Sequoia Century: OWNED June 8, 2009
Posted by postalblue in Cycling.Tags: mission cycling, sequoia century
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I don’t often wake up at 4:45 in the morning, but Sunday was an exception. A gang of Mission riders hit the road early, heading down (by car) to Palo Alto for the Sequoia Century – or, to be more precise, the Sequoia Double-Metric. After unpacking, suiting up, registering and topping off (Keith brought bagels!), we were ready to roll:
Mission Cycling represent!
The first ten miles melted away quickly, and before we knew it, we were making a left onto Redwood Gulch – and an agonizing stretch with grades up near (or above) 15%. Lesser mortals were walking their bikes up some sections, but not us. Mission Cycling powered to the top, where the road leveled off slightly and continued to climb up to the first rest stop. 3,100 feet of climbing in the first 20 miles? Not a bad way to start the day.
A view from the peloton approaching Redwood Gulch
Ride was very well supported and the rest stops were stocked with all of the long-ride staples: peanut butter and jelly, bagels, bananas, crackers, pretzels – and even some junk food.
Keith and Ben inspect the route sheet
After regrouping at the top, the gang bombed down a gorgeous, multi-minute descent at over 30 miles per hour, with Mike P. hammering at the front. What goes down, must go up: that descent turned into a long, uphill slog – about 5 miles at 5%. Peltier and I probably frustrated more than a few riders on the way up: we were cranking along at a conversational pace… but that pace had us passing cyclist after cyclist all the way to the top.
From there, we descended Alpine Road (Mike overtook a Corvette on the way down) and found a sunny spot in La Honda for lunch at mile 68. We even spotted a long lost Mission Cyclist!
Travis enjoying lunch in the sun
Then came the fun part: the 200K’ers split off from the main route to do an extra loop down the coastline to Pescadero and back. We fully expected Highway 1 to be cold and foggy… and to our surprise, it was the complete opposite. After that energizing lunch, motivated by the epic scenery and with the wind at our back, we cranked those miles out in no time.
Highway 1 was gorgeous (Click me!)
From Pescadero, Mike, Mike, Ben and I tackled Stage Road’s three super-rollers – each bigger and longer than Camino Alto – and then paused to mentally prepare ourselves for the day’s final climb: Tunitas Creek Road.
Combine Panoramic with the climb from Alpine Dam to the base of Seven Sisters and you’ve got Tunitas. Mike G. and I paced off each other for the first 80%, but he was feeling strong at the top and started hammering as soon as the grade started to even out. We were flying by riders on those last two miles of the climb – Mike was burning up the climb so fast, I’m surprised he didn’t leave a trail of fire in his wake!
From the sound of things, our other Mission participants felt similarly strong: Courtney made an impression on a few cyclists by shouting, “Andale, andale! Arriba, arriba!” as she and Keith overtook rider after rider on their way up.
Meanwhile, the Mikes and I took the descent back down into Palo Alto very quickly and hammered the whole way (15 miles) in – sprinting at town line and speed limit signs, blowing by dazed riders and generally finishing stronger than any of us thought possible. (For the record, it was Mike G. who took the final sprint in the VA Health Systems parking lot!)
Mike, Mike and I dominated the final 15 miles
Keith and Courtney rolled up as the Mikes and I enjoyed some post-ride snacks and ice cream. The mood was fantastic: everyone felt great, even after 120+ miles! It might have been the weather, but more likely it was the company – and the fitness earned after of those great rides we’ve been doing with our fellow Mission Cyclists.
It was all smiles at the finish.
On paper, this was the longest, most difficult ride I’d ever tackled, but it didn’t feel that way at the finish. Mission Cycling went down to Palo Alto, and we dominated. Sequoia Century status: owned.
Full data and results: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/6635618
Live June 4, 2009
Posted by postalblue in Life.Tags: concerts, gogol bordello, muse, rage against the machine, sigur ros, the decemberists
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My sister and I caught the Decemberists in Columbus last weekend. They put on an incredible show, playing two full sets and an encore. They ripped through their entire album, Hazards of Love in the first set and then took a short break before returning to play “the hits” and have a some fun with the crowd. I’ve seen them more times than I can count, and I can’t say they’ve ever disappointed!
