Anyone doing Primavera?

[Melody]

I guess I'll hopefully see everyone there then. :) We're planning on getting there as early as we can. Give us plenty of time to finish it. :)

Mel

[Veronica]

Thom and I just signed up for the 100 K. What time are you all planning on checking in?

V.

[Melody]

Nice and early for us... 6:30. :) That way we have the most amount of time to complete the ride. :)

Mel who's slooooooooooow.

PS: I did the most amount of riding, 44+ miles, yesterday! woot! We rode from Mountain View to Milpitas (hubby's parent's place) and then back. Headwind nearly the whole way back.

[aka_kim]

Veronica, are you bringing cookies? If so, exactly what time will you be handing them out? Really, I'm starting to think these cookies are some sort of shared hallucination you and others have, since they're never around when I am (hmm, you're trying to tell me something).

And an fyi on the 100k route - Palomares is hard, at least to my aging legs and hip flexors.

[Veronica]

You didn't have any cookies when we did the Berryessa ride? Sorry about that. I could be persuaded to bring some on Sunday.

What exactly do you mean by hard? Hard like Burma Road or hard like Patterson Pass?

V.

[aka_kim]

What exactly do you mean by hard? Hard like Burma Road or hard like Patterson Pass?
Hard like a good 10% grade for a mile or so, at around mile 50.

[Veronica]

Nothing like a 10% grade to wake you up huh. Is there a good downhill after?

V.

[aka_kim]

There's a really nice downhill on the other side of the climb. It's by a stream, in the shade, not terribly fast, but fun.

[Veronica]

I got an e mail this morning saying that they will be doing Day of registration. So if you have no plans for Sunday... join us!

V.

[SadieKate]

Thanks, ma'am. I'm waiting to hear from Robb before I send a headcount. He's going off to count cog teeth. I'm encouraging him to get an XT cassette with a 34 (mostly so I don't have to listen to him whine). :rolleyes:

[SadieKate]

You should e mail Brian (below) so they have a people count.Just spoke to Sterling and gave him a count of 2. Robb is thinking that a maiden voyage on the southern approach might be best. No confirmation from Petunia. We're going to do our best to be there by 10 in our best imitation of good doobies.

[Veronica]

Thom and I decided not to leave until six so I could get coffee and a danish at the local shop. We arrived at registration around 7. All the lines were long, except the A - D line. The lady (Susan I think?) who signed us in, is a lurker here on TE. Come on out, we don't bite. :p

It was kind of cold, so I kept my jacket on. It wasn't my normal biking jacket though and was quite soaked by the time we got to the first rest stop at mile 20. I had expected it to be warm like yesterday so wasn't really dressed appropriately.

After the rest stop we headed up Calaveras. It's a stiff climb, but not really long. There's a series of rollers at the top and then a pretty good descent. I really like this road. Once we were down to the flatlands, Thom asked me if my bike was always so noisy. I said it's a little bit noisier than usual. About a mile later, he tells me to pull over so he could look at my rear tire. I had a couple of loose spokes and the tire had been rubbing against the brakes - for who knows how long. Maybe that's why I was so slow up Diablo yesterday. He tightened up the spokes as best he could - yes I actually have a spoke wrench in my tool kit.

We were a couple of miles from the second rest stop at mile 36, which is also the decision point for 70 or 100 K. We decided to do the 70 and get my wheel into the shop. Although it is really his wheel, which I stole about 6 weeks ago when I broke a spoke.

We blew off the second rest stop, since it was only 8 miles from the finish. Route 84 was awful. We had a wind blowing up the canyon, lots of traffic and no shoulder in a lot of places. I drafted Thom for about 5 miles and then we switched. I had the less windy section. :)

I really enjoyed the ride on Calaveras. I didn't eat much at the first rest stop. Lunch was good. I really liked the salad, bread and strawberries.

Since it wasn't an all day affair, I got to stop at a teacher supply store and get people colored construction paper for an art project. We also went to Home Depot (yuck - the place is too big!) But they didn't have the string trimmer Thom wanted. So that was a bust.

It's been a good day and my gland is almost back to normal.

V.

[Bike Goddess]

Veronica- Now get those miles in the BJ RIGHT NOW (if you haven't already- I think I saw your name when I was posting mine awhile ago)! :D :D

Glad to hear your mouth is getting better. Like you said, exercise may help!

