It was my senior year of high school when I rode my first century ride with my friend Ken. My “training” was laughable, but with plenty of enthusiasm and naiveté, we finished — and I was hooked into long-distance bicycling ever since.
With Mother Nature and her cohorts The Weather Gods smiling upon us, it seemed like the perfect morning to participate in the Fort Collins Cycling Club’s Spring Warm-Up Ride and pedal a bike.
Or bikes, in my case. Let me explain. Continue reading »
Never mind that “The Tank” is heavy, slow, and has been ridiculed by my own self on countless occasions. It is also 1) indestructible, 2) has only gotten one flat tire in an entire decade and almost 3000 miles, and 3) is also the only bicycle I still have in California. So when pretty Peggy mentioned she was doing the Giro di Peninsula 100km bicycle ride over the weekend, off came the cobwebs and The Tank was back on the same lands I had first ridden it on ten years ago. Continue reading »
The name “Torture 10,000″ for the hilly century ride in the Portland area of Oregon is quite a misnomer. Not because the ride is unbefitting of a name containing the word “torture”, but because the century route has not 10,000, but actually over 13,100 feet of climbing! Continue reading »
Bob, Sharon, Sharon’s friend Diane, and I went to Paso Robles during the Memorial Day weekend. We were there for two things: 1) the West Coast Kustoms (a 3-day hot rodding event including a Friday Night parade) and 2) the Great Western Bicycle Rally. Hundreds of cyclists camped out on every square inch of grass at the fairgrounds, but we stayed at the Templeton home of Sharon’s mom and dad, who were gracious hosts as usual.
On Saturday, Diane and Sharon did a 35-mile self-supported ride dubbed “Surprise at Spanish Camp”, whereas I did a 10-mile time trial. Afterwards, I test rode some carbon-fiber bicycles for the first time ever. Later in the afternoon, Bob came down from Fremont and the four of us went to the Concours d’Elegance Saturday evening. We capped off the event by doing the self-supported Vineyard Century on Sunday by following a route sheet provided by the GWBR organization. Continue reading »
Originally I had not planned on doing this ride. Instead, I was both mentally and physically preparing for a mountaineering trip up Mt. Shasta this weekend, an attempt to redeem myself for a failed summit attempt 4 years ago on the very same mountain. Mother Nature and her late-season storms would forbid such an attempt, and a change of plans were in order quicker than you can say “avalanche…” Continue reading »
I came to do what I expected to be a nostalgic Delta Century for me, it being the very first century I ever rode 12 years ago. Instead, in a shocking development, I only got as far as 20 miles on the recumbent when a critical part snapped in half. It was a bit disappointing since up to that point the weather was beautiful, the atmosphere was tranquil, and the food was delicious. It had the makings of a great century. Continue reading »
