Hiking in Bothe-Napa Valley State Park

On Monday, I made some sourdough bread.  I used just a bit of whole wheat to give it some color.  I tried using less starter than usual to give it a longer rising time.  This gave the bread a more sour taste, which is more like a San Francisco Sourdough.  We are taking a couple of loaves over to our friends house for use with some cheese fondu.

Yesterday, Claire and I went out on a great hike in Bothe-Napa Valley State Park.  There are over 10 miles of hiking trails in this park along with a campground and a swimming pool.  It is worth checking out.  They actually run a half marathon thru the park, which I assume must be a loop you do twice.  The trails aren't flat, but there is nothing too strenuous in there.  This was our second time there.   The first time I ran back and forth while Claire hiked, and this time we stuck together, which is much more enjoyable.

We are away from the shop until next Wednesday.  A1 is back at the shop, and alas, A2 has left us for some adventures in Southern CA.  We will miss A2's enthusiasm, and physical humor.  We are excited about having A1 back.  Oh, yea, we did have A0 over for dinner last week as he was visiting from CO.

A run and some rollers

Yesterday I went out on a great, hilly run around a neighborhood near our house.  Claire walked while I ran. There are some interesting single lane roads running up through the hills around Forestville that are just perfect for exploring.  Here is a link to my loop.  My goal was 5 miles.  I felt really good and didn't have any pains during or after the run.

This afternoon I went down into the basement and rode the rollers for a little over an hour.  I did my favorite workout.  This workout consists of a 15 minute warm-up (with a couple of 1 minute efforts), this is followed by 5 on, 3 off, 5 on, 3 off, 4 on, 2 off, 4 on, 2 off, 3 on,... all the way down to 1 minute efforts at the end.  Here is a picture of the graph of my heart rate.  I got it up to 192 on the last interval.  I was pretty worked over by the end.

A nice, cold 40

Claire and I went out yesterday on a tandem ride with our friends Bill and Debbie.  They took us out on one of their favorite 40 mile loops.  It was a very fun loop over Chalk Hill and Westside Roads.  Except for the chilly temperatures, it was perfect.  We saw lots of other cyclists on the road, which is always a good sign.

This photo was taken in the town of Trona, CA during the Furnace Creek 508.  Bill and Debbie, along with another couple, were in the process of setting the mixed tandem team record.  Claire and I drove support for them.

Very interesting "ride"

Well, I will try not to exaggerate when I write about this last adventure, but I am sure that it will sound like I am.  Anyway, Claire and I decided that since it was not raining, we would go out and do one of our favorite loops through Healdsburg on our Burley tandem.  We had the Garmin set up so we could race one of our previous times, and we were both JACKED about getting out there.  First thing that happened is that I turned the wrong way right out of our driveway.  We didn't realize it until we had gone about a half mile and we were getting farther and farther away from the "course" that the Garmin had set up for us.  When we stopped to turn around, I noticed that the front STI shifter was broken and we couldn't shift out of our big ring.  We rode back to our house and decided to hop on our Ibis Cousin It tandem which we have set up with big old cross tires.  When I pulled the tandem out, we had a flat rear tire.  We both laughed about how maybe we shouldn't be going out on the ride, but we fixed the flat and decided to go ride over Sweetwater.

We headed down River Road and turned into Rio Nido on our way to Sweetwater.  We were both feeling good and ready for a nice steep climb.  As we started to hit the steep part of the climb  on Sweetwater, we could hear screeching tires coming towards us down the hill.  Claire, being the reasonable one on the tandem, suggested that we pull off to the side and let whoever (or whomever) was coming down the single lane road in such a hurry to go past.  We both watched as a white pickup came careening around the corner ahead of us almost not staying on the road.  Claire gave a little arms up gesture (not finger, or hand) which suggested that the driver might have been going to fast.  Anyway, he screeched to a halt and started to get out of his truck.  I decided that the smart thing to do at that point might be to head in his direction at a run since I had the uphill advantage.  Thank goodness I had my Shimano hightop SPD sneakers on and not my road shoes.  The driver hopped back in his truck, and after exchanging some "pleasantries" with us and telling us that he could go as fast as he wanted since he lived on that road, headed on.  He even commented on the fact that we should go back to the city and ride instead of on his road.  Claire and I climbed back on the tandem and started back up the road.  About 10 minutes later, we heard screeching tires behind us, and again decided to pull over.  Here comes the same guy flying up the hill at full speed.  He didn't really pay us any attention as he went by, which was fine with both of us.  Remember, Sweetwater road is a very, very twisty, narrow road.  Claire pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911.  At first, the dispatcher just suggested that we should just find a safe place to get off the road.  As Claire was discussing things, another driver came down the road.  He lived at the top of Sweetwater, and told us that he had almost been hit by the guy in the white truck.  The dispatcher was listening a little more at this point.  And then a guy in another truck came up the hill behind us and when we asked him about the white truck, he said that he knew who owned that truck, and that the guy was on a rampage and was out to kill two people.  The dispatcher was definitely listening now and was sending some sheriffs out.  The new guy in the truck was telling the dispatcher quite a bit about the crazy guy and also mentioned that the guy was armed and out to kill people.  To make a long story short, we hung out until the sheriff arrived, he took our names, and then we headed back down Sweetwater.  We rode home after that and decided that we just weren't destined to get in a nice ride today.  Here is a link to our "ride".