Re wheel- you are just plain lucky that nothing else happened. How many times I've heard about broken spokes, etc and the consequences. The gods must be shining on you for all the cookies you bake for the rest of us! :) :)

[Veronica]

I'm too practical to have low spoke count wheels. Yeah - they may make me go faster - but what if one of them should break? Same deal with skinny tires. My winter tires are 28s. My summer ones are 23s. No skinny little tires for me.

Heck I did last year's DMD ride with my Hokey Spokes -they are run with AA batteries. That's 11,000 feet I climbed carrying 9 batteries. One of the SAG guys was quite amused. But hey I can be seen in the dark. :D

V.

[Veronica]

I was passed by a few women today who said nothing. What is up with that? How hard is it to say, "On your left." Or even hi. I can understand it sort of on a climb when you may be working too hard to open your mouth. But on the flats?

V.

[aka_kim]

V, you missed the wonderfully windy grind up Dublin Grade, bet you're sorry. And Palomares Rd was just as hard as I remembered, but the descent on the other side seemed faster.

I had a pretty good ride, despite the cold wind. The course was well-marked (a terrific improvement over the Tierra Bella), and I *love* veggie lasagna. I just may have to give this ride 4 1/2 chain rings. :)

The "hi" thing... I think women are the worst offenders. Guys almost always say something when they pass, women almost never. At least that's my experience.

[Veronica]

I thought of you when they asked me which lasagna. I was glad they had a veggie option.

Did Jesse tell you Thom almost run into his truck? Apparently my husband can't ride his bike with the helmet on his handlebars. But put a camera there... and he has no problem. :) Dorko.

V.

[CorsairMac]

The "hi" thing... I think women are the worst offenders. Guys almost always say something when they pass, women almost never. At least that's my experience.

here it's the men that rarely if ever call out and the roadies Never do. It's usually the older men riding hybrids or MTBs.



Did Jesse tell you Thom almost run into his truck? Apparently my husband can't ride his bike with the helmet on his handlebars. But put a camera there... and he has no problem. :) Dorko.

V.

Jest chicken: is this Dorko that same one that brought you home some wonderful bike toys just last week??? ;)

[aka_kim]

Did Jesse tell you Thom almost run into his truck? Apparently my husband can't ride his bike with the helmet on his handlebars. But put a camera there... and he has no problem. :) Dorko.

Didn't hear about this, but the Pilot is po'd about something, so, yeah, it must be Thom's fault! I'm sure Thom's "problem" is that he can't ride his bike without wearing his helmet... his brain just shuts down if the helmet isn't firmly strapped to his head. A type of failsafe mechanism.

[Melody]

Oh, wanted to post. If you saw a woman riding with a bright yellow Chrome messenger bag strapped to her back in the 70/100k ride (at least up to the first check point) that was me, probably. I don't think there was anyone else carrying a messenger bag that had a camelback reservoir in it. ;)

Mel

[SadieKate]

Apparently my husband can't ride his bike with the helmet on his handlebars. But put a camera there... and he has no problem. :) Dorko.

V.Didn't he tell you why he was having problems taking pictures Saturday on the way up the hill? He ran into the orange cone at the park gate which re-aimed the camera at his feet. :p

Poor guy. Then, Mark comes down the hill and doesn't tell him he's the last rider.

Maybe it's all out of his system now.

[Bike Goddess]

What's this about spokes running on batteries? :confused: I've heard of battery operated bicycles but this is a first for me1 And then carrying around all those batteries- is it worht the extra weight???? :confused: :confused:

Re DMD- at least you got to the ranger station, right? DMD and TT both rank in the "you've got to be crazy" rides. Death Ride comes in 3rd--another toughie for only the ones who want to suffer....not me! :)

[Veronica]

Worth the weight - depends on how much riding you do in the rain or after dark. I like to be visible and Hokeyspokes make that happen. They are a pain to set up which is why I didn't take them off for long rides. You can see pictures of them on our website. The link is near the bottom of our homepage.

V.

[Bike Goddess]

Okay V, I'll go and look on your site. Too bad I can't get some miles in while I'm over there looking! :p

I ride in the dark most every morning (like 5:00AM dark). I generally wear a yellow jacket so I can be seen. In the 2 winters that I have done this I haven't had a problem. So maybe I don't need them things after all! :D

[Veronica]

Do you ride with any lights at all?

V.

[Bike Goddess]

Yes, I wouldn't be without my LITES! My front light comes off easily so when I ride during the day it stays at home. My back light has a blinking switch on it which I use. I leave it on the bike because its not that heavy- no extra weight if I can help it!

