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My first DNF (Ft Bragg 600k)
2019 05 13 cycling
cycling randonneuring

It's been six years since my first ride with The San Francisco Randonneurs and four years since my first 200k. I've ridden 18 rides that are at least that distance since then (3x 300k, 2x 400k, 1x 600k), completing my first Super Randonneur Series (2-, 3-, 4-, and 600k in one year) last year after not riding much the year before that. And this weekend I had my first DNF result on the Fort Bragg 600k. I Did Not Finish.

The best response to my choice of abandoning the ride to enjoy the campground came from Peter Curley, who said "That was a very mature decision." A clear departure from typical randonneuring stubbornness and refusal to give up, I celebrated my decision to quit as a victory when I arrived at the campground and made my announcement to the volunteers. I think I was so energetic about it that they did not believe me. I was being kind to myself, to my body, and at peace with the decision by the time I rolled in.

I ride for myself. I ride because it feels good. I ride to challenge my body, to be alone: just my thoughts, my legs, and the road. This weekend, my legs felt strong. Stronger than they did a year ago when I finished the ride. But my objective was different. Paris-Brest-Paris is a 1200 kilometer ride across France which must be completed in under 90 hours that runs once every four years. I have been telling anyone who would listen once they found out about my cycling proclivity about how it is my intent to ride PBP this year for the last two years. That was still my intent this year, and it was my intent during much of the 600k.

But I was not willing to do so at any cost. Thoughts have been lingering about whether these distances are worth it for me since the 2018 Hopland 400k, where I threw up at the last control and struggled to the finish. Nausea again caught me just outside of this same campground in the outbound direction on the Fort Bragg 600k ride last year. This year on Hopland, though riding stronger overall and conserving my strength, I joined a fantastically energetic group and rode too hard before that last control and threw up there again. Though getting much more sleep and feeling fresher at the end, I finished within minutes of my time the previous year (24 hours).

I rode mostly alone on this ride. After letting go of the lead pack on the Camino Alto climb, only a pair of Santa Cruz Randonneurs' jerseys passed me between there and Point Reyes Station. I rolled out of Point Reyes on my own, gaining the only company I had for this ride by catching up to and following a pair of riders on the climbs on Point Reyes-Petaluma road. My legs felt good, I was not pushing too hard, just a sustained and seemingly sustainable effort. I made it to Healdsburg at half past noon. Six and a half hours to cover 88 miles. Perhaps I ate too much here, opting for both a small chicken noodle soup, and some sushi, whereas I usually eat just the soup. Still making progress to Cloverdale, I briefly chatted with a Texan who was visiting and exploring the local routes, crossed and then rode along the cycling leg of an Iron Man event that was going in the opposite direction.

I was starting to be affected by the heat. It wasn't that warm, but I needed to stop at a brand name coffee place in Cloverdale, and had a fizzy water with just a tad bit of juice to regain composure for the climb up 128. The climb rolled along nicely, I shifted down and just kept pedaling at a steady pace and easy effort. But I wasn't eating anymore. By the time I got to Yorkville, I needed another break, and luckily Michael had just stopped at the Yorkville Market, so I decided to stop, too. I got another carbonated beverage, a cherry cola this time, and in what might have been another mistake - honey-mustard flavored pretzel pieces. When I first started riding brevets, salted peanut-butter-filled pretzel pieces were a staple go-to in my basket - I'd just reach down to grab a few every couple of minutes. I thought about reaching for the simpler salted pretzel sticks this time, because I never have trouble consuming simple salted unflavored bread products, but the lizard brain sabotaged the rational sensibilities and swayed the scales in favor of the honey-mustard, which also had some sugar. As a little glimpse into my somewhat delirious state, I thought I had seen four to six cats in the shop. When I asked the proprietor, it turns out there were only two. She wished me a good ride, to be careful on highway 1, and asked if I thought I could make it to the camp before dark. I expressed serious doubts about that, but it turns out I was wrong.

I got to Boonville, another dozen miles out, and took another break, the nausea kicking in again. The next five miles I started to get cold, the sun not yet setting but the cold ocean headwind was starting to take its toll. I stopped to get dressed, and deliberately cycled past the campground without stopping there for another rest though I probably could have used it. And then something clicked in my head. A had been trying to fit a great deal many things in life but cycling had begun dwarfing all my other joys and pursuits this year. My reward for finishing the 600k would have been to train more, probably ride the NorCal Brevet week in June, to get ready for PBP and ride that in August. Instead of PBP, I'll be taking a break.

Randonneuring can be addictive. You keep putting goals out and keep accomplishing them, so you set higher, more challenging goals. Rinse and repeat. This year, cycling has started to become a kind of rat race for me. Yes, I still enjoy cycling, very much, but it has started to grind me down. I lost sight of why I enjoy this sport so much to begin with.

I decided to stop. I decided to exert and reaffirm control over what I value in life. The campground was by far the biggest highlight of my 2018 finish on this ride. I was the very last rider into the overnight control, rolling in half-past 3am or so. I sat myself down on one of the folding chairs in front of the fire pit, was fed without having to get up, and drifted off in that same spot around 4am. Two hours later, before I could open my eyes, my olfactory system was cannonballed into a perfect aroma pool of fresh coffee and bacon. "This is AMAZING!" That campground served as my magical site of rejuvenation after just two hours of sleep. My spirits lifted, though I did hang out longer than most at breakfast that year, in no rush to head out, taking in the gurgling creek, the majestic towering redwoods all around, inhaling and ingesting the sights and sounds and smells all around.

So less than 12 hours and 145 miles into the ride, and a few miles past the Indian Creek Campground that was the planned overnight, I decided to turn around and go directly there. It was about 40 miles to the Safeway in Fort Bragg, 42 miles back. I could have done it. I could have taken a break, even after I got to the campground. There was plenty of time left on the clock.

I could have finished the ride. The weather was great, and I had plenty of clothes to keep me warm, something I learned to appreciate on this ride the year before, confusing being cold with being exhausted, and quickly regaining my legs after finally throwing a jacket on. I could have finished the ride, but I also needed to get off the treadmill, the hamster wheel that was starting to grind away at a sense of balance in life. I've been spending more and more time on the bike recently, and not because I was so thoroughly enjoying it. It had become almost a job. Not a particularly unpleasant one, I like riding bikes, but the compulsory nature of it did not sit well with me. I rode in the rain to work. I rode in the hotel gym morning before and again at night after while traveling for a conference the week before. I was just biking too much. Too many other parts of my life were getting squeezed out to make room for the PBP effort. I still want to ride PBP, but letting go of this year's attempt is what I need to focus on other important aspects of life.

So after I had a beer and regained composure, I switched modes. Chatting with the volunteers during much of the night. Then as the riders started to come in, we'd offer them food, refilling plates when they were done and still hungry, insisting they can stay seated. Reed, a fellow campground DNFer, and I kept mentioning how we were earning our keep. Conversation flowed, lots of chuckling, story telling, sharing of experiences. I'll treasure these hours I spent in camp instead of on the bike. Chuck graciously offered me a tent and a sleeping bag and I was in bed a quarter to 11pm, fed and off the bike for 5 hours by then. It would probably have taken me again until 3am had I continued to Fort Bragg. I got 7 hours of sleep, instead of 2. It was a DNF, but it was also a DHF - I Did Have Fun. :)

The campground volunteers were rock solid! Eric and Arthur the big goofball dog, Grace and Rick, the two co-owners of Bo the smaller goofball dog, Aaron, Sourav, Chuck, Robert, Reed. Thank you all for such an memorable experience. It was a privilege to spend several hours with you. Thank you.

