It’s July, so that means it’s time for my Tour de France predictions. After the debacle that was the ’06 Tour I vowed to never again follow the race. All I’ve proven by doing that is that I am weak; I still love le Tour. In 2006 I predicted that Floyd Landis would take the final yellow jersey - which he did, until he was officially stripped of the title for the final time last week.

The ’08 Tour would’ve been a lot more fun to pick had Astana been given the opportunity to race. Plus, with some of my favorite riders like Boonen and Mayo out for ’08, this year’s Tour de France is a tough one to call. Add to that the fact that I am horrible at picking winners and you have the recipe for failure... until this year!

It is without hesitation that I make the following predicitons for the 2008 Tour de France.



Overall: Cadel Evans / Lotto
2nd: Carlos Sastre / CSC
3rd: Alejandro Valverde / Caise d'Epargne
11th: George Hincapie / High Road

KOM: Yaroslav Popovych / Lotto

Sprint: Thor Hushovd
2nd: Fabian Cancellara
3rd: Mark Cavendish

Team: CSC


During the next few weeks, I’ll be following the tour from a few sites:
http://www.letour.fr/us/homepage_courseTDF.html
http://www.versus.com/tdf/
http://twitter.com/DailyTour

If you have an opinion, I’d love to hear it. Feel free to make a comment on this post or send me an e-mail. Come back on July 21, 2008 and see how I did. I’m sure Cadel Evans will be wearing the maillot jaune in the end.

Tonight, on Harney Lane, east of Devries Road and west of Davis Road, I achieved my 10,000 mile goal - nearly a month before my fifth anniversary on the bike. Last December I set the goal to reach that number on or before July 16, exactly five years since I started riding. In order to make my goal, I’d need to ride over 1,800 miles in just over six months. For many riders I know that would not be much of a challenge, but given that I only rode 1,100 miles last year, 1,065 in 2006 and 1,800 in 2005, hitting 1,800 in half a year was going to be tough.

To mark the occasion, here are some stats.

2003 1,179.21 miles
2004 2,951.92
2005 1,804.92
2006 1,065.19
2007 1,174.64
2008 1,832.67

10,008.55 miles 7/16/03 - 6/19/08
678:25:27
15.157 average speed
391 rides


3,481 miles on Trek1000


6,519 miles on Specialized Roubaix


I’ve met a lot of great people being out on my bike and I know I’m not winning an award here but I did want to thank a few particular people.

Mike and Harold - I’ve logged over 1,600 with these two guys after I met them in ’06. I had been off the bike for a few months and just ventured out for a slow spin. After a few miles I saw them ahead of me and fought against my legs to catch up with them. After that ride we stayed in touch and I have truly enjoyed getting to know them and sharing quite a few Sundays with them. Two kinder and more generous guys would be tough to find.

Chuck - the friend that got me into cycling. I kept talking and talking and talking about riding. Well, he was the one that told me to shut up and buy a bike. I did and then a few weeks later he showed up at my door and proceeded to kick my butt every ride I ever did with him. “Cycling rewards consistency” was the only thing he said to me more often than, “c’mon!”. He gave up a lot of his time to ride with me and Bill (the Newman Bike Club) and eventually taught me how to climb. He doesn’t ride anymore but I still hear him in my ear every time I go uphill. He was the one to show me what became my favorite ride: Mt. Diablo, which I re-visited 19 times. Now Chuck, get back on your bike!

Dawn, Emily and Makenzy - my awesome family. I am so lucky to have your unconditional support. You have never, not even once, complained about the time I spend on my bike and are always waiting for me to hear all about my ride, sometimes in excruciating detail. Every moment I spend on the bike is a moment away from you guys and I appreciate that you support my crazy hobby (is that what it’s called). I love you!

My bros - you’ve even gone out and rode with me (some more than others) and you all have always made me feel like Lance Armstrong. Let’s ride!

Starting at about mile 8,700 I started taking a picture every time I hit 100 miles. Check out my 100 Miles at a Time pics on Flickr. Also, check out my other ‘bike’ related posts here.



By the way, for friends and family that think 1,800 miles in 6 months, or 10,000 in 5 years, is a lot, check out Michael Buckingham! This guy puts on some major miles. Check out his blog here.

