Stage 4 - As viewed from Calaveras and Felter Rds.

I actually managed to put in about 8 or 9 hours of work Wednesday, strategically woven around a late morning ride to the race in San Jose, and a late afternoon pause, to watch the race finish on my laptop.

Cavendish got beat at the line. Doesn't happen often...
Guess that's what happens when your lead out train can't keep up.
Congratulations Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas-Doimo)

My little glimpse of 120 some odd professional cyclists is frankly nothing special. There were thousands of others out there just like me.
However, it was one of the best days on the bike for me - ever - and I only rode 18 miles.

9:30 AM (Yes that's late morning to me), I hammered up to the KOM at the top of Sierra from the base of Calaveras Rd., took in the festivities for a few minutes, and then descended back on the race route (More solidarity - I feel I've practically bonded with the teams by now) to meet up with the lately arriving Chris.

We stationed ourselves at the right hand turn off Felter, onto Calaveras armed with a camera and camera phone. The riders arrived just before noon.

The rest is in the pictures.
I deferred the better camera to Chris, since he was talking about adjusting things like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO - or maybe those are all the same thing? He did a fine job. I did just fine myself with my faithful Treo Pro camera phone.

In approx. correct chronological order...

Looking down on San Jose from the top of Sierra Rd.


KOM Festivities


The line.


Calaveras Rd. - the pros will cover this ground within minutes.

Don't see this CHP vehicle much. Check out those wheels...


It's parade week for the CHP


They actually have done a great job keeping the ride safe and efficient.

The first guys over the top of Sierra, and the first to be awakened by this abrupt right turn. Later to be absorbed back into the Peloton


Same group...


...Nearly runs over Chris' toes.


The balance of the Peloton, with Garmin-Transition at the front.


The best shot of the day - Chris caught Lance and Levi leading their team and tailing the Garmin guys. This is Lance's last full day in the Tour of California though, as he ends up crashing and riding about 6 miles with a gash under his left eye and nearly broken arm before being pulled by the team doctor in stage 5.





Team Radio Shack, following Garmin after turning up Calaveras.


Nice.


This fella seemed truly amused by us spectators.


Well then, that is a bit amusing.


Thanks to Chris for the great photography.

Tour of California Day 2

Congratulations Brett Lancaster (Cervelo)
Winner of Stage 2 in Santa Rosa.



What the Finish looked like.

No I didn't make it there personally - but I did see the mob roll through Oakville...

...I sit here in my truck at the base of Oakville Grade waiting for the race to get here.
I pulled up stakes from my office around noon and decided the Tour Tracker wasn't going to be good enough for me with the riders coming as close as 30 miles from where I was sitting.

I knew where I wanted to park - and here I am at the corner of Oakville Rd. and St. Helena Highway waiting for them to make the right turn across the tracks of the Napa Valley Wine Train.

Fortunately he came by a few minutes ahead of the race.

Yesterday, Bec, Pastor Brent, and I watched the final few minutes of stage 1 from the comfort of 3 office chairs lined up behind his desk in the church office. Half of my guys are off work today for the rain, so the pull was irresistible.
I'm not alone, as there are many others out here with the same idea.

Just down the road is one of the Bay Areas most demanding climbs - Oakville Grade.


Fellow Cyclists that traveled from Portland to follow the ToC for a few days.

Salesman for CLIF nearly takes away my front row seat.
Nice marketing though.

I actually thought I might get some work done while I was waiting. It was a thought...

I'm following the race on the AmgenToC website, with a cell phone modem on my laptop, and see that they are just about to the top of Howell Mt. - the last climb before they bomb down and across the valley toward me. It's nice sitting here in the truck, knowing I don't have to be standing in the rain yet. (Yes it's raining) I'm looking through the water streaming down the windows at about a dozen rather wet enthusiasts all with cameras at the ready. They wait in eager expectation of Lance rounding the corner at any moment. They will keep waiting. It'll be at least 20 more minutes, and the 5 man breakaway will be rounding long before Lance, Levi, or the current leader, Mark Cavendish.

