The third annual Hollister Mini Death Ride ended up being greatly abbreviated, but it still felt like a ride thru a furnace, and yet seven of us survived to tell the tale. Fellow AIDS/LifeCycle Training Ride Leaders, George and Mary Beth came down to join Stephanie, Jerome, Doug, Wanderson and myself for this years ride, now ostensibly a pre-Big Sur Ride training ride.

An update was required to the traditional route (do two years make a tradition?) that has included the Cienega Road San Benito County Wine Trail for the morning warm-up to lunch in Paicines, prior to tackling the Quien Sabe (10 mile) and then Lone Tree Way (11 mile) climbs. The change was due to the replacement of the single lane bridge on Cienega near the Thousand Trails camp ground going on. While I have heard that you can walk down the gully and cross over and climb back up, I also figured that getting the worst climb done early in the day made sense. I had added a Santa Ana Valley warm-up loop up, at the request of one of last years riders, Julie’s husband Mike, who it turns out was vacationing in Hawaii (but doing the the Haleakala climb on Maui) and was spared this years ride.

Starting off with huge fresh made bagels from the Fault Line, we got ourselves going shortly before 9am, and I proposed the first route change for the day, eliminating the Santa Ana Valley warm-up, as long as the 6 mile ride to where the Lone Tree Road climb began was enough of a warm up, and everyone was agreeable. Heading out Fairview, Jerome advised me I was going too fast. I think its my fear that I will be holding up riders (because I sure don’t think of myself as a fast rider) that I have a difficult time starting out and maintaining a comfortable pace.

On Lone Tree Way, I pointed out the 2 gallon water stash I had placed the evening before, figuring we might need a refill. Lone Tree is an 11 mile, dead end road, and the climbing starts about 2 miles out after crossing over Arroyo Dos Picachos. The temperature climbed drastically, it wasn’t until we got up a bit higher that we got a small bit of breeze, but a check of the Polar HRM indicated it was already over 90 degrees. At about 2,000 feet is a virtual oaken tunnel and short downhill, deceiving you, there is still about 300 feet to go, and it’s a rough stretch, as those who have done it can attest. You arrive at a gated driveway, and I wonder “who lives way the heck up here, anyway?”

The good news was that some stretches of road that had some repairs done, previously this road has my vote as the worst road in San Benito county. The worst sections were made somewhat bearable. There are still some nasty broken asphalt sections, making the descent tricky, no one is going to break any speed records on this descent. And of course, we had to have a pair of dogs who wanted to hassles us, give us a bit of a scare just before the bridge. The water stock at the bridge came in very handy, even if lunch was only a couple miles away.

At the Fairview Market it was already 100 degrees, and I was already working on another re-route in my mind. I proposed the second change to the group, and it was all ‘ayes’ around; my thought was rather than do the full Quien Sabe climb, that we would do the gentler Quien Sabe-Santa Anita Road climb, the last planned out and back. As we headed to Tres Pinos, near the house, it just felt even hotter than the 102F in the sun, and I pulled over in the shade and proposed a much saner, flatter and shorter route, Tres Pinos and around Southside, and again no objections, such an easy group.

I phoned Bill at home to give him a heads up to our arrival in about an hour and a half. He was reporting 99.1 on our Weather Underground Personal Weather Station and was surprised that we weren’t back yet.

Fairview Road ends at Airline Highway 25, and it’s 3 miles to Tres Pinos, where there really is no sign of 3 pines. But the Country Store did have ice cream, and George, Mary Beth and Jerome took advantage as we stood in the shade across the street. Then it was time to get it over with. Southside is not the most direct, it adds about a mile and a half, but it has it’s own valley and it’s not in the direct headwind that usually is blowing east on Highway 25.

Then it was less then 2 miles back to the house, and about halfway there, I noticed my front tire going flat. Of course, this close but it wasn’t flat, so with some air (thanks to Jerome’s super pump, mine turned out to be broken) and held just long enough to get back to the house.

Roger appeared just after we got back, he had called in the morning, and was just getting up and I had suggested he could always drive down for the potluck. He also brought his bike and wanted to go our for a ride, and I suggested he skip it. But no, as soon as I headed to the shower, off he went, with instructions to Bill to not tell me where he was. Crazy kid, he went off to do the Santa Ana Valley and Quien Sabe loop, about 19 miles.

We were all quite overheated, so there was no great rush for the showers, but it sure did feel good once showered and changed. Bill had the potluck and barbecue totally under control. A friend of Wanderson’s, Russell, who lives here in town was able to come join us for tri-tip, salmon, combined with several pasta salads, a black bean salads, and the world famous cheesy garlic bread, and another group feast was presented. Coffee and Joseph Schmidt truffles completed the meal, and 7 more survived the Hollister Mini-Death ride for yet another year.

