Let's Talk.....

Jodi and I did a loop through Diamond Valley today. The temperature was absolutely perfect with a slight breeze, that kept it from getting too steamy. Jodi started off like a "speed demon" and once I caught up to her we chatted for the rest of the ride. I found myself gazing periodically at the bright colors, as our area is in full bloom. Wow! It is absolutely beautiful here! I even saw a couple of butterflies and was pelted by several bugs along the way. The ride itself was pretty mild, but it was nice to have the opportunity to talk and relax. Along the way we passed by several friendly cyclists that would wave or say "hello". We even met a group of women riders at four corners that were getting ready to do a cycling class. They were super friendly and wanted to talk. They loved my Wildflower jersey and wanted to know how to get one. One of the women had climbed Mt. Everest and wanted to tell us about it, when we ran into her again later on during the ride.

I got thinking.... Generally speaking, bicyclist are nice people. Whether you meet someone new on a ride or at a century, they seem to be friendly and outgoing. Maybe people who ride bikes and enjoy the outdoors are happier and more content. I really look forward to getting out riding and meeting more fun people.

Let's go play!

Bike to Work Day

Friday was Bike to Work Day in Nevada. Having the day at the end of the week was a bit mentally and phsically hard, since I had already done so much riding this week. I was exhausted Thursday night, and wasn't sure how I'd pull it off. Much to my surprise though, I woke up Friday feeling quite refreshed! I also planned to take the direct route down HWY 395. It's not as scenic, but it gets me to work a lot faster without as much climbing. I took this route last year, and the traffic scared the living hell out of me! It wasn't as bad this time though. I'm getting used to it I guess. There are moments of tension and release throughout the route, but I don't think there's anyway around that when dealing with traffic.

Another reason I was interested in taking the direct route is that Comma Coffee was giving out free coffee to bicycle commuters. I arrived at Comma Coffee just a bit after 8:00, so I really didn't see any other cyclists. I was a little worried that I would have to explain that I commuted by bike and that I was looking for the free coffee, but they cheerfully looked at me and said, "Free Coffee?". They even recommended a blend to me. I also entered a raffle for $500 towards a new bike. Outside, I finally got to try one of the Muscle Powered bicycle racks.

At lunch, I met up with Marcus and Sandie and did a nice road bike tour of the west side of Carson City. We did Kings Canyon, the bike path, and then back to work. Marcus had some extra time, and did some additional miles.

One of the best things about bicycle commuting is all that you experience. A car is like a cell in which you don't get released until you arrive at work. Not so on the bike. It was nice to see pedestrians and animals along the way and say hello. You also have a bit more time to look at things, since you're not driving as fast. It's amazing all the subtleties you notice when slowing things down a bit.

Outside the coffee shop I heard two homeless guys talking about what they were going to do today. They wanted to get a room somewhere and wash the stinky clothes they had been wearing for four days in a row now they said.

For the last couple of years, I have seen this guy riding his bike up and down HWY 395 through Carson Valley. Winter and Summer. Every time I see him from my car, it makes me wish I would've ridden too. Today as I neared Indian Hills, I saw him in front of me. I was excited I would finally get to meet him. I snapped a picture from a ways back so he didn't think I was a freak. We talked for a bit as we rode, and I learned that Mr. Smith is 69 years old, and rides across the valley to take care of his 90 year old mother. On the way home we crossed paths again in Minden. We had a better talk this time, since we weren't on the HWY. We rode the side streets and talked about bikes. He wanted to know some tips for climbing the Indian Hills climb, and said that a lot of cyclists seem to pass him there. I noticed his seat was pretty low, and he's going to try and raise it for the next ride. I told him it might help with knee pain too, but he said he wasn't sure he'd be able to tell. He said everything hurts at his age anyway. We rode together to his house, and then I continued on to my House in Gardnerville. Hopefully I'll see him next week!

Today's total bicycle miles: 40 - Total car miles: 0

Ebbett's Pass

We road up Ebbett's Pass this Sunday, something that has been on my to-do-list for a long time. Ebbett's Pass is located in Alpine County, California. It's a narrow alpine road that is closed during the winter season. In fact, the pass is closed right now. To automobiles! There are still campers and anglers along the way, but from 7,000 feet to 8,730 feet, it was bicycles only.

