In two words: [x] building, where x = {character, muscles, VO2, confidence, ego, delusion}

It was really the wrong time of year to lead a ride like this; it was short and sweet but long on the climbing. RideWithGPS said over 4k of vertical but when the day was done it was “only” about 3,700 in under 35 miles. How did we do that? By climbing the Three Bears, Pig Farm, Reliez, Deer Hill, Happy Valley, and then Papa Bear. It wasn’t the total vertical that made the ride challenging; it was the steepness of the grades. They are all short but they are all double digit (well, not Baby and Mama Bear perhaps). The worst was Deer Hill, where Garmin said it was 15% (and I believe it!) But all the others were well north of 10% too.

Roger surprised me by saying he was game to do the ride after we had ridden a 40-miler the day before. The only other person mad enough to do this ride was Dylan, a former Spoker, who was awesomely enthusiastic about doing such a tough ride. We kept it at a B-pace and ended the day with an average of 11.5 mph, which is right on the spot. We survived those climbs by doing them all at a reasonable pace and not gunning it. We also rested at the top of each and every climb, taking plenty of time to imbibe and chat. Dylan hadn’t done most of these climbs before so I inflicted the full history lecture on him. Maybe that increases the TSS?

We lucked out with a cold but very sunny day with calm air, perfect for all those hills. We got back to Orinda and Dylan had to run. But Roger and I got lunch at one of our local and favorite eateries, Geppetto’s, which has delicious sandwiches and soup.

My legs were very tired afterwards!

It was a classic “you couldn’t ask for better weather” ride yesterday. After a night of mild rain we were greeted by clear skies and bright sunshine. As well as chilly temperatures. But the wind was calm and the Bay was classic flat water. The January Social Ride went to Treasure Island by the eastern span of the new Bay Bridge, explored the island, returned, and then went up to Assemble in Richmond on the water. Derek was the only casualty of the day when his e-bike battery mysteriously gave up the ghost not long after the start. By trading batteries and head units we were able to pin the problem down to his battery, which oddly enough indicated it had a full charge yet would not provide any power. So he had to return to MacArthur BART while the four of us—Roger, Jim, Roger Sayre, and I—proceeded on. It was Roger Sayre’s first time on the Alex Zuckerman path and he proceeded to take photographs liberally. With the old span completely gone, the view to the South Bay is unobstructed and marvelous now. There still isn’t much to see on Treasure Island except for the exceptional views of both SF and the East Bay from the shoreline. Afterwards we went back to the East Bay and headed up the Bay Trail to Assemble. Because we had dawdled we got there pretty late—2 p.m.—but there was still a hefty lunch crowd. Needless to say the food was pretty damn good. I had a bowl of homemade clam chowder, the others had omelets or other breakfasty food. Roger complained that his house fried potatoes were not fully cooked—an unusual error at Assemble. On the other hand I had to have a plate of fries and they were perfect. Back to MacArthur BART after a pleasant jaunt along the bayshore!

Just a day after it officially reopened Different Spokes finally did its traditional autumn ride over Morgan Territory Road. Although road cyclists have surreptitiously been poaching the road since its closure last winter, this was the first legal opportunity to ride it. Last winter’s rains saw the road collapse and one hillside to flow over the pavement cutting off the residents from Marsh Creek Road. The county couldn’t initiate a repair until the hillside stopped moving, which took months. The closure was long but once work began it moved steadily along just in time to open for…more winter rains. Nonetheless the reinforced section of road looks quite burly and able to withstand whatever Mother Nature will dish out this year (especially since it’s probably going to be dry-ish).

Stephanie and David Gaus managed to persuade five of us to tag along—me, Jan, Roger Sayre, Gordon, and David Sexton. It was more or less the traditional route from Walnut Creek BART—out Ygnacio Valley Road, which has scary fast car traffic but a wide shoulder—with a pit stop in Clayton before hightailing out Marsh Creek. Marsh Creek is another one of my favs for scary passes; the SUVs out there just love to whip past you no matter what the sight line is like. At least it is an incentive to redline your heart rate in order to get onto Morgan Territory as fast as possible. Things were much more tranquil there! In fact there seemed to be virtually no one trying out the reopened road, cars or bikes. We had the road pretty much to ourselves. We did a stop at the new retaining wall to check out the reinforced road and then continued on with everyone going their own pace up the ascent. Despite the road repair on the lower section the rest of Morgan Territory seems to be left to degrade at a slow pace— like wrinkles on your face every year more cracks and bumps appear. Perhaps it won’t ever arrive at the level of decay of Planet of the Apes but it has a nice start.

