Cycling General on Marco's Blog

Your First Mountain Biking Experience

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Some people get into mountain biking because they have a death wish; some others because it’s cool. For me, it was oddly that road biking had become too unsafe after I moved to Colorado. I had been road biking for decades, in one year racking up over 7000 miles on my bike. Then I moved to San Diego and car culture became synonymous with road rage, but I had surfing as a distraction from cycling. When I moved to Denver, the snow season was too short to fill my year and I needed something new, but I heard horrible things about accidents involving cyclists and motorists.

ALC Training Ride

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 07:17:18 +0000

{moszoomimglink:Sausalito}My friends Stephen and James decided they would go to the AIDS LifeCycle ride this year again, and are getting all their friends to help out, or join. After a little bit of prodding, and after a very positive weather forecast, I finally agreed to join them for their Sunday training ride.

I thought it was just going to be a bunch of guys from spinning class, but it turned out to be a major training ride for the whole San Francisco contingent of ALC. So, while I was puzzled as to why we would want to meet at 6:45 for a ride that wouldn’t start until 7:30, it all made sense once I saw the about 200 riders congregate.

Escape from Alcatraz

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 26 Feb 2005 15:45:02 +0000

{moszoomimglink:dynamism}Somehow ever since Louie told me he liked ‘Escape from Alcatraz’, I had a fondness for the men and women who attempt this gruesome race. You have to swim from Alcatraz to Baker Beach (don’t forget the white sharks on the way!), then cycle around the Presidio forever, and finally run up and down the cliffs.

Not a fun thing to do, if you ask me. But quite a few people like it, and I happened to stumble across them on a Sunday ride to Marin. I was wondering why I wasn’t allowed to park at the Bridge, until the friendly park ranger told me Escape from Alcatraz was on. I stopped and took a few pics, and reminded myself I had to be better prepared next year.

Riding in Marin

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Tue, 08 Jun 2004 05:07:00 +0000

Moving to the City did one big thing for me: it gave me a social life.

Sounds odd, doesn’t it? What kind of difference could that be? And yet, I find that people up here are more approachable than down there, especially when it comes to cycling.

I will ride on my own, and all of a sudden someone else will be by my side and chat. At first I thought of it as an isolated event, but then I realized it happens pretty much all the time: if someone is riding at close to your pace and doesn’t have anything else to do, (usually) he (and rarely she) will chat.

Alpine Loop (via Mt. Tam)

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 06 Jun 2004 06:35:00 +0000

Again, another ride that is worth doing. Especially under the circumstances.

I was riding out around 10a on Memorial Day. A very warm and nice day, with a lot of people around. A nasty and annoying guy had placed himself right in front of me, and resisted all attempts to pass him in the crowd by either pushing me to the side or accelerating to get in front of me and then falling behind because he had lost all energy.

Point Reyes Express Try 1

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 06 Jun 2004 06:25:00 +0000

So it was time to try it out. Point Reyes Express is the North Bay equivalent of the Spectrum ride, and I just felt I had to try it out.

The route is fairly simple, but much harder than Spectrum. Basically you can join either from the city (leaving at about 8:00a from the bridge) or in San Anselmo at the Coffee Roasters. The group is much more friendly than at Spectrum, but the guys are better equipped for the much longer and much tougher ride.

Rodeo Beach

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 25 Apr 2004 18:41:00 +0000

You can actually turn left after getting all the way down from Conzelman road. Right gets you back – either up Conzelman, or through the tunnel back to the bridge.

This time I went for left and ended up on Rodeo Beach. It was an interesting mix of surfers, families and mountain bikers trying to conquer the hills heading towards Mt. Tam. I didn’t stay for long, but it made me curious.

Olema

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 24 Apr 2004 18:40:00 +0000

This one was an epic ride! No pictures, since the new camera is going to come in next week.

I started as usual at Battery East and crossed the bridge. It was an unusually nice day, and I was in a really startling good mood. I decided to try Panoramic Highway again, since it had been so much fun on the first try. I crossed again at Miller Avenue and followed Monfort to the top. I chatted with someone all the way up, until he confessed he needed a break.

April Showers

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 17 Apr 2004 17:04:00 +0000

Stress being stress, I decided to take at least the weekend ride somewhat less seriously and decided to go for the Paradise loop. In case you didn’t know, that’s one of the most famous rides in the North Bay / Marin, so I’ll give you my first hand account.

I started, as usual, by parking the car at the East Battery parking lot. A tourist next to me held her door open for about five minutes, until I complained and she moved on, not really apologetic. Cross the bridge, and behold the clouds forming. It was not a good feeling, but I really didn’t care too much. Tiburon, the final destination, looked fine.

Check This Out

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 11 Apr 2004 07:45:00 +0000

I would write more, but it would be a duplicate. Try the ride description!

Summit Avenue

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 04 Apr 2004 07:32:00 +0000

I took the car all the way to the Presidio to avoid riding in the City, then specialized on the Marin part of the ride.

There was a lot going on. People were flocking out of the city on what looked like a gorgeous morning, and getting through Sausalito was a pain.

The goal was a run-up to Mt. Tam. Since it looms high above the valley and is highly visible from virtually anywhere, I thought it shouldn’t be hard to get to it. I packed the Bay Trail maps to make sure things would work out.

Bay Trail & Divisadero

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 29 Mar 2004 05:40:00 +0000

I tried something different and took the Bay Trail today. It winds through Sausalito, then out around the Bay. It eventually must circle around the Tiburon peninsula, but I had no time to check it out.

I was early, but I saw a lot of cyclists. It is the most convenient way to get to Mt. Tam and the Point Reyes area, for sure, so I was not surprised to see a lot of bikers GATHERING there. They would then follow the trail to the North and somewhere cross over to Highway 1. I must do that, too, if one of the next few Saturdays is nice.

Bidding on eBay

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 27 Mar 2004 18:55:00 +0000

To each his vice. Mine are skinsuits. I find them much more convenient than any other cycling stuff, especially because they are pretty much the only thing that doesn’t double the fabric just right where you don’t need it, anyway: the mid section. Besides, they look good, no matter what you think.

