The following is what I sent to my team after last Saturday's (4/16) Tahuya-Seabeck-Tahuya road race. 65 miles, 4,000' of climbing. Winter conditions.
Short version: The weather conditions were bloody miserable. In a decade of racing that was the worst weather experience I've ever had. It sucked. I almost froze to death. I got dropped on the Seabeck hill and I think Jason took3rd.
(Really) Long version:Even though Rick and I had planned to leave at 7:30, pick up Christine, and get there in plenty of time for a good warmup that didn't happen at all. We left late, I needed gas, we stopped at Safeway (inBelfair), and before we knew it we were scrambling to get ready on the road near the church. I think Rick got 6 or 7 minutes on the trainer and I had maybe 12.
It was pouring down rain with no sign of it letting up. So much for the little sun breaks we saw halfway there. It was also very cold. We lined up and waited what felt like a half hour as we got soaked before even starting. Once we got going and the road spray came up I was totally soaked except my saving grace. Thank Buddah/God/Your Choice that I decided to wear my clear rain cape. That really saved my torso.
There was a lot of talk leading up to the race about all the big hills, but I was really concerned with the first one that didn't get talked about. It's only about 3 miles in and it's not major, but enough that other people I talked to said a lot of people get dropped right there and never catch on again. I sure as hell didn't want to get dropped 3 miles after the start and it was a real concern of mine. So, I made sure I was right near the front going up it and pushed it hard so that when I faded back I'd still be able to hang with the pack. That worked and I thought I'd at least make it to Seabeck now.
As we rolled along I went to the front and put in a hard effort to speed things up a little and to try and get warm. After that I drifted way back and was worried I was toast already. I rested up and went back up near the front. There were a lot of Byrne guys at the front. Two of them had gone off and had a gap. I didn't see any other Zoka's nearby except Rick. I thought, well, this is my job. Go get those guys now as they had been out there awhile and we weren't gaining on them while some Byrne guys were blocking. I asked Rick to get around the two blocking Byrne guys, and I grabbed a Second Ascent guy too. The 3 of us worked together for a bit and the SA guy was quite strong so I began slipping back into the pack again. Other SA guys came up and took over.
About 25 miles into it I looked back and saw that a lot of people had bailed out already. I was feeling pretty frozen at this point with my hands being the worst off. I had chemical toe warmers in my shoes so that helped a little, but my hands were going numb.I saw Adam nearby and asked him if he wanted to go get warm. He said yeah! So the two of us worked our way up to the front and began working together for a couple miles to bring the pace up again, but the main reason was to simply try and heat up our bodies. After that hard effort I felt okay except my hands. So we hit the Seabeck hill and I couldn't hang on anymore. It didn't help that my legs were having"cold" cramps, but we were all in the same boat, or water I should say. And by the way, it's pretty much been pouring this whole time! Visibility was very poor too.
I hooked up with a Garage guy and we worked it for a while with the pack just a hundred yards in front of us but we couldn't close the gap. At this point about40 guys had already been dropped or simply abandoned. And there were only 5 or 6 Zoka's left in the leadpack. The Garage guy dropped me on Anderson and then I pulled over at 44 miles because I absolutely could not feel my hands at all. I couldn't operate the shifters or brakes and could barely tell if I was holding the bars. I was envisioning frost bite and my fingers turning black and having to be amputated! I forgot to mention that it started snowing as well! I fumbled for some food and drink and tried rubbing my hands between my legs. I started getting a little blood flow back and my hands were stinging so bad I wanted to lay in the ditch and die, or at least cry. Okay, so I'm a wimp with the cold. But it was BAD!
Now I'm thinking how am I ever going to ride another 20 miles back to the finish. I really didn't think I could do it. Just then a car comes by and the window rolls down and I see Adam. He asks if I want in and I say, Yes, Please!! So this local guy that had picked up Adam makes room in his junky old car full of garbage, which I don't mind at all, and I jump in. The heat is cranked, but Adam and I were shaking uncontrollably. Thank you,Adam, for having this guy stop for me!!