Morgan Territory Preserve had noticeably few visitors that day—was there a football game going on, had people already fled town for Thanksgiving, or was it simply the lack of awareness that Morgan Territory was now open? We saw just three other cyclists the entire way.

After a long snack break filled with more idle and pointless chattering we launched down the gnarly descent. Roger Sayre led the way with Stephanie right on his tail. The descent down the south side of Morgan Territory to Highland is steep, curvy, and full of blind spots. To make it even more challenging the road is narrower than standard width so there occasionally is no center line. To go down quickly you need nerve, good bike handling, and a bit of luck. One mistake and you’re colliding with a car or launching yourself off the steep hillside. Risk taking has to be second nature to you. But the rest of us seemed not to be thrill seekers so we took it easy. Back on the flat Roger proceeded to show us what training with a powermeter can do: to add to his courageous descending, not only can he now climb like a maniac but he’s a beast on the flats too. Fortunately I was tucked in behind him the whole way.

We stopped at Hi Tech Burrito in Danville. The lunch was, uh, unmemorable but at least the rice and beans were good fuel. Roger missed the lunch stop and we had no idea where he had vanished to. After lunch with the sun lying low on the horizon the rest of us returned to Walnut Creek BART at a leisurely pace.

Last Saturday the threat of rain vanished and gave us a mostly sunny day to ride from Walnut Creek BART to our favorite Afghan restaurant, Khyber Pass Kabob in Dublin. We originally planned to ride to Dublin BART as well. But since we all wanted to do the full monty and ride back to Walnut Creek, we nixed the final mile after lunch to Dublin BART and just headed back the Iron Horse. Things always slow down in the club during the winter. Whether it’s the colder climate, holiday madness, or the winter doldrums, only Roy and Jim joined Roger and me for our easy gambol. What a gabby group! I can’t remember a Social Ride where there was as so much nonstop jabbering, which was perhaps abetted by being on the Iron Horse Trail where we could easily ride two abreast and free of car noise. We were all warmly dressed given the chilly morning, and we weren’t going very fast so it took longer to warm up from the effort. Regulars will be disappointed to hear that despite the tête-à-tête sized crowd we did not gossip about you (well, except for the Den Daddy)—not that your personal lives aren’t of interest to us but our personal lives just took precedence! Topics of lively interest included the advantages and misgivings of a Midwestern upbringing, why Thailand is so “hot”, what to wear on the bike when it’s cold, fabulous Japanese food, bikes we’ve had stolen, and many sundry digressions. So there!

Every time we go to Khyber Pass Kabob the food keeps getting better or so it seems. It’s in a slightly dumpy strip mall in Dublin, and recently their sign fell down and was propped in their doorway so now it looks even more down-market. But the family owners are as welcoming as ever and their food is incredible. We got there just after noon (how’s that for timing a ride!) and were the first customers. But before long it was nearly full. Roy had eaten there with us before so only Jim was the newcomer. I hewed close to habit and got the chapli kabob, a sirloin kabob spiced with green onions, cilantro and coriander whereas Roger explored a new dish to him, aushak, which is ravioli-like dish stuffed with leeks and topped with beef and yogurt. Roy ever watching his diet opted for borani kadoo, pumpkin sautéed with tomatoes and garlic while Jim went for the sabzee challow, chicken smothered in a spicy spinach sauce. We all shared a huge plate of freshly made Afghan bread, bolani, which was ten times better than the dreck you get at Costco.

Suitably stuffed we waddled back to our bikes and strolled back to Walnut Creek BART. Needless to say the ride back wasn’t at a breathtaking pace but it definitely aided our digestion!

