I just returned from a midday trip to survey most of tomorrow's route (the interesting parts). In short: I saw no show-stoppers, but extreme caution is advised. We will have a SAG vehicle on our route to provide limited support if needed.
Keep in mind that conditions probably will improve somewhat by tomorrow morning. Here are some of the details as of midday Friday:
Many of the bike lanes have large amounts of various ground cover -- leaves, twigs, and such. There is standing water in a couple of places, especially along Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. In some places, we probably will need to go into a traffic lane.
On Kennedy Road, water is flowing along our side of the road in several places both climbing and descending, but the main travel surface is mostly OK. Again, there is more debris than usual. And because most of this road does not receive direct sunlight, chances are that parts will continue to be wet tomorrow morning, so please use caution on the descent.
After turning onto Shannon Road, it's clear that this road was only recently reopened after flooding -- the burned-out flares placed across the road are evidence of that. There are some large branches and rocks along the very edge of the road, and there is one place where mud apparently flowed across the road but no longer is doing so. This area could be very slippery tomorrow, and it is on a descent.
The intersection of Hicks and Camden was partially submerged when I passed through, but our travel direction was clear ... and a bicyclist was going through safely while I was there.
There is road work at the corner of Blossom Hill and Santa Cruz/Winchester, and the right lane looks like it still will be closed tomorrow. We will need to merge left into the one available lane while climbing this short but steep hill.
Quito Road is mostly in its normal condition, with nothing special to note.
On Via Roncole just before Prospect, there is a small but bicycle-eating sinkhole that has opened in our travel direction, right where we would normally be riding. It's marked with a barricade, but please be extra careful and watch out for it.
That's the bad stuff I've seen. On the other hand, the creeks are flowing much more strongly than usual, and tomorrow's ride could be very scenic. If you haven't already RSVP'd, please go ahead and do so ... and please be on time tomorrow so that we can ride out on schedule at 10 a.m.
What about Saturday's ride? (Updated Wednesday night)
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.
More geeky stats
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.
So, sad to say and much to my surprise, the answer is no, not significantly. I'm not sure why, either.
| 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.
Ride report: Cat-3 Distance Training #1 (1/9/2010)
Go, riders!
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.
Worried about rain Saturday morning?
Don't be. (Famous last words.)
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.
See you Saturday morning! (Please be on time.)
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.
See you Saturday morning! (Please be on time.)
Distance Training #3: Westridge/Altamont (2/6/2010)
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
RSVPs are requested but not required. My year in cycling 2009
Updated annually, here's my recap of the past year on my bicycle.
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.
| 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.
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