tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18407238540008820242024-03-05T13:23:58.202-08:00Jon's Cycling BlogRandom and infrequently updated comments about training to ride some of the toughest bike rides in California.jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-22318880701717981672011-03-09T17:10:00.000-08:002011-03-09T17:11:38.775-08:00Comedy Night Fundraiser! and more Death Ride trainingOk, so I'm still not so great at keeping this blog updated......I'm already doing better than last year!<br />
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<b><u>Comedy Night Fundraiser!</u></b><br />
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This Sunday, March 13, I will be hosting a comedy night fundraiser at Bunjo's Comedy Lounge in Dublin. This year we will have a professional magician/comedian, Timothy James, as the headliner along with John DeKoven and other great comedians. This is always a fun night - and all proceeds will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Tickets are $20 at the door, or by donation to <a href="http://tiny.cc/xmxrt">my fundraising website.</a> Bunjo's is at 6513 Regional St in Dublin (in The Willow Tree Restaurant). I hope to see you there!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDZs-GnN97P-43A3-LrqY-3irmdzMuwSnZ2zrsnuTtprB7RDg49bZOk6TVxpa2zw2mN5QDNeMZQgxA1A4Vdij-LddHMoApmBDXwzOEyLLKxXgK0ZS28NuHweBcZN6Y3V8-cXXelhn6Ww/s1600/team+in+training+fundraiser-03-13-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDZs-GnN97P-43A3-LrqY-3irmdzMuwSnZ2zrsnuTtprB7RDg49bZOk6TVxpa2zw2mN5QDNeMZQgxA1A4Vdij-LddHMoApmBDXwzOEyLLKxXgK0ZS28NuHweBcZN6Y3V8-cXXelhn6Ww/s320/team+in+training+fundraiser-03-13-11.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Training Update:</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u><br />
</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What can I say - we're training for the Death Ride! Our distances are getting longer - we're consistently riding 50 - 60 miles, with lots of climbing. The last few rides have had 100 feet/mile of climbing - usually an indicator of a hard, mountainous ride. I had to miss the last team ride - I was actually there, but I had the kids with me. Their mom had gone out of town on business so the bike ride had to play 2nd fiddle for the day. It's a shame, because it's one of my favorite East Bay rides - doing lots of the great climbs through the Oakland hills. However, it's a long season and missing a ride or two is not a disaster.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Fund-raising update:</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u><br />
</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My fund-raising this year got off to a very strong start. I'm only about 1/3rd of the way through my address book and we've already raised almost $1,000 (the total on the website does not include checks I've received, and several donors also will get matching funds donated by their companies). A great start, but not even 1/3rd of what I hope to raise. For everyone who has already donated, a hearty thank you! I hope the Comedy Night will put another big dent in the target, and I know everyone will continue to be as generous supporting me as I raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Please consider making a donation to support finding a cure for Leukemia & Lymphoma at <a href="http://tiny.cc/xmxrt">my website</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">JB</div>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-55608582853615207912011-01-09T16:00:00.000-08:002011-01-30T18:39:56.269-08:00New Year, old resolutions<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Part of the 2008 Team in Training Death Ride Team</b></div><div><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrDOr8ysI-bcXEn2tONkqK_SHaGcTkvwgwb2hxpA_BJ0rD6_frzEnXmIVA83wN-XxILbFAmogVOmsbft3ivREwvaR-Lr6RLhOr81vyKcrbB6nmyK6ypNcHpW8Gum7baTpWfKQbOsBGVU/s1600/IMG_0458.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560349126885492770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrDOr8ysI-bcXEn2tONkqK_SHaGcTkvwgwb2hxpA_BJ0rD6_frzEnXmIVA83wN-XxILbFAmogVOmsbft3ivREwvaR-Lr6RLhOr81vyKcrbB6nmyK6ypNcHpW8Gum7baTpWfKQbOsBGVU/s400/IMG_0458.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Wow, it's been a long time since I last updated this - 18 months! Obviously, I'm not the best blogger in the world. Ok, <b>resolution #1</b> - keep this thing updated at least every couple of weeks.<br />
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</div><div><b>Resolution #2</b> is a familiar one - do the Death Ride with Team in Training. Yup, returning for another go at a really tough one day ride. This time around, I'll be an assistant coach. I guess the idea is that I've been through every kind of difficulty on this ride, so I should be able to help the participants through pretty much anything. More info on this ride is here: <a href="http://www.deathride.com/">http://www.deathride.com/</a></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://www.freeflashtoys.com/?myspace-countdown-clocks"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" height="180" id="myMovieName" width="300"><param name="flashvars" value="maturity=1310214600000:16711680:6684876:3394560:source.pyzam.com/app_res/mdp_cd/300x180/3/2/ajblueskull.jpg:Death032Ride032050048049049033"><param name="movie" value="http://stuff.freeflashtoys.com/swf/cd_custom.swf"><param name="quality" value="high"><embed src="http://stuff.freeflashtoys.com/swf/cd_custom.swf?maturity=1310214600000:16711680:6684876:3394560:source.pyzam.com/app_res/mdp_cd/300x180/3/2/ajblueskull.jpg:Death032Ride032050048049049033" quality="high" width="300" height="180" wmode="transparent" name="myMovieName" align="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object></a><br />
Make your own <a href="http://www.freeflashtoys.com/?myspace-countdown-clocks">Countdown Clocks</a><img border="0" height="0" src="http://stuff.pyzam.com/misc/CXNID=1000015.12NXC.gif" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /></div><div><br />
</div><div>For anyone not familiar with Team in Training, they are a fund-raising arm of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raising money that directly benefits patients and also helps fund research. Training programs and coaching is provided to enable beginner and experienced endurance athletes get ready for their events. More information can be found <a href="http://www.teamintraining.org/">here.</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>I'll be putting my fund raising page up shortly, and will post the link soon. If anyone is interested in riding with us or maybe doing the Tahoe Century or Seattle to Portland rides, information meeting are happening throughout January. Our season starts up in February, and the training works. In my first year, I went from not working out or riding for 15 years to being in shape for the Death Ride in 6 months. The success rate of TnT participants is phenomenal - in general, a much higher percentage of TnT participants finish events than the overall average.</div><div><br />
</div><div>There will also be hiking, marathon and triathlon teams forming up. I'll be at information meetings on 1/19 at the Orinda Community Center and 1/20 at the Pleasant Hill Community Center. Both will start at 6:30 - come out and say hello and find out more! If you can't make those, there are other meetings happening all month - check out the <a href="http://www.teamintraining.org/sf/firsttimehere/info">TnT website</a> for more information.</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>On a 2008 training ride with Michelle S.</b></div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIp8naAOGzX7F3n5uYFpg2UmliKP0Y7M-s6KTbl_QmamVt919fdUY6YvBH-O_SgGebBuOfcmEAZjvofilfiDt_zKPyrYDTH1zd7GPnu1lm6ojE5vWMrqBiTHpeGM7-jnkJelrd5uXkfo/s1600/Taste+of+Devil+-+early.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560348642577554866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkIp8naAOGzX7F3n5uYFpg2UmliKP0Y7M-s6KTbl_QmamVt919fdUY6YvBH-O_SgGebBuOfcmEAZjvofilfiDt_zKPyrYDTH1zd7GPnu1lm6ojE5vWMrqBiTHpeGM7-jnkJelrd5uXkfo/s400/Taste+of+Devil+-+early.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: 400px;" /></a>I'll be dedicating this season to a Team in Training teammate from the 2008 Death Ride team - Michelle S. Michelle completed all 5 passes in her first try and is a great teammate. However, Michelle was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and is undergoing treatment. Michelle is always positive and a true fighter - she'll provide the kind of inspiration I'll need as we train on some of the toughest hills in the Bay Area. All the best wishes to Michelle as she continues her battle.<br />
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</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>2008 TnT Death Ride Teammates</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">Michelle S. is on the right</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCqkaw2vov5Kkl6BHU-1Csp8r5r61IiNArrKBvnQWQgDMQlIoEBg8sVXgrcopxmmvTD8PKIRTvqPwUids90NEHgzFSh-xjs-7SlQCxXvE-ImQOb6qK464cvub1iWV_O7at4O4Bz_JcpA/s1600/upenuff+team4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560347809307238114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCqkaw2vov5Kkl6BHU-1Csp8r5r61IiNArrKBvnQWQgDMQlIoEBg8sVXgrcopxmmvTD8PKIRTvqPwUids90NEHgzFSh-xjs-7SlQCxXvE-ImQOb6qK464cvub1iWV_O7at4O4Bz_JcpA/s400/upenuff+team4.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Michelle is obviously a very special person, and I'll be proud to be riding for her this year. I'd also like to remember a couple of other very special people who are no longer with us. The first is Shira, a teammate from my 2nd Team in Training season, who died of complications related to the treatment of her leukemia last year. The other is Mary Buckley, my brother Matt's deceased wife. All will be close to my heart as I train with the team this year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Resolution #3</b> - some of you (if anyone is actually reading this after the long break in posts!) may remember that I was getting ready to try my first double century, in Death Valley, back in 2009. That didn't go so well, as the desert conditions got to me and I suffered from cramps in my legs and only did 145 miles. However, I did the Solvang Double last spring and really enjoyed it so I'll go back and try another one this year. I'm thinking about the Central Coast Double, based out of Paso Robles wine country (anyone remember that movie Sideways?). If that goes well, I'll do a couple of more in the fall to get my triple crown (I wanted to last year, but since I was out of work spending the money to do these rides just didn't seem so smart!).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, for anyone who actually reads this, please consider donating at my <a href="http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/touralps11/jbuckley">fundraising webpage</a>!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">JB</div><div><br />
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</div></div>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-10761490438593160812009-06-11T21:24:00.000-07:002009-06-11T22:20:26.315-07:00Comedy Night FundraiserHi, everyone,<br /><br />On June 19, I will be co-hosting a comedy night fund raiser to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The location is the new Bunjo’s Comedy Club in Dublin, which shares space with the Willow Tree restaurant on Regional Street. Our headliner is Robin Cee, a very funny and well known SF comedian. The cost is $15 per person, half of which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. More information is can be found at and tickets can be ordered at<br /><a href="http://www.bunjoscomedy.com/index.html">http://www.bunjoscomedy.com/index.html</a><br /><br />This fund raiser is capping off my fund-raising with Team in Training for the 2009 Death Ride. Once again, I will take on a 129 mile ride with more than 15,000 feet of climbing (kind of like climbing Mt. Diablo 5 times, but at altitude!), with the goal of raising funds to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I have had the pleasure of training for and riding this event with several cancer survivors, and it always amazes me just how much joy they find in every day life, and how they can take an event that’s downright painful to most rational people and turn it into a celebration. This event may be called the Death Ride, but it really is a celebration of life for those of us privileged enough to know and ride with these very special people!<br /><br />This year’s fund raising has taken on an even more personal meaning for me. In January, a close friend and someone that I’ve done a lot of work with in the past was diagnosed with CML – Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy with a drug called Gleevec. This drug is very effective for many CML patients, and was developed under a grant from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – a grant that in large part was possible because of all the donations made over the years to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society via Team in Training! We are making a difference – and you can too by participating in this event.<br /><br />So far, her treatment is progressing well and she has not suffered serious side effects. We are keeping our fingers crossed that she will be one of the lucky ones. However, with continued support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will achieve it’s goal of wiping out blood cancers, so there won’t need to be lucky ones. I’m honored to be in a position to help the society make progress towards that goal.<br /><br />My friend’s experience has also highlighted another, equally important role the LLS plays. They provide a stipend to patients who are undergoing treatment, and are unable to work, or to those who have used up all of their insurance benefits (those multi-million dollar lifetime maximums really don’t go far when you consider the cost of some of these treatments!). They provide counseling and other forms of support. In short, they are a lifeline, a ray of hope, while these patients are undergoing some of the most trying and painful experiences a person can go through. Knowing how strong each of these patients has to be helps keep me going when I’m suffering on those long, steep hills (and I always suffer on those long, steep hills!).<br /><br />So please, come out and help us celebrate another successful season – great training with a great group of teammates, and lots of fun while raising funds for a great cause. I look forward to seeing you on Friday the 19th!<br /><br />Best regards,<br /><br />Jon Buckley<br />--<br />Find out how I’m helping to fight cancer one mile at a time! <a href="http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/TourAlps09/jbuckley">http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/TourAlps09/jbuckley</a><br /><br />If you are not able to join us at the comedy night, please consider making a donation using the link above. Thank you so much for all the support over the years!jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-7259947967019950362009-05-17T17:02:00.000-07:002009-05-17T19:25:32.596-07:00Death Ride trainingWell, after reading my friend Steve's latest blog post (<a href="http://notabouttheback.blogspot.com/">it's not about the back!