tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36469311867562742612011-07-07T22:59:22.954-07:00Brief thoughts about bike riding, both road and mountainMirageenoreply@blogger.comBlogger521100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-88611512360130871222009-09-20T18:21:00.000-07:002009-09-29T09:41:35.937-07:00

I took my usual ride to the Lyons Valley/Japatul intersection and on the way back saw a guy ahead of me walking alongside his bike. As I got closer, I saw he was limping and then realized he had been on a hand cycle. The hill from Four Corners up to Wisecarver was too much for him, so he was pulling the bike. I stopped and walked with him and at the top we caught up to his friend, Fred, also on a

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-38367990845254512612009-09-08T13:04:00.000-07:002009-09-24T07:54:01.543-07:00

Today I rode the Bianchi, the bike I just put DuraAce parts on I took off the McMahon. Even though the gearing is very high for the hills around here, that bike feels like a race horse. It wants to go fast, and does, except uphill. On the Colnago two days ago, I got up to 41 miles per hour. Today on the Bianchi, I got up to 44.5 miles per hour. With a bit of a crosswind, it was scary and before

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-83511442363670501662009-09-06T16:29:00.000-07:002009-09-07T16:39:53.460-07:00

After watching one of my favorite TV shows, CBS's "Sunday Morning," I put on my cycling gear and took off, this time on the Mako. Although I ate breakfast, I got very weak and shaky during the ride. I drank my green tea with ZipFizz and that got me home, but next time I'll take some raisins and almond with me for some a quick glucose and protein hit.The sky was blue, but the views were hazy

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-87047987216774230552009-09-05T11:44:00.000-07:002009-09-07T17:17:55.672-07:00

High cirrus clouds accented the blue sky when I pedaled out on the Colnago this morning. The temperature was ideal and the bike performed flawlessly. The vintage Shimano rear derailleur someone told me was "junk" shifted perfectly.I listened to the classic Joni Mitchell "Court and Spark" album on my iPod as I pedaled along Lyons Valley Road in the warm morning air. I wore the grooves out on that

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-7281179172752869082009-09-02T12:37:00.000-07:002009-09-06T08:27:49.242-07:00

I don't even like red . . . So, how I ended up with three red bikes, I'm not really sure, but I have a red Mako, red Colnago Mexico, and a red Bianchi. One is 57 cm, the other is 58 cm, and the Bianchi is 61 cm. So, today I took all three for a test ride to see which one I liked least so I could sell it.I got on the Colnago first, a bike I had not ridden for a few weeks, and one on which I just

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-70778737306198668632009-08-29T09:46:00.000-07:002009-09-06T08:29:46.917-07:00

A heat wave arrived a few days ago, so this morning I got up at 5:00 and just as the sun was coming up, pedaled up my steep driveway and out onto Skyline Truck Trail. The sun was in my eyes, and in the eyes of drivers behind me, so I was cautious and vigilant at checking the rear view mirror attached to the temple of my sunglasses.At the fire station road, the road descends steeply, and as I

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-59221719193571651212009-08-13T14:07:00.000-07:002009-08-29T11:38:45.047-07:00

It has been almost a year since I rode the hills and valleys of Skyline Truck Trail and Lyons Valley Road, and I forgot how beautiful the route is, and how much solitude it offers. I didn't get started at exactly 7:30, the summer departure time for our Tuesday/Thursday group, but my start was early enough to enjoy cool morning temperaturs.I rode my Giant TCX Cyclocross bike so I could stop to

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-91799130887640975732009-08-11T16:37:00.001-07:002009-08-29T11:59:38.238-07:00

For the past 11 months, I have enjoyed riding with my Tuesday/Thursday group. They motivate me to wake up early and ride more than 30 miles each of those days. If my presence with the group was not entirely welcome, at least it was tolerated with civility. Until today . . . One of the other riders reamed me out for something I apoligized for, and for something that happened two months ago that I

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-42280352093572593712009-03-19T14:04:00.000-07:002009-03-20T14:49:14.119-07:00

Since I am so tired, and I only drove today, I can't imagine how the cyclists from today's 57-mile ride feel right now . . . Deanna's statistics for the ride were: 57 miles with 5,349 feet of climbing. Her riding time was 3:47 (faster than last year.)My statistics for the day were nearly six hours of driving, covering more than 110 miles . . .