Staring at the cube on top of Mt. Umunhum as a teenager I wondered what it would take to be able to cycle all the way to the top. In the 1970s Mt. Umunhum was under the aegis of the US Air Force and the road to the summit was strictly off-limits. In those days I thought Mt. Um was the tallest peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but it turns out that was incorrect and it’s only the fourth tallest peak. Nonetheless it’s 3,486 feet making it not that much less than the summit of Mt. Diablo. When the Air Force gave up operations at Mt. Umunhum in 1980 many of us thought that it would not be long before the area was returned to civilian use. Boy, was that wrong! Finally just four weeks ago it opened for public use under the auspices of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District after many improvements including the removal of a significant quantity of hazardous waste, repaving of the road, and the creation of parking, bathrooms, and informational kiosks.

Naturally I would have gone up the first day it opened but I had a sense it would have been an utter mosh pit—all that pent up desire fueled by years of delay. In fact, I hear that turned out to be the case and the rangers had to do car control on Mt. Umunhum Road because there was so much traffic. In any case, I posted the ride and led it this past Sunday. I would have thought the ride would have brought a number of Spokers out of the woodwork due to the challenge and mystique of ascending Hicks Road just to get to the start of Mt. Umunhum Road. Five years ago David Gaus led a foray up Hicks Road and it was brutal. Being a warm day with full sun we baked up the climb and after the descent to the valley I got some of the worst leg cramps I’ve ever had. Hicks had also just been freshly chip sealed making traction a pain and I kept getting stones stuck between my front tire and fork. I don’t remember everyone who was on that ride but I do remember racing Peter Graney and Tim Offensend up Hicks. I also remember poor David Gaus, exhausted, arriving at the summit and recounting that he had to walk. Hey, Hicks is no walk in the park (pun intended): it’s a sustained 14% grade for well over a mile with absolutely no relief. This year I didn’t get much interest from the animals in the club. Everyone who had RSVPed eventually backed out for one reason or another. Well, we know there was really only one reason they all backed out, don’t we?

In the meantime my hubby decided he wanted to go up Mt. Umunhum too even though I thought it wouldn’t interest him in the slightest because, let’s face it, only the foolishly ignorant and testosterone addled would do this climb without a gun being held to their heads. Thinking that no one else was ballsy enough to tackle Mt. Um, we left the house in a leisurely fashion only to get a phone call from Bill Knudsen, “Hey, where are you guys? I don’t see anyone here at the start!” Oops. Bill, Wanderson, and Joseph showed up and now we were late. We arrived and apologies and excuses were exchanged along with the requisite whining and sandbagging. Then Bill indulged me with a request: “Hey, I’ve only ridden 20 miles since August. Is there some way I could do Mt. Umunhum without the climbing in between?” Like the sound of one hand clapping, my third eye pondered this request. “Um no, there isn’t. But you can start off with us and see how you feel, and you can bail at the next Starbucks in 17 miles.” Like a herd of bison to the cliff’s edge, off we went.

For those of you contemplating going up Mt. Umumhum, let me ‘splain it to you: this is a dead-fucking serious climb. Hicks is just the taste of what is to come. I had mistakenly read somewhere online that Hicks had a section that was almost two miles of 14%. The last time I rode it I was so focused on reaching the top first I didn’t give a shit how long it was, so I didn’t pay any attention to my Garmin except for the heart rate numbers that indicated it was ready to explode and spew oxygen-deprived blood all over the road. This time I measured it and it is “only” about 1.2 miles of unrelenting 14% grade. If you’re now breathing a sigh of relief, don’t because even if it is “shorter” it is nonetheless hellaciously lung destroying. In yet another mistake—the first being letting time rose-color my memory of climbing Hicks overwhelm the bare facts in front of my face—I had blithely glanced at the elevation profile of Mt. Umunhum and thought, “Oh, it’s flatter than Hicks so it’s all cake to the summit.” If I had spent just two minutes studying the elevation profile I would have noticed that it’s pecked with steep sections worse than Hicks. After arriving at the top of Hicks and thinking it would then be easier, I was subsequently devastated at each of those fucking 15%+ sections. Man, talk about soul destroying.

