Weekend rides 8/2-8/4

[rebeccaC]

I have friends from New York and Quebec visiting for a few days. Maggie is a climber that I can only aspire to match strength and endurance with some day. So we borrowed a bike from a friend and I took her for a ride in the Santa Monica Mountains. We rode out to and up Los Flores Canyon road, coming back down to PCH on Malibu Canyon road and then home. 58 miles with some really good climbing.

When we got back we heard of a crazy persons rampage with a car on the Venice Beach boardwalk. One woman died and many people were struck with some in critical condition. I’ve said prayers for the people involved and their families and friends. How precious life is and how quickly it can be gone.

[Crankin]

Ha, Indy, I'm not comlaining, really. I decided not to go to boot camp this morning, to let my back rest until tomorrow. It's my fault; I have slacked off on my exercises.
As far as the intersections go, they are just country-suburban, weird New England type things. The first is a left while you are at the bottom of a hill and cars are coming down the other side, on sort of at a curve. That is actually the more dangerous one. The second one is right after that. It's just a stop sign at the top of a hill, which I dislike intensely. There were no cars yesterday, but when I am riding my Guru, I have to push up a lot to get myself onto the saddle and go. I'm not good at hill starts in any situation, but on my other bike, it's easier.

[indysteel]

My low back has been bothering me, too, Crankin. I overdid some exercises a few weeks ago. It's finally starting to feel a bit better.

There are some hill starts on the ride we do over Memorial Day every year, and I get anxious about them well in advance. The first is at the start of the ride, and I always feel so self conscious about it with all these other riders around me.