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-86303203857955147942009-02-06T10:12:00.000-08:002009-02-08T16:32:16.630-08:00

Yesterday, our little "Tuesday/Thursday" bike riding group took off on a great adventure on one of the most beautiful days we have had in quite a while. Wonderful high sirrus and cumulus clouds added interest to the clear blue sky and provided a backdrop to the pictures Deanna and I took.Here is the Profile of the ride:And here are some pictures from the great adventure. The first one is of our "

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-71977872931532941702009-01-31T21:05:00.000-08:002009-02-06T11:15:51.945-08:00

Through Craigslist, I met a young man from Ramona who drove all the way down to join us. The weather was beautiful again. Here is the Profile of the ride:During this ride, one of the guys I was riding near had a flat tire. It didn't take too long to fix it by putting in a new tube, but the delay kept us from catching up to the rest of the group again until we arrived at the Coffee Ground coffee

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-69012375587791232592009-01-22T17:32:00.000-08:002009-02-06T10:44:31.311-08:00

I don't have a correct track and profile for today's ride because I forgot the GPSr. I was excited to ride my new $150.00 bike.The weather was beautiful. Rain had been predicted, so Steve was riding a hybrid mountain bike. Tom was also riding a different bike, his "rain" bike. So there were three of us on unfamiliar bikes. Larry helped me adjust the derailleur on my new Mako bike so it would

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-2428676946015018562009-01-11T16:45:00.000-08:002009-01-12T16:51:53.583-08:00

This was my companion's first Mountain Bike ride and he did great.I fell over . . . twice.Those pedals are getting replaced with platform pedals . . .

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-64133959141143059822009-01-10T15:48:00.000-08:002009-01-12T16:24:50.517-08:00

As I pedaled hard up Dehesa hill, I suddenly heard an awful crunching sound and couldn't pedal anymore. I struggled to get my feet out of the pedals, so I could stop before falling over. I turned around and looked at the derailleur on my bike. It was turned upside down on top of the cassette . . . The guys, including Hector who is a very good bike mechanic, took off the derailleur and shortened

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-69754056472832671132009-01-04T16:50:00.000-08:002009-01-12T16:54:02.288-08:00

Because of all the rain and bad weather Saturday, I wasn't able to ride. But, Steve Six wanted to ride today, so we met at the RSD shopping center. Later on we rode with Frank and we took a different way home with him.After he split off from us, we took quite the tour of Granite Hills.Here is the profile of that long ride.

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-77281486386011984032008-12-05T14:18:00.000-08:002008-12-05T14:21:04.274-08:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-68148772774518358202008-12-04T20:07:00.000-08:002008-12-07T09:03:40.432-08:00

As we waited in the parking lot, a vehicle drove up to Jim and said a bicyclist had been hit by a car on Fury. Since Larry is always on time, and he wasn't there yet, it was a good chance he was the victim.We quickly took off on our bikes and pedaled up the steep hill to the accident scene. The paramedics were carefully getting Larry on a backboard in preparation for a short ride in an ambulance

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-24039173274742388462008-12-02T20:51:00.000-08:002008-12-03T13:03:14.411-08:00

It was overcast and very cool when we started out from the Starbuck's parking lot at 8:00, but with just a bit of elevation gain, we were in the sunshine and clear skies accented with a few very high clouds. Jim, Frank, and Steve set a very fast pace going out Willow Glen Road and I could have used my new fleece earmuffs I bought a couple of weeks ago.The profile of my ride looks familiar because

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-8268094836869210522008-11-30T10:32:00.001-08:002008-11-30T11:08:52.410-08:00

The bad weather coincided with the first cold I have had in ages, so I didn't miss out on any rides this week and today, I finally felt well enough to make the drive down the hill to join up with the Bike Buddies. I got to ride with Jeannie again today, and a friend of her's named John. He was a very strong rider.I rode my $40.00 Gios Torino today and had a good time on it. On the level parts,

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-48060320481522978602008-11-27T13:09:00.000-08:002008-11-27T13:48:50.540-08:00

I missed the Thanksgiving Day ride with the Bike Buddies for two reasons. First, the weather. It has been raining for a couple of days now. And, I have a cold. I haven't had a cold for eight or nine years, so I almost forgot what it was like to have to stay within a few feet of the Kleenex box. This has been going on since last Saturday, when I had a sore throat. So far, there is no improvement,

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-87806591513148477712008-11-22T09:24:00.000-08:002008-11-24T13:21:59.286-08:00

Before we took off, several of us visited in the Ralph's parking lot, so we didn't get started at 8:00 like a couple of other groups who also ride on Saturday morning. Today I rode with Steve, and two people I just met, Jeannie and Tom. Boy, it was a fun ride. As we rode down Willow Glen, and later on Dehesa Road, I could smell the big Saturday morning breakfasts being prepared and served in the

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-83242618886976353832008-11-19T20:30:00.000-08:002008-11-23T09:33:09.528-08:00

It was another gorgeous day, and I wasn't going to be going on the Thursday ride, so I decided to ride down Skyline Truck Trail to Highway 94 and east to Honey Springs.My GPSr didn't record the track correctly, so I don't have a Profile of that ride, but one of these days I'll do it again, and then I'll get a profile of that challenging 20-plus mile ride.