There is a touch of solidarity here - small touch though it may be - having the pro's riding the same roads that I consider to be "my" routes. I wonder if they feel the solidarity as they fly by?

Surely.

Pace Car? Not sure what that's for.

Now for the guys on bikes...

I didn't recognize the names of any of these 5 in the breakaway group.
They came through about 5-6 minutes ahead of the Peloton.

Yeah, they went by that fast.
Levi, Lance, and the balance of Team Radio Shack were right up front. Go ahead and watch it again. Maybe you can tell me who was who.
If the video link to the Tour Tracker had been working right, it would have almost been better to stay in the office and watch it from there.

Almost.

The grande white mocha I picked up in American Canyon tipped the scale.

More on the Pros - Boring to all but cyclists - And even then...

I found this on CyclingNews.com. It's the specs on George Hincapie's Paris-Roubaix specific bike.
For most, this will mean nothing, but reading the article that went with it, reinforced how different it must be to have sponsors.

George had a bike set up perfectly for him, on each of the 5 team cars, "including a full blown 'cross bike in the event of muddy conditions." And, those bikes changed from day to day depending on the course conditions.

Frame: BMC TeamMachine SLR01 Paris-Roubaix, size 57cm
Fork: BMC TeamMachine SLR01 Paris-Roubaix
Headset: FSA Orbit C-33
Stem: Easton EA70, 13cm x -6°
Handlebars: Easton EA70, 44cm (c-c)
Tape/grips: Easton cork
Front brake: Campagnolo Record D-Skeleton
Rear brake: Campagnolo Record D-Skeleton
Brake levers: Campagnolo Record Ergopower Ultra-Shift 11s
Front derailleur: Campagnolo Record 11s
Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Record 11s
Shift levers: Campagnolo Record Ergopower Ultra-Shift 11s
Cassette: Campagnolo Record 11s, 11-25T
Chain: Campagnolo Record 11s
Crankset: Campagnolo Record Ultra-Torque ST 11s, 175mm, 53/44T
Bottom bracket: Campagnolo Record Ultra-Torque OS-Fit
Pedals: Speedplay Zero Stainless Paris-Roubaix
Rims: Ambrosio Nemesis tubular, 32h
Front hub: Campagnolo Record
Rear hub: Campagnolo Record
Spokes: Sapim CX-Ray (front), Sapim Race (rear); 3x, with brass nipples
Front tire: FMB Paris-Roubaix Pro tubular, 27mm
Rear tire: FMB Paris-Roubaix Pro tubular, 27mm
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite custom
Seat post: BMC TeamMachine SLR01
Bottle cages: Elite Ciussi Gel (2)
Computer: Cateye Strada Wireless
Other accessories: Gore Ride-On sealed deraileur cable set

By the way - George doesn't install bottle cages or seat posts. Suffice to say, the team mechanics are an under appreciated lot.

I have but one road bike (not counting the 20 year old one I'm still trying to pull together after my New Years Day crash) and one mountain bike. I'm blessed to have those. Maybe some day I can find a sponsor and make the tough choices regarding what wheel set to use on which frame, to most appropriately match the course and weather conditions!

This Was Not My Idea

I came outside the other day to see my 6 year old applying her simple understanding of physics and the underlying laws of motion.

This was not my idea. She came up with this stunt herself.
But I must admit I was pretty proud of her advanced motor skills.

Makes riding a bike seem downright safe...

WCC 2010 - A Tail-Wind Home

I actually didn't intend to take this picture, but realized it is a perfect parenthesis to my day.
The day started with hot coffee and ended with ice cold Coke.
(Neither of them Decaf - Both of them good friends)

I'm not sure that a legitimate comparison is possible between the 2009 and 2010 Wine Country Centuries. Last year's ride and more specifically, weather, was in a word - Disaster.
The weather for the 2010 ride was stellar. 45 degrees rose to 75 by lunch time, and the skies were never more than streaked with wisps of cirrus artistry.

