After watching the Vuelta stage this morning I was inspired to go out and summon my inner Horner. The long commute from yesterday left me feeling rather run down this morning. I dialed down my ambition and did a lap around the Headlands. There were a ton of trail runners out for an ultra marathon of sorts, but luckily the course didn't overlap with my route too much. I was definitely feeling the fade on each climb, but it was good to get out onto some dirt.
Back for More
I had to get out for more McLaren trails and then some. I discovered some new sections at the top of San Bruno mountain before making my way up to Twin Peaks and back. Someday I'm going to connect all the legal sections of dirt into one amazing urban assault.
Team Muscle Milk Specialized
I'm excited to announce that I'll be joining the Muscle Milk Specialized team for 2014! The team has been around for only a year, but in that short time it's made a name for itself with strong appearances in the NorCal mountain/road scene. It's a grass-roots team made up of Cat 1 crushers, most of whom I work with at Specialized. I'll be riding/racing my Open for the remainder of the season before I make the switch. I also have the opportunity to design their new kits for next season. So happy and excited to be a part of the hard working team, and hope to have another solid season.
Recon
I'm out early this morning to do some McLaren Park short course recon, which is hard to do when it's still dark outside. The course wasn't marked yet, but I slowly found my way through a lap using Google Maps, the course map and Strava. Should be a fun one on Saturday. I think there'll be a few folks out on cross bikes, but I definitely think an XC bike will be better suited. Everything's ridable and fast. My bike is all dialed in after having ripped off the derailleur hanger last weekend at Demo. I've got a new chain, too.
Demo
I got out to Demo for the first time. Finally! The trails here are pretty insane. Like Skeggs, it was pretty dry and washed out, but it didn't limit the fun I had. The group was pretty relaxed. I went up with Jeremy, who's doing the enduro race here next month. He needed to do some course recon. Everyone was on a full suspension bike except for me, and boy do I wish I had one.
We first dropped into the top loop of Bacon. I nearly lost it on a few steep sections, but managed to hold my own. Then we did Ridge and dropped into Sawpit, where I ripped my rear derailleur hanger on the transition climb. I had some helping hands convert my bike to a single speed. I thought I'd call it a day, but there was Braille left to tackle. So glad I grunted up the climb to do that trail. I plan on coming back, but with a more appropriate bike like a Stumpjumper FSR.
Skeggs
I'm finally back on my bike, and what better way to get in some miles than to do a serious session at Skeggs in the peninsula. I had my friend Jeremy show me the way, taking me on the Trifecta route, which covers most of the trails at the park. The trails here are pretty dialed in, a true mountain biker's dream. Lots of fast descents and lung burning climbs. It's challenging to say the least. Well, glad to be back. My legs didn't feel as bad as I was expecting them to. A week off the bike is a long time.
One Last Ride
I got in one last ride before I head out to Germany this evening for Eurobike. What was supposed to be an easy taper-off ride turned into a full on bonking sufferfest, at least for me. My buddy Josh is recovering from an injury, so we started off with a good brisk pace. After running into a bazillion trail runners we split the group in two, those of us who had to head back home, and those that wanted more miles. I was on the fence at that point and regretfully opted for more miles.
A familiar scene, the Marin Headlands covered in fog. I've ridden by this spot countless times, and not once have I been down to the beach that's flanked by mountains.
This guy was hot on my heels. Mat, who I've seen at races and rides occasionally, joined us this morning. He crushed it up the hills and was the one who got me to do more miles than planned. Surprisingly this is only his fourth mountain bike ride of the year. Lots of trail to show him.
Slow and steady. Peter and Josh make their way up the steep climb.
The sun finally came out to play. At this point I had climbed up Deer Park and bombed down Coastal, only to suffer my way up Middle Green Gulch and crawl my way up Marincello.
On the way down to last and final climb in the Headlands I spotted a hiker picking fruit from an unsuspecting tree. I pulled aside and gobbled up three apples. What a find. I brought just enough food for a three-hour ride, not a five-hour one. I'll have to remember the location of this tree the next time I find myself on the struggle bus.
