Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world. ~Grant Petersen
May 15, 2010 Tour de Lincoln 114.36 miles - goal met, #8
I met goal on this week with a commute ride and the Tour de Lincoln. TDL is one of my favorite rides of all time. It is 20 minutes from my house. It is a beautiful ride up through the foothills between Lincoln and Auburn. And they have a great after ride lunch! It is a bar-b-q, your choice of a grilled chicken breast, hot dog, hamburger or veggie burger. I always go with the chicken and then I see the hot dog and think I should have gotten that! I'll have to try and remember next year to give the dog a try. There is also baked beans, salad, real produce for the sandwich, and Italian ice for dessert. Very nice. Not too much to say about this particular ride, it was relatively wind free, no drama, I actually made it up Baxter Grade!, the weather was just about perfect, not too hot, not too cold. A perfect day that is going to end with an abalone barbeque, ahhhh heaven.
May 23, 2010, Monticello Solano Century 100 miles - goal met! #9
As I was driving home from my ride today, I noticed the Sierras looming above the Sacramento skyline, they looked so imposing, their snow covered peaks setting a striking contrast to the blue sky. It struck me how often I have made that drive and never really noticed them. Guess the wind is good for thing, it clears the air so we can see our mountains. I am trying to make peace with the wind, god knows it has made it presence known on every ride I have ridden this year, but one, the Bike Around the Buttes. I am trying to be zen about this element of nature, if the wind blows I get stronger. If the wind blows the air is cleaner, therefore my allergies are lessened. If the wind blows...ah the wind is always blowing, it should be "when the wind blows."
Today's ride was the Monticello Solano Century. This morning started out cold and, of course, windy, but really the wind wasn't too strong, just cold. I hit the road at 7:45 am, and got lost within a block. Evidently, the map provided was not current on how to get out the parking lot, a local rider caught up with a couple of us who missed the turn and got us on the right track. Anyone who has ridden with me knows my making a wrong turn on a ride is a given, I just usually don't make it within sight of my car. The ride tracks out of Vacaville, to Fairfield and then back towards wine country, following Hwy's 121 and 128. It starts out with rollers, actually this entire ride either had an uphill slant or a downhill slant, no true flats anywhere. Pretty nice ride for the first 25 miles, easy ups and downs all the way to the first rest stop at the Wooden Valley Elementary School. Anyone who has ridden Foxy's Fall would recognize this spot at the lunch stop for Foxy's. And, I realized that the Metric Century for MSC is the back end of the Foxy's Fall Century.
Coming out of the 1st rest stop you make a right on Hwy 121 and start going up, the first big climb of the ride. After a few rollers you arrive at lunch, a little soon for metric riders, but probably just right for the century riders. Pretty little winery that I did not see the name for, not sure it was still operational.
Out from lunch you continue on Hwy 128. Yes that is right, I did Cardiac Hill today. And, I rode the whole thing, slowly, but I made it. My lower back was wound pretty tight by the time I got through that climb, I had forgotten what a long grind that hill is, it was good to get through it and get to the third rest stop at Lake Solano. Very pretty site, Putah Creek is running full force, it looks great.
The last 15 miles were uneventful. I finally warmed up, my legs finally loosened up and I just cruised along at around 18 mph, enjoying the view. Pleasant Valley Rd is looking spring pretty right now.
The after dinner ride was good, interestingly not well balanced, but very good. tri-tip (tender, moist, just a hint of smoke flavor, the guys did a nice job), rice, refried beans (had a smoked ham flavor, not strong, just a hint of it, but delicious) and spaghetti. Not a green thing in sight, I suspect there was not a woman involved in planning this menu. The guys at the barbeque even gave me enough meat for leftovers and foil to wrap them in! Lunch was out on the quad of the high school, Journey was blaring on a boom box, one of the guys as sneakily pouring a Budweiser from a cooler in the back of his truck into his party cup , riders are laughing and having a good time. If I squinted just right and looked out of the corner of my eye the paunches faded, the receding hairlines filled in, I swore I could have been back in high school.
I was back by 12:45, 5 hours out total, approximately 4 hrs 15 mins of riding. Not too bad.
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