125 miles in just under 8 hours on the bike. 15+ mph average speed.

However, the weather word for the day was WIND.
We fought it all the way to lunch, and then threw up a sail and blistered the pavement on the way back. I raised my average speed by about 1 mph in the last 25 miles, and we had sustained stretches of nearly 30 mph on relatively flat pavement.

It was wonderfully uneventful regarding equipment too. No flats, and not even so much as a slipped chain, except for the one I tatoo'd my fingers with while helping a lady get her ride back on the road.

A special thanks to a temporary friend named Bruce, who "towed" me into the wind for the last 15 miles to lunch. He must have been resting his legs, because I managed to gain on him, and then drop in behind him on a particularly windy stretch. When he saw me back there, he lit out like a rabbit, but I wasn't about to let him get away and lose the great draft. In a calm stretch I pulled up beside him and thanked him for the pull, and informed him that I would be remaining in the rear, lest our little train lose momentum. We passed dozens of riders, often doubling their speed with me holding his slip-stream with tenacity and thinking "if only they knew." At lunch he thanked me for the company, and I thanked him for the help.

Driving home I passed Six Flags in Vallejo, and saw the roller coasters twisting and spinning loaded with Red Bull dinged adolescents. Though I have a modicum of appreciation for those rides - they don't compare to the thrill of a great bike ride. Descending the twisties with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, or dropping in behind a pace line going nearly 30 mph far surpasses anything an amusement park has to offer. You see, that descent and the ability to hang onto a pace line are a reward. A reward we earned at great cost over months and years, not $22.95 charged for admission.
Earned joys far outstrip cheap thrills.
This was a great ride.

For any who may be concerned about the quality of my pictures, bear in mind that most of them are taken at between 10 and 30 mph with just a passing glance at what's in the shot. But then, anyone that regularly sees my pictures knows I have no likelihood nor aspirations of winning prizes for them.

1 mile into the ride. 7:30 am
Milt, Kevin, Vince, and Steve over my right shoulder


One of several gentle climbs


Nearing the coast.


Rest stop #1


Dropping down the other side toward Hwy 1 and the vast Pacific.


Somehow I didn't notice that 10mph sign till just now. This was an insane descent.


A beautiful day for a ride.


HWY 1 - into a 15mph head wind. But you can't beat the scenery.


Lunch


The finish.
I saw a few other Death Ride Finisher jerseys on the course today.
Only a few months till the D.R. 2010.

I shot this video at the end of the ride.
That's what my bike felt like a few times out on the course.

Happy with the New Wheels

I broke the hub on my front wheel. Spinergy has a less than stellar reputation and I guess I've joined the unsatisfied ranks.

I don't really have a personal issue with Spinergy, since the wheels came used on a bike with an undetermined number of miles on it. For all I know the bike could have 10,000 miles of potholed asphalt behind it. And, Spinergy's tech support has been pretty cool - in spite of telling me that the 2001 model wheels I have are no longer under warranty. Go figure.

That doesn't change the fact that I didn't give serious consideration to any Spinergy wheels I came across.

So I've purchased (used on Craigs list) a set of Velocity Aerohead wheels with Ultegra hubs. I'm pleased - especially since they fit my budget of $150 for the set.

They are not as Aerodynamic as the Spinergy set, nor as light (but only by a few grams), but they seem to be much more solid and certainly give me a far greater sense of security at high speed.

I may post pictures of the wheels later, but for now, I figured I would just post Gianna's reaction to the new additions.

Dad, this is sooo cool! The day we've been waiting for.
We're going to get your new wheels.


Is that the guy's house? Maybe those are the wheels on the front porch.
They look like Velocity rims...



