Cycling this week - 04/29/2012

This past week was rather dreary and rainy in the San Gabriel Valley, so there was no commuting.  I made up for it however by doing a lot of climbing on Sunday.  Nabeel and I met up with Rich at his house in Lancaster and got going about 10 AM.  The first 15 miles we had a tailwind, so the climb up Godde Hill Rd. was not that bad, neither was the climb up Bouquet Canyon Rd.  When we turned and went up Spunky Canyon, we had a direct headwind, which seemed to add a few degrees to the grade.  The final climb up San Francisquito Canyon Rd. was just killer, in the heat of the day with a headwind and an 11 percent grade, I was happy when I reached the top.  After the ride was over we went over to a neighbor and co-workers house, and had a spring fling backyard party. A good way to finish off the day. 48 miles total.

The poppies have just begun to spring out, but they are not as prolific as last year

Here is some of the countryside we were riding through - this is just off of Elizabeth Lake Rd and Bouquet Canyon

This is at the intersection of Bouquet Canyon and Spunky Canyon

Here is Nabeel riding along Spunky Canyon before the next hill started

Here are some nicely restored vintage motorcycles - I ran into these at a little general store in Green Valley

Here is Rich as he reached the top of San Francisquito, he is not smiling like he was two weeks ago

The road beckons

Trusty R3 got me through another day of hill climbs

Some more countryside on the way back home, this is on Johnson Rd.

Cycling this week - 04/22/2012

This week I got in two days of commuting for 30 miles total.  This Saturday Irit and I rode up to the Rose Bowl an back.  On the way we stopped at the US Court of Appeals in Pasadena.  There was a fundraising walk for kids with Autism at the Rose Bowl, so we headed back home through South Pasadena.  18.1 miles in 1:40.  On Sunday, I did a quick ride down the Rio Hondo river trail and up the San Gabriel river trail and back home.  I got a late start after spending the morning cleaning the house, so there was a pretty good headwind for most of the ride.  26 miles in 1:35.  Total for the week: 74.1 in 5:25.

Here is a picture of Irit in front of the Pasadena US Court of Appeals.  She posted this picture on Facebook saying that I had planted the roses for her, some of her friends wanted to rent me out, and I think she is negotiating an hourly rate with them.  I feel dirty.

Cycling this week - 04/15/2012

After only one day of commuting this past week, I got to stretch my legs with Rich on Sunday.  I met up with Rich, Jen, Simon and Irit on Sunday morning out in Valencia.  Jen, Irit and Simon went for a ride down the river trail while Rich and I rode up Lake Hughes Rd.  The ride up Lake Hughes Rd. was a good climb all the way up to Elizabeth Lake Rd.  We took Elizabeth Lake Rd. to San Francisquito Canyon Rd., and then did the last climb up to the top of the ridge.  Parts of that last climb were at 11%.  From there it was all down hill (albeit with a head wind), back to Valencia.  58.5 miles in 4:04.  Afterward, we all met up with Nabeel at the coffee shop in Valencia, he had just finished the Mullholland Challenge the day before - the first in the three ride series for the "King of The Mountains" qualification, way to go Nabeel.

Here is a view from Lake Hughes Rd. down to Castaic Lake.

Here is Rich at the top of the ridge on San Francisquito - I told him to look happy, like he didn't just ride up and 11% grade.

Cycling this week - 04-07-2012

Well this past week I managed to commute two days on the bike, Wednesday and Thursday for another 30 miles.  Irit got back out on the bike this weekend after not riding since February 25th.  Again, she blew off yoga to go ride a bike - I'm just saying - one sport you get the wind in your face, scenery, adventure, smells, nature, the other sport, you get to sit on the floor in a room, also with smells from a different kind of nature (just kidding). So, we rode over to the Santa Fe dam and up the river trail, through Duarte, Monrovia, Arcadia, Temple City and finally back home to San Gabriel.  25 miles in total.  We dropped in on my oldest daughter Lauren unannounced, which is always fun, while we were going through Monrovia.  It was a beautiful day, in the low 80's (F).  Since Irit had no ill effects from the ride, next week, she gets to do more.

Here you can see Irit trying to catch some flies - she gets hungry while out on the bike.

Irit seems very happy with her new Giro Atmos helmet, of course it is purple and has little flowers on it.

Stopped on the side of the trail with the San Gabriel mountains in the background.

I had to wear my skater helmet since I rode the commuter bike.  And no spandex is allowed on the commuter bike either.

Cycling this week - 04/01/2012

This past Sunday I did one of my staple rides, the river trail loop.  Down the Rio Hondo river, cross over to the San Gabriel River at the Rosemead Blvd. junction and then up the San Gabriel river to the Santa Fe dam.  After riding through the dam, I continue up the river trail to Duarte, then home by way of Monrovia, Arcadia, Temple City and finally San Gabriel.  37 miles in 2:23.  Below are some pictures from the San Gabriel river trail and the dam area.  It was a beautiful day, breezy and sunny, it rained the night before, so the air was still very cool.

Here is a view from the river trail - heading up the San Gabriel river.

This is just a little farther up the river.  You never know when they will be letting water run out.

These signs are fairly new.  An organization is installing little parks along the river trail and branding the entire project.

Here is a view from atop the dam.

This is the trail as it heads up towards the mountains.

More Commuting

So I've commuted another three days this past week. I'm still having problems getting used to riding at 14 miles an hour, but I'm getting better. I am seeing the same folks out walking their dogs, and doing their morning walks almost every day. The bike is working well, except the internal 11 speed rear hub seems to miss shifts sometimes, especially if I am putting pressure on it when I am shifting. The 32 cm tires handle the transitions between concrete and asphalt pretty well and smooth out the ride, enabling me to ride hands free and drink my coffee without too much fuss. So, another 45 miles in 3:15 for the week in total. Total ride time for each trip is about 35 minutes, depending on how many stop lights I have to wait at. It's a nice distraction on the way home, and is helping to reduce my stress.

Cycling this week - 03-25-2012

After a week of commuting, and no road riding the past weekend, I finally got out on Saturday.  I rode down the Rio Hondo river trail to the Long Beach river trail.  Stopped in Long beach for a break, and then took the beach trail over to Seal Beach.  Then up the San Gabriel river trail back home.  62.5 miles in 3:46.  I set a blistering pace on the way down to Long Beach, with an average of 18.5 miles per hour.  The way back was not as quick.  At about the 45 mile mark, I was cruising along at about 20 MPH thinking I was the king of the world, when all of a sudden some guy on a S-works Tarmac blows past me like I was standing still. Damn, I started thinking I shouldn't have had that second glass of wine the night before.

The Queen Mary as viewed from the light house

Scenes from the Long Beach harbor area

Sailing ship coming in

The city is preparing for the Long Beach Grand Prix - setting up barricades

Interesting building in Long Beach

The view from the river trail