We cleaned up and packed up in the morning after the riders left. Chuck has an amazing van set up to carry up to 8 (!!) bikes, offered a ride for our bikes. Sourav offered to deliver our bodies. On the way back, Reed, Sourav and I discussed just how special and unique the San Francisco Randonneurs community is. The level of and attention to detail, the shared sense of purpose, the volunteer involvement. Thank you Rob Hawks. Thank you to everyone who volunteers to support SFR rides. Thank you to everyone who rides, you give us plausible deniability: we can't all be crazy :)

Carrying my bike as I climbed up the long sets of stairs from the BART station platform this morning, I had a liberating realization. It was the first time in a long while that I was not internally justifying the effort as "this will help me on PBP". I was once again doing it for the sole simple reason that this is just what I do.
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My first 200 K
2015 04 19 cycling
cycling randonneuring

Yesterday, I rode my longest bike ride to date - the El Cerrito-Davis 200K - with the San Francisco Randonneurs. A big thank you to all the volunteers and randos who made my first 200k so much fun.

First, for the uninitiated, an aside about randonneuring:

I discovered the sport because I'm a cheapskate. I had gotten more and more into cycling over the past 2 years or so, and though I was riding through the East Bay hills mostly alone, I wanted to do a "Century" - a 100 mile ride. Looking up local rides I found out that, while most centuries cost a nontrivial amount of money for the poor grad student I was back then ($60-$200), the San Francisco Randonneur rides were all $10-$20. As I dug deeper and learned about the sport, I found out that the reason for low cost, is that rando rides are unsupported - randonneuring is all about self sufficiency. You are expected to bring gear to fix your own flats, as well as carry or procure your own snacks and beverages.

The Randonneurs USA (RUSA) website succinctly summarizes the sport.

Randonneuring is long-distance unsupported endurance cycling. This style of riding is non-competitive in nature, and self-sufficiency is paramount. When riders participate in randonneuring events, they are part of a long tradition that goes back to the beginning of the sport of cycling in France and Italy. Friendly camaraderie, not competition, is the hallmark of randonneuring.

This description is strikingly similar to my beliefs both about cycling and computing, so I knew I found a new activity I would greatly enjoy. This has been borne out on three previous occasions when I have participated in the ~100 km Populaire rides, which are intended as a way to introduce riders to the sport, yet still be within reach of wide variety of cycling abilities.

We moved in late December, and between unpacking, rainy weekends, and being sick - I haven't been able to get much riding in. However, I've been wanting to do a 200K for a long time - my century, coveted for years, seemed within reach more than ever. To seal my commitment to the ride, I went ahead and ordered a spiffy looking SFR cycling jersey:

Here's the 213km (132 miles) ride map and elevation profile, what follows is my ride report.

Start Control

The ride started at 8am at a Starbucks by El Cerrito BART station, so I just rode there from my house as I frequently do on my morning commute. I prepared my bike, packed my gear and food the night before, and the only thing I needed to do was to fill up my water bottle before the ride started. I showed up a dozen minutes before the start, with most riders already assembled, got my short drip and a heated up croissant, and totally failed to get any water. It's not a super terrible thing, I frequently don't end up drinking much at the beginning of my rides, but I had now set myself up to ride to the second control (44 km / 27 miles) without any water.

Randonneuring isn't about racing - as you traverse from control to control, there's just a window of time that you have for each control, and so long as you make it through each control withing that time window, you complete the event! There is no ordinal placement, the first rider to finish has just as much bragging rights as the last. The only time people talk about time is when they're trying to make a new personal best. The second control was open roughly between 9 and 11am, so I could have stopped off somewhere to pickup water, but that didn't fit into my ride plan.

You see, the cue sheet is two pages - with the first page dedicated to getting you to the second control, as there are a lot of turns to make in the East bay until you get to Benicia. Accordingly, my plan was to stick with the "fast" group who know the route well, so that I wouldn't have to look at the cue sheet at all. This was a success - and I got to chat with Jesse, whom I rode a fair chunk of the 111 km Lucas Valley Populaire back in October (here's a good video of the first chunk of that ride).

Control #2

When 7 of us got to the Benicia control at 9:45, I volunteered to guard the bikes as folks filed into the gas station mart to buy something (getting a timestamped receipt is how you prove that you did the ride from one control to the next within the allotted time). Lesson learned: I should have used that time to shed my warm second jersey and long pants, as it had warmed up by then. It just so happens that by the time I went inside, there was a line for the bathroom, and by the time I got out, the fast group was just heading out, yet I still needed to change.

Because keeping up with the "fast" group wasn't that big of a deal and actually rather fun, I really wanted to try to catch up to them, so I stepped it up, and told a couple of other riders that I'd do my best to pull us to them (in case you didn't know - the aerodynamics of cycling make it much easier for those behind the leader to keep up the pace, even if that pace isn't something they could comfortably do on their own). We didn't succeed in catching them during the first 10 mile stretch of road, but I kept pushing with a high cadence in my highest gear, and about 5 miles later, we caught up with them! The only problem was, by this point, I had wasted so much energy, that I couldn't make the last 20 feet to them, though I was happy to see the two guys who'd been letting my push the whole time, use their fresher legs and join the group. So there I was, a few dozen feet from my intended riding partners, but as more and more pavement went past our wheels, the distance between us slowly widened.

Somewhat disheartened by this (though, again, happy that I all of my pulling wasn't all for naught, since I bridged two others to the group), and now overheating, I decide to stop by the side of the road, removed my long sleeved shirt, put on sunscreen (Lesson learned: don't forget your ears, too - they're the only part of me that burned). A fellow rando rider Eric went past, to my smiling cheer of "Go get 'em!". Then when pair of riders asked if I'm alright, I nodded, and decided to hop back on the bike and ride with them for a bit. It was nice to let someone else pull for a bit, but shortly thereafter, we started the first serious ascent, and my heart was pounding too hard from exhaustion and the heat - and I had to stop to again to catch my breath and get some more food in me.

Luckily, when I resumed riding up that hill, I had a mental shift, gave myself a break, and given how tired my legs were already, even though I wasn't even half-way through the ride, I reminded myself that I'll just spin in a low gear if I have to, there's no rush, I'm not racing anyone, and though I know this won't end up being as good of a 200k as it could have been had I trained more in recent months, it was still up to me to enjoy the ride. One of the highlights of the ride were all of the different butterflies I got to see along the way that I started noticing after this change in mental attitude.

After the long climb, followed by a very nice descent, I got onto the Silverado Trail for 14 miles of a straight road with minimal elevation changes. Though my legs were again cooperating more, it was starting to get kind of old, and then out of nowhere, one of the riders I had pulled earlier rides past me, but then proceeds to slow down and ride along side me for a chat. He hadn't been able to keep up with the fast group for very long, and ended up stopping somewhere along the way to eat, which is why I didn't notice that I had passed him. We took turns pulling for each other, which took away from the monotony of Silverado, but he had a lot more in the tank, and I again wasn't able to keep up, losing him with 4 miles to go to St Helena.

Needing another break, with 4 miles to the next control, I decided I would need to spend a while there, recuperating, if I am to make it through the rest of the ride.

Control #3

I got to Model Bakery at 1:10pm, with many familiar faces from earlier in the day already enjoying their food, but ended up staying there until 2:30 - eating my food, drinking water, just letting my legs rest.

I ended up riding out solo, and really enjoyed the early parts of 128 (after missing the turnoff by a hundred feet) - luckily this was just the spot I had my last stop at, so I quickly turned around and got back on the road.