Turns out that new skinsuits are prohibitively expensive. $150, sometimes. But there is an exceedingly good aftermarket on eBay. I just won a Castelli skinsuit for $20.50, and I am chasing a Voler for $43 currently, with 4 minutes left. But the Grand Prize is the Castelli Lemond skinsuit that is going to run out of time tomorrow at 6:30 PM. Right when I am supposed to be on a date.

Sunday Was So Sunny

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 15 Mar 2004 20:51:00 +0000

Ok, this Sunday beat them all. It topped a long week of sunny, sunny days, with quite the detrimental effect on my work ethics. And it should have been the first cooler day. Turned out not to be true.

I had a nice brunch with friends in the Castro, and then moved on across the bridge, then up Conzelman, down Point Bonita, and then up Mc… something again. It was a lot of fun, although the Sunday crowd doesn’t even remotely compare to Saturdays. On the bridge, the gawkers would stop in the middle of the ride and force all of us to stop abruptly, and then they would run right into oncoming traffic.

Marin Headlands

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 07 Mar 2004 21:44:00 +0000

So this is what a wonderful sunny day looks like…

I headed out around 10a. A Porsche almost killed me while trying to pass a car that was turning left at an intersection, but from there on things were easy. I took the usual route to the bridge (see below), crossed it and got to the top of Conzelman. Of course, now that I am used to OLH, Conzelman is a warmup and no more. But it was fun, nonetheless. Plus, on the way down I met a guy that would sort things out on the bridge. Really good biker, he would lead me fearlessly through the traffic and play cop for me. Well, Mr. Cofidis jersey, here is one guy that has a high opinion of you!

Spring!

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 06 Mar 2004 17:19:00 +0000

It’s official: this is the first weekend of the new spring. It’s been fun: I drove out from the city to the gym first, worked out a little bit, and then hit the road, following on the path of Spectrum. I met them up on Canada road. It was by far the largest group I have ever seen, probably over one hundred bikers. Pudgy all of them, just like me! 🙂

Working out and Traveling - Spinning

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Tue, 02 Mar 2004 16:50:00 +0000

Each day in a different spot. That’s the deal right now. One wishes it were easier to get bikes shipped around. Instead, all I can do is a bit of treadmill and stationary bike. Neither feels like the real thing.

I confess I haven’t been on the saddle in a long while. I moved, which drained a lot of time; the weather has been bad beyond normal; I moved over to more indoors exercise. Not yet at the point where I would join a spinning class. Close enough, though.

Mimosa

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 31 Jan 2004 19:56:00 +0000

What a beautiful day!

It was sunny, and it was warm for a winter day. Spectrum was a huge ride, and everyone that owned a bike seemed to be on Foothill Expressway. Well, except for me, who was stuck in a car going to the gym and then to pack for my upcoming move.

The acacias are in full bloom. What a wonderful sight, what a marvelous smell!

Broken Shifter

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 25 Jan 2004 20:14:00 +0000

Not too long ago, the left shifting cable broke. Now, they always break at the top, in the shifter, just to make your life more miserable. You have to get rid of the barrel that hold the cable in place, and unstick it from wherever it decided to go.

The left one was fun. I didn’t know shit about shifters, and I unscrewed everything that was unscrewable. And all of a sudden a loud POP, and the front cap of the shifter was gone. I labored for days, checked web site, asked on bbs-s. But everybody told me just to buy a new one. I went to PerformanceBike, and they shocked me with $300.

First Sunny Day of the Year

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 10 Jan 2004 19:21:00 +0000

Saturday. Weird mood, with a strange fog hanging over the Valley.

I had met the founder of one of the most successful startups in town yesterday. Athletic triathlete, a 17 on OLH. (If you don’t know what that means, it’s 17 minutes up Old La Honda). He inspired me to get up and get riding.

First a ride to the coffee shop on Hollenbeck and Homestead. There I saw the Spectrum group departure location for the first time. It was a small crowd, actually, and it more than doubles on its way to Arastradero.

Dark Is the Winter

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Thu, 08 Jan 2004 05:49:00 +0000

Haven’t been able to ride much lately. It has been raining a lot, and when it wasn’t raining, I was working.

Sunday I ventured a ride. Not much of it, just up and down Foothill Expressway, dreaming of the spring and my next climb of OLH. Maybe this year I can break the 20 minutes.

Sunny Weekend

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 28 Dec 2003 14:55:00 +0000

Yes, they do exist! The sunny winter weekends!

This one was particularly nice, albeit freezing cold. I skipped the Saturday ride (too lazy) but got to see the huge bunch of Spectrum riders on my way back from the gym. And today, Sunday, I dismissed the tiredness of the guy that has been working (on Saturday) until 4 AM in favor of a short ride up and down Foothill.

It was fun. All the old guys are out, and it’s a waving fest at every intersection. It feels like after a war, when you crawl out of the bunker and greet everybody that is still alive – the rain kills many a biker’s eagerness after a long season.

Long Time No See

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Fri, 26 Dec 2003 06:14:00 +0000

Wow! It’s been a really long time since I last went on a ride!

It’s California winter, right now. In case you haven’t read “Guns, Germs and Steel”, this means it’s raining incessantly, and has been doing so since I started my new job, beginning of december.

New gym has new classes, and if I am lucky, I’ll be able to do some of the spinning there. They are very proud of their instructors and equipment, and I fear I have been scared by last year’s fall too badly to go in the rain again. These thin racing tires are really not good for slick roads, and California roads are clearly not made for the winter.

Bad Weather

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 06:42:00 +0000

New job, and the ardent desire to test the new route – but rain will prevent me and I’ll have to drive, much to my displeasure.

This means a new chapter in my life is starting, and as usual things are going to be a little chaotic in the beginning. I’ll have to move out of this place, too, and soon. I am already looking at new sites, and finally I’ll make the step and move to the city again. I am aiming for the South of Market area, as far down as 25th Street.

