The short version, for those of you who already know what this is:
January 10, 24; February 7, 21; March 7, 21; April 4, 18; May 2, 16 (all dates are Saturdays)
And here are the details:
Again this season, beginning in January, I'll be leading a group of 10 Cat-3 rides for intermediate cyclists who want to increase their physical and mental endurance on long-distance rides.
These rides start at about 40 miles and gradually increase to a mid-May finale of a double metric century: 200 kilometers (125 miles) in a single day. (This will make Day 2's 106 miles seem much less intimidating.)
Rides generally will take place every other Saturday and will leave from Mountain View. You do not need to be a super-fast rider to participate in these rides!
A Cat-3 ride is one that averages 12-15 mph over the entire ride: a bit slower while climbing, a bit faster while descending. Our experience has been that many cyclists taking part in Cat-2 training rides actually ride at a Cat-3 pace. And it's perfectly OK if you're at the lower end of the Cat-3 range; you do not need to be a 15-mph rider.
I'm planning some interesting new routes and will also be using the best of last season's routes, so we have a fun season ahead of us. More info will come later.
South Bay/Peninsula early-bird ride #4: Mountain View to Stanford Loop (11/16/2008)
Meet time: 9:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 10:00 a.m.
Meeting place: Three blocks west of the Mountain View Caltrain and VTA station, in the overflow parking lot at the corner of Evelyn Avenue and Franklin Street. (map)
City: Mountain View
Rain policy: Rain cancels
Category: 2 - medium pace (10-12 mph)
Terrain: 2 - rolling hills
Miles: 29
Description:
From our starting point in downtown Mountain View, we'll head into Palo Alto and past the Stanford campus to pick up the Stanford Loop, one of the region's most popular cycling routes. It starts with a steady but gradual climb to about 600 feet elevation, followed by a nice set of rolling hills and a couple of little climbs on the way back into Menlo Park. We'll return the easy way through downtown Palo Alto on the Bryant Street bike boulevard. Total climbing on this ride is about 1,250 feet.
Riders from all over Northern California are invited! Southbound Caltrain from San Francisco arrives at 9:14 a.m.
Route sheet is here.
If you're new to bicycling, read the Training section of the ALC website.
Leaders:
Chris Thomas
Dan England
Rich Prendes
Maggie Vande Voorde
RSVPs are requested but not required. South Bay/Peninsula early-bird ride #3: Mountain View to Saratoga, the gentle way (11/2/2008)
Daylight savings time ends Nov. 1. Make sure your clock is correct!
Meet time: 9:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 10:00 a.m.
Meeting place: Three blocks west of the Mountain View Caltrain and VTA station, in the overflow parking lot at the corner of Evelyn Avenue and Franklin Street. (map)
City: Mountain View
Rain policy: Rain cancels
Category: 2 - medium pace (10-12 mph)
Terrain: 2 - rolling hills
Miles: 28
Description:
There are lots of ways to get to Saratoga, and today we're going to take one of the easiest ones. From our starting point in downtown Mountain View, we'll pass through Cupertino and dip briefly into San Jose before heading up Saratoga Avenue. We'll take a quick rest stop in Saratoga and then head almost entirely downhill or flat back through Sunnyvale and Los Altos Hills. Total climbing on this ride is about 830 feet.
Riders from all over Northern California are invited! Southbound Caltrain from San Francisco arrives at 9:14 a.m.
Route sheet for this ride is here.
Be sure to check the Training section of the ALC website for information on how to prepare for a training ride and what you must and should bring.
Leaders:
Chris Thomas
Bernard Cabigon
Dan England
Maggie Vande Voorde
RSVPs are requested but not required. An update from Kumar, and an important safety note
If you're just joining the story, Kumar was signed up for ALC7 and was an eager rider in many training rides last season. But that all ended in March when he suffered serious injuries during a high-speed solo downhill crash on a training ride.
But Kumar has been recovering ever since then, and today I was amazed and pleased when Kumar RSVP'd for our next Peninsula/South Bay training ride! He passes along this note, which he asked me to post here on his behalf:
And with Kumar joining us on the 19th in Mountain View, that would be a wonderful day to show up en masse to welcome him back to our ALC training rides and applaud his spirit and determination. Ride info is here.
But Kumar has been recovering ever since then, and today I was amazed and pleased when Kumar RSVP'd for our next Peninsula/South Bay training ride! He passes along this note, which he asked me to post here on his behalf:
Incidentally Cervelo has recalled all Wolf forks. It was done two months ago. I was not the only person to crash, there have been multiple crashes all over the world due to the fork. The steerer was cracked. If you know anyone riding a Cervelo, they need to change their fork if it is a Wolf. Cervelo does it for free at any Cervelo dealer. Although if they are a registered Cervelo owner as I was, they should have been informed.So if that describes your bike, take note.
