29 September 2012

Solo ride

For a short ride, I started up Hwy 1. It was a bit chilly and overcast along the coast. At Bonny Doon, I turned right and headed up, getting above the clouds, where it was a bit warmer. I continued up Pine Flat, then headed down Empire Grade.

22 September 2012

Solo ride

It was sunny and warm. I took a route covering roads I hadn't ridden in a while or in directions I hadn't ridden in a while. I started up Empire Grade, then turned left on Smith Grade. On a steep part of Smith Grade, I shifted to my small ring and dropped my chain, and failed to get it back onto the chainring after a number of attempts and had to dismount and reseat it. At Bonny Doon, I turned right and headed up. I originally planned to head up Pine Flat to the upper intersection of Bonny Doon and turn left, but since it was such a nice day, I decided to extend the ride and turn right on Ice Cream Grade and thought that I should have had that idea earlier so that I could have turned right at Martin Rd instead. I took Ice Cream Grade to Empire Grade, then headed up to Pine Flat, and then down to the upper end of Bonny Doon, and took Bonny Doon all the way down to the coast. Then, it was tailwinds on Hwy 1 back to town, finishing with a climb up Western.

15 September 2012

Solo ride

It was sunny and warm. I just did a short ride, heading up Hwy 9 to Felton, then went up Felton-Empire. The lower half of Felton-Empire had lots of paint outlining cracks in the pavement and potholes. The upper third was more recently repaved and smooth. At Empire Grade, I turned left and headed back down.

6 September 2012

Swanton time trial

I headed up Hwy 1 into a typically tough headwind. There was a light turnout of about 10 riders. The wind had eased a bit when I started. Once, on the early part before the valley, due to the bumps in the road, I lifted off the saddle and sat back on a testicle painfully. I don't know my official time, but my estimates give me 20:08 outbound, and 14:45 on the return, for a total of 34:53, reflecting the easing of the wind. After a minimal break, I headed home with the tailwind. The sun was starting to set by the time I got home, so it's good that I didn't rest any longer before heading back home.

3 September 2012

Solo ride

It was sunny and warm. I headed up Hwy 9 to Felton, then turned right on Graham Hill, left on East Zayante, then headed over Quail Hollow and down Glen Arbor to Ben Lomond, and started up Alba at 11:47. There was a sign in the flat part with the houses just after the steep part just after Alba School which said there would be delays due to road work from Aug 27 to Oct 24. There was lots of paint on the road marking various things all the way to the top, but no tearing up of the road yet. The graffiti rock had "F.T.W." painted on it. At the top, there was another sign for the descending traffic with a similar message about delays and road work. I got to the top at 12:22 for an approximate time of 34:27. I turned left and headed down Empire Grade.

1 September 2012

Solo ride

It was mostly sunny, with some clearing morning clouds early on. I headed up Hwy 9 through Felton, then took Glen Arbor to Ben Lomond and Hwy 9 through Brookdale to Boulder Creek, then headed out on Hwy 236. I started up Jamison Creek at 12:09. There was a headwind on the lower part, and most of the lower mile also had the stench of diesel fumes. I also encountered two cyclists that were descending the lower part. The 1.33 marker had a tiny, faded and stained U.S. flag draped over it. In the middle of the steep middle part, another cyclist was descending, and then, just before the 1.02 marker, a group of 5 more cyclists were descending. I got to the top at 12:33, for an approximate time of 24:22. There were two more cyclists standing around at the top. I turned left and headed down Empire Grade. The light at Heller was red when I first saw it, but it turned green before I arrived at the intersection. I expect not to be as lucky with that light after the start of the fall term at the university.