enjoying Life in West Sonoma County

Good ride with a time trial up Harrison Grade (not a PB, but close), then up Facendini to Bodega Highway to Joy. Then starts the big climb with several slopes over 20% grade. It was not a long ride but a very challenging one to say the least.  Total elevation climbed was 3,020 feet.  I think I am almost ready for the century this coming Saturday.

Keywords: hard, hills, road, rural, vistas

Because of some last minute client work I was not able to make my longer ride today, but I changed my program and did some interval training. The first part of the ride was a time trial on a nice rolling course and I was able to beat my personal best. For this trial I was able to do the 12.8 miles in 38 minutes 35 seconds beating my previous personal best by almost 40 seconds. I was exhausted after that, but was able to continue the intervals over the remainder of the 50 mile course.

Keywords: intervals, road, training

First ride after two weeks on the road working on client projects. I was winded and did not recover as quickly as normal. Of course it did not help that I got up this morning at 3:30a EDT to catch a flight and get back out to the west coast. Glad to be home and tomorrow I get to put on 85 miles, yea.

Keywords: hill, road

First I want to apologize for the delay in getting this note sent out to all of our supporters, it has been a crazy couple of days since the MS Waves to Wines bike ride ended and I have been swamped with client work and am now back down in Mexico for a couple of days, so my apologies.  However I am proud to say that not only did we accomplish the ride, but did it with plenty left in the tank.

So what did we do, we rode 225 miles over three days at an average pace of almost 16 mph and climbed over 11,200 feet.  I have a new nick name for Jo Ann, she is now Joanna Barracuda, because if there was a group in front of us, it did not take long before we passed by them like they were standing still.

What was really funny is that there were a lot of men who we would pass going up the hills who would then use gravity to help them pass by Jo Ann again.  Not only did this piss her off, it would just make her go up the next hill faster and have her asking them if they just wanted to play leap frog all day long, boy did that piss off some guys.

What is also amazing is that there were over 2000 other riders in this ride, who ranged from all ages, physical abilities and in so many different attires.  It is not the same as the Bay to Breakers, but there were men dressed up as ballerinas to women dressed up as the spokes person for TiVo.  It is a great event for a great cause, the 2000 riders raised over $1.2 million dollars and this was the 25^th anniversary of this fund raiser.  Quite amazing.

Jo Ann has gone ahead and written up a much more detailed summary of our ride, but I am sorry that I cannot provide the images to go with it right now.  Once I get back to the Bay Area I will work on the photos to complement the commentary but for now this is all we have to offer.  Please enjoy the commentary and thank you for supporting our efforts.

A Bike Odyssey

Friday morning dawned grey and overcast as we set out on our bike ride to San Francisco.  I was a bit nervous to say the least since this was our first trip VIA BIKES to the city and I was not sure how busy it would be.  Jon assured me that since we were taking the ferry from Larkspur over we would have no problems.

Well, he was right.  Other then much more traffic then we were used to the trip in was easy.  There were very few hills and the 40 mile trip was made in less then three hours.  The fun part was taking the ferry over as the sky had opened up and turned into one of those stellar days.

Once across our minds turned to food and Jon mentioned a place in the Ferry Building that had outside seating.  This was a “MUST” as we had no locks for our bikes since we were traveling very “light” and all of our luggage was already at the hotel thanks to Jon dropping it off for us on his way home the previous day.  Anyway, it was 3PM by the time we sat down and found out that they were done serving lunch and not ready to serve dinner so we had a “little plates” menu.    WOW!!!!  For little plates they packed lots of flavor.  Our fare was quite eclectic but included smoked salmon bruschetta with cucumber chutney, baked bread with tapenade and a wild mushroom pizza with pancetta!!!  Oh………..and of course a glass of wine for the road!!!

We then bikes over to Pac Bell Park………….I think now it is called AT&T Park and registered for the ride and dropped off our bikes.  Jon wanted to ride them to the hotel and keep them in our room but I was DEATHLY afraid of walking through Union Square and dodging all the vehicles and cable cars.  I won and we walked to the hotel for a quick shower, book shopping at Border’s and dinner as we had to wake at 4:45AM. 

