A couple of good tandem rides

It is winter time, so time to go a little slower and be a little more adventurous.  Claire and I have been riding our tandem on road and off road for over 20 years, and we love to share that with other tandemist.  Last week we took out our friends Bill and Debbie and showed them a couple of our favorite roads around the West County.  Last Tuesday we started by parking in Duncans Mills and doing the Duncan Road/Old Caz loop.  This loop is the inner loop of the first Grasshopper Race out of Occidental which takes place in late January.  We were able to get across Austin Creek without getting our feet wet which was a first.  There have been times in the past where the water has been almost up to our waists.

Today we drove out to Point Reyes Station and did a 40 mile loop that included about 12 miles of dirt along the Bolinas Ridge.  It was a tough 40 miles taking almost 4 hours.  Bill and Debbie were very excited about the dirt, I think they are addicted now.  Here is a link to that loop.  By the end of the ride we were all pretty knackered.  At one point, about 5 miles from the finish, we could smell something burning, when Bill commented on the smell, Claire pointed out that it was just her legs.  We really missed having Aaron and Melinda along on both of these rides.

2012 Full Vineman

I'm looking for two individuals who are interested in participating in the 2012 Full Vineman Triathlon on July 28, 2012.  The Vineman offers a "3 for the price of 2" discount if people sign up together.  Instead of $350 per person, it would be $233 per person.  Please let me know before Dec. 31.  You can email me at shop@thehubcyclery.com.  Thank you for spreading the word.

Furnace Creek 508

We are just outside of the town of Mojave getting ready to head into California City. Our friend Debbie is doing it solo this year and we are crewing for her. We are at the 70 mile mark.



- Posted by Chaz

Just a little 47 miler out of Occidental

On paper this seemed like a pretty easy ride.  In retrospect, I should have known that if you have to climb Willow Creek Road, Coleman Valley Road, Bay Hill Road, and JOY Road, it is not going to be easy.  I had set up the course on my Garmin, and it had shown 2800 feet of climbing.  It ended up being 4200 feet of climbing, and that is after the initial very flat 20 miles.

Willow Creek Road

The day started off pleasantly enough with a late breakfast at Howard Station in Occidental.  We left from there and dropped down Bohemian Hwy. and headed out towards Jenner.  We did the first 20 miles in under an hour and that was taking it easy.  That was when the real fun started.  Willow Creek Road was a little wet in sections, but beautiful as ever.  We cleaned the two sisters, slow but steady.  Coleman Valley Road was B-E-A-utiful with awesome views of the ocean from the top.  We stopped at one of these lookouts and shared Claire's leftover buttermilk biscuit with some jam on it before plummeting down to Hwy. 1.  Bay Hill Road was a doozy.  I won't bore you with the rest, but suffice to say that Joy Road seems to get steeper every time we do it.  Luckily we got to almost coast the rest of the way back to the car after that.

Half Moon Bay Loop

Descending Pescadero Road
(A1 & Melinda are up ahead)

This was a fantastic loop that Claire came up with. We were joined by Jimmy Neutron, Aaron, and Melinda. It was not the warmest of days, but the sun was shining almost the entire time. After heading down hwy. 1 for about 8 miles, we turned on Stage Road. I would have to rate Stage Road as one if the nicest stretches of pavement I have ever ridden on, at least in the top 20.

Jimmy Neutron

The ride ended up being almost exactly 62 miles with around 6200 feet of climbing. That is the perfect formula for a bike ride, 100 feet of climbing per mile. I would strongly recommend this loop, it was worth the drive to Half Moon Bay.

We CONSUMED DEVOURED a loaf of artichoke/herb bread in Pescadero

Saturday evening run at Annadel

Saturday evening run at Annadel 

Claire kept us motivated after a day at the shop.  I was ready to head home and make some pizza and drink a couple of homebrews, which we eventually did, but Claire got us up there for an hour.  Beautiful evening, and except for the fact that only 1 person out of 15 said "hi" to me after I greeted them on the trail, it was a great run.  Seems like they have been smoothing out Rough Go trail a tiny bit.  That is a great trail to run up, but running down Cobblestone was a bit of a challenge.  I felt pretty good considering I hadn't run in quite a while.  Not to much soreness the next morning.

A little before work ride.

Lefty Guts

Claire, Aaron, and I went out for this little loop before work this morning.  This is one of our old favorites that we hadn't done in a couple of years.  Sonoma Mountain Road hasn't changed very much over the years, which is a good thing.  I love the bumpiness and the narrow roads.  Here is a link to the loop.

