Tunnel Road to Skyline Blvd - The Hills are Alive

This was my first Autumn ride. Friday, September 24 - took the day off because my dad was visiting. Got out for an early ride, gave him time to wake up and do all the stuff, slowly, that an 88 year old guy does. He actually doesn't do that much, just takes a loonnng time.

The ride was up Tunnel Road, a steady climb to Skyline Blvd. You can see the ride here. This ride was a good test of hill endurance - a steady climb from about 150 feet at the house to 1500 feet at the highest point on Skyline - climb was over 6 miles. Nice goal that I wasn't sure I could do. Took it at a slow to moderate pace, 5-7 mph on the hill, and sure enough, did it!

Bay Area from Skyline

The ride is incredibly beautiful. Funny, I've never been on Tunnel Road  to Skyline - it's great to get out on the bike, gets me to places I haven't been before. The ride goes through much of the Oakland fire zone from the 1991 fire - all is rebuilt now and many trees regrown. Only thing strange is the preponderance of 4000 sq ft homes on the hills, looks crowded. Very obvious why people died in the fire - the road is thin and has many hairpin turns - no way you could possibly escape with a wind-blown fire on your ass.Good reason to ride a bike.

Turned left where Tunnel Road takes you to the beginning of Hwy 13, onto Caldecott Lane. OMG, feels like you are already on the top of the world. Pedal about a half mile to where Tunnel turns off to ascend the hill. Ahh, I'm curious how hard this climb will be. Surprisingly, not too bad for the first mile, steady climb, in lowest gear, but not very hard to pedal. Busy looking for a good place to stop to take a picture, but am lazy, don't want to stop and decleat - just want to keep riding. The views are awsome. It was 9:30 when I started the ride, so not too hot yet. Today is the first day of some predicted heat - really great to have a warm day, finally. Many of the hairpin turns bring incredible vistas of the Caldecott Tunnel as well as the entire Bay Area - from SF Airport all the way to Mt. Tam in Marin county. Gotta love living here!

I did it!!

The miles go by and the climb seems to be consistently moderate, but believe me, I notice each mileage sign. Tunnel Rd is a bike path - so Oakland has it marked with mileage signs identifying various destinations, like the East Bay Regional Parks. I am pleasantly surprised to get to the intersection of Skyline and Tunnel Road, a marker for me. Almost to the top (or so I think)! And, I am not too tired - not huffing and puffing (able to carry on a conversation with myself - damn I'm a good conversationalist or just bloody crazy), no burning legs, no aches or pains anywhere - yet. Really cool to feel my conditioning getting better. Here is a pictures from the intersection of Broadway Terrace and Skyline, proof I was there.

It really feels good to get to the area where Skyline flattens out. Ride by several East Bay Regional Parks - Sibley, Roberts and finally Redwood (my favorite). Lots of trees and very few cars - nice to be able to get out on a weekday when there are few cars. Ride by the house we rented when we first moved out here in 1981 - still looks the same. (8081 Skyline)  The ride is relatively flat, many pine trees, houses on the West side of the road, past Chabot Observatory and into the middle of Redwood Park, a place Ross and I love to hike. Hmm, there is a significant hill down to the intersection of Joaquin Miller. I can tell I am getting a bit tired. There is a half mile more to Joaquin Miller and I elect to bag that last half mile. Enough hills for the day - goal is to keep these rides fun, so I do! I stop, eat my Cliff Bar and get ready to ride the return trip. Oops, learn a good lesson - never take a chocolate covered Cliff Bar again and stash it in the bike jersey - it was like chocolate syrup - yummy, but a friggen mess. Continue to be careful to drink plenty of water - even getting it down to drink while I ride - another small feat of coordination for me. Also practicing some standing pedaling - not sure I like that much, yet.

The ride back is, well, fantastic. Try 3-4 miles of relatively flat shaded riding followed by 6 miles of downhill. OMG - this is why people take this ride. Amazing ride, beautiful downhill, no cars, total fun and feeling very good about balance on the bike while going fast. Hit 32 mph as maximum speed - plenty for now. Got back in no time - about 45 minutes. Great feeling of accomplishment!