Everytime I see someone riding at night without lights I really want to give them a scolding (I have, on occasion done my light lecture (no pun intended)on BART rides). It's so unsafe. I can't imagine how people think they can ride at night without lights . It's the same thing as riding without helmets as far as I'm concerned- you are just ASKING FOR IT! In SF here (where I work)I see people without helmets all the time- esp the messenger guys. EEK!

[Melody]

Ok. I just looked at the Hokey Spokes. All I have to say is "Ok. That is cool. And I'm _VISIBLE_."

So I guess I'll have to buy some. :)

Mel

[spazzdog]

A tiny aside here (shocked, right :eek: )

Bike Goddess, you are sooo fast and so into "no extra wieght on the bike", I think you need to race. You need to get your license and whomp on those grrls. Better yet, for the truly "stripped" bike, get thee to the track.

Once again bowing at the feet of the Goddess....

spazz (who doesn't even own a set of lights - but I do have a blinky thing somewhere??)

[Veronica]

44.7 miles
Climbed 2720 feet -including 1.2 miles of 8% avg. on Calaveras
Total Time: 3:37 minutes - 1 rest stop, 1 mechanic stop to fix rubbing rear tire
Ride time: 3:14 minutes.
Heart Rate Avg. - 156
Heart Rate High - 184 - towards the end, sprinting to get through a light
Heart Rate Avg. on Calaveras - 170
High - 180
Calories Burned: 2794

V.

[Veronica]

We're at 9:48.

Pictures (http://www.photocrazy.com/perl/view.pl?ev=612&sd=2005-04-17&st=09:48:01&lfn=P050417094801714ac.jpg&d=f&nts=0503&bibno=)

V.

[snapdragen]

Calories Burned: 2794

A perfect of example of why I ride! (Besides the obvious one of just plain loving it!) :D

[Trek420]

Bike Goddess sez "Everytime I see someone riding at night without lights I really want to give them a scolding (I have, on occasion done my light lecture (no pun intended) on BART rides). It's so unsafe."

I especially love the combo: no lights, no helmet, dark clothing, maybe an i-pod for fun.

Primavera ride was great. I got off to a late start. I arrived, started to take the bike down...no helmet. I have 3 helmets, you think I'd keep one in the car...but nooooo.

Fortunately I live nearby, drove home picked up the helmet , since I'm not the Bike Goddess I decided to do the 70k.

Calaveras kicked my bu**, got off and walked the
first part of it. Should of had oatmeal for breakfast or Spazz's magic granola recipe but was fine from then on.

Leaving the second stop at Sunol headwinds kicked up but funny, I felt strong then. I left Sunol with a member of Valley Cyclists and we just fell in together and she drafted off me some. Since I'm not real comfy with drafting yet, we had the delightful combo of hills AND headwinds through Niles canyon
so mostly I pulled her. All in all a great ride. Nice to be reminded how gorgeous it is here.

Calories Burned: ????
Calories Eaten: ???? :rolleyes:

[Melody]

*sigh* I really wished we could have finished. :(

Hubby and I got up early so we could have the most amount of time to try to finish the ride. Everyone, and I mean _everyone_ passed us, but I wasn't worried. My goal was to try to finish, not be first. However, after the first rest stop, after resting for about 45 minutes, we went about 100-150 feet and Neil (hubby) said "No. We're not going to continue and I'm not going to let you hurt yourself."

We went back to the first rest stop, but unfortunately, all of the SAG vehicles had already left. One of the hams contacted net control to see if we could get a ride up to the second rest stop, but they said that that wasn't possible. They could give us a ride back to start, but not to the second stop.

Instead of having someone come and get us, we decided to ride back down back to start. Oi, was that tough. :( I ended up just being able to make it to McDonald's over by 680 and Mission. Neil went on ahead and got the car and drove us back to the start so we could check in and let them know that we were ok.

We then had some of the yummy lasagna lunch.

I'm pretty disappointed that I couldn't finish, but it wasn't really a surprise. Neil hadn't realized how steep Calaveras was, otherwise he'd never have suggested doing the ride. I do feel accomplished at what I was able to do, though I am sore today. I enjoyed the ride immensely, even the crying I did just before McDonalds cause I was hurting so much. :o

Next year though! I'm determined. :) Time to start doing intervals. :cool:

Oh. According to my HR monitor when I glanced at it, 32 and change mileage and 1600 feet of climbing. This was 8 times more mileage than I have _ever_ done. :p

Slow as Melasses ;)

[jobob]

Oh. According to my HR monitor when I glanced at it, 32 and change mileage and 1600 feet of climbing. This was 8 times more mileage than I have _ever_ done. :p Mel, don't beat yourself up for not finishing, that was a super effort!

