Another amazing morning here in San Francisco. I joined up with the Roll Call crew for an early morning stroll to the top of the Headlands, down the backside and back. They took me onto a section I haven't done before. It's just a small loop, but it offers more spectacular views of the surrounding ocean. I've also been enjoying the new company of riders, getting to know more like-minded folks that love to ride bikes.
Miles & Mountains for Brunch
I went for a nice long road ride instead of putting in more miles on my mountain bike on Sunday. I seldom go for epic road rides these days with all of the races and training I've been in the past couple of months. It was really nice to get out, enjoy the scenery and go at my own pace. Speaking of pace I managed to put in a solid effort on the entire Highway 1, BoFax climb, up and over 7 Sisters and back, averaging 17 mph over 43 miles and close to 6,000' of climbing. I felt good to say the least, but I pushed myself this week, clocking in 14 hours in the saddle.
Highway 1 is such an amazing place to ride your bike. It's super twisty, so not a lot of people drive the narrow roads. It's quite rolling for several miles before it begins to flatten out right after Stinson Beach. The climb back up to 7 Sisters is pretty brutal. It just keeps going and going. I passed a few groups of riders along the way, trying to best my previous time. I wanted to make sure I had enough power left in my legs to make it over the top of Tam, so I kept the pace reasonable.
I've said it before, but I'll say it again and proclaim the 7 Sisters my favorite stretch of road I've ever ridden. It's just so beautiful with all of its rolling hills and sweeping views of the valley and ocean below. It's not easy either. It was a perfect way to end a hard week of training and riding.
Roll Call SF
This morning I rode with the Roll Call SF crew for the first time. The group is made up of mostly tech/design folks in the SF area. It started with a nice relaxed pace until we hit the Headlands. They're a very fast group! It felt good to get out and meet some new riders, especially on road bikes. We went up to the top of Hawk Hill and decided to turn back around rather than do the entire Headlands loop. I look forward to riding with them again next Wednesday.
After Work
I did a quick spin after work to blow off some steam. What was supposed to be a recovery ride quickly turned into a hammerfest up Hawk Hill. Beautiful evening, though.
Sore
This afternoon I did an easy recovery spin along the coast, but got caught by some cold and heavy headwind. I'm still pretty sore after my epic day of riding Skeggs for the first time. My body didn't know it could hurt like that. Clearly I have some new training to consider, which is good.
Chasing After Giles
After work I did a quick loop around the Headlands on my road bike. Halfway up the hill I see someone absolutely hammering his way to the top from the roundabout. I thought I could catch him, but he just lurched further and faster away from me. I reached the top, drop down the backside and finally catch up to the rider. It was my friend Giles! He had put in a monster effort to grab 7th overall on a segment of nearly 5,000 riders. I was thoroughly impressed. We finished the loop and rode home together swapping stories and catching up on rides. So cool to run into your friend on such a great ride.
Coastal Cruise
Nothing special today. Just a nice loop around Lake Merced, up the Great Highway, around Sea Cliff and back. Sunny and beautiful in San Francisco.
Sunday Recovery
The sun is shining, but my legs are still sore from yesterday. It doesn't stop me from getting out on the bike for a quick recovery spin in the morning. I make my way down to the coast and ride along the Great Highway, which was closed to traffic. Perfect. I love riding on that stretch of road, especially when it's wide open. On my way back I passed a ton of riders, all going the other way, heading out for what will be a great day on the bike for them.
Soggy
The weather in San Francisco can be really strange at times. This morning I went out for a recovery spin around Lake Merced, along the Great Highway and back home. An hour-long affair, which started out dry, but towards the end of my ride the wind picked up and the sky just completely opened up. I didn't get too wet, but on my ride to work the rain force increased, soaking me from head to toe. In the afternoon it cleared, but the ride home wasn't fun, having to put on soggy cold clothes. I can't really complain considering it's only February, and it's been relatively nice this month. Gotta love winter in California.
After Work
Had to cut out of work a bit early to enjoy the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. I did a quick ride around the Headlands before heading home. Just the mental break I needed.
Recovery
My legs are feeling it a bit today, however it didn't stop me from enjoying the fine weather. I took the long way into downtown by way of Crissy Field and the Embarcadero. I had to pick up some food for our dog, Marlow. The bag itself weighed at least 20 pounds, which made for a nice weight to carry on my back.
Super Commute
I took the long way to work this morning. Rode down through Golden Gate Park, along the coast, up into Sea Cliff and back into the Presidio. It's about a 10 mile route with plenty of climbing. I wanted to try it without breaking much of a sweat. Nothing's worse than starting your day all sweaty and sticky. I managed to keep a good tempo pace all the way there, and had a nice cool down before starting my day. It's nice to change things up, too. My normal straight as an arrow route to and from work has been getting dull.