Maui for Bikers

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 24 Nov 2003 17:09:00 +0000

I am always surprised at how biker friendly Maui has become. There are the almost ubiquitous bike lanes, the only ones I know that have explicit ‘Yield’ signs for cars turning right. The average speed limit is absurdly low (20 in towns, 45 on the fastest highway you can share) and some of the rides are really worth your money. Take the Hana coast ride, for instance, with its world class views (and the hidden 7000 ft ascent). Take the wonderful ride around the West Coast.

Haleakala Ride

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 24 Nov 2003 17:06:00 +0000

Was it worth it? Going up Haleakala in one day, 10,000 ft ascent from sea level, from the ocean to the top of the world?

Well, depends… It was a dream of mine, one of the most famous descents in the world, an adventure like no other.

From a biking perspective, it was less of an achievement than I thought it would be. Every time I do Old La Honda I am humbled; this time, I wasn’t. Should have pushed harder, but I was taught that having your gear with you makes all the difference.

Rain

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 08 Nov 2003 06:57:00 +0000

Looks like the chill of fall has given way to the rain of winter. It has been dark and cloudy all week, now, and I stopped riding to work entirely for the moment. Who knows when it’ll get nice again.

I am leaving work and will be commuting twice as far, now. Instead of a half hour, it’s going to be more like a full hour to get there. I won’t be able to do that every day; there must be a life besides work and biking somewhere!

Completed Spectrum

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 02 Nov 2003 06:50:00 +0000

Finally, I made it all the way through Spectrum!

Well, kinda… I was getting cold at the meeting point, so I decided to start on my own and to let me get caught up. I had started to doubt they keep to the route, so it was to no surprise that I hadn’t seen them all the way to Canada. But I was pretty sure that I had taken the usual route:

YAF - Yet Another Flat

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 25 Oct 2003 13:58:00 +0000

Guess what? On Saturday morning, of all days, I get hit by a tack on the bike lane. She was hiding on the smooth surface of Foothill while I was riding back to catch up (or down?) with Spectrum.

At first, it didn’t sound bad: she hit me while I was staring to the side, and all I heard was a repeated whacking, as if a leaf had been caught in the brakes. Then I saw the whitish grey think stare at me on each revolution of the wheel. Conscientiously, I slowed down (after making sure nobody was around) and look at her: big, fat, painted white, she must have jumped out of a piece of plywood on the bed of a truck.

Fall in Full Swing - New Clothes Needed!

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 11 Oct 2003 17:02:00 +0000

Today we had an annual rite in this little humble abode: we turned on the furnace for the first time this year. It is officially cold!

Gone are the days of easy slumber and bare feet on the stone floors, gone are the lazy evenings at the pool, and gone are the bike rides in nothing but skinsuit. Now it’s time for new gear!

Slow Sunday

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 05 Oct 2003 13:05:00 +0000

I am so embarrassed! I made it all the way to the end of Canada and back, passing the Stanford group twice – but I was tired all the way. Maybe it was yesterday’s chasing after the Spectrum ride, maybe I am turning sick – I barely made the 19 average on my way home! I even had to stop at Stanford to just eat something. I was so starved that I needed a kick of sorts.

Spectrum Again!!!

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 04 Oct 2003 19:00:00 +0000

This time I joined them for real! I even waited for a good twenty minutes at Edith, with two guys that couldn’t have been frostier.

It was officially the first fall ride. In the sense that I had to don the longjohns, which made me quite unhappy. But I rode with them all the way to Alpine and Arastradero. I had decided not to push it and ride behind, which was quite a stupid idea, because all the catastrophes ended up having only two witnesses: me and my brakes.

San Francisco Grand Prix

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 14 Sep 2003 08:09:00 +0000

Ok, it’s late, but I am about to leave to get to the Grand Prix. Jim, a colleague of mine and apparently a quite good cyclist with AV, is there and invited me to join him. I will see to it that I get my camera with me, hoping to be able to stand somewhere on Fillmore and take pics of the pack.

Too bad I have to ride my bike to get there… But maybe I can manage to get to the beach, too!

Spectrum

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 14 Sep 2003 08:07:00 +0000

Well, I finally managed to join the Spectrum ride. Of course I did so in my very own special way, having lost them at Arastradero. Somehow I managed to spend too much time in line for coffee at Peet’s in Los Altos, checking out new bikes and bikers from Alto Velo and Lombardi. Both clubs gather there before heading out to their own rides, and it’s fun to see all those bikers in their color-matched outfits. Sad that the teams don’t talk to each other, though.

Another Flat

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 30 Aug 2003 19:33:00 +0000

Slow day, not the wonderful Saturday ride I had envisioned. I missed Spectrum again, saw them on Canada and lost them. I am really barely able to keep up with those guys!

Then, on a shorter evening ride, a flat. This one was particularly annoying: a nail that punched right straight through the tire. It stuck so deep it took me a lot of convincing to get it out. Remnant of the work they are doing at the intersection of Arastradero and Foothill.

Spectrum Ride

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 23 Aug 2003 12:19:00 +0000

Another wonderful Saturday morning, and the first time I tried to get into the Spectrum ride. It’s been three weeks, now, that some Spectrum rider tells me I should join them, so I tried. Of course, I got delayed by something irrelevant (this time the discovery of friendster, the newest dating site that features degrees of separation. Check it out, I think the concept is one of the best around!

Well, in any case, I got there too late to join the group. I saw them in the distance, but lost them at Arastradero. They must have turned left where I went straight. Didn’t see them at all from there on, but hit another two groups. With my trying to chase Spectrum and by virtue of having to chase the other two groups, I clocked in really nicely. You can check it on the bike log, but I think I made 57 minutes to Canada, and 53 coming back! Much better than last week, where I barely made 1:02 and 59!!!

In Season

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Fri, 15 Aug 2003 21:27:00 +0000

Looks like the season is in full swing… I am riding to work every day, and there are more and more bikers that I greet every morning. One skinny guy from Webcor/AV rides against my direction towards Foothill and is as reliable as a clockwork: if I meet him after El Camino, I am fine – otherwise I am late.

Of course, this can mean only one thing: it is about time to start thinking about my trip to Hawai’i at the end of next month. I think I will take Bianchi with me, I don’t trust the airline with Ti. Will have to get the old goose up and running again, it has been faithfully waiting for me for over a year now.