The problem was it kept getting hotter and hotter - it seemed that I couldn't go a mile without taking a good gulp of water. I still stuck to my strategy of just spinning fast without really pushing hard, since recovering from being out of breath is way faster than waiting for exhausted legs to obey your commands. I made it a good chunk of the way to Winters, but still ended up having to stop half way up the climb near Lake Berryessa. Another SFR rider, Julie, climbed past me, checking if I was OK as she went by. It's great to have that kind of camaraderie along the ride, a couple of people even gently expressed their concern that my rear wheel was out of true - which I knew but kept putting off getting it fixed. These nudges gave me more resolve to get that taken care of.

Finishing off the last of the Haribo Gummi Candy Gold-Bears that I brought with me (and you know you're tired and dehydrated when it takes effort to just chew), I got back on the bike and headed further up the hill. Then, finally, I didn't think I could ever be so cheered up by road sign (hint: they only put "TRUCKS USE LOWER GEAR" signs at the top of big hills).

Control #4

I finally got to Winters at 5:37pm, got myself a Chai Smoothie, and Julie, who unfortunately was going to miss her train home, proposed that we ride together the rest of the way to Davis. Again - though I really enjoy my alone time while cycling, it's also quite fun to have strong riders to ride with, so as the sun started descending behind us, and no longer scorchingly hot, we set out for the final 17 miles to Davis at a good clip, given how much riding we had already done.

Finish Control

Dodging drunk college kids (it was Picnic Day at UC Davis) was the last challenge of the ride. As a UCD alum, this was a homecoming of sorts, so I lead the way through town as we made our way to the Amtrak station. We finished just before 7, and I caught the 7:25pm train back to the Bay Area - enjoying the company of a handful of other randonneurs.

Thanks for reading my ride report!
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Cycling
2013 05 23 cycling
cycling

A page about cycling in the East Bay (and the San Francisco Bay Area in general).

This started off as the sort of resource that I wish I had when visiting a new town: so hi there, out-of-towner, welcome to our corner of the world. Hope you enjoy your stay and find these resources helpful.
You need a bike, a water bottle, a jersey or a saddle bag (to store your snack, phone, patch kit). Everything else is optional.

Routes

Though I consider myself an avid cyclist, the reality is that I am only mildly so. I have not been on a ton of rides in the area, and don't know them well at all outside of the East Bay - I have yet to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge - and the Marin Headlands (an omission I plan to rectify soon). I did mountain bike a bit in Marin when I was a kid, and rode a fair bit around the Peninsula while I was in high school. I got my first roadie the summer before heading off to UC Davis. It was a wonderfully light steel blue Peugeot from the 70s (you can see a picture of it here). I convinced (my then future roommate) Philip to get a matching white one. But it was taken from me my first year in grad school (2006). I hadn't been cycling much since, until I started up again recently. Below, you will find a concise guide to some of my favorite rides in the area. As far as my actual experiences, you can get a flavor of the rides I go on by reading my cycling log.

20-40 km

Here is the overview: If you want a shorter ride with a great view - I recommend this 24 km (15 mi) loop from UC Berkeley to Grizzly Peak. The ascent to Grizzly Peak Rd is steady and manageable. The road does get pretty rough when you turn off of College until you get to Broadway, but you avoid the dangerous Ashby route to Tunnel Road. Recently, I've been doing a similar ride that avoids that rough patch by going down College Ave all the way to Broadway. As an alternative option, instead of going up to Grizzly Peak, you can turn off for a slightly shorter (but really fun) descent that ends at the historic Claremont Hotel.

What's nice about these loops is that you can do them back-to-back for a total of ~50 km. But If you want to do a ride that long with more variety, read on for the longer routes.

50 km and beyond

If you have some time (about twice the time it takes to do the shorter routes above), the Redwood-Pinehurst route will take you through an incredible canyon that's filled with redwoods! You can take the loop in the other direction - Pinehurst-Redwood.

Another local favorite is the "Three Bears" ride, which has some truly scenic views all throughout (62 km, ~1 km gain).

My longest ride was the El Cerrito to Davis 200K

My previous longest ride took me half-way up Mt Diablo - the views from there are breathtaking. Can't wait to go all the way up! (115.5 km, 1825 m gain)

Centuries

~~I haven't yet completed a century.~~ April 2014 - El Cerrito-Davis 200K was my first century! (132 miles)

Here are some local ones that I have my eye on.

Grizzly Peak Century is one that goes through some of the local East Bay routes I described above.

Best of The Bay Century likewise starts off in the East Bay routes I'm most familiar with, and heads south all the way to San Jose, before returning a bit to Fremont BART station.

Foxy's Fall Century is an organized ride based out of Davis, CA, where I was an undergrad.

Davis Double Century is in my sights as well. Maybe next year I'll get on the board of the California Triple Crown.

There are a lot of long rides listed on the Different Spokes San Francisco website. San Francisco Randonneurs run a very regular brevet series.

Routes to avoid

Ohlone Greenway: it's not fun - there are too many stops and unprotected crossings. This is a nice route to take a stroll through, on a bike it's just frustrating.

Local Bike Shops

I want to keep track of reasonable places that rent bicycles in the area (in particularly road bikes), as well as routes you should be sure to checkout (with variations, caveats, and general overview).

Missing Link Bicycle Cooperative - One can't say enough good things about this place, super friendly atmosphere. They're located right downtown Berkeley, they both sell gear and fix bikes, and even have two complete sets of tools and stands you can use to fix up your bike for free!

Blue Heron Bikes - a relatively new shop (opened in 2012), in "Westbrae" right of the Ohlone Greenway, I cycle past it every day on my commute. Soon after they first opened, I chatted with the owner, Rob, and he's a great guy.

Wheels of Justice Cyclery - The wheels of justice grind slowly, but exceedingly fine.

Resources

Bike East Bay - a very active local group (previously went by the name East Bay Bike Coalition).

Albany Strollers and Rollers - Albany, California, is a little 1.5 square mile city just north of Berkeley which I call home.

Berkeley Critical Mass - 2nd Friday of each month - departs at 6pm from Downtown Berkeley BART station.

East Bay Bike Party - a monthly evening ride.

Just Ride - my review of Grant Petersen's book.

Here's some ASCII art I made that I now use as my email signature:
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Cycling log
2013 04 17 cycling
cycling

Why do I keep a log? Read here. This log is terse, if you want longer descriptions of the rides, read my advice for cycling in the East Bay.

2018-06-17 Bay Trail to Mountain View I <3 the Bay Trail - especially the gravel portions which Jon had introduced me to almost two years ago (2016-08-07). Had a coffee and waffle at Blue Bottle in Jack London Square near the beginning, and took an eggs benedict breakfast in Newark before crossing via Dumbarton Bridge.

88.4 km +127 m

2018-06-09 Treasure Bica loop - I've sort of lost my cadance of logging these rides. I guess the ones I do alone all end up blending together, unless they're particularly long.