Fallen Heroes
I'm sure you all have heard the news spinning around, again. It'll be interesting to see how all of this plays out. How it'll affect the greater body of organized cycling, namely the UCI, and the generation(s) to come. I always wanted to believe in Lance, a lot of us did, but it's just a shame. Hopefully we can move past this quickly, and see positive results.
Blowing Off Steam
I left work a tad on the early side to get in a good loop around the Headlands, by road, before it got too dark. I've had a tough week at work, and needed to blow off some steam. It hasn't been my week of riding. I also took the longer route home by way of Sea Cliff and through the south end of Golden Gate Park. Looking forward to getting the weekend started. Let's hope the weather holds up.
Cold & Hot
This morning I explored more of the northern coastline along Highway 1 before making the arduous climb back up to Mt. Tam. 60 miles and 5,500' of elevation gain later I was ready to head into the office for a sold half-day of work. I brought my GoPro with me, but found my power to be stuck on off. It was a shame, too because the views were spectacular. I loved all the rolling fog and mist burning off the ridge-line.
This would be my second time touring the southern end of Highway 1, which twists and turns, following the contour of the cliffs and ocean below. I didn't see many other riders in either direction, probably because the weather was so chilly and damp.
The weather usually doesn't deter me from riding, but as of late I've been finding it harder to muster the motivation to get out the door, but once I'm out I'm completely happy. I also love that once you get rolling your body gets to a perfect state of being warm and cool at the same time.
This was also the first major road ride I've done since building up my Open mountain bike. It was a nice change of pace. The 60 miles hardly phased me at all, granted I didn't push myself over the edge (too much).
Ridgefield
I rode with my dad today on one of his usual routes to Ridgefield and back. We put in a solid 50 miles. I was thankful it wasn't pouring, and that the weather was actually quite pleasant for this time of year. We rode through rolling pastures and farmland, past livestock and the changing leaves of winter. I'm always skeptical about the ride on paper, but it's actually quite beautiful and challenging.
I only had my 29er, but it proved to be more than enough for countryside riding. My light wheel setup and fast rolling tires made for a comfortable ride. My kit was still damp from yesterday's downpour, but I never got too cold.
We stopped halfway into our ride for some coffee to catch up and to give my old man a rest. It's always great to hear my dad's cycling stories, and I hope to one day ride with some of his buddies he speaks so much of.
Foggy Return
And so the fog returns. I did a nice little spin around the coast to loosen up and recover.
72 and Sunny
While it wasn't exactly 72 degrees at 7am, it was gloriously sunny. I think I'm one of the few that really loves daylight savings. I rode around the Marin Headlands, and ran into the Mission Cycling crew at the top of Hawk Hill. What a great morning to ride.
Paradise Loop
My wife and I rode around Tiburon for the first time. It's a good loop for beginners in that it's not too hard and just long enough. We started from home, and knew this would be a big ride for my wife. We stopped in downtown Tiburon to grab an early lunch while watching groups and groups of riders either starting or ending their rides.
I made sure we stopped a lot to soak in the sun, views of the city as well as the North Bay. The loop was really flat towards the beginning, but really picked up on the other side, which was very curvy and somewhat hilly.
We took our time heading home, as there were a lot of people out on bikes, and I knew my wife was beginning to fade a bit. We rode 44 miles, and I'm quite proud of my wife for sticking it out all the way through. She looked fierce in her new Rapha classic jersey, and even more fierce tackling the last set of climbs. Slowly but surely we're working our way to bigger and better rides.
Saturday Stretch
Finally got in a good ride this morning, after having spent most of the week with stitches, bruises and healing wounds. I was a bit nervous at the start of the ride, especially while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, where I had my accident the weekend before. I made sure I got out early enough to avoid all the tourist traffic.
I went straight up the side of Mt. Tam, and dropped into the Seven Sisters. I pretty much hammered all the way, seeing if I could best any previous times I set before. I ran into the Mission Cycling crew as they were nearing the top. The weather was as perfect as can be, no wind, not too hot nor cold. Just right.
I took a new route from the top down to Highway 1, a winding 6 miles descent through shady trees and uneven road. Seemed like it was a popular climb, having passed by at least 20 or so riders, including the Mission Cycling crew I just saw on the other side of the mountain.
My bike is all fixed up and even better than before. I upgraded to SRAM Red brakes, which shed a tiny bit of weight, but increased my braking performance. I stopped at Stinson beach to soak in the sounds of waves crashing.
On my way home I realized I should have eaten more or at least stopped in town to pick up something before tackling the coastline rollers. It was my first time riding along the coast line, which was absolutely gorgeous. I bonked with at least 20 miles to go, and suffered through it. I stopped at the 7-Eleven on the other side of the pass to refuel. Snickers and a Coke never tasted better.