12 April 2008

Solo ride

Sunny at Saratoga Gap It was going to be a warm, sunny day. I headed out with a windbreaker anyhow because it was still chilly in the shade in the morning. I headed up Hwy 9. There were lots of spores, pollen, and bugs in the air.

At Saratoga Gap, it was warm and sunny. Lots of cyclists passed by. I removed my windbreaker. Finally, I headed back down Hwy 9. A train of Nissan Infinitis passed by. I guess those car owners have a club too.

I took 236 into Big Basin. It was beautiful. It was cool and shaded on the climbs, and warm and sunny on the descents. Comfortable all around. I stopped at the park HQ and took a break and filled my bottle. Then I rolled out on 236.

At the bottom of Jamison, it was 12:18. For some reason, I couldn't go really hard, but that turned out to cause me to pace myself pretty well. I never looked at the 1.33 sign, so I don't know if the skunk tail or the tiny US flag were still there. When I got to the top, it was 12:43, and I matched my personal best of 25:32.

I continued on Empire Grade. It was warm but not too hot all the way home.