We began our ride in Markleeville, CA at 5,500 feet, with the Jody and the Potters. The first half of the ride was a gentle climb along the Carson River. The sound of the rushing river winding through the narrow canyon cleared the mind. Midway up, there was an old cow camp. The old wood and green meadow spoke of simpler times. Around the 7,000 foot marker, the road pitched up steeply, and the country became more rugged. It was also at this point that we went around the Road Closed Gate.

The road became narrow, and I was glad I was not in a car. Mountain roads like this scare the heck out of me in a car. I feel like I'm more in control of my destiny when traveling these types of roads on a bicycle. We climbed up past the snow level, and the temperatures began to cool off. Kinney Reservoir at 8353 feet, was completely iced over still.



Kristy near the top of the climb.

It was a great feeling to reach the top. 3,200 Feet over 18 miles. It was certainly a milestone. It made me think of how far I'd come on my bike since I started getting back into cycling in 2001. We met up with some other cyclists at the top, had some good conversation, did some carbo-loading, and got ready for our descent back to Markleeville. The first half of the descent was amazing. I thought to myself that I need to spread the word...this is one thing you need to try before you die! As we descended I couldn't believe how much we had climbed. It just seemed weird to me that we did this on bicycles. This 36 mile out and back trip is highly recommended!




Looking down the descent.


More photos can be found HERE in the Ebbett's Pass photo set.

Seventythreetury

Today we rode in the Chico Wildflower. We didn't do the whole 100 miles, but we did 73, making it a "seventy-three-tury". We completed the two hard climbs, and they were the most rewarding part of the ride.

We woke up at 5:45 and headed down for breakfast at the Holiday Inn. We had a good helping of carbohydrates and some really bad coffee. Luke warm, watered down Folgers. Bad coffee to a cyclist is like garlic to a vampire or wolfsbane to a werewolf. There were a lot of cyclists running around the hotel ready to go before the sun was even up. There was a slight drizzle of rain outside, but it appeared to be stopping!

We got to the fairgrounds at around 7:40. We had already checked in yesterday, so all we had to do is park the car and ride. We spent the next 15 minutes debating what to wear on the ride. We were trying to figure out how to stay comfortable all day long through changing conditions. We looked around, and some folks were dressed in winter gear while others were wearing shorts. We finally dressed in more layers than a Taco Bell burrito. We were comfortable all day. Toasty when it got cold, and cool when the sun came out. The temperatures were all over the place today! We brought knee warmers, arm warmers, wind vests, and rain jackets. All were very appreciated. I think we both could have used some toe warmers though.

I think my favorite part of the ride was the Honey Run Climb. It was narrow, steep, twisty, lots of riding graffiti on the road, with misty cloudy skies. The most rewarding climb was the Table Mountain loop. The climb was long and steep, but the scenery was beautiful. We were both really glad to see the top and we both had a great sense of accomplishment that we conquered the climb. They had a shuttle taking some cyclists to the top. I can imagine that climb being overwhelming for folks that haven't had enough time in the saddle this year!

After Table Mountain, it was mostly downhill or flat. We had a pretty good lunch around 2:00, and then put in some pretty good miles before reaching the last rest stop. We had already gone around 60 some miles at this point. The course had another 20 miles left on it, but we were pretty wiped out. We took Jones Avenue back towards Chico, and rode through several miles of fruit trees. The traffic was light, and there were few cyclists. It was a good cool-down to end the ride with.

There were all sorts of cyclists on the road today. Men, women, and children. There were mostly road bikes, but we saw a few mountain bikes, and even a couple single speeds! We didn't see any wrecks thankfully, but we saw about a hundred roadside flat repairs! I can't imagine what was causing the flats. I certainly didn't see any road hazards. Maybe it's a good rule of thumb to put some new tubes in before a big ride like this.

