Ex pro peloton athlete, Levi Leipheimer, was in the house today. He stopped by to say hi and joined us on the lunch ride. Halfway through, as the group began to split, I had the humbling experience of trying to hang on his wheel. It was a no go for me, but I was happy to be off the back of the A group.
Bailey
Another hot Bailey loop lunch ride in the books. I started out feeling pretty strong, but quickly faded halfway through. Too many fast guys today! It was good for me to put in a few hard efforts. I got caught by the chase group and worked with them for the remaining 10 miles or so. We had a killer tail wind all the way back to the office.
Bailey
This is my favorite lunch ride of the week. It's pretty intense, with lots of opportunities to attack and practice riding in a fast paceline, averaging over 20mph over an hour and some change. I was a bit off today. Still getting back up to speed since getting sick last week. I'm slowly finding my legs again.
Feeling Good Again
I'm back in the saddle again. Today's lunch ride felt good. My power isn't back, but it's only been a week since Leadville. I'm nearing the end of my race season, and I'm looking forward to tapering. I've got a handful of races left over the next couple of months.
Palm Springs
Here's a video I've been sitting on for most of the year. It's from the Tour de Palm Springs where I completed the 100 mile gran fondo with the fastest time. I'm heading down there tomorrow for a little vacation with my friends and family. No riding for me, as I need to get some recovery after Leadville and from getting sick again.
Cazadero Pinch Flats
I spent the afternoon riding up in Cazadero, exploring the back roads and big climbs of the mountains of the beautiful Russian River. The last time I was up in this area was early in the season, racing the first Grasshopper in Old Cazadero. A few of the roads and intersections looked very familiar. My day started out with two big climbs before dropping down the backside of Fort Ross, where I flatted both tires with just enough wit and patches to get me home.
Skull and crossbones, a good or bad sign of my ride to come? The descents were fast and rough. I wish I had a Specialized Roubaix with some wider tires for most of the ride. I've grown accustomed to smooth paved roads and forgot that race specific tires aren't great at everything.
It was nice and hot along the climbs, but as I reached the backside the temperature dropped 20º before bombing down into the cold fog hugging the coastline. The roads got rougher and steeper the further I rode down Fort Ross Road. There were hairpin turns, uneven surfaces and plenty of sharp edges to avoid.
Towards the bottom of the descent I blew out my front tire, fixed it, and was about to put my wheel back on when I heard the tire hissing. One patch gone for the initial snake bite, and now another one for a puncture. Fixed it again and put my front wheel on, jumped on my bike only to find my rear tire had a pinch flat, too. Oh no. Last patch used. Had to turn back up and over a monstrous series of climbs back. Front tire was leaking still and had to stop every 15 minutes to pump it up. So lucky to not get stranded. Lesson learned. Bring a tube and a shit ton of patches, and don't ride racing tires out in the back country.
Despite the tire fail I had a great time riding up in Sonoma county. Lots of challenging and beautiful roads. I hope to be back up here with a better set up.
I Gave it My All
I found myself attacking the group for the first half of our Wednesday Bailey loop. Normally I sit in the bunch and wait it out till the second and last big climb(s) before we drop down the fast descent. I broke free of the bunch on the first climb and just kept going along with another rider. I didn't look back, but got caught on the second climb. I kept digging deep and held on with the main group all the way up to the top. The fast long stretch to the final climb was hard, but I kept pushing. I got the jump on the final climb and found myself at the front going into the final descent. It was too much speed for me so I backed off, but not so much that I'd be off the back. On the long straight away to Santa Teresa before turning back to the office I found it really difficult to stay with the lead group. I hopped on the back and hoped they'd slow down. They didn't. As soon as we turned onto the long stretch back the group decided to turn it up another notch, and I quickly found myself off the back and on my own. It felt good to attack the bunch and see how long I could hold the series of intense intervals. Good race training, and I got some props from the guys afterwards. With every Wednesday lunch ride I'm learning when to attack, and who's wheel to follow. I've got the first half down, just need to learn the second half, which is a long 10 mile time trial stretch.
Ramping Up
Monday's lunch ride started out pretty fast, and with Leadville just around the corner it's important for me to get in the right amount of intensity and recovery at the same time. I went into the ride fast, but dialed it back once we hit the climb on Willow. My legs have been feeling pretty good the last couple of weeks, and I'm hoping it's a sign that I'm peaking just in time for Leadville. I'll need any advantage I can get since I'll be going up the day before rather than acclimating to the staggering 10,200' elevation start.
From B to A
Today's lunch ride turned from a nice B group rollout on the reverse World's Course into a fast and furious A group towards the end. It was a great bunch composed of the usual suspects in the normal A group who decided to 'take it easy' plus a whole gaggle of folks I've never ridden with before. I've been working pretty hard this past week, and it was really great to get out and shake out my legs and alleviate some built up stress. I'm also racing this Saturday, so it was a good to see how my legs were feeling after last weekend's Tahoe 100 race. I'm feeling really good and punchy, especially good for tomorrow's Lake Sonoma Ricochet course. Not so much climbing, but a lot in the way of sprinting and short bursts of speed.
1/2 Lunch Ride
In an effort to conserve energy and save my legs from future pain this weekend I opted to cut the lunch ride short. Wednesdays is the Bailey loop, a fast 24 mile ride which can easily turn into a hump-day race. I stuck with the main group halfway through and cut over to Willow before making my way back to the office.
