caligurl
04-24-2006, 10:59 AM
tprevost... this is for you! :) (and bikerchick may be interested in some parts of this report too!)
well..... i did finish... i didn't break any speed records.. but i didn't intend to! my goal is to finish..... not to finish first... second... etc! i'm a tortoise.. slow and steady!
let me start with the whining (excuses i call them! lol!) thursday night i had 4 hours sleep.... friday night i had 4 hours sleep.... this week at work was the busiest week i can remember in EONS! so i can use that as an excuse (not really.. but it sounds good!)
we got up at 12:40 a.m. to head to calabasas... thought we were gonna be late cuz we hit construction twice on the 10 :mad: but still go there... phew.... i headed out hoping the whole time to make the cut-offs.... OH.... i had my cell phone turned off... cuz for whatever reason.... my battery decided it was time to die.... i had charged it fully... and it was on stand by.. by the time we stopped for breakfast my bar was red again already! i charged it the rest of the way and turned it off to preserve the battery in case i needed it....
it was an interesting ride... i was cold.. but you gotta remember... i'm used to riding in a LOT hotter weather! i always love riding PCH.... it was pretty even with the cloudes! headed up topanga.. "entertained" myself counting how many people passed me.... i stopped counting at 144ish! i tried to be speedy at stops 1 and two.. knowing i had cut offs.... was happy to get some downhill after stop 2... til i realized if i didn't slow down... i'd be going down! the roads were ROUGH... the cliffs to the side were steep... and they were twisty! that ticked me off cuz i couldn't even make up time on the downhills *pout* of course... i thought that first part was bad enough... i saw the firetruck and rider on the side of the road... i did a quick look to make sure it wasn't hubby! i continue.. and i think it's deer creek? that was a nice downhill.. but whoa.... it was steep! i had to apply my breaks practically the whole way down! my arms, shoulders and hands were SORE when i got to the check point! i even thought to myself as descending and not seeing any crashers there.... that i was glad my daredevil hubby must have taken this descent slowly..... so i stop to get my sticker and they sticker guy says "your husband wanted me to tell you he crashed but he's ok. he wants you to finish the ride...." i kind of looked at him like "you talking to me?" i think i even asked him if he had the right person... and he said "he said you had #95 and were riding a specialized.." uhm... yep... that's me.... so i turned on the phone and called him.... yep... it was him! he told me he was OK... a little banged up... i asked about the bike (as any good/dutiful cyclist would) and he sadly said "it's cracked"... SO... here i am on the ride... with him and the sticker guy telling me he's OK.... so i believe them and that means now i can be mad at him for going to fast and crashing a $5000 bike! GRRRRRR so i continue on...
and what should happen... but my first flat ever on an organized century! UGH! i had worried that this would happen on THIS ride of all rides.. with their time limits... happily.. after my initial stomping of my foot... i changed it... not speedy... about 13 minutes (no laughing! but i haven't had that many flats... and the majority of them have been with hubby.. and since he's quicker.. if he's with me... he changes them! although i did get some practice when i first got the ruby... seems like for a few days... i was changing it every day! but i digress!) i get back on the bike and then it's time for decker road! ohmigosh! i had flashbacks of the recent redland's savage hill climb ride i did a few weeks ago! EGADS! however... i have to say that the 2nd climb in redlands was a lot worse than decker.. but decker was bad! on the way out of that stop.... someone said "hi!" and and i said "hi" and he said "i thought i knew you"... but i didn't recognize him... well.. he caught up with me and asked if i was caligurl... yeppers! it was a bikeforums.net guy!! he rode with me a while.. he's very nice! but then he decided to wait for his friends... so i went on ahead... knowing i'd slow down on the next hill (of course not prepared for stunt road!) by the time i left checkpoint number four... i was getting done.. maybe the lack of sleep was catching up with me? who knows? i called hubby to remind him i had money in my purse if he wanted to go get something to eat.... stunt road was grueling.... i didn't think it would ever end! the two ladies were so nice at the time... you had to perform and stunt to get homemade cookie! lol! i took a bit too long at that stop... dreading the freezing cold of the descent! by the time i climbed the piuma climb... i decide i'd better plug my edge into my battery pack.... dumb move... i wasted about 15 minuted trying to get the darned thing back on! GRRRRRR so between my flat and my edge... i wasted at least 1/2 hour of time! (on top of rest stop time taken)
THEN... to add insult to injury... i wasn't paying attention at agoura road.. and turned LEFT! i finally realized i went the wrong way.... (thus adding even more time to my already slow time! lol!) i turned around and FINALLY made it back!
that's when i realized hubby lied to me... he wasn't ok... the poor guy could hardly walk! i told him he should have told me... i would have come back! :mad: but he inisisted he wanted me to finish the ride!
i've attached some pics of his road rash and his bike (RIP!) the crack one and deraillier are blurry... i need to try to retake them! but you get the idea! i think it was on cotherin road that he crashed.. best i can tell from the route slip/miles...... it was at a turn.. then another quick turn... there was a "wall" and gravel in the road... and he went head on into the wall... (that split second.. do i go straight? do i go down and slide on the road? his read wheel kept sliding and he (and the bike) slammed into the canyon wall (his words).... he also had cuts and scrapes on his legs/ankle....
so there you have it... my (our) adventure at mulholland! (and i couldn't even sleep in late yesterday morning cuz i had to be up early and at work... overtime.... for our VIP visitor!) at least today it's all calm!
