Me and my OCD

As long as I can remember, I have been addicted to video games.  In junior high and high school, I often locked myself in my bedroom to play Mario or Zelda for days at a time.  My college roommate famously still cites a school day where he woke up for 8am class and I was already playing an RPG, only to have him return at about 5pm to find me in the same spot on the couch, still playing, having consumed an entire Halloween size bag of Rolos.  More recently, I was introduced to Mafia Wars, Mob Wars and other free social video games online.  For those of you that have never played these games, the strategy is basically to acquire things (weapons, real estate, crops - for the Farmville folks) which lead to further acquisition of other things.  And endless loop of acquiring worthless stuff.  All the while, you are gaining experience and levels and comparing yourself to other players in the game.

I now have a healthier way to tame this addiction.  In addition to the standard benefits of riding - exercise, fresh air, social aspect, etc. - coupling cycling with Strava (which is basically an online video game) has created my perfect monster.  Now, rather than collect virtual swords and flame throwers, I collect rides, segments, miles and feet of elevation.  With Strava, I can virtually compete with others in a multitude of categories.  Take, for example, my new buddy Strava Mo.  As of today, he has a total of 3,753 All Time miles logged into Strava compared to my 2,756 miles.  I won't hedge and say that his miles have been accumulated since 4/1/2011 where mine are only from 10/23/2011 (OK, I just did).  But in the back of my head (or maybe the front) I NEEEEEEED to catch him.  I'll pass him soon.  Although, with the good weather coming, I have a feeling he will be commuting more and doing his damnedest to stay ahead of me. 

This also reminds me of a ride that I took with the Fog Dwellers a few months ago.  We did the standard 40 mile Sunday ride from the Java Hut around Stafford Lake in Novato.  However, on the descent from Whites Hill, only a few miles into the ride, I hit a cell phone in the bike lane and it bounced and knocked my Garmin out of commission.  This bummed me out because a) I did not get credit for my miles and b) I was not able to chart my route and participate in the many Strava segments that we passed through.  All things taken into consideration, this was not a major tragedy.  But several times on the ride, I caught myself thinking that I was digitally missing out on a sweet set of data.

The genesis of this post was a set of emails by Strava Mo where he shared his Waves to Wine (a two-day 175+ mile ride) stories.  I asked if he had the data on Strava and he reported that he did not.  I then claimed that if the ride data was not posted online, then the ride did not exist.  Strava Mo, being indefinitely more technologically savvy than me, figured out a way to export some old Garmin Connect data into a format where it could be uploaded to Strava.  Problem solved.  He actually did make the Waves to Wine ride.

Now for my new OCD issue ... I bought my Garmin in August of 2011.  I have Garmin data online for August-October 2011 that is not yet loaded onto Strava. It takes probably 4-5 minutes per ride to convert each Garmin file into data that is functional with Strava.  That's about 80 rides that could be converted ... maybe 1,200 miles ... but it will take me 4-6 hours to get that data into Strava.  Like I said, I really, really, really want to catch Mo in total miles on Strava.  Should I invest the time uploading data?  Or should I just go ride for 6 hours?  Dilemma.

Curious Commute

I woke up this morning in my parents' home in Thousand Oaks.  My father drove me, leaving TO at 8am for Burbank Airport.  Burbank via Southwest Airlines to Oakland Airport.  Air/BART shuttle from Oakland Airport to BART.  Coliseum BART stop to Embarcadero BART stop in San Francisco.  Walk to the office and a hop on the bike.

With no kids or wife until Wednesday, I decided to add an extra 1,200 feet of climbing in the Marin Headlands.  The last time I rode the Headlands (with Chris), it was quite a different experience.  It was the tail end of a morning commute and the fog was so thick, we could barely see across the road.  Oh, and speaking of the roads, they were in midst of being paved.  We basically rode cyclocross, on 23mm tires at 110PSI, down an 18 degree descent.  Massively stupid, but a good story.  To top it off, Chris broke a spoke mid-descent.  Luckily, I had a spoke wrench and am an expert in truing wheels (thanks to my fat a$$ wreaking havoc on all my wheels).  Shout out to President Obama for the Federal Funds to pave these roads.  I'm not sure that this, alone, will be enough to get my vote in November, but its a start.

