Tag: Cycling

MAA – Day 2 – Wow! That’s a Big Mountain!

You may have noticed (if you’re following my tracker) that the route changed. When Mr. Sag called the ranger station near Kirkwood, he learned that route 88 was open, but none of the side roads into campgrounds are. So, no place to stay. Executive decision was made to go up route 50.

Now, I’ve been to Lake Tahoe many times, just not in the last 10 years. I seem to have forgotten what the road was like. It’s different when you’re in a car anyway. You don’t notice all of the subtle ascents. On a bike you sure do! I climbed slow and steady ALL day starting at Cameron Park.

The first 30 miles were tough. I was on back roads and bike paths for most of the morning. (You can’t ride a bike on route 50 until after Pollock Pines. At one point, after being put on a lovely gravel road with steep climbs by my navigator, I apparently crossed over onto private property. The owner came out of his house to let me know I couldn’t be there and would need to go back the way I came. I apologized and after I told him I was riding cross country and was unfamiliar with the area, he wished me luck and let me pass on through! Phew! Somewhere around Placerville, I found Big Foot too! 😉

Once on 50, it turned into a great day. It’s a sweet ride (down) from Pollock Pines to Kyburz. Then the real climbing began! And it just wouldn’t stop! I finally reached Echo Summit and then it was a beautiful descent down to the campground. All in all, a very satisfying day!

Pics of the day…

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Ride on!

MAA – Day 1 – Let’s Hear it for the Sag

Think Let’s Hear it for the Boy and you won’t be able to get the song out of your head either! Day 1 turned out to be a great day to ride and a great day to learn! Cool, but not cold in the morning, turning to perfect temperature and mile breeze (not windy) in the afternoon. We headed up through Sacramento towards the Sierra foothills.

Before I left, I kept having the feeling of forgetting stuff. This would be the last day to pack things from home that I needed. Extra lights, charging cords, etc. Turns out, the first duty of The Sag (the girl) was to remind me that I hadn’t eaten breakfast! Good thing. With 100 miles staring me in the face, that would not have been good. I’m learning.

With everything packed and breakfast eaten, I pushed out. I made pretty good time all day except for the few navigational glitches again! It seems that when surface streets and bike paths run parallel, I’m not really sure which to be on (until I get the “off course” alert. I’m learning.

Day 1 had a familiarity to it. I had ridden the route a few times before up till Dixon (50 miles). The last half of the day was all new. My favorite ride so far was the American River Parkway bike path from Old Sac to Fulsom. I even met a few new friends on the path.

This is Al. We had a great chat at one of the rest stops. He was well aware of the bike path and rides it routinely to stay in shape now that he’s retired. Love it!DSC01063

This was my other new friend. I don’t just have random squirrel thoughts, they actually exist! (Scoobert’s jealous, though).DSC01073

Then I headed into the foothills. So much fun to climb for the last two hours of a century plus! I nearly bonked. I stopped at a CVS to get some much needed water and sugar boost only to realize that at my last stop to pull some snacks out of my pack, I had left it open! Somewhere along the way, my pouch with cash, credit card and id, fell out!! No replenishing now. When I met up with the hero Sag, they broke camp, and we drove back along my route to see if we could spot it (I knew a 10 mile area where it would have happened). No joy. As we gave up and headed back to camp to cancel card, etc., I checked my email. A kind soul, a fellow cyclist had found it! Charlton went to my blog – I keep business cards with that info in the pouch as well – in case new friends are interested. He connected with me through the blog and let me know he had found it. We texted back and forth and learned he was only about 10-miles away – so we retrieved it last night. My first Good Human story!IMG_4194

I’m learning! God is good! Your prayers are working!

Day 2 – hear I come! Ride on!

And We’re Off!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”      – Mark Twain

I didn’t want to wake up twenty years from now and say “I should have done that ride across America. So with that, we’re off!

Time to leave the comforts and conveniences of the Napa Valley behind.

