Training rides 23 and 24
I've decided that 1 Marin County mile is roughly equal to 1.2 normal miles. On that basis, my 83-mile ride Saturday was functionally equivalent to a century.

About 50 of us ALCers braved the chilly early-morning wind and took off from the Presidio just after 7:30 a.m. And from there it was up and down and up and down, over and over and over again, all day long, with nary a flat stretch of road in sight. Camino Alto, White's Hill, Olema Hill, Cheese Factory Hill, Nicaso Hill, White's Hill again, Camino Alto again, and the final climb out of Sausalito to the Golden Gate Bridge -- and those are just the highly significant climbs. I take comfort in the knowledge that no actual day of the ride will be as hilly. That said, and again noting that this is a ride and never a race, I managed to finish 16th in the field, even after taking an extended break to help another rider change his flat tire.

Now, I'm not a fast rider, not by any stretch of the imagination. It's rare that I actually pass another rider on the road, and I'm almost always being passed, especially any time any sort of hill is involved. What's my secret? Getting in and out of rest stops. A challenge for the ride will be balancing necessary rest stop time with the opportunity to enjoy the various forms of entertainment along the route. It's all too easy to just ride from point to point to point and not fully be part of the experience, and I don't want that to happen. That said, though, getting into camp early will give me all the more time for much-needed rest.


This morning was a far easier effort. Since it was the last official training ride of the season, it was a short 24-mile loop with only a couple of hills (although I turned it into 29 miles by showing up early and doing a little mini-loop around the starting point). My average speed for the whole thing was (for me) a very impressive 14.5 mph, and the hills that once made me overly tired were now just minor annoyances.

And after the ride, it was time for fun! We went across the street and took over the local Starbucks, where cake was dispensed along with useful tips for surviving the ride. My tentmate, Erhan, was there (not pictured, however), and we started making plans for how to get through registration day at the Cow Palace. And that's next Saturday already -- so close! As they say, he's good people (so don't worry, Mom).

So concludes the official training season. Holy crap ... it's almost here. It's almost starting to sink in, but I've been so busy that I don't think the enormity of what's ahead has fully registered lately. This week is busy as well: packing, finishing up work, and yes, maybe a short ride or two just around town so that my butt doesn't forget what the seat feels like. But come Thursday or Friday, I'll be off to San Francisco to begin this adventure, wherever it will take me.

Thanks to my generous donors, I now qualify for a nifty ALC fleece vest that I can wear on the chilly mornings in camp. If y'all can get my total up to $5,000 by Friday, I'll get the super special commemorative jersey for this year's ride. And you'll be helping the San Francisco AIDS Foundation do its good work. And I'll be bicycling 585 miles. So you've got the easy part of this deal.

Here is the link to donate.

Miles this month: 739
Miles this year: 3,418