They had a decent looking buffet setup in a cafeteria-like setting back at the fairgrounds, but we were ready to head to the Sierra Nevada Brewery. We went back to the hotel for a bath...for some reason there wasn't enough water pressure for a shower...and then headed down for some beer and pizza. We both had a pint of the draft style pale ale, and then we shared a stout which also went very well with the brownie for dessert! It's nearly 9:00 P.M. and we are both ready for some sleep! Tomorrow we'll head back over Donner Pass for home. And a day off work!

The full set of this weekend's ride is HERE.

Chico Velo Wildflower Century

This coming Sunday on the 22nd, Kristy and I will be riding in the Chico Velo Wildflower Century. I'm not sure if we'll do the whole hundred miles. We may opt for the Mildflower which is 65 miles, or we may try do something in between. This is our first time, but we hear it is one of the best organized rides.

When Kristy asked me if I wanted to ride in Chico, my first thought was, "That's where the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is...". I immediately told her I was in! We hope to visit/tour the brewery on Saturday.

Has anyone else done this ride before? Anyone doing it this year?

Trek 1600 Review

Almost every day, somebody comes to this blog looking for a review of a Trek 1600. I had a hard time finding any information on the bike before I purchased it too. This post is for you 1600 review seekers.

I've been a mountain biker since 1989, and have ridden many different mountain bikes over the years. I had a Raleigh Grand Prix 10 speed as a kid in the 80's, but I just putted around on it. Road biking had always been in the back of my mind, but I never really got a chance to give it a try. I got an old Specialized Expedition touring bike from my dad last year, and that was my first real taste of road biking. The Expedition is 26 pounds, but was easy to put a lot of miles on. It got me thinking of how a lighter, more modern bike might feel.

Kristy and I decided to give Road Biking a try and both bought 2007 Trek 1600's. We were looking for a bike that wasn't too expensive, since we figured mountain biking would still be our main bicycling discipline. At the same time though, we were looking for a bike that would perform well, and not have us wishing for upgrades soon after the initial purchase. There were a few bikes at this price point, all with similar componentry. We decided to go with the Treks, since they were readily available for testing at our local shop. The Trek also seemed to have a bit more for the buck.

The bike retails for around $1,300, but we got them for $1,100. For this price you get an all aluminum frame, a carbon fork and seat post, Shimano 105 component group, and a Shimano Ultegra rear derailleur. The total weight of the bike with Shimano SPD pedals is around 20.5 lbs.

Kristy has had her bike since the Fall of 06, I got mine the beginning of this year. Both of us have several hundred miles on them. I was worried that an all aluminum frame might be too harsh on the road, but after several long distance rides, I have no complaints. The shifting has been pretty much flawless. The 10 speed rear cassette is great for finding the perfect cadence, and the shifts are crisp and precise.

I'm used to mountain bike braking performance, so I'm not sure how the brakes compare to high end brakes. The brakes aren't what I'm used to on my mountain bikes, but it's certainly not bad either. I just wonder if it could be improved in this area. Maybe just a brake pad change would do the trick.

Most bikes come with cheaper tires, so I suspected this bike would be the same. I took the front tire off to weigh it, and sure enough it was a wire bead tire, weighing 285 grams. It looks like similar tires with a Kevlar bead weigh in at around 220 grams, so it would be a cheap upgrade to shave a 1/4 lb off the wheels.

The bike handles well and is comfortable for all day rides. The handlebars appear to be bit higher than a racer might have them. In fact the top of the bars is about level with the seat. This helps with neck comfort on long rides, but also gives you the option of being more aerodynamic in the drops. The handling on fast descents is good too. The front end of the bike feels stable, and top speeds are only limited by my level of bravery. I think the handlebars could be a bit better ergonomically designed. The bend in the drops is a bit tight for my hands. Bars that I've tried with a flat section in the drops are more comfortable.

The carbon seat post is a nice touch, and the seat is firm but fairly comfortable. The grip tape and hoods are nice, but not as good as the Specialized offering in this price point. The Allez that I checked out in the shop had more cushioning in the bar tape. But again, this would be a cheap upgrade.