Cyclists Prayer

Let’s do this!

Lessons Learned While Training

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Training has been good not only for improving fitness. It has also taught me many things in preparation for my long adventure.

In no particular order…

  • Shift to a lower gear BEFORE stopping – especially on an incline (makes starting up again, much easier).
  • Turn lights on before heading out.
  • Turn lights off once you are home for the day.
  • Check your tire psi before every ride.
  • Fill your water bottles – and remember to take them with you.
  • Keep Spare cash/ATM card in your bag.
  • I don’t like being cold!
  • Layers are good things!
  • My face dries out much quicker/easier at age 54 than it did at age 25. Sunscreen and moisturizers are good things.
  • Heat, hills, and headwind are still a B–ch! (Did I say I don’t like being cold? Really?)
  • I can change a flat tire.
  • Riding 100 miles isn’t so hard.
  • Ride your own ride! Always!
  • Spinning at a high cadence is a good thing (helps for climbing, moving against the wind, and endurance).
  • Sometimes the mapping aps get it wrong!
  • Photos do not fully capture what you experience out there.
  • Chamois is a good thing.
  • If you want to use technology, charge your batteries!
  • Brifters – who knew? Didn’t have those when I rode in the ’80’s.
  • Use the built in snot rag part of the gloves, not the scratchy mesh! (Unless of course, you have an itch.)
  • Close your mouth if you don’t want to eat bugs.
  • If I never swallow another bug, it will be too soon!
  • Tailwinds are good only if you are NOT returning home on the same route.
  • Headwinds are good ONLY if you are returning home on the same route.
  • Wear sunscreen even if it’s overcast.
  • Cars do not see you – you must keep aware of them.
  • Self discipline – get out there and ride – even when it’s cold, even when it’s raining, even when it’s hot, even when it’s windy, but only if it’s fun.
  • I can still do this!

God is good! Ride on!

The Route

DSC00435To plan or not to plan. That is the question. My husband is a planner. I am not. If you ask me what route I am taking across the country, I point to the east and say “that way.” Mr. Sag, however, has us well planned out and I am thankful for his efforts. I hope I make it to his waypoints! The plan as it stands, is on Memorial Day, 5/29/17, I will do a “prologue ride” from Baker Beach in San Francisco to our home in Napa. I have to start at the coast, after all! We pick up the rental RV (aka. sag wagon) on the 30th, and then I will head east bright and early on Wednesday morning, 5/31/17.

The PrologueUntitled

The route across AmericaThe Route

Eight days till prologue! Tick Tock!

Ride on!

 

 

 

 

What’s With the Jerseys and T’s?

Most of the jerseys and t-shirts I wear are for a reason. There’s either a story behind them, or they just say something to capture the mood. Some are for safety. Some are just comfortable. And some are just fun. Here are a few you’ll probably catch me wearing across America. Continue reading “What’s With the Jerseys and T’s?”

Anticipation

DSC00433Anticipation is a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen. : the act of preparing for something. Anticipation is a thing in the Napa Valley because when the grapes start appearing on the vines every year, there is anticipation about what the vintage will be like.

Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin’ me late
Is keepin’ me waitin’

Carly Simon sang those words and they keep running through my head as I ride past all the vineyards awaiting my start date. My anticipation has more to do with being excited about the adventure that is fast approaching. So what do I do in the meantime? Continue training/preparing, of course. People wonder what my training looks like. How do ride a bunch of miles without really going anywhere? Well, I have several loops/routes that I know every inch of by now. I repeat them as many times as I need for the miles I want. Take a look…

My 1-mile loop. I sometimes do several of these when the weather is lousy. I did 20 of them New Years eve morning to help rack up the miles for my Rapha Festive 500.

My 4-mile route. I’ve done so many of these, I’ve lost count.

My 5-mile loop. I did this one 24 times for my 24-hour challenge.

Picture taken mid ride every hour for 24…

This one is my typical 20 mile out and back.