But I’m jumping a bit ahead of the narrative. The route I had planned had a little amuse-bouche: rather than starting such a serious ride sensibly close to Hicks, which is outside of Los Gatos, we started waaay over in Sunnyvale so that we would enjoy the climb up Stevens Canyon Road and Redwood Gulch to Highway 9 first. Stevens Canyon is a delightful romp in the redwoods up a deserted forest road with hardly any traffic. The quiet and cool humidity from the forest just make it a great ride especially in hot weather. Unfortunately after you make an abrupt left turn onto Redwood Gulch the road practically leaps up from underneath your wheels. There are two 15% ramps on Redwood Gulch that you think must be visual illusions until the reality of pedaling four miles an hour and grunting tells you they’re not. Suddenly time turns to molasses and the beauty of the surrounding redwoods disappears. The ramps are not overly long but just long enough to make it impossible to gut it out in an explosive effort. It’s kind of like donating blood: it’s going to hurt for quite a while and then you get a cookie at the end. At the top where it meets Highway 9 Bill and Wanderson were already looking, shall we say, a bit piqued. We eventually rolled into the Starbucks on Blossom Hill Road, Bill and company called it quits and decided to take the flat route back to the car, saving Mt. Umunhum for another day (if ever). Well, at least they tried. But a lesson lurks here: do not underestimate doing Mt. Um and don’t do anything else except Mt. Um if you hope to enjoy the experience (or not).

After refreshment and a steeling of nerves Roger and I took our leave and headed to Hicks Road. On the way I got a phone call from the Den Daddy, Derek Liecty, “Hey, where are you guys?” “We’re on Shannon.” “Oh baby, you have a looong way to go!” he chortled. Derek was interested in seeing Mt. Umunhum but under four wheels and a turbocharged engine rather than two wheels and no-charged, broke-ass engines. So he and his friend Denise had zoomed up Mt. Um and were waiting for us. Well, he was in for a long wait.

Hicks starts off in a leisurely fashion. It’s a narrow two-lane road heading into the mountains with a moderate amount of weekend car traffic no doubt heading to the same place we were, and it gives no indication that it has a brutal kick at the end. You soon leave the few suburban homes behind and are riding on the border of Almaden Quicksilver County Park. There is a leap up to the spillway of Guadalupe Reservoir and then it deceptively seems to settle down. At the hairpin just above the reservoir the road shows its full anger: it’s like staring at a wall. Oh. My. God. If you’re young, strong, and well-trained you can make it up Hicks in what has become standard road gearing, a 34×28 or about 32 gear-inches. But you’ll be standing much if not all of the way to the top or you’ll be forced to weave back and forth to lessen the grade. Since the road is narrow and there is occasional fast downhill traffic that does not respect the center line, I would be careful weaving. Oh, and there is no shade so don’t do this on a hot, sunny day unless you relish tasting the river of sweat that will soon be running down your face. But if you’re less inclined to suffer, I suggest even lower gearing. On this day I used a 30×30, a one-to-one ratio, which works out to about 26 gear-inches, and I was “comfortable”, i.e. I could sit and grind up the climb and occasionally shift up and stand with ease.

The summit of Hicks couldn’t have come any sooner, and instead of locked gates we were greeted by an all-new entrance to Mt. Um! After a brief respite we took off only to discover as I mentioned above that Mt. Um Road doesn’t seem to be any less steep than Hicks! And it was over five miles to the summit. Like Mt. Hamilton and its observatories, you can tantalizingly see the Cube above you yet it is literally thousands of feet above. [The top of Hicks is only about 1,400 ft elevation.] However MROSD did a splendid job of improving the road. Mt. Um Road is a stellar strip of two-lane blacktop all the way to the summit. There are sections with little shoulder but we found the drivers to be very respectful. And the speed limit on the road is 20 mph! On this day there was only moderate car traffic and hardly any bicycles perhaps because we had started so late all the intelligent cyclists had come up and gone down already; but perhaps it was because the climb is so daunting. No matter the condition of the road or the amenities there is no mistaking that Mt. Um Road is even more deadly than Hicks. There were a couple of sections where the grade eased to 5% and many sections that were an “easy” 9-10%. But it was just plain draining. Keep in mind that before we had even started up Hicks we had over 2,000 feet of climbing in our legs at equally brutal percentages.