</a>) I realized that I've been horribly lax in updating my own cycling blog. So here's the latest and greatest:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">TnT team</span><br /><br />This season we are training in a combined team with the Redwood/Wine Country TnT team. This has been a fantastic experience, as we've met new folks, trained with some new coaches and done some rides in an area I don't get to visit anywhere near often enough. We've spent some time on some familiar training hills (Mt. Diablo, the Oakland Hills, Mt. Hamilton, Sierra Road) and we got to ride in the Wine Country Double Metric Century (124 miles for those of you keeping track).<br /><br />The season has been a lot of fun, and for the first time I've felt prepared for each of the team rides (more on that below). Of course, it can't all be fun and games - after a few days of unusual stiffness, my back went out on Sierra Road - one of the most difficult Bay Area climbs. The 100 degree weather wasn't helping, but my back has been a source of ongoing concern in my riding, so this was a step backwards. It feels better today, so hopefully I'll be back on my bike for an easy week in a few days.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coach Kim</span><br /><br />As some of you know, I've hired Coach Kim Collier to help me get in better cycling shape and lose some weight. The weight loss has been slow but steady (I think she's more frustrated by my progress in this area than I am), and I've definitely gotten to be a noticeably stronger rider on the climbs. Yesterday, on the back of Mt. Hamilton (a notoriously tough local climb, and rated HC for the pros in the Tour of California) I was able to climb it almost entirely in heartrate zone 3, but still going faster and stronger than I did last time I tried it. For those of you who are old fashioned, heart rate zone 3 meant I was still in my aerobic training zone (ie, I didn't go anaerobic). While I wouldn't want to ride at that level of effort for a full century, it is a sustainable pace for me on these long, tough climbs. My coach likes to call it a tempo climb. I'm more realistic - it's still a darned slow tempo climb.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Margie and leukemia</span><br /><br />Early in the year, a good friend told me that she had just been diagnosed with CML, a form of leukemia. She is responding well so far to the chemo, which has consisted of a drug developed under grants from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This has taken the fund raising that I've been doing with Team in Training to a far more personal level.<br /><br />I met Margie through some volunteer work I was doing. She is an energetic, vital and driven woman - and someone making a huge difference for our kids. I've always admired the passion and energy she brings to her work - now I also admire how she's taken on this new challenge head on.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fund Raising</span><br /><br />That brings me to one of the big reasons I got involved with Team in Training in the first place - a chance to make a difference. The money raised is donated directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and helps to fund the development of new treatments while also helping to directly ease the financial burden of patients. Please consider supporting me and the Leukemia & Lympoma Society for this year's season: <a href="http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/TourAlps09/jbuckley">http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/TourAlps09/jbuckley</a><br /><br />Special thanks to Joy and Alan Brooks, who were able to take care of my kids during yesterday's unbelievably long training ride!<br /><br />JBjonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-54499828092046906202009-01-23T20:01:00.000-08:002009-01-23T20:18:35.897-08:002009 Plans and AspirationsAfter sitting down for a while, I quickly realized that my original goal of doing one or more double centuries this spring were probably unrealistic - I hadn't been riding consistently, much less the kind of disciplined training it would take to do a distance I'd never done before.<br /><br />So, I needed some structure and some accountability to get my butt on my bike when the weather isn't perfect. I hired Kim Collier, a local cycling coach and nutritionist. She looked at my eating log for a week, highlighting anything that was just plain bad in pink. It probably would have been easier to print the damn thing on pink paper to begin with. However, she then took me through Whole Foods and showed me how to replace all that (What do you mean, no pizza or bagels? I'm from New York, damn it!) with healthy, but still good tasting alternatives that I'll have a fighting chance of getting my kids to eat.<br /><br />She also introduced me to the joys of SFR's. I have no idea what the initials stand for, but these are hill repeats - not looking to go at lung busting speeds, but rather to build strength. Climb a hill for 5 minutes, at a slow cadence in a big gear that you'd normally use on flat roads. The goal is to keep your heart rate low (I failed miserably at that the first time, but I'm getting better!), and really work the muscles in your legs. Repeat 5 times, then spin easy for 30 minutes. For the last two years I'd worked really hard at learning how to spin up hills, using small gears and a high cadence. This training will build strength while giving me much more flexibility on how I attack a hill. <br /><br />So, with all this going on, I also signed up for the Death Ride again. No, I'm not bored with it yet. I'm going to do it with Team in Training again, although this season will be quite different. Over the last two years there'd been lots of continuity on the Death Ride teams - same coaches, lots of participants and mentors did it both years, etc. It will seem strange, especially without some of the close friends I've made (and without coaches Jacqui and Mike, who showed me how I could get off the couch and get in shape to do this in 6 months). However, the new coaches are all great, and I'm going to be a mentor - I'll provide kind of a point person that team members can use to answer questions about administrative stuff and fund raising, while I'll also be asked to provide ride support - something I've never done before. All in all, this should be a fun and exciting season.<br /><br />Further on in the year, I'll revisit that double century goal. I suspect it won't be a problem if I can stick with Kim's plan (especially combined with the TnT Death Ride training). Kim even mentioned as a possible the Everest Challenge, a 2 day race in Southern California that got it's name because over the 2 days you climb as much as if you'd ridden your bike up that mountain with the same name. Aspirational? You bet. But it's fun to think that I could still get in that kind of shape.....<br /><br />So, stay tuned - I'll be riding a bunch again this year!<br /><br />JBjonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-59820351319356136302008-11-14T18:48:00.000-08:002008-11-14T21:31:13.322-08:00Enough, already!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/phantomship.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 565px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/phantomship.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br />Ok, kids - I guess some folks really are reading this blog! I've gotten a surprising number of requests (as in more than one) to actually update this more frequently than once every 4 months, so here goes:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Crater Lake Century<br /><br /></span>This was fun! A small group of Death Ride alumni got together and rode this ride in south-eastern Oregon at the beginning of August. It goes around the crater in Crater Lake National Park, and features some good (but not Death Ride-ish) climbs. The one up to the crater itself really isn't bad - long but gradual. The ride around the rim is another story - I figured it would all be easy-ish rollers. Nope - these were pretty steep, and there's quite a few of them. My legs definitely knew I'd been on a bike ride after this one! There's almost 30 miles of flat easy riding at the very beginning, and another 20+ plus of descent and flat to end the ride, meaning there's more than 7,000 feet of climbing crammed into the middle 45 miles or so of the ride. Beautiful scenery, and fun camping with some old friends. Of course, I've got some pictures:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_2063.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 620px; height: 463px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_2063.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Bunny Ears!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_2080.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 560px; height: 418px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_2080.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_2123.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 623px; height: 466px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_2123.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Laziness sets in<br /><br /></span>So, now that you've done the Death Ride, what's next? Well, it wasn't Disneyland, and it wasn't a whole lot more bike riding either. Sure, I did a few rides with friends - around the Livermore hills, up Mt. Hamilton (where it became very clear I was rapidly loosing my base fitness), messing around on some flat rides. However, on the weekends I spent most of my time involved with my kids' soccer teams and hardly rode at all.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lighthouse Century<br /><br /></span>This ride is billed as a tour of the lighthouses near San Luis Obispo at the end of September. The weather is pretty unpredictable (with all due apologies to my fave meteorologist) on the coast this time of year. Well, the fog rolled in, and as a result the only lighthouse I saw was this one at lunch:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Lighthouse%2008/P9270041.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 541px; height: 403px;" src="http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Lighthouse%2008/P9270041.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The ride itself is pretty nice - we did the hilly option, which gave us a nice climb up about 2,000 feet, before dropping us back down to the coast and then the rolling hills along Rte. 1. Some parts were clear, but we were fog-bound for quite a bit of the ride. I did ok, but my lack of fitness started to show as we headed for home, and I got consistently dropped over the last 25 miles.<br /><br />Here we are on the morning climb (I'm in the blue jersey):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Lighthouse%2008/P9260008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 439px; height: 329px;" src="http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w112/spingineer/Lighthouse%2008/P9260008.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So, what now?</span><br /><br />Interesting question! I've ridden exactly 6 times now since the beginning of October - all that hard won fitness is out the window! I went on a 60 mile ride yesterday, part of it with some friends, and I felt ok - but I was taking it very easy. Time to get back on the horse (er, bike) and start riding again! I'm trying to figure out next year's goals - I'd like to do one or more double centuries (there - it's in print (blogged?) so now I have to do it!). I'd also like to do the Death Ride again, minus the back pain (and hail!). Plus there's a whole lot of Spring and Summer centuries in Nor Cal that I haven't even thought of doing. Plus dropping a whole bunch of weight, so I don't get dropped so much on those BF rides! I guess I'll turn this list into my New Year resolutions, although I better get started on the riding now!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-1037154382087780522008-07-13T22:32:00.000-07:002008-07-26T09:55:29.123-07:00Success!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/dr3-carson.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/dr3-carson.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well, it's over - the Death Ride for 2008 is in the books - and I finished all 5 passes. Thanks to everyone who has supported me for the last 18 months as I decided to get back into cycling with a bang - by training for the '07 Death Ride.<br /><br />Special thanks to everyone who donated to one or more of my TnT fundraising campaigns. This not only supported my training, but helped raise funds to fight blood cancers. I've personally helped raise over $10,000 now, and the teams I've been involved with have raised more than $600,000!!!!! This money not only supports research into new treatments, but also helps support the patients financially while they are being treated.<br /><br />Extra special thanks also to Brian and Kevin, my 2 sons who were very understanding as my training caused me to miss more baseball games, soccer games and swim meets than I care to admit. And special thanks to Karen, Valerie and Michael, and Anne and Kris, who all helped watch the boys for so many of those Saturday training rides that all seemed to start at 6 am and go all day.<br /><br />And of course I have to mention the coaches, who showed me that I could go from couch potato to being able to do this ride in 6 short months, then kept me motivated to do it again after last year's ride got derailed by, well, a broken dérailleur.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So, how'd that ride go?<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0676.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0676.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Starting out in the dark was both surreal and interesting. The sky soon started showing signs of light.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I figured I might have a shot at doing this ride leaving at the "official" start time of 5:30, but it would be a close thing and everything would have to go right. After the fiasco of last year, I wasn't counting on that! A whole group of us started riding at 4:00 am. Early. Dark. But really not that cold - not like last year. A vest, arm warmers and knee warmers on top of my regular jersey and shorts were sufficient, and I took most of the extra layer off once we started climbing. I started out with a large group of TnT cyclists, but it became pretty clear that there were a few of us going about the same pace, and we ended up riding more or less together all day. K. Sue in particular was inspirational several times when I was struggling, and Sue agreed to ride with me when conditions were worst.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0684.