We couldn’t help but be intrigued by the ride posting of 18 billy goats (hill climbs in our bike club). We realized that would be impossible for us to do but the ride posted by Russ and Sheila had the great flexibility of offering three sequential rides, or laps, with a fixed route and optional billy goats. I guess if you did them all you would do more climbing than on the Devil Mountain Double. Russ and Sheila are getting ready for the Terrible Two Double Century next week.

We skipped trying to make it to the 6:00 am start for Lap 1. Besides we already went up Quimby West on the tandem this year and once a year is enough. But we were anxious to climb Mt. Hamilton so we got there in time for Lap 2 at 8:30 am. Although there were eventually over 25 different riders on the 3 laps, about 20 of them were on Lap 2. It was a cool day for June. The group split as soon as we started the climb. The two tandems and several guys on single bikes went out ahead. We decided to get some pictures before we got dropped.

The temperature dropped as we climbed and soon we were in heavy fog. We made a stop at the observatory and then headed down the backside. Those who had skipped the stop at the summit were already headed back up before we reached Isabel Creek. After we made a U-turn, I started the timer to see how long it would take us to climb up the backside. One of the other rides had a jersey that said “If you think this is too steep, you are getting too old”. That kind of inspired me to push even harder up the hill. With about 500 feet of climbing left my legs were about to give out but I said to Anne, I am not going to give up now after all this hard work to climb fast. She replied, “what are you talking about, you are not timing this climb are you?” “Of course”, I replied. I then realized that although I was pushing my heart rate over 160 all the way, Anne must have some reserve energy left, which really came in handy. It looked like we could come in under 50 minutes so I took my heart rate up over 170. We finally reached the top and set a new KOM time for ourselves. Although we are old, I guess this hill was not too steep for us.

By the time we reached the summit the weather was much better than the first time up. It was a bit cool but there was some sun. We headed down to do Kincaid but decided we would only go out to reach Russ and Sheila coming back. The road on the first part of Kincaid was newly paved and nice to ride on. The clouds were beautifully set against the blue sky. We wanted to to a picture but with no one else there, we took pictures of each other and later merged them using Photoshop.

Before we reached the bridge, we met Russ and Sheila coming up the hill. They stopped to wait as they could see were going to make a U-turn and join them. When they stopped they noticed they had a cut in their front tire and the tube was starting to protrude through. Their politeness of stopping to wait was rewarded with them discovering something that could have caused a blow out while they were later descending down Mt. Hamilton road. Like many of the tandems, they had a spare tire and quickly replaced their front tire.

After deciding to skip Quimby East we were making the short climb up when I saw another snake in the road. “Did you see the snake?”, I asked. “No,” Anne replied, “You can see what is in front of you, I can only see a behind“.

Back at the start we loaded our tandem in the car and went over to chat while Russ and Sheila were refueling for Lap 3.

Some new riders were now showing up for the last Lap, which would include Sierra, Caleaveras, Welch Creek and many other options for those who want to prove that no hill is so steep that it makes them old.

I was wondering how many miles and feet of climbing Russ and Sheila would get in. Maybe not all 18 Billy Goats, but enough that next week’s Terrible Two will not seem so terrible, I bet.

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It has been a long lull in serious training, with Franz’s cycling accident on April 8th, then the travel to Washington State, Utah, Atlanta and Florida.

After returning from Atlanta, we started our crash recovery course on cycling, quickly getting ready to do a Century ride in Utah that Saturday. It was the first time for quite awhile for both Anne and I to reach 200 miles of cycling in a week. The next week we were now back in California and it we should  have cycled more than we did, but the long ride we were planning on that Saturday turned out to be short due to very cold conditions.

Today we decided to join the club ride “Lunch in Pescadero” but started at McKenzie Park, in Los Altos, so we could get some additional miles.  Russ and Sheila were planning to bike on their tandem from home and we met them on Foothill.  Barley had joined them also.  The five of us biked up Sand Hill Road, then over to Woodside to meet the rest of the riders who had driven to the start.

It was then over to Old La Honda, down Highway 84 then over to Pescadero for some lunch.  We needed a break because keeping up with these young riders took a lot of energy. The forecast had been for cloudy and cool but the weather had turned very nice and it was sunny in the mid 60’s.

After splitting a sandwich, it was over Stage road to San Gregorio.  But there was no stopping there, so we went on to Highway 1, then over to Tunitas Creek.  Russ & Sheila and Barley were going to put in even more miles so we said goodbye at the bottom of Tunitas Creek, and then started the long climb of 2,000 feet in 6 miles.  The difficulty of the climb was greatly minimized by the beauty of the surroundings.  We are lucky to be able to do a local ride and be biking right up through the redwoods.  We just had to stop to get a picture.