Standing in the crowd between sets, I got to thinking: what were the best five shows I’ve ever seen? After mulling it over for a while, here’s what I’ve got (in no particular order, mind you):
- Sigur Ros at the Tower Theatre, Summer 2002. This show floored me. I had been looking forward to it for months and the boys from Iceland delivered. It didn’t hurt that Amiina, a brilliant string quartet, backed them up.
- Gogol Bordello at Lollapalooza, Summer 2008. When Eugene Hutz took the stage at 2 in the afternoon on that blazing-hot day in Chicago, I didn’t know what to expect. You may have heard about GB’s shows, but the energy just doesn’t translate. The gypsy punks took the crowd (most of whom probably hadn’t even heard of them) by storm – even overshadowing a few headliners!
- Rage Against the Machine at Lollapalooza, Summer 2008. I never thought I’d get to see a live Rage performance, so when I heard they were headlining the second night of Lollapalooza, I bought a ticket immediately. I know every word to every song, and so did a good percentage of the tens-of-thousands in attendance. Mosh pits formed everywhere, and everyone participated. Imagine a Rage concert: that’s what it was like. When the show ended, I was covered from head to toe in sweat, dirt and bruises. But it was so worth it. (Note, I know I said “no particular order,” but this show was, far and away, the most fun I’ve ever had at a concert.)
- Muse at the Curiosa Festival, Summer 2004. The Cure gave Muse a tiny afternoon slot on the side stage at their comeback Curiosa Festival, and though they only had time for four or five songs, they made their mark. As soon as they hit the stage, fans rushed to the fore – I nearly lost limbs during Stockholm Syndrome. They stole the show!
- The Decemberists at the Electric Factory, Spring 2005. They say you never forget your first time, and in this case, I never will. Touring in support of Picaresque, Colin Meloy and his plucky troupe performed brilliantly. To date, I’ve never seen a band have more fun with the crowd – and I’ve never seen a crowd have more fun with a band. And I’ll never forget when Chris Funk (guitarist) brought out that giant Whale prop during The Mariner’s Revenge Song. Awesome!
A few honorable mentions: Pinback at Bimbo’s in November ’08, A Perfect Circle at the Tweeter Center in Winter ’05, and Teitur at The Point in Winter ’03.
I should probably provide some context. Here are my Last.fm listening charts from… oh, the early 2000′s or so: http://www.last.fm/user/p33x/charts?rangetype=overall&subtype=artists
Marshall in Gray May 27, 2009
Posted by postalblue in Cycling.add a comment
Saturday was not an easy ride.
Six of us (Mike P., Joshua, Travis, Courtney, Buck and I) suited up and hit the road early, Marshall Wall in our sights. The forecast called for partly sun and 70′s. What we got was gray and 50′s.
It was a brisk pace through Sausalito, up Camino Alto and out to Fairfax. White’s Grade was predictably painful, but the descent down the other side was blazing fast. We mixed it up with a few other riders on the rollers into Nicasio and I could definitely feel the lactate burn when we circled the wagons at the Cheese Factory.
Courtney and Buck turned for home, but we picked up a newcomer, Quintin, during the stop. Six became five and we continued on. From there, it was north and west to Marshall Wall, a treeless, wind-whipped bluff on the coast, before dropping down into the town of Marshall itself. No rest for the weary: we pushed right on through to Pt. Reyes, where we paused for a nice, long lunch.
From there, it was due-south to Stinson. Somewhere near mile 75, the handlebar mount that keeps my Garmin GPS attached to my bike decided to fail. The unit went skittering across the road. We paused so I could retreive it and I resolved to “write those people an angry letter!”
We pulled into Stinson and took a few deep breaths before tackling the day’s toughest climb – Panoramic. I don’t typically like to squeeze three-mile, 1,700-foot climbs into the last 20 miles of a 100-mile ride, but it was the best way over the ridge and back to the city. Mike and I paced each other up, but it was a long slog. At the top, I was seeing stars.