Roger and I have done many long ascents in the Alps and the Pyrenees and there often came a point when all we could do is tick off the tenths of a mile and exercise mind over body. Mt. Um Road was no different this day. It seemed like an eternity of pedaling, only to look down and see we had not even done a quarter-mile! In the midst of this sufferfest I see a red Supra rolling down the hill: the Den Daddy! He yelled, “You’re not far from the top!” By my Garmin it was still a mile and a half to go. But Derek was right; at around a mile and a half from the summit the road flattens—hallelujah! Derek turned around and passed us on the way back to the top.

A quarter-mile from the top there is a day parking lot—this is where cars have to stop. They actually are able to continue all the way up to the Cube but there is no parking there except for rangers and those with disability placards and only passenger drop-offs are allowed. Derek and Denise greeted us with cool drinks and congratulated us on our ascent. All told it was 34 miles and about 6,100 feet of climbing. We had a nice long chat with one of the rangers and took in the spectacular views of the South Bay. Today it was hazy from smog and we thus could not see Mt. Diablo. But it was easy to spot Mt. Hamilton with its observatories on the other side of the valley. From the lookout, which is immediately adjacent to the Cube, it feels like you could launch into space above the South Bay such is the steep height to which you ascend. There were a few other cyclists although I bet none of them had started as far away as we had nor had climbed as much. They all certainly looked much fresher than we did! And the mountain bikes we saw? I bet they had ridden up the road just as we had but were able to take full advantage of the low gearing.

There are no shops, stands, or restaurants once you leave Los Gatos and there are no amenities in the park except for pit toilets. You have to bring all your own food and water. I imagine any drinking water to be found in the area would be highly suspect anyway as the area is littered with abandoned mercury mines. Fish caught in the nearby reservoirs are strictly catch-and-release due to the danger of mercury poisoning. We each brought two full large water bottles and consumed it all since Los Gatos, and it wasn’t even a hot day.

The ride isn’t over once surmounting Mt. Um. Now you have to return to the valley! As you might imagine Mt. Um and Hicks are not the kinds of roads with “payback” descents. With such steep gradients you will pick up speed in a flash, and with the road being relatively narrow and curvy you have to have your wits about you. On the positive side Mt. Um Road has a perfect surface (at least for now). Unfortunately Hicks is not is as good a shape and you will encounter divots, bumps, and incongruities which will threaten to upend you. Make sure your brakes are in perfect working order because you will be using them a lot on the way down. Roger had the fortune of having disc brakes but I had rim brakes. We were both braking a lot in order not to splatter. Halfway down Mt. Um Road we pulled off into a small parking lot with a pit toilet in order to let the brakes cool down. My rims were so hot I could touch them just briefly before flinching. When we turned onto Hicks, that 14% section was like going down a water slide—down and down we went with only a vague sense that we were in control. Past the spillway Hicks finally settles down to a “normal” descent.

The rest of the return was essentially mundane, making your way across the flat sections of Santa Clara Valley back to the car. When we got back to the car, I was grateful for surviving the climb AND the descent, both. I had underestimated how difficult Mt. Um would be. I mean, how hard could it be? I had done all the other major climbs in the Bay Area (except one: Mix and Gates—stay tuned!) and Mt. Um couldn’t be any worse than Centennial, Marin, Zayante, etc. right? Wrong. Hicks and Mt. Um are a double-whammy with not just ridiculous gradients but ones that are also long, persistent, and unrelenting.

My advice if you decide to go up Mt. Um:

1. Just do Hicks/Mt. Um—don’t add on any other climbing like Mt. Eden or Redwood Gulch. Mt. Um is plenty and steep.

2. Start in Los Gatos—don’t add any mileage that you don’t need before the climb. The ride up Shannon and the lower section of Hicks is good enough of a warm up.

3. Take lots of water because there isn’t any on the hill. And food too!

4. Use the lowest gearing you have. If you’ve got gearing higher than 34×28, may God have mercy on your soul. Or plan on going seriously slow uphill!