Ride statistics:

• Distance: 20.5 miles
• Time riding: 2 hours, 10 minutes
• Average speed: 10 mpg
• Total climb: 2100 feet
• Highest elevation: 1498 feet
• Physical feelings
• Not out of breath
• Careful to keep well hydrated - drank 1.5 bottles of water
• No burning legs
• Slight ache in left hip, usual ache there
• A bit of numbness in hand as descending the hill, due to too much time in fully crouched position
• Rest of the day
• Somewhat tired, but not wiped out
• Drank much water, ate a great lunch and dinner, trying to eat well in recovery time
• Legs feel tired, but no soreness
• Ate a bit more on Thursday and Wednesday to prepare for the ride (tip from a book)

My First 50 Miler (Saturday September 11)

Hmm, it was 9/11 and it did not register - no catastrophes and no crazy foolishness - just a chance to  experience a truly beautiful ride through Contra Costa county. I was pushing my mileage to the max on this ride - from 36 miles previously to 50 on this ride. Let's see how it went.

I met my new friend, Pete, an avid cyclist from Sacramento, in Clayton at 9:30. It was cool and sunny, light breeze - perfect cycling weather.Our course took us along Marsh Creek Road, behind Mt. Diablo, to Deer Creek Road, then to Balfour Road into lovely Brentwood (just to get some extra mileage), then a loop back. Total distance just over 50 miles. You can see the ride here.

The first few miles are through Clayton, which is just east of Concord. It has a really cute, old downtown. Funny, it's a place I had never visited until my bike took me there. Marsh Creek Road narrows and becomes very rural - quite beautiful for riding. Pete and I plugged along at a nice pace - trying to not be too Type A on my rides, but hell, I have an odometer, wireless no less, and it tells me how fast, how far, pedaling rate (for you bikers, cadence) and distance. So easy to get attached to the numbers. We kept a pretty steady pace on the flat parts between 15-20 mph. Felt good. Having a minuscule bladder, it took me less than 30 minutes until I had to pee. The gods were with us - there was a California Department of Forestry firehouse conveniently placed at the 30 minute mark - the perfect place to stop and ask "could I use your bathroom"? One of the guys showed me where the bathroom was - through their dorm - oh my god, I was in heaven! But alas, only the bathroom (which I was thankful for), no sleeping firemen.

We rode the remaining miles to Deer Creek Road - beautiful rolling hills, the back side of Mt. Diablo towering over us, rolling grassy hills, spotted with live oak. We passed by ranches with horses and cows - it's wonderful in the Bay Area - in 30 minutes, you are in countryside that makes you feel like you are a hundred miles away. I know, I should have taken some pictures. Next time for sure! We passed Morgan Territory Road, a gorgeous road, but true killer hills. That will be a future tale for me to tell you - not there yet. Stopped at the intersection of Deer Creek Road for a snack and water break. Much appreciated. Still wondering when I'll fully get the cleating and uncleating down - I'm learning, but what an uncoordinated work of art I can be as I try to stop and uncleat from my pedals. Now, that is worth a video - dare any of you to catch me! If you do, promise I will post it here.

The ride through Brentwood and Antioch was uneventful - just some flat mileage (13 miles to be exact) and moderately busy roads. It was nice to get out of suburbia and back to the country ride on Deer Creek Road. By now, I was starting to feel the ride. Deer Creek Road has 2 nice hills and I definitely felt the second one, as well as the heat, which was pushing 95. As we were chugging up the hill, Pete asked me if I had a song going through my head - funny, because I did. No longer have a clue about what it was, but Pete thought it was something common for many people - helps you push through something challenging.

Reached the intersection of Deer Creek and Marsh Creek (getting the picture of lots of creeks?) and took another food and water break. Feeling pretty tired by this point and I know it's only 13 more miles, but alot of climbing. This was where I brought Peter Shelton to mind - the guy I am dedicating my ride to - the hardships he faced and dealt with - the challenges of the training and riding that I deal with - my discomfort, pain and hard work fall easily into the proper perspective.