Oh, yea, I almost forgot.  When we were on top of the hill talking to the sheriff, a call came in saying that the crazy guy had driven through someone's gate and into their mobile home at the bottom of the road.  That was before he came back up the road past us.  It will be interesting to read the sheriff's report tomorrow and see what happened.

Heading back to work

Well, today is our last day of vacation, and we will be heading back into the shop tomorrow.  It has been a very, very busy week since we had 19 people at our table for Thanksgiving dinner.  I started the time off with a couple of good rides, but haven't been able to get out as much as I would like with the dinner preparations and the such.

I got out the day before Thanksgiving for an hour long run through the regional park down the street.  I felt really good, and had to make myself head home after 3 loops around the park.  It was a beautiful day, as the whole week was.

On Saturday, my mom requested a bike ride through Armstrong Redwoods.  After a quick handlebar swap and recabling of her bike, we loaded the bikes up into the Hub Bus and drove down to Guerneville.  It was the perfect length ride for everybody.

Yesterday I hopped on my Cannondale R500 road bike and rode over to Occidental where I met Claire. We then switched to the Burley tandem and headed out towards the coast.  Here is a link to the ride. Like the rest of the week, the weather was incredible.  We had a tiny bit of a headwind on the way up the coast, but nothing compared to a summer day.  The Willow Creek climb was perfect.  Who could not love that climb?

Some good rides

I got on the rollers for the first time this fall on Sunday evening.  I am always amazed at how fast an hour goes by on those things.  I had the "Killer Headwind" going, which made the first part of the ride very, very cold since I was down in our basement and the "headwind" is directed right at the front of me.  Anyway, after about 10 minutes, I was warmed up enough to turn on the extra fan I have set up in front of the rollers.  I didn't do any specific workout, just tried to spin and enjoy the moment.

On Monday Claire, Mathilda, and I went out and did our favorite 20 mile loop.  Mathilda had been itching to get some miles in.  It was a beautiful day out there, and I got a chance to wear one of my long sleeve wool jerseys that sits in the closet most of the year.

Yesterday I was joined by Eric the Fireman for my Willow Creek/Joy Road ride.  We left at a little after nine in the morning.  Eric was on his beautiful green Surly cross bike with his yellow wheels.  He was very color coordinated as Claire pointed out before we left.  About a month ago I decided to add Joy Road into my favorite loop, and it really changed the whole ride.  For those of you who haven't been up Joy Road from the Bodega side, DON'T DO IT!  Just kidding... It is a steep uphill.  It ends up being around a 1000 foot climb by the time you get to the top.  The ride was uneventful otherwise except for getting to watch Eric the Fireman careen out of control on Duncan Road right before the washed out part of the road.  He stayed upright, but you could tell it had gotten his heart pumping a little.  He blamed his sunglasses.  A couple of years ago I came upon a guy lying in the dirt right at that point during the Grasshopper race.  He had had the wind knocked out of him after losing control there.  It worked out good for me, since I was able to use his body as a step in order to climb up the other side of the washed out road.  

Making Bread

Made bread on Tuesday.  Three loaves of whole wheat sourdough, and two loaves of toasted walnut sourdough, which Claire had requested.  Also made two pizzas.  Plenty of carbs in the house.