Bottom line: This bike is for you if you're looking for a bike with enough performance to keep you happy, but won't bust your bank account. If this was my only bike, I may have been willing to spend more, but since it is one of the many bikes in my collection, the price was just right. I've really grown to love road biking because of this bike.

If you have further questions about the bike, feel free to shoot me an email or comment here. The email link is on my blogger profile.

She is Finally Here!

After many months of waiting, my new road bike is finally here. She is the Terry Isis, named after the Egyptian goddess which is translated to mean queen of the throne. You can check out the specs on the bike at the Terry website. It is a nice set up from what I understand and most importantly, she is nice to look at much like my mechanic.


She arrived on Monday but had to sit in the box until our bike shop owner Dan-the-man could put her together. I ordered her in December so it has been a true test of my patience especially since my mechanics new road bike got here about a month ago.

When we arrived at the bike shop I walked in and saw her for the first time and thought to myself "she sure is a cute little bike". She really is small, which is good cos so am I. The part I am having the hardest time getting used to is the front tire being so much smaller than the rear. It just looks so strange but I guess that is to help with the standover height. The other funny thing is the bars, they are super small. They are Salsa brand Short and Shallow, I am sure that doesn't mean anything - I am not shallow, really I am not.


Last night we rushed home to get her ready for her maiden voyage. We had to put the cleats on my new road shoes, install the computer, take off the dorky ass reflectors, etc. Then we were off. It was a chilly evening at about 50 degrees and we only had about an hour of daylight left and were both wearing shorts. We headed up to Lakeview and did a quick 12.5 mile loop.

It was funny cos Brent was trying to give me tips on how to climb efficiently and what not and I was struggling with just understanding just how to shift! I have to be honest, I expected my road bike to fly up Lakeview but did not realize that the gearing is totally different than my mountain bike. I was expecting a granny gear - the road bike's granny gear is about the middle ring on my Stumpy. Luckily the Isis is light as a feather so it helps to equalize it (I guess). I am also not at all used to using my arms to stabilize the bike while you are out of the saddle. The first time I stood up to sprint, I thought I was going down! By the end of the ride, I was getting the hang of it and it felt great. I also had to learn how to use my new Speedplay lite action pink pedals- which by the way, I love.

Bottom line, it is not just like riding a bike. I have much to learn about this type of riding but am so looking forward to the journey...

Cinderella Classic

Lookout! Here come the Cinderella's. We watched some Cinderella's start their ride from the Fairgrounds. Last Saturday, the 31s of March was the Cinderella Classic in Dublin, California. Amy, Kathy, Patti and I met Kim and Monica aka Cujo for the ride. It was an amazing day for me, I completed my first Century, a metric Century but a Century none the less. We spent the day stopping and starting more times than I care to count and passing pink princesses. I got to see the Lemon Drop Man and enjoyed the beautiful rolling hills.

On your left, on your left, on your left.... was the song of the day. Cujo knows the song only too well, the rider she was trying to pass on the left, went left and they almost collided. Riders were everywhere! I heard that over 2,800 entries were sold for this event. I couldn't believe the amount of female bikers everywhere. It was pretty amazing.



Ahh, it was a perfect day, temps in the 70's, beautiful scenery with rolling hills and the best company. What more could one ask for? Well, actually a few less stops and a few more cooperative princesses, but who's counting?...

We only got lost one time when Kathy and I were following a very fast Cinderella, we figured she must have been a racer or something. Later, we found out he was a Cinderfella. There were so many girls with unshaved legs that day, who knew?

Who would have thought that the Lemon Drop Man, was a guy on a hill passing out Lemon Drop candies???? I somehow managed to ride uphill, with camera in hand and pick up a lemon drop. It was well worth it! Shortly after this shot one unlucky Cinderella had crashed her bike on a fast downhill, which reminded me to pay attention and be thankful that I was able to have this special day.


This was our last rest stop before the finish. The last 10-15 miles seemed to fly by, thank goodness. What a fantastic day! I got the pleasure of sharing it with some amazing women. Until next time, ladies....

Check out more pictures here.

