Weather Delays

After a Friday through Sunday vacation with no riding, my legs felt great on the commute to work yesterday.  I pushed pretty hard for a sub-1.20 ride and did the Ferry-thing on the way home.  Last night, with rain predicted for the rest of the week, I committed to ride in the morning regardless.  I slept in, no alarm, and woke ready to go at 6.40am (way late for me).  Looking out the window, it was bombing rain with no end in sight.  I pussed out and opted for a long hot shower and the 7.50am Ferry.  As an extra treat, I even got a hug from Max before I left the house at 7.30am.  The drive to the Ferry, which usually takes 9 minutes, was backed-up with traffic and took 26 minutes and I missed the 7.50am boat.  Rather than struggle through another hour of traffic in the car and pay $30 to park on San Francisco, I decided to park and read in the Ferry parking lot.  The 8.20am Larkspur Ferry arrived at the SF Ferry Terminal at 8.55am and I was at my desk at 9.05am.  Adding insult to injury, the rain had completely stopped by the time I landed in SF.  Doing the math, I could have left home at 6.45am on the bike, arrived at the office at 8.15am (at the latest), showered and shaved and been at my desk by 8.45am - still earlier than the boat got me to work.  Lesson learned - RIDE!

Change of Pace

Coit Tower, Downtown SF, The Pyramid.  Shot from Aquatic Park Pier.

We stopped this morning on the sea break pier that protects Aquatic Park.  While I ride by this pier every day, I rarely notice it as I pass.  It dawned on me that I had not been on this stretch since the ING Corporate Challenge run in 1998.  I remember that particular run for specific two reasons.  First, that was probably the last time that I ran 10K.  In fact, I probably haven't run 10K cumulatively since then.  Secondly, months after the race, I received a plaque in the mail.  It seems that I came in second place in my age group in the Clydesdale division.  Not knowing what the Clydesdale division was, I looked it up and learned that it was the 200 pound plus club.  So, great, I was the second fastest fat guy in the under 25 category.  I guess my other running mates were either older or much skinnier.  Talk about a back-handed compliment.   

Sometimes the birds that sleep-in get fed, too

San Francisco, Facing south from Bridgeway in Sausalito

I just felt like getting a few more minutes of sleep this morning.  I had my alarm off and woke up when the fates determined it was time ... 6.02am to be exact ... about 50 minutes later than normal.  I was rewarded with a warmer, brighter and absolutely windless ride.  Being solo this morning, I even got to listen to a few tunes on my headphones.  I stopped in Sausalito to take the attached photo of the City.  This, my friends, is an absolutely still, glassy Bay.  Not something that I have seen in the last few weeks.

Sunday Spin - Paradise Loop

GGB, facing west from Tiburon Boulevard

Gotta take advantage of the in-laws being in town and Amy having help with the kids.  No reason to sleep in.  Sunday, 7.30am departure from Agatha Court for the Paradise Loop.  I threw in a southbound trip over Camino Alto (finally got below 6 minutes on Strava - 5 minutes 50 seconds), then back north over Horse Hill before heading onto Paradise Drive.  I am not sure of the physics, but no matter which direction I was heading, the headwind was brutal the entire way.  I hammered out the flats just to keep the bike upright, while people flew past me in the other direction with 25+ MPH tailwinds.  Nuts.  The payoff was arriving home at 9.45am, opening the front door and (besides having my kids jump up to greet me) the smell of bacon coming off the George Foreman Grill.  Pretty much the best way to start any day.

The lights are on, but nobody's home ...

Actually, it was the opposite this morning.  Alarm was set for 5.19am and I woke up bright-eyed at 5.18am.  I immediately realized, however, that I had forgotten to plug-in/charge my head lamp the night before.  That meant that I would ride for an hour and a half in the pitch black.  Bummer.  Abort?  Never.  Luckily, I was able to ride next to Johnny most of the way.  The ride down Camino Alto is normally sketchy.  Add darkness, wet roads and keeping a proximity (but not too close) to my lighted partner and it made for a super slow decent.  The sunrise made the ride more comfortable by about 6.45am.  Now if we could just do something about the 41 degrees.  Sheesh.

