What a wacky weather week it's been. Although it's not over yet, the forecasts seem to agree at this point that Saturday will be mostly, if not entirely, rain-free. And that means good news for our scheduled ride!
But a few words about the route. Although most of our planned route is urban, I'm particularly concerned about Kennedy and Shannon roads outside Los Gatos. These narrow roads twist their way right next to muddy hillsides, and we're starting to see lots of mudslides. And even if the road isn't blocked, the surface could be muddy and dangerous, especially on the steep descent. I'll be monitoring conditions through the week, and if a ride is looking likely, I plan to visit Los Gatos on Friday to check conditions. Don't be surprised, however, if I have to make some adjustments to the planned route due to closures and/or safety concerns.
Go ahead and RSVP for the ride. And then check back here throughout the week for the latest.
I got to wondering ... did my new bicycle (purchased in June 2008) make me any faster? Sure seems that way! Let's check the numbers that I've been meticulously logging for more than five years.
Hours on bike
Total miles
Average mph
2009
410:11
5548
13.53
2008
391:44
5450
13.91
2007
375:47
5077
13.51
2006
517:21
6945
13.42
2005
462:09
6075
13.15
So, sad to say and much to my surprise, the answer is no, not significantly. I'm not sure why, either.
Today begins the third year of the Cat-3 Distance Training rides, and we had the biggest group ever -- a total of 37 awesome cyclists rode out from Mountain View on our chilly but rain-free 40-mile journey into the hills around Woodside. Special congratulations go to the first-year ALC riders; you're in for an amazing adventure.
And this was a fast group. Most of us were at a Cat-4 (15+ mph) pace today, which got everyone back to Mountain View well before the suggested 3 p.m. cutoff time. You'll find these times on the Distance Training rides this season; these are mostly suggestions to help you refine your time management skills, which are very important to enjoying the event in June. Even if you're a faster rider (or especially if, in some cases), you need to wisely budget your time so that you can enjoy whatever off-the-bicycle diversions you wish -- and there can be a lot of them, ranging from giant cinnamon buns to skinny-dipping in the river.
In June, the rest stop deadlines are real deadlines, and if you miss one -- no matter how fast a rider you are -- you're done for the day at that point, and you are transported to that night's camp. This isn't because ALC is mean; it's because the hundreds of roadies who support us on the ride are volunteers as well, and they all need to close the route in stages and get to camp at the end of the day also. (Have you thanked a roadie lately?)
That said, it's also important during training and in June that you resist the temptation to keep pace with riders who are much stronger than you. Unless you're Ben Armstrong, there will always be someone faster than you on the ride. Cyclists of all skill levels are on the road in our group, and every one of us is equally important to the mission of AIDS/LifeCycle. There's no prize for getting into camp first or second, so develop a pace that you can maintain indefinitely. That's one of the biggest secrets to happiness in June.
Because we are faster riders, we'll often be passing other riders. ALC has strict rules about passing, and these rules also apply on our training rides.
We pass only when it's safe to do so. This means that if we need to go into a traffic lane to pass, we make sure that no vehicles are approaching from behind and won't be approaching until we're done passing. This also means that we don't block or slow traffic as we pass dozens of riders all at once. We give the other rider plenty of warning that we're approaching; we should call "On your left!" before our front wheel passes their rear wheel. (And don't hesitate to be polite when the riding isn't critical ... "Good morning, coming up on your left!" sounds a whole lot nicer.) And on freeways, we pass only when we can do so without ever crossing the white line and entering a traffic lane.
This means that sometimes we have to slow down and wait for a safe moment to pass. (We might even have a wait a minute or longer, especially if we're climbing a narrow road like Highway 92.) That's how it goes sometimes; don't get frustrated or angry. Take the opportunity to introduce yourself to another rider. There are more than 2,000 incredible stories on our road, and there's always a new one for you to hear.
One skill that you need on training rides that you usually don't need in June is skill in reading route sheets. The ride in June is extremely well signed and staffed, but that's not the case with training rides. We don't mark the roads, and we don't post directional arrows, so it's up to you to study the route sheet and anticipate turns and other events so that you don't get lost.