Cinderfella

On Saturday, I hooked up with a bunch of guys for a road ride near the San Francisco Bay Area. Most, if not all the guys were significant others of girls riding in the Cinderella Classic, hence the name "Cinderfella". I can't really tell you where I started riding. From my hotel, I switched cars three times before getting dropped off in some area in the urban sprawl along the 680 corridor. Looking at the map, I think the drop off point may have been the city of Clayton just north of Mount Diablo.

We started heading south through some traffic, and I got the impression that the whole ride would be like this. I was wrong! After turning onto Morgan Territory Road, we saw very little traffic for miles. In fact, it was so quiet that I felt very isolated. It was a nice long climb up a heavily shaded canyon below the east side of Mount Diablo. The green hills on both sides and the trees above my head gave me no indication on how far the top of the climb was. We finally came up out of the trees at the summit, and had a nice break at the Morgan Territory Regional Preserve.

After a nice rest we began our descent. It was probably the craziest descent I've ever done on the road to date. Steep, narrow, twisty, low visibility corners, with a drop-off on the downhill side. It was kind of scary, but I guess it's stuff like this makes you feel alive! We came out north of Livermore, and took the back roads to Altamont Pass Road. This pass was very short with not a whole lot of climbing. Which is good, because the big climb was coming up.

We rode the foothills above Tracy, and made our way towards Patterson Pass Road. We passed hundreds of windmills along the way. At first I was pretty excited to see them, but after hours of them, they became just part of the scenery. We also passed quite a few young thug work crews picking up trash along the road. One kid wanted to borrow my bike. I thought better of it, and besides, his baggy pants would've gotten all messed up in my chain rings. We started our climb up Patterson Pass Road, and it continued to climb for quite a ways. You could never really see the top. Every time you thought you were at the summit, a new summit would appear. Finally the real summit loomed in the distance...the picture you see here.

Here's a picture of the summit looking down at where I shot the previous picture. I think this climb was the highlight of my ride. It is certainly the most memorable section. At the summit we had just completed 4,000 feet of climbing and were about to start our final descent into Livermore to complete the 50 mile loop. Afterwards, we regrouped at a brew pub for much deserved dinner and beer.

This is just my adventure...Kristy will be posting the story and pictures from her ride soon...

More pictures of this ride can be found HERE.

High Plains Shifters

I'd like to start off by saying, "85 miles and 3,200 vertical feet of climbing, baby!"

On Sunday the road riding gang met in Wellington, NV, a small farming community in Smith Valley. It was a bit nippy out, so we put on the wind vests and arm warmers and headed out. The ride started out with a nice flat road out of town, and gave us a nice warm up before hitting the climb up the canyon. Within the first half hour, we were too hot, and stripped off the vests and arm warmers at the first pit stop.

I expected the temperatures to be much cooler, and the snow levels much lower this time of year. It felt like May with temperatures in the high 70s! After emerging from the canyon, we were treated to views of the Sweetwater mountain range for several miles. I felt like we were on the set of a Clint Eastwood Western. In fact, High Plains Drifter was filmed not too far from here.

When we reached Sweetwater Summit, the highest point in the ride, I had already felt like I had a good ride. Turning around at this point would be a good 40 miles, but we were only half way to Bridgeport. We got on the bikes and headed downhill for several miles towards the Walker river. My descent was abruptly interrupted by a couple of Asian tourists. They honked their horn at me and were asking me if this was the road to Las Vegas. They were clearly lost, so I had them pull over before we crashed.

They had a junk map...just a one page tear out of some tourist magazine that had only the main roads on it. They asked me to show them where they were on the map, but I told them this road was not on their map. I gave them instructions on how to get back to Yerington, and over to HWY 95, the well traveled route. It would be a bit of a back track for them, but better than trying to steer them through some obscure mountain pass if they continued on. Always carry a good map when traveling in Nevada. It can be very far between services!