The next one shows some of the hill repeats I’ve been doing the last couple of weeks. It’s about 9.5 to 10.5% for about a half mile. I do 3 to 5 of them and then finish off with my 4-mile loop. There is a small spot at the bottom that gives your belly a tickle that I love. We used to say the back roads of upstate NY had tickle belly hills on them because that’s what it felt like if you drove over them fast. And don’t tell the husband, but I usually get over 40 mph coming down the hill. What a rush!! 🙂

And last but not least, there’s Partrick Road. It was when I climbed this road back in September that I started thinking I could ride across the country. It gets up to about a 13% grade in spots and stays over 9% for 3 miles. I rode it today – probably the last time before I launch – and saw lots of improvement! I think I’m ready! Happy Mother’s Day!

17 days now! Tick Tock!

Ride on!

Barns Across America

I’ve always been drawn to barns. Something about them intrigues me. It might be the history they seem to hold, or the way the sunlight seems to perk up their old worn out siding. It might be that I grew up in rural upstate New York and they tended to be landmarks on the way to places.  I remember one I was always drawn to because it was so pristine looking. You could see it off in the distance, just after Rochester, on the way home from Buffalo. It might be that I have really fond memories of visiting Kandi’s family farm while in college. We got to witness baby Joey (calf) being born one year. We always picked corn right off the stalk to have for meals. And her mom made the most delicious barbecued chicken with a white marinade that I’ve never been able to recreate. It was probably the open pit method that I just don’t have in town.

Here are some that I’ve seen on my cycling trips around the Napa area. And I’ll be sharing barns that connect with me as I move ever so slowly (relatively speaking) across america starting in less than 25 days! Oh my!!

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Napa, CA – 5-mile loop
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Napa, CA – Oak Knoll District
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Napa, CA – Bay Trail
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Dixon, CA – Not really a barn, but I like it.

What draws your attention?

Ride on!

You Sent Me a Sign

I always see signs out there when I ride, but what are they trying to say?

Get on your bike. It starts now!IMG_3993

Keep going. No stopping!IMG_3960

Oh crap! I got a flat! Two of them!IMG_3972

This is where you ride…IMG_3466

Really?IMG_3983

I’ve lost my head?IMG_3986

Looks like there could be some trouble…IMG_3978

I’m fading…IMG_3987

I’ve hit a wall.IMG_3928

Wishful thinking!!! This road has a slight incline for goodness sake!IMG_3981

Ride on! 🙂

Bike Snob

Am I a bike snob? I think I might be.  It’s definitely not because I have a very high end road bike – I’m certainly not in the class of the Trek Madone or Specialized Venge! And it’s most definitely not because I have the best looking cycling kits or ever judge others for theirs (you can ride in whatever makes you happy!) Maybe it’s because I believe in bike trail and road etiquette. Maybe it’s just because my sag wagoneers think I am, at times, due to my rants post ride.

Some random thoughts that may make me a bike snob.  You be the judge…

  • Can you at least nod or wave to a fellow cyclist on the road? (Unless of course, I recognize the panting and struggle of being in the middle of a steep climb while I am zipping down the hill on the opposite side smiling from ear to ear. In that case, no need.)
  • Roads/Paths are generally two ways. Stop taking up the whole thing riding/walking five abreast and doing a slow weave so you can chit chat with your group while not paying any attention to others coming up behind you.
  • Definitely don’t litter! I can’t believe I even saw you tossing that banana peel on the ground! And don’t leave your punctured tube there either.
  • Keep your dog on a leash!
  • Don’t cut off cars or ride erratically and give all cyclists a bad name.
  • Don’t be a moron and ride in all black without any lights on your bike at dusk.

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By the way, most days now, I actually enjoy riding on the Vine Trail. Tourist filled weekends, not so much, but on week days, it makes for a nice flat 20 mile loop from my house, and regulars on the trail are great!

There! I feel better now!  Thanks.  🙂

Ride on!