Going past this sign costs me $20 ... I have to replace my brake pads after each trip.

Today’s ride started as I passed a guy at the very beginning of the climb.  I stopped at Kirby Cove to snap a few pics and I snuck back on the hill just as that guy was approaching.  I probably stopped for forty five seconds and still held my lead on him.  Yes!!!!  I never saw him again.  I chased another guy in a Giants jersey for a few miles up the climb, but ended up stopping for more photos (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it) before I could pass him.

There she is in all her splendor.  GGB and Downtown SF from the top of the Marin Headlands.

I added about an hour to my normal commute to hit the Headlands, but it was worth it on this cold but cloudless day.  The rest of my ride was my normal commute home.  I pulled onto Saunders at the 2 hour 12 minute mark with just over 2,000 feet of climbing.  As I passed a neighbor’s house, I saw Marek in his driveway getting off of his bike.  I pulled in to chat and was quickly sorry that I did.  It seems that Marek went out for a ride, decided that it was too cold and turned around.  However, with me in his driveway on my bike, he asked if I would go for a quick Alpine spin with him.  Um … another hour and another 1,000 feet of climbing?  Sure.  Why not.  I have a 100k ride in two weeks and 100 miles in four weeks.  I need the extra climbing anyways.   Another 10 miles, 51 minutes and 999 feet of climbing in the books.

To add insult to injury, as I was stepping into the shower, I got a text from Jon (my regular commute partner) confirming our meeting at 6am tomorrow morning.  And Jon suggests that we do the round trip and ride home after work tomorrow.  What else better do I have to do?

Best Week Ever

So I kinda used up the 'Best day ever' lines earlier in the week.  But this week would certainly qualify as a top of the chart.  I did the FOG ride on Sunday.  Commuted into work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Had a sh!tty day at work on Wednesday and rode home (with Jon) in a freaking tornado.  That ride set into place a relaxing afternoon on Wednesday including an M&G's double cheeseburger for dinner.  The round trip on Wednesday made for a slow roll to work on Thursday morning.  This morning (Friday) I made a detour with Mo (yes, Strava Mo) from the Golden Gate Bridge - through the Presidio, through Sea Cliff, down to Ocean Beach, through Golden Gate Park, up 7th Avenue to Clarendon and up to the top of Twin Peaks - before heading Downtown to work.  Epic way to start the day and end the work week.
  

What did you do this morning before 6am?  We had 25 miles behind us.

Pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge never get old.
I am collecting them from every aspect in Town.
This time from the Top of Twin Peaks

7.15am and its time to go to work.  Downtown SF, here we come.

Strava Part II

I have been meaning write a post about Strava.com for a while.  For those of you not in the know, Strava is a combination social networking site and biking statistics database.  Without having written my full analysis yet, Strava Part I, I feel the need to jump to the the advanced session, Strava Part II.

A few weeks ago, I was on the Ferry heading home.  I was wearing a full bike kit and sitting up top in my normal spot by the hanging bicycles.  I was busy on my phone finishing up a few emails, but I noticed that the guy sitting next to me was looking at Strava on his iPhone.  When we were at the mid-point of the trip, the guy says to me, "Hey ... I heard you talking about Strava on the boat the other day.  I ride a bit and am on Strava, too."  With biking in common, we talked about bikes and other stuff.  After a few minutes, I introduced myself as 'Matt' and he did the same, 'Mo'.  I immediately looked at him and said, "Oh ... Mo Bernales?"  The guy looked at me like I had crap smeared on my face.  How the heck did I know his full name?!?  I explained that every day when I uploaded my statistics to Strava, there was a box in the upper right hand corner of my screen that said 'People You Should Follow' ('following' on Strava is like 'friending' on Facebok), and his name was one of three that always pop up.  Pretty funny stuff.  We agreed to ride together one day soon.  Within a few days, we had both 'followed' each other on Strava and we have since 'commented' on a few of eachother's rides on the site.