We had a few folks get lost today -- nobody's quite sure what happened, but they got lost enough that they ended up back in Mountain View after the sweeps had returned, something that shouldn't happen. There's no blame or finger-pointing to be had, because stuff happens. But if you're lost -- or even if you think you might be lost -- never hesitate to stop and call any of the ride leaders listed on the route sheet. We can usually figure out where you are and, if you've strayed, get you back on course. Our goal is to avoid extra bonus miles!
What's next? The Cat-3 Distance Training rides continue every other Saturday through May, and we'll always meet at the same location in downtown Mountain View. The meeting times will gradually get earlier (ride #10 has a meet time of 5:15 a.m., yikes!) as our distance increases. Please be sure to attend other ALC training rides, because you need to be riding every weekend in order to get ready for the ride.
In two weeks, on January 23, we'll do a 45-mile ride to Los Gatos and beyond. The total climbing will be about the same as today, but we'll have a couple of bigger hills along the way. Nothing too bad, though. Please join us; details and RSVP are here.
This ride report is posted in my blog after each ride, and I email it to everyone for whom I have a valid address. (If you don't get an email version, it's most likely because I couldn't read what you wrote on the sign-in sheet. It's not because I don't like you!)
Thanks to everyone who made today's ride a wonderful kickoff to our new season, and thank you for being part of AIDS/LifeCycle.
The forecasts say that any showers should be confined mostly to the North Bay, with at most a 20% chance of light showers on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.
Date: Saturday, February 6 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: Heavy rain cancels Category: 3 - moderate-fast pace (12-15 mph) Terrain: 3 - rolling hills with some steep climbs Miles: 50
Description: This is a training ride with a specific message: Pace yourself. Although the first half of this ride is nearly flat, a lot of climbing is packed into the second half, and you'll want to resist the urge to ride all-out during the easy part. This is a skill that will serve you well during the event in June.
We'll begin with a ride down Central Expressway to Santa Clara and then along the shoreline through Baylands Park, past Moffett Field, and into Palo Alto. After we pass Stanford Shopping Center, we'll begin to climb -- slowly at first, but then more steeply as we tackle Westridge Drive in Portola Valley, a hill that's a lot like the infamous Quadbuster. After that, we'll head into Los Altos Hills and climb Elena Road and Taaffe Road to the top of Altamont Road, where an exciting steep descent awaits. And just for some added fun, we'll return to Mountain View via some of the hilly residential streets in the Loyola Corners area.
Total climbing for this ride is about 2,000 feet.
Riders from all over Northern California are invited! Southbound Caltrain from San Francisco arrives at 9:29 a.m.
Leaders: Chris Thomas, Paul Rammer, Larry L'Italien, Bob Katz, Kathy Sherman, Kevin Hunter, Ally Kemmer, Al Esquivel, Ellen Goldstein, Randy Files
Updated annually, here's my recap of the past year on my bicycle.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Total
2009
371
339
500
552
583
618
250
511
442
475
380
527
5548
2008
236
219
496
559
560
1041
590
516
236
306
325
266
5450
2007
349
270
564
528
748
850
276
369
413
231
203
276
5077
2006
561
632
627
859
739
686
557
515
468
433
484
384
6945
2005
401
416
473
567
703
605
535
531
346
513
503
482
6075
If you're an avid reader of this blog, you already know the stories behind the numbers. Got sick at the height of training season; took it easy after the ride; ramped up earlier than usual this autumn in order to help with Seismic Challenge; finished the year strong.
I pushed myself somewhat too hard to exceed last year's total, and I've been paying for it the past several days with a cold/flu. Again this year, I hope to ride more smartly, but we'll see how that goes.
And I also need to keep working on keeping the riding fun. One big thing is that many of this season's Cat-3 Distance Training rides will be different from last season's ... some different routes, with some surprising new challenges thrown into the mix.
A giant thank you to all of my supporters, both those who gave for ALC8 and those who already have done so for ALC9. If you haven't already done so, please consider a generous gift to help the San Francisco AIDS Foundation during these challenging economic times.