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0684.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Climbing up Monitor Pass to the sunrise - getting closer!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Starting out, I felt pretty good - considering I'd waken up at 2:30 and tried to convince myself it was just a normal morning ride..... We finished the first climb right on schedule, at about 6:00 am and just as the sun came over the crest of the pass. The Death Ride puts stickers on the number for each rider for each pass, to keep track of which ones you've done. First one down, 4 more to go!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0686.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0686.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">One pass done - the summit of Monitor at sunrise!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0691.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0691.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><br /><br /><br />Teammate Kimberly is all grins after the fast and fun descent down Monitor towards Nevada.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The descent down Monitor Pass was fast and fun. There weren't that many other riders out there yet, and we were able to go as fast as we wanted. The road is really good, wide and was closed to auto traffic - perfect conditions to have some fun. The only spoiler was that nagging thought that when we got to the bottom, we'd have to turn around and go right back up (the Death Ride does the front side and back side of 2 passes - Monitor and Ebbets. The last climb, Carson, just goes up one side). Anytime you can go that fast on a descent you just know the climb will be steep.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0693.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0693.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Climbing up the backside of Monitor Pass - steep and long.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Sure enough, it was steep and long (the climb up the back took 2 hours), but our training was paying off. It was hard, but do-able. I ran into a friend who goes by the handle "BenRidin" on a couple of internet cycling forums. I was doing well, but he went by effortlessly.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0697.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0697.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">The 2nd summit of Monitor - haven't we been here before? </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />By 8:00 or so, we'd gotten to the top of Monitor again. 4 hours of riding time, 2 passes down and most of the civilized world hadn't even had their 2nd cup of coffee yet. We were doing well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/elemaplg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/elemaplg.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The descent down the front side of Monitor is also a good, fast one. It was getting more crowded now, so we all took it kind of easy, but it is always a good fast descent on Monitor. At the bottom, we regrouped, took a left and rolled over to Ebbets, the next pass. It was while we were doing the gentle part of the climb (for about 4 miles or so) that I realized I didn't feel as good as I might. My legs felt dead, my back was tight and kind of painful and my heart rate was much higher than I'd expect it to be - we were going up, but it wasn't steep or hard.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0701.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0701.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">A Death Ride tradition - just past the last rest stop before the Ebbets climb gets serious, a group of women get all dressed up and cheer on the riders.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0702.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0702.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Climbing Ebbets - long and steep, many consider this the hardest climb of the day.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />At the last rest stop before the climb to Ebbets got serious, we all stopped to refuel a bit and fill our water bottles. Then we started the climb. Having done this a couple of times in our training, I knew what to expect - except this was my first time after having already done 2 hard climbs. It was hard. It was long. Some of it was steep. My back hurt. A lot. Coach Jacqui and Coach Kim both had words of encouragement that helped keep me going (I'd long since lost touch with K. Sue, Sue and the rest of the crew I'd been riding with). And I made it to the top. I was mildly disappointed that the sticker crew at the top was not wearing angels wings like in years past (Ebbets is the highest elevation of the day).<br /><br />Descending on Ebbets is challenging at the best of times. With hundreds of other riders both descending and climbing at the same time, it was kind of crazy. Ebbets is really a single lane road for the most part, so if riders are 3 abreast, they end up taking more than half the road. Given different climbing abilities, that was bound to happen. We all took the descent carefully, and made it safely.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0705.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0705.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">At the Hermit Valley rest stop, we saw the Death Ride mascot (complete with helmet, beer and bra) being towed by the "Rolling Bones" cycling team.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I took my time at the rest stop. I didn't feel good, but I was able to eat. I ate some oranges, a banana and a PBJ. After a while, I started to feel better and I saw Sue and K. Sue grab their bikes, so I got on mine and started climbing, hoping to catch them. I never quite did (I got close to K. Sue just as a back spasm forced me to stop and stretch - the first time I'd stopped on a climb in a long time). Turns out I was only a half mile from the top (at this point, we were climbing the backside of Ebbets, for our 4th pass). I got to the top and spent a good 15 - 20 minutes stretching. Kaya, who also had been riding with us, rolled up - she was struggling also. We quickly decided to ride back to our cars together for lunch (we'd all decided to skip the official lunch stop, and the lines that go with it, and had lunch in coolers waiting in our cars). Another long, fast descen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/JonandKaya1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/JonandKaya1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>t (most of the climbers had cleared the front side of Ebbets by this point, so the descent wasn't quite as hair-raising as going down the back side), and then we regrouped at the official lunch stop.<br /><br />The ride back to Turtle Rock Park (the official start/finish and where our cars were) is an interesting one. The first 5 miles or so are mostly downhill, and it is very tempting to go fast and hard. Not on Saturday, not after 4 passes of pain. We took our time, hooked up with one gentleman who pulled us for a while. Eventually, we rolled into Markleeville, where I think all 600 residents were out on the main street cheering us on. A really nice feeling.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0706.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0706.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Teammate Kaya soaking her feet - it got hot enough in the early afternoon to make hot spots a real problem.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />So we got back to our cars, and Kaya immediately starts soaking her feet. At this point I really couldn't eat much, but knew I had to try. It was already a tough day - if I didn't keep eating I'd really be in trouble. So I forced down half a turkey and cheese sandwich, drank a Coke (not something I normally do, but sugar and caffeine can help you do remarkable things sometimes), and we rolled out of there. Kaya decided to rest some more, so I left with K. Sue and Sue. At Woodford (a little town at the base of the final climb to Carson Pass), a volunteer at the rest stop was hosing down cyclists. It was hot enough that I couldn't resist that - Sue and K. Sue kept going. Ironically, it wouldn't be long before I was wishing I was warmer and drier.<br /><br />I caught up to Sue and K. Sue just as Sue got a flat. I stopped to help, and it started to rain (we'd been hearing distant thunder for a while). Sherry, our SAG captain all season, happened to be driving by (looking for her husband) and stopped to let us use here pump. Little did we know that she'd parked in quick sand and would need help later to get her car out.....<br /><br />By the time we were back on our bikes, it was raining pretty hard. We were soaked through and through by the time we got to Picketts Junction. The rest stop there had a large canopy setup, and we joined the throng underneath. Unfortunately, I'd left my wind vest and jacket in my car, since at lunch it was all blue skies and 85 degrees. I was wet and cold - it finally got to a point where I told Sue and K. Sue that I wanted to go on. At that point, it started hailing. K. Sue thought it was too dangerous, so Sue and I started to head to the top (I really wanted to finish this ride this time, and I was only going to get colder sitting around).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0708.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0708.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">The Summit of Carsons Pass - a very welcome sight! 5 passes done, just a fun, fast descent to go! Now, where's my ice cream?!!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It turned out to be a good choice. I warmed up while we were pedalling, and after a couple of miles the rain stopped. For a while. We had intermittent rain and hail all the way up, but it was better than sitting around waiting for it to end. My back was really bothering me by now, so I stopped and stretched a couple of times, but once again we made it. It was clearing at the top, so we were able to dry out a bit. While we were waiting, K. Sue rolled up - no way was she going to let us finish without her! Then another ride group came in - one we were worried might not make it. So it was fun at the top, even if it was still a little too cold and wet to be comfortable.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0711.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0711.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Teammate Kaya and her boyfriend Josh showing off freshly shaved legs and TnT tattoos. Notice that there's still snow on those mountains in the background!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We got to do the descent on dry roads - many of the earlier riders were trying to descend in the same lousy weather we'd climbed in. After a nice, relaxing descent (ok, it was pretty fast), we then had our last couple of climbs to Turtle Rock Park. Not hard in and of themselves, by this point they just hurt. We got up them and rolled into a great reception at the TnT tent.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/DRtopofcarson.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/DRtopofcarson.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It was a great finish to a tough ride and a great season.<br /><br />I'm not sure what my next cycling adventures will be, but there will be plenty more!<br /><br />JB<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Wet and kind of cold, celebrating at the top of Carsons Pass.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-18609087320692057722008-06-22T17:08:00.000-07:002008-06-22T21:58:51.168-07:00Let's get Vertical!<span style="font-weight: bold;">I think this is the hardest thing I've ever tried to do!</span><br /><br />Yesterday's ride was called the Vertical Challenge, and for good reason - it incorporated the 2 toughest climbs from the Tour of California into a long, hard 110 mile ride with around 11,000 feet of climbing! However, as challenging as that ride was (read more about it below), that wasn't the hardest thing - nope, that was today's recovery ride. I started thinking about how hard it was going to be as I swung a tired, stiff, sore leg over my bike - ouch. Actually, after about 5 miles of easy spinning, the legs kind of relaxed and started feeling better. This recovery ride stuff really works! Even knowing that, it's hard to convince yourself to get on the bike when everything hurts the day after a tough ride.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Vertical Challenge</span><br /><br />So, yesterdays ride (you know, the one that created all the pain in my legs today) was a tough one - probably the toughest ride of the season. On the way to the ride, several of us hear a weather advisory on the radio - unseasonably HOT, with a strong recommendation to stay inside and avoid strenuous outside activity. Oops.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DM03Hamilton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DM03Hamilton.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>So, we started riding at 6:30, with a goal of summitting Mt. Hamilton (the toughest climb from the Tour of California this year) by Noon. We started with Mines Rd - a beautiful ride up a canyon heading south from Livermore. At this time of the morning, no traffic (or maybe that's just because the road doesn't actually go anywhere?), and the climbs were taken at an easy-going pace. I felt good all day. Starting easy turned out to be a great idea (thanks, coach).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/hamiltonobservatory.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/hamiltonobservatory.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The Mt. Hamilton climb was both tough and hot. The avg. grade on Mt. Hamilton is variously reported as 7.5% to 8.6%, but in any case it is much steeper than Mt. Diablo, and the climb is almost 6 miles long. The coach kept telling me to slow down and take it easy, but I really didn't have much choice - there was no way I was riding up that hill fast! Not in that heat. I was very happy to see the first observatory at the top of the climb. As we descended the other side, we started seeing a good old fashioned thunderstorm - but much bigger than I'm used to. Lots of lightning in the distance.<br /><br />All that lightning had me thinking of Wayne and Garth singing along with Bohemian Rhapsody for some reason (Thunderbolts and Lightning, Very Very Frightening!) - it really is amazing what goes through your mind on these rides when you're kind of tired.<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nTheG--2NE0&hl=en"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nTheG--2NE0&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DM03Sierra.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DM03Sierra.