A couple of days off

Well, it is Tuesday morning, and it looks like some rain is moving in.  I have just broken my KitchenAid mixer trying to double up a recipe of sourdough bread.  I actually don't think it was totally my fault, since the piece was plastic.  I have located the piece I need to replace, but the trouble will be finding a place to buy the piece.  I feel like one of those bicycle customers who just need a small part for their shifter or brake lever, and we have to tell them that that piece doesn't exist as an aftermarket purchase.  I had planned on kneading the dough by hand anyway after mixing it just a bit with the KitchenAid.  It is rising right now next to the wood burning stove.

Claire, Mathilda, and I took advantage of the incredible weather yesterday by getting out on a 32 mile loop which included a stop at Andy's Produce for some fresh veggies.  We also sat out in the sun and had a cup of coffee from My Friend Joe's coffee shop.  Here is a link to the loop.  I would highly recommend this loop since it is relatively flat and stays off busy roads for the most part.  The loop also takes advantage of the West County Bike Path, which everybody should explore.

Sunday I rode my bike into the shop.  It was a little chilly at the beginning of the ride, and my chin got a little cold, but otherwise I was quite comfortable.  I think a skull cap is one of the best winter items for bike riding.  I could make up some statistic here about how much heat we lose through our head, but somebody might check up on it and prove me wrong.

A week back at the shop

Well, we have been back at work for a week after our time off.  The shop has been busier than I would expect at this time of the year, but who am I to complain.  Well, I guess I can only complain because we haven't had as much time to ride as we would like to have.  I did get out for a great run Wednesday morning.  It was just an out and back route on Martinelli Road, but with the coming of fall and the changing colors of the vineyards, it was gorgeous.  I also felt great for the entire run.

On Saturday morning I rode into Monte Rio and met up with Eric the Fireman and a bunch of folks from Charles Schwab.  I was lucky enough to have been invited by another Eric who works there.  I guess this is sort of an annual event for them.  I haven't been out on Kings Ridge in ages, so I jumped at the chance to get out there.  It also helped that Claire offered to take care of things at the bike shop so I could have the day off.  Anyway, when Eric T.F. and I got to Monte Rio we were greeted by a bunch of very friendly people on fast looking bikes.  I haven't been riding much, so I had psyched myself up on just being able to make it out to Stewarts Point where I figured I could almost coast back down Hwy. 1 and back to Monte Rio.  I hadn't heard that the route took us up Fort Ross Road before dropping back down to Hwy. 1.  Boy, that almost did me in.  I think Fort Ross has been less difficult at the end of the Terrible Two than it was this time.  Here is a link to my ride.

 I do have to say that the bag of Fritos from the Stewarts Point Store might have been the magic potion that helped me survive Fort Ross Road.

Stick a fork in me, I'm done

Well, I had to go out this morning and do my Willow Creek Loop, but this time I needed to drop down through Freestone and head back over Joy Road.  Ouch, my legs were really feeling it.  By the time I was heading home on River Road, I knew that I had had enough.  After yesterdays 13 mile hike, and the day before's 58 mile bike ride, I was feeling pretty knackered by the end of the ride.  I was trying to take it pretty easy, if that is possible on this loop, but I got a little carried away on the stretch from Freestone out to Joy Road.  At one point I looked down and my heart rate was running at 182, which shouldn't be happening on a flat section of road like that.  I paid for it when I hit the bottom of Joy Road.  Whose idea was it anyway to name that road?  Here is a link to my loop.

We did make some awesome burgers for dinner as well as drinking some great beer.  I even made homemade hamburger buns for the first time.  Sorry, no pictures, they all got eaten.

Wine Country Ride and a walk through Point Reyes National Seashore

Yesterday, Claire and I went out on our Burley tandem and did one of our favorite loops through the vineyards.  We love to do this ride at least a couple of times a year.  It really reminds me of how lucky we are to live in this beautiful region that people travel from all over to see.  We stopped at the Jimtown store and had a cappuccino and chocolate pudding.  The vineyards were all changing color and losing their leaves.

Today we went out to Point Reyes National Seashore and did a 13 mile loop out Bear Valley Trail.  We had a picnic lunch out at Arch Rock over looking the very, very calm ocean.  We drove the MG out and really enjoyed the beautiful day.  It got a little cold on the way home.

Oh, yea, and on Wednesday, we went down to the Lagunitas Brewery and did some tasting and took a short tour.  Their tap room was shut down for the day, so we were treated to an extra long tasting.  Chaz has a hard time saying no to free beer.

It sure is great being on vacation.

