Diablo

I can see Mt. Diablo from my front door. I look at the mountain as a thing of beauty, as well as a challenge.

One day in the last week or so, I decided to take a trip up to the Ranger Station, which lays about half way to the summit. As I was riding along I felt okay, not strong, but not too bad. I was eating, drinking, etc. I rode up on an older gentleman, I'm guessing in his mid 60's, or early 70's, riding a hybrid bicycle. I said good afternoon, and kept on pedaling.

About 20 minutes later the man rode up to my left hand side. (Keep in mind that I had passed him at a pretty good clip, and I hadn't slowed) He struck up a conversation with me. It turns out that he rides up to the mid point of the mountain 3 or 4 times a week, and to the top at least once a month. He always participates in the New Year's Day ride to the summit, and participates in the annual race to the top in October.

After chatting with me for about 10 minutes, he said goodbye and faded behind me as I kept pedaling up the hill. I made it to the ranger station, and climbed off my bike for a rest before the decent back home. As I filled up my water bottle and had a snack, I reflected on what the man told me. At that moment I decided that I couldn't settle for mid mountain. Not today.

That day I pushed myself and rode, once again, to the summit of Mt. Diablo. This time I used what I learned the first time. I took it easy around 'Devil's Elbow'. I took the time to take in the sights offered by the mountain. The Oakland hills. San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge. I had a respect for the last 200 yards (those who have ridden it know what I mean), and I didn't stop on the way up. I made it. On my own. I didn't need a team mate with me. I didn't have to stop and catch my breath. I did it. This time, it was all me.

Thank you, kind sir, for the motivation to keep on pedaling up to the top. For the inspiration to accomplish this task, and for the role model of being able to continue my passion for cycling as long as my legs can make a circle around the cranks. Thank you.

I'm not really that good at this Blogging stuff yet...

Okay, I know, I know. I haven't updated my blog in a while. Lets be h0nest. I'm racking my brain to figure out what to say on a regular basis! Who really wants to read "I rode my bike today for 20 miles" over and over again. Yes, I've been riding. I've even been accumulating miles. The week before last (the one I missed), I rode about 85 miles, including a 45 mile ride on Saturday. Last week I rode about 115 miles, including a 55 mile ride on Saturday. See, that was easier than trying to regurgitate the whole week.

I do want to talk about yesterday's training ride with Team in Training. We started in Danville and rode out into the canyon. Our pace group of seven was riding strong. We were in a pace line, riding into winds and cross winds, often reaching 25 miles an hour and sustaining it. We all felt great.

To back up a bit, let's talk about how these rides are organized. The 80 or so cyclists included in TNT are split up into pace groups. Each pace group is made up of cyclists of relatively equal ability. I ride in the fastest pace group. Each group also has a coach, matched to the group's ability. Our coach is Dennis Guikema, a former category one racer. His ability on the bicycle is amazing! He can ride circles around even the fastest rider in our group, with one leg.

As we rode down Highland road, just about to turn right on Collier Canyon road, Dennis had the group pull over. He wanted to introduce us to a friend of his. His friend was Patrick Caurant. Patrick was a fellow racer and former teammate of Dennis who was tragically killed during a training ride at this very spot.

For me this was a very powerful moment. One that brought a concern of mine closer to home: the cars are everywhere, and any slip of concentration, judgement, mechanical failure, can lead to tragic results. If that can happen to a semi-professional racer, it can happen to anyone.

I'll continue to ride. To train. I'll keep this story in my heart, to remind me to keep it safe. And I'll do my best to live each day to it's fullest.

Thank you, again, Dennis, for leading us on a great ride. And for introducing us to your friend.

March 15th - 21st

For the second week in a row, I've ridden over a hundred miles. On Tuesday, I revisited Mt. Diablo. This time just riding to the Ranger Station. I rode up Southgate and back down Northgate Boulevard. On Wednesday, I teamed up with 2 fellow members of TNT to tackle some of the East Bay's most scenic and arduous climbs. Topped it off on Saturday with a 44 mile ride in Point Reyes. All in all a great week in riding.

I've also been reading a book by Lance Armstrong, It's Not About The Bike. He's an amazing man. Period. He's overcome so much with his fight against cancer. He's an inspiration to me and many others like me as we hop on our bikes and go about our training rides.

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. That surrender, even the smallest act of giving up, stays with me. So when I feel like quitting, I ask myself, which would I rather live with?" -- Lance Armstrong

This weeks totals:
Miles ridden: 120
Calories burned: 9,658

Two iconic rides, one short week

This week was a huge one for me!

On Thursday a team mate and I rode to the top of Mt. Diablo. This has been a dream of mine ever since I saw that peak looming over the East Bay. The trip from my house is just over 15 miles, with 4,137 feet of total climbing. The peak sits at 3,849 feet above sea level. It is the second highest mountain top in the Bay Area, and boasts that more of the earth's surface can be seen from it's peak mountain than any other peak in the world, except Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. And I rode my bike to the top!










Then on Saturday I rode my bike over the Golden Gate Bridge. That old bridge has been a piece of my life ever since I was a child. Awe inspiring each time I crossed it. Countless times in a car. Once by foot (with my lovely wife on her 30th birthday), and now once (well, twice - it was a round trip) by bicycle. That day was a 40 mile training ride with Team in Training. We left Crissy Field, went over the bridge, up through Sausalito, Mill Valley, Corte Madera, Tiburon, and back. All while battling a cold that my dear son brought home from preschool... (not the recommended way...)