The Ring of Fire

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Tue, 12 Aug 2003 06:37:00 +0000

If you go to Palo Alto Cycle’s web site, you’ll find a list of rides in the area. The first one (at this press time) was called the “Ring of Fire”. Sounded interesting, and it was about around the area that I peruse anyway.

I left home and rode peacefully on Foothill to El Monte. A sharp left turn there and I was on my way up Moody Road. Ah! Moody! A virtually flat ride all the way, I had thought of it as a short cut while trying to conquer Page Mill Road (another Ring of Fire thing). I knew it by heart by now, and I surely was glad that’s where I would start the Ring.

End of Commuter Month

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 02 Aug 2003 08:24:00 +0000

More successful at collecting food stamps than at spending them, I ended up giving the last four away. I had been riding every single day, although I forgot to turn on the bike computer half the time. In the end, it worked me out and it was fun. California in the summer is really a blast, and riding home at night still occurs at daylight.

My colleagues that left for the Tour are back, proud of having mastered Alpe d’Huez and Mont Ventoux. Lucky them! The only hill I did in the last weeks was probably Golden Oak, and I am turning into quite the slob.

Lunch Cards

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Thu, 10 Jul 2003 06:53:00 +0000

My company came up with something smart: for the month of July, every ‘alternative commuter’ will receive a coupon to be redeemed at the cafeteria, covering lunch. Initially, only carpoolers would benefit, but then the other alts complained and the program was extended.

Now, of course, each morning I fight my own cheapness instead of my laziness, and it’s nice to be on the winning side!

Try

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 07 Jul 2003 06:51:00 +0000

Ok, now I am sick of this fat Marco thing. I decided I am going to lose weight, and you invisible readers are going to help me.

This is how it works: every day that I (a) ride in to work or ride for MORE than an hour, and (b) I work out either at the gym or otherwise for more than 30 minutes, I can put $50 towards a vacation fund. As soon as I reach 20% body fat (no matter how much water I drink to get there 🙂 I can redeem the money.

Bummer!

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 05 Jul 2003 14:48:00 +0000

I wanted to do the Grand Alpine loop, but the coastal stretch was banked in by the fog, and I decided to cut it short. Too bad, because I really wanted to try the famous Tunitas Creek ascent.

The Grand Alpine loop has some of the best biking in the Bay Area: you start on Foothill and El Monte, go up Moody Road until it hits Page Mill, go up Page Mill (it’s a nasty 2400ft). From there, down on Alpine until you hit Pescadero, left on Pescadero until you hit the town proper. Right on Stage road, past La Honda road in San Gregorio. Then you hit Highway 1, which you follow briefly until you hit Tunitas Creek. You ride another 2000ft up, until you hit King’s Mountain Road. Downhill again, until you arrive to Woodside (rest here and watch bikers). Then it’s back to the start on Foothill.

Tired Again

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Fri, 04 Jul 2003 20:33:00 +0000

First ride in a while – some weird form of laziness has kept me captive. So I decided to do a short run – just the Alpine look.

It was curiously slow moving for a holiday. Looks like 4th of July is a big thing around here, something that doesn’t invite biking. Or maybe the good ones were gone on a road trip.

Skinsuits

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Tue, 01 Jul 2003 08:56:00 +0000

Well, the home page says it: I got myself two new skinsuits! One is from the Republic of Anaerobia, a small outfit up in the North Bay; the other one is an eBay find. Both of them will reach me in the next few days – thank goodness eCommerce works!

Why skinsuits? Well, for one, they make you look even more ridiculous than the conservative duo of black shorts and jersey (which is really a lot to say!). Then their colors are usually much brighter than anyone else’s, so that you can be sure that everybody is going to look at you in bewilderment (decreasing chances of being overlooked or run over).

Short Ride

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 29 Jun 2003 19:47:00 +0000

I seized the opportunity and did a quick (50min) ride at sunset. Actually, it was six to seven, so that it is still very warm and bright outside.

It is amazing how peaceful a Sunday evening can be. People are gone, the masses of summer bikers are home already, and it is with some amazement that I actually found a rider from Phoenix getting home. He must have been exhausted, because I saw him on the downslope in front of Stanford, three minutes before heading back, and still I caught up with him.

Almost There

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 29 Jun 2003 14:19:00 +0000

Fk, fk, f**k!

I was so ready for it! I had slowly crept down Foothill, chosen Arastradero over Page Mill, done Portola to avoid the stupid hill before OLH, stopped for ten minutes (sharp!), drank my soda and ate an energy bar.

I shot up, I even spun a round just to get into it with a little speed advantage. I had computed that an average ascent of 60ft per minute would get me there, with the initial part being slightly easier and hence slower (ascent-wise).

Defeat at Old La Honda

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 29 Jun 2003 08:55:00 +0000

So that’s how it went…

I rode the usual Alpine uphill, having given a little too much on Foothill to swerve around the morning traffic. Stopped at the bottom of the hill, after having passed four guys from Phoenix Tech. After they started (and another one, and another one), I jumped on and tried to go as fast as I could.

Man, I made it up 880ft (ascent), and then somehow the steam went out of me. Weird. It wasn’t even pain, or fatigue, or anything else – just no desire to continue. The nagging: “Why am I doing this again?” that stands behind all failed athletes. I turned around, hopefully far enough for the Phoenix people (that I had passed a while down) not to know that I had, indeed, been defeated. On the way down, just to make my life more interesting, this moron passes a group of bikers on the far left of the road, on a perfect collision course with me.

Another Flat

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Fri, 27 Jun 2003 07:10:00 +0000

Trying to ride home yesterday after a long pause (due to nothing but laziness and good excuses!) I found myself with a flat and no tools. How stupid is that?

That’s how I found out that I average 18 mph on the way home on the bike, and just 3.6 mph walking… 🙂

Eureka!

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 22 Jun 2003 06:52:00 +0000

I finally got to implement combined graphs in Perl. In the end, it was real simple, and it was mostly fighting with GD::Graph that held me up.