Sweetwater (beat by a minute)

Well, I went out this afternoon and raced my April self again.  Last week I got beat by 6 or 7 minutes, but this time I only got beat by 1 minute.  In fact, at the corner of Sweetwater and Westside road, I was 20 seconds ahead, but I hit a big headwind on the way home, and I'm out of shape.  I didn't have my heartrate monitor, which was probably a good thing on the climb since I was gasping for air.  Here is a link to my loop.

Dream Ride

Claire and I are really enjoying our time off.  It is great to stay around Sonoma County and be able to enjoy things like a tourist.  Yesterday we drove out to Bolinas with Eric the Fireman to do the Dream Ride.  It has been a while since Claire and I have done the ride, and Eric the Fireman had never done it.  It was supposed to be windy, but that didn't affect us much except for a great tailwind heading down Hwy. 1 at the start.  We parked on the side of Olema-Bolinas Road, which is nicely shaded so Mathilda could hang out in the bus and wait for us.  This is a terrific 30 mile ride.  You get a bit of everything with the ocean, Muir Woods, and then Ridgecrest over Mount Tam.  We were lucky enough to do the ride on a weekday, but we have done the ride on a weekend before and leaving early helps out.  You can add mileage by parking in Pt. Reyes, or Olema.

After the ride we came home and made pizza.

Not a lot to report

Well, I haven't got out for as many rides as I would have liked to lately, but hopefully next week that will change.  Claire is arranging the week off for us as I speak.  Let's see, Claire and I rode the Ibis tandem over Old Caz on Tuesday.  We took 9 minutes off of our last time.  The conditions were much nicer since we have had the rain.  We were still able to ride across Austin Creek, but this time Claire's feet got wet.  We started and ended in Duncans Mills.  Here is a link to the ride.  I accidentally reset my Garmin a couple of miles into the ride, so it shows up shorter than the 22 miles.  Here is a picture of the top of Old Cazadero Road.

We also went out last Friday and did a relaxed ride through Annadel.  It was a beautiful evening, and we both just needed to get out and unwind after the day at the shop.  We are heading back up to Annadel in a couple of minutes, and I am feeling the need to push myself a bit tonight.  We will see how things go.

A couple of rides and some bread

We went out on Friday and rode in Annadel before having pizza at Mary's across the street. I planned on taking it easy, but got a little caught up in things on the climb up Marsh. At one point I looked down and my heart rate was 199, I had to remind myself to relax. It was a perfect evening, and we saw plenty of other people up there.

On Sunday I went out and did the Sweetwater loop. I set up my Garmin up to race myself from a previous loop in April. I got my butt kicked. I did lose some time on the downhills since it was wet this time, but I lost more time on the uphills. It was fun though.

On Tuesday, during all of the rain, I made bread. Three of the loaves are garlic/parmesan/rosemary, four of the loaves are garlic/pepper jack, and three more are half whole wheat. All are sourdough, of course.

A short run

Well, we are back in the swing of things at the shop after our time in Death Valley. We have been trying to catch up on our sleep after staying awake for about 35 hours in the car following our riders. I did get out on a short run Tuesday evening after work. We are going to try to get out of the shop early today to go mountain biking, but sometimes things get a little too busy for us to do that.

Here is a picture of a propeller from one of those windmills.

Back from Furnace Creek

Last weekend, Claire and I drove down with 4 of our friends who were doing the Furnace Creek 508 bicycle race. They were in the two tandem relay division. If you have some time, check out the website, and check out the video. This is a race that I have completed once in 1994, and have crewed for various riders 4 times. Claire has crewed 5 times since she crewed for me in 94. The race rules say that each rider must have a crew that drives behind him or her during the night and provides all of the food and water and support that the rider hopefully needs. This race starts in Valencia and ends in 29 Palms. It goes through Death Valley at about the half way point. Anyway, if you check out the website you can get more info on that if you want. Suffice to say that this race is always very difficult and has a high drop out rate.

This year many people felt that we had the worst conditions in the history of the race. The heat wasn't bad, but the head winds from the 210 mile mark on were horrific. There were many stories of riders getting blown off the road going through Death Valley. Claire and I witnessed our own riders hanging on for dear life as the winds pushed them across the road and to the very edge of the pavement. We witnessed this for an 8 hour stretch through Death Valley. This was a stretch the they should have been riding at almost 20 mph, but instead were riding at 6 to 8 mph.

