Bikes and Beer

Video down hill

2012-10-18T19:30:00.002-07:00

7000+ People Ready to Ride at Levi Granfondo 2012

2012-10-01T16:29:00.003-07:00

Amazing ride 102 miles, 9,700 ft accent 7 hrs

California Century Comparison

2012-09-03T09:18:00.001-07:00

Breathless Agony 2012 (part of KOM CA)

Clock stops at the top then you have 42 miles to glide back for Mexican style food. Don't be late or the food will run out. Fantastic ride but very tough. (12k accent)
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Campovida 2012 - Hopland

Course with time trials and great food and beer at the end. First 60 miles is beautiful and then it heads on some flat back road. Dam is a nice plus. (6k accent)
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Heartbreak 100 2111 -(part of KOM CA)

Touch ride but a big variety of views and climbs. Nice plateau near the end. The final 10 miles and down hill at break-neck speed.
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Mulholland 2011 - (part of KOM CA)

Strawberry Fields 2012

Deck and Stunt road were tough. Tough course but not as tough as Breathless. Some of the roads are in bad shape going downhill.

Primavera 2012 - Union City

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Tour de Cure 2011 - Napa

Beautiful ride near the Santa Cruz and back roads. Good food along the way. Fun easy ride.
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Great ride over the hills and along the back roads just east of the Bay Area. Good sags. First and last bits along city streets were nothing interesting.
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Probably the easiest 100 miles you'll ever ride. Nice roads. Little traffic and a great feast at the end.
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Tunitas Creek

2012-08-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

This is the view on Hwy 1 just before you head up Tunitas Creek. Half Moon Bay is in the background.

Beautiful Tunitas Creek. About a one hour climb. 20 minutes of it is greater than 6%.

Tour of California (Diablo)

2012-05-15T22:38:00.001-07:00

Tour of California

Diablo

Main pelaton coming up Diablo

2012-05-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Tour of California

Santa Rosa

Russian River Brewery + Cycling = Bliss

Start of the Tour of California in down town Santa Rosa

Russian River Bar. American style beers on the left, Belgium on the right.

Sampler plate

Breathless Agony 2012

2012-05-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Another great ride up 12,500ft to Onyx Summit. The first 74 miles are up to the summit to meet the grime reaper. Then it's an easy 40 mile coast (ok a few up hills) back to the start to get some drink and grub. Great SAG, route and weather. Still my favorite century. Ride details here.

Mr Reaper was very excited about Alp d'Huez. Wanted to tell me all kinds of stories. Mr Reaper I just climbed a frigging mountain, can I go lay down?

Mr Reaper has ADHD. Camera's over here!

This is how I felt. Agony.

Starting to come back to life for the 40 mile ride to the start.

Richard's first Breathless Agony.

Rest area at the top.

Steep Hill

2012-04-29T21:36:00.001-07:00

http://www.steephill.tv/players/720/dailymotion/?title=Stage 3 Punta Veleno climb and final kms&dashboard=giro-del-trentino&id=xq8lqy&yr=2012

Top Ride - BayArea/Santa Cuz

2012-04-18T09:28:00.001-07:00

Ultimate ride guide (June 2012) ranked several places in the world as top rides. One of the is in my back yard.

DIY Carb and Protein Drinks

2012-04-14T17:38:00.002-07:00

Carb drink for energy during the ride.

This combination of carbohydrates helps to maintain increased glucose levels in your bloodstream providing your muscles with a constant source of energy during the ride.

1 scoop maltodextrin (21grams or 80 calories)
3 scoops dextrose (25grams x 3 or, 285 calories)
Total calories 365. Good for about 90 mins of hard work out.
Pour into water bottle and fill with water.
Flavour with expresso power or chocolate powder.

After the ride protein drink

6 scoops whey isolate (12 grams x 6 or 288 calories)
Mix with water or milk. Flavour with chocolate power.

Don't forget to take electrolytes too.

Note. A scoop is the generic scoop that comes with many sport drink mixes. See photo below. Amount is a level serving not compacted.

Primavera Century 2012 - April 22, 2012

2012-04-09T08:21:00.001-07:00

Starting in the Bayarea, this event seems like a great ride with sag support and a meal. It hits a few tough hills but this is a warm up for Breathless Agony! Details and registration are here. Ride starts at James Logan High School, 1800 H Street, Union City, CA 94587.

Strawberry Fieild Forever - May 20, 2012

2012-04-09T08:12:00.001-07:00

Register before May 13th to join the ride starting in Aptos, CA. (Cabrillo College, Aptos, 6500 Soquel Drive Aptos, CA) $55 registration fee gets you sag support and a hot meal at the end.

Ventoux France Decent 3 Videos

2012-03-13T08:12:00.001-07:00

Part 1 - From the top, past the food stalls...

Part 2 - From above the tree line back down into the out skits

Part 3 - The final decent into town.

Coming down La Honda

2012-03-11T11:28:00.004-07:00

Video starts on Skyline coming down to La Honda.