The new graphs have a few implementation changes that I found really important:
1. The scale of x and y coordinates is constant, so that you can compare two graphs directly. Right now, if you do a mostly flat ride, it looks like a mountain climb no matter what. If you ride twice as far, you end up with sharp mountains. Combined, a long flat ride looks like a short mountain pass. Needed to fix that, will increase motivation… 🙂
2. Data points are not as interesting as averages as far as speed is concerned. Changed that, too – speed is now averaged, and speed points are added on top.
3. I combined several workouts to generate a single graph. The old problem of the lazy biker that stops to look at the mountains (and catch breath) and then moves on, realizing that his/her Polar stopped and requires a new workout (bitch bitch)
4. I finally got rid of the speed spikes. I know that it seems absolutely possible to you, but I do think that riding on a flat at 65 mph is a bit unrealistic. So the code now throws out those values automatically and replaces them with the average of the adjoining data points (or undefs them, whichever I implemented 🙂

Alto Velo Again

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 13:37:00 +0000

Saturday, and for some mysterious reason no desire to ride. Maybe it’s the broken espresso machine, maybe it was the ton of chocolate I ate yesterday, freshly spurred by a visit to Albertson’s.

Still, I made it all the way to Canada. Turned around at the intersection where they usually stop traffic on Sundays, because it was turning greyish after that.

I was out at the same time as the Alto Velo B ride. What a nightmare those guys are: pass you downhill, then start rushing around you, just in time to slow down on the next uphill, where I have to pass them again. Can’t anyone tell them how you pass when you are in a big group?

Tired

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Wed, 18 Jun 2003 04:18:00 +0000

Tiredness overcame me yesterday. It was a long day, and I got out of the office only after 7:30. While I had started on the path of doing an extra circle riding home on Monday, Tuesday saw me barely crossing the traffic light on Foothill to get home just in time to feast on a ton of chocolate.

Interesting how work can work that way! Monday was intense, and Tuesday even worse – and as a consequence, my energy level sinks…

Still Tired from Yesterday

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 15 Jun 2003 19:56:00 +0000

I managed to go all the way to the end of Canada and back. I started out late, thinking I would barely be able to make it to Woodside, but then I saw someone I vaguely recalled from work, got curious and followed him to the end of Canada. I think he’s a colleague, but I wouldn’t know how to tell.

The ride was a Sunday ride, barely made it either way, although the averages are not as bad as they should have been. On the way home, I felt as if my legs would fall apart – and that’s with 7000ft ascent in two days. I think I’ll have to train a lot before I can make it up Haleakala…

Finished Log

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 15 Jun 2003 07:54:00 +0000

Finally I integrated the log generation with htmltree – now this is really a totally Marco tool, who else will want to do anything with a training log?

I was thinking of changing my way and packaging up the special handlers – images and training – so that they can be added later as packages, instead of being bloat to the main app…

Mega Ride

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 14 Jun 2003 18:58:00 +0000

Today I went with two collegues of mine for a long ride. I started from here, rode the hour or so to Woodside, and joined the two. From there we did an Old La Honda, then down to 84, left of Alpine, down on Page Mill, finally to Woodside and back. All in all four hours.

The two guys are really wonderful to ride with. They may not think the same of me, but they need to get in a few good rides until they meet a bunch of their friends in France. They are going to stay there during the Tour, and I get to train them!

The Fiercest Wind

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Thu, 12 Jun 2003 00:18:00 +0000

Riding home was a pure bitch! The wind was very strong and wore me out on Manila. I got to the intersection totally exhausted…

Training Log

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Wed, 11 Jun 2003 05:27:00 +0000

I spent again a few needless moments in the morning trying to make the best out of my precarious programming skills and dabbled on an alternative to srdplot.

Not that I don’t like srdplot – it generates very pretty graphs that seem just to be made for public display. It’s just that it’s a C application, and it reads only .srd files. I added support for Windows .hrm files, but that still left me without the possibility of generating graphs for combined exercises.

Commuting

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 09 Jun 2003 19:25:00 +0000

It happened.

I don’t know what it is, but all of a sudden the entire universe seems to have switched to bikes. I was riding home, and i must have crossed the path of at least five bikers! That’s a five-fold increase from my usual!

Tomorrow, I will have to face the ultimate decision: am I going to join our guys from work in their quest for a morning ride? Or is it going to be too cold and damp and sad?

Short Ride

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 08 Jun 2003 14:08:00 +0000

Not much going on, today. Rete, my not-so-faithful webserver, choked to death last night after a (silly) attempt to apt-get upgrade – and I spent most of the morning trying to resuscitate. In the end, I installed RedHat 8.0 on the old disk, and got to do a minimal ride in the afternoon.

Since life is treating me well, I decided to pamper myself (Q: isn’t that what you do when life is NOT treating you well?) and went to the bike store to pick up some gear. And there I was again, having to decide where to go…

Training Log

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 07 Jun 2003 19:40:00 +0000

Yes! I finally made it! Now you can see the updated training log on the site (just follow the home page). This one is mostly a variation on Dave Bailey’s log (his is of course much better, but so be it).

The latest logs are from may, and the information is really not too interesting (aside from the embarrassing 20:31 best time on Old La Honda…). I guess I soon have to follow up with my favorite rides on the Peninsula and otherwise.

Finally Back

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 07 Jun 2003 04:59:00 +0000

Atlanta and Boston were well beyond expectation. As mentioned, I even found a really nice bike store in Atlanta, although I never got there in time to pick up a Georgia Tech jersey.

I was surprised to see a lot of bikers around. I drove aimlessly into town on Northside Parkway, then Avenue, then Road, and from left and right the spandex was just flying. Careless they were, zipping into the intersection and looking left and right only after they were already a target. I guess that means those guys are actually a fixture, not unlike the way the bikers cross the 4-way stop in Woodside without even thinking of stopping…

Remote Without Bike

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Wed, 04 Jun 2003 16:27:00 +0000

What is life without a bike? Well, I have a chance to find out. I am here in Atlanta on a business trip, and although I like it, I really would love to have my Ti with me.

