Saturday, May 31, 2008

31 May 2008

Half Moon Bay



Tunitas Creek Rd
The sky was filled with a thick layer of clouds early in the morning. At times, I could feel drizzle in the air. There was somewhat of a headwind, as the wind sock near Waddell was varying around 60 degrees, sometimes drooping to about 45 degrees, sometimes being blown up to around 80 degrees. The drizzle got more pronounced on Gazos Creek Rd, where there were patches of damp on the road.

At Pescadero, I stopped and waited to sign in and join the club ride. There was drizzle on parts of Stage, Tunitas Creek, and Lobitos Creek. It was dry on Verde, but heading inland up Purisima and back down towards the coast, there were more periods of drizzle. There was also a bit of a headwind heading into Half Moon Bay.

After a light lunch, for which I had focaccia and a scone, and during there was more drizzle, we headed back via Hwy 1. After we passed the north end of Stage Rd, we started getting passed by emergency vehicles with sirens. On the high flat between San Gregorio Creek and Pomponio Creek, the emergency vehicles were clustered in the right lane. I think I saw someone on a stretcher off the side of the road surrounded by emergency workers when directed into the oncoming lane by the traffic flaggers. At Pescadero Rd, my riding partners turned left to head back to Pescadero, and I continued straight.

There was pretty good tailwind at times. It wasn't that strong, though. The wind sock was pretty steady at around 80 degrees. The clouds also started clearing as I got further south. By Davenport, the sun was out, but it was still a bit hazy. By the time I headed up Western and back home, I was starting to get tired.

Monday, May 26, 2008

26 May 2008

Memorial day ride


Smith Grade
Since there was a chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday, I stayed near home and did the UCSC loop both days. Today, I joined the club ride up to Davenport and Swanton, then up Bonny Doon and Smith, then Empire Grade back down.

It was pretty much overcast in the morning with brief moments of sun. I headed down to Natural Bridges and got signed in. Going out to Davenport, there wasn't too much wind, and I got in a 3-man paceline. After a long break at Davenport, we continued to Swanton. There was kind of a headwind on parts of it, but the paceline provided some protection from it. The headwind was more noticeable in the half-mile leading up to the climb, though that was when I was pulling. Up and over the hill, then down the backside we went.

Then, we headed back down Hwy 1. It seemed like there was a bit of a tailwind to me. Next was the left turn at Bonny Doon and the climb ending with an extended 10% section. After a little break, we headed onto Smith Grade and its at times steep, at times narrow, and at times twisty descent that went on and on before climbing again. It was still overcast. A group of motorcycles went by. Then, some more descent, but not as steep, narrow or twisty as earlier, followed by the final climb the kicked up the gradient just before Empire Grade. A couple of cyclists whooped as they descended in the opposite direction.

Finally, we headed down Empire Grade. On the descent after the 8-14% grade sign, there was more of a headwind than usual. My top speed in that section was around 33mph, where I usually hit at least 40mph. After the UCSC west entrance, I rode in the draft of the other guy (the third guy must have been dropped on the climb just after Smith Grade), which enabled me to get a new personal best on the Empire Grade descent. After Western, I pulled around and sprinted home. It was finally sunny.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

18 May 2008

2008 Strawberry Fields Forever


Corralitos rest stop
I started from home at about a quarter past 6. The sign-in for the ride was from 7-8 at Pajaro Valley High School. I'd never been there before. It was totally foggy as I started out and then headed out on Soquel. Then I continued on Bonita and turned left at the end, heading up Larkin Valley. As I climbed, it finally got sunny. I stopped at the summit because the fog on my glasses made the glare of the sun almost blinding and wiped them off. At Larkin Valley and Mar Monte, though, there was a descent back into fog. Fog that got thicker and thicker.

At Airport Blvd, I turned right, having planned on taking it to Harkins Slough Rd, but found that it was a dirt road, so I turned around and eventually found myself back on Airport heading away from PVHS. I knew I'd get to Freedom eventually, and turned right there. I started seeing people already starting on the ride. I turned right at Green Valley and saw lots more riders. I finally got to PVHS and got my number, wristband, and route sheet. Then I headed out.

At first, there were groups of riders around me. But then, just about 5 minutes into it, they all turned off on the 100km route, so I was alone for quite a while after that. It was still quite foggy. I overtook a pair of riders on Green Valley, and another pair on Casserly. I overtook a small group on the initial part of Mt Madonna, but then saw nobody after that for a while. It was finally sunny. I kept telling myself to take it easy, since I figured I was going to ride over 140 miles this day, but I still had to hammer a little up the steep part just before Hazel Dell. After Hazel Dell started climbing, I started overtaking riders. On the descent, I caught up to a woman and stayed behind her until the curve left onto Browns Valley, when I went by. At the Russian themed rest stop at Corralitos, I got some gatorade, a piece of bread, and a quarter of a banana.