well..... i did finish... i didn't break any speed records.. but i didn't intend to! my goal is to finish..... not to finish first... second... etc! i'm a tortoise.. slow and steady!
let me start with the whining (excuses i call them! lol!) thursday night i had 4 hours sleep.... friday night i had 4 hours sleep.... this week at work was the busiest week i can remember in EONS! so i can use that as an excuse (not really.. but it sounds good!)
we got up at 12:40 a.m. to head to calabasas... thought we were gonna be late cuz we hit construction twice on the 10 :mad: but still go there... phew.... i headed out hoping the whole time to make the cut-offs.... OH.... i had my cell phone turned off... cuz for whatever reason.... my battery decided it was time to die.... i had charged it fully... and it was on stand by.. by the time we stopped for breakfast my bar was red again already! i charged it the rest of the way and turned it off to preserve the battery in case i needed it....
it was an interesting ride... i was cold.. but you gotta remember... i'm used to riding in a LOT hotter weather! i always love riding PCH.... it was pretty even with the cloudes! headed up topanga.. "entertained" myself counting how many people passed me.... i stopped counting at 144ish! i tried to be speedy at stops 1 and two.. knowing i had cut offs.... was happy to get some downhill after stop 2... til i realized if i didn't slow down... i'd be going down! the roads were ROUGH... the cliffs to the side were steep... and they were twisty! that ticked me off cuz i couldn't even make up time on the downhills *pout* of course... i thought that first part was bad enough... i saw the firetruck and rider on the side of the road... i did a quick look to make sure it wasn't hubby! i continue.. and i think it's deer creek? that was a nice downhill.. but whoa.... it was steep! i had to apply my breaks practically the whole way down! my arms, shoulders and hands were SORE when i got to the check point! i even thought to myself as descending and not seeing any crashers there.... that i was glad my daredevil hubby must have taken this descent slowly..... so i stop to get my sticker and they sticker guy says "your husband wanted me to tell you he crashed but he's ok. he wants you to finish the ride...." i kind of looked at him like "you talking to me?" i think i even asked him if he had the right person... and he said "he said you had #95 and were riding a specialized.." uhm... yep... that's me.... so i turned on the phone and called him.... yep... it was him! he told me he was OK... a little banged up... i asked about the bike (as any good/dutiful cyclist would) and he sadly said "it's cracked"... SO... here i am on the ride... with him and the sticker guy telling me he's OK.... so i believe them and that means now i can be mad at him for going to fast and crashing a $5000 bike! GRRRRRR so i continue on...
and what should happen... but my first flat ever on an organized century! UGH! i had worried that this would happen on THIS ride of all rides.. with their time limits... happily.. after my initial stomping of my foot... i changed it... not speedy... about 13 minutes (no laughing! but i haven't had that many flats... and the majority of them have been with hubby.. and since he's quicker.. if he's with me... he changes them! although i did get some practice when i first got the ruby... seems like for a few days... i was changing it every day! but i digress!) i get back on the bike and then it's time for decker road! ohmigosh! i had flashbacks of the recent redland's savage hill climb ride i did a few weeks ago! EGADS! however... i have to say that the 2nd climb in redlands was a lot worse than decker.. but decker was bad! on the way out of that stop.... someone said "hi!" and and i said "hi" and he said "i thought i knew you"... but i didn't recognize him... well.. he caught up with me and asked if i was caligurl... yeppers! it was a bikeforums.net guy!! he rode with me a while.. he's very nice! but then he decided to wait for his friends... so i went on ahead... knowing i'd slow down on the next hill (of course not prepared for stunt road!) by the time i left checkpoint number four... i was getting done.. maybe the lack of sleep was catching up with me? who knows? i called hubby to remind him i had money in my purse if he wanted to go get something to eat.... stunt road was grueling.... i didn't think it would ever end! the two ladies were so nice at the time... you had to perform and stunt to get homemade cookie! lol! i took a bit too long at that stop... dreading the freezing cold of the descent! by the time i climbed the piuma climb... i decide i'd better plug my edge into my battery pack.... dumb move... i wasted about 15 minuted trying to get the darned thing back on! GRRRRRR so between my flat and my edge... i wasted at least 1/2 hour of time! (on top of rest stop time taken)
THEN... to add insult to injury... i wasn't paying attention at agoura road.. and turned LEFT! i finally realized i went the wrong way.... (thus adding even more time to my already slow time! lol!) i turned around and FINALLY made it back!
that's when i realized hubby lied to me... he wasn't ok... the poor guy could hardly walk! i told him he should have told me... i would have come back! :mad: but he inisisted he wanted me to finish the ride!
i've attached some pics of his road rash and his bike (RIP!) the crack one and deraillier are blurry... i need to try to retake them! but you get the idea! i think it was on cotherin road that he crashed.. best i can tell from the route slip/miles...... it was at a turn.. then another quick turn... there was a "wall" and gravel in the road... and he went head on into the wall... (that split second.. do i go straight? do i go down and slide on the road? his read wheel kept sliding and he (and the bike) slammed into the canyon wall (his words).... he also had cuts and scrapes on his legs/ankle....
so there you have it... my (our) adventure at mulholland! (and i couldn't even sleep in late yesterday morning cuz i had to be up early and at work... overtime.... for our VIP visitor!) at least today it's all calm!