Turns out people out here in the suburbs really love sports. I have seen people biking and jogging on my way in and back. The roads are not bike friendly at all, but the climate seems to interest people. It was unusually nice for Atlanta – not too hot nor too rainy. And I saw what claimed to be Atlanta’s largest bike store – I will report tomorrow, when I’ll stop in on my way to work.

Hasta La Vista!

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Tue, 03 Jun 2003 05:18:00 +0000

Beloved People – I am off for a trip to Atlanta (strictly work). I will not be able to touch my bike until the weekend, so I am going to be pretty sad about it all… 🙂

See you back on Saturday!

Training Log

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 02 Jun 2003 04:40:00 +0000

Closing in on completion of the training log. The only part missing now is the page with the pretty pictures (the daily stats), and I am sure I can do that in no time – after all, the template pretty much contains the contents of srdhead and the two pictures of speed and altitude. I’ll pass on the heart rate (I never monitor it), and maybe I’ll implement the handy DHTML that replaces pictures on the fly that I used for the weight table.

Darn Phones!

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 01 Jun 2003 15:10:00 +0000

So I tried to leave at 9a to get the most of the day, but my brother called and we spent over two hours on the phone. By the time I was ready to go, it was clear it was going to be way too hot for an extensive drive, and I just went up Old La Honda, disappointing myself with a lame 21:35.

Up on top I chatted with a guy that had carried on behind me, and who would then go ahead down to 84. He was very knowledgable about all the pros that infest that stretch of hills, and he gave me a few hints as to how to approach the climb. Next time, who knows, I’ll make it.

Missed Opportunity

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 31 May 2003 11:31:00 +0000

What a beautiful day!

Unfortunately, I missed my colleagues and was stuck with myself and the MuVo… Up King’s Mountain Road, then down Skyline and 92, back on Canada. All in all a short ride, since I drove to Woodside.

Still, it was a wonderful biking day, and everybody and their dog were on Foothill. I need a haircut, right now, but when I come back – how about another ride?

Long Ride

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 31 May 2003 05:40:00 +0000

I am getting ready for an all day ride with my coworkers. We’ve got plenty people seriously into biking, and once in a while we all get together to start a longer ride. It’s usually a lot of fun, with people that are not engineers like me and hence automatically seem to get more fun in life.

Speaking of fun: it wasn’t fun to ride home on Thursday. A very strong wind was facing me almost all the way, and it felt as if it would have been faster if I just had pushed the bike. Instead of riding on a mountain, next time I’ll try a wind tunnel!

Bike Tours

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Thu, 29 May 2003 04:46:00 +0000

Looks like a bunch of guys at work decided to fly out to France to follow the Tour. Now they are frantically trying to get in shape for the Mont Ventoux etappe, and I am afraid to say, I would have loved to be amongst them. Well, I still get the benefit of people at work biking more in expectation of things to come. We used to have a really nice biking ‘team’, but two of the main actors left last year and the dynamic disappeared.

Commuting in the heat

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Tue, 27 May 2003 20:04:00 +0000

Well, the first weekend of summer was a bit of a disappointment, but the first day after it ended was surely hot! I was very tempted to throw my corporate clothing and disappear for a long ride to the beach and enjoy the lower seventies out there.

Commuting on my bike is really a wonderful way to start and end the day. i wish more people did that, especially some of my coworkers that need to have more fun in life! 🙂

Up La Honda - Or Not?

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 26 May 2003 10:30:00 +0000

Well, not… Strangely lame today, despite the gorgeous weather. I got all the way to Woodside, decided to go straight ahead to La Honda (instead of on Kings Mountain, which had been my first choice of the day), waited there for ten minutes and then… Gave up.

I made it back to Portola and up Alpine, but somehow I felt like a total loser. Is a three day weekend just too much for my legs? Do I just weigh too much? Or do I just worry way too much and should just shut up and be happy that I live in this wonderful place with hills around the corner and flats the other way around?

Dreary Day - Good Ride

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 25 May 2003 13:27:00 +0000

Unexpectedly the weather turned dark and cold. Since it is Labor Day weekend, that’s not exactly what everyone was hoping for, and consequently the roads were empty.

Amazing how a few clouds can sour the whole biking thing. I rode off and got a decent workout, an hour and a half around little Alpine, but somehow I was not really into it. People were friendly, though; there is something magic about bikers that are not in a hurry.

Massive Fun Ride

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Fri, 23 May 2003 23:02:00 +0000

I felt really ill last night. And of course I was bummed, thinking I wouldn’t be able to ride today. ;(

Then, this morning, waking up, there was this weird buzz in my legs, they just couldn’t wait to spin. I waited till nine, swung onto Ti (after pumping up the rear tire – somehow I must have done a really poor patch job last week) and started riding.
There was a bit of immune reaction I could feel. My knees were ‘grindy’, as if something was swollen and I had a little hard time kicking up the hill. But by the time I reached Page Mill, everything was fine. By then, I had greeted four major teams on the opposite side (LGBRC, Alto Velo, no-name mix and Phoenix Tech.) and was determined to go up Canada, since Skyline was foggy.

Fellow Commuters

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Thu, 22 May 2003 18:03:00 +0000

Now that we reached the summer, people are starting to flock to work on their bikes again. That is wonderful, since I am not required to be the only fool that tries to avoid cars. And there is an element of shared fun when I am trying to draft on the windy corridor to 101, or to chase someone that is much better than me.

There is something strong about the way bikers can interact with each other without exchanging one word. A hand signal tells me that my front man needs a rest, and I’ll pass and allow him to draft. A quick smile tell me a chase is in order, both need some fun and a real workout on the way home.

Accident Prone

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Wed, 21 May 2003 16:25:00 +0000

Yesterday, a minivan. One of those brand new, huge elephants of transportation. Grant Road, in front of the hospital. Pulls up beside me, then accelerates, finally swoops right in front of me into the driveway to the facility. I slammed on my breaks and barely stopped in time to curse the driver, who couldn’t possibly have missed me.

