Olema

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

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

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

Summit Avenue

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.