Hills in the Bay Area with max grades

2012-03-08T18:50:00.002-08:00

Street	Max. Grade	Avg. Grade	City	Address
Alameda de las Pulgas	20%	8%	San Mateo	3704
Ascension Dr. & Anacapa Dr.	17%	10%	Los Altos Hills	26390 Anacapa
Bohlman & On Orbit	22%	9%	Saratoga	15555 On Orbit
Bunker Hill Drive	16%	9%	San Mateo	2248
Club Drive	17%	9%	San Carlos	296
Crestview Drive	16%	8%	San Carlos	1237
Golden Oak Drive (east side)	19%	10%	Portola Valley	430
Golden Oak Drive (west side)	15%	8%	Portola Valley	-
Joaquin Road	20%	15%	Portola Valley	60
Kings Mountain Road	14%	7%	Woodside	-
La Barranca Road	16%	7%	Los Altos Hills	-
Los Trancos Road	19%	4%	Portola Valley	-
Melendy Drive	17%	9%	San Carlos	2770
Montebello Road	16%	7%	Cupertino	-
MoUnt Diablo (South Gate)	16%	5.3%	Contra Costa County	-
Old La Honda Road	15%	7.3%	Portola Valley	-
Patrol Road	18%	10%	Woodside	725
Quinnhill	19%	16%	Los Altos	317
Ramona Road	17%	11%	Portola Valley	-
Redwood Gulch Road	18%	10%	Saratoga	-
Summit Springs	23%	13%	Woodside	555
Sweeney Ridge	17%	7%	Pacifica	-
Tollgate Road	17%	10%	Saratoga	21196
Viscaino Road (east side)	18%	11%	Los Altos Hills	12831
Viscaino Road (west side)	20%	12%	Los Altos Hills	-
Vista Verde Way	17%	11%	Portola Valley	-

Breathless Agony Description: Route review from 2011

2012-02-26T16:14:00.005-08:00

Here's the write up on Breath Agony Century Ride. I'm writing this because I wished something like this existed before I rode this ride. It's nice to know what to expect so you can pace yourself.

Time:	9:18:40
Moving Time:	8:26:17
Total Distance: Distance to top:	113 miles 73 miles

Avg Speed:	12.0 mph
Avg Moving Speed:	13.3 mph
Elevation Gain:	11,759 ft

This was an amazing event. Out of the five centuries I did this calendar year this was the best. Well organized and the route is one of the best I've ever rode. Overall this was much more enjoyable than the Mulholland Century done earlier this month. Mulholland has one stretch of badly paved road (down hill) that I felt at any moment both my tires would explode. Decker and Stunt didn't help :-/ and I thought the course markings lacked.

So what about the route? I think the simplest way to think of this route is that there are 5 parts. Yes I know there are 4 passes but I'm breaking it down into 5 stages.

Stage 1. After some residential and rural roads that are generally flat you will fine yourself at the base of Jack Rabbit Trail. It's a dirt trail. About 20+ years ago it was a road. Pot holes and dirt are the norm. Not steep, just a steady climb. Have new tires to minimize your chance of getting a flat. I saw two or three groups waiting for buddies to fix flats on this trail. The Mayor of Jack Rabbit Road greeted us at the foot of his driveway, bizarre.

Stage 2. Ok, you've worked off some of that nervous energy and your ready to climb. You now begin to depart the city outskirts and head towards the mountains. Flat to gradual climb on the outskirts of the town heading the the mountain. Never that steep but it slowed most people down. Set a pace and get through this without stopping. You are rewarded with a fast 10 min down hill sprint. There is a SAG at the very bottom. Fuel up because the ride is now about to start.

Stage 3. Welcome to Damnation Alley. A steady long climb up to the base of the mountain. You are riding in a huge canyon that has no breeze and no shade. Thank god the weather was not hot in 2011. I can't imagine doing this in 100F+ weather. Look for the SAG and keep hydrated. Keep eating too. The worse is still ahead. Pace yourself. Reserve your energy.

Stage 4. You leave Damnation Alley with a hair-pin turn to the left and start climbing up the mountain. A steady up hill with no breaks. Nothing over 10% but it again, it's long. This is the moment of truth. Pick a pace and some friends and motor up the mountain. There is a SAG at the top which could be mistaken for a road-side party. My knees were hurting here. Thanks heavens for Vitamin-I. Congrats you've done the tough parts. The rest it not too bad.

Stage 5. With about 22 miles to the peak the worst is behind you. From here there is a lot of up and down followed with a 10 mile persistent climb to the top. Nothing steep but no breaks in the accent. This is were you need to dig deep and give it your all. The grim reaper awaits you at the top along with a big party. Collect you necklace as proof of your accomplishment, enjoy the food and lay down on the tarps. The timed race is over.

Now you need to get your ass back to the start and enjoy the party. Food, beer and much more await. You can basically coast for the 40 miles back. A few hills in the mountains will make you peddle but nothing very big. As you coast through Damnation Alley figure out a good aerodynamic position on your bike. This will make the difference from 30+ MPH to 35+MPH. It's a long way down so be prepared. The last 10 miles is rural roads, watch for cars.

The weather in 2011 was perfect. It started in the mid 60 and never seemed to get hot. I know the Garmin sensor reads in the 80s but that with the sun beating down on it. It was never very hot. Fantastic SAG support both at the stops and along the way. Several drivers were monitoring the roads. Best SAG support I've ever seen.

Views from the top (Click on photo to enlarge)

2012-02-22T20:41:00.000-08:00

View from MT Diablo

View from Montebello Road

Get your rides in while you can!

2012-01-25T20:59:00.000-08:00

World ends December 21, 2012

Levi's Grandfondo! Ride it!!!!

2012-01-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

September 29, 2012 --> Click here if you have a pair!

It never gets old

2012-01-25T00:39:00.001-08:00

Richard at Mt Diablo - nasty weather

2012-01-22T22:33:00.000-08:00

Recent Rides from Strava

2012-01-22T22:29:00.000-08:00

Mont Ventoux (part 1)

2011-07-30T12:25:00.001-07:00

Photos from our Cycling ride in France 2011

2011-07-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Click here for photos

Alpe d'Huez

2011-07-26T14:18:00.001-07:00