San Diego 300km

is on for Saturday Jan 31, 2009. It is a good route with lots of climbing in the back country of San Diego County.






Here is the report from last year.


Added a video from August 2008 Bikation. Yes I know it is a little late but I've been beeezy! LOL! Enjoy.

A weekend with a BH

Product Review here.

Hell's Gate Hundred!!

A new century in a remarkably beautiful place. AdventureCORPS puts on very well organized Ultra events such as the Furnace Creek 508 and the Badwater Ultramarathon. They also put on camps that help you "get away from it all"! Check them out!!!

From AdventureCORPS:


HELL'S GATE HUNDRED - NEW CENTURY RIDE ON APRIL 18!

We are pleased to announce Hell's Gate Hundred, a new AdventureCORPS century ride in Death Valley on Saturday, April 18. The route will visit locations and sights that are not visited in any other one-day cycling event in Death Valley National Park. We also plan to encourage all participants to attend a Ranger Program at the Furnace Creek Visitor's Center on Saturday evening, then hike Golden Canyon the following morning (unguided; not under our auspices). The ride will be similar in format to our Spring and Fall Century and Double Century bike rides, except with no 200-mile option and a new, different, unique route, PLUS a greater emphasis on enjoying what Death Valley has to offer off the bike.

Mark your calendars now; stay tuned for more information and the registration link! We hope you are as excited as we are!

Here is a preview slideshow of the route, with photos from CORPScamp Death Valley in February, 2008 and from our personal trip there in December, 2008:

Coincidence?

I've always notice this mile marker on Glendora Mountain Road. Yesterday I finally took a picture of it.

Furnace Creek 508 has been my goal event for the past three years. It is a race that has left a lasting impression on me.

My Son's chain was rusty...

Well since I couldn't ride we did a little bike maintenance.

On My Commute ...

A double shot of commute stuff for you.

If you look closely this guy is have a Lite beer. I'm quite sure if you look in the Coaster rules and regulations hmmm...drinking alcohol is not authorized. He must of had a hard day at the office. Let's also hope he's walking home from the train station otherwise he is getting behind the wheel of a car 10 minutes after finishing his beer. He was on the Coaster for all of 4 stops and back off. If he is walking good thing "It's less filling"







Bianca, my commuter, is almost 36 lbs.

That is all

San Diego 200km Brevet

MOST OF THEY DAY LOOKED LIKE THIS--- DARK CLOUDS AND RAIN



PICTURE AT THE FINISH

A huge thanks to my sponsors.

Sportquest for their Carbo1200 and CarboPro, Motor Tabs for their electrolyte tablets, Woolistic for their high quality Merino wool and Niterider for their lighting.


Well the 200km is in the bag. Brandy and I rode the tandem on a rainy and chilly 122 miles with about 7,000 feet of climbing. Only one flat and no major issues. I did notice I took in more calories than I ever have doing a 200km. I believe that is attributed to the cold weather and the extra calories the body needs to maintain the body core temperature.

I couldn't wait to get a nice hot meal and change into my Skins recovery tights.

The 200km marked the 6th ride on the tandem and our longest. We are considering doing the 300km on the tandem.

Huge thanks to Mike Berry the RBA and the rest of the volunteers that made this a great Brevet!

San Diego 200km Brevet tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday January 3, will be my first event of the year. Brandy and I will be doing the 200km on our tandem. Neither one of us put in the winter miles of base training this year. I had a fractured thumb and Brandy's work schedule changed. We are going into the event just looking to enjoy the precious time we have to ride together without any expectations on time.

Stater Brothers Road Trip

My son and I rode our bikes to get groceries at Stater Brothers. I hope that my son sees the bike as more than just a plaything but also as a means of conveyance. We often ride our bikes on errands of short distance from our home. My hope is that it will just seem natural for him to jump on the bike and get groceries and more. I made Chicken Teriyaki crockpot style.

VIDEO BELOW

Thank you Nathan Sports for helping me keep my son safe with the Flash Vest.

Christmas Day Century

Brandy had the idea (crazy idea yeah I said it) of going on a Christmas Day Century on our tandem. It had been raining all night and it was drizzling in the morning. I fought the idea as much as I could. I wanted to stay home snuggle and stay dry. But she can be pretty convincing and cute.

I dragged my feet long enough and we headed out just before 12pm. There was a light drizzle as we left the warmth and security of our home. We turned south on the Pacific Coast Hwy and then up San Joaquin Hills towards Newport Coast Dr. On our descent on Newport Coast Dr the rain was coming down. So less than 15 miles into the ride we were thoroughly soaked. I was cautious descending and kept it under 30 mph. We continued south on the coast towards Dana Point and then headed inland on Golden Lantern/Moulton Pkwy. There are a ton of rollers and they get your attention on the tandem. A few more turns here and there and then we were in Santiago Canyon.

From a distance, before making the turn that committed us to Santiago Canyon, I asked Brandy "Are you sure you want to go into those dark ominous clouds" and she said yes. Santiago Canyon wasn't too bad. But as we neared Silverado Canyon I asked again if she wanted to go into the dark clouds. She left it up to me. Later she confided in me that she left the Silverado Canyon decision up to me so she could blame me later. Cute huh?

I of course was thinking if we are already out here we might as well climb Silverado Canyon. On the climb up Silverado Canyon she makes the proclamation that she is LOVING THIS RIDE! Well a few minutes later the sky opened up with very heavy rain. The downpour was brief but long and heavy enough to thoroughly soak us again. As we descended Silverado Canyon she was no longer "loving this ride" and it was time to get home.

We had a couple of things to consider though. First I was having trouble shifting the front derailuer and getting the big chain ring was very difficult. We actually stopped and I manually put the chain on the big ring. We would ride home in the big ring the last ~30 miles. Second we had to make it home before our NiteRider Minewt Dual's battery would run out. We were wet, cold, hungry and psychologically done. It was time to hammer the last 25 miles home in the dark.

We made it home without incident. It sucked but I'm glad we did it. Our first century on the tandem is done. By the way, Brandy was not aware that after being soooo cold she should not take a hot shower to warm up. The itchy feeling she got was so painful she had a little freak out. So she learned another lesson. Cool water then lukewarm then hot when thawing out. The first lesson of course was when given the option of a nice warm cozy bed on a holiday take it. It's not so glamorous to spend 7 plus hours in the rain and cold when not racing.

Enjoy!!

DISCLAIMER: SO MUCH OF THE RIDE WAS NOT DOCUMENTED WITH PICTURES OR VIDEO BECAUSE OF THE RAIN!