I have been waiting three weeks, but now the weather is finally calming down and I get a chance to get rid of the excess fat that has been a real problem! I don’t fit anything any more – not even my biking gear!
Actually, frustrated by the protracted El Nino weather, I decided to join the local Y, whose spinning classes are famous. Of course it is a bit off season, now, since the nice and warm weather is about to start.
Continue readingIt has been an unseasonably wet april, the cruellest month for bikers. It’s been so bad that I gained 5 pounds of weight (3 of them PURE FAT!).
It was an odd day – cool and hazy, with a cover of high clouds that were thin enough to let the sun shimmer through, but not enough to burn off. Some smaller storm from the Aleutians, I would venture to guess.
I took Ti on a spin, heading first to Woodside. I wasn’t sure whether I was in the mood, but then I decided it was time to smell the forest and headed up Old La Honda. It went very well: after you know the road, it’s not difficult to pace yourself and make sure you have enough energy when you get to the top. For the first time, I used the stopwatch and clocked in at less than 23 minutes bottom to top. And since I felt like the king of the hill (and in dire need to lose some weight), I took the turn to the right and zapped first to La Honda, then again up to King’s Mountain Road. All in all about 3000 ft ascent – still only one third of what I’ll have to do to get to the top of Haleakala, but I am proud, nonetheless.
Continue readingThere has been a lot going on, in the last few monts… On the biking front, two main events:
1. Three major accidents. One was on my way home, on Foothill just past El Monte. A branch was sticking out into the bike lane, and I hit it while I was checking out my speed (28mph). The second one was a stupid slipping while riding in to work (and oddly enough, although I merely slipped on a railroad track, this one is the one that hurt the most). The third one was on Grant Road, while riding in to work. A nice nurse thought it would be wise to get a coffee before getting to work, and she cut right in front of me. As almost accidents go, this one was really ok. The lady came out of her slightly oversized Tahoe and was shaking all over. I ended up hugging her and telling her everything was alright.
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