Fast forward to this afternoon.  Mo sent me an email, cc:ing a few of his other buddies, inviting me to ride with them on Friday morning.  Lo an behold, one of the other guys on this email chain, Paul Brannan, is the second name that I always see on Strava as a ' Person You Should Follow'.

I'm not sure that this is the prototypical manner in which social networking spreads.  But it shows that the world is a pretty small place.  Even smaller in the Bay Area.  And smaller yet in the biking community.

Now, if I can only get introduced to Alwin Villanueva - my third 'People You Should Follow'.  Anyone??  My guess is that this guy has no friends ... he rides an average of more than 26 hours and 325 miles each week.

A Great Bet with a Weak Outcome

Those who know me understand that I love a good bet.  The stakes rarely matter and I really don't even care whether I win or lose.  I just like to challenge people and watch the psychology of winning and losing.  You learn a lot about someone's character when you bet them a single dollar.  Some people jump up-and-down in joy after winning $1.  And others will make excuses and complain rather than fork over a $1 loss.

In November/December 2011, one of my co-workers started chirping about what a stud cyclist he used to be, how he had a sweet Colnago bike, and how he should ride to and from work with me (he lives in Fairfax, the neighboring town to San Anselmo).  After a couple weeks of excuses - having to drive the kids to school, living on top of  a big hill, the weather, etc. - I suggested the following bet.  From January 1st, 2012 to June 30, 2012, I would pay him $5 for every commute he made to or from his house to work; and he would pay me $1 for every day that he did not commute either way.  It was a simple bet, one that I would not have made if I had done the math in my head.  But I thought it was a pretty safe bet given a) he had not ridden in years and b) I assumed that the rainy season would keep him off of the bike with any regularity.  He whittled me down to me allowing him to ride from the Larkspur Ferry rather than making the whole trip (saving himself about a half hour and a big hill from Downtown Fairfax to his house) and we had a bet.  We shook hands and he set up a spreadsheet to keep track of his rides and the money.  The stakes were high.  He could hypothetically win $25 per week from me.  Now to dig out his Colnago from storage, lol. 

January had me worried.  No rain and he immediately fired up and rode on 1/4, 1/9, 1/12 and 1/13.  The week of the 9th really got me scared with him riding three legs and me owing him $13 for that week alone.  Thankfully, the pace quickly slowed to only three more rides to finish out the month.  January tally - seven legs riding (-$35) fifteen days no riding (+$15).  I lost $20.

February was a slow month of riding for him, 18 days of off (+$18) and only two commutes (-$10) for a $8 monthly winner for me.  We had to negotiate the fact that Washington's Birthday was a holiday where the office was closed.  He didn't work/ride that day, but I still wanted my dollar.  I begrudgingly caved on that technicality.  End of February, I am still down $12.

By March, I could feel that he was regretting our bet.  Again, he only rode only twice ($-10) and slacked-off twenty days (+$20).  More curiously, both of the days that he rode were days that I was not in the office.  I certainly ribbed him about his choice of riding days.  My peers in the office also got into the game of chastising him about his lack of motivation. All in all, at the end of March, I was down $2, but I was wildly entertained.  This was the point of the whole bet in the first place.

As of today, April 3rd, I have ridden both days so far this month and he has not ridden either day.  Tie game.  No money owed as of this morning.  But, sadly, upon getting to he office today, I learned that yesterday was his last day in the office.  What do we do now?!?  Does the bet survive even though he quit?  I don't know where he is working (I will soon find out).  It may be Marin or San Francisco or otherwise.  There are 20+ work days in April/May/June that I could have profited from.  Of course, if you ask him, he will say that he is riding to work every day, now.  I'm sending him an invoice for $60.

I lied

So I told you that Friday was the best morning ever.  I was wrong ... today was the best morning ever.  I am thinking that there will be a lot of 'best' mornings in the next few months.  The sun is coming up earlier.  The chill is leaving.  And the roads are dry (even after bombing rain yesterday).