60.6 km +771 m

2018-05-19 Fort Bragg 600k - Wow. What an adventure. We started at 6am and I made it to Fort Bragg (mile ~180) at 10pm after riding along the coast to beautiful fog filtered sunset. Stayed there for an hour, then finally headed back to a campground at mile 225, because Kaley was leaving (otherwise I don't know how long I would have stayed there). Again, couldn't keep up with her the whole time, but didn't fall too far behind. At the camp, I slept in a chair in front of a fire pit from 3:15am to about 5:15, when I woke up to fresh eggs, bacon, and coffee being made for riders faster than me who were getting ready to head out. Left the campground at 6:15am, and needed to be at Pt Reyes Station by 6pm to make time cut off. Rode with Juliayn and Tom for a while - from Cloverdale to Healdsburg. Then took a longer break as they continued on and hooked up with Pierre - having a pleasant chat and good company almost all the way back to Freestone, where Pierre got a flat and insisted I keep going on my own. After figuring out that I wasn't as tired as much as I was cold - especially through the headwinds at Keys Creek - I proceeded to layer back up. I got to Point Reyes Station at 4:23pm (plenty ahead of the 6 something cutoff time), and then proceeded to ride more leisurely, taking a nap in a bus stop booth on Sir Francis Drake, getting tea and a morning bun at a cafe in Fairfax, and finally finishing at 8:20pm at Chrissy Field back in SF. Pierre ended up catching up right at the end of the last climb out of Sausalito and we rode in together. So that's 38 hours and 19 minutes elapsed time for this 600k. You can read more about this annual ride from Rob Hawks.

600 km +5900 m 38 hours 19 minutes

Hopland 400k - the beer and hard cider in Hopland seemed like a good idea at the time... Rode a big chunk of this with Phillip again - but had to let him go shortly after Petaluma safeway - I was too slow and nauseous after throwing up.

400 km +3921 m 24 hours 10 minutes

2018-05-07 Treasure Bica loop - The building that was in the median at the stop sign as you enter treasure island is gone. Saw a coyote near the top of South Park Dr.

60.6 km +771 m

2018-04-14 Treasure Bica + Wildcat 72.5 km +979 m 4 hours

2018-04-11 - Hawk Hill and Sausalito. Mario and Shawn joined me to brave the rain.

2018-03-30 A local 100k Treasure island, Bica, Papa Bear, Orinda. I should make something like this into a RUSA perm and ride it for a P-12

97.2 km, 1846m gain

2018-03-10 Healdsburg 300k - Yet another wonderful day on the bike. I stayed at my brother's in the city to make the 6am start, but as a result my breakfast was a banana just before the store. So after I got to the first control quickly, 9:10 - I decided to have a nice breakfast and stayed till about 9:45. Rode with Eri[ck]a, Matt and Mike for a while to the second control. Caught up with Jack in Samuel P Taylor Park and paired up for a bit. He let me go on the last climb on Sir Francis Drake.

My legs felt good - I was able to power through Marin .

Here's Brian Chun's video of the ride.

300.2 km +2549 m 15 hours 34 min

2018-03-04 Treasure Bica loop - The building that was in the median at the stop sign as you enter treasure island is gone. Saw a coyote near the top of South Park Dr.

59.2 km +758 m

2018-02-26 - Mt Hamilton 200k - amazing ride - we rode through the snow in the Bay Area (the peak had a good bunch of it, including some on the road) - lucked out into a paceline through most of Mines Rd to beat the wind. Rode a chunk of this with Phillip. Saw a fox riding through the dark on Pinehurst.

see Eric Walstad's photos, or Greg Merrit's video

201.9 km +2869 m

2018-02-17 - Treasure Bica, with more Bay Trail - got rained out so decided to skip the tunnel road climb. 55.4 km +400 m

2018-02-10 - Treasure Bica loop - 59.2 km +758 m

2018-02-03 - Treasure Bica loop - fell off the wagon there in keeping these updated.. missed a few rides - Sara and Kayvon, and Greg, too. 59.2 km +758 m

2017-08-12 Another coffee run - took a more creative descent. [48km, 1000m gain, 3 hours]

2017-08-05 Coffee run - the descent on Tunnel Road is the worst it's been in many years - way too many potholes and broken asphalt 53km, 1000m gain, 3 hours)

I rode several times between May and July, but somehow neglected to document any of thos rides

2017-05-07 Grizzly Peak Century - Rode to the start to add an extra 20k and 300m of climbing. (140km, 2100m gain)

2017-04-30 Treasure Island - rode with Sara and Kayvon - so good to see them both again.

2017-04-01 Tunnel Road + Orinda dash - A reasonably short ride with Greg

2017-02-25 SF Tri Club in the East Bay - Kilian invited me and it was great ride. I had to take easy since I haven't ridden any significant amount lately. (113km, 1710m gain, 7 hours)

-- 2017-03-22 Direct to Orinda and back - left my water bottle there the weekend prior

-- 2017-03-15 Happy Valley loop

-- 2017-02-25 Pt Richmond

2017-02-18 Pt Richmond

2017-02-11 Pt Richmond

2017-01-29 Ciba and back - a lovely weather ride with Greg. I stuck around for a Hawk Hill loop before heading home. First time at Ciba - great coffee!

2017-01-16 Happy valley loop - saw Gabi hiking in Tilden.

2017-01-13 Friday morning ride - it's been a long time since I did one of these. This time I went alone, fueling up at Bica before heading up the last bit of Broadway.

2017-01-02 Tour the Flats - Greg and I decided to start the year off right by going all the way across the Bay Bridge. It was cold. The flats gods tried to deter our plans, and halted our progress only 1.3 miles into the ride from our rendez-vous point. But Greg fixed it with grace, and we were on our way. Only to get another flat as soon as we made it to Yerba Buena Island. Once he patched that up, we decided to reward ourselves with cinnamon rolls from Ikea for our heroism.

2016-10-23 Happy valley loop - didn't take any snacks with me, was OK.

2016-10-18 Social ride - With Sara and Kayvon.

2016-10-09 Russian River 200k (modified) - Stork and I had a great day on our bikes. On the way back, we decided to get off Highway 1 and instead backtracked our morning rollout (for calmer road conditions, and at the cost of some extra climbing. This was my first ride in 2 months and it showed - I had to go painfully slow from Bodega Bay to Valley Ford, spinning in low gear without being able to provide any power.

2016-08-13 El Cerrito - Davis 200k - a my 5 consecutive monthly 200k. Left El Cerrito at 7am and got to St Helena at noon, which is 45 faster than usual for me - but it was so hot that, despite the extra time cushion, I ended up rolling into Davis at 6pm - which is an hour longer than last time. (213km, 2472m climbing, 11 hours total)

2016-08-12 Friday morning social ride - Danny and Jon, over Grizzly Peak (42 km, 759m gain, 1.5 hours)

2016-08-07 Bay Trail - Oakland to Fremont with Jon - beautiful day, the mixed terrain was very welcome. (90km, 137m gain, 5 hours)

2016-08-05 Friday morning social ride - just Danny and I, took Claremont. (40km, 678m gain, 1.5 hours)

2016-07-23 Happy valley loop - good to be back on the bike, it was a hot one. (57km, 1062m gain, 2.5 hours of saddle time)

2016-07-10 Cloverdale to SF 200k - Stayed up front at the beggining and got a chance to ride with some fast riders through the first two controls, and then from just before Sir Francis Drake climb. (202km, 1694 gain, 8 hours 40 minutes)

2016-07-09 Boonville Lollipop 300k - My first 300k! (310km, 3188m gain, 14 hours 56 minutes)

2016-07-07 Hawk Hill with Janet! We saw whales when we stopped part way down the descent.

2016-07-03 Return to Reliez - haven't ridden on Reliez Valley Rd for over a year, maybe two... Decided to correct that today. (73km, 1463m gain, 3 hours 40 minutes)

2016-07-01 Friday with Jon - had a good conversation about 3D modeling tools, and a possible stealth project... (52km, 860m gain)

2016-06-25 Russian River 200k - what a lovely ride! (205km, 2026m gain, 9 hours 25 minutes)

2016-06-24 Friday with Danny and Jon - good thing I did this ride, because the only water I had at the start of the 200k the next day was a single mostly full bottle from this outing.