And with Kumar joining us on the 19th in Mountain View, that would be a wonderful day to show up en masse to welcome him back to our ALC training rides and applaud his spirit and determination. Ride info is here.
South Bay/Peninsula early-bird ride #2: Mountain View to Menlo Park (10/19/2008)
Join us for the next official South Bay/Peninsula training ride!
Meet time: 9:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 10:00 a.m.
Meeting place: Three blocks west of the Mountain View Caltrain and VTA station, in the overflow parking lot at the corner of Evelyn Avenue and Franklin Street. (map)
City: Mountain View
Rain policy: Rain cancels
Category: 2 - medium pace (10-12 mph)
Terrain: 2 - rolling hills
Miles: 25
Description:
Now that you're back on speaking terms with your bicycle, it's time to add a couple of little hills into the mix, and we'll also add a few more miles. From our meeting point in downtown Mountain View, we'll head directly to Foothill Expressway, where we'll ride to Palo Alto and past Stanford University on our way to Menlo Park, where we'll take our first Starbucks rest stop of the season. From there, we'll head toward Portola Valley and go through the scenic Arastradero Nature Preserve. Then it's mostly downhill or flat back to Palo Alto and Mountain View. Total climbing on this ride is about 1,180 feet.
Riders from all over Northern California are invited! Southbound Caltrain from San Francisco arrives at 9:14 a.m.
Route sheet for this ride is here.
If you're new to bicycling, read the Training section of the ALC website.
Leaders:
Chris Thomas
Dan England
Zack Kreiter
Rich Prendes
Maggie Vande Voorde
RSVPs are requested but not required. Ride Report: Peninsula/South Bay Get-Acquainted Ride
Go, riders!Whether today was your first AIDS/LifeCycle training ride ever or your first ride of a new season, there's no mistaking that special feeling of excitement that says Here We Go (Again). Today was the day when the reality boldly asserts itself: Less than eight months from now, we'll be on our way to Los Angeles, covering distance and terrain that all of us at some point thought was impossible. And especially if 21 miles is the longest distance you've ever cycled in a day, hearty congratulations are in order! Every one of us was at that point sometime; with slow but steady training, you can do this ride.
I send this ride report via email shortly after each ride I organize. If you RSVP'd via email or put an email address on the sign-in sheet (or if I have one from a previous ride you did with me), you'll get this report via email. Otherwise, you can still read it here. (If you gave an email address when you signed in today and still didn't get this via email, it's not because I don't like you; either I couldn't read your writing, or there was some other email issue that I couldn't resolve.)
We had a total of 19 riders today -- far more than I expected, and I was pleased to see a mix of new faces and returning friends. Today's route was a gentle introduction to what ALC training is like, especially our focus on safety and observing traffic laws. Yes, all those stop signs in downtown Mountain View can be a pain in the rear, but we do indeed stop completely at every one of them, every time. On the big ride in June, there really are stretches of road with that many stop signs (think Pismo Beach, for instance), and yes, we completely stop at every one of those stop signs, too. This isn't just to obey an arbitrary law, either, and it's not just when other vehicles are around. As you saw today, ALC has riders of all different abilities and backgrounds, and each of us brings our own set of cycling habits. A key part of ALC training is learning to set aside some of those habits so that we all follow the same set of rules while riding together, so that we know what to expect of other riders in our group. So even if you've grown accustomed to doing a "California stop" (no such thing, by the way) when riding on your own, start now to change the habit so that by the time May 31 rolls around, the ALC way will be second nature for you.
Also, if you are riding on a borrowed bicycle, now is the time to start thinking about what bicycle you want to ride in June. It's important to make your decision (and possible purchase) early so that the bicycle can be properly fitted to you, and so that you can get plenty of experience in learning how that bicycle performs. Many bicycle shops around the Bay Area offer discounts to ALC participants; in fact, I got a new bicycle right after the ride this year, and between the ALC discount and an in-store sale price, I was able to save more than 40% off list price. Don't let price be your only guideline; tell the sales staff that you're doing ALC, so that they know endurance and comfort, not necessarily speed, probably are your primary goals. Your ALC participant guide is full of information on choosing a bicycle; although our copies haven't arrived in the mail yet this year, you can read much of the same information online.
Another thing you want to think about now is clothing. We keep training all through the "winter" (or at least what passes for winter around here), and it's not uncommon to have temperatures in the 40s even at ride-out time during the ride in June. You want to have layers that you can easily add or remove as the temperature changes, and you probably want a windbreaker that will keep you warm when cycling into the inevitable headwinds. Again, check your participant guide, or ask a salesperson at a local bicycle shop. And if money is tight for you these days (like it is for most of us!), don't feel pressured into dropping big bucks on high-tech clothing and gear that you might not yet need. Talk with other cyclists and ride leaders, see what works for them, and take advantage of your ALC discounts. But if you have the money available, it's a good idea to start making your ALC-related purchases now so that you can spread them out over several months, rather than having to buy everything at the last minute.