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-65919506756817135442008-11-18T21:52:00.000-08:002008-11-23T10:01:58.969-08:00

When we got near the Starbuck's, I told Tom I was going to stop instead of riding all the way out to the white church. I didn't feel strong today and didn't want to slow the guys down.It was a good thing, 'cause Jim showed up back at the Starbuck's in what seemed to be a very short time. They must have been flying when they rode out there.After leaving the Starbuck's, we rode back along South

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-42964013102970716592008-11-15T21:34:00.000-08:002008-11-23T09:52:11.376-08:00

I met up with the group in the Ralph's parking lot, and since I was finally feeling better, I was more outgoing and effusive in my conversation. Steve showed up wearing a racing outfit sent to him from Europe. He is secure enough in his masculinity to wear purple and pink, and that is a good thing, because he sure got teased by the other guys.We did the usual ride up Dehesa Road, then north on

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-87233677677868930522008-11-11T20:53:00.000-08:002008-11-23T09:29:08.743-08:00

One of our riders hurt his leg a few days ago, so we decided to ride the Otay loop because the hills are not as steep. The ride was long, 41 miles, and I didn't feel very well, so I struggled along the Otay Lakes section of the road, and up the "phantom" hill on Highway 94.I haven't been feeling well for more than a week now. I sure hope I get out of this low spot on my health roller coaster soon.

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-52248714576360267002008-11-08T20:41:00.000-08:002008-11-23T09:29:48.752-08:00

The slope up Dehesa road looks daunting in the Profile, but it is an easy grade, one during which, if you have another cyclist to talk to, you can keep up a conversation.When we ride the other way and go up Harbison Canyon, I struggle, however I have gotten stronger, and can change gears more than I did two months ago when I started these rides.As has been the norm for this month, the weather was

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-5891947403347059632008-11-06T16:02:00.000-08:002008-11-07T11:46:30.137-08:00

Our usual ride is up to Alpine and back. Sometimes we ride beyond the new Starbuck's before coming back there for a break.Today, we took a really different route, riding on surface streets through El Cajon where Steve got a flat tire. There was a lot of glass on the road, and that is what his brand new tire picked up. I watched Larry put in a new tube in near record time, putting the tire back on

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-89518921802379766542008-11-02T10:28:00.000-08:002008-11-07T11:49:31.274-08:00

It really was a gorgeous day when I set out on Skyline Truck Trail heading for Four Corners. At that intersection, I turned north on Lyons Valley Road. Once the views opened up when I reached the valley, I could see even more of the awesome sky and clouds.I rode to the Japatul intersection, where some other bikers were just arriving after riding up Japatul. By then, the clouds had rolled in and

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-86044295961603896692008-10-30T20:57:00.000-07:002008-10-31T16:13:06.448-07:00

When I made the drive down the hill, I was stunned by the beauty of the day. The air was so clear, I could see all the way to Big Bear. To make the view even more astounding, there were beautiful, high, delicate clouds.I had to go into Santee for an appointment at 11:30, so I cut the ride short, as did Deanna, Christina, and Larry. We rode up Dehesa Road descending the steep, exciting South Grade

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-79198758441997027612008-10-28T18:52:00.000-07:002008-10-29T08:00:37.419-07:00

This October has been hotter and drier than any I remember and today was another hot day, but it was perfect for our morning bike ride. We took off from the parking lot almost on time, but Pete wanted to secure my GPS unit better, so the two of us fell behind at first. I caught up to the group, but lost them again and so I pedaled by myself except when Deanna joined me for a short while.The

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-82986845109302671242008-10-27T14:59:00.000-07:002008-10-28T07:15:51.697-07:00

I needed to exchange something at the hardware store, so I decided to ride the Gios Torino down to Jamul and back. Getting there was great fun, but getting back up the hill, sometimes at less than five-miles-per-hour, was a struggle. Without the extra gears my old mountain bike, and my newer road bike, have, I really had to pedal hard, something that probably wasn't that good for my old

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-10667779834466899342008-10-25T14:15:00.000-07:002008-10-27T15:12:20.175-07:00

The Bike Buddies group was sponsoring a race at the Velodrome, so only a few people showed up for the Saturday ride including Steve, Rich, and Fax. A few others on the "A" team were also there, but they were doing the "Great Western," a ride from RSD up Dehesa to Japatul Valley Road to Lyons Valley Road and then back to RSD down Skyline Truck Trail and Jamul Dr.I had my "Vintage" bike, but even

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-81370079357966542202008-10-23T17:35:00.000-07:002008-10-24T12:29:21.122-07:00

It was a beautiful, warm day for our ride today. We went up the steep road through Harbison Canyon and right through Alpine to the Starbuck's on the east side of town. During the break, the conversation took a political direction and I was distressed by some of the things that were said . . . This is the Profile of today's ride.