Burrell Fire Station rest stop
Heading up Eureka Canyon, I went by a bunch of riders on the initial climb, and then the road was pretty empty for a while. Somewhere between a third of the way up and half way up, I started overtaking riders. There was a bunch stopped at Ormsby, but I just continued onto Highland, and road was empty again for a while. I think I paced myself decently up Eureka Canyon. There were mountain bikers headed in the opposite direction on Highland. Eventually I started overtaking riders until I caught a couple of riders that were going fast enough that I decided to save energy by getting on their wheels. Suddenly, they slowed down and we pulled into the second rest stop. It was pretty hot, so I took off my windbreaker. I got more gatorade, a small chunk of some pastry, and a little tortilla with beans and other stuff in it.

I headed out and took the descent of the remainder of Highland pretty quickly. Then, heading down Soquel-San Jose, I hammered harder than I should have, as I kept seeing glimpses of a rider ahead. A little after Olive Springs, I started overtaking riders. On one part where the road curved to the right, as bloated white pickup overtook me with the driver laying into his horn for something like 5 seconds. He then waved his arm out his window. I don't know what his problem was.


Calfee rest stop
Then I was back on Soquel, where I had ridden earlier, but this time it was sunny. I continued onto Bonita again, but then turned right onto San Andreas. I had been following a reasonably fast rider, but my legs were starting to feel sore, so I backed off my pace a bit and let him go. There were still lots of slower riders around, though. After the little climb following Buena Vista, I turned right and headed downhill and over a bunch of speed bumps to the rest stop. It was cool, damp and breezy, and fog hung over the nearby area towards the ocean. I got more gatorade, another quarter banana, some grapes, a stuffed olive and biscotti. There was the bamboo bike and a Calfee recumbent tandem.

I headed out again, my legs still a bit sore, and I still had over 70 miles to go. However, when a guy in a LiveStrong jersey on a Giant went by, I hopped on his wheel since it would probably be windy on Thurwachter, McGowan, and Trafton. We caught up to another guy and he traded pulls with LiveStrong guy. On Trafton, there was actually a tailwind much of the time. On Elkhorn, my legs were still pretty sore, so I dropped back. I continued left on Castroville Blvd, then right on San Miguel Canyon. At the stoplight at San Miguel and Moro Rd, I caught up to LiveStrong guy, almost an hour since I last saw him. The other guy was probably long gone. I stayed with LiveStrong guy on the initial climbs, but then dropped back. I caught up with him again just before the first of 3 short, but brutally steep climbs. The first was on Tustin, just after Karen Dr, climbing about 170ft in under 0.1 mile. There were a few riders stopped at the bottom of the climb. I hammered up, overtaking a small cluster of riders. I had to slow down halfway up, it was so steep. I overtook a unicyclist walking up. At the summit, a woman was stopped. She said, "Good job." as I went by and dropped down the following descent.


Royal Oaks Park rest stop
I turned left onto Echo Valley and started up another short, somewhat steep climb, overtaking a tandem. This one gained only about 80ft in about 0.2 mile. The tandem blew by me on the subsequent descent. Then, the right turn onto Maher led to another short, steep climb. A few people were walking up. I hammered up yet again. This one gained about 130ft in about 0.15 mile. After another fast descent, there was another little climb up to rest stop at Royal Oaks Park. I got a coke, hard-boiled eggs, boiled potatoes, another quarter banana, and a cookie. Then I made a mustard, turkey, tomato, and lettuce half-sandwich. The mustard gooped over my hands and, even though I wiped it off, grimed up my bars and hoods when I started off again.


Gizdich Ranch rest stop
My legs were sore again, so I took it easy on the remainder of Tarpey and onto San Miguel Canyon. A little before Vega, I went by a scene where a woman was being loaded into an ambulance, her neck in a brace. She was in cycling clothes too. I hope she's okay. On San Juan Rd, I caught up to a pair of riders that were reasonably fast and sucked their wheels for a little while. But then, on Murphy Crossing, my legs were still too sore and I dropped back. That was too bad, because there was a headwind on Hwy 129, and it would have been nice to have a fast enough wheel to follow. Finally, I headed into the rest stop at Gizdich. There was a long line, so I just got more gatorade, a cup of lemonade, and another quarter banana. I got banana goop on my hands, so this time I went to the drinking fountain that I knew about and washed my hands.

My legs felt a little better, so I rode a bit harder out on Carlton, Casserly, Green Valley, Pioneer, and Varni. However, my right calf started threatening to cramp. Finally, on Corralitos Rd, it cramped hard, so I unclipped and it got worse. I stopped and stood on it painfully as I unclipped my left shoe. After a few minutes, I continued cautiously. The soreness in my legs were pretty much gone, but higher cadences seemed to make the cramp threaten to return, so I couldn't really hammer. I continued on Freedom, Airport, Loma Prieta, and Green Valley back to PVHS. I got some chicken, pasta, salad and a soda. There probably were chocolate-dipped strawberries, but I forgot to look for them, and they were not obvious.