Everybody else was gone, so I was thankful the Asian guys were so friendly. It could have been bad. They could have been lonesome desert dwellers with a homo-erotic spandex fantasy perhaps. I got down a bit further and saw that Kristy was waiting for me. I wouldn't have to ride alone after all! We took turns drafting down the rest of the descent, and then headed up the Walker River towards Bridgeport Reservoir. We soon entered California, and it started feeling less like the desert. We regrouped with the rest of the gang, and got a pace line going all the way to the reservoir. When we climbed out of the canyon and saw the water and mountains, it was breathtaking!

We pedaled along the lake shore and finally arrived at the half way point of the ride, Bridgeport. We were thirsty and starving, so we patronized one of the local delis. During our brief stay in Bridgeport, the population temporarily increased to 848. After resting, we saddled up the bikes and headed back north. My butt was already getting sore, and we still had 42 miles to go!

In order to get some quick miles done, we organized a pace line. Jeff F. and Jeff P. took turns leading. I'm still getting used to the whole pace line thing. When I ride my mind likes to wander. I like to look around and take pictures. It's my meditation time. In a pace line, however, you have to concentrate only on riding. If your mind starts to wander, you find the guy in front of you drifting away from you. At one point, Amy was giving me pointers on what I was doing wrong. I didn't quite understand what she was telling me, but before I could figure it out, she said, "There you go!". Apparently I had corrected what I didn't know what I was doing wrong! I have much to learn.

The pace line broke apart when we reached the 900 foot climb back to Sweetwater Summit. It was the steepest climb of the day, and we were at around mile 60. Kristy and I started falling back from exhaustion. In my mind I was going to have to take care of her and help her back with lot of encouragement; however, after doing a glucose carb-bomb, Kristy took off and was way ahead of me! I would be the one that needed words of encouragement... After topping the summit, we started down the canyon. The canyon seemed to go on forever. I was happy when we got to the flat desert section, but as you can see from the picture, it was a pretty long stretch too. I didn't feel relief until we made the final turn into town with only a few miles to go. The last stretch felt like a ceremonial ride! A parade lap.

Normally I hate getting in the car, but with our 3rd degree monkey butt, the wide padded seat was heavenly. Kristy and I drove home and quietly celebrated our longest ride ever!

More pictures from the ride can be found HERE.

Virginia City

On Sunday we got some of the usual Sunday gang together for a road ride to Virginia City. After we rode to Markleeville last week, something I've been wanting to do for a long time, I was wondering what would be next. We seem to push it up a notch each weekend, and when Jeff P. announced we'd be riding to V.C., I got pretty excited. I've only been there by car and motorcycle, so in my mind it's a long ways up in the mountains. Getting there by bike would be an adventure.

We left Potter's base camp, elevation 4,700 feet, at around 10:30. The temperature was just starting to warm up, and we decided to wear shorts! Three guys named Jeff, and four ladies headed east across Carson City. We took the back roads on the north side of town and found little traffic. Once across town, we were treated to the climb out of Carson City on Hwy 50. The traffic was pretty heavy, but the speed limit is fairly low, and there is a decent bike lane. Brent commutes this way to work on his bike, and has not died even once.

Before turning off HWY 50 to V.C., we got to tour the lovely town of Mound House. It's not really even a town...just a wide spot in the road full of wrecking yards, gun shops, and legalized prostitution. We didn't stop. The first stretch of road to V.C. is narrow and a little unnerving, but being early in the day we didn't encounter any drunk motor bike riders (That would be on the return trip when some toothless wench/meth-addict on the back of some bike barked at the girls to get off the road...). In just a short time we got off the main route, and began the five mile twisty ascent up the V.C. Truck Route. As it turns out, grades good for big trucks are also great for bicycles! The group that had mostly stayed together up until this point began to spread out.

Once we regrouped at the outskirts of Virginia City, elevation 6,200 feet, we decided to split up the group. The girls headed back down, and the guys headed for Geiger Grade to the north of V.C. As usual, V.C. was packed with tourists, bikers, and all the local characters, many in old west costume (Sometimes you even see Mark Twain walking around). Bicycle was the best way to get through town, as we were able to slip through the gaps in traffic.