5. Make sure your brakes and tires are in excellent condition; the descent is not to be taken lightly.

6. Go on a clear day so you can fully enjoy the spectacular view!

Jerome has the right idea and here’s his route. Note it is just up and down—no frills & functional—and starts and ends in Los Gatos.

UPDATE 10/10: If you are interested in the convoluted recent history of Mt. Umunhum and why it took over 30 years before MROSD was able to open the former Air Force base to the public, here is a great read by Ray Hosler.

UPDATE 10/16: Former Spoker Bill Bushnell also went up Mt. Umunhum shortly after it was publicly opened. You can read his account and see his photographs here. He also has interesting comments about the history of the fight for public access to Mt. Umunhum as well as the “backdoor” cyclists used to use to get to Mt. Um, Loma Prieta Road, which is an eminently rideable dirt road . The ranger we spoke to on top of Mt. Um the day we rode up mentioned that if we were caught on Loma Prieta Road we’d get a $400 fine. Ouch! It pays to skulk carefully.

As we approach the next rainy season some of the road destruction due to this past winter’s rains has finally been repaired and roads are reopening. As mentioned in a couple of weeks ago we got a nice present when Calaveras Road reopened rather unexpectedly. I thought that one was slated for the “might never be open again” category. After a series of delays Palomares Road has finally been reopened as of today! For the animals in the club, we now have the elements for some killer rides back: from an East Bay BART station over Palomares and out Calaveras to points beyond, either Milpitas BART or Mt. Hamilton. Stay tuned… [UPDATE: Well, I guess I am mistaken. Calaveras is NOT fully open. The City of Milpitas opened the section of Calaveras that is within their jurisdiction a few weeks ago. However San Francisco Water & Power still has a section shut down north of the reservoir that prevents any through traffic.]

By the way since Palomares is now open, next week’s BART To the Niles Canyon Roll ‘N Stroll has tangential possibilities for those so inclined. This ride is a flat B-pace ride to Dublin/Pleasanton and Walnut Creek BART stations. But this doesn’t prevent others from joining us and diverging up Palomares since we’ll be passing it on the way to Sunol. You guys can race us up Palomares and 580 to Walnut Creek BART. We shall see who gets there first! (You guys will because we’re not going to race. Oh, and we’re stopping for some comestibles in Danville.)

The estimated completion date for Alhambra Valley Road also keeps sliding. For a while it looked like it might be open for the Fall Social. Then it was a week later. Now it’s October 12. When it does reopen you can bet it’s going to be a cycling parade because the Three Bears is such a popular training route. All that pent up desire. No Three Bears for nine months. Why, it makes me want to come…as soon as it opens. By the way Alhambra Valley Road also happens to be one of the three most popular places over here for miscreants to dump their large trash items because it’s so isolated and rural. So expect it be be spickety-span clean for about one week after it reopens and then we shall see the mysterious Monuments to Garbage reappear with startling rapidity. We’ll have a big club party too when it’s open.

Morgan Territory Road is another one that keeps sliding (pun intended). Unexpected conditions during the repair–more rock encountered during pile drilling and the need for additional rain runoff drainage–now has the County seeing the completion in mid-November. That doesn’t seem to stop the racing Freds from heading out that way as we witnessed last week on Derek’s Clayton ride. The temporary diversion road  around the repair is supposed to be for local residents only since it’s on private land, but isn’t “I don’t give a fuck” cycling’s middle name? The good news is that when it reopens for real it will be well into autumn and the riding up there should be awesome. Sounds like another invitation for a club ride, doesn’t it?

And we finally got an estimate on Redwood Road’s reopening. All summer it was quiet and we thought CalTrans was doing the repair when in fact they were still studying it and only have begun to work on it. Now CalTrans is estimating January 2018 for completion. Yeah, right. Well, Marciel and Brandon Trail are pretty cool in the meantime.

And over on the Midpeninsula, Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35) is still closed near Castle Rock State Park. On its website CalTrans continues to say the closure will end on midnight September 30. That’s just a week away.