Bogg's 8 hour race (reduced to 7)

Bogg's 8 hour race (reduced to 7) by hubster43 at Garmin Connect - Details

I know thus happened quite awhile ago, but better late than never. I did this race on my Cannondale Singlespeed 29'er. I had no expectations what-so-ever, so I was pleasantly happy with how things went. It ended up being a 4 mile loop on fire trails, which was pretty repetitive by the end. Claire came out and fed me some good food during the ride. I think she was hoping for a relaxing day, but since I came through every 20 minutes or so, she was up and down all day long. By the end I was pretty knackered.

Eureka Canyon Loop

Eureka Canyon Loop by hubster43 at Garmin Connect - Details

Claire and I did this loop on our tandem. Claire came up with a slightly different way of making our way over to eureka canyon which made the loop better than last time.

Eureka Canyon/Bear Creek/Jamison Creek/Empire Grade

Eurika Canyon/Bear Creek/Jamison Creek/Empire Grade by hubster43 at Garmin Connect - Details

I went out on my own for this 70 miler. With 7200 feet of climbing, it was a nice little challenge. Jamison Creek Road was quite steep for what it is worth.

Tandem Ride up Bonny Doon Road

Tandem Ride up Bonny Doon Road by hubster43 at Garmin Connect - Details

Claire and I battled a little bit of a headwind on the ride up highway 1 before we climbed Bonny Doon Road. We also got to do Ice Cream Grade Road which I haven't been on in almost 14 years.

A couple of days off

Climbing the 30% grade up to Islands in the Sky

We did an "interesting loop" on Monday.  It was A1's design with some input from Claire and I.  We parked in Guerneville and headed West on 116.  We turned up Old Monte Rio Road in order to get off the highway, and after having to walk around some road construction, we headed out towards Duncans Mills and Willow Creek State Park.  After entering the park, we climbed up the main fire road that takes you to the top of the park.  It is very, very steep and was slow going on the tandems.  After getting to the top we rode the ridge before dropping down some cool single track and hitting Willow Creek Road.  We ended the ride by going over Green Valley Road and over Mayes Canyon.  It was only 30 miles, but a hilly, muddy 30 miles. 

A1 and Melinda in Willow Creek State Park

Before

After

On Tuesday I finished a little garden cart project that I had been working on for a week or so.  Most of the time was spent just waiting for the paint to dry.

A couple of good rides

A1 and Melinda fixing a flat

Out on Chalk Hill Road

With the break in the weather, we had the opportunity to get out on a couple of very different rides.  On Monday, A1 and Melinda met us at the corner of Old Redwood Hwy. and Mark West Springs Road for a mellow 40 miler.  Some of us had been off of our bikes for a while, so we wanted something not too challenging, but adventurous at the same time.  Well, I picked out a great loop, thank you very much.  The weather cooperated with just a couple very tiny sprinkles from time to time.  After the ride we feasted on soft tacos at Taqueria El Sombrero #2 on Piner Road.

This hairstyle is making a comeback. 

My bike after the ride.

On Tuesday, Claire suggested that I go out and test myself on my single speed mountain bike since I have the 8 hour race at Boggs coming up in a month.  Well, I did just that.  I ended up with 45 miles up in Annadel in almost exactly 5 hours.  I did the same loop twice and hurt pretty good on the second loop.  I was cramping a tiny bit in the legs and a little more than a tiny bit in my triceps.  Luckily, I have small triceps so it didn't hurt very bad.  It was good and muddy in some sections of the park, and after trying to dodge those on the first loop, I was too tired to steer around them on the second loop.  Here is a link to my ride.  A funny thing did happen at the end of the ride.  Right when I stopped and leaned my bike up against the bus, I heard a hissing sound and my rear tire went flat.  I was pretty much totally knackered at that point and was extremely glad that I wasn't still out on the trail trying to fix it.

My legs

A great 36 miler down the coast

Top of Bay Hill Road

After spending 7 hours pruning fruit trees on Monday, Claire and I decided that we needed to get out and enjoy some sunshine on Tuesday.  We picked out a great loop leaving from Monte Rio.  We were leaving ourselves the option of heading over Joy Road after going through the town of Bodega, but decided against it after suffering up Bay Hill Road.  We both were very tired from the previous day, and I think that I was still recovering from my race on Saturday.  My average heart rate was only 124 with a high of 162.  During the 70 mile race on Saturday, my average heart rate had been 162.  If it wasn't for the great company and the sunshine, I would have been suffering even more.  We did have a pretty good tail wind heading down the coast.

Heading down Hwy. 1

My favorite sled

- Posted by Chaz

Grasshopper #2 Fort Ross

Well, I went out and did the second Grasshopper on Saturday.  It was nice and chilly, but I had dressed for it with my magic Cannondale Jacket and my big, blue gloves.  My feet were ice cold, but by the end of the ride I had gotten used to that.  It was definitely a smaller field than the first Grasshopper which I can only assume was from the very cold and slightly damp conditions.  Or maybe it was the description of the ride which listed a number of very steep climbs on it.  Anyway, having only one bike ride under my belt during the previous two weeks, I felt well rested and ready to go.