Going up Tunitas Creek road

We finally reached the summit and made a brief stop, the fist one since we had left Pescadero.  Then it was down Kings Mountain, to Woodside and back to the car the way we had come. It was about 80 miles and 6,500 feet of climbing.  See map of route.

We feel we are finally in shape for the 10 day bike tour we will be starting in a little over a week.   Anne has now biked 3,300 miles so far this year, even higher than last year at this time.   Taking a look at the miles we have both biked so far this year, you can see that Anne’s mileage is much closer to that of Franz than in prior years.

We really enjoy biking on the tandem.  You can see that we had a period when we were not able to bike on the tandem while Franz was recovering, but for the past two weeks we are doing even a better job of getting ready for Sierra to the Sea than we did last year.  It was over 280 miles on the tandem this week.  Time to put on a new chain!

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It has been a delightful Memorial Day.  This morning we got up and watched the TV with some of the feature stories on the sacrifice of our military men and women over the years.  A touching story was about an organization that had made it possible for many of the WWII veterans to travel to Washington DC to see the monument devoted to their comrades who had died in the war.  It helped us appreciate the sacrifice of so many for us and our children, and their children.

After cutting the bike ride on Saturday short due to the cold weather, we wanted to get in a good long ride today.  We decided to go 64 miles and do the Canada Loop, then head up and ride up to the Henry Coe State Park headquarters.  It was still overcast in the morning so we kept waiting.  We thought that once it reached 55 degrees we would head out since the forecast was for a nice day.  We had only gone one block before Anne decided to add the sleeves to her jacket because it was still brisk.

By the time we made our way to Canada Road, it had warmed up to about 60 degrees and we could see that the sun was attempting to break through the over cast.  We quickly warmed up during the climb and by the time we reached the summit the sun was now shinning.

We went all the way down Roop Road, up a short hill and down a descent, past some very nice homes then on through the back roads up to Morgan Hill.

Before we started to make the big climb we stopped briefly while we shared a sandwich we had brought along.  We no longer needed our arm warmers or vest. The weather was absolutely perfect for cycling.  Part way up the climb we stopped to enjoy the view.

We were glad when we reached the end of the road.

We didn’t stay at the top long because it was now mid afternoon and we had not eaten much yet.  It was a moderate paced descent down to the valley.  Franz was doing much better braking with his left hand and the drag brake on the tandem really helped.  After we made our way over to Erik’s Deli, we shared a sandwich, sitting on the patio area.

From there it was 10 miles back to our house.  We had timed it it just right because it was now starting to cool off a bit.  We finally made it home after 5:00 pm, with a total of 64 miles and nearly 5,000 feet of climbing.  It was a very nice day.

Categories: Cycling, Holidays
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For the ride on Saturday we were considering doing the 77 mile Long Distance Training club ride but we were concerned about the traffic on that route.  So instead we went on another club ride, near the same area but on some back roads.  In the morning we checked the weather forecast and it looked like it would be cooler than it had been but still in the upper 50’s and low 60’s.  Never believe the weather forecast in this area with all it’s micro climates.

As we left our house at 8:30, the sun was just about to break through the overcast sky so it looked very promising for a nice sunny day.  We headed by car over Hecker Pass Highway toward the ocean.  As we neared the summit, we saw the thick fog and the temperatures were dropping.  As we descended down towards the coast, the fog became thicker.  The ride started in Corralitos.  About 6 other people were there but they had been smart enough to wear tights.  Ann had brought her jacket and arm warmers but Franz had only brought along a vest and arm warmers.  Neither of us had tights, knee warmers, long finger gloves or an ear band.  We could have used all of those.

We headed out with the group for the easy climb up and over Hazel Dell.  The temperature was about 51 but with some moderate climbing we seemed warm enough.  Then we made the tough climb up Mt. Madonna road, which climbs over 1,500 vertical feet.  The road was wet from the heavy fog and we knew the decent would be difficult and cold.  We were the first ones to the top but only waited a short while, figuring it would be warmer at the base so we headed down.

We stopped half way down to get a bit warmer.  You can see the fog was still thick.