And at least Mary Beth and I did get our climb in, one very similar to the 7.5 mile 2,500 foot climb up Nacamiento Road we have to look forward to with Roger, Jeff and Scott, and a whole gang from ALC, in just two weeks!

The next day, Bill and I drove up to Quien Sabe and Santa Anita Roads where I had left a cooler with 3 gallons of water and several Vitamin Waters in ice, which we never got to. Someone had seen the cooler in the bushes and pulled it out, peaked inside, and then left it on the side of the road. Amazingly enough, the water I drained from the cooler was still cool.

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Why the East Bay, when I live 90 miles away? Something new, and something old at the same time. I grew up in the East Bay, and since I live in Hollister, it’s always interesting to go back and ride in that area, its changed quite a bit, but a lot is still the same.

Being a Training Ride Leader for AIDS/LifeCycle, I had access to a large ride library there many of the East Bay training rides all start from the Orinda BART station.

And three years ago, I did my first ride from there, a ride that Tony lead, in fact. I was very glad that the weather was not like the ride 3 years ago, over Labor Day Sunday, when we did a 50 mile loop in 100 degree weather, including Redwood Road and the (then) freshly asphalted (and radiating the heat) San Ramon Valley Boulevard. And so the return to something old.

Bill B., David G2, Erika, Tony and Roger, Bart, Laura P joined Stephanie and I at the BART station, along with Jeff W. It was a bit overcast, but it was clearing as we rode out, just before 9am. The 7 miles past San Pablo Recreation Area went by quickly and we continued on Castro Ranch Road to Alhambra Valley Road and then on to Pig Farm Hill, which turned out to be a relatively short climb. And from what I heard, it’s a good thing that the pig farm is no more, Tony said you could smell “it” before reaching the top.

From there it was a nice descent, reminding me of Palomares Canyon. Here was the first minor route mishap of the day. ALCs route actually turns before Reliez Valley Road to get to the Alhambra Creek Staging Area for Briones Regional Park. I noticed the sign as we went past it, but the mileage did not agree with what I had mapped out on RouteSlip.com, one of the drawbacks to virtual routes. Laura, Jeff and I caught up with the group, who were ready to go.

We followed Reliez Valley Road to Pleasant Hill Road, and past Acalanes High School (my high school, although it looks nothing like it did from 1972-76.) On to Walnut Creek via Olympic Boulevard, where my second mistake, labeling the next right turn as Tice Creek Boulevard, instead of Tice Valley Boulevard. Bill knew the area and lead the faster riders (David G2 and Erika) on into Danville a different way. The others figured out my mistake and we continued on to Danville to regroup for lunch at Quiznos.

David G2 needed to get back to the city for some ongoing bike fit adjustments (have you seen his new Bianchi?), so he took Bailout option #1 back to Walnut Creek BART. Bill, Bart and Erika split off from us after lunch heading up Crow Canyon Road. The rest of us continued on San Ramon Valley Boulevard to Dublin Canyon. Can you say afternoon headwinds? As Stephanie and I got closer to the top, we were gaining on Tony & Roger on the tandem, but once they reached the top, they were long gone!

Stephanie & I hung outside of the Peets Coffee (next to the Castro Valley Safeway regroup point) for a while where we were hoping to regroup with Bill, Bart and Erika on their shorter but hillier ascent, but after 10 minutes or so, we decided to head on up Redwood Road. And only to find what the others had already come across, they were in the process of re-chipsealing the roadway, which meant there was gravel everywhere, especially near the shoulder. Yuck! Five miles up Jeff phoned to say that he and Laura had just gotten to the Safeway regroup, they were about 30 minutes behind us.

Eventually, Stephanie and I caught up to Tony & Roger on Redwood Road, and I hurried on down to take action photos of all of them as they turned up on to Pinehurst, but I didn’t get the burst setting on the camera in time. So I missed Stephanie all together, and Tony & Roger turned out blurry.

When we got to Moraga Road, Stephanie needed a quick bite to stave off a bonk she felt coming on. From there, it was one last, gentle climb up to the final descent back to Orinda BART. We all met at Starbucks afterwards.

Before I headed home, I swung back by the BART parking lot to see if Laura & Jeff were back. They weren’t, so I parked and regrouped things in the car for a few minutes, and then decided to head home. As I was exiting the parking lot onto Camino Pablo, there they were across the street turning off Camino Pablo back into the parking lot entrance. Glad to know they made it safe and sound also.

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Five DSSFers headed to the Northwest to join Different Spokes Seattle on the R.S.V.P., Michael C. and his boyfriend, Jim, Michael S., Patrick, Bill as personal DSSF SAG driver and myself. Michael and Jim flew up, and the rest of us traveled together by car, over 2 days. Day one for us started in Hollister, on to the City to pick-up both Patrick and Michael, and then we headed for Medford. Patrick had made I-5 Survival kits complete with water and snacks. We made it to Redding where Bill had already staked out lunch at an In-N-Out. From there, we continued north on into Oregon. We reached Medford and turned on to Crater Lake Highway, and a little over an hour later, we arrived at Crater Lake National Park. Neither Bill, Patrick or Michael had ever been, so the first glimpse of the lake is kind of like the first time seeing the Grand Canyon, the beautiful blue water against the crater, and the clear blue sky we had that day.

