Monday, March 23, 2015
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Day was a complete success
I think luck was on our side but in addition the hard work by those working behind the scenes set the framework for success.
Sean gave a very energetic start of the day with a speech at the Intel Museum. He ended with a very enthusiastic call of "Let's ride!"
We rode off with about 100 riders and despite the varying ability of the cyclists as well as a mix of road bikes, mountain bikes, TT bikes, and bikes towing trailers, and somewhat wet roads, to my knowledge no accidents occurred. Ahmad did a great job policing riders that gave even the slightest hint of being a hazard.
Palo Alto greeted us with a huge welcome. There were booths set up everywhere, great food and beverages. I couldn't find any coffee but Ahmad showed up and shared his cup with me. Not sure where he got the coffee but it's the best I've ever had. Even better was seeing friends and family showing up from all over.
The ride to HP was splendid with police escorts. So nice to own the road!
At this point we swapped Sean's nice Passoni bike for his trusted Trek just to make sure he can get used to the new bike before putting major miles on it. He seemed disappointed but agreed to play it safe.
I expected the worse for the next segment but it actually worked out great. Everyone took Old La Honda at their own pace and seemed to enjoy it. I heard rumors that Tom reached the top thinking he was only half way up. He was so elated when he found out he was at the summit that he ran around in circles giving high 5's to all who ventured to raise their hands. I think he only dislocated the shoulders of two of the unsuspecting climbers!
The ride down 84 was a bit cold and drizzly. Sean was shivering at one point and he gladly accepted the light windbreaker I offered him. Worked for me. One less thing in my pockets!
We stopped in San Gregorio and it was great to see so many Heart Across America riders, many sporting their jerseys. We took a short break, rehydrated and then it was, "Where's Sean?" "Oh he just took off" I was told. So the chase began! Fortunately he wasn't too far ahead and we all rode together along Highway 1.
At this point, the sun started to shine through the dispersing clouds and the wind changed to a lovely NW. Everyone felt like a super hero. We were cruising at 20+ MPH with minimal effort. The hills though were still there and I will admit the last climb had me thinking about getting to the hotel!
Davenport finally showed up and we arrived a bit before 5 pm. Not bad considering the late start. By 6:15 pm we were all showered and ready for food and drink. We worked out tomorrow's schedule...departing at 9:00 am. Sean wanted 7:30 am but in addition to a threatened mutiny, morning logistics just didn't work for the early start. This will give us more time to get everything in its place and make sure nothing is left behind.
Today's missing items included, a helmet, 2 water bottles at the start, two water bottles at San Gregorio, sunglasses, arm warmers, gloves, street shoes, and a new floor pump.. Andrea recovered the water bottles from San Gregorio and teamwork sharing took care of the rest. Not bad for a day 1. And no, all missing items were not from one person!
The surprise of the day came from Bruce Hollibaugh owner of Concept Cyclery bikes in Morgan Hill. He spotted us using my 10 year old duct taped and zip chord tied pump and drove all the way to Morgan Hill and back to Davenport to deliver two brand new pumps! The sad news is that Don and Dedi made me promise to toss the old pump to make room in the van. I liked that pump. (note the use of the past tense).
So tomorrow now awaits us. The grill next door opens at 6:30 am and we don't leave until 9. This also gives John time to get up here from Santa Cruz to join us. Somehow John's room in Davenport got lost and he ended up having to stay in Santa Cruz. I'm probably guilty and that's ok....things worked out in the end.
Sean gave a very energetic start of the day with a speech at the Intel Museum. He ended with a very enthusiastic call of "Let's ride!"
We rode off with about 100 riders and despite the varying ability of the cyclists as well as a mix of road bikes, mountain bikes, TT bikes, and bikes towing trailers, and somewhat wet roads, to my knowledge no accidents occurred. Ahmad did a great job policing riders that gave even the slightest hint of being a hazard.
Palo Alto greeted us with a huge welcome. There were booths set up everywhere, great food and beverages. I couldn't find any coffee but Ahmad showed up and shared his cup with me. Not sure where he got the coffee but it's the best I've ever had. Even better was seeing friends and family showing up from all over.
The ride to HP was splendid with police escorts. So nice to own the road!
At this point we swapped Sean's nice Passoni bike for his trusted Trek just to make sure he can get used to the new bike before putting major miles on it. He seemed disappointed but agreed to play it safe.
