TandemHearts

On March 1, I rode the San Francisco 300 K Brevet (188 miles). I knew this ride was going to be a stretch for me since I have not ridden more than 63 miles since September. The ride started at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge at 6 AM. Thom drove me over and took some photos. The start was kind of cold and the bridge was very wet. Riding across the bridge is a cool experience, but every other time I’ve ridden it, it’s been a little crowded and I’ve felt rushed. We rode across the east side of it, so I had a great view of San Francisco Bay. I was hanging back from the bulk of the group, as going around the towers can be a little dicey and I wanted to enjoy the experience. There were no riders or walkers coming at me to navigate around, so I could enjoy the view. The bay was gorgeous. It was still dark but it was pretty clear and I could see lots of lights and the various islands. (more…)

The last photo gallery of the Ridge Trail was all about the climb. The nice thing about climbing is that there is usually a descent to follow. Today, we embrace gravity and show a little bit of the descent.

Just a little reminder about how this looks from the bottom.

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All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray.
I went for a walk on a winter’s day. - The Mamas and Papas

Veronica spent the weekend in Maine, while I stayed in California. January was a wet and cold month for us, but February is shaping up to be much nicer. When we talked on the phone, we compared weather. I went mountain biking - she made snow angels.

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The good news - I have been really consistent with my morning workout of yoga M-W-F and abs and push ups on T-T. In fact I have not missed a single day! My lower back is definitely getting stronger as by the third set of push ups my arms are now just as fatigued as my back.

The bad news - I am a bit disappointed because I fell short of my monthly mileage goal. I had planned on doing a 200 K (125 miles) brevet January 26. The weather gods were not cooperative. Parts of the route were flooded and there were reports of riders who did the ride, actually getting blown across the road in Point Reyes. My goal for the month was 370, miles. I’m short 98 miles. Those will be added onto on my February goal. February’s goal is now 538 miles. EEK! That’s going to be tough. I am losing 4 days of riding as I’m flying back to Maine for my grandmother’s memorial service. But like I always tell my students, “A goal is NOT something you know you can accomplish.” (more…)

My 2007 cycling season did not go quite the way I had hoped. My mileage and climbing were down from 2006. My accidents on the mountain bike threw me for a bit of loop, too. Finally, I injured my knee at the end of September. It was a tough year. On the plus side, I did complete 3 very hard double centuries, each with more than 10,000 feet of climbing.

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