Well into its second decade the annual Fall Social at former President Phil Bokovoy’s Berkeley digs is our second longest Club tradition/ride/event. The only regular club event that is older in origin is the Club Picnic although it has changed venue multiple times whereas the Fall Social has always been at Phil’s. Long gone are the Guerneville Weekend, the Lake Tahoe Spectacular, and many others. This year the Fall Social is taking place earlier, on Sunday, October 1, rather than at the end of October. This means we will have more daylight, less likelihood of inclement riding weather, and more likelihood of being able to hang out al fresco for a relaxing afternoon feast.

The Fall Social is always a potluck afternoon lunch with at least one ride, sometimes two or three. The idea was to close the main riding season—yeah, like we have “seasons” in Northern California!—with an all-club get-together for sharing a ride, delicious food, and of course lots of idle conversation.

It’s a welcome place for members as well as “fellow travelers”, old timers and new timers alike. If you’re a club regular, you’ll see your familiar clubmates; if you’re a club irregular, here’s your chance to meet some other members that you don’t meet on the occasional club ride you do; if you’re a newcomer, it’s a great way to introduce yourself to the club and find out whether you like hanging out with a bunch of LGBT cycling nerds.

Besides opening up his house and his beautiful backyard, Phil’s tour de force contribution is his barbecued butterflied turkey. This ain’t no Thanksgiving bird, folks. It’s split in half and cooked on his Weber and always comes out juicy, flavorful, and delicious. The quality of the rest of the meal depends upon you: everyone contributes something whether it be your latest attempt at Julia Child or a big bag of chips from Costco. If you show up empty-handed, be prepared to be asked to turn right around and head to the nearest market to pick up something to share. This is strictly “pay to play”—after all, the club is what YOU make of it!

And what about the rides? Back in the day there were as many as three separate rides, usually a longer, harder route; a shorter route; and a dirt ride. But since mountain biking has become a covert activity within the club, it’s been just two road rides, with the easy route being a 24-mile flattish roll out to the Rosie the Riveter Memorial along the Bay Trail and back. The traditional longer route was over the Three Bears and back along Wildcat. But this year the closure of Alhambra Valley Road due to winter storm damage has meant that we will be trying a mysterious one-off route, which will be unveiled imminently! Alhambra Valley Road is estimated to be open in October but that’s too late for this year’s early Fall Social. No matter which route you decide to take, everyone ends up back at the manor for a fine meal. And if that isn’t enough, Phil even allows you to shower and freshen up, change into something more fashionable, and reapply that make-up and moisturizer before you make your entrance onto the patio. (Just bring your own towel and cosmetics bag!)

Be sure to watch the Different Spokes Ride Calendar for more details and if you plan to attend, please RSVP to Phil.

Those incessant East Bay heat waves took a break this week and we got a nice breather on Derek Liecty’s ride to Clayton. It was temperate and got only into the low-80s by early afternoon. That allowed the eight of us to enjoy a pleasant, slow ramble along the Iron Horse and the Contra Costa Canal Trails. Two newcomers attended—Lindsay, who recently moved to San Francisco from South Africa, and Jim, who didn’t recently move from South Africa and is a local boy from Pleasant Hill. When I asked Jim what got him interested in cycling, he said, “I wanted to eat more.” Jim, I think you’ll fit right in! Also in attendance were Lamberto and Joe, from literally just down the street; Roger and I; and Laura, a former Spoker, who is getting back into cycling after a long hiatus.

Derek, although not a founding mother of Different Spokes, was certainly one of the very first members. Derek’s connection with Different Spokes goes back to the original Gay Games in 1982, which was the impetus for our club’s formation. Derek being a soccer ref, was asked to help out with Gay Games and through it came in contact with the original Ur-Spokers who went on to plan and set up Different Spokes. He’s been riding with Different Spokes ever since and although considerably slower than he was at 50 he’s still able to turn the pedals at a goodly pace. And, with the help of his new e-bike he’s now able to put the club animals back in their place! Although he was a prolific ride leader back in the day he’s literally retired to Rossmoor and rides mostly with his age peers and infrequently deigns to lead a Different Spokes jaunt. Lucky us!