Our second day was a shorter mileage day, and we made it to Seattle shortly after 4pm, and we quickly headed back out to the Capitol Hill area to have dinner before going to the meet ‘n greet mixer put together by Different Spokes Seattle, and walked several blocks to Crave, one of the restaurants recommended by DS/S for dinner.

Day 1
The starting point for RSVP! was Warren G. Magnussen Park, at the old San Point Naval Naval Station near Lake Washington. We headed out shortly before 7am. The route left the park and immediately got on the Burke-Gilman Trail, a rather bumpy (from tree roots) multi-use path (with a couple of walkers, unhappy with the large volume of cyclist using the path that early in the morning. It was a bit unsafe, many riders not calling out as they passed. The path took us around Lake Washington for about 10 miles thru Kenmore and Bothell. In Woodinville was the first climb of the day, not much by Bay Area standards.

We then passed thru Clearview and on into Snohomish where we caught up with the DS/S gang, and Bill, at the Snohomish Bakery & Cafe. From there we continued on the Centennial Trail, that leaves the city of Snohomish and travels north through farmland, wetlands, and fields to Lake Stevens. The main draw back to this trail (vs. the road), is that each intersection has these large barriers that you had to slow way down and carefully weave around, or if possible, go around the sides.

At Lake Stevens we opted to skip the mini-stop provided by the town and continue on to Arlington, at mile 53 where we were meeting up with Bill for lunch. We had fabulous panini sandwiches at a place called Little Italy. Leaving Arlington, we got on Highway 9 and the only real stretch of extremely busy road, with very little shoulder.

Bill later said it was quite un-nerving in the car following the cyclists, as some of the cars really wanted to get past him and drive fast. He followed the road for a while before changing the setting on the GPS to start using highways to get him back to I-5 and on to Bellingham, since we had not planned any more re-groupings with him.

The next stop was at the Lake McMurray Store at mile 64, just long enough to use the porta-potty, and then continuing on Highway 9 we circled the lake taking us through Bryant, around Lake McMurray and then around Day Lake as we headed north to Mt. Vernon to the Centennial Elementary School food stop/social, the only official Cascade Bicycle Club stop for the day.

Leaving Mt. Vernon, we crossed the Skagit River and headed on to the Skagit Flats to Burlington. Next stop was the Bow Country Store at mile 91, we regrouped and continue on together. We turned on to Chuckanut Drive or Highway 11 taking us to Samish Bay. This took us to the the last climb of the day, ending at the Pink Lemonade Stand at mile 102!

Three miles to go, Michael turned of 1/2 mile to head up to Western Washington University, where he was staying at the dorm, and I headed on to the route end at the Days Inn. Patrick had already met up with his sister, and they were chatting with Bill when I pulled in a few minutes later.

Dinner that evening was at Patrick’s sister and brother-in-laws. We sat out on the patio overlooking the fields having our appetizers (Scot’s homemade cheese, wonderful) followed by a fabulous pasta dinner with pesto, stuffed zucchini and squash, tomato and mozzarella salad, and a trifle for dessert. What wonderful end to a long (but relatively easy) days ride!

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Day 2
We started Day 2 at about 6:40am at the Days Inn. The weather was a bit grayer then on Friday, and the chance for showers was higher. On the way to Lynden, we were passed by 4 gals riding in a loose paceline. But instead of pulling away from us, it seemed to me that they slowed down. And after following them for a mile, Michael and I passed them and left them behind. I commented to Michael about that later, and he had felt the same way. Kind of like the driver of the car who passes you and then annoyingly slows down.

In Lynden, there was quite a crowd outside Dutch Mothers, which apparently puts on a great breakfast buffet for RSVP riders, and so we walked down the road a bit and came upon Lynden Dutch Bakery, where we got some incredible pastries and a coffee. They were also kind enough to allow us to use their employee restroom also.

From Lynden, it was only 6 miles to the Aldergrove Border crossing to Canada. At the end of Double Ditch Road, we turn left on to East Boundary Road, aptly named, as the only thing separating the US from Canada is a ditch (of course!) Kind of surreal, the route sheet made mention of not crossing the ditch to Canada, bringing visions of Canadian marshals leaping out of the grass, should one of us make a break for it.

The actual border crossing was quite easy, we rode up individually, they had a special lane open for cyclists. I handed her my passport, she asked where I was from, I replied “Hollister” later thinking that was kind of dumb, would she have any idea where that was? I probably should have just replied California, but she let me thru anyway.