Well, we are very happy to report that our riders finished the event, and were the only participants to break a record. This record was broken by 5 minutes. It was incredible to have been a part of that. I wish I could say more, but I don't think that time or space would allow me to really convey what this event was like.

Well, we tried...

We got off early from the shop and decided that we needed to get ourselves out for some exercise. We had decided on doing the Sweetwater loop, even though it was 90 degrees out. We hopped on our Burley tandem and rode on down River Road. It was definitely nice and warm, but as soon as we turned into Rio Nido, it cooled way down. Well, to make a long story short, we broke our chain part way up Sweetwater. It was in one of those corners where you are probably pushing around 24% or so. Anyway, a broken chain wasn't any big deal, so I took out a link and put it back together, but when we took off again, the chain started skipping around like crazy. It turned out that we had badly bent the easiest 3 gears on our cassette. We couldn't use the 4th one down either since the 3rd was bent into it. I figure what happened is that when the chain broke, it came over the top of the cassette, and since there was no chain on the bottom of the ring to balance things, it just bent it over. We did the same thing many, many years ago shifting into the big chain ring on the top of Old Caz. Claire wanted to keep going on, or at least give it a try, but pushing a 30x17 gear up a 20% grade was not in our power. So, we turned around and rode back down and then did a little ride through Armstrong Redwoods before coming home on River Road. Here is a link to our loop. Getting home sooner than we had expected did allow us the time to sit on the deck and enjoy some beverages while the sun set.

Tomorrow A2 will be getting married.

Willow Creek Loop on the Ibis Tandem

Claire and I went out yesterday and did my favorite loop on our Ibis tandem. It was a great time and we were in no hurry. We stopped in Duncans Mills at Gold Coast coffee and had some pastries after we had descended 1400 feet down Boxsprings Road. We added in Duncan Road at the end. This is a fantastic ride that I would recommend to anyone with a cross bike. We got a little warm at the very end, but otherwise the temperatures were perfect. I had a mocha while Claire stuck to straight coffee.

Just a plain good loop

Claire, Mathilda, and I went out on our favorite loop, and then were having so much fun that we added in something extra. It was a beautiful day out there, with lots and lots of cyclists. We don't get out too often on Saturdays, so it was neat to see all of the groups and individuals enjoying the day. Everyone had big smiles on their faces and waved to each other. It is not surprising that sometimes those folks in their automobiles get so jealous of the cyclists. We did not experience any of this jealousy yesterday. Here is a link to our loop.

Oh, yea, and our figs are finally ripening up, so I went out and picked some of those. You have to wait until they are almost ready to fall off the branches to get the right ones.

A good full day off

In the afternoon we went over to Napa and did a run/hike in Bothe - Napa Valley State Park. It was an amazing experience with the light mist coming down the entire time. I felt great on my run except for losing some skin on my big toe. I had noticed that my sock had a hole in it, but didn't think that much of it. I paid for it by the end. Here is a link to my run. I ended up running around 8 miles.

A couple of brief rides and runs.

We finally managed to fit in a couple of days of exercise. The shop has really been kicking our butts. We both feel like we are working as hard as we can, but we are not able to keep up with the business. Anyway, last week we decided that we needed to get out for some activities, so we took off early two days and came in late one day. On Wednesday we went to Howarth Park and did a short run. On Thursday we headed back and did a little mountain bike ride. And on Friday morning we went out on a very pleasant tandem ride through wine country. We paid for this time off on Saturday, but I think it was worth it...

Willow Creek Loop with some singletrack (For A1)

I finally had a chance to get out for a bike ride yesterday. The shop has been very, very busy, and Claire and I have been going in early almost every day and have been too knackered at the end of the day to do anything. We finally got two days off in a row, and I took advantage of some free time on the first day to do my favorite loop. The weather was perfect, and since I haven't been riding, I didn't put any pressure on myself to go hard. When I got into Willow Creek State Park, I decided to explore some single track that Claire and I had done a month or two ago. Riding that stuff on the cross bike is quite an adventure, but I managed to stay upright the entire time. I have a feeling I will be doing this loop again some day with A1 when he gets back from down south. This was the kind of loop you could lose a friend on though since the singletrack had plenty of drop offs and loose dirt in the corners. I had to force myself to go over Duncan on the way home, but once I had gotten up the 22% grade to the start of the dirt, I was glad I had made that choice. I did have a flat with about a half a mile to go, and I used the lazy method of a CO2 cartridge instead of my pump. Here is a link to the loop.