2016-06-11 Happy valley loop - Saw a gorgeous Stellar's Jay in the woods, and two young deer on the Wildcat on the way back. (57km, 1062m gain, 2.5 hours of saddle time)

2016-05-22 El Cerrito - Davis 200k - a solo ride, the second in my quest for my first R-12. Took a bunch of photos. (213km, 2472m climbing, 10 hours total)

2016-05-12 Bike to Work day! A sweet leisurely ride from the office to Hawk Hill (my first time there) with Danny and Janet. Danny and I rode the ferry from Oakland, so I had another 13km before the SF portion of the ride. Danny has a few photos on his Strava (56km, 650m gain, 3 hours)

2016-05-08 Bear-y Happy Nice and foggy morning ride, fueled by Doughnut Dolly! (75km, 1174 m gain, 3 hours)

2016-05-01 Grizzly Peak Century - Spontaneously ended up riding with Mark within the first few miles, and after meeting at the first rest stop, we rode most of the 110 mile version of the ride together at a brisk pace. The conversation sure made the miles go by a lot faster. Also bumped into randonneurs Rob Hawks and Barb who volunteered separate rest stops - nice to see familiar faces. (190km, 3101 m gain, ~ 10.5 hours total)

2016-04-30 The ride of two Pauls - I took Paul The Elder on his first ride in the East Bay. It was a beautiful morning, which we started at Semifreddi's. I had to ditch Paul at the top of Happy Valley to head home, but he was a good sport about it. (56km, 1062m gain, 3.5 hours of saddle time)

2016-04-29 Another Friday with Danny - Danny and I took on Grizzly Peak - I returned home the more direct way, opting out of the extra climbing. (33km, 579m gain, 2 hours)

2016-04-16 El Cerrito - Davis 200k - a wonderful day for a ride (213km, 2472m climbing, 9 hours of saddle time, 10 hours total)

2016-04-10 Happy LaMo return via Arlington again - the weather kept me from leaving earlier in the morning in trying for Mt Diablo. Climbed around Albany Hill when I got back just to add a little extra. (57km, 1062m gain, 3 hours of saddle time)

2016-04-03 Longer training ride, the 200k is only two weeks away, so I extended my usual loop by going through Moraga. Pleasant sounds of bubbling creeks on Redwood Road: delightful. (88 km, 1720m gain, 4.5 hours)

2016-04-01 (Anti) Social ride - Danny slept in, so I took on Grizzly Peak by myself. (42 km, 759m gain, 2.5 hours)

2016-03-26 Happy LaMo return via Arlington - trying to get ready for the El Cerrito-Davis 200k (57km, 1062m gain, 3 hours of saddle time)

2016-03-25 Friday with Dmatt - Danny and I decided to take on Grizzly Peak. (42 km, 759m gain, 2.5 hours)

Wildcat Only - wow, not

-- Friday with Dmatt

-- 2016-01-23 A run - ran to El Cerrito BART station, then the North Berkeley one, once around UC Berkeley campus and back. 16.7km, 222m gain

-- 2016-01-15 Tunnel Road to Claremont - Danny was freezing, Jon's back tire had a slow leak, but we still got out there! I wore a jacket and was much warmer. (40km, 678m gain, 1.5 hours)

2016-01-08 Tunnel Road to Claremont - with Jon, I was very cold, was shivering at Fourne for quite a while after the Claremont descent. Jon and I came up with and idea for an electronics project. (40km, 678m gain, 1.5 hours) 2016-01-01 Wildcat Only - wow, not cycling for two months really made me weak... The cold temperature (5-7°C / 41-45° F) didn't help. (31km, 560m gain, 2 hours)

2015-10-25 Happy LaMo return via Arlington - saw one turkey doing a pretty dance for another turkey... in the middle of the road... Turkey's aren't very smart, it turns out. (57km, 1062m gain, 3 hours of saddle time)

2015-10-30 Tunnel Road to Claremont - Jon, Danny, and I. Saw some turkeys, one of whom had beef with us and took it out on the car behind us.

2015-10-25 Happy LaMo return via Arlington (2.5 hours of saddle time)

2015-10-16 Tunnel Road to Claremont - Just Danny and I today.

2015-10-10 Winters 200k - continuing my tradition of forgetting to put water in my bottles before rolling out - rode 'dry' and ended up filling them at the first control (38km into the ride). For the first half of the ride, I somehow ended up in a group with 2 anciens and 2 anciennes (Robert, Barry, Kris, and Renee). Having done only two 200k rides before this, I was actually surprised to keep up with them for as long as I did. We got to the Winters control (93km) at 10:10 - I was aiming for 10 hours which would have only put me there a bit before noon. The cardiac hill climb is where I couldn't keep up anymore, though our paths still crossed at the next control (124km) - but I decided to sit and cool off for a bit as they rolled out from there (and finished exactly an hour before me). I was pretty much alone for the second part of the ride, which is too bad, because the headwind was quite strong and took a lot out of me, but I'm happy with my performance. (Photos from an SFR member) (200km, 2266m gain, 9 hours, 28 minutes)

2015-10-04 Willow Ave Park and Ride Scoped out the Winters 200K start control for next week. (51 km, 460 m gain, 2 hours)

2015-10-02 Tunnel Road to Claremont - All of us again (Sara, Kayvon, Danny and Jon) - met up at Blue Bottle this time. Fournée post-ride stop again! (40km, 678m gain, 1.5 hours)

2015-09-27 Pt Reyes Station loop with Danny and Stork! Danny's longest ride ever - but he paid for it with two flats. I played with staying in the big gear for several of the climbs, and the new-to-me segments of the Cross Marin Trail were delightful. (150km, 8 hours)

2015-09-25 Tunnel Road to Claremont - Our biggest turnout! Sara, Kayvon, Danny and Jon all showed up. Jon got a flat halfway up Tunnel Road. Our first time at Fournee bakery afterwards, yummy! (40km, 678m gain, 1.5 hours)

2015-09-18 Tunnel Road to Centennial - A ride with Jon and "Hawkeye" Danny! (40km, 678m gain, 1.5 hours)

2013-09-14 Lucas Valley Populaire: Danny's first randonneuring event, it was a really nice, overcast day. (113km, 1417m gain, 6 hours)

2015-09-06 Happy Valley First weekend ride with Danny! (56km, 1057m gain, 3 hours)

2015-09-04 Tunnel Road to Claremont - With Danny and Jonathan! Rode up Euclid for good measure afterwards. (40km, 678m gain, 1.5 hours)

2015-09-01 Tunnel Road to Centennial - Sara, Kayvon, and Danny! (37km, 600m gain, 1.5 hours)

2015-08-27 Wildcat and South Park - went for a run with Stéfan afterwards (1.5 hours)

2015-08-21 Tunnel Road to Centennial - Just DMatt and I this time, we split off with Danny taking Centennial down, whereas I stayed on Grizzly and came down Spruce. (37km, 600m gain, 1.5 hours)

2015-08-09 Wildcat Moraga Redwood - a good weekend ride. (80km, 1.5km gain, 3.5 hours saddle time)

2015-08-07 Tunnel Road to Centennial - another Friday morning with Sara and Danny. Danny's first time up to Grizzly Peak. (37km, 600m gain, 2 hours)

2015-08-03 Freestone Bread Run 200K - Awesome ride with SF Randonneurs, - here's an album where I can be seen holding a coffee at the beginning of the ride. (205km, 3km of climbing, 11 hours 45 minutes of saddle time, 3 wild blackberry pickings on the side of the road)

2015-07-31 Tunnel Road to Claremont with Sara and Danny (DMatt's first time!). Sadly, found out that Nobolom is closing after 40 years this Sunday, glad to have gotten a chance to go there one last time.