The next day we checked on our bikes and met some of our team mates for the ride and had some breakfast.  Imagine 2,000 all trying to get coffee at the same time!!!!  Very interesting.  Then for the mass start!!!!  At 7AM we all took off for the first day of the Waves to Wine MS Ride.  We were riding 100 miles that day which was the first time that I was going to be doing that distance.  I was a bit intimidated by some of the riders as they had very fancy bikes and all the do dads to match.  Some were in a BIG HURRY and just wanted to get to the front but there were just so many people that you really could not go too fast.  We wove our way along the Embarcadero to the Marina and then over the Golden Gate Bridge.  I had told Jon that I wanted a photo of me crossing the bridge…………….well I forgot but he got one of the bridge without me.

Then started our journey through our old neighborhood of Southern Marin County.  The coast was swathed in a low fog which kept temperatures in the high 50’s through almost the entire day.  Jon and I kept a steady pace but kept getting passed on the down hills by the guys with the tricked out bikes.  But on the up hill I got my revenge and PASSED THEM.  So there we were leap frogging these same riders up the coast!!!  It was kind of funny……………….I would always say hi when I passed them going up………….they did not seem to enjoy being passed by a woman………..especially a 50 something woman!!

There were rest stops every 12-15 miles for us to re-fuel.  During that weekend I had my fill of Gatorade and granola/energy bars!!!  I have to say that at about mile80 I was ready to get off the bike.  But onward ho!!!!  We both felt on top of the world as we passed the finish line biking the 100 miles in 6 ½ hours at a speed of 15.1 mph.  After stretching we met up with some of our team mates, re-hydrated and headed for home and a shower and DINNER!!!!!!  We were ravenous that evening.  Jon had thought ahead and made reservations at one of our favorite local spots that is only a mile from the house.  At first I thought that we would walk but I opted to drive…………………..

Sunday morning came early and we were off again in the saddle at 8AM.  When we awoke I thought how wonderful it would be to sleep in and just brush off the remaining ride………..they would never know!!!  But…………..Jon quickly tossed me out of bed and we suited up for another day.  Today we only had 75 miles to pedal with about half of it being on routes that we ride often.  It took about 30 miles for me to get back in the “groove” and then I put the pedal to the metal and we FLEW!!!!  As we had been riding LOTS OF MILES AND HILLS the entire summer the second day was EASY!!!!  We kept passing people who obviously were a bit tired from the previous day.  I really felt accomplished being able to complete all 225 miles at a good speed and with plenty left under the hood.  Both Jon and I agreed that we could have made another 30 miles but……………..we were VERY HAPPY to get out of the saddle!!!

Once we passed under the finish banner we were ready to head home………………….but there was a glitch!!!  Our bikes were being transported via van to the starting line but there were no blankets to wrap the bikes……………………….when you pack about 50 bikes per van you need bikes.  It was not a nice scene……….you have about 35 people all hot and tired and wanted to get back to their vehicles and head home on a Sunday night………………..but not wanting to let their bikes be piled up in the van with no wrapping.  Anyway…………….Jon volunteered to bike home (another 35 miles) and come back with a car and pick me up and then we would go and get the other car.  Thank goodness he did not have to……………………blankets were found and everyone was happy.  On the way home I told Jon………………I HAVE TO HAVE AN ICE CREAM CONE!!!!  We stopped at a “Diary Queen” type place that I had been meaning to try these last few heat waves……………….wouldn’t you know!!!!  It was closed!!!

Anyway we celebrated our weekend bike marathon with hamburgers and French fries and dessert………………………..really only a drop in the bucket calorie wise as Jon burned +12,000 calories and I was at +10,000…………………………..We have learned that the body ends up TELLING you that it needs more food but usually not until the day after the event.  The next day Jon scheduled a cedar enzyme bath and a massage for me at a local spa and when I got home at 2PM Jon was salivating……………..he was STARVED!!!! 

It was a GREAT event and we both agreed that we would do it again next year and ride our bikes into the city once more.  We have another 100 mile ride coming up in a few weeks so training continues!!!!

Thank you to all who donated towards our MS Waves to Wine Bike Ride!!! The entire event  raised in excess of $1,200,000 and had 2,000 riders!!!!  Yipee!!!