Both the Iron Horse and the CCC Trails are well used by cyclists and pedestrians and more so on weekends. We had plenty of company throughout the day, everyone from racing bros, beach cruisers, tandems, weekend warriors, and the endlessly fabulous. Eventually we left the trails and meandered through neighborhood streets in Concord and Clayton, including a short, dirt foray through a local park. In the meantime there was a lot of chattering going on that only a slower ride allows. Poor Lamberto, who was on call, had to field a work related emergency and then promptly got a flat. He ended up abandoning and heading home, conveniently allowing him to spend more time with his dog.

Clayton proved to be a busy burg with several large groups of racing bros heading towards Morgan Territory. We stopped at the Center Street Deli for a midday meal. We had the pleasure of encountering Mr. NRA in the ordering line. Wow, he was into Glocks like I’m into Masis. Don’t you just love this country? After lunch we took a faster route back but it meant riding on Contra Costa’s wide boulevards rather than trails. We were back at Walnut Creek BART in no time. Everyone seemed to have a good time, no one was worn out, and folks are looking forward to the Niles Canyon closure ride in two weeks!

This past winter’s road destruction has taught us that construction and repair timelines–if they exist at all–are truly works of fiction. Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge was previously scheduled to open late September but has now been pushed back “several weeks” into October according to the Monterey County Monthly. What that means is you have even more time to get down to Big Sur and enjoy Highway One with much reduced car traffic! To read how to do it, go here.

We finally had an Orinda Pool Party that had heat in spades. Although SF denizens may think Contra Costa is a solar furnace  all summer, it is actually quite temperate most of the time. But during heat waves it can become blast oven uncomfortable. Every year Roger and I hope for at least some heat so that splashing in the pool provides relief rather than goosebumps. A couple of years we had marginally warm weather and were wondering if anyone would get in the pool. But between the sunshine and our somewhat protected back deck where the heat gets concentrated, people didn’t freeze and got their annual dose of real sunshine and water follies. This year the Orinda Pool Party coincided with a bona fide heat wave. The forecast was for the temp to exceed 100 degrees, no wind, and full sun. And that turned out to be the case.

Seventeen folks showed up including our President and First Lady, Sal & Jim; our Vice President David Gaus; and Secretary Roger Sayre. We were also graced by the presence of former President Phil Bokovoy, former Ride Coordinator David Goldsmith and his husband Chris. None other than the club’s oldest member (in age as well as tenure) Derek Liecty also attended. We had just one new member participate, Greg, who must have had a good time as he promises to return (don’t they all say that?) Greg, we have your number so expect harassing phone calls and to be stalked!

Originally we had two new routes planned due to the closure of the Canyon bridge, which prevents riding up Pinehurst. Despite my promise to keep making the long route harder and harder until no one chooses to ride it, it was just a tad harder than the short route this year (and a lot easier than last year’s long route, I might add). In the end due to the burgeoning heat, by executive fiat I told Maurizio and Greg, who were the only crazies willing to do the long route, that I was “gently encouraging” them to do the short route. So we all did the short one into Lafayette and Walnut Creek and back with just the icky hill up to the manse. That decision turned out for the better: despite taking it easy and having essentially no climbs we were pretty worn down by the heat. We did an unannounced stop at a minimart to down junk food and sugared water despite having hit several water stops beforehand. Then we stopped in Moraga for water and it turned into a long interlude, everyone bristling from the heat and steeling themselves for what was to come. By the time we hit the bottom of El Toyonal it was looking like a death march. Poor Maurizio was walking and said to me, “If I try to ride this, I’ll faint!” It was only a mile uphill but at the top Greg exclaimed, “If I lived up here, I’d move!” David Goldsmith, ghastly pale and wan, looked like death warmed over. David Gaus and Jacob wisely took my advice and went to their car at Orinda BART and drove up to the house thus avoiding Calvary. Well folks, next year we will back to doing the backdoor route and avoiding the climb. (And yes, Roger and I ride up that friggin’ hill every time we do a ride.)

I didn’t check the thermometer at the house but it was surely 100 F or more—you could feel the heat pulsating. Folks were huddling in the house—the air conditioning was on—rather than lounging (frying?) on the back deck. Only by putting food outside did people relent and brave the heat. Fortunately the grub was good and the pool inviting and refreshing, and eventually all but a few were al fresco. And yes, the pool was well used!