I expected the worse for the next segment but it actually worked out great. Everyone took Old La Honda at their own pace and seemed to enjoy it. I heard rumors that Tom reached the top thinking he was only half way up. He was so elated when he found out he was at the summit that he ran around in circles giving high 5's to all who ventured to raise their hands. I think he only dislocated the shoulders of two of the unsuspecting climbers!
The ride down 84 was a bit cold and drizzly. Sean was shivering at one point and he gladly accepted the light windbreaker I offered him. Worked for me. One less thing in my pockets!
We stopped in San Gregorio and it was great to see so many Heart Across America riders, many sporting their jerseys. We took a short break, rehydrated and then it was, "Where's Sean?" "Oh he just took off" I was told. So the chase began! Fortunately he wasn't too far ahead and we all rode together along Highway 1.
At this point, the sun started to shine through the dispersing clouds and the wind changed to a lovely NW. Everyone felt like a super hero. We were cruising at 20+ MPH with minimal effort. The hills though were still there and I will admit the last climb had me thinking about getting to the hotel!
Davenport finally showed up and we arrived a bit before 5 pm. Not bad considering the late start. By 6:15 pm we were all showered and ready for food and drink. We worked out tomorrow's schedule...departing at 9:00 am. Sean wanted 7:30 am but in addition to a threatened mutiny, morning logistics just didn't work for the early start. This will give us more time to get everything in its place and make sure nothing is left behind.
Today's missing items included, a helmet, 2 water bottles at the start, two water bottles at San Gregorio, sunglasses, arm warmers, gloves, street shoes, and a new floor pump.. Andrea recovered the water bottles from San Gregorio and teamwork sharing took care of the rest. Not bad for a day 1. And no, all missing items were not from one person!
The surprise of the day came from Bruce Hollibaugh owner of Concept Cyclery bikes in Morgan Hill. He spotted us using my 10 year old duct taped and zip chord tied pump and drove all the way to Morgan Hill and back to Davenport to deliver two brand new pumps! The sad news is that Don and Dedi made me promise to toss the old pump to make room in the van. I liked that pump. (note the use of the past tense).
So tomorrow now awaits us. The grill next door opens at 6:30 am and we don't leave until 9. This also gives John time to get up here from Santa Cruz to join us. Somehow John's room in Davenport got lost and he ended up having to stay in Santa Cruz. I'm probably guilty and that's ok....things worked out in the end.
We have made it to Davenport!
Big day with lots of activities. So glad we all made it in one piece. More to come once I have some of the Best Energy Electrolyte Replacement in me.
Friday, March 20, 2015
It was coming together, fell apart, then it went from bad to excellent!
I took a day of vacation today to get ready for Sunday's 3 month adventure with Sean. I thought everything would flow like clockwork but today was not the day!
It started out with my bike. I was getting a bit of rumbling noise from the rear derailleur and suspected that my aging derailleur was not aligned properly. So I removed the derailleur and straightened the hanger, fully expecting it to snap, considering I've straightened it several times over the last 38,000 miles of riding and they are designed to be the weakest link. Well I got it perfectly aligned and it didn't snap. Great!
Rumbling was gone but now I found I could not get the derailleur to shift over the full range. Something was wrong and despite multiple attempts to adjust it, I could not get it right. I suspected something wrong with the cables and housing but they only had 1 month of use on them.
So next step was to do a short ride with my wife Diana, her brother Don, and our friend Ben. Somehow I hoped the shifting would magically fix itself but it only got worse. Shoot, the kickoff is in 1 day & 20 hours and my bike is a mess.
Time to see the experts and run to our local bike shop. And I still haven't packed or bought all the missing equipment I was told to get to support the ride.
So as we are heading back home, I hear a huge pop and bang I have a new project! Diana hit something and gashed her tire creating an immediate blow out.
Fortunately I had with me a segment from an old tire and was able to put this inside the gashed tire with a new tube and we were back on our way. But already I'm thinking that when I get home, I need to not only get my bike running properly again but also replace Diana's tire.
Once home, I rushed over to see Bryon at Crank2 Performance and prayed he would be there and able to help. He was there and not only did he help, but he dropped everything on his plate and went to work on my bike.
He quickly diagnosed the problem and next thing I know he's removed the cable, found some defective housing, slapped it all together and my bike is purring. I went from being near tears to total elation. Thank you Byron!
Next was a shopping spree followed by a tire replacement for Diana's bike...
.Felt like I was getting closer at this point.