At the base we stopped only briefly, then it was back over Hazel Dell.  Near the summit, one other rider had a flat tire so we stopped while he was doing the repair.  It was now 49 degrees and we started to get real chilled.  There must have been a slight wind because we were definitely colder than earlier.  Then we had to do the descent back down to Corralitos.  When we got there we felt cold, too cold to be having fun.  We went into the store and Anne bought a hot chocolate but Franz was so cold he went to the car to warm up.  It was probably 15 minutes before the rest of the riders showed up.

We got out of the car and headed back over to get on the bike to go up Eureka Canyon.  It was now past noon and the fog was still thick.  It was looking like it was not going to clear today.  We remembered how it was going to be sunny back home.  So we decided to go back home and bike there.

When we did return home we felt so tired.  It was coldest we had ever felt in late May.  After getting some recovery we decided to go out on a run instead.  But we vowed to get in a long bike Ride on Monday, Memorial Day.

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It has been a few weeks off from cycling, starting with Franz breaking his hand in a cycling accident and then us traveling across the US from the Northwest corner to the Southeast corner. We tried to get in some exercise most days, but mostly it was running with some time on an exercise bike. When we returned from Atlanta to our Utah home on Tuesday, Franz’s younger brother called and asked if we would join his team to do the Salt Lake Century ride on that Saturday.

Normally we would not be too concerned with that since we had been on club rides this year already over 100 miles and Franz had already finished two double centuries. But during the past 6 weeks we felt we had lost a lot of conditioning and so far Franz had not attempted to get back on the road bike with the splint on his left hand, keeping to riding only the mountain bike on pavement.

But with 3 days left to get in some training, and one day to rest, we felt why not? So our “getting back in shape” training was 25 miles on Tuesday, 35 on Wednesday and 55 on Thursday, with taking Friday off, before the Century ride on Saturday. It is not the training program we would ever recommend, any more than cramming for final exams is very helpful. But we needed to get some confidence and Franz needed to learn how to ride the road bike with the splint on. We did not have our tandem, so that meant single bikes.

The Salt Lake Century is an interesting century. It gets about the same number of riders as the Tierra Bella and also offers short options of 35 and 70 miles.  The proceeds go to assist the Salt Lake City Bicycle Advocacy Committee to build and maintain bicycle routes and trails and promote cycling in Utah.  Unlike the Tierra Bella, it has one mass start at 7:30 am with police escort blocking all the traffic so this massive peleton could cruse through the streets through the stop signs and traffic lights. We kept our pace up during that stretch, going over 20 mph with a slight tail wind, but keeping plenty of space between us and the riders ahead, especially since Franz was mostly limited to using the rear brake with his right (and good) hand.

After about 6 miles, the riders were much more stretched out and we were no longer with a police escort. The first rest stop was at 17 miles, but we thought that was a bit too soon so we blew by that rest stop and eventually reached the 2nd rest stop at 35 miles. This was the point where we were going to decide to turn around or go on. We both felt fine so decided to do the entire 105 miles.

That extra portion was an interesting one because it takes you out to Antelope Island State Park, an island in the Great Salt Lake.  The largest of the Great Salt Lake’s 10 islands, Antelope Island is part of the Utah State Park System. Visitors can reach the park by boat or as we did over a 7 mile long causeway.

Biking along the causeway was interesting because you are surrounded by vast water on both sides of the road and where there is water there are bugs, and we mean a lot of bugs.  We wanted to get through all those bugs as quick as we could so we kept the pace around 20 mph.  One group we passed must have thought an older couple should not go by them, so they passed us but eventually they could not hold that pace so we ended up passing them again.  This time they were content to draft behind as Franz pulled the rest of the miles to the island, with Anne right on his wheel.

Anne at finish of Salt Lake Century

Once we reached the island, the route took us several miles on a road that circled the island.  This route served as a time trail course in the Nationals a couple of years ago that some members of ACTC participated in.  The weather was now perfect cycling weather, in the low 70’s.  On the far side there was a water stop where we made a brief stop.  Then it was to continue around the island and then, yikes, we had to go back across that causeway with all the bugs.  So we did the same thing again, keeping the pace over 20 mph to get through that section as soon as we could.

At mile 70 we stopped a the lunch stop where they had all the fixings to make a sandwich.  We saw Franz’s younger brother there.  His team was leap frogging us all day.  They would go past us between rest stops but they were taking longer stops than we were,  so we ended up seeing them at every single stop.

Franz after Salt Lake Century

After resting for awhile, we headed back over the 35 mile course we had taken that morning. But unlike the morning we did not skip the rest stop at 17 miles from the start. But there the stop was brief and then we finished the 105 miles.

