In the world of “training rides”, the Hoppers are king for putting the pain in train. Chileno Valley is the second in the series and gifts us with 80 miles of road sprinkled with 7800+ feet of climbing. Sure, everyone could just take it easy and cruise those numbers. But that never seems to happen, at least to me. Starting out in a field of 300+ riders I think it’s not so bad. Stick with the pace, hang with the climbers, and keep up the effort. Oh but those efforts can burn the matches too fast! By 75 miles in, if you’ve made it that far, there will be thoughts of joy floating in your head. And it’s not euphoria. No, it’s Joy as in Joy Road. This last climb will have your legs begging for the gears from your mountain bike. I’ve done the paper boy weave on this road every-single-time.

But then the top rolls into view, riders and their bikes are sprawled about, bags of chips and cans of soda quickly being consumed. And it’s finished. And there is joy.

More info: grasshopperadventureseries.com/

Here’s the second “training ride” of the Grasshopper Adventure Series. It’s a beast hiding within the hills and valleys of Sonoma. The number folks put the values around 80 miles and 8,000 ft of climbing. And the finish is up the aptly named Joy Road.

Come along for a look at some of the pain and joy of this event.

More information: http://www.grasshopperadventureseries.com

Krishna has been expanding his pump track and it’s shaping up to be quite fun. So he invited everyone over for a proper inauguration party.

[ filmed with a GoPro Hero3 ]

Or… why I ride and wish we had more of this.

Cheers!

[ filmed with a GoPro Hero3 and iPhone 4s ]

A sloppy descent down Skyline-Tunnel Road in the Oakland/Berkeley hills on a chilly day.

Oh, see a little way to deal with traffic that gets in your way.  (skip to ~1:20 to just watch the explosion)

[ filmed with a GoPro Hero3 1080/60p ]

Final race of the 2012 Santa Rosa Cup Cyclocross series. Mother nature decided to join in on the fun and brought with her rain and cold temperatures. The new venue, Window Oak Winery, handled it well and provided a fun rolling course. Although the infamous Sonoma mud and grass sucked the energy faster than the wine being sipped by the spectators.

Watch the single-speed A men suffer on the 1st of several laps. Definitely a tough course with only one gear. But it was fun.

Thanks to Bike Monkey and CX Nation for another great cyclocross series.

Cheers!

[ filmed with a GoPro Hero3 ]

Last race of the 2012 Surf City Cyclocross series. Signed up for the single-speed race and got myself whooped. Steam must be running out after two days of racing. Still, it was a fun, sloppy course with some very tricky sections. And three evil slick run-ups that were the nails on the coffin for me.

Cheers!

More info here: cyclo-x.com/

[ filmed with a GoPro Hero3 ]

An animation I just knew I had to make.

Final event of the Bay Area Super Prestige Series.  Annual passage of the Killer B’s along the Coyote Point beach.  Always fun to watch them swarm the course.

Cheers!

[ filmed with a GoPro Hero3 @ 720/60 ]

Final event of the 2012 Bay Area Super Prestige Series. Jumped in for a second race after suffering in the singlespeed category. This time I chased the Masters 45+ A field around. With more than a single gear this course is far nicer on the legs. Plus the sun was out drying things up and the sandy beach section packed up and was rideable. Fun times.

Cheers!

[ filmed with a GoPro Hero3 @ 720/60p Raw ]