31 December 2007

Monday afternoon UCSC loop

This would make my first month with over 500 miles without counting the riding to and from work. Counting to and from work, I think I may have had over 500 miles in a month in 2005. My 2007 mileage, without counting to and from work, would also be slightly more than my 2006 mileage. Counting to and from work, 2007 would probably be around 200 miles less than 2006.

It was a sunny and slightly windy day. There was a headwind in the middle parts of the climb, getting stronger at the bottom part of the climb on the last 2 times up. There was a tailwind at the very bottom of the descent. So the wind was mostly from the north-northeast. The campus was still empty due to winter break.

30 December 2007

Short solo loop

Monterey Bay from High St The sun was a welcome change to the cold, rain and clouds of the last few days. The roads were still wet, so I went out on a short loop up Hwy 9, Felton-Empire and down Empire Grade. The last 2 times I rode this loop were 6 and a half months earlier, the first 2 rides after my broken leg. This time was much faster than those 2 times.

25 December 2007

Tuesday afternoon UCSC loop

It was sunny with a slight chill in the shade. The forecast was for NW winds, but the wind was from the SW at UCSC. That made for tailwinds in the middle of the climb, and heavy headwinds, especially near the bottom, on the descent. The winds made my average time up the climb about 25 seconds faster than yesterday afternoon, and my average time down the descent about 20 seconds slower.

The campus was pretty empty for the break. There still were a few people walking and a few people bicycling around the campus. Due to the holiday, though, this was the first time I rode the loop without seeing a single bus.