I'm not sure how I'll ever top this week of riding!

The totals:

Total miles: 104.2
Calories: 7,583
Assent: 6,300 ft.

Rain, rain, go away!

This week my training fell off dramatically. It rained most days... I don't like to go out riding in the rain... I don't like the prospect of crashing (since I ride slick tires), plus I don't like to spend the hour it takes to clean my bike when I'm done...

My rides this week consisted of an hour on the trainer on Tuesday, 12 miles on Friday, and another 30 miles on Saturday. Dismal.

Saturday's ride was a blast, however! The folks from Team in Training went to Sunol and climbed the 'Wall.' To get there was 15 miles of near pure climbing. It was a great ride to test one's endurance to over an hour of pumping.

This week's totals: 56 miles, 4,120 calories burned, 3,000 feet climbed.

Next week's forecast is for clear skys. I'll definitely get more riding in then!

A bit tardy...

Sorry for not updating my blog in a timely manner.  I was dealing with pesky job interviews, all while trying to dodge the rain...

The week of February 22 - 28 was a good one for training, even though it rained quite a bit.  

On Tuesday I took another stab at Mt. Diablo.  This time I rode from my house to the south entrance to Mt. Diablo state park (through Walnut Creek, Danville, Alamo), then up Southgate road to the Ranger Station.  I saw all kinds of riders that day, all trying to get out again between rains!  There were team riders doing pace lines up the road.  There were guys on mountain bikes, knobby tires and all.  There were some older gents making their way up the hill for their umpteenth time.  For me, they were the inspiration.  It showed me that you don't have to become sedentary just because you get older.  From the ranger station I went down Northgate road back home.  I didn't heed the siren call of the summit...this time.

On Friday I road the Three Bears ride in Orinda with my mentor group again.  Saturday brought the TNT buddy ride in Sunol.  We started from the Dublin BART station and road out to a rural mountain road called Kilkare Road.  This road was almost a thousand feet of climbing in about 4 miles.  The group I was in made it to the top of the road first.  As we were descending we saw several other TNT groups just starting up.  Someone had the bright idea of going up again...  So most of us did!  That was a blast!

The week ahead calls for more rain.  Lots of rain.  I get the feeling that I'll be sending some time on the trainer in the garage!

This week's training totals:  84.5 miles ridden, 6,600 feet of climbing, 6,729 calories burned.

It wasn't broke.... But I fixed it!

When I was working in San Francisco I'd see the bicycle messengers riding around on these odd bicycles.  They only had one gear.  The handle bars were unique.  They often didn't have brakes.  And when they came to intersections they would stop pedaling, the back tire would stop spinning, and they would come skidding to a stop.  Needless to say, my curiosity was peaked.  I had to know more about these bikes.

Turns out this type of bicycle is called a 'Fixed Gear' bike, or a 'Fixie' for short in today's youth vernacular.  They have their roots in bicycle track racing where the tires are bolted to the frame (vs. a quick release lever) and there are no brakes (that way one racer doesn't hit the brakes and take out everyone behind him).  To slow these bikes you simply pedal slower.  But pedal you must, as the back cog is bolted to the back wheel.  If the tire is moving, so are the cranks.

I thought this must be a specialized bicycle that would only be suitable for racing or those crazy enough to ride them in the streets of San Francisco.  It turns out that there is a great reason to train on one in the days when sun light is at a premium:  You cannot stop pedaling.  Thus, the time you spend on your bike is more efficient.  No coasting...  Sure, you can't climb hills as easily (unless you have a big cog in the back, which would preclude you from riding long on the flats...).  But the miles you do put on it you are working for.

I found a great resource here on how to convert an 80's style road bike in to a fixed gear bike.  After much research and hunting on the web, I also found all the parts I needed to do it.  All I needed was a bike...

One evening in late August I was at a dinner party at my neighbor's house.  I was chatting about this unique bicycle with a friend, and he told me he had a Schwinn World Sport bike that was about 20 years old gathering dust in the garage.  If I wanted it, it was mine.

Below are the before and after pictures of this bike.  I pulled off the derailleurs (front and back), as well as the shifters, and cables.  I pulled out my trusty grinder, and ground off the shift cable guides and the rear derailleur hanger.  I completely disassembled the bicycle, and had the frame and forks powder coated in red.  To finish it up I cleaned and repacked the bearings (bottom bracket, headset), cleaned and polished the parts I was reusing (stem, cranks, small chain ring), and flipped over and cut the drop handle bars to create 'bullhorn' style bars.  I reassembled the bike, including installing a new wheelset (specifically for fixed gear bikes), new tires and tubes, new brake levers (I did decide to keep the brakes!) and new brake cables/guides.  A new seat post and saddle wrapped up the build.

Needless to say the build was fun.  When I took it out for it's maiden voyage, I found that the ride is super fun!  A great workout, for sure!  I can't yet ride it backwards.  Nor have I perfected the skid stop.  I won't be taking the brakes off any time soon either.  All in all it is a fun bike.  For a small investment, I have a brand new, old bike.

Thanks again, Aimee and Bill for the Schwinn!

Before:

After: