Recovery Day

It's Monday, meaning I shouldn't be on a bike at all, however one must get to work somehow. I've been going really hard the past few weeks, still recovering from hard efforts and multiple injuries. Nothing too serious, just a bit of road rash that needs to scab over (gross, I know). I also need to catch up on my sleep, which is just as important as the amount of hours I put in on the saddle. I'm still on track for a good Leadville race. I'm teetering on feeling confident about finishing under nine hours. Since I missed the qualifier out in New York I'm doing the one in Lake Tahoe instead. It's a month away, and it'll be a perfect event to test my altitude lungs.

Burliest

Wow. On our last day in Napa I rode the Oat Hill trail in Calistoga. Quite simply the burliest trail I've ridden on in a long long time. The photo above is so deceiving. This is just the halfway point up a 3,000' climb. The rocky insanity looms just ahead.

The photo doesn't do the trail justice. It's littered with cantaloupe sized rocks, solid rock drop-offs, off-camber run-offs, and slick-rock goodness. It was wild. I encountered a few trail users, but they all looked at me like I was crazy for riding the trail. On my way back I came across a few hardcore riders just starting their ascent.

The view from the top is absolutely gorgeous. You can probably see the vineyard we were at just the other day. However, on the other side of the Palisades it's all rocky wilderness. I thought I was going to get eaten by a bear or something it was that wild. The trail conditions got so rough I dialed back my suspension for a fully squishy ride. My hands were so numb, hanging on for dear life as I carved my way down the mountain. I did the ride so fast I set a new record for the entire out-and-back adventure.

Twin Peaks to Golden Gate

Took an easy spin around my neighborhood after work. I set out to climb up Twin Peaks, which turned out to be quite cool of a ride. The top was so exposed and windy. I then made my way down to Golden Gate Park, over to the Great Highway and back up through the park. On my way back I found a little trail that wound its way back up most of the park. I was on my road bike so I didn't push too hard over the dirt, roots and sand.

At the top of Twin Peaks overlooking the Mission and beyond.

Summer Solstice

Incredible views of the sunset on my routine run through the Headlands. It was extremely windy throughout the ride. The temperature dropped pretty rapidly, and like the idiot I sometimes am I didn't eat enough beforehand nor did I bring enough food. As a result I suffered throughout the majority of the ride, bonking not even halfway through the first half of the loop. On the bright side I had beautiful views all around me.

The sun setting over Mt. Tam.

Blinded by gorgeous light.

All sorts of wildlife started to come out at dusk. I saw a coyote, bobcat(s), deer and wild turkeys.

Good Evening

I had a great ride after work today. I set out for a quick jaunt around the Headlands. It was really windy getting out there, but sunny. I've got to take full advantage of our sun-filled evenings before the fall and winter darkness sets in. I know it's early, but there's nothing quite like riding as the sun is setting. The light is just too beautiful.

I set a blistering pace, snagging a Strava KOM for the Miwok Loop. My buddy, Steve, set the record earlier in the day, so I thought I'd give it a go. I know it won't be long before he takes it away, but it's fun competition and spurs me on to push harder. Right now the fastest time sits at just over 30 minutes.

On my way back up to Hawk Hill I spied a family of skunks trotting along. It was pretty adorable, and I wanted to take a picture, but feared of getting sprayed.

Another One

Not much to report today other than I'm already yearning for another epic ride out into the Marin Headlands. My bruised and cut up leg is still repairing itself slowly, making my commute to work somewhat painful, but it's a fresh reminder of the eventful weekend. Tomorrow I may be able to squeeze in a slightly longer ride if I'm able to get myself out of bed before 6am, but knowing how much rigor I've put my body through lately I need to follow my new mantra of 'train hard, recover harder'.

Redemption Ride

Today I rode 50 miles through the Headlands and Muir Woods, with an elevation gain of 7,500' over four hours. I had so much untapped energy left in my legs after having not finished my race yesterday. It was beautiful out, dashing in and out of fog and a massive headwind. It felt great to do a long and somewhat leisurely paced ride, without the stress of competition or injury.

The long climb up Coyote Ridge. Not too many riders out, but I did run into my friend Steve on my way up.

At the top of Coyote Ridge. It's cool to see the fog being funneled into the city.

Overlooking Dias Ridge and Muir Woods. The latter half of my ride will take me out to the furthest point of the photo on the right and wind its way to the left before dipping down into the valley below, followed by the  long climb up Dias Ridge.

Finally got the chance to ride down the Coastal View Trail. I dreamed of riding it after seeing this video months ago before moving to San Francisco. It's fast and fun. It has one incredible view of the Pacific Ocean.

Cracking Helmets

I entered the Lake Sonoma Ricochet race with high hopes of doing well. I felt great all week and knew my bike was in tip-top shape, but it just wasn't my day. I had a good starting position, coming into the first climb in the top ten. The first half of the course is a very technical and loose downhill. Not even a mile into the race I caught the edge of an off-camber section and went down. Hard. It happened so fast. All I remember was flying towards the ground, head first. I got up to shake it off, but my eyesight was really blurry. Shit. I had thrown my glasses off the trail from the impact. At this point I was passed by the entire expert class. It took me a minute or two to finally find 1/2 of my prescription glasses. My race was over.

I walked my bike back up the hill before jumping back on, and headed back to the start area. To my wife's surprise I hobbled back to the car and assessed the damage. I had cracked my helmet, luckily not my head. I had a nice big scrape along my forearm and some nasty road rash on my out thigh. We had the paramedic come by to check me out for fear of a concussion. I felt fine, but totally bummed out for having to quit the race, something I've never done before. You can't race if you can't see.