Then Bruce at Concept Cyclery calls and says he is on his way to help me enable Garmin Tracking using a Garmin 1000. Super. Saves me from driving down to Morgan Hill. As he's driving up, Talia Herman with Garmin is busy looking into Garmin tracking through social media. She finds the right resource and voila, now Sean's progress will be shown live through Facebook. Thank you Talia and Bruce. Your support of Heart Across America is invaluable!
But that's not it! I look around and find a delivery from UPS of a GoPro swivel helmet mount and a GoPro wrist mount that I only ordered only 1 day ago. Now we have the opportunity to generate some interesting video!
We're back on track.
It started out with my bike. I was getting a bit of rumbling noise from the rear derailleur and suspected that my aging derailleur was not aligned properly. So I removed the derailleur and straightened the hanger, fully expecting it to snap, considering I've straightened it several times over the last 38,000 miles of riding and they are designed to be the weakest link. Well I got it perfectly aligned and it didn't snap. Great!
Rumbling was gone but now I found I could not get the derailleur to shift over the full range. Something was wrong and despite multiple attempts to adjust it, I could not get it right. I suspected something wrong with the cables and housing but they only had 1 month of use on them.
So next step was to do a short ride with my wife Diana, her brother Don, and our friend Ben. Somehow I hoped the shifting would magically fix itself but it only got worse. Shoot, the kickoff is in 1 day & 20 hours and my bike is a mess.
Time to see the experts and run to our local bike shop. And I still haven't packed or bought all the missing equipment I was told to get to support the ride.
So as we are heading back home, I hear a huge pop and bang I have a new project! Diana hit something and gashed her tire creating an immediate blow out.
Fortunately I had with me a segment from an old tire and was able to put this inside the gashed tire with a new tube and we were back on our way. But already I'm thinking that when I get home, I need to not only get my bike running properly again but also replace Diana's tire.
Once home, I rushed over to see Bryon at Crank2 Performance and prayed he would be there and able to help. He was there and not only did he help, but he dropped everything on his plate and went to work on my bike.
He quickly diagnosed the problem and next thing I know he's removed the cable, found some defective housing, slapped it all together and my bike is purring. I went from being near tears to total elation. Thank you Byron!
Next was a shopping spree followed by a tire replacement for Diana's bike...
.Felt like I was getting closer at this point.
Then Bruce at Concept Cyclery calls and says he is on his way to help me enable Garmin Tracking using a Garmin 1000. Super. Saves me from driving down to Morgan Hill. As he's driving up, Talia Herman with Garmin is busy looking into Garmin tracking through social media. She finds the right resource and voila, now Sean's progress will be shown live through Facebook. Thank you Talia and Bruce. Your support of Heart Across America is invaluable!
But that's not it! I look around and find a delivery from UPS of a GoPro swivel helmet mount and a GoPro wrist mount that I only ordered only 1 day ago. Now we have the opportunity to generate some interesting video!
We're back on track.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
It's coming together
It all appears to be coming together at the last minute! 2 days and 12 hours to go!
We had a great luncheon at work where I was given a send off celebration. It was moving and I am full of gratitude.
When I arrived home, I was pleasantly surprised to see 3 months of nutrition waiting at my door thanks to Bruce Hollibaugh at Concept Cyclery and Brittani Marquand at Hammer Nutrition.
There's no stopping us now!
Now we just need a bigger van!
:-) Dave
We had a great luncheon at work where I was given a send off celebration. It was moving and I am full of gratitude.
When I arrived home, I was pleasantly surprised to see 3 months of nutrition waiting at my door thanks to Bruce Hollibaugh at Concept Cyclery and Brittani Marquand at Hammer Nutrition.
There's no stopping us now!
Now we just need a bigger van!
:-) Dave
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
We won't go hungry
Nice surprise today.
One of my coworkers also runs a bakery (www.bitsAndPiecesBakery.com) and she stopped by my office today with a 3 week supply of vacuum sealed, home-baked cookies. This should keep Sean and me nourished throughout our rides.
The question is, will I wait till Sunday before eating them up!?
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Missing the train
I had a late afternoon dental appointment today ...part of an effort to get most things out of the way before the ride launch. Well it appears I took 22 seconds too much time talking about the Heart Across America ride as my dental hygienist did her best to clean up my teeth.
Yes that's how much time I needed to make it to the train before it headed off. As I pulled up to the platform I watched the train pull away.