My next goal? To reach my next 10,000 in 1,239 days - that’s November 11, 2011 - less than 3.5 years. At just under 3k miles per year I’m pretty confident I can hit that one before Mike and I turn 40!

Ride on! Ride on!

Today I rode the Canyon Classic Century for the first time. This ride, put on by the Modesto North Notary, used to conflict with the SIerra Century. I'valways wanted to do this ride since it goes over one of my favorite climbs in the area - the Del Puerto Canyon, just west of I-5 in Patterson, California.


My alarm woke me up a little after 4 AM and I was out the door by 5. I arrived in Patterson, registered and hit the road a little after 6. The last couple of days had seen temps hit near 100 so I was bracing myself for a hot day. It was a warm morning but there was a little chill in the breeze. My hope is that it would still be there on the first climb which was coming pretty quick.


After a quick spin to get out of Patterson I got to Del Puerto Canyon, a slow starting climb with some awesome views.


I made pretty good time up to to Frank Raines Park. I've done this climb before and it helped knowing it well. I did not push hard up the first half of this climb because I knew that the worst was yet to come. The 15 mile climb took me up about 1,100 feet but the next 9 miles would take me up another 1,200 feet! After a quick water refill I turned right at the top, for the 17 mile trek up and down Mines road.

After a longer than normal lunch in Livermore I headed out for a short, but nasty, climb out Tesla and Corral Hallow Roads. I heard about a tandem couple that hit a deer flying down Mines road. It was starting to get hot but there was a tad bit of a tail wind which helped a little. I tried to stay in my center ring on the climbs but at this point I had to drop to my triple. My center was just a little too big... maybe I should consider a double.



Finally, the ascent ended and after some pretty fast descents the climbing ended and was heading back to Patterson, through Tracy, with a nice tail wind. After the mile 75 water stop I met up with Greg from Taft. We talked about all the normal things you talk about on a century and after I told him about my nearing my 10,000th mile in 5 years he told me that he crossed his 10,000th mile on this ride - and he also beat his goal, by two weeks, by doing it in less than two years! Wow, that's awesome!

Finally, after 7 hours on the bike, I made it back to Patterson and after a pretty good meal headed home.

What did I love about this ride? Well, it is a beautiful course, great climbs and awesome views. I also liked that, for the century route, there was no double-back, it was different roads the whole way... I love that! The volunteers were all very friendly and the rest stops were great. There was tons of fruit and food at each. They even had ice-chests with soda, vitamin water and energy drinks at most of the stops. At the mile 75 rest stop they even had awesome homemade cookies and red licorice. The food at the end of the ride, tri-tip, salad, bread and chili was great. They also had tons of cold drinks on ice, even my favorite, RC Cola! I don't drink a lot of soda but at the end of a ride like this I want one and RC rocks!

What did I not love? I do not like Cytomax. I just can't drink it. Next time I will remember to bring my own mix (Powerbar Endurance). Almost every century offers Gatorade and some people complain that they'd prefer Cytomax so I can understand why they went with it. Also, there were not a lot of other riders. They offer a few different courses but even in the beginning there are not a lot of people. I spent a lot of time out there without another rider in sight. I have no idea why this ride doesn't get more riders, it really is a great ride.

Overall, the Canyon Classic is definitely a ride I will do again. Great views, great climbs, great people and rest stops.

Stats
109.21 miles
7:17:07 on bike
A lot of climbing
15.0 miles per hour

Oh, and the tandem couple? I heard the that captain broke his wrist and the stoker busted her lip, the bike will need some repair and deer just "bounced off" and ran away quickly.

Check out the pictures. I ended today with 9,945 total miles...stay tuned for the big 10,000... coming soon!

I am an REI virgin no more. I only heard of REI a couple of years ago but hadn't been inside one until the Stockton one opened. Emily and I went on grand opening weekend and were impressed with all of the bike and camping stuff. Although I had heard of REI I had no idea that they sold bikes and bike accessories.



Tonight, I needed to get a new pair of arm warmers. After a few years, mine dissapeared. I was so happy that they actually had a few different styles, all sizes and plenty of each in stock. After grabbing a pair and a new water bottle, the Store Manager approached me and asked if I needed help. I told him that I thought they might put one of the other bike stores in town out of business. His response was noble. "We don't want to put any bike shop out of business." He added that they just want to encourage more people to ride. Then he said something brilliant. "We want to put BestBuy out of business. Our mission is to get people outside."