We did it, we finished off our 225 mile three day trip. Today we rode the final 75 mile leg from Rohnert Park to Lake Sonoma. It was not a hard ride with total elevation climbing of only 3,400 feet, but we were able to finish it off with a good pace. We averaged over 15.5 mph for the three days and had a total riding time of 14 hours and climbed a total of 11,200 feet for the 3 days.

The event was great, the support was great and the other 2000 plus rides all seemed to have fun.

Tags: century, hills, ms waves to wines, organized ride

Day one of the MS Waves to Wines ride. This was the century ride, which ended up being 103 miles and the total elevation climbed was 6000 feet. This was not nearly as much as the route maps said but it was still fine for us.

The ride was outstanding, we started at PacBell Park and rode along the Embarcadero over to Crissy Field and then over the Golden Gate Bridge. I have driven this bridge in a car who knows how many times but this was our first time on the bikes. It was great, but not anything memorable.

The ride then headed out on Hwy 1 and we traveled past our old home in Muir Beach and up to Point Reyes. The ride up from Point Reyes had the most climbs of the day and they put our legs to a test.

The rest of the ride after that is routes that we normally ride so for us it was easy.

The MS organization did a great job organizing the coordinating this ride. There was more than enough food and drinks along the way, and everything went off without a problem.

We had a great time and tomorrow we finish up with a 75 mile ride.

Tags: century, hills, ms waves to wines, organized ride

So after dropping the car off at the lot where we will finish on Saturday afternoon, we headed off on our journey to the Larkspur ferry. It was a beautiful day and we were excited for our upcoming three day journey.

As we were heading down to Petaluma and more so after leaving Petaluma, what amazed us was the number of cars and large trucks that we had to deal with. The route was moderate hilly and the roads were winding, but the trucks just seemed to come continuously.

It ended up being a great ride with a great ride on the ferry

Total elevation climbed was 2080 feet so it was a moderate hill climbing day.

This is the final tune up ride before we head down to San Francisco for the MS Waves to Wines ride. We will bike 50 miles on Friday into SF, 100 miles on Saturday and another 70 on Sunday. I was tired today from getting up at 4a EDT to fly back here to Sonoma so I hope tomorrow I am recovered and ready to ride.

Tags: easy, recovery, road

Final ride of the weekend, a nice easy spin for coffee at Starbucks. Ran at high cadence but more just to work out the kinks in the legs. I am off to the east coast for a couple of days and then we bike into San Francisco.

Tags: cycle, easy, recovery, road

After yesterday’s disappointing ride, I was not very confident heading into our final hill training session before the MS ride next week. However we decided to kick it up and pushed ourselves on the first leg, which is Harrison Grade from the bike trail. I did not achieve a personal best on this leg today but had a good result. We then pushed on over one of the most challenging 50 mile courses you will have with total elevation of almost 6,000 feet. We did it in a very good time and even though my legs were very tired, I was able to climb every one of the peaks with energy to spare.

So yes yesterday was an isolated problem, probably more to do with the interval training from Thursday and the extra weight I was carrying in the pannier bag. However I am happy today with our results and looking forward to the long weekend ride next Friday.

Tags: hard, hills, road, rural, vistas

What a bummer of a ride. Today was going to be a strong hill climbing day for the final training for the MS ride. We started out early as it is going to get up to 105 today and headed out to Sweetwater. This is a ride that we do somewhat regularly, but have not done since July for some reason. 

I felt good but not great as we climbed the first wave of hills but when we got to the primary hill, I legs did not feel as strong as normal. I don’t know if it was the interval training I did yesterday or what but I got about 2/3s of the climb and my legs just screamed at me. I ended up having to stop to catch my breath before I could finish the climb, this just sucks. I completed the remainder of the ride but can’t say I was happy about my pace or my strength.
Tomorrow is our final strenuous day of training before we start the tapering so I am hoping that this was a one day problem and not something more troublesome. It is amazing how one ride in a hundred can have such an impact on my outlook.

Tags: hard, hills, road, rural, vistas

A distance ride that is quite easy. Total elevation was only 3,666 feet and we cruised at a steady but unimpressive pace. This is just a tune up ride for next week’s MS Ride. There were a lot of grapes being harvested and so many large trucks which always reduces the fun of the ride. Plus it is hot out there today!