And my apologies to those of you who had difficulty reading the chalk marks on the pavement today. The good news is that the ride in June is extremely well-signed and staffed, and it's almost impossible to take a wrong turn. The bad news is that nearly all other training rides are not chalk-marked (I won't be doing this often), so you'll need to rely heavily on the route sheet for directions. If you're unsure about a route, study it in advance, and try riding with another rider. And if you're ever unsure about where to go while on a ride, it's always OK to call a ride leader and ask for directions.
I'll be leading about 16 to 18 rides this season. This post talks about what's ahead.
Up next is a 25-mile ride in two weeks, on Sunday, October 19. We'll go to Menlo Park, where we'll have our first official Starbucks rest stop of the new season. From there, we'll go through the Arastradero Nature Preserve before returning through Palo Alto on our way back to Mountain View. Because the official ALC ride calendar page still isn't working (grumble, grumble), you'll need to look at my website for details and to RSVP; I should have details posted soon, after I firm up the roster of ride leaders. Time and place will be the same as today, but this ride will have a few more hills and will be a decent early-season challenge.
Again, big, giant thanks to every one of you for making the commitment to do these rides. There are as many reasons for riding as there are riders, and whatever your reason is, I applaud your devotion. Have a wonderful training season, and I hope to see you on more rides soon.
Don't let the rain scare you
The forecast calls for rain this weekend (first time in months!), but it's supposed to end Saturday, leaving us in great shape for Sunday's ride. Details and RSVP here.
Here is part of an entry I wrote last year about what "rain cancels" means:
For now, all of the training rides I lead are marked "rain cancels." What does this mean? Generally:
-- A sprinkle or two is not "rain."
-- If the roads are wet enough so that water splashes up from your rear tire onto your butt and jersey, that is "rain."
-- I look at the chance for rain along the entire route we'll be riding that day.
-- The weather on South Bay and Peninsula rides often differs greatly from the weather in San Francisco. If you're coming from San Francisco, don't assume that rain up there means rain down south.
-- On longer rides, if rain is likely only over part of the route, I may consider rerouting the ride to avoid the likely rain.
-- If rain begins during a ride that's already in progress, the ride leaders will evaluate the safety of the situation in deciding whether to continue riding the planned route or to find the shortest, safest route back to the meeting point. In severe weather, ride leaders may direct riders to stop where they are and wait for conditions to clear.
If there is a significant chance of rain cancelling a ride, I'll post updates here on this blog as we get closer to meeting time. On ride morning, you should check here first before trying to call me to ask whether we're riding. (Imagine me trying to take 150 phone calls while trying to get ready!)
Even when it's raining, however, at least one ride leader will always show up at the meeting location in case other riders show up. And, although the ride may be officially "cancelled" as far as ALC is concerned, individual riders (including some who may have been scheduled to lead the official ride) may make the decision to ride unofficially on their own. ALC neither promotes nor endorses such rides, however.
Here is part of an entry I wrote last year about what "rain cancels" means:
For now, all of the training rides I lead are marked "rain cancels." What does this mean? Generally:
-- A sprinkle or two is not "rain."
-- If the roads are wet enough so that water splashes up from your rear tire onto your butt and jersey, that is "rain."
-- I look at the chance for rain along the entire route we'll be riding that day.
-- The weather on South Bay and Peninsula rides often differs greatly from the weather in San Francisco. If you're coming from San Francisco, don't assume that rain up there means rain down south.
-- On longer rides, if rain is likely only over part of the route, I may consider rerouting the ride to avoid the likely rain.
-- If rain begins during a ride that's already in progress, the ride leaders will evaluate the safety of the situation in deciding whether to continue riding the planned route or to find the shortest, safest route back to the meeting point. In severe weather, ride leaders may direct riders to stop where they are and wait for conditions to clear.
If there is a significant chance of rain cancelling a ride, I'll post updates here on this blog as we get closer to meeting time. On ride morning, you should check here first before trying to call me to ask whether we're riding. (Imagine me trying to take 150 phone calls while trying to get ready!)
Even when it's raining, however, at least one ride leader will always show up at the meeting location in case other riders show up. And, although the ride may be officially "cancelled" as far as ALC is concerned, individual riders (including some who may have been scheduled to lead the official ride) may make the decision to ride unofficially on their own. ALC neither promotes nor endorses such rides, however.
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