Brilliant.

I am now an REI member.

Today was the 12th Annual Lodi Sunrise Century. I arrived at Lodi High School around 5:30 in the morning. Registration didn't open until 6 but I was eager to make an early start given that it was already 70 degrees at 5:30. Registration opened a few minutes early and I got back to my car to unload the bike just after 6:00 AM. I chatted with the rider who parked next to me, mostly about how hot it was going to be.



I rolled out of the parking lot at 6:10 AM and a minute or so later, the guy who parked next to me, Dave, pulled up next to me. This was his first time riding the Lodi Sunrise Century but had ridden many centuries, and even some double centuries, in the past. We were matched pretty well (even though I had to work hard to stay with him) and we spent the entire ride together.



We rolled into the first rest stop in Clements at mile 20. It was already starting to get hot so we got some food, refilled our bottles and headed out.

On our way to the lunch stop, 30 miles ahead of us, was a little over 2000 feet of climbing. The wind was mild and the heat was bearable for being so early in the day. The climb over Pardee dam and around the resevoir was tough after putting in 300 miles in the last couple of weeks. Even though I faced the climbs on the Prima Vera without going into my little ring (yes, I ride a triple) my legs wouldn't let me have the same success today. I quickly found myself in my granny gear... it was after all, approaching 85 degrees!

After the first big climb there was a perfectly placed water stop. They had a few snacks there including delicious banana / peanut butter / M&M treat.



The food at the stops was excellent. Fresh fruit, granola bars, tons of sweets and nuts.

On the way back home after the lunch stop we had a little bit of a head wind but it was the heat that would become debilitating. Had it not been for Dave, who took more pulls than I did, I might not have made it to the end. The wind started to kick in, albeit not as bad as in year's past, and the temperature quickly got to the mid nineties. When the wind started to get hot it felt like we were cooking in a skillet as the heat radiated off the road. Again, the water breaks were placed in perfect spots and I filled up both my bottles at every stop.

We struggled for the last several miles but finally rolled back in to the parking lot a few minutes after 2:00 PM. After we cleaned up and the bikes were put away we made our way to the cafeteria for, hands down, the best post ride meal ever! I picked the bar-b-qued chicken over the tri-tip and was amazed to get a full quarter of a bird... yum!

What I loved about this ride? Great course, great climbing. Awesome rest stops with tons of great food and cold water. SAG all over the road. The friendliest ride volunteers I've seen in a very, very long time. Perfectly placed water breaks. Small snacks at the water breaks.

What I didn't love about this ride? To no fault of the organizers, I always dread the 9 mile straight shot on Clements road between miles 60 and 70. Every year I describe this portion of the course as riding on the "surface of the sun". This year, it was hotter than that!!!

Overall, my toughest ride this year. In fact, probably one of three or four toughest rides I've ever done. Ideally, I would love to be able to start at 5:00 AM. I am still very surprised that this ride doesn't have a bigger turn out. The volunteers, at every stop, were so kind and generous. You can tell that this group really enjoys putting on this ride.

Stats
103.17 miles
6:54:31 on bike
3240 feet of climbing
14.9 miles per hour

So far this month, I've already done 406 miles, more than any month since July 2004, and it's only the 17th. I ended today with 9,629 total miles, only 371 to hit my next goal. I put up a few pictures, check them out here.

Thanks for the ride, Dave!

May is bike month.

This week is bike-to-work week.

Thursday is bike-to-work day.

I'll admit here, I don't fully understand the month/week/day stuff so I rode to work on Wednesday. I just know I like the excuse to ride to work one day a year. Since a ride from Stockton to Pleasanton is about 65 miles on a bike, I will likely continue to only do this once a year.