Our next regroup point with Bill was at Fort Langley. Just outside of town was a notation on the route sheet page that at mile 37.7 of the [WORST R/R TRACKS ON RSVP]. WALK BIKES ACROSS TRACKS. As I approached the track, I noted that it was slightly diagonal to the road, but appeared to have recently been redone. It that was a bad track crossing, it certainly wasn’t the worst on the ride.

We regrouped with Bill briefly at Fort Langley and chatted for a few minutes, before heading on to catch the Albion Ferry across the Fraser River. Again, cyclists were directed to line up on our own, and it appeared to when we got on the ferry that they allowed more cyclists than autos. And the line for cars was already fairly long when we pulled up. It was a very short ride across the river and we were on our way again.

At mile 46 was the official Cascade Bicycle Club food stop for the day, complete with a farmers market. Nice choice of fresh fruits and snack bars, similar to yesterdays official food/social stop.

Day 2 featured much heavier traffic. Leaving Maple Ridge, todays first busy route section was on Dewdney Trunk Road. Then we were on Lougheed Highway 7 to Port Coquitlam where we crossed over the Coquitlam River. Port Moody was the next stop at the Rocky Point Park mini-stop was at mile 58, with just 18 more miles to Vancouver and then PARTY! 🙂

Right back onto a highway, Highway 7A or the Barnet Highway, on the left side was the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area and on the right side was the Inner and Central Harbors. At mile 70.2, according to the route sheet, we entered Vancouver and we in the distance you could see downtown. Eventually we made it to Chinatown and things got quite busy on the road, between sharing the road (or not) and construction.

I was quite glad to get past that section and into Gastown and our destination, the Coast Plaza Hotel, where the P in RSVP was in full swing. We caught up with the DS/S gang there; Tim, Greg and Bill who was joined by his partner Don. Each rider had alread received a ticket good for either the meal or a beverage, I opted for the meal. The entire patio area off of the ballroom upstairs was filled with RSVP riders and friends.

We met Bill & Don, and was joined shortly by Tim. Michael called and reported that Jim was hit by a car in Chinatown on the ride into Vancouver. Jim was apparently okay, having been taken to the hospital to be checked out. Reports were that the bike was not in good shape, one wheel at a minimum was no good. Michael also said that at the scene a “witness” claimed that Jim pulled out in front of the car that hit him. He was hit from behind! Hello!! Anyway, Michael was giving Michael C and Jim some support and would be bit late meeting us, so we agreed to keep in touch by phone if we moved.

The Zin Restaurant & Lounge was quite nice, the bartender made some fabulous cosmopolitans. Diner was at O’Doul’s Restaurant & Bar at the Listel Hotel, By the time we were finished though, I was tired and very ready for bed. Goodbyes were said to the DS/S guys, we sure enjoyed their hospitality in Seattle, doing the ride, and our night out in Vancouver, lot’s of laughs and a great time!

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It was July 2004, my longest ride yet, Rico led this ALC training ride from McLaren Lodge to San Jose. With a slight diversion from Woodside to Portola Valley and Bart’s home for lunch, it was 79 miles. The following weekend was my first century, the Marin. Those are rides you don’t forget.

And so, with all the riding I have done in the Peninsula and South Bay, I suggested doing the ride again to Rico, but with a change. Instead of going thru Cupertino to Los Gatos, why not continue on Foothill Expressway into Stevens Canyon and over Mt. Eden and Pierce Roads. He was game!

So it was quite unfortunate that Rico injured his back during the week and couldn’t ride. Friend of his, Tim, joined David G2 and I at Velo Rouge, and we headed thru Golden Gate Park to Ocean Beach. At the base of Skyline, we picked up Patrick and the four of us began the climb together. We didn’t stay together long, Tim took the lead, followed by DG2 and Patrick had not warmed up, since he lives just a few blocks from where he joined us.

We followed the ALC route for Day 1 to Crystal Springs Reservoir, and it was clearing up. By the time we had followed Canada Road into Woodside, it was sunny and clear, nice day. We picked up some lunch from the deli at Robert’s Market and sat across the street, enjoying the shade and watching the many cyclists passing thru this main hub in the Peninsula.

After lunch we headed down Woodside Road-Hwy 84 to Alameda de las Pulgas, which led us to Junipera Sera which loops around Stanford University and becomes Foothill Expressway at Palo Alto. Tim was out in front and I found myself trying to keep up with him and I watched as the average speed for the ride to that point got closer to 16 mph. And then I kept hoping for red stop lights! At the point where Foothill Expressway (now Boulevard) becomes Stevens Canyon Road is a small strip mall and that was our next regroup point. It had warmed up significantly, and after our little mini-peleton, we took a break in the shade and replenishing our water.