WOW. WOW. They really are beautiful...

MOM!!! Come here!! He's mounted the tires and the cassette.
SWEEEEET!!

Pickles, Pizza, and Pancakes

What do you eat for lunch after riding up some of the Bay Areas most demanding hills? You guessed it...
Left over pizza from last night.
Left over pancakes from the girls' breakfast.
And, a half dozen pickle spears from the jar I talked my wife into buying - saying that I love pickles and she never buys them, yet thereafter allowing them to sit in the fridge for 3 weeks forgetting about them, but arriving home a bit saline deficient, and seeing the pickles, deciding I should have a few. (Possibly the most grammatically incorrect sentence I've ever composed)

(I also ate a whole bunch of jelly beans, but they don't start with "P" so they only get this passing note.)

Here's the climb.

Check out what others have said of this hill.

http://www.inl.org/bicycle/deathride.html

and...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKBWc-CoVpQ

Vince and I threw this climb into the middle of our ride.

I think we were about 30 miles into the ride, going around that circle when Vince went bizerk and starts saying something about “we have to take this road!!” Turns out he knew what was coming. I remember at the bottom saying something like, "you could have warned me to shift gears," as I ground through the gears to something lower than were I was.

It was pretty unbelievable and pure will power at the top. I'm glad I didn't know what was coming.

Some sources say that near the top, the gradient is nearly 30%.

Um, that's steep.

My arms hurt at the top from the counter force I had to apply to the bike for .8 mile. The overall gradient as I figured it is around 17%. Some say 13% - but I'll stick with my figures. That's like climbing the "wall" at the top of Mt. Diablo 8 times, without getting to go back down in between.

Total ride was just over 65 miles.

Pickles, Pizza, and Pancakes. MMMMMMM!

What's for dinner? Pasta?

(The fonts on this posts have a mind of their own. Blogger needs a better user interface. If anybody who can do anything about this is reading - I would be glad to provide my short list of grievances. Life goes on...)

Sore Quads

Top of Cummings Skyway - Overlooking the Carquinez Strait.

I killed some time waiting for it to get at least a little light. By Highway Department standards it wasn't light enough to be out without a head light, but the first few miles were lined with street lights, so at 6:10 I headed out with just the red blinky.

My goal was Williams - approx. 120 miles away. I wanted to be close to there by 1:00 when Bec would hopefully slow enough on her way by, to let me throw the bike on the back of the Pilot. We would be on the way up to Shasta and a weekend with friends - and maybe my first time snowboarding. I was feeling great, and before 7:00 I was at the top of Cummings Skyway prepared to descend into Crockett and then across the bridge to Vallejo.

Carquinez Bridge - Looking west at 20 mph

I rode through Vallejo still feeling physically good. But, ever since my front flat a week ago, I've been a little paranoid about flatting. I've been carrying the patched tube as my spare - hoping I wouldn't need to use it before I got around to replacing it.

As I approached a set of railroad tracks just north of down town, I knew I was in trouble. I can bunny hop one set of tracks if I'm going fast enough - but two? I managed a double hop which kept the front tire intact, but the rear came down hard on one of the metal edges which make crossing in a car a dream, but on a bike a nightmare.
I immediately knew I had a problem but didn't stop to look for over half a mile. Finally, forcing myself to pull over, I surveyed the back tire and found what looked like a lock washer shape forming around the perimeter of my wheel. The tire itself had an offset of several millimeters and the offset was growing. I rode on hoping to think of some great solution. No solution came, but the inevitable did. With a snap the tube deflated and the tire bead released from the rim. I pulled into an abandoned Mervyns parking lot.

The tube suffered from double pinch flat (or snakebite) and the tire deformed after breaking several of the bias threads.

It was Friday, and my Project Manager, Rick was faithfully running the company, while his boss was off riding his bike around the countryside. I called Rick, and without much effort convinced him to drive to my house, remove the wheels from the Bridgestone, and deliver them to the far side of Vallejo.