I left the house this morning at 5:15, a little later than I was planning to. It was already pretty warm with the temperature near 60 degrees when I checked at 4:45 AM. It was warm enough that I didn't even bring arm warmers so I was happy! Having done this ride before, I had mentally prepared for a windy day. I would, after all, being riding through Tracy and Livermore. Once I turned west on Mathews road I was pleasantly surprised that there was very little wind. Last year's ride-to-work day greeted me with the worst wind I had ever faced. Not this year. I would get through the back roads of Tracy and Old Altamont road with hardly any wind. My luck came to an end when I flatted near mile 48. No complaints from me; I hadn't had a flat in about 700 miles! I made it to the office about 9:50 AM and after a quick shower was actually working.

The hardest part of riding to work is actually the work day and the ride home. Riding 130 miles is tough, only tougher with a 6-7 hour work day in between. I ate all day long, literally. I went from meeting to meeting with food and water to make sure I wouldn't bonk in the evening.

I walked out of my office about 4:15 and hit the road about 4:30. I had a pretty ugly head wind all the way to Greenville and a little bit up Old Altamont road. Riding through Tracy was strangely calm with no wind to speak of. With 30 miles to go I picked up the mental energy to make it home.



As I approached French Camp I took off my sun glasses because it was getting too dark to see. I forgot to bring a headlight and didn't bring clear lenses. I caught a few bugs in my eyes which was not as concerning as riding through some of the very dark neighborhoods in South Stockton. Next year... bring clear glasses and headlight.

After a quick stop to say hello to Fred & Flower who were in their front yard talking to the Schwann's guy I made it home at 9:30. Hey Fred, why was the Schwann's guy there so late?

Today's ride was awesome, perfect weather and I had great legs.

Stats
129.01 miles
8:03:50 on bike
15.998 miles per hour

The secret? Tell everyone you know, including the local TV station, you're going to ride in to work and home again. That way, when you feel like chickening out, you realize you can't. How would you break it to that TV station?

The crew at News 10 Good Morning mentioned me this morning after I sent in an e-mail about bike-to-work day.

Today, Mike and I rode the 100 mile Delta Century, put on by the Stockton Bike Club. The Delta Century was the first century I ever rode but it hasn't rated as one of my favorites. That's not due to any fault of the wonderful organizers and volunteers; it's just a bit too windy, and today was no exception.

Mike and I headed out from Jessie's Grove at 6:30 this morning. It was cold but Mike forgot his arm-warmers... so we both went without. After I was done patting myself on the back for being such a noble friend, Mike uttered, "I wouldn't have worn mine". Cold as it was at the start, we knew it wouldn't be cold for long. As soon as we took our first turn headed west we were met with... surprise... wait for it... a... headwind!



This year's ride took a different route than it did the last time I rode it. The first rest stop was at mile 26, in Courtland, which was perfect place for it. The ride took us along many of the windy delta roads. The second rest stop felt pretty quick at mile 38, at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg. After that stop we quickly got going again and caught up to a group of other riders that were riding pretty fast. We jumped on their line, along with a few other riders and pushed hard for about 15 minutes at 20-22 (in a cross wind) until Mike and I got dropped like a bad habit; it was fun while it lasted.



We looped back to toward Courtland for the lunch break at mile 63. Yes, that's the same Courtland that hosted the first rest stop way back at mile 26. We actually rode the same stretch or River Road and Washington Ave three times.

After a ferry ride across Steamboat Slough and and more and more headwind, we finally got back to Walnut Grove for the final rest stop at mile 78. Almost all of the last 20 miles was with a tail wind so we got back to Jessie's Grove pretty strong.

This was Mike's first 100 mile century and rode great given the wind.

Overall, it was a good ride. Although, at the start of the day, I preferred the Mondavi start location of years past, Jessie's Grove proved better at for the end of the ride. The volunteers and organizers were great and very friendly. The food at the rest stops was very good, certainly better than the food at the Primavera. The added touch of the pillows and blankets on the grass at the final rest stop was a very nice touch (I believe those were from a generous local guy and not part of the club). The post ride meal, catered from DaVinci's, was awesome. With tons of shade and a DJ playing music and asking trivia.

Four counties... San Joaquin, Sacramento, Yolo and Solano.

100 miles today... and 9,345 total miles for those counting.

Check out the pics here.

I recently posted about my goal of riding my 10,000th mile by July. So far, I recently crossed over the 9,100 mile mark... I am almost there. Given that great weather is ahead, I see no problem smashing my 10,000 mile goal.