China Camp Cruise
My wife and I headed to San Rafael to drop off our car for an oil change, and brought our bikes for a nice ride around China Camp and into Lucas Valley. It was a beautiful sunny morning in Marin, while the city was covered in fog. It was a nice change of pace for me to ride at tempo, and enjoy the roads with my wife.
Feet for Lunch
My coworkers took me up into the hills of Morgan Hill. We skipped the Friday Worlds course in favor of getting some climbing in for lunch. We ascended the Thomas Grade and headed further upwards towards Henry Coe State Park. We made it up to the first peak before deciding to head back. It was really great to explore the other popular routes near Specialized, especially one that had more than 2,000' of climbing. Our group was small, but it was perfect for the mild tempo we set.
Mountain Morning
A quick spin up and over the mountain this morning before heading to work. I'm getting more and more familiar with the San Bruno route, putting in better times each time I head out. The backside is pretty fun in that it hardly has any stops, and you can just fly over the rolling roads.
Getting Faster
I'm definitely getting fast these days because of the daily lunch rides at Specialized. On Wednesdays it's the Bailey loop, a fun 24 mile jaunt into the hills of Morgan Hill and back onto the long stretch of Santa Teresa. I was feeling really good, and decided to push my pace a bit. I managed to stick with the lead group for 80% of the ride before calling it quits along the last section of flat road. I got the jump on both climbs to make sure I didn't get dropped on the descents. It worked, and I blazed downhill setting new PR's on a bunch of segments.
Ease Into It
After a big weekend of racing and road riding I still went ahead and rode at lunch time. My legs said no, but I couldn't resist the urge to join up with my fellow coworkers. I held onto the group for half of the Willow loop and decided enough was enough when everyone decided to surge uphill. I wasn't the only one to get on the struggle bus.
BoFax
This morning I rode up Highway 1 and cut up into the woods, up and over Tam and back. It was a nice tempo ride that started out sunny, turned foggy and cold, but sunny and perfect by the time I reached the top. 65 miles and 5,500' of climbing later I was completely satiated with my Sunday morning ride. I felt really good, even after having raced yesterday.
I big group of riders passed by me coming from the other direction at this point along Highway 1. I was a little jealous of the group, but knew I'd prefer my solo ride. I had to go my own pace, picking up and slowing down to get some semblance of recovery. I didn't surprise myself in pushing a bit hard throughout the ride. I climbed past two strong riders going up the BoFax climb, and past another group before the 7 Sisters climb.
Out front of the old Studio Velo location in Mill Valley. The hand painted Rapha mural is still there. From afar it looks like a large photo. The weather was really great by the end of my ride. I was also looking forward to the tailwind back along Marina Green and the Embarcadero.
Well deserved iced coffee and cinnamon roll after a long ride. I spent the rest of my afternoon cleaning both of my bikes, bleeding my disc brakes, finding a lingering creak, installed a bike rack on my wife's back and caught up with Stage 9 of the tour. Not bad for a Sunday.
Hot Lap
Today's lunch ride was split between those that got out early to do the Canada loop, while the other half did the normal Bailey loop. I rode the latter. It was nice and hot, and the tempo was fast, but not too fast. I managed to stay with the lead group for a bit till it dipped downwards. I always have trouble accelerating and descending with the group at the front. They use it as an opportunity to break apart the pack before the long stretch home. Every week I'm learning when and where to attack, and who's wheel to hang onto. Fun times.
Fresh
Exploring my new neighborhood, checking out all the cool street art. I went out for a good recovery spin and saw the fog creeping over the West side of the city. It was good to get out and shake out the legs after a long day at work.
I'm kinda glad we live in the sunniest part of the city. It was one massive blanket of fog rolling in.
Solo Saturday
It was a great Saturday morning for a long road ride. I was supposed to hook up with group of friends, but there was some miscommunication as to when and where we'd meet up. After waiting for a half an hour I decided to strike out on my own. I felt really good for the entire ride, putting in some sustained efforts up all of the major climbs. The temperature was really starting to rise, especially up in Fairfax, but tapered off once I hit the backside of Mt. Tam. Without a cloud in sight it really was a picturesque day in San Francisco.
This is a typical group, waiting for others to join at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. Even at 7:30am there are tons of dedicated riders ready to head out.
This is the view from the top of the 7 Sisters climb along Ridgecrest Road near the top of Mt. Tam. It never gets old to me. With breathtaking views to the left and right it's still my favorite section of road. You really have to work for it, too.
Before heading home I stopped in for a quick iced coffee at the Rapha Cycle Club and watched the recap of the first stage of the tour. It was cool hanging out, and chatting with other riders either coming from a ride or just heading out for one. Such a good spot.
This ride is one of two big rides I plan on doing this weekend. I've been jumping from race to race the past month, not getting enough ride time in between. I'm slowly ramping up my riding as well as adjusting to my new schedule. I should be back into a normal rhythm with the added intensity of all the lunch rides at work.
San Bruno Loop
I finally found a good loop not too far from our place. It involves going up and over San Bruno Mountain and along the backside. It's quite fast, once you battle it out with the massive headwinds that never seem to die down through Guadalupe Canyon.