So a short ride from dental office to the train station in San Jose turned into a 50 mile ride home.
It was a fun solo ride with very little traffic and a great way to keep the legs working in preparation for the 5,000 mile ride....
When I got home I was greeted by hugs, a great hot dinner, and a decaf Americano using our recently purchased manually operated (no electricity required) Aeropress espresso maker! I'll be missing the first two during the journey but at least the espresso maker will be traveling with us as we crisscross across the country!
Yes that's how much time I needed to make it to the train before it headed off. As I pulled up to the platform I watched the train pull away.
So a short ride from dental office to the train station in San Jose turned into a 50 mile ride home.
It was a fun solo ride with very little traffic and a great way to keep the legs working in preparation for the 5,000 mile ride....
When I got home I was greeted by hugs, a great hot dinner, and a decaf Americano using our recently purchased manually operated (no electricity required) Aeropress espresso maker! I'll be missing the first two during the journey but at least the espresso maker will be traveling with us as we crisscross across the country!
Monday, March 16, 2015
Sunday on Calaveras with a good group of Heart Across America supporters
We had a good ride on Sunday. Short and a bit fast, perfect as we start to ramp down.
Of course Sean informed me he plans to ride 80 miles on Monday so I'm not sure he's buying the ramp down advice....
Here's a group shot before we took off....
Of course Sean informed me he plans to ride 80 miles on Monday so I'm not sure he's buying the ramp down advice....
Here's a group shot before we took off....
Carl Butler uploaded some of the video he took along the ride. He was playing with front and back recording and it's entertaining to watch.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Redwood Loop on Pi day (Saturday 3/14/15)
This was meant to be one of our last longer rides prior to the Heart Across America start.
We fortunately had a beautiful day with temperatures up to the mid-80's. Incredibly warm for this time of the year. It was a good opportunity to test out the ventilation on our helmets and we all concluded that Sean might need to look for a more summer friendly one. We shall see what he decides. Certainly Sean is in general inclined to grin and bear it so who know what he'll do!
I put together a short video of the ride. At this point, all I worry about is keeping the rubber side down. I was pleased to see Sean showing more confidence on the descents. It was also great to see Olympian Cyclist, George Mount, physically pushing Sean around a bit on his bike, getting him used to body contact while riding. Staying relaxed while experiencing contact is key to safe riding.
You can see some of it in this short recap video. We also see evidence in this video of how quickly George is getting back into Olympic caliber shape. Frightening! When we get back none of us will be able to keep up with him...
Friday, March 13, 2015
Countdown continues....
My plan is to use my folding Bike Friday bike in case my BMC bike (which now sports over 38,000 road miles) decides to give up along the way.
Last night I replaced the chain and brake pads and all seemed to be good. Even put a GoPro mount on the front, a Fly6 taillight/camera on the back, aero bars, a huge saddle bag, and full fenders.
It's fully loaded and a tad heavy but should do very well not only as a backup but as a bike of choice in foul rainy weather and in heavy winds.
I rode in to work on it this morning on a mostly flat 19 mile route with some good headwinds. It averaged a good 17.7 MPH which is more than enough, and after a few saddle adjustments, felt just like my BMC.
Here's the bike resting at work (I think she's ready!)
:
Here's a screen shot of how the video looks like from the front (pretty cool perspective, no?):
Last night I replaced the chain and brake pads and all seemed to be good. Even put a GoPro mount on the front, a Fly6 taillight/camera on the back, aero bars, a huge saddle bag, and full fenders.
It's fully loaded and a tad heavy but should do very well not only as a backup but as a bike of choice in foul rainy weather and in heavy winds.
I rode in to work on it this morning on a mostly flat 19 mile route with some good headwinds. It averaged a good 17.7 MPH which is more than enough, and after a few saddle adjustments, felt just like my BMC.
Here's the bike resting at work (I think she's ready!)
:
Here's a screen shot of how the video looks like from the front (pretty cool perspective, no?):
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Warm weather and light skies makes commuting a bit more forgiving!
Had a great commute home today and am feeling good about the kick-off which is just 9 days and 12 hours away.
Even better, as I was riding home I spotted a familiar looking wind vest on a commuter riding ahead of me! Turned out to be my friend Jose!
The vests do stand out nicely and what a treat to see a fellow Heart Across America rider wearing his support for Heart Across America!
Now it's time to decompress, maybe have a nice glass of wine, and start thinking about packing!