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The other highlight was Sierra Road - another famous Bay Area climb. This one is not as long at just under 4 miles, but is even steeper - 10.5% grade on average! This goes up more than 1,800 feet in 3.7 miles. It's also not very subtle - you turn a corner, and there it is. Once again I felt fine the entire climb - a nice change. I kept expecting my back to protest, but it never did. During the climb, some clouds from that thunderstorm blew over and made it feel cooler - thank goodness. Still lots of lightning to the south (I found out later it started a couple of fires), but not close to us.<br /><br />At the top we took a ride-group picture. Richard had decided to ride with a faster group, so I was left alone with the girls. Cooties!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/verticalchallengegroup4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/verticalchallengegroup4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />At this point we still had something like 40 miles to go - no more enormous climbs, but it wasn't flat either (I don't think there are a lot of flat rides around here). I still felt really strong, and finished the day feeling as good as I ever have after such a tough ride. The training is working - and I'm starting feel good about the Death Ride itself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fund-raising - the end is near!<br /><br /></span>OK, Thursday the 26th is the end of the fundraising for this season. I'm still well short of my goal. This is for a great cause - please consider donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society via my <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBuckle1">fund-raising website.</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-40240168502773846342008-06-13T16:39:00.000-07:002008-06-13T22:05:02.575-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Countdown!<br /><br /><table style="border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><embed src="http://stuff.pyzam.com/toys/customcdown.swf?maturity=1215871200000:3407667:16737792:3407667:source.pyzam.com/app_res/mdp_cd/300x180/b/1/bdsummerthings.jpg:Death032Ride032050048048056" quality="high" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="180" width="300"></embed></td></tr><tr><td style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); opacity: 0.6;" align="left"><img style="border: 0px none ;" src="http://stuff.pyzam.com/app_res/pylogo.gif" /></td><td style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); opacity: 0.6;" align="right"><a href="http://www.pyzam.com/toys"><img style="border: 0px none ;" src="http://stuff.pyzam.com/app_res/cyocd.gif" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/CIMP/bT*xJmx*PTEyMTM*MDExODY3NzImcHQ9MTIxMzQwMTE5ODUyMiZwPTM5MDEmZD*mbj*mZz*x.jpg" border="0" height="0" width="0" /><br /></span><br />Well here it is, less than a month from the Death Ride (and more than a month since my last post!) Time to start getting a little nervous. So, what have I been doing? Uhhh, riding my bike! Oh, you want to know where?!! We've done some great rides. We spent a day down on the peninsula, riding in and out of Big Basin, with some of the steepest climbs around. I've been up Mt. Diablo a few times (try 12, with 3 of those in one day this week). I've ridden around Morgan Territory again, and we went camping up near Markleeville so we could ride the actual passes. Of course, I have some pics and more descriptions below!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Basin 5/17</span><br /><br />This is a great ride - one I didn't get to do last year. We were riding some truly remarkable roads out on the Pensinsula south of SF, getting all the way down close to Santa Cruz. Sadly, some of the area we rode is on fire right now - last I heard, they hadn't contained any of the fire near Bonny Doon, and had evacuated hundreds of people. It's a shame - some really beautiful coastal woodlands are the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0458.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0458.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>re, with some magnificent redwoods.<br /><br />This was one tough ride - especially since this was right after the Tour of the Unknown Coast. There are two notoriously tough climbs pretty early in the ride - Redwood Gulch and Jamison Creek. Both are steep - over 10%, with sections up to 20%. Both lead into another section of more climbing (but thankfully not as steep). Redwood Gulch comes first, soon after leaving the urban area around Silicon Valley. Steep, but since it's not that long and your legs are fresh, ultimately not too bad. This is followed by a several mile climb up Rte. 9, and then a super-fun descent into Big Basin, a beautiful state park with lots of spectacular scenery and redwoods.<br /><br />Big Basin is a very descriptive name - and now we were down in the bottom of that basin. That's right - we had to climb out. That's where Jamison Creek comes in. The infamous "Billy Goat List" rates this as one of the hardest climbs in the Bay Area, with 1,500 feet of climbing in just 3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/PescaderoStore.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/PescaderoStore.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>miles. Yup, it's steep. And 3 miles is a long time to be climbing something that steep. However, I took my time and actually felt pretty good at this point. After that was a rolling section along Empire Grade and another wonderful descent, this one through Bonny Doon all the way to the ocean. Spectacular, fast and fun.<br /><br />Riding along the ocean we got the rather predictable headwind for about 10 miles. It was strong enough to slow us down, but not as bad as it has been on other rides. Then we rolled into the beautiful and wacky little town of Pescadero <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0488.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0488.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>for lunch. At this point we were around 70 miles, and still had 2 climbs to go. The first, Pescadero, isn't that long and isn't that steep - but with tired legs, it sure felt tougher than I think any of us expected. After that was Alpine. This one is both long (more than 7 miles) and has some pretty steep sections - nothing like Redwood Gulch or Jamison Creek, but still steep enough to make you notice. At this point of a ride, there's nothing for it but to grind your way up that hill. After that was a final fast descent to our starting point - fun, and we were all pretty happy the climbing was over. 110 miles, 10,600 feet of climbing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weekends off - 5/24 and 5/31<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span>I was suffering from a cold that had me coughing and dealing with a sinus infection. No team rides planned, so I took the weekend off and rode SAG for the Tahoe and Seattle to Portland Team in Training teams instead. The rest helped - I was mostly off the bike for more than a week, and it was what I needed.<br /><br />I actually rode Mt. Diablo and Morgan Territory the following weekend, but it was a miserable day - I was slow and suffering all day long. A break from riding for a few more days got me over the worst of it.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Altitude Camp! 6/6 - 6/8<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0572.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0572.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Camping is fun! Especially when you're camping with close to 30 friends all there for the same reason - to get some experience riding the passes from the Death Ride! Of course, I'm not a big camper - this was the 2nd time camping in my life! Still, tents are simple to pitch now, there are all kinds of mattress pads that make sleeping more comfortable, and we had the wonderful TnT SAG team providing dinner. My car was thoroughly over-packed - 3 of us, each with a bike (all fit on the roof rack) plus bags, coolers, spare wheels, etc. etc. etc.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0606.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0606.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We also had a potluck happy hour and the coaches walked us through strategy for maximizing our chance of finishing the event. Notice the spread to the left - who says you have to rough it when you are camping?!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/Markleevillepaceline2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/Markleevillepaceline2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The riding was spectacular. There's nothing like the Sierras - and there was still snow along the sides of the road at the summits of the passes! The riding temps. were around 75 degrees, so I don't think it will be there much longer.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0584.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0584.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Ebbets is very scenic, with lots of tall pines and a beautiful lake 1 mile from the summit.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0595.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0595.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/Markleevillepaceline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/Markleevillepaceline.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0612.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0612.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Monitor feels entirely different (just 10 miles away), with almost no trees (none at all on the East side), and a much more wide open feel.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0614.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/IMG_0614.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Riding in altitude is a bit different, but I think the difference is often overstated. It is dry, so we have to drink more. I didn't notice a huge difference with my heart rate and breathing, but some others who were complaining about it were pushing harder (probably because of sleeping on the ground, my back was bothering me all weekend - built in excuse!).<br /><br /><br /><br />This was a great experience, especially since now we'll know the roads on event day. So what does that ride day look like? It looks like 129 miles with more than 15,000 feet of climbing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/elemaplg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Spring%20cycling%20team/elemaplg.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Double click to see the full resolution version of any picture.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">D-Peats<br /><br /></span>This is our nickname for when we do Mt. Diablo repeats. It's a sure sign that I'm much stronger than last year that I've been doing D-Peats for several weeks, although the most I'd done up to now was 2 1/2. Remember, this is a 10.5 mile, 3,200 foot climb - not so easy to go up, back down and then convince yourself to turn around and go right back up! Well, on Weds. our coaches figured we should do at least 3, with some aiming for 4 or even 5. I couldn't start first thing - I had a morning meeting I couldn't get out of. So, I started right after noon, and was very happy that I did 3 by 7pm. That meant that I'm getting faster (even though I really don't feel like I am) and have built the endurance to keep going at a healthy pace without blowing up. Big improvement from last year!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't forget the fund-raising!<br /><br /></span>OK, folks, the fund-raising deadline is upon us. June 26th is it. We've raised just under $2,500 so far, which is great! However, my goal was $5,000 - plus I've already ridden almost 4,000 miles. Remember you all were going to make sure I rode more than I wanted to, since I'd pledged to ride a mile for every $ donated? You've got some work to do!<br /><br />Seriously, thanks for all the support - we're raising money for a great cause. And of course my fund-raising website is <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBuckle1">here.</a><br /><br />JB<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-68891662268719382892008-05-12T16:42:00.000-07:002008-05-12T18:11:40.730-07:00Tour of the Unknown Coast!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/bigfoot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/bigfoot.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bigfoot!</span><br /><br />Wow, what a ride! The Tour of the Unknown Coast is a century ride in Humboldt County, CA. In case you haven't figured it out from the wood carving pictured on the left, this is Bigfoot country. Good looking fellow, huh?<br /><br />The Bay area is considered Northern California. However, Ferndale (the little town where this ride starts) is 300 miles north of where I live!<br /><br />The area is beautiful - old growth redwoods, deserted beaches, rugged terrain (some of the hills go up 2,000 feet almost from the beach), lots of cows - you really do feel like you've gotten far away from it all.<br /><br />The town of Ferndale is really nice - 100+ year old victorian houses sitting down in a valley right near the coast. In fact, Ferndale is considered at risk for a Tsunami, and the road into town (is there more than one?) is marked as an emergency escape route.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We had dinner in a restaurant in one of those old victorians - the food was all organic and really good. I loaded up on a pesto pasta dish, but other teammates had pizza or chicken or steak - great variety, and the food was all great. That by itself was almost worth the 5 hour drive! The restaurant <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/lostcoastdinner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/lostcoastdinner.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>was La Petite Maison (www.lapetiteferndale.com) if you ever happen to be in the middle of nowhere, California and want a first-class meal.<br /><br /><br />Since we needed to get up early, we all turned in around 9 (not that it mattered, since the whole town was pretty much shut down by then too). Up before 6 to start the ride by 7! It was cool (ok, my teammates all said it was cold), but the sun was already burning through the coastal fog - a beautiful day for a bike ride!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Ride</span><br /><br />We knew we weren't going to be the fastest riders out there, so we let the main pack get going at 7 - we left just a few minutes behind. This was a weekend where we didn't have an organized team ride, but 2 of the coaches were with us, and a total of 12 of us from the TnT Death Ride team were riding. One wanted to get a headstart, and left before the official start at 7, 4 others (including our intrepid coaches) are pretty fast and didn't see the point of leaving quite that early, so that left of 7 of us rolling right after the main pack.<br /><br />The early part of the ride is kind of a gentle wake-up call. At least 25 miles of scenic, bucolic, gently rolling miles through <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0446.