Tags: easy, endurance, road

This was our final endurance training ride for the upcoming MS Waves to Wines ride in less than two weeks (you can see my separate note on the progress for this ride). Today was a great ride we did the 83 miles in 5:48 and this included climbing over 7,300 feet. The winds were very strong today, and it seems that they were never tail winds (isn’t that always the case).

We left at 7:30a and it was freezing (well it seemed like it), but the temperatures were in the low 50s. By the time we got to the coast the fog was burned off and it was a clear and already hot day. Although it was not as hot as last week, we were riding the final third in 90 degree plus temperatures.

There were lots of other riders out today, we must have seen again at least 100 other riders on this route. Everyone is just so friendly and it really helps to say hi with all of these other riders.

This week we still have three more endurance training rides and then the tapering will start for the MS ride which is from the 12th to the 14th of September. Then we get a week off and we are off to another century ride, so the fall is full of fun rides.

Tags: hard, hills, road, rural, vistas

We are two weeks away from the ride for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Waves to Wines, and Jo Ann and I wanted to give everyone an update on how things are going. So it has been about 30 days since we decided to do this charity ride and since then we have logged almost 1000 training miles (984 is you are counting) in a little over 67 hours and climbed over 68,000 feet of hills. This weekend was our second to final training sessions, but it was important as it almost mirrored the three day ride that we have, we did almost 200 miles just this past weekend. So I can declare that we are ready and will be happily tipping a wine glass at the finish line!

Over the past couple of weeks we have had some issues that have arisen. First I want to thank our local bike shop West County Revolution (and all of you on this distribution list who are local to Sebastopol need to use these guys). I had some new high tech clips put on our bikes a couple of weeks ago (yes I always thing that the newest gadgets are the best) but I had installed some racer clips and these turned out to be too stiff for Jo Ann. In fact just last weekend she thought that she was starting to have some serious knee problems as we had been extending our distance. However we went over to West County Revolution and worked with Steve Michel, one of the owners, who had been researching this problem on his own as Jo Ann had mentioned it to him earlier. He had gone ahead and ordered some other pedals (same brand, just a step down on the clip tension) for her. When we talked to Steve about Jo Ann’s knew problem he suggested several changes including the clips and some adjustments. Well like magic, Jo Ann’s knee problems are now a distant memory, so thank you so much Steve and everyone at West County Revolution.

As part of our final tune up training this weekend we also decided to do a long ride with our bike club the Santa Rosa Cycling Club. However to get the distance we needed, we rode on Saturday with the “C” group (this is the second highest classification of riders) and we showed up at 8a on Saturday. Well it had to be pretty intimidating for Jo Ann as there were around fifty riders and only one other female. Well she rode like a champ and you should have seen her smile as she was passing some of these other guys (no not including me) on the hills and we finished in the middle of the main group of riders. Cheers to Jo Ann.

So we are ready for the upcoming ride and will be leaving Forestville on Friday the 12th, riding down to Larkspur to take the ferry over to San Francisco. After spending the evening in the city, we leave at 7a on Saturday morning from PacBell Park (I wonder if Barry Bonds will be there to cheer us on), ride over the Golden Gate Bridge, head past our old home in Muir Beach and ride up the coast of Marin. This is a 100 mile ride and ends up that afternoon in Rohnert Park. The final day we leave again from Rohnert Park and meander our way around 70 miles of the beautiful wine country of Sonoma and end up at Lake Sonoma. It will be a grand time and I hope that over the weekend of the 12th, 13th and 14th you can remember us and raise a wine glass or whatever you are drinking and toast to our celebration. It will help motivate us as we are making those final climbs each day.

I also want to thank everyone for the generous donations to MS in support of our ride. We have not only achieved our fund raising goals but we have now exceeded the average amounts raised for all of the riders. Thank you so very much and of course it is for a good cause.

If you have not been able donate (yes I am starting to sound like the Barack Obama campaign staff) and if you would like to, it is still not too late. You can used link below to go to the on-line donation center at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=5356432&pg=personal&fr_id=9066 Please help by making a donation - large or small - to our journey to create a world free of MS.

Thank you all again for your support and enthusiasm. I will be taking photos throughout the three day ride and will have them posted to flickr sometime early the following week. If you want to check out any of the images of our training or just to see when I do get some posted, you can check out my photostream at http://flickr.com/photos/sanmiguelphotos/.

Tags: ms waves to wines, ride update, status