I retraced the route back to Freedom, seeing lots of riders headed the other way, then took Freedom back to Soquel and back home.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

10 May 2008

Saturday harbor ride

It was cold and overcast and remained so for most of the ride. On San Andreas, it seemed that nobody at the front was really pushing the pace, so instead of the pack being strung out with me trying to hang onto a wheel at the back, as is usually the case, the pack kept getting bunched up so I started moving forward on the right side. On one occasion, I almost got squeezed off the right side, and on another, I had to brake since there was no room on either the right or the left. It was a new experience.

On to Hazel Dell. I stayed with the lead group up the steep lead-up on Mt Madonna and through the flat initial part of Hazel Dell. Then, the 4 in the lead group rode off while chatting away as I huffed and puffed up the hill. And I managed to get a new personal best. On the descent, a group of 4 went by, so I hopped onto their train through Corralitos and up Hames. Halfway up, they stop to fix a noisy chain, so I continue alone.

Day Valley, Valencia, and Trout Gulch back to Soquel. On Soquel, the sun finally came out. But it clouded up again. Through downtown Santa Cruz to West Cliff. It alternated being cloudy and sunny. There were a couple of tents on West Cliff with bottles of juice and stuff, and there were signs for free bus rides next to them. It said something about "The Human Race", which seemed like some kind of charity walk or run.

I was still feeling pretty good, so I decided to hammer up Western to try for a new personal best. After going by the farmer's market and waiting for the light at Hwy 1, I cranked up the initial steep part and burnt my legs out. So I recovered for a little while after it flattened, then hammered the rest of the way to Meder. Old personal best: 4:36. New personal best: 4:02.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

3 May 2008

Solo ride


Summit Rd
I started later, since I was riding solo. It was sunny, but not as warm as it seemed from indoors, in the morning. I started off on some roads that I hadn't ridden in a long time. I took it somewhat easy going up Glen Canyon, but it had been so long since the last time, I had a new personal best by a minute and a half. From Scotts Valley, I took Bean Creek, Mountain Charlie, and Riva Ridge to Summit. I saw deer at a number a places: Bean Creek, Mountain Charlie, Skyline, and even Smith Grade.

Up in the mountains, it was warmer. I could see a thin fog over the lower coastal areas that made it cooler down there. There were also numerous little scurrying lizards or something on the road all over the place. I continued to Bear Creek. As I approached Skyline, a black limo went by. I assume that it was going to the wineries. It started left, then pulled off into the turnout. I turned right and headed along Skyline.

At Saratoga Gap, the hot dog stand was not there. I wasn't planning on stopping anyhow, and turned left and headed down Hwy 9, then Hwy 236 into Big Basin. I stopped at the headquarters to eat a snack and get a 7up at the store. After a break, I continued on Hwy 236. On the climb out, somewhere near the edge of the park, a mail truck went by me. Approaching Jamison, I was catching up to a mail truck as it stopped to deliver mail. The truck turned right at Jamison, and so did I.

It was 1:18 as I went by the mail truck. The truck was close behind me for a little while. But then, there were too many mailboxes to deliver to, so I never saw it again. It was getting warmer, and I considered taking off my windbreaker, but I didn't. There were a few bugs around my face, but it was not as bad as it could get in the summer. One bug flew into my ear, buzzing loudly, and startled me. At the 1.33 sign, there still was a strip of skunk tail, but no flag. At around 1/3 mile to the top, 4 or 5 descending cyclists went by. When I got to the top, it was 1:43, so my time was right around my personal best. At 25:28, it was my new best by 4 seconds.

On Empire Grade, I considered either going straight home, or going down Pine Flat, and taking Smith Grade back to Empire Grade. I was feeling pretty good, and it had been a very long time since the last time I took Smith, so I headed down Pine Flat and Bonny Doon. I thought about continuing down Bonny Doon all the way to Hwy 1, since it had been a long time since I last did that descent, but I had done that more often than Smith. So I took Smith Grade to Empire Grade, then back home.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

1 May 2008

Swanton time trial

I left work early, and it was sunny and very warm around quarter to 5. I got home, got changed, and headed out around a quarter past 5. It was no longer quite as warm. On the way out on Hwy 1, there was a pretty strong headwind, so I just went slowly rather than ride really hard. For some reason, from around Fambrini's to Davenport, I smelled gunpowder. I smelled it between Davenport and Bonny Doon Rd on the way back as well.

When I arrived, it was 6:06 and there was already about 15 riders lined up ahead of me. It was a little chilly in the wind. The guy ahead of me took off a couple of seconds before his countdown finished. When I started, the wind was pretty brutal at first. I had just gotten new glasses, and the lenses were smaller than my old glasses, allowing the wind to make my eyes water. I was either the second to last or third to last to start. There was only one behind me when I started. Early in the valley, I caught the guy ahead of me, so at least I wouldn't be the last to finish. I saw 3 or 4 riders on their return legs before I got to the climb, and the rest descending as I climbed. I think I saw 3 riders climbing when I descended. One of them blew by me later in the valley. Then, there was another rider with a flat off the right side of the road. Bummer. Approaching the hairpin right just before the final little rise, I saw a glimpse the guy who started 2 minutes ahead of me.

After finishing, I recovered for about 5 minutes, then headed home with a strong tailwind. I think my time was in the 34:35-34:45 range.