In the middle of all that dense white fog is the city of San Francisco, hard to believe. It's quite amazing to me that you can get out into some really mountainous areas and leave the city behind in such short distance and time. My morning ride was great going up, but I found the back side of Hawk Hill to be quite daunting with the 18% grade descent, slick roads and thick fog.
Prologue
Really exciting prologue today. Cancellara was on fire, but if Martin hadn't flatted he certainly would have crushed his time. Wiggins was also very impressive.
The Tour!
The 2012 Tour de France starts tomorrow, and I can't wait for the action to start. I signed up for live streaming with NBC Sports, so hopefully that'll work out. Being on the west coast means having to get up at 5 am to catch anything live. I have to remind myself to stay off the internet for fear of spoilers.
San Bruno Mountain
Spent my Thursday evening battling the wind and fog on my way up San Bruno Mountain just south of San Francisco. The summit sits at just over 1,200', making it the highest point on the peninsula. Hardly a soul in sight. Towards the top the wind was whipping the fog through my layers, making it feel like I was back in New York, toughing it out in the winter.
I was half anticipating a gorgeous view of the valley below, but what I got was even more dense fog. The ride down was pretty scary. The wind was so strong it nearly blew me off the road. The fog made it hard to see around the cliff bends.
The ride home from the mountain felt long. It was foggy nearly the entire way. I rode up the coastline and cut through Golden Gate Park, and stopped for a burrito before I got home because I was completely spent. It's was an incredible ride, though, having a mountain peak above a thousand feet less than ten miles away. I can't wait for the next clear and sunny day to see what I really missed at the top.
18%
Decided to take my road bike out for a spin around the Headlands this morning. The climb up Hawk Hill was grueling, but it paid off in the downhill immediately after. The 18% grade down a narrow one-way road made for a fun descent. I really had to check my speed on a lot of corners because it was so easy to accelerate and lose control. It also felt good to put in some miles on my road bike. I love being able to cover more ground in less time.
Twin Peaks to Golden Gate
Took an easy spin around my neighborhood after work. I set out to climb up Twin Peaks, which turned out to be quite cool of a ride. The top was so exposed and windy. I then made my way down to Golden Gate Park, over to the Great Highway and back up through the park. On my way back I found a little trail that wound its way back up most of the park. I was on my road bike so I didn't push too hard over the dirt, roots and sand.
At the top of Twin Peaks overlooking the Mission and beyond.
Misty Mornings
Took my road bike out for an early morning spin through Golden Gate Park, the Great Highway, Lands End, Sea Cliff, the Presidio and back. It was really foggy and misty, but I didn't mind it at all. In fact I loved it. Very mysteriously calm out on the roads.
The Great Highway
I was up way too late on Thursday evening, and had to bail on a new riding buddy. We planned on doing a Marin Headlands loop early in the morning, but I didn't wake up till 7:30am. Instead, pressed for time, I did a shorter loop out to the coastline and through the Presidio. Oddly, the Great Highway was closed off for a good section. Either it's a regular thing or maybe it was due to the high winds the night before, but there were many sand drifts along the road.
The great thing was that I had the entire highway all to myself. I fought a mild headwind on the way north before cutting inland. It's so crazy to have this stretch of coastline just minutes away from our place.
Wallpaper
I really love the wallpapers provided by Rapha. They've started to rotate their images every season now. To get the rest you have to be a registered customer. I have a large on linked above. Hope they inspire you to ride as much as it does for me.
Fort Funston
So our dog, Marlow, gets walked every day by our new walker who takes him on these hikes at Fort Funston. She told us it's an amazing place for dogs because it's all off-leash. People also do hang gliding from the cliffs. I had to check this out, so on Sunday I did a recovery spin down the Great Highway along the coastline and before I knew it I was there. It's so close to us. I can see why it's such a popular destination.