What a life

Well, I am sitting on our deck with Claire and Mathilda listening to the Old 97's on my iPod and drinking margaritas that Claire made from scratch. She is using Debbie A's recipe, which we have grown quite fond of. My only complaint is that Claire bought some terrible chips to go with the salsa, but, that is a minor complaint in the scheme of things.

We went out this morning and, after a couple of mochas in Duncans Mills, rode over Old Caz. It was all Claire's idea, which is one of the multitude of reasons that I love her. We had to do Duncan Road first, of course, and when I checked my Garmin at the bottom, it was reading 21% grade. We weren't in any hurry today, so we took our time as we climbed Old Caz. At the top we stopped for a couple of pictures before climbing over the gate and starting the dirt descent. The thing that makes descending interesting on the Ibis right now is that I have some of the coolest looking brakes ever made that do not really slow you down. I am not going to say what type. Anyway, on my single bike, the fact that they didn't slow you down was really no big deal, but descending down a beat up dirt road where I ended up on my head the last time I rode down it, you want your brakes to slow you down. So, anyway, it was a hoot as we headed into some of the corners with me grabbing both brakes as hard as I could, and nothing really happening. We stayed upright, and that is really all that matters. We crossed the creek at the bottom without even getting our shoes wet and climbed back up out of the valley before dropping, or should I say, plummeting down into Cazadero. It was the perfect length bike ride, and we were happy that we parked in Duncans Mills instead of Occidental. Here is a link to our ride. And here are some pictures.

OUCH!!!

Well, Claire and I went out for one of our favorite loops with Mathilda along in the trailer. We decided to take a "shortcut" through Riverfront regional park on Eastside Rd. on the way home. This gave Mathilda a chance to take a short swim. All would have been fine and dandy at that point, but I decided to do the Sweetwater loop afterwards. After getting a flat out on River Road, I rode down through Rio Nido and over to Austin Creek Road. I knew I was in trouble right when the climbing started on Sweetwater. I should have turned around, but I kept going. It was over a 100 degrees on the climb, and there wasn't much shade up there. I ran out of water somewhere on the backside, and barely made it home. I haven't felt like that in a while. Here is a link to our ride. The picture is from when we were in Tahoe on our way back down from Angora Lakes.

Back from Colorado

Well, we are back from our Giant Dealer Meeting in Colorado. It was a great time and really got us excited about the 2010 product line. On the final day, Claire and I took out a couple of Giant Trance X1's and did some mountain biking. We took the gondola up to the top of the mountain, which was over 11,500 feet and took a really fun singletrack all of the way back down. At the bottom we switched bikes, Claire took out a XTC 29'er while I hopped on an Anthem X1. The Anthem sure is a fast bike, it climbs like nobody's business, but still soaks up most of the rocky stuff. Here is a link to our ride.

We are back at the shop, and things are really going great there. I did finally get to build and sell a brand new 2010 Cannondale F5. The bike was beautiful. I think this bike will be one of our best sellers. It has a very sexy frame, and a pretty cool RST front shock that was made custom for Cannondale. Anyway, we have a bunch of new Cannondales in stock, and I need to get to building them.

2010 Giant Dealer Meeting

Well, we are in Keystone, CO with Giant bicycles getting educated on the 2010 line-up. We got in yesterday evening just in time for dinner and some really good beer, maybe too good. Anyway, we spent most of today in meetings checking out the new line-up of bikes. It is pretty exciting stuff. We had a really great lunch out on the patio, and then about an hour later they brought out pizza and cookies. It was one of the first times in my life that I passed up the pizza, but not the cookies. At around 3:30, we had a chance to go out and demo some bikes. I took out a XTC 1 29'er that was very, very fast. I ended up doing some single track, and then climbing up a long fire trail to around 10,500 feet. For part of the climb it was raining and thundering, which was awesome. Here is a link to my ride. When I got back from the ride, Claire and I hopped on a shuttle which took us out to some stables where we had dinner. Giant had built a little pump track off to the side so there were people racing around the jumps while we ate BBQ. It was pretty cool being out there in the mountains as the sun went down.

Where does the time go

Well, it is Saturday evening, and we are home from a very, very busy day at the shop. We worked with A2 and Jimmy Neutron and spent most of the day not knowing which end was up. It makes the day go by much faster this way. I ended up doing three road bike fits which I hadn't expected, but people keep buying road bikes. Luckily Andre and I did about 10 tune-ups the day before, so the work board wasn't that full.