As we coasted down Bohemian Hwy., I was sitting nicely in the middle of the pack enjoying the gentle spray of ice cold water off of the tires in front of me.  The start of this race is definitely interesting in that you end up coasting quite a bit during the first couple of miles, or at least that is supposed to be what happens.  Luck was with me that morning and I managed to hit a giant pothole right at the town of Camp Meeker.  Both of my water bottles flew out of their cages and I felt like my front wheel was going to break in half.  I was able to exit the pack and cross the road to rummage through the underbrush for my bottles.  They were easily found, and my wheel was nice and straight.  Good old hand built wheels and 28mm tires.  The tricky part was that now I had to do a little chasing down the road.  Not what I had been planning, but definitely a nice warmer upper.  I caught the back of what I thought was the pack, but there had been a split in the middle, so I had to do a little effort to bridge the gap up to the front pack.  I don't think it cost me much for the day, but I knew that I didn't have a lot in my bank account for the race.  Most of the ride into Cazadero was pretty uneventful from their.

When we hit our first climb up Fort Ross Road, I bid the front pack a fond farewell, and let myself drift backwards at my own pace up the climb.  It was going to be a long, long day, and I knew that I needed to save something up for the latter part of the race.  I got sprinkled on a tiny bit as we climbed Fort Ross Road, but not enough to make me too wet, just enough to keep the road wet.  The drop down Meyer's Grade was a little less fun than usual because of the wet roads, but still quite a scream.

From Hwy. 1 (the PCH for A1), we turned up Willow Creek which, as I have mentioned many times, is one of the best climbs in the county.  The road was wet and muddy and bumpy and what more could you ask for it a climb.  Oh, yea, there are no cars on the road.  I had a tiny bit of cramping happening on the steeper sections of Willow Creek, but nothing too bad.  I grabbed some GU and water at the top and made a right hand turn onto Coleman Valley Road.  I was surprised that I had no inclinations to turn left, which would have dropped me right down to the Hub Bus.

The rest of the "race" was just a survival sort of ride.  My plan of pacing myself over the first couple of climbs seemed to be paying off as I caught and passed some folks as they were trying to work cramps out of their legs.  The climb over Bay Hill Road went well with no cramping.  The final climb, Joy Road, was the butt kicker.  I was with a group of around 5 guys when we hit the bottom of the climb and as both of my thighs cramped, I figured that I would just get dropped off, but they were in the same boat, and we all stayed pretty much together.  I do wish that I had a little easier gearing on climbs like that, or maybe that I had eaten less cupcakes.

Here is a link to the course.

Willow Creek State Park Loop on a rainy day

I got the chance to go out and do my favorite loop yesterday.  It was a nice, drizzly day with some decent rain by the end of the ride.  I was racing my best time from a couple of years ago, and was 50 feet ahead when I hit the entrance to Willow Creek State Park.  But, alas, that entrance had been fenced off, so I had to drop down Willow Creek Road until I found another entrance.  It ended up being some nice singletrack up the side of the hill.  That part ended up sending me off course, so the race was over.  The new route was a nice addition to the ride and I am looking forward to doing this loop in the future.

A couple of runs in Belen, NM

We have been down in Belen, NM for a couple of days visiting my grandparents.  They just celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary and they are both 97 years old.  I was able to get out on a couple of runs while we were here.  The first run was 7.5 miles and I just found a flat, dirt road that headed out into the desert.  It was below freezing out there and I was in my shorts and a long sleeve running shirt.  It was all fine and dandy until I turned around at the half way point.  At that point I realized that I had been running with a nice tailwind at my back.  The run back home was cold and a little slower.  I got some pretty funny looks from some of the locals as I ran down the road.  One guy in a giant bulldozer went  by shaking his head pretty good.  I don't think I blamed him.  The second run was a 10 miler which was much more imaginative.  I ran down to a drainage road for quite a while before hitting the Rio Grande River.  I then ran up the river until I couldn't go any further because it was blocked my bushes and the such.  I felt great on both runs except for being a little cold by the ends.

The Rio Grande

How lucky we are

Looking out over the mountains at Royal Gorge

 We drove up to Donner Lake on Saturday night for a day of cross country skiing on Sunday.  We were very, very lucky with the weather since it hadn't snowed in weeks and things were looking bleak, but we got 8 inches of snow Saturday night and had a perfect day of skiing.  I chose to skate while Claire, Greg, and Cheri strided.  Here is a link to my skating. 