The rest of the afternoon was fun. It was a sweltering 100º by the time the race leaders came by on their first lap. We spent the remainder of the race cheering everyone one and handing out bottles. My friend Ryan, also had another string of bad luck, snapping off his saddle. He managed to piece it back together with an inner tube, but ultimately called it quits after the 3rd lap.

I made a rookie mistake of going too hard in the beginning, but this time it was due to my lack of bike handling skills rather than fitness. It's easy to get caught up in a race with adrenaline pumping through your system. The past few races I've managed to pace myself, but have crashed consistently towards the beginning. This tells me I need to back off a bit and ride within my means. Handling skills, like fitness, doesn't develop overnight. Having been off a mountain bike for quite some time I've lost a lot of skill. Each race has been a tremendous learning experience from fitness, equipment choice, nutrition and overall skill.

The Ricochet Race

I decided last minute to do Bike Monkey's Lake Sonoma Ricochet tomorrow. They hosted the SoNoMas race I did a couple of weeks ago which proved to be one of the hardest races I've ever done. This time I'm ready and armed with some beefier tires plus a partial new drive trail. It'll be very spectator friendly with four laps of five miles each lap. I've had lots of good training in the past couple of weeks, and I feel really fit at the moment .Wish me luck!

From Dirt to Dusk

Words can hardly describe how amazing it was to ride out in the Headlands after work. Hardly a soul in sight, a calm breeze with the sun streaming overhead. A perfect ride at dusk. I still find it incredible that I live so close to this. Hands down one of the best cities to live in.

I was itching to get back on my mountain bike since my race debacle last weekend. Amazon wasn't quick enough to get my order in, so I shopped around town, and thanks to the fine folks at Pacific Bicycles in SOMA I was back in business with a new XX rear derailleur and chain.

Like New

Since my mountain bike is temporarily out of commission I decided to fix up my road bike with an all new drivetrain, cables and handlebar tape. I had this extra gear kicking around for quite a while because I wanted to eek out every last mile of my previous drivetrain. This morning I took it out along the ocean's edge to work out any kinks.

I went with Ultegra chainrings (9-speed), a new XTR/Dura-ace chain and cassette.  As for bar tape I opt for black Cinelli cork. It's amazing the difference it makes when putting on new components, especially a drivetrain. Everything is running smooth, quiet and quick. Like new.

Skyline Park Mountain Bike Race Recap

I raced this morning in Napa at the Skyline Park Mountain in the open expert class, and finished a respectable 20th place out of 40 racers, considering I snapped my rear derailleur clean off the bike. I was feeling great throughout the entire race and was within the top ten positions going into my final lap of three. I paced myself and really attacked on the second lap. The mechanical happened at the top of the last climb, and had to bum a chain tool from a fellow competitor to remove the broken mess. My chain also managed to snap a spoke on my rear wheel somewhere along the way. Thankfully it was near the top so I could coast/run the rest of the way. 4 miles in fact. Still it's no way to finish, but at least I finished and had fun doing it.

As you can see the lower arm of the derailleur got ripped out from the knuckle. I heard a creaking in my lowest gear, but it's a 2x10 drivetrain so cross-chaining shouldn't have been an issue. Either way I put too much power into it and heard a crunch sound. I also stripped/bent my rear derailleur hanger. On order is a new XO derailleur, chain and hanger. I've got to go to a shop to pick up a spare spoke, but this means I'll be off the mountain bike for most of the week. Bummer. At least I've got my road bike to keep me satisfied.

It's always disappointing to have stuff like this happen, especially when you're doing so well. At least I didn't crash or mess my bike up too much. The new tires I set up worked wonders and made all the difference in my race. There were so many crazy technical sections, full of rock drops and steep descents, yet I only felt my tires slide out a few times.

The course was really fun. Not as demanding as the SoNoMas race last weekend, but way more technical. We climbed about 3,700' over three laps. It got really hot early on, and I decided to run with bottles instead of my CamelBak. I hydrated pretty well before the race, and managed to keep cool on a single bottle.

This will be my last race for the month. Looking forward to July where there a couple I'm aiming for, and of course there's Leadville in August. All of these races I've been doing have been tune-ups for the big event.

Got a Grip?

I got my new S-Works Fast Trak tires just in time for the Skyline Park Mountain Bike race this weekend. I went with a beefier 2.2" in the front and a 2.0" for the rear. I've had them before, but just in the front. I noticed the difference between these and the Renegades instantly, more grip and the roll just as fast. I can feel the slight weight gain, but in all honesty I'd rather make up time descending with more confidence and speed than chugging up a hill. Check back to see how they performed.

SF Commuter

My wife and I split the cost of this lovely Public bike when we first moved to San Francisco. We haven't ridden it that much since we got it, so I decided to change that and will use it as my commute bike. It's great because of the front rack for carrying things, and I don't have to bring an extra set of shoes to work. It's a smooth ride with just enough gears to make it up the hills.

Still Loving It

It's been a little over two months since moving to San Francisco, and so far we still absolutely love it. I've been making a lot of new riding and work friends, and have gradually become more familiar with our neighborhood at large. I haven't, nor ever will, take for granted the beautiful landscape that surrounds us. I take advantage of it all the time. I commute to work almost every day, through the Golden Gate Park and into the beautiful Presidio. It's wild out here. I think we just missed the rainy season, but it's been relatively dry, foggy at times, but overall amazing weather. I don't miss the East Coast humidity at all. I do definitely feel like I'm a part of the city now, and it feels great.

Faster Friends

This morning I rode with a new friend who has been kicking everyone's asses on the hills of the Headlands. He's virtually locked up all the KOM's possible in our area. We've crossed paths quite a few times (moving in opposite directions), and have missed chances to ride together, until this morning. He's also racing Leadville this year, and will make for a good training partner. On our ride we spotted a baby mountain lion as well as bobcat on our way around.