This guy ended up being really cool, not to mention a life saver, and we was actually interested in the race and not pissed off that cyclists were all over his roads. He said the temp was 35 degrees! We caught up to the follow car and watched more and more riders get dropped going up Dewatto. A few more Zoka's were coming off, but I thought we still had a couple in the lead group. There was a flat bed truck/sag wagon of sorts in front of us and I could see several riders under a tarp with all their bikes strewn across the flatbed. There was a Zoka arm poking out, but couldn't tell who it was.
So in the end a solo guy won, second place was alone as well, and then our dedicated team leader, Jason W, outsprinted a few he was with to take third. I could be off on that, but I think that's what took place. Christine was at the finish line and said less than 15 people actually finished anywhere near the winner. I think a couple other Zoka's will be in the top 20 or better. I'm done racing in the rain this year!! Although, if it had been 55 today instead of 35 that would've made a huge difference.
Z "Soggy, Frozen, Frostbitten, Black Fingers" Dog
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Stats from the CA Trip
Total Days gone: 18
Total Miles Driven: 3,325
MPG: 16.3-19.5 (not very good, eh)
Price per gal: $2.33-$3.08
Money spent on petrol: $510
Days ridden on bike: 14 out of 18; 9 road bike, 5 mountain bike
Miles ridden on bike: 375
Nights spent at friends: 16
Nights spent in a hotel: 0
Nights spent in my car: 1
Road Kill: 37
Car wrecks seen: 6 (all in LA)
Total Miles Driven: 3,325
MPG: 16.3-19.5 (not very good, eh)
Price per gal: $2.33-$3.08
Money spent on petrol: $510
Days ridden on bike: 14 out of 18; 9 road bike, 5 mountain bike
Miles ridden on bike: 375
Nights spent at friends: 16
Nights spent in a hotel: 0
Nights spent in my car: 1
Road Kill: 37
Car wrecks seen: 6 (all in LA)
A shout out to all my friends on the CA trip!
My CA road trip was not about sightseeing. It was about visiting my friends, soaking up some sun (which didn't happen), and riding my bike. Hanging out with my friends was awesome! It means so much to me to spend some quality time catching up and in some cases meeting their "new" kids. My friends mean a lot to me and it was so great to see them when they live so far away. The side benefit of staying with my friends is the massive amount of money I was able to save by not paying for lodging the entire trip. (I slept in my car once). That really helps make the whole big trip possible!
Thank you so much, JJ, Jennifer, Aaron, Jeff, Marc & Lisa, Willie & Bonnie, Doug & Weni, Chris, Kim, and Spike & Cara! I really appreciate it!
Thank you so much, JJ, Jennifer, Aaron, Jeff, Marc & Lisa, Willie & Bonnie, Doug & Weni, Chris, Kim, and Spike & Cara! I really appreciate it!
Narca "car" lepsi
I'm pleasantly surprised I made it through over 3,000 miles of driving on my CA trip with only one episode of narca "car" lepsi. I fall asleep very easily behind the wheel and have driven off the road while dozing a couple times in the past. One reason I did better on this trip is because I had a cell phone and I called a lot of people while driving. Talking to people always helps keep me awake. I also had to rely on coke a few times. (I'm talking soda pop). :-) I don't normally drink pop, but the caffeine keeps me going on road trips. Another thing I do is make up game shows and I shout out loud the rules and the play by play which usually has to do with the cars around me on the freeway. So I only struggled really bad to stay away once on the entire journey. That's a lot better than I expected.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Pics out of order
A bunch of pics are out of order now (due to matters out of my control). But if you follow along working from the bottom up it'll all make sense.
N. Umpqua River
This is the river the trail runs along (or nearby) for 79 miles! It's a roller coaster of a mtn. bike ride.
Douglas Fir along N. Umpqua
A lot of trees were this big in here. It was awesome, especially bunny hoppin the ones that fell. I love big trees. They give me chills.
What speed limit?
It was so weird/funny to me that I could drive 80-85 in a 65 zone on the freeway and just be in the "flow" of traffic. This mainly happened in and around larger metropolitan areas of CA. Most everyone drives fast. On the other hand, there are more CA drivers than WA drivers that drive slow in the fast/passing lane. It's ridiculous how clueless they are at times.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
This desert tortoise is over 60 years old.