Stevens Creek Park is located along Stevens Canyon Road and Mt. Eden Road in the foothills between Saratoga and Cupertino. The road into the park has a nice shoulder and the road circles the reservoir and we continued up Mt. Eden Road. You can continue on Stevens Canyon Road and then take Redwood Gulch, but that is a very steep stretch of road, I have yet to try. After descending Mt. Eden Road, we then took Pierce Road up to the top, past the Mountain Winery and down to Highway 9 (the sign called it Congress Springs Road) and on into Saratoga.

Following Highway 9 we headed to Los Gatos for our last regroup at the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company (mmm, Chocolate gellato!) David saw an fellow ALC rider, who happened to be across the street for a cooking class, small world, and we all chatted about the Ride, and our ride so far that day.

Refreshed, we headed to the Diridon CalTrain station on the Los Gatos Creek Trail, which runs from Lexington Reservoir to San Jose. We ran into another ALC rider (yet, another David) that Tim knew, he joined us and rode to the train station, showing me a slight change to my route that avoided a rough section of Willow Road. We pulled up at about 3:50, plenty of time to catch the 4pm train headed north. And with four of us on the train chatting, the ride to Millbrae went by quickly. David & Patrick got off here to take BART the rest of the way, while Tim rode on.

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Here are two videos, produced by AIDS/LifeCycle, with footage from this years Ride. You can find a Team Different Spokes member in each one.

And here is yet a third video, with yet another Spoker to be found:

Want a hint?

Video #1 at 1:46
Video #2 at 3:49
Video #3 at 1:30

So it was the toughest ride I did last year, the Giro di Peninsula, and I was glad to see that this years date did not conflict with San Francisco Pride weekend. We did it last year as a Different Spokes club event, so there was a large group of us (well, two groups, the young and fast, and the rest of us.) What made it so hard? Well, a number of circumstances, I am guessing. A lot of climbing, coupled with several weeks (post-ALC) that I had not done any riding, and a very hot day (in the afternoon.)

Bill, Patrick, Michael were the only ones interested in doing it again, although I found out later that Jeff & Scott did a modified metric century. While it was a small group, that helped, as we moved along at rest stops much quicker. It’s a nice route, this year had a few changes from last year. The ride starts at Bay Meadows race track in San Mateo, and we head up to Crystal Springs Reservoir and then south on Canada Road to Woodside. We did not go to Portola Valley and then back track to climb Old La Honda to head to the coast this year. Instead, we went directly up Highway 84 from Woodside to Skyline Boulevard and down the other side to San Gregorio.

Then on to Stage Road (instead of the actual route, which told us to go to Highway 1, then head north) to Tunitas Creek. None of us kept track of the mileage, but I think Stage Road ends up being a short cut. Tunitas Creek is a 9 mile climb, not particularly steep, but long. Fortunately it’s shaded. Once we got to the top of Tunitas, there was no sign of Michael or Bill (well, we really didn’t expect to see Bill.) So we descended Kings Mountain Road back down to Woodside. We headed back to Portola Valley to do the other loop of the day, around Altamont Road down to Foothill Expressway and then back to Portola Valley. While it did get warm, it was no where near as hot as it was last year. On the second pass thru the Portola Valley rest stop, the food was not quite as appealing, in the hot sun.

It was nice to finish the ride at 3:30, instead nearly 5pm last year. They were pretty much out of food the year before. They had pasta with red sauce, pesto pasta, two kinds of ravioli, Italian sausage, salad, and ice cream. This may be what we missed out on last year. It’s a very scenic and enjoyable, albeit tough, ride covering a lot of Peninsula territory, and I’ll definitely do it again.

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A week after AIDS/LifeCycle and I’m on the bike again, which was my plan after last years two week hiatus before attempting the Giro. Not this year. Rico led an alternate ride to Cory’s planned China Camp and Pt. Reyes Station. We met at Velo Rouge Cafe on Arguello, joined by Dave F and Wanderson, a nice group of four.

I thought of Erik and his planned Tam Quickie leaving at 8am, as we headed out; it was a typical foggy morning but it was quite windy. By the time we had crossed the bridge and made it to the end of the Sausalito bike path, we could see blue sky. Continuing on over Camino Alto on on to Larkspur, we turned on to Bon Air Siding Road thru Greenbrae to climb Wolfe Grade, which brought us to downtown San Rafael, with a quick stop at Starbucks.

From there we headed out Lincoln to North San Pedro Road, heading into China Camp State Park, where we will be having the Club Picnic in a few weeks. We continued on thru the park and had lunch at the Loch Lomond Market, which has a fabulous deli inside. After lunch, we headed back to downtown San Rafael to retrace our climb of Wolfe Grade back to the city.

Thanks again, Rico! Really enjoyed the ride, and great company too! Got a few more photos, but here’s a new “toy.” An interactive map of the ride:

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I like to cycle, so is it any surprise (it wasn’t to my partner, Bill) that I volunteered to become Training Ride Leader for ALC6?