The sun peaked through the clouds for a few moments during our descent, but that didn’t last long… and then the wind settled in. Those last five miles out of Sausalito and over the Golden Gate Bridge would have been difficult on fresh legs and ours were anything but.
Fortunately, we made it – and with that, I logged my most difficult ride ever. 109 miles with 7,100 feet of climbing and 6,800 calories burned. Awesome.
Bike-to-Work Day May 15, 2009
Posted by postalblue in Cycling.Tags: bike to work, Cycling, mt. tam
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I ride my bike to work every day, rain or shine. There are a handful of exceptions – Sara’s given me a lift a few times, and I took a bus home once – but you get the point: I’m no longer a stranger to commuting by bike.
It’s about 3 miles from my apartment to the office, with one uphill bit that prevents me from ever making it home without sweating through my shirt. In the morning, it’s sunny and cool. In the evening, it’s windy as all hell.
There was an impressive buzz surrounding B2WD here in San Francisco, but I felt left out. With everyone else biking down to their employer’s Silicon Valley headquarters, I decided to celebrate B2WD my own way: by adding some extra miles onto the normal, three-mile cruise.
Forty-seven miles, that is.
I got up earlier than usual and set out over the bridge. The San Francisco Bike Coalition had set up tents all over the city, where friendly volunteers cheerily handed out Clif bars, topped off water bottles and enjoyed a beautiful morning. I noticed an exorbitant number of cyclists on the road out of Sausalito – a good sign! – though my route took me in the opposite direction.
I turned off the Sausalito bike path and began to climb. And climb. And climb. And I didn’t stop ’til I hit the top – of Mt. Tam, that is.
There may have been a lot of riders on the road out of Sausalito, but there wasn’t a soul on the side of that mountain. No cars, hikers, no cyclists… it was just me, the road and that Pacific wind rustling through the trees. I reached the summit just as the clock struck eight, took a minute to catch my breath, snapped a few pictures and turned right around.
The view. See those buildings? That's San Fran.
The descent was long and windy, but passed quickly. Before I knew it, I had left the peaceful confines of Mt. Tamalpais State Park for the hustle and bustle of city living, only this was city living with a lot more people on their bikes!
Sure, I did a bit of backtracking when I added those extra miles on – but I wanted to see if I could cram Tam in before work. I did. I also wanted to see how quickly I could do Tam (or if I could even do Tam) without stopping on the way up. I did it in 3 hours, five minutes – counting the break at the top. Success!
Total B2WD mileage? 53.51 miles, 4,121 feet of climbing.
CCR was right. May 5, 2009
Posted by postalblue in Cycling.Tags: Cycling, delta century, lodi, lucas winery, mission cycling
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Lodi isn’t the greatest place on Earth, but it did set the scene for the first of hopefully many Mission Cycling weekend excursions. We rented two vans – one for people, one for bikes – and hit the road before noon on Saturday. With nothing but rain in the forecast, spirits weren’t as high as they could be.
Fortunately, one of our clubmates has roots in Lodi: his parents own a vineyard and winery! After a tour of the grounds (and a few glasses of wine), the mood lightened considerably!
We went for a short spin later that afternoon, stretching out on the flats before the big event the next day. Dinner was a good time, too – those ‘Reserved for Mission Cycling’ placards were priceless.
Ready to spin
The wake-up time was a bone of contention among members of the crew, but we eventually rolled out of bed and to the start line by 7:30 AM. It was overcast at this point, but as we saddled up, rain began to fall – and it did not relent for hours.
The first quarter-century was quick. The group split before the second mile, leaving just Dylan, Hobe and I at the front – and we pushed it hard. Most of us regrouped at the first rest-stop, but that’s when the rain really started to come down.