Spike's back yard. Three of them live there and spend most of their time in a hole hiding from the sun.
Goat hug for the tortoise
Gracie likes giving "Goat Hugs" where she kind of butts her head up to you. The name comes from when she first did it to a goat.
Stylin Swingin Moonie
This is the playground in Palm Springs where Spike and I did our best as the gay couple with our kids.
CA Trip Day 18
Final Day and finally I'll be caught up 10 days after the fact.
4/8
JJ and I decided to mtn bike on the N. Umpqua Trail east of Roseburg. It's about an hour north of his place so I followed him out there and would just continue on after the ride. This trail is divided up into sections, but in total has 79 miles of single track! It runs along and above the river for the most part. It's roller coaster fun and winds through lush forest with old growth Douglas firs. It's beautiful. I'll will definitely have to come back in the summer sometime with the boyz and camp out. The trail was still pretty muddy and after only a few miles I turned back. I still wanted to drive all the way back to Seattle. At the trail head I read the sign again and discovered the trail is closed to mtn. bikes Nov-May. Whoops!
Got cleaned up and got on the road for another 6 or 7 hours. Made it back home by 10:30pm.
Some random thoughts coming soon.
4/8
JJ and I decided to mtn bike on the N. Umpqua Trail east of Roseburg. It's about an hour north of his place so I followed him out there and would just continue on after the ride. This trail is divided up into sections, but in total has 79 miles of single track! It runs along and above the river for the most part. It's roller coaster fun and winds through lush forest with old growth Douglas firs. It's beautiful. I'll will definitely have to come back in the summer sometime with the boyz and camp out. The trail was still pretty muddy and after only a few miles I turned back. I still wanted to drive all the way back to Seattle. At the trail head I read the sign again and discovered the trail is closed to mtn. bikes Nov-May. Whoops!
Got cleaned up and got on the road for another 6 or 7 hours. Made it back home by 10:30pm.
Some random thoughts coming soon.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
The North Umpqua Trail Head
This trail is near Roseburg, OR. There's 79 miles of single track along the river!
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
CA Trip Day 17 BAD SEAT
4/7
Aaron and I took BART (train/subway) from Oakland into San Fran with our bikes. We rode through the city and out to the Golden Gate Bridge. I've been across it before, but that was 10 years ago. Even though the weather wasn't very good again, I was having a good time until my seat nose mishap. I made a rookie mistake and slipped on my pedal while trying to engage my cleat. The nose of my narrow saddle rammed me in a place that was designed for exiting only if you get my drift. Maybe some of the San Fran community would have liked that incident happening to them, but not me! Ow!!It was almost like getting kicked in the jewels. I wanted to lay on the ground in the fetal position and cry. I was able to ride again very carefully. On the way back through the city it was a little crazy for a guy like me riding through downtown with lots of traffic, trolley's and tracks, construction, taxi's, etc. I have no problem riding in the street, but have only ridden in downtown Seattle once. We stopped to see Ellen briefly and then took BART back to Oakland.
I wanted to get on the road to Grants Pass so we didn't have a whole lot of time. Aaron sent me on my way with some excellent deep dish pizza from Zach's right around the corner from his place.
Drove about 7 hours and made it to JJ and Jenifer's for a night's stay again.
Aaron and I took BART (train/subway) from Oakland into San Fran with our bikes. We rode through the city and out to the Golden Gate Bridge. I've been across it before, but that was 10 years ago. Even though the weather wasn't very good again, I was having a good time until my seat nose mishap. I made a rookie mistake and slipped on my pedal while trying to engage my cleat. The nose of my narrow saddle rammed me in a place that was designed for exiting only if you get my drift. Maybe some of the San Fran community would have liked that incident happening to them, but not me! Ow!!It was almost like getting kicked in the jewels. I wanted to lay on the ground in the fetal position and cry. I was able to ride again very carefully. On the way back through the city it was a little crazy for a guy like me riding through downtown with lots of traffic, trolley's and tracks, construction, taxi's, etc. I have no problem riding in the street, but have only ridden in downtown Seattle once. We stopped to see Ellen briefly and then took BART back to Oakland.