The next morning, Monday,  Claire and I got up at 4:30 in the morning and drove back to Sonoma County for A1's birthday ride.  Aaron had chosen a loop over Sweetwater and up to the top of Mill Creek Road and back.  It ended up being around 52 miles long with plenty of climbing.  We started the ride with 8 people and ended up climbing Mill Creek with 6 people.   For those of you who haven't climbed Mill Creek, it is a dead end road that climbs up around 10 miles from Westside Road outside of Healdsburg.  For the most part the climb is pretty gradual until the final mile or so.  This part is referred  to as "The Ladder" and pitches upwards at over 20% for most of it.  I had only been to the top once before, and most of the others hadn't been up there before.  It was definitely a grunt at the end.

The top of Mill Creek (after climbing The Ladder)
Paul is taking the picture so you can't see him.

Old Caz Grasshopper (again)

So, I had an impromptu day off on Thursday and decided to do the Grasshopper loop on my single bike.  After having a great breakfast with Claire at Howard Station in Occidental, I took off at exactly 10:00 for my ride.  My main focus was to not push myself to much so that I would have plenty left over for the climb up Willow Creek at the end, and the 15 mile ride home after that.

Well, the plan worked perfect until the final climb up Willow Creek where I decided that I wanted to try to meet a finishing goal.  What a weird concept, the entire ride I'm not worried about my time, and then with 10 miles to go, I pick an arbitrary time and make it a do or die situation to beat that time.  Anyway, my arbitrary time was 3 hours and 45 minutes, and I beat it by 15 seconds.  Hurray, I think.  I was in a world of hurt on that final climb.  For most of the ride I had been keeping my heart rate under 160, but for the final climb I was hitting almost 190.  To make a long story short, I felt much better than I expected I would and the ride home afterwards wasn't even that bad.  And no cramping!!!

Here is a link to my loop.  The first lap is the Grasshoppper loop and the second lap is the ride home afterwards.  I did end up with enough energy to make some taco pizza for dinner, which I thought was great, but Claire wasn't quite as excited about it.

Oh, yea, I almost forgot.  Claire and I went up to Annadel on Wednesday and I got to ride my new Cannondale single speed 29'er.  It was a beautiful evening and we saw plenty of other folks up in the park enjoying the park.  Here is a picture of Claire riding off into the sunset.

Old Caz Grasshopper

We raced the Grasshopper this last Saturday.  There were 7 Hubsters out there at the start out of 245 racers.  That means that we made up almost 3% of the field.  Quite a showing.  Lets see if I can remember everyone.  From left to right...Claire, Handsome Jeff, Troy, Melinda, A1, Chaz, and Eric the Fireman.  Here is a link to the loop.  Claire and I were on a tandem as well as A1 and Melinda.  For those of you who aren't familiar with this race, it is considered a "cross" race since about a quarter of it is on dirt.  It ended up being just a little over 50 miles long and had 5000 feet of climbing.

Waiting for the start

This year the race started out by heading up Coleman Valley Road.  There is nothing like a race that starts with a 10 yard warm-up before turning up a 15% grade and climbing around a 1000 feet.  Needless to say, we were separated from most of the solo bikes by the time we started heading down Willow Creek Road.  We had plenty of encouragement from the solo riders as we were heading up the climb.

By the time we hit the coast and started heading back inland for the rest of the race, the pack of racers had thinned out.  The solo Hubsters were up ahead somewhere, but the two tandems were sticking together.  We worked together like a finely oiled machine on the flats and ate up the climbs like a thinly sliced piece of chocolate cake.  

In the shadows on Willow Creek

The final climb up Willow Creek was a doozy with plenty of cramping going on.  Claire, much to my dismay, decided that we needed to stay on the bike for the "two sisters", which are a couple of very steep pitches on Willow Creek that leave plenty of riders lying on their sides or walking.  We cleaned them.

We finished in fine spirits at the top of the climb and then coasted into Occidental after having to fix a front flat on our tandem.

Claire and I rushed home, showered, and then met some friends for a night out in San Fran.  We didn't get home until almost 2 in the morning after seeing the Old 97's in concert.  Needless to say, we were a little tired the next day at the shop.

A1 and Melinda before the start

Aaron and Melinda finishing at the Old Caz Grasshopper

A beautiful ride through wine country

Well, this Monday's ride was terrific.  It was the first time this year that we got to ride in shorts and short sleeve jerseys.  It was a great group.  The ride turned out to be 55 miles and we averaged right around 18 mph.  This was one of our last rides before we race the Grasshopper this coming Saturday.  Claire and I will be on our Ibis tandem and Aaron and Melinda will be on their Cannondale RT1000.  They have it set up REALLY cool with 26" wheels for off-road and 700c wheels for the road.