Although, Jobob Mother Hen is going to scold you just a little bit for not *building up* to such a strenuous ride - that's a sure way to hurt yourself, girlfriend !!! [waggs finger] OK enough of that. :cool:

I think Mel should be next in line for the She-Ra Princess of Power tiara , once AG is through with it (AG, darlin', do try to get most of the mud off it first ...)


Neil hadn't realized how steep Calaveras was I suppose you all know now why that hill is (sometimes) affectionately referrred to as The Wall :rolleyes:
If melissam is lurking about here maybe she'll share her Wall story ... it wasn't pretty :p

[Veronica]

Wow! Melody. Kudos to you for trying something new and NOT giving up. That's a huge jump in mileage - and lots more time in the saddle. No matter how comfortable your saddle is, your butt still needs to get used to being on it for a long time. :p

Going to ride today?

V.

[aka_kim]

I think Mel should be next in line for the She-Ra Princess of Power tiara
I agree! 8x your previous longest ride?! And Calaveras is a hard climb. Good job!

[slinkedog]

Melody... good for you for trying your hardest! Just keep getting out there and increasing your mileage a little bit at a time. Don't kill yourself!! :)

[Adventure Girl]

I think Mel should be next in line for the She-Ra Princess of Power tiara , once AG is through with it (AG, darlin', do try to get most of the mud off it first ...)This tiara should be passed along to all deserving princesses! I'm honored to have worn it for a short time, but I gladly relinquish the tiara and all it's powers to Mel! Good job!

She-Ra!!

[SadieKate]

We're at 9:48.
V.You guys look so cute! I didn't know Thom owned spandex!

Congrats to everyone on a good job: cruisin' fast, pulling the pace line, increasing distance, conquering hills. THAT is what it is all about - your own personal victories. Stay focused on your accomplishments!

Way to go, girls!

[CorsairMac]

Job well done She-Ra aka Mel!.....you went out there and rode!! That right there is the most important accomplishment of the day!.....anything after that was just diamonds on your She-Ra tiara! and I agree - today is AG's tiara day - tomorrow is Mels!!

[Trek420]

Wow Mel, 8x your previous PR, I'm speachless which is unusual for me.

Good job, and kudos to your hubby for reeling you in and taking care of you.

With that determination and a program from your TE buds there's no telling what you'll be able to do next year.

[Melody]

Mel, don't beat yourself up for not finishing, that was a super effort!

Trying not to, but I admit I can be competitive and I tend to beat myself up over these sort of things. Comes from playing tennis for so long. :P Only person you can blame is yourself. :P


Although, Jobob Mother Hen is going to scold you just a little bit for not *building up* to such a strenuous ride - that's a sure way to hurt yourself, girlfriend !!! [waggs finger] OK enough of that. :cool:

Well... I tried building up to it, but it was a very sudden ride. I was at home sick when the hubby suggested it and I said "sure, why not?" Then it took several more days before I could ride more than about 10 miles, and then that weekend we rode 44 miles from Mtn View to Milpitas, then had to recover a few days after that, etc. etc. :p I had first suggested we do the 25 mile ride, but he said "You can do the 70!" I should have gone with my first instinct. :p


I think Mel should be next in line for the She-Ra Princess of Power tiara , once AG is through with it (AG, darlin', do try to get most of the mud off it first ...)

heh. I still have my tiara from my wedding. :D It's currently sitting on top of one of the speakers of our entertainment center. :rolleyes:


I suppose you all know now why that hill is (sometimes) affectionately referrred to as The Wall :rolleyes:
If melissam is lurking about here maybe she'll share her Wall story ... it wasn't pretty :p

hehehehe. Neil was hoping the initial 1.6 miles up Calaveras was the wall. The look on his face when he found out it was was very much :eek: :D

Mel

[Melody]

Thanks everyone. :) Just to note, it wasn't 8x my mileage. I've done 45 miles before, but it was 8x the climbing I've ever done. I am not a good climber. This means I get to go do intervals on the weekends. :rolleyes:

I didn't ride yesterday and today. I'm recovering from all of that climbing. It looks like I pulled a groin muscle, so I'm letting that recover before getting back on the bike, even for the short commute to/from work.