I wanted to get on the road to Grants Pass so we didn't have a whole lot of time. Aaron sent me on my way with some excellent deep dish pizza from Zach's right around the corner from his place.
Drove about 7 hours and made it to JJ and Jenifer's for a night's stay again.
One more GG Bridge shot
We rode across the bridge up to this point. We rode back across it and into the city.
CA Trip Day 16
4/6
A partly sunny day, a little cool, but I'll take it. I played with Jessica in the morning. We even danced together while she brushed her teeth. Her grandparents came by and it was great to see them again. Then I headed out Kanan road to the coast, near Malibu, on my bike. See pics below. My legs were still fried from the tram hill day, but I managed to climb all these rollers out to PCH and back totalling 44 miles.
Packed up and headed to Oakland to stay with Aaron again.
A partly sunny day, a little cool, but I'll take it. I played with Jessica in the morning. We even danced together while she brushed her teeth. Her grandparents came by and it was great to see them again. Then I headed out Kanan road to the coast, near Malibu, on my bike. See pics below. My legs were still fried from the tram hill day, but I managed to climb all these rollers out to PCH and back totalling 44 miles.
Packed up and headed to Oakland to stay with Aaron again.
CA Trip Day 15
4/5 Happy B-day Redd.
Guess what this day was like. Yep, RAIN! San Fran, LA, San Diego, and even Palm Springs. I got hit with the rain everywhere I went. What luck. Oh well. Played with Gracie Moon one more time, had lunch with VD boyz, and drove to Warshal's near Thousand Oaks
We had Mexican food for dinner. I love it!
Guess what this day was like. Yep, RAIN! San Fran, LA, San Diego, and even Palm Springs. I got hit with the rain everywhere I went. What luck. Oh well. Played with Gracie Moon one more time, had lunch with VD boyz, and drove to Warshal's near Thousand Oaks
We had Mexican food for dinner. I love it!
CA Trip Day 14
4/4
This was finally my day of heat and sun. It was near 80 and nice all day! Yea! I rode 43 miles including twice up the grueling tram hill. There's a couple pics below. I told Cara and Spike I was going to ride up it 3 times in a row. The first time was hard enough. It's pretty steep and almost 4 miles long. Three times was too ambitious for me, but I managed it twice back to back.
For dinner we drove into Rancho Mirage and ate at Las Consuela something or other. Cara and I loaded up on margaritas and talked about Spike and I trying her breast milk. But then little Benno Blue would miss out on all the fun. (That was a joke).
Capped off the night by watching Miami Ink and getting all kinds of new tattoo ideas.
This was finally my day of heat and sun. It was near 80 and nice all day! Yea! I rode 43 miles including twice up the grueling tram hill. There's a couple pics below. I told Cara and Spike I was going to ride up it 3 times in a row. The first time was hard enough. It's pretty steep and almost 4 miles long. Three times was too ambitious for me, but I managed it twice back to back.
For dinner we drove into Rancho Mirage and ate at Las Consuela something or other. Cara and I loaded up on margaritas and talked about Spike and I trying her breast milk. But then little Benno Blue would miss out on all the fun. (That was a joke).
Capped off the night by watching Miami Ink and getting all kinds of new tattoo ideas.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Catch up cont
CA trip Day 13
4/3
On this glorious sunny Monday morning Spike and I took the kids for about 3 hours so Cara could get some stuff done at the house. We went by Spike's brother's place, then his mom's place, and then played at the park. There's a big gay community in Palm Springs and Spike and I fit right in as a gay couple with our two kids in the park. :-)
Once back at the house we got ready for a mellow bike ride. At this time the sun was giving away to a lot of dark clouds. Damn, will I ever get a full day of sun and heat? We got a nice 25 miles in and at least it didn't rain.
I finally put the dumbells and Swiss Ball to work that I brought along. Got a decent work out in the garage. I got pumped up. Had a nice dinner in with the fam.
