Giro D'Vino Nov 6

[tomgrrrl]

Hey Z, as I posted on the other thread, I'm hoping to be there as well...depends on childcare logistics....sounds like a really nice (and sane) ride.....

[helga]

OK - my partner and I are signed up for the metric century!!

Wow - I hope I can get through the course in the time allotted! My SO is a strong rider - maybe she'll just pull me along! This will be my longest ride to date, and will follow a weekend spent at my cousin's wedding in NYC, where I will NOT be riding at all, and where there's a chance I'll be imbibing adult beverages in higher than recommended amounts

Helga, are you in? Want to carpool?

It sounds like fun. I do think the 30ish-mile-ride would be better suited to my cycling skills and desire to belly up to the bar at the wineries. I just have to see if friends are visiting here that weekend. Will know soon. If all works out, count on me as your back seat driver.
VTY
Helga

[Trekhawk]

Hey Z, as I posted on the other thread, I'm hoping to be there as well...depends on childcare logistics....sounds like a really nice (and sane) ride.....

Hey guys when it gets a bit closer you will have to let me know what you will all be wearing so I can maybe pick you out in the crowd. I would love to meet you all.

[bikerz]

Hey guys when it gets a bit closer you will have to let me know what you will all be wearing so I can maybe pick you out in the crowd. I would love to meet you all.

Maybe we'll all be wearing our Amici Veloci jerseys!!! Wouldn't that be cool! Lets for sure meet up together before or after! maybe I'll bring some of my growing stock of "gently used" saddles!

If all works out, count on me as your back seat driver.

Actually, I was hoping you'd be the designated driver!

Hey Z, as I posted on the other thread, I'm hoping to be there as well...depends on childcare logistics....sounds like a really nice (and sane) ride....

It will be great to see you again, and ogle your new bike! Yes, it does sound calmer (and maybe easier??) than the BATO - the distance will certainly be a stretch for me, but I'm looking forward to getting a metric under my belt...

I think I'll have to just zoom along, no dawdling at rest stops and wineries, since I'm not sure what my average speed will be over such a long distance. I managed something over 13 mph on the 46 mile ride with Adventure Girl et al. in Monterey ("flat" according to AG , but seemed like some rolling hills to me!) - so it might take me 5 hours of riding at something like that pace...

[Hill Slug]

Hello Giro Riders....

OK, so who's in??? From the thread, here's who it sounds like:

Hill Slug
TrekHawk
Bikerz + 1
tomgrrrl (maybe)
helga (maybe)

I'll probably get there around 9-ish. I have 2 other local friends who'll be there too, and we're planning on doing the 30 miles. It might be raining, and it's a rain or shine ride, so please be prepared. If you all want to meet up, PM me so we can swap cell #'s. I know there will be some of my Team in Training team members starting at 7:30....such maniacs!!!

[bikerz]

Yep - BikerZ + 1 are in. I think Helga is in too - our plan is for all three of us to ride up together early that morning (Helga lives across the street from me). I think we'll all be in Amici Veloci gear (maybe just the arm warmers for me - my jersey is a *little* snug!)

I may end up doing the 30 mile route - this was going to be my first metric century, but I brought back a cold from the East Coast this week, and can't seem to shake it. Blech - between work, 2 out-of-town trips, and this cold, I haven't been on the bike in 2 weeks!

Looking forward to meeting you and TrekHawk in person, and seeing TommGrrrl again (and getting a closer look at tomgrrrl's new bike!)

Hey Trekhawk - want me to bring any of my extra saddles?

[Trekhawk]

Yep - BikerZ + 1 are in. I think Helga is in too - our plan is for all three of us to ride up together early that morning (Helga lives across the street from me). I think we'll all be in Amici Veloci gear (maybe just the arm warmers for me - my jersey is a *little* snug!)
I may end up doing the 30 mile route - this was going to be my first metric century, but I brought back a cold from the East Coast this week, and can't seem to shake it. Blech - between work, 2 out-of-town trips, and this cold, I haven't been on the bike in 2 weeks!
Looking forward to meeting you and TrekHawk in person, and seeing TommGrrrl again (and getting a closer look at tomgrrrl's new bike!)
Hey Trekhawk - want me to bring any of my extra saddles?

Hi All
Yep I will be there on Sunday (husband is finally home so have someone to look after the kids). The whole crew is coming so I will have my own little cheer squad (I may need this as this will be the longest ride I have done).

Bikerz perhaps you could set up a stand after the ride and sell off a few of those saddles. How is your new one going?

Look forward to seeing you all on Sunday.
Trekhawk

[bikerz]

The whole crew is coming so I will have my own little cheer squad (I may need this as this will be the longest ride I have done).

Cheering squad - that's great!!

Bikerz perhaps you could set up a stand after the ride and sell off a few of those saddles. How is your new one going?

Ha! Good idea! I'm going out to take an easy ride in a little while and I'll be trying out the newest saddle - San Marco Aero gelaround. The Selle Italia Ldy has been ok, but squeaky - if the Aero doesn't work out, the Ldy will probably be the one I keep. That just leaves the San Marco Atola and the Koobi gel classic!

[tomgrrrl]

I'll be there!! Look forward to seeing everyone!

[Hill Slug]

Alrighty then....sounds like a party goin' on tomorrow! It'll be great to meet you all. I'll be doing the 32 and starting probably sometime after 9. I'll get there between 8:30 and 9. A couple of my Team in Training friends will be joining me too. And I know one of them hasn't ridden in awhile, so she won't be speeding through!! I'll be wearing a rainbow flag jacket - you won't miss it....Blue helmet and silver Specialized Sequoia.

I've got dinner guests coming over later in the evening so, I won't be hanging around too long....The weather out here was great today, hopefully it will hold out for tomorrow. A little chilly in the AM so remember to layer.