The Peninsula ALC Category 2 ride series has been a blast for me, both riding with new and returning ALC riders, and with my cross-post of the rides I’ve co-lead to the DSSF Ride Calendar, there’s been a great turn out from Different Spokes. I’ve gotten opportunities to ride with Joe L. and Mark Y., Jeremy J., Ralph W., Stephanie C., Jerome T. and Ronman N., Denise J., Laura P., Dave F., Michelle D. and Shance O., Bill B., Roger C. and Rico N. I think that’s everyone so far.

Chris T is the Ride Leader for the Peninsula Series; we met last summer when he came to Hollister for the ride over to Freedom and back. He has done a wonderful job of laying out each route using RouteSlip.com , he test rides each one before also. And he comes up from Fresno each weekend, you all thought I drove a lot? 🙂

So where have we riden? Check out the Google Map image, we’ve covered a good portion of the Peninsula and South Bay, going as far east as Sunol and (after this weekend) as far south as King City. No we didn’t ride to King City, but more on that later. All the Peninsula Ride series start at Gunn High School on Arastradero (just off Foothill Expressway) in Palo Alto.

In mid-November, I co-lead my first official ALC training ride. ALC training rides are different from DSSF rides; oh we still sign ride waiver, but we start with stretching and that is followed by the mandatory Safety Pledge before we ride out. It’s a tough job getting 2,000 riders from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and safety is of the utmost importance. And ride leaders take turns being leader, riding in the middle of the group and being ride sweep (unless of course, a slower ride leader volunteers to be sweep for the entire ride.)

The first ride was to Newark and back. It was a foggy morning and 13 rider and 4 leaders wound our way around Los Altos to Menlo Park for the crossing of the Dumbarton Bridge, and back. While no where near as scenic as the Golden Gate, there are no tourists on the bridge to worry about, and we were fortunate to not have any nasty headwinds heading back from Newark.

In early December, we did a nice loop to Los Gatos and back and back, and despite the forecast and rain just before we headed out, we had a really nice ride. We headed up Foothill Expressway in to Stevens Canyon and then up Mt. Eden Road. Over the summer, I became quite familiar with Stevens Canyon and Mt. Eden Road, although we would turn right and continue up Pierce Road to the top, where the Mountain Winery is, before dropping down to Highway 9. After snacks in Los Gatos, we headed back to Palo Alto.

The following weekend was climbing and You Can Do Old La Honda. Fifteen of us braved the chilly, but sunny Sunday morning for the 3 mile climb. The unofficial “world record” climbing time on this hill is reportedly held by Olympic skater and local resident Eric Heiden — 14 minutes and 50 seconds. I forgot to look at my time for doing the climb when we got to the top of Old La Honda, so I have no idea what my time was. And it was, shall we say, quite brisk on the descent, and my hands were quite frozen by the time we got to the bottom. But the jaunt up Portola to Sand Hill warmed me back-up (being back out in the sun helped too.)

In early January, we repeated the Palo Alto to Los Gatos route for those who skipped it in December, because the weather looked bad (all the Peninsula Ride series are classified as “Heavy Rain cancels”, so we intend to ride unless it really looks bad.)

Then the cold spell hit. But it didn’t stop us from riding, nine of us did the Jersey Ride on Saturday, and then on Sunday we braved a 42 degree morning for the Palo Alto to Bunker Hill loop. And again, a new route for me, up Arastradero we wound up Alpine and Portola to Whiskey Hill to Woodside Market. From Woodside, we continued on Canada to take advantage of the Sunday morning closing of the road all the way to Highway 92, then up Highway 35 to Bunker Hill Road. We lunched and then headed back.

The third weekend in January brought the South Bay loop, where we again crossed the Dumbarton Bridge, and then headed down thru Newark, Fremont and Milpitas and then back to Palo Alto thru Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Mountain View, a quick and fairly flat 47 miler.

February’s first ride was the Saratoga Gap loop, where we headed to Los Gatos again (skipping Stevens Canyon, but that would make an interesting addition to the 4,200 feet in the 44 mile ride.) From Los Gatos, we climbed the 7 miles up Highway 9 to the top, and then headed north on Highway 35 to Old La Honda Road for the descent to the foothills and then completing the route with the normal Stanford loop back to Gunn High School.

I skipped a weekend to head down to Palm Springs for the Tour de Palm Springs (a good move this year, as the weather in the Bay Area wasn’t so nice that weekend, I believe the Jersey Ride got cancelled, in fact.) The following week we rode to Sunol and back, and what a gorgeous day it was, we actually had temperatures in the mid 70s. And for a relatively flat (1500 feet) metric century, it should have been a nice quick ride. But as TRL, I take my turn as ride sweep. Well, we had a rider come on the ride whose longest ride prior to this was 30 miles. And so about every 5 miles or so on the way back, she needed to stop and rest. And as we hit the rollers on Foothill Expressway, she was (shall we say) getting cranky? “Who decided to put these hills at the end of this ride, that’s just mean.” Needless to say, she did complete the entire route, and was very much appreciative of the conversation (David, how far do we have?) the last 10 miles.