It was a great day to be out on the bike. I rode close to 60 miles and climbed over 7,000' in about five hours. It was really good to catch up with friends, and ride with new ones.
Marin Magic
This morning I had to take my car in to get the tires replaced. It was going to be a few hours, so I brought my bike along and went to China Camp early in the morning for a little dirt action. I think the trails at China Camp are underrated. They've got a nice flow for very little climbing. I did the main loop twice, in both directions.
The wildlife was in full force. I saw at least twenty deer and 10 wild turkey roaming about.
First time I've worn baggy shorts in a long time. It definitely put me in a casual trail mood, but I managed to scorch some lap times and segments at the park.
Dirt Connector
Finding some new dirt is always good. This time was at the top of San Bruno Mountain, dropping over to McLaren Park for a bit more. I've been missing my morning Dawn Patrol rides with the fellas. Hope to make that happen again. In the meantime I'll be scouting the southern parts of the city for some trails. With only an hour or so in my mornings it's hard to find enough time to get in a good trail ride. I'm glad that I got my Open back up and running. It's been sitting in my bike bag since Leadville.
Headlands Hill Repeats
I rode the Headlands one more time this weekend to make sure I got in enough saddle time, doing sustained climbing efforts before Leadville. I did three loops and climbed over 6,000' in 50 miles in under four hours. At this rate I'll have done the equivalent of the Leadville 100 course, minus the start elevation, which is a staggering 10,200' above sea level.
On my last loop up to the top my scratchy, squeaky drivetrain turned into a nasty metal on metal grinding sound. I just rode the crap out of my bottom bracket today, seized bearings and all. Better to replace it now than 50 miles into Leadville. While I'm at it a new rear tire, rim tape and tubeless valves. Cutting it close.
Downieville
Good luck to all of my friends racing at Downieville this weekend. I'll be rooting for you from somewhere in Sonoma this weekend, as I'll be out getting in some last minute miles before Leadville next weekend.
Losing Steam
What a dreary day for trail riding. I battled some annoying headlands as well as tourists around the Embarcadero only to lose my motivation by the time I hit the bridge. After dropping into the Headlands I decided to do the usual Sunday Tam Epic in reverse. Along Miwok I spied two fast-moving riders going up, so I gave chase with what I had left from yesterday's race. I caught and passed them halfway up, but they definitely gave me a run for my money. I crested the climb and bombed down to the stables. I started my long climb up again, but this time I tried to keep in a tempo spin/zone. By the time I reached the top of Coyote Ridge I had nothing left. No Tam Epic for me. I cut my ride short in hopes of getting a bit of recovery.
I wore my CamelBak today, which I never wear. It was nice to not have to pack everything, including my water into a saggy jersey pocket. By the time I got home I noticed a big chunk of pedal missing from my new S-Tracks. The piece missing is of the aluminum deflector. I guess it did its job. I remember hitting a rock really hard in the race yesterday. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had I bought the carbon/ti version.
Headlands Head Clearing
I worked from home today, and had the rare opportunity to ride the Headlands in the evening. It started out rather nice, weather wise, but I could see the fog rolling in as I made my approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. The wind started to pick up, and before I knew it I was deep in the thick cold fog. Not too many people out. My legs were still feeling pretty tired after racing last weekend. I'm hoping to get a bit of recovery this week and see if I'm up for the last Lake Sonoma Ricochet race this Saturday.
The backside of the Headlands was a bit more clear and calm. It was also my first ride on the new Look S-Track pedals. So far so good.
The Calm Before the Storm
A nice pre-race photo taken by my wife, half an hour before the start. This afternoon I got out and shook out my legs for a few hours, riding around Tiburon at tempo pace. My legs were still feeling the hard effort I put in yesterday, but it felt good to spin it out.
Tam Epic with Ryan
I rode with my friend Ryan today, taking him up to the top of Mt Tam via Peter's Headland Heifer route. He made it look easy on a number of segments. He's so much faster than me, so it was nice to follow someone who I knew would push my own limits.