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0446.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>the countryside, culminating with a cruise down the Avenue of the Giants, amid ginormous old-growth redwoods. This area is beautiful!<br /><br />Part of the Avenue of the Giants was washed out, so we ended up riding on Highway 101 a bit more than expected, but since that was by far the smoothest pavement we saw all day, that was a good thing. The road quality is really bad up there - low population means not much road usage, which means not much state $ to maintain the roads. There were plenty of areas where there was more patched surface showing than original road pavement, and plenty more where they'd patched the patches - multiple times. Hard on the bikes (I saw plenty of flat tires), hard on your hands and hard on your butt (here's a secret about cycling - the better shape you are in, the less weight you have on the seat - you naturally start carrying it with your legs, so rough roads don't bother you as much).<br /><br />After we left the Giants, we rolled through a younger area of woods. The road quality deteriorated in a hurry as we rolled along, but the scenery was so nice that you didn't notice (that much). At some point, Rick and I had rolled away from the rest of our starting group - 2 of the riders were doing the 50 mile option, while the rest wanted to go at a slower pace. Rick and I rolled through the first 2 rest stops, just stopping quickly at one to refill a water bottle.<br /><br />We did stop at the third one - this one was right before the first big climb of the day - Panther Gap. It was a long, fairly hard climb - it went up 2,400 feet or so in about 8 miles. At this point, I passed a rider with a very loud bike - every time he pedaled, his bike made a creaking noise. I wasn't that much faster than him, so I got to listen to "creak creak creak" for several miles. I asked him if something was wrong, but his reply was that the bike had made the noise since it was new! I refrained from pointing out that bikes weren't supposed to make that noise, even if they were brand new - I had to bite my tongue pretty hard.<br /><br />Anyway the road quality did not improve for the descent. Lots of potholes and rough pavement. However, there always seemed to be a safe line through the turns that wasn't so bad, so as long as you looked ahead you could maintain a decent pace down the hill. Some people were a bit freaked out, though, and were riding the brakes all the way down, trying to pick their way through. I don't think they had much fun.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/lostcoastwoodbridge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/lostcoastwoodbridge.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />After the descent was an old wood-plank bridge. Very picturesque - and a fall waiting to happen! However, I made it across without catching my tires in the gaps between the planks (a teammate was not so lucky but wasn't hurt when he fell) and then we had an easy 9 mile cruise into the lunch stop.<br /><br />Lunch was just about perfect for a long bike ride, at least by my standards. Some people were complaining that they didn't have the fancy, gourmet food served at some centuries, but the turkey sandwiches and minestrone hit the spot for me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0447.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0447.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>After lunch was a set of "rollers". What I call rollers are a set of hills where the momentum off of the last downhill carries you most (or, even better, all the way) up the next hill. Not this time. Between how steep and long these hills were, along with the lousy road quality, trying to maintain momentum was a lost cause. So, each hill was a schlep up - not so fun, but still not really hard.<br /><br />After a while, we finally reached the lost coast. A fast short descent led us down to the flat 9 mile or so ride along the ocean to the infamous "Wall". I hate it when they name a climb after a <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0449.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0449.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>wall! In this case, it's a well-chosen name. It is definitely one of the steepest sustained climbs I've done. Sure, some switchbacks on various climbs are steeper. But this puppy is 18% or so for about a mile. What's worse is that you get to see it coming! We stopped at the rest stop at the bottom of it for about 15 minutes, and watched others work their way up. Most made it, so we saddled up and went for it. I went very slowly - at one point, I was only going 2mph. I was a little surprised I could go that slow and stay upright! I made it, and didn't get too far outside of my heartrate zone to do it. If you look carefully at this picture of Rick to the left, you <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0451.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0451.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>can see the rest stop tent - it's that little yellow dot near the house. (hint - click on the picture to see a full resolution version) We went up that high in less than a mile!<br /><br />After the Wall and a nasty descent (steep and bad road quality - really bad combination), we had the Endless Hill. Steep for a couple of miles, then 6 more miles of a more gradual climb. It wouldn't have been so bad - except this was mile 88 or so. I was definitely feeling sore and tired at this point, but there was nothing for it but to keep going. We made it to the top and then got the last descent of the day - over more rough, beat up, poorly patched road. Oh, yeah, and a <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0452.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0452.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>couple of short uphill sections just to keep us honest.<br /><br />All in all, a beautiful, hard ride. I'll be doing this again in the future, but I'm thinking I'll use a bike that can take larger tires next time (to help smooth out some of the bumps!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Fundraising Continues</span><br /><br />A quick reminder that I'm training with Team in Training as a fund-raiser, and I need all the help I can get to reach my fund-raising goal of $5,000. We're almost half-way there, but the deadline is approaching fast! And don't forget, I've pledged to ride a mile for every dollar donated through my website. So far, I've got it covered, but you can add to my pain by donating <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBuckle1"><span style="font-weight: bold;">HERE</span></a>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-58727191778621664902008-05-04T23:35:00.000-07:002008-05-06T15:15:26.809-07:00In memory of CooperWell, after a long and tough battle with cancer, brave Cooper Proscia passed away on Saturday. The following is a quote from the CaringBridge website his family has set up:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Though many tears we are writing to share that our sweet little Cooper earned his angel wings this afternoon at 1:25 p.m.<br />He is already sorely missed.<br />Once we have made service arrangements we will post the information.<br />Thanks for checking.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>Please see the Caring Bridge website for more information about Cooper and his fight:<br />http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cooperproscia<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0403.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0403.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Marin Buddy Ride</span><br /><br />We had dedicated our Marin buddy ride on 4/30 to Cooper. It was a beautiful day - perfect riding weather. We started early, and since it was an informal ride, no ride groups - we were able to ride with teammates that we normally don't get a chance to ride with. We started in SF, went across the Golden Gate Bridge and climbed the Marin headlands (see first picture). It turned out that the Aids Lifecycle folks were training for their annual ride - on pretty much the same route! We spent much of the day sharing the road with more than 600 other cyclists, who were also raising money for a great cause.<br /><br />The ride started out with some moderate climbs and about 40 miles into Pt. Reyes, close to the Pacific. I felt good, and what made it even better was that one of our teammates, Shelley, who had crashed earlier in the season, was back on her bike and riding with us! She hung in there and did a good ride. Welcome back!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/jbmttamride.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/jbmttamride.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />At lunch I made a mistake - I got a panini, which tasted really good. However, it was loaded up with oil and did not sit well as the day warmed up and we got into the more serious climb - up Mt. Tamalpais via Bolinas-Fairfax Rd and Ridgecrest. I went from riding and feeling well to struggling. However, I stuck with it and didn't fall too far behind the mountain goats. That lousy feeling didn't really go away all day, though. Still, a beautiful day and a gorgeous area to ride in.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Taste of the Devil</span><br /><br />Another tough ride (gee, we keep hearing that every week!). We rode 109 miles with slightly more than 9,000 feet of climbing yesterday. We rode the first half of one of the toughest double centuries around - the Devil Mountain Double. We rode up Mt. Diablo (yup, that pesky mountain just outside my front door), through Walnut Creek and Clayton, up Morgan Territory (a remote, rural single lane road that goes to the East of Mt. Diablo), got some flat riding in through North Livermore and then went up the Altamont and Patterson passes, part of the ridgeline that separates the Bay Area from the Central Valley. Whew - and that's just the first 70 miles! The remaining 40 miles were flat (or at least reasonably gradual climbs) and directly into a nasty headwind that sprung up in the afternoon. A long, hard ride. But it felt good - really good. The coaches had been, well, coaching me on a more appropriate pace - they felt I was going out too hard and needed to pace myself better. It worked - no back problems, no stomach problems. Some of the climbs left me gasping, but that's why we're doing them!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TasteofDevilGraceMtD.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TasteofDevilGraceMtD.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />This first pic is of one of our honorees (ie a cancer survivor) summitting Mt. Diablo with a coach. Grace finished her chemo just a year ago, and she's already doing rides like this!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TasteofDevil-MtD.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TasteofDevil-MtD.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />And here I am with some of my ride group climbing up that same mountain. It was early and not too hot yet.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TasteofDevil-early.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TasteofDevil-early.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And her I am with teammate Michelle, cruising along after coming off of the mountain. Michelle's thermostat is set noticeably different than mine - note that she still has lots of layers on, while I'm down to my jersey.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TasteofDevil-noweatherman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TasteofDevil-noweatherman.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Up at the top of Altamont Pass is a huge windmill farm - prevailing winds keep these things turning most of the time. Don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows! (with apologies to Bob Dylan). There is a racetrack up here, too - site of the infamous Rolling Stones Altamont concert - the one where the motorcycle gang members were the security.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/PattersonPass-before.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/PattersonPass-before.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is the view that greets you after several miles of climbing on Patterson Pass - at the top of a false summit. Yuck. The corner is known locally as "Oh, my @#$" That little hill in the background hits a 17% grade, and had a few pros struggling during the '07 Tour of California.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/PattersonPass-after.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/PattersonPass-after.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And here I am struggling up to the summit. I actually felt pretty good, but it is steep!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TasteofDevilflat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TasteofDevilflat.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After the hills, 40 miles or so of flats. Would have been a nice change - except for the 15mph headwind. yuck.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/tasteofdevil-paceline2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/tasteofdevil-paceline2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And here's our ride group getting organized into a decent paceline. I'm the 2nd rider. Our coach got us all organized into a good paceline, reducing the amount of work we had to do to fight that headwind!<br /><br />Well, it was a great ride - and a relief to finish strong after a few tough weeks. Maybe those coaches do know what they're talking about! I felt good all ride, stayed within myself (even on the crazy steep stuff) and felt like I could have kept riding. Which is good - since the Death Ride is 20 miles longer, with another 6,000 feet of climbing!<br /><br />Please remember that I'm doing this to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You can help fight cancer by making a donation at my <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBuckle1">fund-raising website</a>.jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-72256652930547169182008-04-24T07:18:00.000-07:002008-04-24T08:29:07.247-07:00In honor of Cooper<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/CooperP.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/CooperP.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Wow, where to start? I'd been hearing about a schoolmate of Kevin and Brian, someone who is fighting cancer. He'd missed some school, but was playing T-Ball and seemed active. Then we heard about a prayer vigil - it looked like Cooper's fight had taken a definite turn for the worst.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Cooper continues to fight his battle against Neuroblastoma, but frankly, the prognosis is not good. You can read more about Cooper and his family here: </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" href="http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cooperproscia">Cooper's website</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">.