But, I'll be back on the bike tomorrow for my commute. :cool:

Oh yeah, we also ordered a trainer. :) I went to mtbr.com and looked at various reviews and got the 2004 mtbr.com winner. It was $300.00, but it seems most people really liked it. Plus, this will let me do a recovery ride at home that is truly flat and not push it too hard. :)

Mel

[Veronica]

You and your hubby are welcome to join us on Sunday. I know Mt. Diablo sounds scary and like a crazy idea. But the south side is easier and any time you decide you're done - it's all downhill or flat back to the car. Nothing on the south side of Diablo is as steep as Calaveras. And there are good places for lunch in Danville. Slinkedog should come to. I know you have other commitments, but you're all always welcome. :)

V.

[SadieKate]

Mel and Slinke - you should come! I was intimidated because it is so flat here in Tomatoland. Everyone encouraged me so I went. Now I'm actually looking forward to riding it. One of the things that is so good about the ride up Diablo is that because we're on this long, long hill, everybody rides at their own pace. There is no pressure to ride anyone else's pace. You can't get lost. You just ride until you feel like you've had enough. Thom is really good at blathering at you so you'll be distracted. :D There are plenty of places where you may decide to take a break and enjoy the scenery.

Now's the time to do it before it gets hot. Come on up!

SK

[snapdragen]

:eek: Errr, not committing to anything, but my shopping trip got canceled. What were those Diablo particulars again.... :o

[SadieKate]

I'd say that public comment about the shopping trip being cancelled makes it a commitment. :p

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?p=23196#post23196

[snapdragen]

I'd say that public comment about the shopping trip being cancelled makes it a commitment. :p


Coupled with my dismal showing at Weight Watchers today :( . I gotta get riding....leaning towards a strong yes.......

snap goes looking for her Road ID so the body can be identified.........

[Veronica]

All right Snap! Looking forward to finally meeting you.

V.

[snapdragen]

snap runs screaming from the room....what have I done! :eek:

[slinkedog]

I would really love to try this ride, but I'm singing in church this Sunday... we're basically booked on Sunday mornings unless one of the kids is sick. Maybe we could do a Saturday sometime, or I'll just plan to miss church one day when neither Blaine nor I is serving in the band.

One question that I never really thought of before... are there guardrails on this road? I'm really afraid of heights. The drive up or down Mt. Hamilton is an E-ticket ride for me. However, it's not as bad if I'm driving, so maybe this would apply if I'm riding. I don't know. Guess I won't know 'til I try it!

[Trek420]

My sister's visiting from Norway so I'm out, perfect weather too. C'mon Mel, if I got *almost* all the way to the top you can deffinately do Mt. Diablo.

Wear the tiara.

[SadieKate]

One question that I never really thought of before... are there guardrails on this road? I'm really afraid of heights. The drive up or down Mt. Hamilton is an E-ticket ride for me. However, it's not as bad if I'm driving, so maybe this would apply if I'm riding. I don't know. Guess I won't know 'til I try it!

I can't comment on the South Gate Rd, but North Gate is fine. I also have a real problem with heights (or exposure as in there's nothing next to the trail). I've never even thought of the issue on North Gate and I've gotten the adrenaline shakes so bad on some rides that you could hear the bike rattling. The route gurus have told me that South Gate has more shade so I think it would be even less of a issue there.

[Melody]

My sister's visiting from Norway so I'm out, perfect weather too. C'mon Mel, if I got *almost* all the way to the top you can deffinately do Mt. Diablo.

I can't promise that I can come. I need to find out what my hubby has planned also for this weekend. Plus, it's 9am. :P I am not a morning person. :rolleyes:


Wear the tiara.

Heh. I'd have to figure out how to add it to my helmet. :)

Mel

[Trek420]

anyone doing this?

It's time to sign up for the 34th Annual Primavera Century! 100M, 100K, 70K and 25M routes
available. The 100M climbs the Calaveras "Wall", wanders around the Calaveras Reservoir into Sunol then
heads through Pleasanton to the Altamont Pass, back through Livermore, Dublin Grade, Palomares and
Niles Canyon.

Sunday, April 23, 2006 6:00 AM
James Logan High School
1800 H Street
Union City , CA

To register, go to http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1286548

[slinkedog]

Nope... gotta sing in church that day.

[Melody]

I'm not doing Primavera this year however Neil is so I may be hanging around somewhere. :D

Mel

[aka_kim]

Yes. Well, I'm registered anyway, whether or not I ride it will be determined by the weather (and my aversion to wind and rain).

[cindysue]

Sunday, April 23, 2006 6:00 AM

hmm, that's the day after my b-day and a week before the official deadline for my thesis (yah right!). Have fun!

[jobob]

nope, same weekend as Bike Around the Buttes

[Bike Goddess]

I'll start a new thread for this ride as reading through last year's posts isn't necessary!