It was cold and foggy start, but as soon as we made it up towards the top of Tam the skies cleared as we enjoyed the glorious sun and epic views all the way to the top. I had a leaky rear tire, and had to stop a number of times to fill it up with air before deciding to throw in a tube for the latter half of our 65 mile ride with 8,000' of climbing. There were a ton of hikers along the way, as well as a number of bikers near the top of Pantoll.
This was the perfect way to end my week and prepare myself for next weekend's Leadville qualifier race up in Lake Tahoe. I hope to get a bit of recovery this coming week.
Industrial Recovery
After work I really wanted to jump on my bike to wake myself up, and to spin out my legs for a bit of recovery. I got maybe a half a block down the street and lost my motivation. I turned around and found myself meandering through a new part of our neighborhood. I followed a bike path that led me down to a nice little bay park, tucked just north of Hunter's Point.
It was such a cool spot. I followed a couple of dirt paths that looped around to another section of the park. I was hoping for an undiscovered network of trails, but found the park to be somewhat small. I was on my Open, having bled the brakes the other day I gave them a good test to make sure everything was working.
There was some epic fog happening over on the other side of the city. It was just this massive wall creeping over the hills. So thick it looked apocalyptic. The wind was really blowing as I turned around and made my way home. That was the shortest ride I've gone on in a long time.
4th of July Dawn Patrol
It was good to get out in the morning and ride with my old Dawn Patrol crew. It's been a while. We did our normal loop around the Headlands. We had a few issues, a crash, an overshot turn, and a flat tire, but that's mountain biking for you. Can you guess where these guys work?
The fog was crazy, flowing over the hills. We debated whether or not to take some illegal trails out of the fog, but decided to stick to our normal route.
Hot Epic
It was a back to back weekend of epic riding. Yesterday I did a nice big road ride to the top of Tam, and today I did a big mountain ride to the top of Tam. It felt good to log in some major time in the saddle this week, peaking with 14 hours total.
Leg Openers
I kept the pace easy, despite having to battle 15mph headwinds up San Bruno Mountain. I cut over to McLaren park and explored more of the tight trail network before spinning home. I got my bike all dialed in for tomorrow's race at Skyline Park in Napa.
It should be a fun race, and I expect a big turn out. Last year I was doing well until my derailleur ripped in half, causing my chain to wrap around a few spokes. I had to run the last section of downhill to the finish line. Hopefully this year I'll have a better outcome. I'm feeling great. I kept off the bike just enough to recover from my race last weekend.
Lazy Sunday
Lazy Sunday's are meant to be lazy, right? I had raced the day before, and wanted to make use of my Sunday by going out for a leisurely stroll around the city. It was anything but leisurely. I faced a headwind that seemed to follow me in every direction. I wanted to slow my pace and get in a bit of recovery, but the wind just kept pounding me mile for mile. I won't give in! I needed to clock in a couple more hours anyway, considering most of my week was spent recovering from the last race. It turned out to be a gorgeous day in San Francisco.
I started by going up and over San Bruno Mountain, where the wind was concentrated and funneled through the canyon pass. It was a slow grunt all the way to the top. On the other side the wind was just as strong, and my legs were already feeling fatigued. I almost bagged my ride at that point, but the Marin Headlands were calling. Tt's been at least a week since my last outing, and I didn't want to put in a day's worth of riding on my mountain bike without hitting some dirt along the way.
The Great Highway was closed off, and the north section of road leading into Sea Cliff was finished with construction, featuring a new bike lane all the way up to Land's End. I waited to go out in the afternoon because of the San Francisco Marathon that started early in the morning, which put runners along the edge of the city, right where I was riding.
I miss my regular rides into the Headlands. I used to get out here at least twice a week, but now that we live further away I can't keep up with my old schedule. A friend of mine was up here earlier in the morning, enjoying the view from the top of Miwok, but was promptly escorted down the hill on foot by a park ranger. I had passed the same ranger later in the afternoon. He had stopped to talk to a group of hikers, and as I rolled by he asked "Are you heading up to the top of Miwok?". I knew my friend had been caught by him earlier in the morning, and I had no intentions of going up there on a Sunday afternoon. I replied "I can't. Bikes aren't allowed up there." One of the nearby hikers said, "Good Answer! He's got his handcuffs ready in the back." I laughed and rode on.