<br /><br />So, our TnT team is riding this weekend in honor of Cooper. Originally we were going to ride on Mt. Hamilton, but the route has been changed to a very scenic, but very tough, 100 mile route starting in SF, heading out to the Marin headlands, the Nicasio Wall, some other climbs and then climbing Mt. Tamalpais. We'll have another weekend with close to 10,000 feet of climbing in one day.</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Cooper's positive attitude is an inspiration - reading the guest book at Caring Bridge makes it clear how many lives</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> he's touched. Our prayers an</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">d thoughts are with you, Cooper!</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">In the Meantime</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><br /><br />It's been a few weeks s</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">ince I last posted - so I've got updates on a couple of rides. Both were long and hard - each one was a significant step up from the rides we had been doing.<br /><br />The first is a classic ride on the peninsula that our coaches call "Upenuff". Silly name, isn't it? Turns out that it is named after a street on our first climb of the day, up Old la Honda. The street is about 3/4ths of the way up, and rumor has it that Eric Heiden, the former speed skater, used to live there. What is confirmed is that Eric Heiden used to own th</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/upenuffteam4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/upenuffteam4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">e record for fastest climb up Old la Honda - less than 15 minutes! It took me longer - a lot lo</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">nger. The first picture is our ride group at a rest sto</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">p after climbing Old la Honda.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Old la Honda climbs a ridgeline that separates Silicon Valley from the much more rural coastline. We continued west, descending and then climbing and finally getting to the coast. It was a beautiful day - ide</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">al riding conditions. The </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">2nd photo is from roa</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">d called Pescadero (it also </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">leads to a town by the s</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">ame name. Coincidence? I </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">think not). This part of the ride became much more rural - after leavi</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/upenuffpescadero.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/upenuffpescadero.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">ng the area just south of Palo Alto behind </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">it's kind of a shock to be riding somewhere this undevelop</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">ed.<br /><br />The ride culminated with one of</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> the toughest climbs in the Bay Area - Tunitas Creek. The road is about 10 miles long, with a long hard climb taking up more than 6 miles of that. Oh, and it goes up something like 2,000 feet. The steep part is really steep, and it just seems to go on forever. An old problem cropped up on this climb - my lower back tightened up and got very painful. I'm going to have to stretch and work on my core a lot between now an</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">d the Death Ride!</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TR_8_Taste_of_Terrible_Two_103mi_95.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TR_8_Taste_of_Terrible_Two_103mi_95.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Terrible Two</span><br /><br />The Terrible Two is a double century bicycle ride in Sonoma. Yup - you read that correctly - it's a 200 mile long ride. In one day.<br /><br />This is one of the hardest doubles in California, and our ride last weekend covered almost all of the climbs from the Terrible Two - in a 100 mile ride. We ended up climbing well over 10,000 feet, and the ride basically took all day - it was tough.<br /><br />Take a look at the ride profi</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/terribleteam.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/terribleteam.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">le - almost all of the climbing is in the first 60 miles - we had just shy of 9,000 feet of climbing by </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">mile 60 - an insane amount of climbing! The climb up from Ft. Ross (the last double summit on the map) was really tough - both very steep and long. My back was bothering me again, which really didn't help. We all made it, though! Here's a photo of a lot of the team at the top of the Ft. Ross climb.<br /><br />We started early - really early. I've also attached a photo of one of our recumbent riders climbing the first hill as the sun rises behind him. This ride was beautiful - one of the nices rides I've been on. The thought of doing the Terrible Two started crossing my mind - then I remembered the pain of those climbs - never mind! Once my back</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Terribletwosunrise.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Terribletwosunrise.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> loosened up, I felt pretty good for the last 40 miles or so and the relatively easy (we fought 20mph winds all the way back) return to our starting point. A long, hard but satisfying ride!<br /><br />Finally, a group of us returned to Mt. Diablo yesterday. We decided to go up to the halfway point twice instead of doing one long climb. After the tough weekend, this seemed easy! The steep parts that bothered me in the past weren't as big a deal, and it was a nice way to spend an afternoon (good thing I have an understanding boss!).<br /><br />JB<br /><br />I almost forgot - the fundraising continues! If you want to make me ride more, you've got some catching up to do! My mileage is close to double the amount we've raised so far - go ahead, make me ride more! <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBuckle1">Jon's TnT fundraising website</a><br /><br /></span>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-53466896529843828852008-04-07T23:31:00.000-07:002008-04-07T23:45:33.810-07:00The Last Lecture<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">So, you were expecting a cycling blog? I found this video after reading a review of the book "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. He seems like an amazing man - dying of panceatic cancer, with literally months to live, he gives a great, inspirational lecture about childhood dreams at Carnegie Mellon. </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=362421849901825950&pr=goog-sl">The Last Lecture.</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">If you'd rather watch it on YouTube, here it is:</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ji5_MqicxSo&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ji5_MqicxSo&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Wow, after seeing that it really brings back into perspective why I'm involved with Team in Training. By riding my bike, I'm helping to raise funds to find a cure for blood cancers - and to help those who have leukemia, myeloma or lymphoma now to deal with all that comes with it - the fears, the pain, the treatments that must seem worse than the disease. Please continue to support me at </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBuckle1">my personal fund-raising website</a><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">And yes, I still have been riding my bike. At least when it's not in the shop. We had a your on your own weekend - no coaching, but we were still expected to ride. My bike was in the shop, waiting for parts (strange sounds coming from the cranks), so I went on a long strenuous hike instead. The regional parks around here tend to have lots of hills, so I ended up doing close to 8 miles across some very rough terrain. Not exactly like riding a bike, but a lot of fun and a good workout. As a result, no pics to share this update - but next weekend is a classic ride on the peninsula south of San Francisco. The hills are steep and long, and I'm sure the ride will be great!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">JB</span>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-4810613832527710332008-03-27T19:02:00.000-07:002008-03-27T21:24:08.341-07:00More training...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0370.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0370.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0373.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0373.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>A small group of us snuck out for a quick ride up Mt. Diablo on Weds. afternoon. The day started out nice, but by the time we were gathering to ride it was looking kind<img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/IMG_0371.jpg" alt="" border="0" /> of overcast and getting pretty windy. K. Sue called the info line - 42 degrees and 18 mph winds at the summit!</div><div><div>However, we were there so we rode it. At least some of it. As you can see from the pics to the left, the weather was not so nice - although the sun did break through the clouds further west. We never did get the benefit of that!<br /><br /></div><div>After an hour or so of climbing (even by my standards we were taking it easy), we got to the junction (more or less the halfway mark) - and find our intrepid coaches Jacqui and Mike waiting for us. They described the conditions further up the mountain (pretty much what we were already dealing with, only more so!). We carried on - but not for too long. We did 2,400 feet of a 3,200 foot climb before deciding it was just too cold and too windy.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>One cool thing - it's wildflower season on Mt. Diablo! Sadly, my photography skills weren't up to the challenge of capturing the flowers (how hard can that be, really?), so I'll have to go up again next week and see if I do better.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Last Weekend</span></div><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Coldpinehurstride.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><div><br /></div><div>So, last weekend (before our little jaunt up Mt. D.), we had a team ride in the Oakland Hills. After a great ride the weekend before, I was feeling pretty confident. Not so fast - I ended up struggling up every hill and generally not doing well on the ride. Why? Who knows - sometimes you just don't do well. I've included a couple of pics - feeling cold before the start, and then summitting the last hill of the day. It was a fun ride, even if I struggled.</div><div><div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/pinehurstsummit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/pinehurstsummit.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Next Weekend</span><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TR_6_18_Hills_Climb_71mi_7000_Page_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TR_6_18_Hills_Climb_71mi_7000_Page_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm a bit worried about next weekend - we're ramping up both the miles and the climbing - last year this was one of the toughest rides for me. The coaches call it "18 Hills" - most of us are convinced that there are more, many more. It incorporates several classic Bay Area rides - the 3 Bears (named after 3 hills, of course), Wildcat Canyon and Grizzly Peak, going past Tilden Park, and Redwood. Hopefully, I'll remember to pull my camera out of my pocket and grab a few pictures. The weather forecast is for rain on Friday, followed by a nice day on Saturday. However, the weather around here is notoriously fickle. We'll see!</div><div><br /></div><div>One change I did make - no hard ride on Thursdays! I'll do an easy spin on Thursdays from now on, and save any tough rides for earlier in the week. Both times I've struggled on team rides this year, I did a tough Thursday ride.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>As always, I'm continuing to raise money to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My fund-raising website is <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBuckle1">here</a>. This is a great cause, and directly benefits so many people who are currently struggling with cancer. Please be generous!</div></div></div></div></div>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-87928117102588492952008-03-17T10:25:00.000-07:002008-03-18T21:10:14.258-07:00Sad Month<img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/3-8ride1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here in the Bay Area, there are lots of cyclists. In an area like this, tragedies will sometimes happen - and such a tragedy did hit on 3/8/2008. <div><br /><div><div>A Deputy Sheriff crossed the centerline on a popular cycling road and struck 3 cyclists, killing 2 of them. I did not know anyone involved personally, but these kinds of tragedies really hit home. The cyclists were on a team ride, and were very accomplished - one had just won an amateur race, while the other was considering going to the Olympic trials after a career as a professional triathlete. My friend Pete posted the following to an internet board after attending the memorial ride: <a href="http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=398349">Pete's message.</a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/PtReyesShoreline.jpg"><br /></a>That was an eventful month from another perspective - one of our riders took a nasty spill on a ride with a group of teammates. We had just climbed a challenging set of hills, and come off a very fast descent. She had stayed back to snap a few photos, so we were waiting at the stop sign. After cresting a few rolling hills, she took her hands off the bars and a nasty wind gust hit her. She went down before she could do anything about it. We all raced back to her - she wasn't moving, but was breathing. All we could do was try and keep her warm while calling 911. The response was really fast - we were in a remote location, and the first police car got there in under 5 minutes, with ambulance right behind. In the meantime, our teammate came around and started talking a bit. Thank god for her helmet! She's ok - bruised and beat up, and she has a broken thumb, but otherwise is fine.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was on top of an earlier team ride, where our community captain took a low speed spill while navigating a section of road he'd been over probably a thousand times. He was also scraped up pretty good, but otherwise he was fine (his bike needed some attention, though).