Whenever I see a police car stopping a biker, as I frequently do on Foothill over the weekends, that’s my only thought. The danger we face is not our behavior, it’s other people’s inattention. Of course, bike lanes that suddenly fizzle out, or even worse are made right turn lanes at intersections, do not help.

About to Ride In

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 19 May 2003 17:12:00 +0000

The summer has started, and riding in to work starts being a pleasure. If it weren’t for the cars and minivans that cut in front of me, thinking they are fast and i am slow, and hence they can pass me without harm.

Odd it happens so frequently. A car will pass me right in front of an intersection and cut across in front of me. Sometimes it’s some rowdy youngster in a cheap 80’es Jap, showing off to his girlfriend. More often it is a mom on the phone, the kids shouting out loud in the back of the minivan. I wonder what those moms would do if I happened to be one of their kids, and them some other mom about to kill their children out of not-care.

Sunday in May

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 18 May 2003 01:40:00 +0000

What is there to report? It is starting to be beautiful, finally, and I am taking all the time I can to ride around.

Yesterday, I started out on the usual loop and decided then I really wanted to go up Canada. Of course, no sooner had I left Woodside that a tiny hole in my rear tire forces me to stop and look at what’s going on. Fixed the tire, on my way again, but by then I was not in the mood for a hill ride. I turned right into Ralston trail, but that one goes only as far as the main drag to San Whatever.

Getting Ready

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Fri, 09 May 2003 18:47:00 +0000

Saturday morning, no sleep, but an ardent desire to beat the Wecor team… Will tell you how it went!

Spinning Class

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 04 May 2003 08:08:00 +0000

Well, tomorrow I’ll try the spinning class at the local YMCA. It starts at the ungodly hour of 5:40. a mere ten minutes after the gym opens, and it is rumored to be really crowded (can’t really imagine, that early on). I’ve got my biking stuff at the bottom of my chair, and now it’s just a matter of getting up early enough (yawn!).

And maybe the weather is finally turning for the better! 🙂

Friday and Yet More Rain to Come

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Thu, 01 May 2003 19:30:00 +0000

Another storm system over the Bay Area, and yet more rain in sight. Meanwhile, I am gaining weight like a madman… Soon it’s time to look at my weight chart and to feel terrorized… :(( Forget about Old La Honda!

Getting Antsy

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Wed, 30 Apr 2003 17:53:00 +0000

Where is the good weather hidden? It is supposed to rain again, over the weekend, on my beloved Saturday. Does it mean I will have to wait longer?

I am so frustrated I got a pass to the gym. Spinning classes. At 5:40 AM. Have tried to get there in time every day, now, but I am not desperate enough yet.

Closing in on a Training Calendar

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Tue, 29 Apr 2003 06:19:00 +0000

Yes, it’s true. I have been working on an online training calendar while you were not watching and the weather was too dready to make sense of anything.

The Polar interface comes with a set of beatiful and handy tools that generate graphs. My task is to take those graphs and make them a nice and easy to use set of pages. And maybe I can come up with my own set of graphs – like how my biking affects my weight, etc… And of course it would be great to see if those hard-lost two pounds actually got me one second faster up Old La Honda!

Enterprise Biking Team?

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 28 Apr 2003 05:57:00 +0000

With the growth of the enterprise team, we get a few people that are really into biking. I count six so far, and then there are more in the midst of other properties. Are we going to organize a team? Racing as we did in the old days around Woodside at the crack of dawn? Those were the days…

Weather is still bad, so the only newsworthy item is that the Polar interface really works well. Not getting into geek-talk, but I may come up with a better interface than what there is right now. And who knows, maybe I can integrate elevation data into klimb.

What a Glorious Day!

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 00:06:00 +0000

For a change, and not for long, sunday was actually a sunny day. It was still a little chilly, but I managed to do my ride in the early morning. Of course this means I had wonderful competition for Old La Honda, and there was even someone that passed me and zipped up, never to be seen again. Lucky I was eating a Starbucks scone, or it would have been the first time I actually got passed!

What a Weird Ride

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 21:50:00 +0000

The weather still feels more like february than like april, and it shows. My bike is sluggish, average speed down to barely above 19.4, and I didn’t even add any mountain.

I rode from home to the end of Canada and back. I wanted to go up 92 and return on Skyline, but it looked as if it would be even colder up there, and I would be even lonelier. So I just turned around and traced my way back, thinking of nothing but the rain and the chill in the air.

Finally, Good Weather

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 18:06:00 +0000

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.

Rain Again

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Mon, 21 Apr 2003 18:05:00 +0000

It 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!).

Easter Sunday

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 19 Apr 2003 23:53:00 +0000

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.

After a Long Hiatus

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Fri, 18 Apr 2003 23:22:00 +0000

There 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.

Car Broke Down

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 25 Jan 2003 07:15:00 +0000

Well, it’s the rainy season, so I have been driving in to work lately. Not good for my body, of course, if one excepts the dangers of riding. Did I tell you about the one lady that thought is was a smart idea to wedge her car into a jammed intersection with an illegal right turn, and almost got me?

Besides the point. The main news is that my car’s power steering left me. So now I don’t have any choice but to ride in to work. Luckily the rain has subsided (will come back on Monday, they say), and it has been fun. I don’t know, this Christmas period with the short days and the cold never quite made me happy; having a reason to jump on the bike and don the spandex is really good, or otherwise I would just commiserate the love handles and myself, and gorge another pound of chocolate to make me forget. So what’s been going on? The weather turned mild (so much so that I felt comfortable going in to work in shorts instead of long bibs) – another sign of an El Nino year that is somehow working out just right. Today is such a beautiful day that I’m likely to hop and join the Saturday group of Alto Velo – for now just from afar, and I’ll just leave around 9:15 to make sure I get there in time to follow them. After all, it’s the social ride.

Los Gatos Cyclist

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 19 Jan 2003 15:13:00 +0000

Ok, I am not a member, and yet I subscribe to the Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club email list. I am undecided whether to join the monstrous Alto Velo or the smaller and nicer LGBRC, so I thought I’d listen in and see how they treat people from the outside.