Mr. Popularity

When I talk with people about riding my bike to work, people generally say one of two things, either 1) “Man, that’s awesome.  I would love to do that” or 2) “Really?!?  Logging all those miles, I would think you would be thinner”.  To those that say the latter, I say “Fat and happy, that’s how I roll”.  To those that say the former, I always invite them to join me.  I am pretty flexible about my start times.  Generally anywhere between 5am and 7.30am take-off.  This morning, however, I faced a bit of a conundrum with multiple parties wanting to ride in, all at different times.

Jon, my 100% reliable, current steady wanted to meet at our typical 6.00am spot.  But my buddy, Chris, who never rides, said On Wednesday that he was “committed” for a 7.30am start.  My neighbor, Marek, who is fun to ride with and easy to coordinate because he lives on my block texted me on Monday to say that he was riding Wednesday and Friday this week.  Marek and I meet in his driveway at 6.30am.  So I have three guys, three rides, leaving my house at either 5.50am (Jon)m 6.28am (Marek) or 7.20am (Chris).

On Monday, from Disneyland, I responded to Marek’s text saying that I was ‘out’ for Wednesday but ‘probable’ for Friday.  I texted and Called Chris probably four times on Thursday between 5pm and 8pm trying to confirm our ride for the next morning.  After hearing nothing in response, I sent the usual text to Jon, “6am, Corner”.  Selfishly, I wanted to get to the office early, work a half day, and then ride home.  Jon responded simply, “Yup”.  Easy-peasy.  Nighty night.

Just to be safe, and to avoid any confusion, I checked my cell this morning at about 5.40am before I left the house.  I got to Jon and my corner at 5.57am and knew that he would be there within a few minutes.  At 6.10, I knew something was wrong and I checked my cell.  Lo and behold, Jon had texted at 5.45am that his bike was flat when he got to his garage.  No problem.  Solo mission this morning.  Then, at about 6.32am, I hear my phone beeping a text in my backpack.  I am not the guy that stops to read texts or answer the phone on a ride, so I just kept going.  Then another text a few minutes later.  Then a third and a fourth.  At 6.45am I got to the top of a climb and stopped to see what was going on.

6.32am – Chris – “Sorry, wife had a migraine.  Covering for her.”

Really, Chris?  Wife had a migraine so you could not respond to my texts to confirm the ride?  Sure.  Whatever.  Keep getting fatter.  ((Joking))

6.36am – Amy – “Marek came down at 6.30 this morning looking for you.  He said you guys were supposed to ride together this morning”

Crap.  Did I confirm with Marek?  I double checked my texts from earlier in the week.  Nope.  I did say I was “probable” but I had not talked or texted with him since Monday.  I am in the clear.

6.37am – Marek – “Dude, WTF?”

Guess I need to call Marek when I get to the office.

In high school, I was desperate to be popular.  I always wanted the cool kids to invite me to their birthday parties.  But somehow, I was always too opinionated, too nerdy, too sarcastic.  So I gave up and just embraced my inner a$$hole.  Now, all of a sudden, this bike thing has made me trendy.  Given the above, I think I might rather stay a nerd.

Alpine Dam

As a fat guy, my number one challenge in riding a bike is getting up those damn hills.  You could say that a bigger challenge would be losing 50 pounds - no longer being a fat guy ... but I digress.  The most menacing hill that I conceivably climb is the Bolinas/Fairfax climb to Alpine dam, up to Ridgecrest, over Seven Sisters and then back down into Mill Valley.  Here goes!

Just getting started.  Beautiful morning of about 43 degrees.

Meadow Club Golf Course.  I used to think that this was the top of the hill.  Boy was I wrong.

I'm heading that-a-way.

Ocean fog creeping over the hills.  No wonder these hills are so green.

Alpine Lake

Alpine Dam, built in 1918.  That's a lot of concrete.

Made it up and down the first leg.

Ridgecrest Boulevard.  Top of the next climb.

The Pacific Ocean with Bolinas Lagoon below.

The first of Seven Sisters.

View to the West over Mount Tam.

25 minutes of downhill to Mill Valley or another 30 minutes of climbing.  What do you think I picked?