your daily bicycle log

On Memorial Day (last Monday), I rode up Mt. Hamilton (4100 feet) in San Jose which is an 18 mile 3-stage climb to the highest point in the bay area. It was really mellow compared to the two other big mountains in the bay area (Mt. Tamalpais & Mt. Diablo), supposedly because the road was intended for donkeys to haul equipment up to the summit for the Lick Observatory.

The summit has a pretty kill view with some nice switchbacks:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1302/4668289968_41fcf43f65_b.jpg

Prior to that hill climb, I did this 3.5 mile climb up Sierra Road (also in SJ) which ~averages~ 10% so you know it had some nauseatingly crippling grade pitches. But I put in a big effort for a big guy: 323W for 29:33. Avg speed was 7.1mph. By comparison, this was the exact same power as Chris Horner **BUT** as he is nearly 24 kg lighter than I, he was able to complete the climb in ~23 minutes/~10mph (with a great deal left of racing left to do).

Oh my god. Nice work.

lick = dope observatory.

The last of my Wednesday morning rides - I'll have to work instead for the timebeing. The expected showers held off and I had a great time bombing through the lanes of Essex - it's always much better driving out of London before starting the ride. I did 33 miles at 19.3mph without stopping at all: no traffic lights, no map stops, no food stops and no 'natural breaks'.

hadn't been on a bike in over a month. been traveling a bunch and got pretty sick (who catches pneumonia in hawaii?!). went on a ride on sunday in NY w/a few friends. rode over from williamsburg to chelsea and up to the cloisters on a terribly ugly borrowed bike. rode up the west side highway (is that what it's called?). pretty amazing ride along hudson river. no lights, tons of annoying roller bladers and dumb asses that swerve in front of you out of nowhere, but really beautiful. we ended up in harlem and had lunch at dominican restaurant where we were the only non-dominicans. pretty cool tbh.

unfortunately my right knee has been hurting the past few rides i've been on. wonder if i'm doing something wrong or if i'm just broken and my short bike career is already over.

o, i guess that's like 25 miles?

never thought I'd say this but I find the gap between the 15t and 17t cog very annoying. 53-16 feels like where I should be on the flat.

guess I should be on 39-12

105 miles & 8k feet of climbing with three Cat 3 dudes today (2 climbers!) = sufferfest. the non-climber really does not like to ride under 25mph... very painful ride.

~barf~

xp - damn dude that sounds punishing. hopefully exhilarating in equal measure? The descents must have been fantastic.

These past few days have been the first of the season for me & I'm finding I have to reacclimate my buttocks. The weather in my area has been patchy - lots of little electrical storms, heavy rain patches (& the occasional tornado) passing through, so I've kept my riding in short, centralized loops. Hopefully I'll get a chance to really open up w/ the new bike next week.

Things I'm digging about the 2010 set-up (there's a lot of new shit to enjoy/get used to!):

- whether it has to do w/ the weight of the bike, the performance standard, or being locked into the pedals (probably that more than anything, right?), I'm already averaging 2-3 mph more than I was at the peak of my riding last year.

- proper bike shorts (bibs) - heretofore unknown levels of breathability & comfort!

- Hugi hub makes an awesome (& loud!) clicking sound when bike is cruising. It sounds like playing-cards rigged to hit yr spokes sounds in the movies. Rollerbladers & pedestrians scatter from my path w/o need of vocal prompting!

- I think u say.. bonertime!

Likewise bibs are a great revelation this year.

Some fucker stole my seatpost clamp. (I always take the saddle off when locking.) Cycling unceasingly standing up on a fixie, with clipless pedals, is surprisingly tough. Not sure I could have made it all the way back (all of three miles), fortunately a bus driver let me on with the bike.

guy in evans this morning tried to sell me a 31.8 clamp for a 27.2 tube, fu my frame is not 2.3mm thick.

Fuck Evans IMO. (That said I miss my evans green flake custom tourer I had and bought from evans when they were a proper bike shop)

~16 miles @ ~20 mph

did some cat sixing, may have solved a bank robbery, u kno

feeling the loss of our daer dear Hunt3r, today i coped by testeing out:

aero clip-on bars
new carbon semi-aero front wheel
rear wheel cover
aero shoe covers

gonna do a 2x20min TT simulation tomorrow.

testeing out = D-:

just a simple testing out, no need to go all Lance on y'all.

ugh p.hellish ride today

remember now why I do the crow road from the lennoxtown side and not from fintry; the climb from fintry is interminable and just when you think it's finally topped out it throws a succession of false flats into hills at you; had to just sling it into the granny ring, breath deep and peddle very slowly for what felt like an age :_(

Got my monkey ass kicked hard by my triathlete friend on a 50 mile rolling hills ride today. In my defense I haven't been on the bike in 12 days due to traveling, and he trains every day and is a tiny little dude but still, I used to drop him with ease :(