Which brings us to this last weekend, the Quabuster Test Ride. Since Chris lives in Fresno and I’m in Hollister, we started talking about doing this as a training ride in November. I know that for my first ALC (4), I was starting to freak out about Quadbuster and the Evil Twins, I was reading about in the forum. I happened to mention this on a ride led by Joseph C, with Tom B. and Michael S. at lunch and they all (being ALC alumni) put my fears to rest. Since the area is a bit remote, we also thougth a SAG vehicle might be a good idea, so I asked Bill to come along as SAG and photographer.

On the way to King City Saturday morning, I got a call from Chris, whose car had died in Gilroy. We were already in Prunedale, a bit too far to turn around to go pick him up. And unfortunately I did not have any waivers or sign-in sheets with me (I now have my stash in the car for both ALC and DSSF.) Out of 12 RSVPS (less one cancellation Friday night, and one DSSF addition Saturday morning) five of us were there in the parking lot, and we headed out at 12:30 to do the infamous Quadbuster.

Heading south, we had some headwinds, of course. Turning west onto 198, we came across 4-5 bikers at the 101 off-ramp, looked (almost) like some of the Road Crew from ALC, but not. Four of us had already done Quadbuster, Jef was the newbie (new to DSSF and to ALC, but not yet signed up), and he dropped us all in one of those Tour de California moments, and was waiting at the top. From there it was an easy downhill back to King City, but of course the winds had changed and it was clouding up. We averaged almost 15 mph for the 33 mile loop.

To day with just the training rides alone, I have logged 372 miles, add a couple Jersey rides, a few rides from home, an ALC training ride out of Orinda and it’s been an active fall/winter season. But, with all the organized rides coming up, my ALC Training Ride schedule will be dwindling down some, one more in March and maybe one in April for the Peninsula Series. But coming up will be the Hollister Hills Series, three rides over March, April & May, from 42 to 66+ miles, with a post-ride potluck at our house (and Bill’s cheesy garlic bread!) Watch for details in the Ride Calendar.

Looking to get in one last century before leaving on a 16 day cruise this month, I signed up for the Konocti Challenge (formerly called Pedal ‘Round the Puddle, the puddle being Clearlake) to take advantage of the free (in-laws aka ‘those people’) overnight housing in Middletown, about 40 miles from Lakeport.

Trying to recover from a week long cold, I wasn’t sure how well I was going to feel doing the ride, and it was strange doing a century ‘alone’ but I also wasn’t sure what to expect either. Lake County isn’t a wealthy county by any stretch, so I was concerned about bad roads and red necks. For the most part, neither proved to be an issue, and I really enjoyed the ride.

Leaving the starting point at Lakeport Yacht Club (what yachts?) as the sun was coming up, heading towards the north end of the lake, it proved to be a day for minor “issues”, the first was losing the bite valve from the Camelback early on and having to drink using the shutoff valve, making it not as convenient as Camelbacks usually are. I was also having a shifting issue when going between the lower rear gears,

While riding thru the town of Nice, I noticed the Featherbed Railroad Co. (which turns out to be a B&B on the lake.) Once the sun rose enough to not be right in my eyes, the view to the right across the lake of the dormant volcano Mt. Konocti on the other side of the lake was gorgeous.

Rest stop 1 was in Clear Lake Oaks at 21 miles at the Indian Beach Resort. I was wearing my AIDS/LifeCycle jersey thinking it would be unique that day, but I was not alone. A rider complimented me on the jersey as I stood waiting for a porta-potty to open up, and as I looked up to thank him, he was grinning and wearing the same jersey, a veteran of ALC2, 3 & 5.

Proceeding around the lake, thru Clear Lake Keys, we turned onto Sulphur Bank Drive and the first climb of the day followed by a descent towards the city of Clearlake around Borax Lake. Rest stop 2 was just outside of Lower Lake at the Anderson Marsh State Park (although the route sheet showed it was to be at the site of Modern Manufactured homes, fortunately their excellent signs clearly pointed out the route all day long.)

Leaving Lower Lake, we turn right on Highway 29 before turning onto Siegler Canyon Road and the climb thru the canyon and up Loch Lomond toward Cobb Mountain, and the scenery changed as we climbed to Adam Springs and Hoberg, and then a nice descent to Bottle Rock Road and onto lunch rest stop 3 at Jellystone Park at Cobb Mountain (formerly Beaver Creek Campground.)