:-) Dave
Even better, as I was riding home I spotted a familiar looking wind vest on a commuter riding ahead of me! Turned out to be my friend Jose!
The vests do stand out nicely and what a treat to see a fellow Heart Across America rider wearing his support for Heart Across America!
Now it's time to decompress, maybe have a nice glass of wine, and start thinking about packing!
:-) Dave
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Thank you Concept Cyclery
I had a great visit with Bruce Hollibaugh at Concept Cyclery yesterday evening.
Bruce has been very supportive of Heart Across America and has coordinated great connections with Garmin and Hammer to help underwrite the 5,000 mile event!
Even the mannequins in his store are sporting Heart Across America gear!
I should have taken a picture! (Bruce, if you are reading this, please send me one).
It's a bit of a drive to get there, but well worth the ride. If you've never seen a Specialized Concept store, it's worth driving there just to gawk at all the latest and greatest goods.
Of course, when I walk in a bike shop, I also leave with my arms full of products that I convince myself I absolutely need. For example, the last time I walked in Bruce's shop, I was looking for a good helmet. I walked out with brand new Specialized TT bike...(and a helmet which I almost forgot to get).
Yesterday was no exception and I am now sporting some very comfortable cycling shoes. Not quite a TT bike, but shoot, I already have that!
To help keep things balanced on the home front, Diana now has two new pairs of her favorite cycling shorts!
11 days, 22 hours to go...the clock keeps ticking!
Bruce has been very supportive of Heart Across America and has coordinated great connections with Garmin and Hammer to help underwrite the 5,000 mile event!
Even the mannequins in his store are sporting Heart Across America gear!
I should have taken a picture! (Bruce, if you are reading this, please send me one).
It's a bit of a drive to get there, but well worth the ride. If you've never seen a Specialized Concept store, it's worth driving there just to gawk at all the latest and greatest goods.
Of course, when I walk in a bike shop, I also leave with my arms full of products that I convince myself I absolutely need. For example, the last time I walked in Bruce's shop, I was looking for a good helmet. I walked out with brand new Specialized TT bike...(and a helmet which I almost forgot to get).
Yesterday was no exception and I am now sporting some very comfortable cycling shoes. Not quite a TT bike, but shoot, I already have that!
To help keep things balanced on the home front, Diana now has two new pairs of her favorite cycling shorts!
11 days, 22 hours to go...the clock keeps ticking!
Monday, March 9, 2015
How to tell you've been riding too much
It's great to see Daylight savings time kick in but it does make the early morning wake-up for a bike commute a bit difficult.
Considering that I haven't driven my car to work in over 2 months, I thought I would get a bit more sleep, give my legs a much needed rest, and drive my car.
As I passed car accident after car accident I felt that my decision to leave my bike behind on a day where most motorists appeared to be sleep-driving was not a bad one.
But what really surprised me was driving on the freeway and seeing a loose tire straddling two lanes and...
(OK, the surprise was not the tire but what I did next..)
(yes, I think you guessed!)
I slammed my hand against the door as I attempted to point at the obstruction.
Oh, that's right...I'm in a car!!! No need to alert the cyclist drafting behind me.]
:-) Dave
Considering that I haven't driven my car to work in over 2 months, I thought I would get a bit more sleep, give my legs a much needed rest, and drive my car.
As I passed car accident after car accident I felt that my decision to leave my bike behind on a day where most motorists appeared to be sleep-driving was not a bad one.
But what really surprised me was driving on the freeway and seeing a loose tire straddling two lanes and...
(OK, the surprise was not the tire but what I did next..)
(yes, I think you guessed!)
I slammed my hand against the door as I attempted to point at the obstruction.
Oh, that's right...I'm in a car!!! No need to alert the cyclist drafting behind me.]
:-) Dave
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Big Tunitas Creek loop
The clock continues to tick and soon we will be ramping down. Though not quite yet. Still time to get in a good longer than normal ride. So Sean and I rode up along Skyline to San Bruno, down the hills to the coast line and up and over Lobitos Creek and Tunitas Creek.