20 miles along the canals in the heat during the england game yesterday. Didn't hear a big cheer for the england goal but was probably in the far east away from civilisation at that point. Canals not that great to ride upon tbh, surface no better than London roads, perhaps worse on average. And even during the game there were too many arseholes out and about either a) walking towards you but not looking where they're going; ii) walking away and on hearing a bell and turning around nearly leaping into the canal out of shock - "holy shit! a bike!!!!"; 3) just not getting out of the way at all. Ok tbf the vast majority of people were pretty courteous, I just hate them for existing at all :)

Not my daily log, but some friends of mine are doing the underground railroad cross country bike thing starting next week and have started blogging about it.:

http://elephanteating.blogspot.com/

friend txts me yesterday, "i'm in the middle of 6+hrs of meetings. i'm over caffeinated. might die. let's ride." went over to his house, rode over to McLaren Park. tons of crazy hills. at one point he had to stop because he thought he was gonna puke. probably didn't ride very far, but uphill the entire time. good times.

road my bike to have lunch with champion sir shasta today. first time i've been on a bike with him. we rode one block together and then went separate ways. his butt hurt

well it IS no fun pulling an anchor tbh

i walked my bike up a hill in fact! i have a pretty intense race 2m and i think i over did the sprint workouts yesterday. also jaxon doesn't believe in vaseline. :-x

Vaseline saves

tbf, you're supposed to use a water soluble lubricant. otherwise it breaks down the latex

95 miles, 6 hours 1 minute rolling, 1590m of climbing. I'm beat.

http://www.wheelsinwheels.com/ridetothehorns/ride_to_the_horns_route1_cycling_sportive_event.html

Well done Mark. I clocked 37 miles yesterday and 45 this morning.

Crashed into someone yesterday. Shared offroad bike path, she was overtaking someone, I chose to overtake her at the same time, she wobbled out slightly further than I expected. Mea culpa I guess. I came to a controlled stop, she hit a crowd control barrier, which toppled over but not before she'd headbutted it, no helmet of course. She was okay but pretty pissed off I think. If nothing else it brought home the perhaps obvious fact that Hyde Park in midsummer is perhaps not the best place to be charging round at 20mph with a 'take no prisoners' attitude.

Doing the rollers yesterday (too damned hot out after work, new place has central air), watching the last 45km or so of the TdF stage; rode of the rollers in sympathy with Frank Schleck. In general though I'm getting a much more natural rhythm through doing the rollers although I'm still trying to relax my grip a bit more and I'm no where near the stage of being able to do too much one handed, drinking is still a challenge.

Oh, and I'm having more problems with the back wheel of the surly rotating in the dropouts. I need to have a good look and see if I'm suffering from the same dropout opening issues as gbx was.

did my first club run at the w/end; 77mile round trip to kilcreggan along the banks of gare loch. longest I've ever ridden, amazing. riding in a bunch is like a whole new sport

Try a sportive next, cozen. You should be able to find one that is about the same distance - I did one that was 'only' 70 miles and another that was 94. Even the crazy long ones that are 120 miles or something usually have the option of a shorter route. You'll find you're in a bunch most of the time - if you lose contact with one bunch (either going off the front or off the back) you'll find another one soon enough.

You'll find you're in a bunch most of the time

Only done two so far, but over 190 miles I rode with more than two other people for only about 10 miles of that - most of my riding's been done in a pair, both with a friend and with a stranger.

NOTHING TO REPORT JUST WANT TO SAY IT LOUD AND CLEAR FROM THE BOTTOMS OF MY LUNGSACS:

I LOVE TO RIDE MY FREAKIN BICYCLE

GETTING OUT OF HERE ca. 3:30pm FOR A MUCH NEEDED "MELLOW" RIDE

JUST WANT TO KEEP IT REAL FOR ALL Y'ALL

GOAL: POOTLE LIKE A FREAKIN VICAR IIRC

I LOVE TO RIDE MY FREAKIN BICYCLE

co freakin sign

lol, so after dissing the gran fondo thing upthread im doing the boulder one. offer i couldn't refuse, etc. i predict carnage of various sorts in my future.

http://www.centurioncycling.com/pdf/CO100Profile.pdf

Hot Hot Hot. About 30C in the shade, tarmac melting and sticking to tyres, just under two hours and desperately thirsty when I got home.

pre-log... on my way out for something between 100miles and 200km. An all day low-zone pootle, with one planned stop to cheer on a friend racing in a mid-afternoon criterium nearby.

jesus christ hunt3r, that profile!

Found someone who is even more of an asshole on the bike than I am. Walking along the river path, cyclist coming towards us so we moved to the side, the right-hand side as it happens, and stopped. He continues barreling straight towards us and doesn't even slow down, we have to scatter to let him past. "Slow down!" one of us shouts. "You were on the wrong side of the road!" he yells. "It's not a road, it's a path!", our friend returns. Not a rejoinder for the ages but still otmfm.

I can has sportive?

how is that england, it's so....sunny

I'm very pleased with myself, I have shed 5 kilos. Much smother spinning as well, climbing is so much pleasanter, on with the next 5.

has anyone on hear ever ridden any of the tdf climbs?

here*

I've driven up the Galibier in a Ford Focus.