Tomorrow, Claire and I take off for a "business meeting" with Giant. It is taking place in Keystone, CO. We will be there thru Wednesday and are looking forward to seeing the 2010 Giant products and getting to test ride lots of their bikes. I am happy that it is in Colorado this year instead of Utah so the beer will be better.

Last week, Claire and I went to Tahoe for a couple of days to get some time away from the shop. We camped at Fallen Leaf lake. We canoed around the lake one day and spent most of the other days sitting on the beach and reading books. We did ride up to Angora Lakes and did some cliff diving. The ride up to the lake was quite steep, and Mathilda refused to do any pulling. She did push on the way back down, so I can't complain too much.

A couple of days off

Well, we are enjoying our second day off from the shop. Yesterday I decided to wait until it got very hot outside and then I headed up over Sweetwater. I had planned on doing the Sweetwater loop twice, but my legs were tired from working. I was enjoying the heat though, so I headed out through Healdsburg after Sweetwater. I was motivated to burn off some calories since we were heading to Aleworks for dinner with A2 and Jimmy Neutron. Tuesday night they have $9 pitchers and $2.50 Bratwurst. Jimmy Neutron had just gotten back from Hawaii, so he had lots of stories to tell us. Here is a link to my loop. I ran out of water in Healdsburg, so I stopped at Veterans Memorial Beach to get some. I think it was over a 100 degrees out there.

Today Claire and I went out on a really neat 33 mile loop from our house. We wanted something pretty flat so that we could just stretch out our legs on the tandem. We both agreed that it was a great loop considering the lack of traffic and the lack of any real climbing. I think I will have to add this loop to the Hub Cyclery Ride page. It has a little of everything including the Joe Radota trail. Here is a picture of us going over Wohler Bridge.

All work and no play...

Well, it is Tuesday and Claire and I have the day off. We went into the shop yesterday, even though it was closed, and worked our tails off trying to catch up. I did a bunch of tune-ups while Claire placed some huge orders with different vendors. It was sort of weird being there ignoring the phone and having the doors locked. We had worked seven days in a row, and needed to make sure that we could take today and tomorrow off. Jimmy Neutron is back at the shop today after being in Hawaii for a week, and Andre will be back on Saturday. That should make things a little easier.

Hilly Commute into Work

I had the luxury of riding into the shop on Wednesday morning. I decided to leave a little earlier than usual so that I could take a hillier route into work. I feel pretty darn lucky living in Sonoma County and having these roads to ride. I hadn't been up Burnside in quite a while, but I hadn't forgotten how incredible the views are from the top. I was happy to be descending down the steep side instead of climbing it.

We have a couple of employees on vacation this week, so things have been quite busy at the shop. I feel like I am working as fast as I can, but, as Claire pointed out yesterday, my work load doesn't seem to be getting any smaller. Claire and I had planned on going in early for a tandem ride before we open, but instead we will be heading in to try to catch up before a busy Saturday.

Back into the swing of things

Well, we are back in the routine of things. I rode in to the shop and home on Sunday. I had quite a headwind on the way home that evening, but I was in no hurry, so it was no big deal.

I was supposed to meet Rich on Channel Drive for a ride through Annadel on Monday, but we got our times mixed up and he showed up an hour after I did. I ended up going out by myself. Except for a flat tire, it was a terrific ride. It was a 23 mile loop that I would suggest to almost anyone, especially A1 and A2 (when he is up an running). I rode my 1FG, which is my Cannondale Single Speed.

Back from Utah

Well, we are back from Park City. I think that I am still trying to recover. The last night for us in Utah was a doozy. We ended up being out until almost 3 in the morning with some of the Cannondale people. Claire and I had to get up the next morning at 6 to fly out. We went to downtown Park City to a night club named Harry O's. It was a pretty interesting experience. The picture on the left is of Claire and I and our Cannondale Rep, Engin. The picture on the right was taken by one of the "go-go" dancers who was standing on a big platform. Claire took her picture first, and then the dancer offered to take Claire's picture. I am probably out on the dance floor at this point trying to keep track of my sandals.

I went out on Monday and rode my favorite loop through Willow Creek State Park. I raced myself on my Garmin. I ended up being about 2 minutes slower than my fastest time which had been in late Feb. It was nice and hot outside, which I really enjoyed. I could tell that I was tired right from the start, and even thought about cutting the loop a little short, but I persevered. I did have a flat tire on Box Springs Road, which is inside the state park. That was my first flat going down that pretty bumpy fire trail. It was actually a welcome break to sit down and patch the tube and relax for a couple of minutes.