What a day: 74 miles with over 7,500 feet of climbing: https://app.strava.com/activities/264607172
Here are some photos from the ride:
Trees on Lobitos Creek
What a day: 74 miles with over 7,500 feet of climbing: https://app.strava.com/activities/264607172
Here are some photos from the ride:
Canada/Skyline
Coast
Feeling like kids going through the Tom Lantos Tunnel
Tom Lantos tunnel Exit
The Climb Part 1
The climb Part 2 (Lobitos)
Tunitas Climb
Friday, March 6, 2015
Video links to training rides with Sean
Now that I have started this blog, it seems like a good idea to put some links to the video footage of some of the training rides I've done with Sean. We have had some spectacular days of riding and of course the best is yet to come!
First ride wtih Sean in the pouring rain: http://youtu.be/k95ZIrrzpYY
Livermore training ride: http://youtu.be/HS5-lthM-MU
Calaveras ride with Sean: http://youtu.be/Foy0opYFaH4
Cross Tassahara loop: http://youtu.be/wMiHvaAR994
Skyline San Francisco to Palo Alto: http://youtu.be/KnEJa4o78WM
Woodside CC Heart Across America Ride: http://youtu.be/MiqaHir-8kI
First ride wtih Sean in the pouring rain: http://youtu.be/k95ZIrrzpYY
Livermore training ride: http://youtu.be/HS5-lthM-MU
Calaveras ride with Sean: http://youtu.be/Foy0opYFaH4
Cross Tassahara loop: http://youtu.be/wMiHvaAR994
Skyline San Francisco to Palo Alto: http://youtu.be/KnEJa4o78WM
Woodside CC Heart Across America Ride: http://youtu.be/MiqaHir-8kI
Thursday, March 5, 2015
First 'quiet' commute this year!
Still trying to get in some good miles before tapering down so I headed out for a solo 30 mile commute home.
But the good news was that it appeared no one was hurt and perhaps this will lead the police to start enforcing speed limits on Calaveras.
The best news of course was that since the road was closed, I had the quietest, nicest ever ride home with the road all to myself!
The ride was uneventful with the typical high traffic patterns fueled by Waze followers. I sure wish that Google would change their algorithm to show the actual time taken by drivers on these side streets or the time it would take if they were following the speed limit, whichever is longer. Instead we have motorists taking the back roads at twice the speed limit in order to save a few minutes on their commute. Their times should be blocked out so as to not entice other motorists to do the same.
Well today as I approached the infamous 'wall' I was first stopped a policeman who told me the road was closed to all traffic due to an accident. "Can I walk on the side of the road?" I asked. He replied that he was not allowed to let anyone through and I could go to the parking lot and wait along with the other motorists.
It felt good to be acknowledged as a motorist but as I headed to the parking lot, I saw a horse trail and thought to myself, if I take the horse trail I'm not really violating the orders I was given. So feeling a bit rebellious, I took the trail...
Soon however I was back on the road and so I continued up. I then reached a 2nd officer and he was actually friendly and told me I could continue if I just stayed to the right of the road! Excellent.
Then I saw the first of two disabled vehicles
and then the 2nd:
Ouch...
But the good news was that it appeared no one was hurt and perhaps this will lead the police to start enforcing speed limits on Calaveras.
The best news of course was that since the road was closed, I had the quietest, nicest ever ride home with the road all to myself!
Brrr Cold and Thank You Todd!
Wednesday I rode my Pocket Rocket Pro bicycle on a hard fast ride from work to Fremont. I had just swapped saddles with my TT bike and I wanted to fine tune the fit as this will be my backup bike for the Heart Across America ride. .... I've got some work to do, as my left knee was a bit sore after the ride. But I still have time...though not much!
This morning I got up with my 5:00 am alarm and was contemplating joining my commuting friends on our 6 am commute. This is a fun ride and great way to start the day...(Here's a video recap of what that ride looks like: Outbound Commute .
But I checked the temperature outside, saw 35 deg F, was tired, and my knee was still sore so I opted for the train. Nice to have that choice. In two weeks, that won't be an option. Yup, I know I need to toughen up!
The short commute by bike today was nice though and I got to test out a Fly 6 camera/tail-light that Todd Nelson has so kindly lent to me for the ride. I was curious about the quality and was pleasantly surprised to see that the resolution was good enough to capture license plates. That's all I really need. Here's a sample screen shot from the video recording.
So thank you Todd! And Kudos to cycliq.com for making this light! It's nice to have a dual purpose piece of hardware!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Riding Mines..
Well today (Sunday) Sean was off on travel and that's a good thing. Rest is an important part of training.
In the meantime a good group of Cycleholics rode up Mines road, all sporting our spiffy Heart Across America Gear. Here are some shots ..what a beautiful day!