It was a great century ride and one we really enjoyed. We averaged 17.8 mph for the 105 miles. That was not as fast as we have done on the tandem, but a pace we were very happy with on single bikes.

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After being in Atlanta for a couple of days, we headed to Destin Beach in Florida with John, Amy, Kyle and Natalie.  We were kind of surprised that we went from Eastern time zone to Central time zone.  It just seemed we should be headed east going to Florida.   But if you take a look at the map below you can see that Florida extends west under Georgia and even part of Alabama.  Out destination was indeed towards the west of Atlanta.  It doesn’t look that far on the map, but with the highways we had to travel it took about 6 hours to drive.

We arrived on Wednesday and the kids went straight to the beach, which was right in front of the condo units we were staying at.

The next day it was back to the beach for more fun.

In the afternoon we headed over to see more of the sights of Destin Beach area.

As night came on, we could see the moon over the ocean from our balcony.

On Saturday we headed down to Panama City to watch  a triathlon there and check out the beach in that area.

Sunday was Mother’s Day.

We enjoyed a brunch at “Another Cracked Egg” restaurant.  Then it was back to the condo and to the pool.

All good things need to come to an end but before we left to drive back to Atlanta on Monday, Franz took a couple more picture of where we had stayed.

Categories: Vacation
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On our vacation from the Northwest corner of the US to the Southeast corner, we have finally made it to Atlanta to visit John and family. The day after we arrived in Atlanta we were able to go to Kyle and Natalie’s track practice.

Categories: Running
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Yesterday we visited Deception Pass and today we were anxious to see the Skagit Tulip Festival.  It was about a 10 mile drive from our hotel.  There were several places to stop but we picked one place where there looked like vast fields of tulips to view.

Until you see such a large expanse of tulips it is difficult to realize how breathtaking they are.  There were several different sections, each with it’s own color of tulilps.  There is little I can add, so I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Peter

Tulip Festival

It was fun taking photographs while Sara was also taking them.  I could take advantage of what she had visualized.

Emma

Abby and Mike

Tulip Festival

Andrew

Emma, Andrew and Peter

Anne wanted me to take a photo of this yellow tulip that was in the middle of red ones.  She was sure she could use it for a talk some time.

Standing Out in a Crowd

Mother and Daughter

One more shot of that barn as we were leaving to return home.

Tulip Festival

Categories: Computer, Vacation
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We had a chance to visit Sara and her family who live south of Seattle.  Mike was taking Sara out for her birthday so we watched the grand kids overnight on Friday.  On Saturday morning we got the whole gang ready and headed up to Seattle to meet up with Mike and Sara.  We then drover further north to Deception Pass State Park.  It is Washington’s favorite state park with a spectacular Bridge and Pass.   It is a straight connecting the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the west with Skagit Bay to the east. Whidbey Island is on the south side of Deception Pass.

After parking we hiked down the the waterline.

Peter tried to scare us as we were walking down the trail.

From the coast you could see the famous bridge.

Andrew decided to play with the rocks on the beach while Franz took even more pictures of that bridge.

Mike and the boys then hiked up a trail that went to the bridge.  The rest of us drove our cars there and to meet in the parking area.

It was then to the motel where we were going to stay and out to dinner at the Olive Garden.  It was a great day and we were looking forward to going to the tulip festival the next day.

Categories: Vacation
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It was only two days ago when we did a long club ride up Mt. Diablo.  Having taken yesterday off so we were anxious to get in a good ride today.  The weather was beautiful.  With a storm coming in tomorrow we felt it was a good day for another long ride.  What a better way to spent Monday morning than to climb Metcalf.  We made our way along Uvas up to Bailey and then headed over to climb up Metcalf road.  It is a climb we have made on the tandem many times in the past, but we didn’t push the pace too much today.  Then it was down the backside and then over to San Felipe, were we stopped to take some pictures.  The hills are very green and the flowers are out.

Franz

Then it was on to Farnsworth and then over to Silver Creek were we stopped to eat some lunch.  We had now biked about 40 miles and had 30 more to go to get home.  We decided to go back on the bike trail.  The sky was a deep blue and there were wondrous cloud formations.  This one looked like the work of Zorro.

Mark of Zorro

While I was off the bike to take the above picture, I grabbed this shot of Ann.

Anne on bike trail

We eventually made it back home, but without the aid of the typical tailwind.  We ended up with 70 miles and about 3,500 feet of climbing.  A bit further than two days ago, but less climbing.  It was a fun day.

Categories: Cycling
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