An hour later, I was back on my way, an hour later than I wanted to be. I resigned to not making Williams, and communicated this to my wife. With the aid of Google Maps, she reworked my route over the phone, and set up a new rendezvous spot. It was a beautiful day for a ride, and I really was feeling great. No worries - Ride on.

Enjoying the sights along the Monticello climb toward Berreyessa.






My rest stop - just a couple miles before the Monticello Dam.
1 Snickers bar and a bottle of Coke

I came down out of the hills and rode toward Winters on Hwy 128, anticipating the connection with my team car in less than an hour. I called Bec again, and got word that It would be some time longer than anticipated. Bec reworked the route for me again, texted it to my phone - "89 TO 16 TO E4 TO INTERSTATE" - and I was off. More miles.

As I approached the left turn on 89 I was cognizant of the intense crosswind from my left. As I turned into the now headwind, I knew I was in for a rough ride. The winds were at least 20 mph sustained, and gusting to near 30 at times. I made just over 10 miles on a perfectly flat road in an hour. I was half way to the rendezvous, and all in. That was ok because Honda Pilots do better in the wind than cyclists, and the rest of my team was making good time.

The wind laying the grass over along Road 89.

I cleaned up at a small gas station at Road 89 and Hwy 16, ate lunch with the girls, and headed toward Shasta.

Nearing our destination

Mt. Shasta

Saturday morning dawned cloudy with a chance of rain / snow, depending on elevation. We hit the slopes just before noon after stopping at Snowman Hill to sled with Ella a few times. I'm new to snowboarding in spite of skiing on and off for over 15 years. I think I caught on pretty quick, and was having a blast after 2 runs.
My quads were disagreeable though. Skiing and snowboarding are both "bend at the knees" kinds of sports - and after 80 miles with a head wind grand finale my deep knee bends were strained at best. After 5 runs, I was toast. It got to the point where my greatest motivation not to fall was the pain involved with standing back up. No matter. I got the basics thanks to my great host and instructor Reese, and hope to make it out once more before the season is over.

Survived!

Paris - Roubaix 2010 is now owned by Cancellara

An exhausted Fabian Cancellara after winning Paris-Roubaix for the second time.

I know, Fabian Cancellara isn't one of the riders I've been following - but maybe he should be.

I first noticed him after he snatched the Tour of California Prologue Time Trial from the home town favorite Levi Leipheimer by a second and a half.

He just bagged his second Paris - Roubaix this year, riding away from 3 time winner Tom Boonen and the rest of the mob, and that, only a week after taking first at the Tour of Flanders. Late in the race, he singlehandedly bridged the gap between the peloton and a 3 man breakaway, then dropped the breakaway 1 rider at a time. The final rider seemed to wave him off as Fabian drifted away, as if to say "Just go - you're going to do it anyway." He time trialed the rest of the way over the cobblestones as the peloton seemed to just wish it were over.

Fabian had over 2 minutes to enjoy his victory before being joined by the balance of the riders.

Not sure why I liked this photo so much.
Could it be that it seems the pro's put their helmets on just like the rest of us - one strap at a time? Or, is it possible that Tom Boonen holds his white shades in his teeth just like he saw me do it? Possible.

Should Armstrong, Sastre, and the Schleck duo be taking notice?
Probably not. Cancellara is strong. Period. But the Tour de France, which is really all that Lance seems to care about this year is not just about raw power. I predict some early wins by Saxo Bank with Cancellara in the yellow jersey, however I suspect that those early points will be designed to offset a less than spectacular arrival in Paris. To win the TDF you have to still be turning the cranks well 3 weeks later on the Champs Elysees.

I think Lance will be still battling Carlo in the last stages, and that they will own all rights to the remaining raw power in the peloton.

I predict Lance wins by less than 30 seconds on the finish line in Paris.
We'll see.