We were treated to many smells as we pedaled through town. Stale beer and cigarettes from the bars, kettle corn and fudge from the local shops, and horse manure from the local mounted posse. If there was the sound of honky tonk piano coming from the Bucket of Blood Saloon, we didn't hear it over the V-Twins of the hundred or so Harley Davidsons.

We left V.C. and continued north up towards Geiger Grade. Before reaching the top though, we turned onto Lousetown Road, and did the Virginia Highlands Loop, another 1,300 feet of climbing. We even blasted by Todd's house on the descent. I had just enough time to see Todd's old truck...the one that has been slowly sinking into the earth over the last few years. We continued to descend. I started to wonder what I had gotten myself into... Finally we started to climb back out. After the steepest climb of the ride, we finally dropped down to Geiger Grade where we could begin another ascent to the summit. The traffic was a bit scary because of the narrow shoulder, but at least the traffic wasn't heavy. We were treated to spectacular views of the Sierras to the west, the two prominent peaks being Mount Rose and Slide Mountain. At 10,776 feet, Mount Rose is the third highest mountain in the Tahoe Basin.

We finally reached Geiger Summit, elevation 6,789 feet. We paused for a picture to show how much taller Jeff is than me, drank some water, and had a snack. It was time for miles and miles of downhill! We raced down the east side of Geiger Summit towards V.C., zipped through traffic in V.C. and then blasted down the truck route. It was probably one of the more exciting things I've done in my life! I couldn't keep up with the other Jeff's, but I got a feel for all the turns and will be able to let go a bit more next time. We finally made it back to Carson City, and decided to take the scenic route around the south side of town. It was longer, but what the heck...I was already out of food, nearly out of water, and sunburned. We finally made it back to the Potters. I was actually glad to get off the bike and put it back on the roof rack. I didn't have the strength to keep my head up I was so tired. I was led to a table with a bowl full of pasta, and I began to eat. And eat. I even downed two water bottles full of water, washing down a couple chocolate muffins. Once again...thank you Potters for your hospitality!

In the end, the guys ended up doing 62 miles and lots of climbing. The girls did over 40 miles with their big climb. But now I have to ask myself...what's next?

More pictures from the ride can be found HERE.

Sunday Road Ride

As usual, we went out for our Sunday Road Ride. It was one of the first road rides in quite some time where we weren't miserably cold by the end of the ride. It sure looked cold out, but was actually quite pleasant.

FBC rider Todd joined us today, and this was his first ride on his new Fuji Roubaix. It was also his introduction to road riding too!

We began the ride from the bottom of Kingsbury Grade, and rode a few miles along Foothill Road, a pleasant, gently rolling road along the base of the Sierras. Once into California, we began our ascent to Woodfords. The group split up at this point. Some took the more scenic Carson River Road, and others took the steeper Emigrant Trail Road.

Once we regrouped at the Woodfords store, the group split up again. Some headed for Diamond Valley, and my group headed for Markleeville, a cool little mountain town. The snow started to get deep as we started our ascent, but the roads were completely dry. This was my first time on this road on the bicycle. The slower pace offered me time to enjoy the alpine scenery. It just seems to go by too quickly in the car.

We stopped at the entrance to Turtle Rock Park before beginning the descent into Markleeville. Turtle Rock Park is the start and finish of the world famous Death Ride, a ride that includes 129 miles of road, and 15,000+ feet of climbing! We split once again, Kristy and Amy heading for Diamond Valley and Genoa, Me, Todd, and Jeff P. heading for Markleeville. The descent into Markleeville was a blast, losing a lot of elevation quickly over three miles. About 3/4 of the way down, I started thinking, "You know, Jeff, you're going to need to climb back out of this when you're done!".

We took a little break in Markleeville, and then made the climb back up to Turtle Rock Park. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I was glad to have a triple chain ring for sure. Once at the top, we made our way for Diamond Valley. There were several miles of downhill all the way back to Foothill Road, a nice change from all the climbing we had been doing. About a mile from the staging area, we met up again with Kristy and Amy. They had already been to Genoa, and were coming back to see what was taking us so long! Once back at the cars, we wolfed down some of Amy's scones and Kristy's cookies. We spent the rest of the day in R&R mode...