I went up to Annadel last night with the Cannondale carbon Rize 1. I had the premonition that I might run into Rich S., and I did. Rich is a former employee at The Hub Cyclery, and a friend of ours. He just got his masters degree in Botany or something like that, so he is a smart guy. I ran into him after climbing Rough Go and Cobblestone. I actually had a pretty ridiculous fall on Cobblestone and was saved by my Camelbak. I was threading my way through a little rock garden on the climb, and I fell over. It wouldn't have been bad at all, but I just kept tumbling, and finally ended up slamming my back up against a giant boulder. I felt the impact through my Camelbak, which acted as a cushion. I broke the buckle on my Camelbak, but otherwise it came out unscathed. I had a couple of bruises here and there, but nothing else. The worst bruise was on my elbow, so when I was having a couple of beers at Third Street, it hurt to rest my elbow on the bar. Anyway, after I ran into Rich, he turned around and we headed back up to Live Oak and then to the top of Burma. He was on his single speed with about 50 mm of travel in his worn out front fork. I had forgotten what a great bike handler Rich is and he made it seem very easy weaving his way through all of the rocks. I thought I would include a little quote from Rich that describes him a bit. I was chatting about business and the such as we climbed, and then I mentioned that I didn't want to monopolize the conversation, and Rich said, "Go ahead, you are doing a good job of it." I think it was funnier in context. Here is a link to the loop.

Cannondale One20 Demo Ride

Claire and I took out a couple of 2010 Cannondale One20's. It was not one of our best rides. We got a little lost trying to find the singletrack, and then, after climbing all of the way to the very top of the loop, We realized that we were running a little bit short on time so we turned around. It was a wonderful singletrack descent through the trees back down. We made it back, and now we are getting ready to head down for Cannondale's cocktail hour and dinner. Here is a map of our ride.

Today we checked out the 2010 Cannondale clothing line and then their accessory line. They had a fashion show for us. I was impressed with some of the new chamois for 2010. We also talked about their custom clothing options. Both Claire and I are excited about getting some Hub clothing made up in the near future. They ended the meetings by going over some of their marketing strategies for this coming year. It really got everyone in the audience fired up.

2010 CAAD 9's

Here are a couple of pictures of the 2010 CAAD 9 road bikes. I am still riding a CAAD 8 bike and loving it, so we are excited about these. Our former Cannondale rep is now in charge of designing the road bike line, and I know that he always felt like Cannondale's aluminum road bikes were misunderstood. I personally have ridden almost every material there is for bike frames, and I love the snappiness of my aluminum Cannondale. Anyone with a history in the bike industry knows that you can make an aluminum bike frame ride many different ways just by changing the diameter of the tubing and the shape. Remember the old Vitus road bikes that road like wet noodles if you weighed more than 140 pounds? Anyway, here are some pictures...

Cannondale 2010 Product Launch

Well, it is the second day of our Cannondale weekend here in Park City, Utah. Yesterday we were listening to presentations from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. They did give us 1 hour for lunch. Our butts were pretty sore by the end. The 2010 lineup looks pretty exciting. They showed us some top secret stuff that I can't talk about until after July 4th. They also showed us a 12 pound SuperSix road bike that they had floating around held up by balloons.

After the meetings, we had the opportunity to take some of the bikes out. I hopped on a brand new 2010 SuperSix and went out for a 36 mile ride with some other folks. There was some rain threatening, but it never materialized. It was a great loop with a couple of nice long, gradual climbs. Here is a link to my ride. Except for the bars being a little high for me, it felt incredible. It was very, very responsive when I stood up and threw it back and forth a bit. Claire took out a 2010 Carbon Synapse for a ride.

We will be heading back down for some more meetings to discuss some clothing and accessories and then some marketing stuff. Claire and I are planning on taking out a couple of the RZ One20's for a ride. We have picked out a 12 mile loop that should be challenging. For 2010 Cannondale is doing a RZ One20 and a RZ One40.

Before lunch we ran into Tinker Juarez. Claire had had her picture taken with him about 7 years ago and we joked with him about getting another picture in 7 more years. He is quite an amazing guy who has been racing forever. I did hear him mentioning that he was going to have to go out on a longer training ride that afternoon because of the pasta they were serving up for lunch.