The songs were really flowing through my head now as I cranked up the long hills. Pete was a great riding companioin, waiting for me at the top of each hill and urging me on. God the last hill looked big, but I did it! No spills, stupid maneuvers or injuries. All good news. Got back to the cars, packed up the bikes and Pete headed back to Sacramento, me back to Oakland. That's when I realized how blazing hot it was - car thermometer said 98 - wow.

Here are the ride stats:

• Distance: 50 miles
• Time riding: 3 hours 50 minutes
• Did not record average speed, but pretty sure it was around 15 mph

Recovery on Sunday:

• Hungry, hungry, hungry
• Lousy sleep Saturday night, so was pretty tired on Sunday
• No aches or pains - very nice
• Decent strength on Monday, so overall recovery was short

Previous Rides

Welcome to my ride blog! I am doing this primarily to keep track of one of the most significant experiences of my life - riding the AIDS Lifecycle ride in June 2011 to raise money to find a cure for HIV/AIDS, help people with HIV/AIDS and to educate people about the epidemic. (My AIDS Lifecycle page is here.)  I'll be writing about each of my rides, recording statistics so you and I can keep track of my progress. I'll also be writing about how this experience touches my heart and soul - it will be a tremendous and meaningful force in my life over the next 10 months.

How did I decide to do the ride? Briefly - it grew out of a long-seated desire to give back to my community and from the kick-ass inspiration my friend Steve unknowingly gave me. He rode the AIDS Lifecycle ride this past June - and his detailed accounts of each day on the ride, and our discussions before and after the ride convinced me that this was something I wanted to do. So, there you have it. Thank you Steve!  (This is Steve and his daughter Maddie.)

This will be quite a physical journey, so I decided to buy a new bike. I'll be riding an average of 80 miles each day for 6 days - good bike is a good idea. After some research,  I decided to buy a Cervelo RS roadbike. For those of you that are interested, you can see the bike here.

The features that I sought were:

• Quality - I want to keep the bike for a while. I do not want to upgrade in a few years. Lazy I guess. 
• Comfortable to ride - slightly less race prone posture. Achieved through slightly higher handlebars and longer wheel base.
• More comfort - traditional spoked (32) wheels instead of racing spoked
• Easier pedaling - special cassette in the back that allows for an easier time pedaling up hills

What sold me on the Cervelo was a side-by-side ride against three other bikes. For me, the Cervelo was it. Various people told me that I would feel which bike was right for me and sure enough, I did. I bought the bike from Pacific Bicycle in San Francisco. What a great experience! They listened to my requirements and went above and beyond satisfying them. Yea, could buy a bike online for less, but the guys at Pacific Bicycles more than earned the extra cost - I highly recommend getting expert advice if you are seriously looking at a new hobby or sport. I bought the bike in mid June. Hey, the guys at Pacific Bike are smart - so smart they told me I would fall early on due to the cleats - everyone does. I didn't let them down - fell first thing, in the parking lot of the bike store. Well, at least that was behind me quickly!

Here is a summary of the earlier rides I have done:

1. Alhambra Valley Road to Reliz Valley Road (July - 26 miles). One big hill.
2. Marsh Creek Road to Deer Valley Road (August - 36 miles). Same deal as the ride described above, only a bit shorter. Very tired by the end.
3. Claremont Ave. to Alvarado (August - Thur afternoon - 5 miles) KILLER hill. Had to walk the last few hundred feet, burning quads. Some fear on the downhill due to steepness.
4. Pinehurst/Skyline/Wildcat Canyon (August - Different Spokes ride - 28 miles) Big hills, especially on Pinehurst. Did fine, recovery was not bad.
5. Home to Richmond via Bayside trail (September - 20 miles with Ross) No hills, but significant wind. No problems and easy recovery.
6. Golden Gate Park to Great Hwy to SF Zoo (Labor Day Sunday - 15 miles) Easy ride, but too many cars and people.

To close this section... a big thank you to my husband Ross - my teammate in life. His total support, love and encouragement are my biggest inspiration. Thanks my man!!