From there the climbing resumed up Bottle Rock Road. After all the climbing, one would think I would have enjoyed the descent, but the 9% grade sign got the best of me and I took the descent slower than most of the others recently. Not long after the sign, I recognized Bill’s dad in his pickup going up the hill, but did not attempt to wave. He had been worried about me on Lake County roads because of the crazy drivers. He’s pretty sure he saw me, but he was still a sleep when I left the house at 6am, and Bill couldn’t remember which jersey I was wearing, when asked.

Rest stop 4 was at Point Lakeview and Soda Bay Road where we resume our course around the lake, around Konocti Bay and past Konocti Harbo Resort & Spa, and into Kelseyville, near where Bill’s folks used to live, on Corinthian Bay.

The last loop of the day continues away from the lake, on Kelsey Creek Road, and it was this last strech of 18 miles, and one last rest stop, where I did have one run in with a pickup truck (they thought they might scare me by screaming just as they went past.) And just after I left rest stop 6 at Adobe Creek, I got my first near flat tire of the year. I say “near” because it was not entirely flat, but it is hard to climb up hill on a nearly flat tire. I could not find any sign of a leak, but changed the tube to be safe. After that it was mostly flat back to Lakeport.

I had bought tickets for the post-ride meal for Bill and his folks and they had just gotten there when I rode up. We were treated to a plate full of salad, potato salad, pasta, baked beans and BBQ tri-tip and chicken, and French bread. Perhaps this is a ride more might be interested in for next year?

This was the fifth year for the Surf City Century, and the fifth time to do one of the routes. Bill & I had done the 25 mile route the first two years together (yes, he has in fact ridden his bike.) Two years ago, Joseph C and I planned to ride the century route together, but since it was raining, we ended up starting and riding alone. Last year, I was joined by Bill and Bart for the century, Doug D followed us till the Aromas turn off for the metric, and Laura P & Sharon were also spotted.

So this year, an official DSSF event brought Chris & Anne, Laura, Scott, Jeff, Bill, Mark H. Jeremy and myself out for this fundraiser for the Santa Cruz AIDS Project. Under overcast skies we headed out from Cabrillo College in Aptos for the first 11 miles to the first rest stop at the Corralitos CDF station.

Rest stop 2 was at Gizdich Ranch, famous for their bake shop, apples and berries, although no pies were offered as rest stop food. From there it was a quick 9 miles to the next stop at Aromas Grange, which we passed by. Leaving Aromas, is the first climb of the day, up Carr Avenue, followed by a nice downhill to the valley floor surrounding San Juan Bautista and after meandering around farm lands, we arrive at the lunch stop at the Native Daughters of the Golden West in San Juan Bautista.

By this time, I had expected the overcast to have burned off and the sun to have come out, but that was not to be. Leaving San Juan, we begin the long climb up San Juan Grade, around the side of Fremont Peak and the Fremont Peak Observatory who just celebrated 20 years.

The downhill brought us to the Salinas rest stop, where we receive many compliments on our rainbow jerseys. From there, we traversed more farm land across the Salinas Valley. Along the way we were getting sprinkled on, nothing major, but enough to get your glasses wet. Of the four weather forecasts that morning, only one had any prediction of rain, go figure that weather.com would be right for a change.

As we approached the Artichoke Capital of the World we passed the Pezzini Farms fried artichoke jeart stand popular on Day 2 of ALC, and then onto the Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Path to the end.

The next ¾ mile was on Highway 156 and we had to cross the highway to make a left turn onto Castroville Boulevard. Three years ago, the motorcycle club, The Vampires, had manned a number of the scarier or busier sections, and last year, this turn was done solo. This year, thanks to a traffic back-up, it was much easier to cross to make the left turn.

Leaving Castroville, we headed around Elhorn Slough to make our way to rest stop 6 at yet another CDF station at mile 84. This rest stop has the Ladies in Red Hats, from Santa Cruz, and we were greeted by the character of them all, telling us to get our “kicks on Route 66” which had nothing to do with the rest stop, but was amusing nonetheless, at least she thought so.

Leaving the stop, we eventually crossed under Highway 1 and rejoined a portion of the ALC Day 2 route in reverse passing by Sunset State Beach, and one more rest stop at Renaissance High on San Andreas Road. From there it was an easy 8 miles back past Manresa State Beach, and thru Rio Del Mar to Aptos. The closer we got to Aptos, the more signs of a hard rain became apparent, add rain to farm land roads, equals muddy roads.

The post ride meal was fabulous, with barbequed tri-tip, pasta and tossed salad, grilled veggies, bread and strawberries. One of the organizers stopped by our table soliciting feedback on the ride, and we gave many suggestions for getting the word out more. She also mentioned the possibility of a multi-day (a la MS ride) being considered in the future, and we shared our opinion that a round trip option would be preferred over a point-to-point route, due to the logistics and concerns over having your bike transported by others.

Photos are published in the DSSF Gallery here.