Sunday was also the day of Bay to Breakers, a crazy foot race from one end of town to another. Drunken people either dressed up in costume or nothing at all partying pretty much all day. We checked it out early in the morning, but didn't spend too much time gawking.
Full Week of Commuting
Friday marks my first full week of commuting to work by bike in years, probably not since my days in Seattle back in 2002. My commute then was 20 miles each way, while today's only four miles. I only wish it was longer! I've been lucky to have great weather all week.
Mission Cycles
I joined another morning group ride on Thursday morning, but this time with the Mission Cycles crew. We did a quick loop through the Headlands by climbing to the top of Hawk Hill via the backside. Didn't quite know what to expect from the group, but as soon as we hit the hill it was a full on sprint to the top. I managed to keep up with the lead riders, but eventually fell back a few spots. I think I went too hard just getting to the rendezvous point from my apartment, otherwise I'd have fresher legs. I'm definitely going to keep riding with them from week to week.
In the Dark
I worked pretty late last night, and rode home in the dark. I thought I'd be fine through the Presidio, and I was, but it was DARK. Being in the middle of the woods, knowing there's a wild coyote on the loose didn't put my mind at ease. However, concentrating on keeping my speed and cadence up as I floated to the top helped in that respect. The rest of my commute was pleasant. Without cars or noise it somewhat felt safer to be out on the road.
I love to ride in the dark. I used to go mountain biking at night with a full Night Cat light setup. I've even done a 24 hour race, where most of the fun was in the wee hours of the night. Your sense of speed diminishes as objects fly faster towards you, making you hyper aware of handling.
Morning Commute
I've been working in the Presidio for the past few weeks or so. I've been driving to and from the area, but this morning was my first morning commute by bike. It was also the first ride on my Independent Fabrication since the move. We live in Inner Sunset, so I get to cut through Golden Gate Park and through the beautiful Presidio. My only regret is that I wish my commute was longer. It took me 12 minutes to get to work.
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia starts today. Great run by Taylor Phinney in the opening stage. Coming out of my illness. Gonna hit the trails on Sunday. It feels like forever since I've been on a bike. Gotta take it easy. In the meantime I'll live my racing dreams vicariously through the Giro riders.
Top of the World
On my second day of San Francisco riding I decided to taste what Marin had to offer. After a rain-soaked ride across the Golden Gate Bridge I found myself spinning up the side of a mountain while the sun started to come out. I found the trailhead to one of the many mountain bike trails, but decided to hold out for the weekend. Plus the trails were pretty wet. It's so unreal how remote and beautiful the Marin Headlands are.
We've been apartment hunting the moment we got here, so our free time is somewhat limited; granted we've been waking up before 6am every morning due to jet lag. Still, my legs have about two or so hours of energy before they need an afternoon recharge.
Inaugural SF Ride
First ride in San Francisco. Words can't describe how amazing and different it is. Started near the Embarcadero, up and around Crissy Field, through the Presidio, over to Sea Cliff, down along the coast, a loop through Golden Gate Park and back the same way I came. The hills just about destroyed my legs. My mind was blown.
Sea Cliff
The Coast
Palisades
Did my last ride to the Palisades and back. Who could ask for a better day to be out on the road. Hardly anyone out on the road because of Easter. Gonna miss this ride.
Last Rides
Had a good early morning ride with a friend today. The kind where you cruise at a comfortable pace to enjoy the scenery. We went all the way down to Fort Tilden and back. The weather in New York has been exceptionally good for being our last week here. I'm mentally gearing up for the move ahead. Six days and counting.
Double Flats
Ruined my day of riding by getting not one, but two flats. The first one was from hitting a sizable rock straight on, the other from an industrial sized staple. To make matters worse my Topeak Race Rocket pump kept unscrewing the inner tube valve core, deflating my tire at least 10 times. I remedied the problem by using the glue from my patch kit to keep it in place, followed by some saliva on the valve adapter of the pump as a lubricant. Fail. Can anyone recommend a small size pump like that? I'm thinking of a Lezyne.