4/3
On this glorious sunny Monday morning Spike and I took the kids for about 3 hours so Cara could get some stuff done at the house. We went by Spike's brother's place, then his mom's place, and then played at the park. There's a big gay community in Palm Springs and Spike and I fit right in as a gay couple with our two kids in the park. :-)
Once back at the house we got ready for a mellow bike ride. At this time the sun was giving away to a lot of dark clouds. Damn, will I ever get a full day of sun and heat? We got a nice 25 miles in and at least it didn't rain.
I finally put the dumbells and Swiss Ball to work that I brought along. Got a decent work out in the garage. I got pumped up. Had a nice dinner in with the fam.
Catch up cont.
CA trip Day 12
4/2
Since I have a lot to catch up I'll try to summarize a bit more. On Sunday morning Kim, Chris, and I (Maggie too) walked to the Mission for breakfast. It took forever, but it was really good.
On my way out of town I drove through OB (Ocean Beach) to check it out. I like the Redondo Beach neighborhood better. That's my quick version. But between the Bay Area, the LA Area, and the San Diego Area, I think I would like to live somewhere in the SD Area.
Drove to Cathedral City (near Palm Springs) next to stay with my ol' college buddy, "Spike", and his family, Cara, Grace Moon, & Benno Blue. Most of my pics with them got accidentally transferred from my camera to their computer so I'll need to get a CD from them to upload some of them.
This was my first time meeting the kids. Gracie is 1 and a half and Ben is just 2 months old. Great kids and Gracie already has an amazing vocabulary. It was great to see them all.
4/2
Since I have a lot to catch up I'll try to summarize a bit more. On Sunday morning Kim, Chris, and I (Maggie too) walked to the Mission for breakfast. It took forever, but it was really good.
On my way out of town I drove through OB (Ocean Beach) to check it out. I like the Redondo Beach neighborhood better. That's my quick version. But between the Bay Area, the LA Area, and the San Diego Area, I think I would like to live somewhere in the SD Area.
Drove to Cathedral City (near Palm Springs) next to stay with my ol' college buddy, "Spike", and his family, Cara, Grace Moon, & Benno Blue. Most of my pics with them got accidentally transferred from my camera to their computer so I'll need to get a CD from them to upload some of them.
This was my first time meeting the kids. Gracie is 1 and a half and Ben is just 2 months old. Great kids and Gracie already has an amazing vocabulary. It was great to see them all.
Catch up time
CA trip Day 11
4/1
Woke up early at Chris's house in Carlsbad. Drove south to La Jolla to meet up with the San Diego Bicycle Club for their Saturday morning ride. They have 3 main groups; A, B, & C. I was told the A group was for the very fit and racer types. I decided to give it a go and figured if I got dropped I'd just fall back to the B group.
There was well over a hundred people in total and about 40 took off in the A group. I must say I was surprised at the flippant way this group treated traffic laws. I followed as they ran most red lights, barely slowed at stop signs, pissed off car drivers, and took over lanes when there was an empty bike path right next to it.
Anyway, the pace was fast as we worked our way out of the city. I got dropped on the first real climb, but it didn't help that I was already about 30 people back when it started. I passed at least 15 of them and at the top there was a short regroup. From that point on I was able to hang with the front group and I was real happy about that.
In my ongoing quest to avoid the rain it got me again. About 15 miles into the ride it started coming down on us. I was able to just laugh it off as yet again I'm stuck riding in the rain in SoCal. Luckily it only lasted about 20 minutes so it wasn't too bad.
Back at the sarting point I had completed 45 miles with a 22 average. Considering the hills and beach towns we slowed through we were really moving fast most of the ride to have that avg. I don't feel so bad missing the race back in Thousand Oaks cuz this was a little race in itself.
I met a few cool people, including one guy that agreed with me that we should obey the traffic laws better. There were some hottie's on the ride too. I could move down here and join this weekly ride!
Grabbed some lunch and headed for a nearby beach to eat and relax. Parked off of La Jolla Shores right next to Scripp's Institution of Oceanography. Watched the surfers and walked on the beach a bit.