See ya!!!!

[bikerz]

It was great to meet HillSlug and Trekhawk yesterday, and to see TomGrrl again!

Lodi was like terra incognita for us - we thought is was really far from Oakland, so we (Helga, Beth and I) drove up from Oakland the night before, and felt a little stupid getting there in a little over an hour! But we settling into our very pleasant room in the Best Western, only to discover that Beth had forgotten her cycling shorts! A flurry of late night cell phone calls followed, and HillSlug saved the day by arranging to have her friend bring a spare pair to the ride - whew!

We got to the ride location nice and early, and met HillSlug and TrekHawk, and soon after, TomGrrrl showed up as well. HillsSlug's friends with the spare shorts were delayed, but luckily, TomGrrrl had several spare pairs of shorts, knickers, bibs, etc. in her car (she's PREPARED!), and Beth borrowed a pair of very comfy knickers, and we were off!

Beth and Helga were in full Amici Veloci regalia, and I had my AV arm warmers on and we looked spiffy! Beth got a couple of compliments on the jersey while waiting in porta-potty lines, and Helga has a story to tell too...

Helga did the 50 km route, and Beth, TG and I continued on the 100 km route. huge thanks to TG for helping me keep my average speed up the first half of the ride - I think my average speed by about mile 30 was 14.4 mph - that's pretty zippy for me! Much of the time we were over 16 mph, so that really helped eat up the miles. My overall average as 13.7 - I was happy with that for my first ride of this distance. It was almost completely flat, but breezy towards the end.

People were stopping along the way to taste wine, but Beth, TG and I agreed that nothing seemed more unpleasant that drinking wine on a long bike ride. One of the most amazing things we saw on leaving the non-lunch lunch stop were about a dozen sky divers sailing (plummeting?) downs to land in a field right next to the route. That was an amazing sight.

We didn't see too much of TG the last third of the way, except at rest stops - she really zooms along! Beth and I rode together and she kept my flagging spirits up when I got a bit whiney towards the end (will these saddle woes never end? ) by singing funny songs to me.

All in all a good ride for me - and nice to have the metric century milestone checked off this year! It feels great to have been able to do a ride like this (and the BATO last month) after riding for such a short time, and it is in no small way due to the great support and encouragement from the TE gals - so thanks everyone!

I'l post a few photos tonight!

I look forward to reading ride reports from TrekHawk, HillSlug, TomGrrrl and helga!

[SadieKate]

Way to go!!! Good for you, Z, and the whole crew.

Did you remember to stand up frequently on all the flat rode?

Waiting to hear the porta-potty story.

Sarah

[helga]

Had a great time with BikerZ and Beth. Very fun meeting everyone. Must say, I have never eatten so much on a ride. So many rest/food stops! I think this is the first time I gained weight after doing a 30+ mile ride. I, too, stayed away from the wine tastings until the end of the ride. My biking skills are sloppy enough without putting grapa in my system.
Amici jersey news....At one of the stops a woman came over and told me that she was one of the people who had, I think, helped design the Amici jersey. She is a good friend of Sarah. Sorry I didn't get her name, but glad she stopped and said hello.

[bikerz]

Thanks SK!

Yes I did try to stand up (and it was a necessity late in the ride!) I also tried to do as you suggested on the Davis ride and find a steady cadence and stick with that. I think part of my trouble is saddle-realetd, and more if it may be just getting tired and just SITTING too hard on the saddle - as I get stronger (and ligter!), hopefully it will get easier.

[Trekhawk]

Well like Bikerz I completed my longest ride to date. Not the 100kms Im not quiet ready for that yet but the 50kms (my bike computer says 54.19 and thats what Im logging any little bit helps).

Met the TE crew before the ride (except Tomgrrl perhaps next time) and it was lovely meeting everyone in person. After some encouraging pep talk from the TE crew I headed back to my husband and kids wondering how I was going to keep my self from getting lost (my map reading skills are not the best). My husband was a little concerned at how I looked he said I looked like a person just sentenced to death not one heading out for a lovely ride - I guess my nerves were getting the better of me. I waved goodbye to my family and headed past a few riders getting ready to leave when I noticed a woman looking a little frantic and saying how she was sure she was going to get lost to the guy she was with. So I stopped and explained that this was a concern for me also. Her partner looked relieved as he was doing the 100 and I think wanted to get going so we decided to ride together. This worked out really well as we rode at about the same speed and enjoyed a chat along the way.

The ride seemed well organized to me (no experience here though being first organized ride) and the food was fresh and there was plenty. We passed the first rest stop as it was very close to the start and cycled on to the second one. Im with Helga on the wine tasting - my skills are not the best so I gave the wine a miss but enjoyed some fresh fruit.

Just before the third rest stop I got stung by a bee so we pulled in at the third rest stop and my riding friend wiped my shoulder down with a sting reliever wipe (it was at the back edge of my shoulder and hard to reach). I had luckily packed these the night before and the relief was nearly instantaneous (which is lucky because Im a bit of a whimp). Enjoyed some peanut butter cookies and then headed off towards the finish deciding to forgo the fourth stop and yet more food.

My little cheer squad (husband and three sons) were waiting at the end and we finished off with a lovely lunch before heading home.

I would like to say that the encouragment I got from the TE girls especially BikerZ and Hill Slug helped me to get to the start line for this ride. I was very nervous about riding with others and making the distance. Well I loved the whole ride and seeing all the other riders on all sorts of bikes made my day. I felt pretty strong at the end of the ride which has really helped with my confidence and I guess I owe that in part to all the hills I ride around home.

Thanks again everyone for all your support and riding tips I dont think I would have made it this far without you all.