I try to ride at least once a month with a group who call themselves 'The FOG Dwellers'.  Depending upon who you ask, 'FOG' either stands for 'Fat Old Guys' or 'Fu&#ing Old Guys'.  Either way, these guys are strong and fun to ride with.  They are a consistent 30+ miles each Sunday - all year long, in any weather - with a strict departure at 7am from the Java Hut in Fairfax.  The leader of the pack is a guy called Scott.  He's an avid commuter, total gear head and sponsored by the local Sunshine Bike shop.  Joining us on today's ride were two other regulars, Scott and 'Iron' Mike and a newbie, Noah, the son of the owner of Sunshine Bikes.  This was Noah's maiden voyage with the Dwellers - his father was one of the founding members some 10 years ago.  Noah is a big kid (my height but not my girth), avid mountain biker and, oh, only 13 freaking years old.  It took some balls for Noah saddle up with us for his first road ride over White's Grade.  He did a great job and will be a complete stud in a few years.  It is with the FOG Dwellers that I rode in my first pace line.  And we got to share that distinction with Noah this morning.

This morning's FOG ride started out with a bang, literally.  At the top of White's Grade, I dropped my chain and had to pull over to get back going.  Five hundred yards later, Noah hit a piece of glass an his rear tire exploded.  Scott and the crew were quick to blame Noah's dad for over-inflating the tires.  While we stopped to change Noah's tube, I snapped this picture.

This big boy grazed the entire field by himself.

Following our two minor mishaps, the remainder of the ride went off without a glitch.  If you can call 60 degrees, cloudless and 20+ MPH an uneventful ride, then we had the most boring ride ever.  More please!

Entrance to Samuel P. Taylor Park

 

Best ... Morning ... Ever!!!

I woke up extra early to ride with the 'Muy Buenos Dias' crowd, 5.30am at the church on Bolinas at Shady Lane.  The season is changing as it was 58 degrees at 5.30am this morning.  No booties, no beanie, no waffle shirt - just bibs, short sleeve T-shirt and a long sleeve layer.  We weren't setting any record pace this morning.  Just a leisurely spin and the typical stop a Poggio.

Drinks outside on Bridgeway, Sausalito, 6.30am

Since I don't drink coffee (I know, breaking 'The Rules'), I usually just chat through the pit stop and enjoy the company.  This morning, I was pressured to order something, so I went with the hot chocolate.  Little did I know that a hot chocolate from Poggio is basically twenty Hershey's kisses melted into a coffee cup.  Decadence in a mug.

After a 40 minute chill-out-session at Poggio, we jumped back on the bikes and headed towards the Alexander climb.  Feeling a little light on my bike (rare for this fat guy), I realized that I left my backpack at Poggio.  I broke from the pack, doubled back a half mile and grabbed my bag.  Given the typical slow pace of the MBD crowd, I was intent on catching up to them before the GGB parking lot.  I hammered the Bridgeway flats and powered up Alexander in my big ring.  I could not have been more pleased as I passed a guy in head-to-toe StudioVelo gear on the Alexander climb.  It is a rare occasion for me to pass anyone on any climb.  But a double treat to blow the doors off of a SV rider on a $6,000 Pinarello.  Hell yeah!!

The MBD crowd was waiting for me at the GGB parking lot.  We stopped for a minute and regrouped, then went back at it.  To my pleasant surprise, the StudioVelo guy had snuck passed us while we re-grouped in the parking lot.  Of course, this immediately put a target on his back, and I hammered to pass him again on the incline from the parking lot to the North Tower of the Bridge.  All four of us caught him before the Tower.  Double StudioVelo ownage!!!  Today is going to be a good day. 

In closing, still adjusting to the daylight savings time, we were treated to the first Golden Gate Bridge sunrise in recent memory.  Warm and now light?!?  This is the life.

Sunrise as we ride over the GGB.  Not a bad way to start the day.

Not bad for pre-7am.  This morning was so great, I think I will ride home.  Who's joining me?