2015-07-13 Biked to Oakland for coffee and bacon at Sara and Kayvon's place, followed by a ride to Concord for a long lunch with Kenji. Took BART from Pleasant Hill to Rockridge, and then biked home from Rockridge. (3 hour of saddle time)

2015-07-10 Tunnel Road up and down with Sara and Kayvon. We persevered, despite the rain, and it mostly cleared up and dried out by mid-ride. (1 hour of saddle time)

2015-07-04 Happy LaMo return via Arlington (2.5 hours of saddle time)

2015-06-26 Tunnel Road to Claremont - another Friday morning ride with Sara and Kayvon. Ascended on Kavon's single speeder. (1.5 hours of saddle time)

2015-06-14 Happy LaMo return via Arlington (2.5 hours saddle time)

2015-06-12 Tunnel Road to Claremont - joined by Sara and Kayvon again (1.5 hours of saddle time)

2015-06-07 Morgan Territory and Mount Diablo (junction only). A ride with Jeff and his team (Team Roaring Mouse) - it was waaayy too hot - but the company was good. (66.6 miles, 5 hours altogether with waits / regroups)

2015-06-05 Tunnel Road to Claremont - joined by Sara and Kayvon (1.5 hours of saddle time)

2015-05-30 Happy LaMo return via Redwood Wow! First ride on my new Surly Long Haul Trucker - and it rolls like a dream. I was able to push myself the entire ride, thanks to the higher gears, as well as the wide handle bars that allowed for easier breathing during recovery. (4 hours of saddle time)

2015-05-25 Went up Centennial after checking out a Surly Long Haul Trucker at The Missing Link. Was cold at Grizzly peak, only had enough time to go down to Wagner Ranch and come back (1.5 hours of saddle time)

2015-05-23 Happy LaMo return via Redwood. Inaugural ride in my brand new SF Randonneurs jersey! (4 hours of saddle time)

2015-05-10 Happy LaMo return via Kensington (2.5 hours of saddle time)

2015-05-02 Happy LaMo - yay! (2.5 hours of saddle time)

2015-04-18 El Cerrito - Davis 200k with SF Randonneurs. (213 km, 9.5 hours of saddle time, 11 total)

2015-04-05 Happy LaMo return via Redwood. Downhill portion of tunnel road is seriously messed up now. (5 hours of saddle time)

2015-03-29 Wildcat only. Was sick last week, still not fully recovered, but figured I'd get at least a short ride in. (35.5 km, 665 m gain, 1.5 hours of saddle time)

2015-03-15 Happy LaMo return via Pinehurst, then Euclid and return via Kensington. Glad I had the time to push myself a bit, to get back into shape for the El Cerrito 200 km. (4.25 hours of saddle time)

2015-03-08 Happy LaMo return via Kensington (2.5 hours of saddle time)

2015-03-01 Wildcat only, return through Kensington. First ride of the year? Yikes. I did go on a few runs though. Need to make this a regular morning ride before work a few times per week. (1.5 hours of saddle time)

2014-10-18 SF Randoneurs' Lucas Valley Populaire - awesome ride again this year - my time was 5h 35 minutes - and I did take a few nice breaks, including the extravagance of a double espresso and a morning in Fairfax on the tail end of the ride. Seriously considering my first 200K in a few weeks. Been trying to get in shape the last couple of weeks by compensating for a lack of saddle time with running for an hour twice per week.

A few out and back to Wildcat Canyon

2014-09-07 Happy LaMo - Wasn't as hot, and I took some snacks with me, so didn't even need to stop in Orinda as I made my way home. (56km, 1057 m gain, 3 hours of saddle time)

2014-08-31 Happy LaMo - finally working my way back up to a longer ride. It was pretty hot today. (56km, 1057 m gain, 3 hours of saddle time)

2014-08-24 Wildcat and back A good pace,

2014-08-10 Wildcat and back via Arlington First ride in a long time due to back injury that's been slowing me down. The top of Wildcat Canyon is so incredibly smooth now.

2014-06-14 Wildcat and back via Arlington short ride again today.

2014-06-01 Never Again a fun "shortcut" from Inspiration Point ended up costing me an extra hour, and had me off-roading in my poor roadie. I did see 5 bunnies up there while riding through the park, though. (61 km, 1254 m gain, 3 hours of saddle time)

2014-04-27 Reliez LaMo - Got a flat in as soon as I got on Pleasent Hill Rd, had to walk to Hank and Frank's who fixed me up. Again, did this after a 5k run up to campus, but could actually walk down stair the next day (unlike last time) (km, m gain, 3 hours of saddle time)

2014-04-20 Happy LaMo - met up with Lena in Orinda and at Inspiration Point. Did this after a 5k run up to campus. (56km, 1057 m gain, 2 hours 20 minutes of saddle time)

2014-04-12 - Happy LaMoRedwood - longer ride

2014-04-06 Happy LaMo - good to be back on my bike. Beautiful weather today. (56km, 1057 m gain, 2 hours 40 minutes of saddle time)

2014-03-?? - A Bay Trail ride with Jon.

2014-03-09 South Park - got a flat at the beginning of Wildcat, so had to turn back and walk down for an hour and a half all the way to Wheels of Justice where Matt fixed it in 7 minutes, and I was on my way back up. Found out I can't shift into my lowest gear when I got to South Park, so that was a painful ascent.

2014-02-16 to Happy Valley Rd - actually felt like I really pushed hard the whole ride - stayed in my highest gear all along the top of Wildcat Canyon Rd on the way out. Brought just enough snacks to stay filled with energy. (56.7 km, 1291 m gain)

2014-02-12 Brazilian Room and back only had an hour, but that's an hour longer than I rode in the last 3 weeks. (18 km, 339 m gain)

2014-01-19 Wildcat Only same ride again, faster pace this time. (35.5 km, 665 m gain)

2014-01-18 Wildcat Only short ride to get back on that horse. (35.5 km, 665 m gain)

2014-01-10 Grizzly Peak My first ride of the year (and in well over a month), wearing jeans and with my messenger bag on, right after therapy. The best thing for depression is exercise.