Eventually, we got lost. I stopped to the check the map and the group kept on pedalling. Fortunately, I spotted Ryan on the road and we figured things out. Then, once we were back on-course, we intersected with some other members of the group – so two became a healthy handful. Anyway, the theme of the day changed from hammerfest to survival ride. Mile 48 to mile 108 was all about one thing: making it to the finish line without coming down with swine flu!
Fortunately for us, the sun did come out – but only for the last ten or fifteen miles. That was enough – the Central Valley sun worked wonders, drying our wet gear and warming the air to the point where we all felt somewhat human again.
Lesson learned: riding 100 miles in the rain is only possible when you’ve got teammates to lean on when the going gets tough!
Airplanes April 23, 2009
Posted by postalblue in Life.1 comment so far
Once upon a time, I enjoyed traveling. I used to plan trips to Europe that I’d never take or spend time hunting down cheap flights that I’d never book. I loved being on the road, being somewhere new.
Then I spent two years consulting with IBM.
I’ve written about it before: four flights a week, fifty weeks a year for two years. A different hotel room every week, a different rental car every week. Single serving friends every week. IBM killed travel for me. Maybe I just spent too much time in airports, fighting or fretting over delayed flights and missed connections, but now the thought of travel makes my skin crawl.
Every time I get on a plane (even if its for a fun, Phillies-filled weekend with Sara – like this past one, which deserves a separate entry), I’m reminded of those two miserable years. I try to remember what it was like when I enjoyed going places, but it hasn’t yet come back to me. I’m sure I’ll feel the itch again some day, but for now, all I want to do is be home.
A different kind of update. April 14, 2009
Posted by postalblue in Life.Tags: decemberists, hazards of love, lp3, music, phoenix, ratatat, wolfgang amadeus
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It’s been a while since I’ve written about music. I’ve actually been so busy with work and riding and general life-related things that I simply haven’t had enough time to digest many recent releases. The past month or two has produced a couple of standouts, though.
I have been listening to the Decemberists’ new album, the Hazards of Love, on repeat since its’ release in mid-March. It is an epic record – a rock opera that begs to be listened to from start to finish. It probably won’t grab you during the first listen and maybe not even the second, but once you start to piece Colin Meloy’s tale together, you’ll be as hooked as I am.
The Hazards of Love
I listen to Ratatat with extreme regularity, but they’ve resurfaced with a vengeance thanks to their killer performance at the Fillmore two weeks back. Their entire catalog is solid and they played everything that I wanted to hear at that show. For a second, I thought they might head off stage without playing their best track, until I heard the track’s signature sound byte come through the speakers: “I been rappin’ for about 17 years, okay..?” And with that, the crowd went nuts.
LP3
One of my recent personal discoveries is the French band called Phoenix. They’ve got a new one out, entitled Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and it’s incredibly solid. I’ve got a couple flights scheduled this week – maybe I’ll have time to let this one sink in a little deeper!
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The End April 12, 2009
Posted by postalblue in Work-related.1 comment so far
Well, not really.
This morning’s ride marked the end of the grueling, six-week training block that kicked my ass back into shape after an unpleasant February filled with business trips and illness. I’ve been going pedal-to-the-metal since late February and my hard work has definitely paid off. Last weekend was the peak – my legs have been sore and begging for a break since that nasty climb up Panoramic and it was all I could do to keep them turning cranks this weekend. Fortunately, I’m ready to enjoy that well-earned rest week!
I’ll probably head out for light rides on Tuesday and Wednesday, but that’s it. Sara and I are flying to Philadelphia on Thursday for a pair of Phillies game. I won’t be back on my bike until the following Wednesday, giving my legs a full week to regenerate before the next (shorter?) cycle begins.
I won’t get in to today’s ride for a number of reasons. I did make a good countermove about a kilometer from the Tiburon sprint and held on to be the first across the “line,” so that was fun. At the end, I tacked on a trip to the headlands, where I spent a good thirty minutes on a wooden bench, enjoying the Pacific breeze, the California sun, the fantastic view and just generally decompressing.
Looking down (west) over the headlands.
Oh, and just in case you forgot what my bike looks like, I took another picture of it:
Awesome.
Now… what’s for dinner?