Short comment: so far, LGBRC beats Alto Velo hands down. The Velistas are obnoxious on the Expressway, behaving as if they own the place. They won’t let you pass, but their average speed (on the Expressway) is more warmup than real biking. And if you dare crossing their path, they’ll holler at you some arcane gibberish that is supposed to make you feel guilty for not being (a) slower than them and (b) member of their club.

Spring in January

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sun, 12 Jan 2003 13:39:00 +0000

Zipping around on this wonderfully balmy Sunday, I discover the incredible: the mimosa trees are already in full bloom. Their smell hit me twice, on Foothill (coming back) and on Alpine, and interestingly enough our little enclave of Los Altos Highlands has several trees that erupted in a shower of yellow.

It was warm enough to wear just the skinsuit, the first time in a month or so. Unseasonably warm, as the weather forecast says. The bike lanes were accordingly crowded, with several large groups greeting each other. It is indeed a paradise for the biker.
The weather was quite unstable, hence no major ride. I just went up Foothill and then left on Alpine, admittedly following a zippy-fast biker that had been eluding me ever since I crossed over the Loyola Corners bridge. Turns out he (a) must have cheated at all intersections and red lights and (b) didn’t like drafters. In any case, he couldn’t get rid of me (despite an attempt to flight on Alpine) and finally let me pass. Amusing how these guys in Specialized top-to-toe think they own the path.

Riding On Bikes With Boys

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 04 Jan 2003 21:35:00 +0000

Looks like the drenching rain of December is giving way to unseasonably warm weather, and I am enjoying as much of it as I can, riding my bike furiously up and down the hills.

On Wednesday, New Year’s day, I rode for the first time up Old La Honda, trailing what must have been a larger group from a major outfit around here. It was very tough, especially since I hadn’t the slightest idea of when it would end, which makes it never end. I wanted to ride on all the way to King’s Mountain Road, but made it only to La Honda. I couldn’t even manage the puny hill leading up from there.

Biking to Work

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Thu, 02 Jan 2003 18:03:00 +0000

Taken advantage of the first day of sunshine to actually ride out to work. Uneventful ride, since there weren’t many cars around. The only bikers I saw were those that were finishing up their morning ride, so I had two Alto Velo zippies flashing by.

Biking is really a different way of getting there. I start the day full of energy and commitment.

Brand New Year

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Thu, 02 Jan 2003 06:29:00 +0000

It’s still dark and cold, and the day has that New Year Smell about itself, that smug quality that all brand new things irradiate.

I want this to be a better year than the four that preceded it. I want this slavery to end; I want to be a part of the society I am living in; I do not want to be a misfit any more. Huddled together in the same room with people that busily chatter in their native tongue, unwilling to give up the only culture they appreciate for the one that gives them only money, not values. Put into the same pot as terrorists.

The Day After Christmas

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Thu, 26 Dec 2002 10:31:00 +0000

Somehow yesterday was the toughest day of the year.

Nothing worked as usual, everybody was busy with their family, and I felt like the only person on this planet that quite didn’t get the point of it all.

Christmas has always been a challenge for me. It’s the worst time of the year for light intensity, and the weather tends to be bad, no matter what. And on top of that you disrupt my pleasurable routine and replace it with a state of suspension.

Biking on Foothill

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Tue, 24 Dec 2002 17:04:00 +0000

It was rumoured to be a rainy day, with a thirty percent chance of a drizzle. In the morning, indeed, it was cloudy and wet; and once in a while you would see a sprinkle hit the pool, the tiny drops barely able to grow circles on the perfectly smooth surface of the water.

But then the clouds broke, like in summer. The front had passed and left us alone, and I was able to bike. Coincidentally, FedEx left a package from Performance Bike on the doorstep like a Moses delivered through the Nile. In the morning, I rode for an hour. Foothill up, foothill down. And then back home, trying to get Christmas organized. The afternoon brought some beautiful weather, and I thought a second ride would be appropriate.

Torrents

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 14 Dec 2002 18:28:00 +0000

It’s been raining all day, in the first of a series of torrential flows that mark the beginning of the rainy season. Well, at least it’s in mid-December and not in November, like last year.

The rain feels so odd here. So out of place. Especially when it’s not drizzling, but pouring like it was today. We don’t see much of that, haven’t in the last seven eight months.

When it rains in California, the gutters explode. The water shoots from all sides, draining into rivers that gush over streets first, then highways, and then even freeways. The state, at least from San Francisco South, is not used to rain and takes each occurrence of a severe storm as an unplannable catastrophe.

Waking Up Early

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Thu, 12 Dec 2002 05:20:00 +0000

4:30 AM. No alarm clock is bugging me, no need to wake up, the sun won’t be shining for another two hours or three.

And yet, something immaterial makes my soul levitate into consciousness. All of a sudden I function in wake-state, and the logical flow of my mind is restored where it was interrupted.

The transition is sudden, and sometimes it feels as if there had been one single moment when it happened, as if the soul were not, as it seems, a flowing entity, but one that makes leaps to reach from one end of the chasm to the other.

California Rain

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Tue, 10 Dec 2002 07:06:00 +0000

It’s official now: the rainy season started. California will be enveloped in clouds for a considerable portion of the next four months, drowning us in three quarters of the annual rainfall.

And yet, although my biking will have to be cut back, it is not all bad. You should see the clouds lit afire by the setting sun, or the pink watercolors you’d see in the morning looking east. I sometimes try to catch those paintings with a camera, but they are as elusive as hummingbirds – of whom we see more now that they rely on the feeder to get through the winter.

Foothill Expressway

marco@mrgazz.com (Marco) — Sat, 07 Dec 2002 09:08:00 +0000

The day is gorgeous, albeit a little chilly. Another two hours or so, and I’ll be on my bike, riding to distant lands and trying to get back into shape.

Distant lands? No, my standard route is still unchanged. I leave the house, a few turns left or right, and I end up on Foothill Expressway, the Peninsula’s major biking thoroughfare.

Sometimes it feels as if everybody has to ride Foothill. In the summer, the packs of bikers are such that the main highway is cramped into one single car lane, while the buzzing of chains on gears can be heard from afar.