</div><div><br /></div><div>So hopefully we're through this rough patch, everyone will keep their hands on their handlebars and the rest of the season will be safe!</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/PtReyes.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div><div><br /></div><div>The riding in the meantime has been rewarding, but tough. Lots of wind and some rain has created pretty challenging conditions. We've been riding in some pretty wide open areas, too - Livermore and out at Pt. Reyes, on the ocean in Marin County. That last ride to Pt. Reyes in particular was just much tougher than it might have been - we woke up to weather forecasts of 20mph winds with 30 mph gusts and a 70% chance of rain. Our fearless leader, Kim-osabe, decided the weather was fine, so we all showed up in Nicasio (a one horse town in a pretty isolated part of Marin) to clearing skies but strong winds. No rain all day long, but boy that wind off the ocean sure made for some tough riding. Beautiful part of the country, though - and a great ride! The picture is of a teammate and me climbing one of the many short but steep sections on the way to the lighthouse. Note all those trees to block the wind!</div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you who want to make me suffer by riding more miles, well, you've got some work to do! So far you all have donated just under $1,400 - good, but not good enough. I've already ridden over 1,000 miles this season - to keep me riding more than scheduled, you guys are just going to have to pony up! For anyone who missed it, I've pledged to ride a mile for every $ donated through <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBuckle1">my website.</a> Go ahead - make me ride!</div><div><br /></div><div>JB</div><div><div> </div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-15418750818679692032008-02-24T18:06:00.001-08:002008-02-25T07:52:07.156-08:00Death Ride Training Season - 1st Month<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TR_3_MVHS_Palomares_Norris_55mi_400.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TR_3_MVHS_Palomares_Norris_55mi_400.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />OK, 1 month into the Death Ride training season, and so far it is going great! We're doing a lot of the same rides as last year, and I'm in much better shape than I was (ok, last year's fitness level represents a pretty low base, since I was hardly on a bike for 10 years). <div><br /></div><div>Even the week 3 ride, covering some pretty good climbs on Palomares and Norris Canyon, was a great ride for me this year. Last year, I sent out my infamous "Ouch ouch ouch" update after that ride - it was the first t<img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/recoverydrink.jpg" border="0" alt="" />ime I had ever climbed anything like Palomares, a 4.5 mile 1,200 foot climb that has been featured on the Tour of California several times. The map above is the elevation profile to give everyone an idea of just how tough some of these rides are.</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of the Tour of California, there was the debut of a very cool, new aerodynamic bike. I want one! <div><div> Check out the Youtube video.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7JtZkNXfes4&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7JtZkNXfes4&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div>One cool thing - the team is larger than expected, and I've been asked to be a mentor to a few of the teammates. I'm still fundraising, but I'll help them out with fundraising and any other issues they're having that aren't directly related to coaching. As always, donations are for a great cause and help support my participation in the event. My fund-raising website is <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBuckle1">here</a>.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Want to create a little extra pain for me this season? One of the things I'm doing is pledging to ride 1 mile for every dollar donated on my behalf. If I do all of the team rides, that is about 2,000 miles. That would leave me looking to ride an additional 3,000 miles if I hit my fund-raising goal of $5,000. Go ahead - donate more! Make me ride!</div><br />I almost forgot - we got a new dog! We picked her up from a local shelter - a 2 year old mutt. She's great with the kids, and loves exploring all the local regional parks (where she can be let off leash on the hiking trails). She's deaf, which makes training interesting, but otherwise doesn't seem to bother her one bit. Of course I have a couple of pictures.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/EllieSleeping.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/EllieSleeping.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/EllieLasTrampas.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>JB</div></div>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-90744579466990273012008-01-22T19:17:00.001-08:002008-01-22T20:16:20.583-08:00New Year, Old Goals<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/BuddyshotMt.D6607.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/BuddyshotMt.D6607.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/24percentEbbets.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br />Well, we're several weeks into the New Year, and I'm ramping up for my big event for 2008: once again, I'll be attempting the California Death Ride. 129 miles, 15,000 feet of climbing - a friend mentioned that he gets tired just driving that far!<div><br /><div> </div><div>I will be riding with Team in Training again, and am psyched for the first team ride on Feb. 2nd. Our team last year was phenomenal - great people, and we really ended up coming together as a true team. Lots of support for the times when things went wrong, and always a huge amount of energy at each training ride. Our team this year is shaping up to be just as much fun. I've been riding as much as possible, trying to carry my base from last year into the new training season. I remember how painful the first few months were last year - I was so out of shape, I probably should have signed up for an easier event! However, the coaches never gave up on me, kept me going and got me into the best shape I've been in probably since high school. I hope that if I start off with a better base, I'll be able to build on that and get faster in the hills - my big weakness. Not a great weakness to have when you're training for a ride with 15,000 feet of climbing! </div><div><br /></div><div>Team in Training is a fund-raising arm of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Please visit <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBuckle1">Jon's Fund-raising page</a> and donate to this great cause! </div><div><br /></div><div>Since we haven't started training yet, here's a few pictures from last year's riding season:</div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/TourofNapapaceline2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/24percentEbbets.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><br /><div> </div><div> </div></div>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-24238611498831622712007-12-12T21:41:00.000-08:002007-12-12T23:05:48.965-08:00El Tour de Tucson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Diablo07041.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Diablo07041.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Wow, have I ever been slacking off on keeping this blog updated! Well - here it is - a full update on what I've been up to since the Grizzly Century. <div><br /></div><div>Last time I posted, I was worried that I was actually losing fitness. Well, it got worse - much worse. I started suffering from a nasty sinus infection - one that just wouldn't go away. Needless to say, this got in the way of my training. Then, my son's soccer coach asked for some help since he would be out of the country for a couple of weeks - that killed several team rides, and complicated riding during the week. </div><div> </div><div>As a result, I went into the Tucson ride hardly having ridden in more than a month. Not good.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>However, some great teammates and coaching helped pull me through. Based on my early season fitness, I was riding with our fast group - yikes! I had started the season hoping to pull off a sub-6 hour century. With a better final month of the season, I probably could have pulled it off - during the event I was on my bike for 6 hours 15 minutes and finished in 7 hours 45 minutes. This included a bunch of stops to work a persistent (and very painful) cramp out of one of my calves. The cramp basically hit at about mile 25 (at which point I let the fast group pace line pedal off into the distance) and didn't really ease up until about mile 80. As near as I can tell, the cramp was caused by a combo of dehydration and poor conditioning. So I was actually pretty happy with these results, all things considered. I may do this ride (nice and flat - good for really fast times) again next year to see if I can crack that 6 hour time barrier.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>My teammates did even better. 2 broke 6 hours easily, and 2 others just missed the 6 hour mark (including one rider who was new to the sport!). This was despite the sea lion stuffed animals that someone thought would be cute on all of our helmets.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Everyone finished, except for one teammate who had her crank fall off just after mile 100 (Tucson is a 109 mile ride). What a horrible feeling to put in all that work and effort, and to be that close to the finish line and have that happen! Marci was a trooper, though, and kept smiling through it all.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>As a team we raised more than $75,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Combined with the Death Ride team, that makes almost $250,000 raised by the teams I was involved with this year, with almost $8,000 of that raised by me. Pretty good!</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Here's a link to a u-tube video of the Tucson event put together by the son of one of my teammates:<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuAq9JjRqjs" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: none;"> </span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuAq9JjRqjs">Tucson Video</a></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Since then, I've been trying to keep riding, but life keeps getting in the way. I'm still fighting that sinus infection, and I've moved, which took a lot of time and energy. Plus, Sheryl Garrett, founder of The Garrett Planning Network, Inc. (yes, I'm a member) and author of several books, including the just-released "Personal Finance Workbook for Dummies", was in town promoting the new book just after Thanksgiving. We put on a comedy night/fund-raiser for The Leukemia Society, and had a great time while raising some money.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Despite everything, I have been getting some riding in, including a revisit to Morgan Territory with a large group - organized through BikeForums.net. Lots of fun - I already knew about half the people, and met the rest for the first time during the ride.</div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Diablo07034.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Diablo07019.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The weather's been cold, but there's been surprisingly little rain for this time of the year (not good, actually - one more dry winter and we'll probably have another drought around here). I can keep riding as long as I carry lights (it's not really light until almost 7 am, and is dark before 6 pm right now). Either that or just blow off work entirely....</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>A special thanks to all the donors who sponsored me this year in the two Team in Training rides. Plus a very special thanks to Valerie and Michael, and to Anne and Kris, who watched my children during many of the training rides this year. I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help!</div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>JB</div>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-59625520358772285282007-10-07T21:06:00.000-07:002007-10-08T16:48:54.292-07:00Grizzly Century<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0436.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0436.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">OK, I've gotten a good week of riding in - starting with last Sunday's ride partway up Diablo then up Morgan Territory, several good rides during the week and then a great ride doing the Grizzly Century with some other TnT alumni. Lots of great scenery, like this photo. Yes, that's Yosemite Valley we're looking down on in the background. As always, click on the picture to see a full-resolution version.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">This was a cold day - as in 35 degrees at 7:00 in the morning, when we met to start the ride. The organizers decided to not use one of the roads due to snow and ice! Not to fear - they had a backup plan. We still rode 100 miles (and then some), but lost some of the climbing. We did about 9,500 feet of climbing instead of the advertised 10,000. Still enough to leave me leg-sore and tired at the end of the day.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">It was cold enough that I started second-guessing how warm my layers would be - I had a base layer (aka t-shirt made out of the same material as a cycling jersey), the cycling jersey and a wind vest (aka a sleeve-less windbreaker). I also used knee and arm warmers and long-fingered gloves (and comfy wool socks - sometimes the old-fashioned stuff works best). The temperature briefly got above 60 degrees - but we spent most of the day riding in very chilly temperatures. There were patches of snow on the side of the road for a while, and even a bit of slush on the road. </span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0438.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0438.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">I was riding with a great goup of folks, all from the last Team in Training Death Ride Season. I'm still the slowest climber of the group, but I'm still working at it! I still manage to make up some of the lost ground when we start going downhill.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">The hills were not horribly steep - just long, really long. Basically it was the kind of ride that if you weren't climbing, you were going downhill. I felt a bit bad - everyone was nice enough to wait for me at the top of the climbs, and then each time there was a descent I'd take off (knowing that they'd pass me again on the next climb).