In the meantime a good group of Cycleholics rode up Mines road, all sporting our spiffy Heart Across America Gear. Here are some shots ..what a beautiful day!
Descending Mines
All in line
Nice wind vests!
Having fun on the side trail
Taking a break at Concannon Winery..
The Heart of the Matter...
First, here's a great post on Sean from fellow commuter and blogger Todd Nelson!
http://analogfootsteps.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-heart-of-matter.html
Now back to cycling: Sean and I had a great ride yesterday (Saturday) up and over the hills to Tracy and then up Coral Hollow to Tesla. Somehow we missed most of the rain and finished off February nicely. Sean rode several 250 mile plus weeks and finished this short month off with over 1,100 miles under his belt.
We had an interesting crew on our ride...Olympian George Mount and several of his Dino friends, many ex-racers from the 70's. In particular we celebrated Nikola Farat's 83rd birthday. So encouraging to see an octogenarian still riding strong! We also were joined by Terry Shaw, riding strong with a heart transplant. It just goes to show how much can be endured when the will is there.
By the way we later discovered that Nikola was only 82. He owes us one!
We finished the ride off with some good Mexican food and some strong espresso. I am learning that Sean really likes his coffee!
http://analogfootsteps.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-heart-of-matter.html
Now back to cycling: Sean and I had a great ride yesterday (Saturday) up and over the hills to Tracy and then up Coral Hollow to Tesla. Somehow we missed most of the rain and finished off February nicely. Sean rode several 250 mile plus weeks and finished this short month off with over 1,100 miles under his belt.
We had an interesting crew on our ride...Olympian George Mount and several of his Dino friends, many ex-racers from the 70's. In particular we celebrated Nikola Farat's 83rd birthday. So encouraging to see an octogenarian still riding strong! We also were joined by Terry Shaw, riding strong with a heart transplant. It just goes to show how much can be endured when the will is there.
By the way we later discovered that Nikola was only 82. He owes us one!
We finished the ride off with some good Mexican food and some strong espresso. I am learning that Sean really likes his coffee!
Thursday, February 26, 2015
American Heart Association blog
The AHA just put a link up to this blog on their main web page: http://blog.heart.org/stories-from-the-heart-tech-execs-response-to-devastating-stroke-a-cross-country-fundraising-bike-ride/
It's very well done and I actually learned a bit more about Sean's ordeal after reading it.
I feel more motivated than ever to join him on this adventure despite feeling overwhelmed with all the stuff that needs to happen between now and March 22 to make this a success!
Cheers, Dave
It's very well done and I actually learned a bit more about Sean's ordeal after reading it.
I feel more motivated than ever to join him on this adventure despite feeling overwhelmed with all the stuff that needs to happen between now and March 22 to make this a success!
Cheers, Dave
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Why I'm riding...
If you would consider helping me help Sean, check out my fundraising page:
http://www.heartacrossamerica.kintera.org/davidfisch
Hard to Cross America
Too funny. We had to modify our route slightly today upon discovering that the only hotel in Aguila, AZ is booked solid with migrant workers for the next 3 months!
So we found a place in Salome, AZ and the only downside is a 110 mile ride the next day to reach Phoenix.
But the funny part is the confirmation we received from the hotel shows our ride as "Hard to Cross America" , not "Heart Across America".
Maybe we should rename the ride!
Dave
So we found a place in Salome, AZ and the only downside is a 110 mile ride the next day to reach Phoenix.
But the funny part is the confirmation we received from the hotel shows our ride as "Hard to Cross America" , not "Heart Across America".
Maybe we should rename the ride!
Dave
Monday, February 16, 2015
Recovery day
Really feeling yesterday's ride. Time for a day of no riding despite the great weather!
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Big day for all of us. Hard to believe it was February. Winters in California are not too bad.
We got a bit of a late start as Sean took a few wrong turns and added some miles to his route. But all was well. We made it to the summit and got some photos with #getthescan and #ridewithSean displayed proudly.
The descent was perfect and Olympian George Mount coached Sean giving him great descending tips.
For me, it felt great. 102 mile out and back with enough climbing to write home about. Legs felt good and I was able to keep it challenging for young buck Bumha and his brand new BMC bike!
Ken joins Sean!.JPG)
Here's Sean.JPG)
John hamming it up with Sean
Sean and me.JPG)
Bumha.JPG)
George.JPG)
All of us.JPG)
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