Next I headed to Kim's in downtown SD. OMG! Check out the view from her condo. I posted pics already. She looks out over Petco Park, Coronado Bridge, and to the south you can see Mexico. Chris came down and met us and we went on a walking tour through the Gas Lamp District, and then along the Bay. I really enjoyed it.
That night we went to dinner at a really good Indian place. I finally decided to take a break from Mexican food. It was great catching up with Chris and Kim and I liked our conversations on life, relationships, jobs, and where the best place to live is.
4/1
Woke up early at Chris's house in Carlsbad. Drove south to La Jolla to meet up with the San Diego Bicycle Club for their Saturday morning ride. They have 3 main groups; A, B, & C. I was told the A group was for the very fit and racer types. I decided to give it a go and figured if I got dropped I'd just fall back to the B group.
There was well over a hundred people in total and about 40 took off in the A group. I must say I was surprised at the flippant way this group treated traffic laws. I followed as they ran most red lights, barely slowed at stop signs, pissed off car drivers, and took over lanes when there was an empty bike path right next to it.
Anyway, the pace was fast as we worked our way out of the city. I got dropped on the first real climb, but it didn't help that I was already about 30 people back when it started. I passed at least 15 of them and at the top there was a short regroup. From that point on I was able to hang with the front group and I was real happy about that.
In my ongoing quest to avoid the rain it got me again. About 15 miles into the ride it started coming down on us. I was able to just laugh it off as yet again I'm stuck riding in the rain in SoCal. Luckily it only lasted about 20 minutes so it wasn't too bad.
Back at the sarting point I had completed 45 miles with a 22 average. Considering the hills and beach towns we slowed through we were really moving fast most of the ride to have that avg. I don't feel so bad missing the race back in Thousand Oaks cuz this was a little race in itself.
I met a few cool people, including one guy that agreed with me that we should obey the traffic laws better. There were some hottie's on the ride too. I could move down here and join this weekly ride!
Grabbed some lunch and headed for a nearby beach to eat and relax. Parked off of La Jolla Shores right next to Scripp's Institution of Oceanography. Watched the surfers and walked on the beach a bit.
Next I headed to Kim's in downtown SD. OMG! Check out the view from her condo. I posted pics already. She looks out over Petco Park, Coronado Bridge, and to the south you can see Mexico. Chris came down and met us and we went on a walking tour through the Gas Lamp District, and then along the Bay. I really enjoyed it.
That night we went to dinner at a really good Indian place. I finally decided to take a break from Mexican food. It was great catching up with Chris and Kim and I liked our conversations on life, relationships, jobs, and where the best place to live is.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Kanan Rd has several long climbs out to PCH
The longest climb was 4 miles and a few others were 1-3 miles in length all averaging 8%. If you want a hard ride with rolling hills this one is killer.
Windmills around PS
There are hundreds, or thousands probably, generating wind powered electricity. This is just one section of many.
Looking at PS from the Tram Hill
I stopped on the way down to get this pic. This angle shows the steepness better than from the starting point. It's gotta be at least 10% grade if not 12. The 8% I went up today from Malibu was easier. Anyone know how to calculate grade?
The Tram Hill in PS
This road climbs about 2500' in 3.8 miles to the base of the tram. It doesn't look steep, but it is very steep indeed. I climbed it twice back to back for a little training. Five years ago I did it in 38 minutes. This time i did it in 33. The local record is 23!
Cheeseboro Canyon
See that road/trail climbing up through the yellow flowers? In the next pic, which will be above this one, I took a pic from that point looking to this spot here. That's Jeff's bike I'm trying out.
Way behind
Well, I'm back at Aaron's place in Oakland tonight (4/6) and haven't had an opportunity to post any text for almost a week. I think I'll throw some pics in and them maybe try to catch up a little tomorrow morn.
"Lost Pics"
I accidentally moved all my pics from one of my cameras to a friend's computer and didn't get a chance to post any of them. I'll have to have them burn a CD for me of my pics since I "lost" them from my camera.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Petco Park right across the street from Kim's.
Kim, Z, Chris, and Maggie. The park next to the stadium is open when no game is being played.
Petco Park
I think Levi and Craig would love to have this view. This is from Kim's condo with my zoom. Next pic without zoom.
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