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Overall, just a nice ride with great scenery. It could have been warmer, but you never know what you're going to get this time of year in the mountains.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">JB</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">PS - I'm still fund raising for Team in Training! Please visit my</span> <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBucley">fund-raising website</a>.jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-9912796319249564092007-10-02T17:13:00.000-07:002007-10-02T17:54:54.075-07:00Mount Diablo and Morgan TerritoryHey, everyone,<br /><br />Well, I'm still not riding as much as I want to - life keeps getting in the way. I'm now an assistant coach for one son's soccer team, business has been busy and I'm buying a new townhouse. All of this has conspired to keep me very busy.<br /><br />I did manage to get in one good, long ride on Sunday, Sept. 30th. We went up to the junction of Mt. Diablo (about halfway up), then continued on a long, hilly ride that culminated with climbing Morgan Territory Rd. This road is very remote (yet still only 20 miles or so from Oakland as the crow flies). It circles around the backside of Mt. Diablo, and is basically one lane (as in if someone is coming the other way, both cars have to get over on the shoulder to squeeze by) with really, really bad pavement. It is also a good, tough climb. Some sections hit 20% (or more). After that is the real treat - one of my favorite descents in the area. It's fast, not too technical and wide open enough that you can see if a car is coming several turns ahead. We ended up riding just under 70 miles, although I'm not sure how much climbing we did. My riding partner had an altimeter, and he had it pegged at more than 6,500 feet.<br /><br />Here's a picture of me climbing the rollers just south of Morgan Territory Regional Park:<img style="width: 511px; height: 755px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/rollers-1.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" /><br /><br />I did the ride with an acquaintance from bikeforums.net - we were pretty well matched and had a really nice ride. I took it easy since I'm doing the <a href="http://www.grizzlycentury.org">Grizzly Century</a> next weekend, which promises to be very tough - especially since I really haven't been riding that much. We'll see how that goes.<br /><br />I'm still training with the Team in Training Tucson team, but I haven't been able to make a team ride in a few weeks. Now that my new home is closing I should be able to make some more of those, and do a better job of sticking to the weekday training schedule as well. Otherwise, if I'm not careful, I'll start losing fitness as the event approaches - not good!<br /><br />Team in Training is a fund raising arm of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - as always, donations are for a good cause! <a href="http://www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?CHECKSSO=1&CKEY=tntgsf&RESET=0&KEY=tntgsfJBucley">Jon's TnT donations page</a><br /><br />I've been asked a few times about the jersey I'm wearing - it's a Peet's Coffee jersey, and the net proceeds (aka profits) from the jerseys are donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You can get one at the <a href="http://www.peets.com/shop/essentials_peetsgear.asp">Peet's Coffee website</a>.jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-30979563876747911442007-09-12T20:13:00.000-07:002007-09-12T20:39:01.106-07:00Tour of Tucson Training UpdateWell, this has been a pretty frustrating month or so. I'm riding a fair amount, but not as much as I want to - I keep having problems with my bicycle. I feel like I've bought a brand new bike - one piece at a time. My latest problem came on Saturday's team training ride - I was struggling up a hill that was a bit steeper and longer than I expected, and when I went to shift into my granny gear, it wouldn't go! Talk about demoralizing. For the last climb of the day (and the only other one I needed the granny gear on), I actually stopped and moved my chain by hand. At least that got me up the hill, but I really shouldn't have to do that. I took the bike into the shop, and the limit stops on the front derailleur had somehow gotten worn out (they aren't normally something that wears out).<br /><br />In the last 7 months and more than 6,000 miles of riding, I've replaced the following on the bike:<br /><br />- 4 chains (2 due to normal wear and tear, one broke during the death ride, and one was replaced by the shop looking for another problem)<br />- rear cassette (although not because of wear and tear, but rather to get better climbing gears)<br />- wheels (the original equipment wheels wouldn't stay true)<br />- 3 sets of tires (normal wear items)<br />- 8 inner tubes (it would be less if I had the patience to patch them)<br />- 1 set of brake pads (normal wear items)<br />- saddle (comfort issues)<br />- frame and fork (the frame broke during the Death Ride)<br />- rear derailleur (broke during the death ride)<br />- cables - all replaced when the new frame was built up<br />- left brake and shifter lever (aka <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">brifter</span>) (trashed when I fell once)<br />- handle bars (comfort issue - the new ones have a flat top which I find more comfy)<br />- stem (the piece that connects the handle bars to the steering tube - another comfort issue - this moved the handle bars a bit closer to the saddle)<br />- middle chain ring - replaced looking for the source of a strange creaking noise<br />- and now the front derailleur - worn out but for no apparent reason<br /><br />Yup - I've replaced almost the entire bike, piece by piece. The only things I haven't replace are the seat post, the right <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">brifter</span>, the cranks/bottom bracket, the brake calipers, the pedals and 2 chain rings. I can be hard on stuff, but this is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ridiculous</span>!<br /><br />Anyway, the training for the Tucson ride is not as intense as the Death Ride training. We still go on long rides - last weekend we did a 40 miler - and do a fair amount of climbing (I suspect that's just because it is tough to find a ride that long with out climbing something!). It's a great team, and as always we're raising money for a great cause. My fund raising website is at:<br /><a href="http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBucley">http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfJBucley</a><br /><br />Anyway, no great pictures yet so I'll spare you that.<br /><br />Keep on pedalling (to steal someone else's tag line!).<br /><br />JBjonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-30230060732130515402007-08-31T18:39:00.000-07:002007-10-02T18:04:19.696-07:00Tioga Pass!<a href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0432.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0432.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Click on a picture to see the full resolution version!</span><br /><br />Well, after the abbreviated Death Ride, I finally got around to doing a ride (on 8/23) that felt, well, monumental (and the Tour of Napa, as nice as it was, just didn't do it). I found myself with reservations for Yosemite, but without the family. I was going to cancel the reservations, but instead I took the bike. You see, ever since I had first seen the road, and then read about some people riding it on the Chain Reaction website (<a href="http://www.chainreaction.com/tiogapass.htm">http://www.chainreaction.com/tiogapass.htm</a>), I'd thought it would be neat to ride up to Tioga Pass.</span> </div><div> </div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">I learned a few things:</span></div><div></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">- Don't do long hard hikes the day before going on a long hard bike ride (duh!). I'd gone up the Upper Yosemite Falls trail, then on to Eagle Peak the day before starting the bike ride. My legs hurt before I started pedalling.</span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">-Bring water and food - the only place to buy anything, or to refill your water, is at Tuolemne Meadows, 36 miles and something like 5,000 feet of climbing up the road (OK, it's only a 3,000 foot change in elevation to that point - but on the way up, you get to go down several long descents, and therefore get some extra credit climbs. Plus, you'll get to do some climbing on the way back, when it's all supposed to be downhill!). Sunscreen is a really good idea, too.</span><br /></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">-Bring good sunglasses. I was riding into the sun all the way to Tuolemne, and then for the whole way back down.</span><br /></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">- Like most roads in Yosemite, there's not much of a shoulder. Most drivers were very polite and safe, but there's always a few bozos (you're on vacation! Where are you in such a hurry to get to?!!)</span><br /></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">-The scenery is spectacular (duh!)</span><br /></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">- I was a bit worried because I often struggle on the first hill of the day - and this had the potential to be a 46 mile long "first hill". Not to worry - within 4 miles I was into the first set of rollers.</span><br /></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">- For some reason, the old Talking Heads tune "We're on the Road to Nowhere" kept playing in my head (beautiful scenery, but not a lot else going on. Unless you count the tourists).</span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">- The only time I felt like the altitude really affected me was during the last slog from Tuolemne Meadows up the summit. It's only 8 miles and 1,000 feet or so of climbing - how hard could it be? Pretty tough, it turns out - I stopped more to catch my breath on this section than on the whole rest of the ride put together. I guess the air does get thin above 9,000 feet!</span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">And of course I have a few pictures:</span><br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0418.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 320px;" alt="" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0418.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">I passed the 8,000 foot elevation sign after only 12 miles. I was feeling good and thinking about how easy this ride seemed to be! Not for long.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><div><a href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0423.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 320px;" alt="" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0423.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">That's Half Dome in the background - an incredible sight from any angle.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><div><a href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0426.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 400px;" alt="" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0426.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">That's Tenaya Lake in the background. I got a tourist to take this for me - she didn't speak English very well, so we understood each just fine.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><a href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0428.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 400px;" alt="" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0428.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Tenaya Lake - a beautiful Alpine lake.</span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><a href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0431.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 400px;" alt="" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0431.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"></span></div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">This may have been my favorite spot all day. A pretty little meadow and pond just past the 9,000 foot elevation sign - hardly any tourists or cars, because they all stopped at Tuolemne Meadows. This was a great place to stop and catch my breath.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">What a great ride! It is a great feeling to be able to just go and do a ride like this without worrying about if I'm in shape, do I have the right equipment, food, etc. Team in Training got me into this shape, and now I'm determined to stay in shape to keep exploring California (and beyond?) by bike.</span><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840723854000882024.post-5343463157193152722007-08-30T23:13:00.000-07:002007-08-30T23:43:05.778-07:00Death Ride and the Tour of Tucson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0382.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/DSCN0382.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />OK, I've been remiss in letting you all know how things went, but the Death Ride did not go well. I rode about 7 miles out of the 130 total, and my bike broke. Specifically, the chain - not a great thing, but ordinarily something that can be fixed. However, I managed to also mangle my rear derailleur (the gizmo that moves the chain between different gears) and even ruined part of the frame. My day was done - and I hadn't even climbed the first hill yet. The picture at the left shows how it looked - and this is not how it's supposed to look!<br /><br />Anyway, that ruined my day, but the rest of the team was still riding and still in good spirits, so I stuck around and cheered for them as they finished. I had mixed feelings, but was happy to see so many people that I trained with doing so well. As the day went on, I realized that it wasn't so bad - I had gotten into great shape, trained with a great bunch of people, raised some money for a great cause - and there will be another Death Ride next year.<br /><br />On the way home, I ran into a Leukemia Society employee who rode with us (and did great), and she convinced me to sign up for my next cycling adventure - the Tour of Tucson. This ride is a bit different - 109 miles and flat. It is also timed, so I'm looking forward to a training season with a completely different emphasis (ok, it's still on a bicycle). Of course, fund raising is part of this as well. I'm off to a great start already, and will be trying to use special events to raise the remaining funds. Everyone was so generous for the Death Ride season already, so I will try to make this a much lower-key fund raising season.<br /><br /> In the meantime, I had my bike repaired and I rode in the Tour of Napa, a 100 mile ride that had some climbing. This felt really good, and it was nice to ride with some friends and teammates from the Death Ride season. The ride felt great, and got me interested again in riding longer and harder rides.<br /><br />See you on the road soon!jonathanbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16317819247101649318noreply@blogger.com0