2013-12 Bay Trail short ride with Jon and Sofia ()

2013-11 Grizzly Peak with Sara via South Park ()

2013-11 a ride with with Minh ()

2013-09-23 Bay Trail Stroll with an extra 30 kilo in tow. (15 km, 55 m gain)

2013-09-14 Lucas Valley Populaire: Took BART over to Embarcadero, and after an espresso and waffle at Blue Bottle at the Ferry Building with my friend JB, we headed over to Chrissy Field, where JB left me in the good company of Guy, James, Sara, and Kayvon. It was a great day for a nice long ride, we were mostly bringing up the rear the whole time, but I got to take a bunch of pictures. Without a doubt, I'm ready for my first 200k (112.6 km, 1505 m gain)

2013-09-08 Orinda via Happy Valley alone today. It was a hot one, so I took my shirt off and got some of the late-summer sunshine. (55.4 km, 1254 m gain)

2013-09-08 Bay Trail Stroll we skipped the Solano variety, and just took a new trailer to the bay trail (19.8 km, 78 m gain)

2013-09-07 The new bridge and Port of Oakland Rode across the new section of the Bay Bridge with my buddy Jon, then he showed me a couple of parks around the Port of Oakland. (45 km, 75 m gain)

2013-09-06 Moraga-Wildcat Started off as the Mutton-Chop ride with Cal Cycling. Met tri-athlete and optometry student Christie, who said she's thinking of going to Moraga when we got to the intersection of Skyline and Grizzly Peak. She didn't object to me tagging along, and we proceeded at a pretty damn fast pace. By the time we were climbing out back into Tilden, I could barely keep up, but it was a great ride. (55.3 km, 1062 m gain)

2013-09-02 Orinda via Happy Valley same ride as the day before, more people were out because of labor day. Stayed in the highest gear the whole time on Wildcat on my way out. (55.4 km, 1254 m gain)

2013-09-01 Orinda via Happy Valley A cyclist with a Portland jersey let me lead but kept me honest up Wildcat, then he got ahead of me on the downhill - it sucks to not have a reasonable high gear. Didn't visit Granny's house on the way up the Happy Valley hill. (55.4 km, 1254 m gain)

2013-08-31 Orinda via Upper Happy Valley rode with Dan, his first time up Papa Bear. (52.5 km, 1239 m gain)

2013-08-24 Orinda and back - had an iced green atomic sludge thing from Peet's in Orinda. (47.4 km, 966 m gain)

2013-08-20 Grizzly Peak I was running late this morning, Dan waited patiently for me at Bica again, and then we went up to Grizzly Peak and split off our separate ways. (37.2 km, 702 m gain)

2013-08-19 To Bica and Back This hipster cafe was giving away free coffee on account of their third anniversary, so I met up there with Dan, had a good conversation catching up, and then headed home. (17.4 km, 86 m gain)

2013-08-17 Pinehurst - MacArthur Got to do some exploring around upper Rockridge while waiting for Jon, and then we did the Pinehurst - Redwood ride together. (64.4 km, 1171 m gain)

2013-08-14 Grizzly Peak morning ride with Sara. Bumped into Matt Davis during our pre-ride coffee at Actual Cafe (he just moved to the neighborhood) (32.5 km, 722 m gain)

2013-08-11 A ride to Concord where I met up and chatted with my old friend Janet. We chatted for a few hours, and I did not have enough time left to ride all the way home, so I took BART from Concord to Rockridge, and took a ride home from Rockridge BART. (56 km, 1182 m gain)

2013-08-01 Pinehurst - Reliez - Spruce Finally went on a good long ride. Bonked and took a 10 minute nap in the sun at Wagner Ranch elementary before heading up Wildcat Canyon. (96.6 km, 2048 m gain)

2013-07-22 Tunnel - Claremont loop Another morning ride with Sara. (27 km, 583 m gain)

2013-07-21 A ride to Jon and Sarah's new place! I dropped off some freshly made preserves from strawberries we had picked from our farm the day before. Redwood is pretty steep over there. (50 km, 809 m gain)

2013-07-13 Tunnel - Claremont loop First ride with Sara Emery! Neither of us had ridden in a few weeks due to travel and being sick, so we took it easy. Actual Cafe apparently only opens at 8am on the weekend, so we doped at Cole Coffee in Rockridge. (35 km, 591 m gain)

2013-07-03 Marin - Tunnel Rd loop - first ride in over a week due to extensive conferencing and travel. Met David, who has a cool rig with an aerodynamic bubble out front, vertical steering, and an electric regenerative assist. (33.7 km, 765 m gain)

2013-06-22 The Populaire (SF Randoneurs) my first randoneuring event! (116.3 km, 1637 m gain)

2013-06-18 Mt Diablo (half-way) - My first metric century. Ran out of time and decided to not try for the summit this time. Good thing I didn't, it was dark by the time I made it back to Tilden. Took a new basket I got at a big box for $15 in preparation for the Populaire on Saturday - but made the mistake of carrying my U-lock and empty metal sandwich container - tons of rattling the whole time, except for the slow ascents. Mt Diablo's south side road is freshly paved and the views are breathtaking. (115.5 km, 1825 m gain)

2013-06-14 Broadway-Centennial Another morning ride with Dan, another double espresso cubano doping dosage at Actual (pre-ride). Dan found some rope for his boat as we approached campus. (32 km, 671 m gain)

2013-06-13 Spin class with Randy. Climbed some hills, had several streaks around 300 watts and higher, which seemed impossibly high a couple of months ago. Randy told me that the North side of Mt Diablo is steeper, but he prefers it - South side is nicely paved and better for descents. (22 km, 35 minutes)

2013-06-13 Broadway Terrace - Grizzly Peak - First time going up Broadway Ter - it's steeper than Tunnel Rd, and my left calf was very unhappy about that. Also, I Wish I had a higher gear for downhills - another cyclist in a red jersey that I passed during the climb caught up with me on the descent from Grizzly Peak, but pedaling at those speeds and my gearing is useless. We chatted briefly after Centennial, and he was impressed that I wasn't wearing cleats - strapless toe-clips for the win! (24.5 km, 638 m gain)

2013-06-11 Tunnel Rd Only Road again with Dan Coates this morning. We had pre-ride espressos at Actual, and post-ride pastries with coffee at Nabolom, with thick fog sandwiched in between. (36 km, 637 m gain)

2013-06-09 Happy-Reliez Overcast and a bit chilly. New slightly thicker jersey and long sleeved shirt kept me adequately warm. In good spirits, was told I'm "going way too fast" as I passed a cyclist going up Happy Valley road. :) (77.5 km, 2062 m gain)

2013-06-04 Centennial-Happy-Lamorinda Succeeded in doing a standing climb all the way up Happy Valley Rd. (64.5 km, 1604 m gain)

2013-06-01 Mt Diablo Prelude I flirted with Mt Diablo, but got a flat and was stranded in Danville until the cavalry came and picked me up. (50.5 km, 1216 m gain)

2013-05-31 Wildcat Only it was really hot on the other side of the hill. (35.5 km, 665 m gain)

2013-05-30 Morning Claremont Loop - Dan Coates joined me for a ride. I was doping (Espresso Cubano at Actual Cafe), but carried my bag the whole way, as a handicap. (27 km, 583 m gain)

2013-05-28 Spin Class at RSF: speed (30-30 sprints and standing endurance). We got a bonus 15 minutes at the end. (29 km, 60 minutes)

2013-05-28 Redwood-Pinehurst-Tunnel - glad to see dozens of cyclists going up Tunnel Road in pairs as I was coming down. (50 km, 1099 m gain)

2013-05-26 South Park-Papa-Happy-Reliez-Bear Creek-Happy-Orinda-Wildcat Had an extra hour today, made good use of it with some extra climbing. Went through the blocked off section of El Toyonal - lots of horses, and also a terrible road, wouldn't recommend it. (90 km, 2276 m gain)

2013-05-25 Wildcat-Papa Bear-Happy Valley-Lamorinda - First time taking Happy Valley Rd - rough on the ascent, but buttery smooth on the way down. Stopped for sugary coffee in Orinda. I like ridewithgps's interface a lot better, and the elevation gain it recorded was 1.5 km, a full 500m later than MapMyRide - because MMR smooths things over more. I like the interface better (you can zoom in on portion of a ride quicker), so I think I'm going to stick with RWGPS from now on. (72 km, 1550 m gain)

2013-05-23 Tunnel-Claremont Right leg kind of bumming - but surprised at how much strength my legs had at the top of Grizzly Peak - stayed in high gear all along even that last hill. (23 km, 405 m gain)