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-90412031086675254582008-10-21T14:57:00.000-07:002008-10-22T15:05:21.047-07:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-65085024482023548102008-10-18T16:13:00.000-07:002008-10-22T16:55:39.691-07:00

It was a warmer day for this ride than it was last Saturday, and that was welcome. Here in San Diego, we are fortunate to be riding in mid-October wearing shorts and short-sleeved jerseys. For that I am very thankful.When the weather really turns cold, I wonder if I'll be as excited about getting up at 6:00 on a Saturday morning to go for a bike ride . . .

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-80000459722194377822008-10-16T16:23:00.000-07:002008-10-22T16:35:24.019-07:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-26650788309077622702008-10-14T16:38:00.000-07:002008-10-22T16:40:45.187-07:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-31952028708695136042008-10-11T15:38:00.000-07:002008-10-22T15:41:18.962-07:00

This was a short ride just up to Alpine and back. I rode with Larry, and his wife and son. Frank usually joins them, but he was in St. George, Utah preparing for a Senior Olympics bike race, a race he won by one second!!

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-74384040057782687082008-10-09T17:03:00.000-07:002008-10-22T17:35:09.108-07:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-20536233534691152222008-10-07T15:07:00.000-07:002008-10-22T16:14:56.131-07:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-57984978957882802532008-10-04T16:03:00.000-07:002008-10-22T16:13:21.410-07:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-48963588074278922142008-10-02T15:42:00.000-07:002008-10-22T16:43:36.270-07:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-74119780314756198912008-09-30T15:06:00.000-07:002008-10-22T15:07:04.509-07:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-16901235794079907482008-09-27T15:52:00.000-07:002008-10-31T16:02:19.525-07:00

I had to go into town to get some new tubes at the Trek store, so I took my bike out of the car there and took off to do a bit of shopping and then revisit Lake Murray, a place I had visited many times to look for caches.On the relatively flat terrain, it didn't take any time at all to cover more than sixteen miles.It was an absolutely beautiful day.

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-24524311816577214732008-09-25T14:41:00.000-07:002008-10-22T14:44:22.553-07:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-78785553648595674392008-09-23T12:52:00.000-07:002008-10-22T14:41:34.862-07:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-56939508477189549572008-09-09T16:05:00.000-07:002008-09-12T07:44:49.623-07:00

Last week I met a man named Pete at the great World Cycling bicycling shop in Casa de Oro. He told me several people ride every Tuesday and Thursday morning, so I showed up in the parking lot in front of the RSD Starbucks at 7:30 in the morning, expecting to see Pete there.He wasn't.I asked the small group if they minded if a newcomer joined them. They said "No." so I got my bike out of my car

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-22130016725669184672008-09-08T15:59:00.000-07:002008-09-11T13:03:51.192-07:00

I started out to ride on Sunday, but it got too hot, too early in the day, so the second ride on my bike was Monday. I took the scenic route down, down, down Skyline Truck Trail to Lawson Valley and then to Lyons Valley Road. What a beautiful morning!I made it the whole way up the steep grades without having to stop to catch my breath, although I did have to stop one time when I saw a huge

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-80577068825147921242008-09-06T17:28:00.000-07:002008-10-22T14:57:46.806-07:00

I bought my Trek "hybrid" bike almost 18 years ago, so it seemed time to get a new bike. This is the track of the inaugural ride.I rode up to my friend and neighbor's new house and watched it being lifted into place. It was a hot day, so I didn't stay long before heading out and down the road where I could create my own cooling breeze — at least until I started back home and up the long hill

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-54733808492020486442008-08-24T21:24:00.000-07:002008-09-11T12:28:41.549-07:00

This was a ride with my friend Dick and another Geocaching friend, Jodi. Unlike the previous ride in the mountains when the day was overcast and we even had a little rain, this day the sun was bright and hot. There was a cool breeze most of the time, so it was a perfect day.We saw many other bikers that day. Some of them had little bells on their bikes to warn us they were coming. They were much

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-53087063742988704072008-08-13T21:12:00.000-07:002008-09-11T11:17:31.850-07:00

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3646931186756274261.post-80368062498257908652008-08-11T12:02:00.000-07:002008-09-11T12:04:50.004-07:00

I rode my Haro mountain bike to the end of the road then locked it to a tree and hiked up, up, up to the top of Elena Mountain. It was a beautiful day and a fun ride.

Mirageenoreply@blogger.com0