I'd made a personal commitment to lead (or sweep or kinda in the middle) an ALC training ride each month.

So yesterday I went on a Cat 1 ride, the 9th in a series.

We had I think 9 riders, not bad for a ride just announced the night before.

We met at Orinda Bart station we took Camino Pablo to Moraga Road to Mt. Diablo Blvd, right on Pleasant Hill Rd, left on Olympic to Tice Valley which had a nice climb if I'm recalling right, onto Crest Ave, Hillgrade Ave to Danville Blvd onto Railroad Street then a stop at the Cafe Francais for a regroup.

We crossed and and recrossed and shared the route with the MS Top Hat. It was great to see the riders out there, any TE gals?

After a banana muffin at the cafe, back on Railroad to San Ramon Valley Road where I missed the turn to Dublin Canyon, lucky that Mary the ride leader was near me, yelled and I turned around or I'd still be out there somewhere.

We pulled a u-turn and climbed Dublin Canyon Road.

If you're in the Bay Area this is a road you see from 580 fwy. and I'd always thought to myself "self? other than the view of the freeway looks like a nice yet gentle climb"

But that's from a car.

It kicked my happy b*tt.

I felt slow, this is a chalenging climb but one I should be able to do at a half decent clip. After a well deserved zip down E Castro Valley blvd we regrouped at Safeway. At that point the planned route went up Redwood Road to Pinehurst, Canyon Road, Moraga Way back to BART.

I decided things were not going to get better for me on Pinehurst and since I'd taken BART to the ride it wasn't as if my car was there. Everyone was doing fine and I would be holding them way up. So after a banana, Luna bar and hydration bev of choice I headed home. I had a choice of getting back on BART and then the normal 2 miles from BART but thought might as well ride all the way to tack on 10 more miles.