2013-05-21 Inspiration Point-Wildcat Roundtrip-Grizzly Peak - South Park Drive still kicks my butt, so I'll have to do it more often. (37 km, 690 m gain)

2013-05-17 - Spin class at RSF, got there 10 minutes late, but hey, every ride counts! (16 km, 35 minutes)

2013-05-17 - Tunnel Rd-Claremont-Tunnel Rd-Grizzly Peak Tunnel Rd uphill is so nice, today I rode it twice! On the second go around, on the rolling part of Grizzly Peak Blvd, I hit the Bohemian Rhapsody solo - and left a cycling team in the dust! (48 km, 893 m gain)

2013-05-16 - Redwood-St Mary's-Reliez Valley-Three Bears-Grizzly Peak (93.5km, 1451 m gain)

2013-05-14 - Tunnel-Pinehurst-Redwood-Tunnel A good ride, solid two hours. Watched a raptor taking off right in front of me while cycling up Redwood, beautiful bird. (49.5 km, 822 m gain)

2013-05-11 - Three bears - Papa first Helped one guy find his cycling computer. Saw a wild turkey with a bunch of chicks. Was way to windy on San Pablo Dam Rd as I approached 80, and all along 80. I wouldn't like cycling in the pacific northwest - apparently it's always windy there. (53.5 km, 589 m gain)

2013-05-10 - Claremont-Tunnel Rd. Morning ride - thick fog along Grizzly Peak Blvd and Skyline. Bumped into and chatted with Kirk McKusick while enjoying my cup of coffee after the ride.
(26.5 km, 443 m gain)

2013-05-08 - Centennial-Grizzly Peak-Tunnel Rd Was told "hey bro, call it out!" when I passed another cyclist on Grizzly Peak, which I'm ok with, but he kept yelling something long after I was out of hearing range. My first time going down Tunnel Rd. (22.5 km, 441 m gain)

2013-05-06 - Page Mill-Altamont Loop, from Stanford. After the first day of Software Carpentry at Stanford, I spent an hour in front of the Thai restaurant where Bernard, Ariel, and I had dinner trying to get my bike lock unlocked. Bob suggested I put WD-40 in the lock, and it worked to revive it! (22.5 km, 214 m gain)

2013-05-05 - Page Mill-Altamont Loop Saw three deer on Page Mill. Remarkable how easy this was compared to what a Page Mill ride was like a decade ago for me. (14.4 miles, 702 ft gain)

2013-05-03 - Centennial-Grizzly Peak-Claremont Short ride. Didn't have much time, just enough for a small climb. But every ride counts. (9.4 miles, 1398 ft gain)

2013-05-01 - Redwood-Pinehurst, again. Concentrated on cadence. A fellow cyclist I passed on the Tunnel Road climb stayed not too far behind the whole way up, and caught up near the top. I told him "Thanks for keeping me honest", to which he replied "It was the other way around". He took a left onto Grizzly, as I continued down Skyline. Briefly stopped at the Canyon post office at 4:30pm, as they were closing up. Will have to send postcards from there, sometime. (31 miles, 2772 ft gain)

2013-04-30 - Redwood-Pinehurst Pushed through in higher gears as much as possible, strength training. Took a slightly different route to get to the hills, taking College all the way to Broadway. (31 miles, 2772 ft gain)

2013-04-28 - Wildcat-Three Bears-Wildcat My first time riding Three Bears! I was not super fond of the beginning of the Three Bears route (Alhambra Valley Rd) - it's quite choppy and not as nicely paved as most other places I'm used to riding, but having the road talk to you is quite encouraging and novel, to me. Examples of signage in the asphalt: "Momma" at the beginning of the first big hill, or "feeding zone", or "almost" within the last 100 yards of the "Papa Bear" hill. (38.5 miles, 3051 ft gain)

2013-04-27 - Wildcat-Orinda-Moraga-Pinehurst-Grizzly Peak, with a Rosie finish

Fueled by two cups of coffee (one from Nabolom, one from Local-123), and pastries from Nabolom, Crixa Cakes, and Starter Bakery - I decided to binge on the pain, as well. I particularly loved slicing through Camino Pablo and Moraga Way in high gear. Made it almost all the way up Pinehurst in second lowest gear - only had to switch to the lowest for the last 100 yards, or so. The finish was anything but rosy - a very strong wind from the bay made me wish I had a sail with me. (44 miles, 2782 ft gain)

2013-04-24 - Grizzly Peak loop, same as a week ago, had to wade through the thick low-lying clouds all along the ridge - near zero visibility up there this time. Bumped into Brandon at the gym afterwards. Turns out the VS ride I missed yesterday was just him and Zack, and they went up Spruce and came down Centennial. (15 miles, 1575 ft gain)

2013-04-23 - Claremont Only. Missed the Vision Science ride, and had to get back quickly, so only had time for a very short (but fairly intense climb) ride. Claremont has too much automotive activity this time of day (4-5pm). (6.25 miles, 974 ft gain)

2013-04-21 - Rosie the Riveter to Lake Anza. Amazing how a bar I ate along the way made me not even tired at the end of the ride. The last hill (Canon Drive) was easier than it had been all winter long. Snacks FTW!

Wore boardshorts today, and amazing how many fewer nods I got from fellow cyclists - it's like they don't recognize their own if I don't look the part. It's the cadence, not the clothes that make a cyclist. (20 miles, 1119 ft gain)

2013-04-19 - Longer ride: Redwood-Pinehurst, ran out of steam (completely bonked) at the bottom of the last hill on Pinehurst to get back to the ridge, and had to just slowly waddle my Resolved to never go on rides longer than 15 miles without a snack. (30 miles, 2680 ft gain)

2013-04-17 - Rode the Grizzly Peak loop, from campus to Broadway and then up. Dan Coates would have joined, but had a flat, and turns out the glue in his patch kit was all dry. Brandon Lujan also stopped by, on his bike, wondering why no one responded to his Bay-to-Breakers thread on vs-social. I watched the sun set behind Mount Tam as I rode along the Grizzly Peak ridge, and got back to the gym just at twilight.
(15 miles, 1575 ft gain)

Why keep a log?

This is a log that's inspired by the Davis Wednesday Night Skate Log. I'm in there somewhere at least a couple of times (01/21/04, 09/29/04) and my brother Mike even more frequently. Another point of inspiration is Ned "Bike Nomad" Konz's trip logs and Steven Roberts' "Miles with Maggie" portion of his bicycle adventures.

About a month after I started keeping this log, I came across yet another example of why I like keeping logs (and reading them) - this one is from Rob, the owner of Blue Heron Bikes in Berkeley. Read Rob's October Bike Vacation

I don't keep track of every single time I get on a bicycle - that would be too tedious, since I have a 6 mile round-trip home-campus commute every day. These are just rides I do for fun and exercise. I get no sense of accomplishment keeping track of rides where I'm riding in a manner as to minimize my sweatiness during my trips to and from campus.

Here's some ASCII art I made that I now use as my email signature:
```
                   _
                  / \
                A*   \^   -
             ,./   _.`\\ / \
            / ,--.S    \/   \
           /  `"~,_     \    \
     __o           ?
   _ \<,_         /:\
--(_)/-(_)----.../ | \
--------------.......J
```
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Other articles

Start Control

Control #2

Control #3

Control #4

Finish Control

Routes

20-40 km

50 km and beyond

Centuries

Routes to avoid

Local Bike Shops

Resources

Why keep a log?