To celebrate the miles, I started taking a picture every 100 miles. No matter where I am, when I cross each 100 miles, I take a picture and send it to Flickr. Enjoy.



If you see me riding through Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, etc., and see me taking a picture while I'm riding, get my attention and say, "cheese"!

On Sunday, Mike and I rode the Primavera Century. We got an early start out of Stockton and pulled in to the parking lot in Union City a couple of minutes after 7 AM. I rode the 100 mile route in 2005 but Mike and I decided to ride the 100k.

Mike and I both immediatley noticed that all of the departing riders were wearing long pants. We both neglected to bring long pants. "We'll be fine." I kept saying. We checked in quickly, got our 100k route sheet and headed out! We caught up with a couple of guys from Alamo and had a few good laughs as we rolled through Union City, Fremont and Milpitas. It was a little chilly outside but I was pretty happy that I didn't over dress for the day.

After the first rest stop and just as we approached the first climb at Calaveras road we saw a couple of guys riding fixed gear bikes. Wow, those fixies are amazing! These guys were easily 20 years older than me and were in amazing shape! Mike stayed with me for a minute or so until I punched ahead. I felt great and was happy to be climbing again! I waited for Mike at the top and we headed back down the other side together.

As we got to Sunol I was feeling great. I still ride a triple (52/42/30) but have been considering converting to a double for some time. After climbing very well up Calaveras in my middle ring I told myself that I would avoid the smallest ring all day.

About 30 minutes before Mike and I rolled in to the Sunol rest stop I got a text message from Dan on Twitter. Oh what fun Twitter is. I only recently decided to jump on the Twitter bandwagon, thanks to David at the FredCast (the internet's premiere cycling podcast!). I love Twitter and have been playing around with tracking keywords via text message. Besides tracking 'Stockton' and 'Lodi' I also started tracking 'Primavera' a couple of days before this ride. All I got was a bunch of stuff in Spanish and had to eventually untrack it. It was my tracking of 'Pleasanton' that introduced me to Dan. This guy flew through the 100k course! His stats were incredible... gave me chills reading it.

After a slight climb up Dublin Canyon and the final rest stop we approached my favorite part of this ride: Palomares Road. Here's a pic of the view in front of me.


This climb was tough but I was able to keep it in the middle ring the whole way up. Again, I felt really good on this climb and marched up the hill gritting my teeth and sweating bullets the whole way. When I got near the top the other riders that were waiting and cheering helped me crest the top. As soon as I could see the top, I stood up and pushed to the top. I waited for a few minutes and then went down about a mile or so to find Mike. I was happy to find him working hard to get to the top and after letting him rest for a a brief spell, I paced him up to the top. Mike often kills me on the flats but will freely admit climbing is not his strength. Given that, I was amazed at his perceiverance and proud that he pushed to get to the top the way he did.

Here's the top of Palomares looking down on the road I took to get here.


On the back side of Palomares, I flew down and enjoyed the prize of a fast descent, topping at 35 MPH! It was a good ride back in to Union City. After we loaded the bikes up we headed to the school for the post-ride meal. I was dissapointed with the food here. The food was just ok but was craving a Pepsi. I normally don't drink soda but have been used to a post-ride pop. Not at this ride. Water, gatorade, lemonade and instant tea (yuk!) were the only options. The lasagna was good but the bread and brownies could have doubled for hockey pucks.

All in all, I really enjoyed this ride. Very clear road markings and decent rest stops. A very, very nice course with great views and awesome hills. Check out the few pics I took here.

Final stats: 64.8 miles / 13.4 MPH

Primavera next year? Absolutely! Maybe I'll even do the 100 miles again. Next big ride - The Delta Century (100 mile).

Check out Dan's blog entry here.

This coming July will mark my fifth year riding. When I looked at how many miles I had in late December I realized I was almost at 8,000 (yes, I log every ride). Looking at nearly 8,000 miles in four and a half years was a painful reminder that I have spent too much time off the saddle. Given that I rode 3,000 miles in my first year, I should be closer to 10,000 miles. With 2,200 miles to go, that became my newest riding goal - hit 10,000 miles by my fifth anniversary in July. In order to do that I would need to ride at a rate higher than I ever have.

With 100 miles already logged this week I left this morning a little after 10 intent to set a new weekly record. I left with every intent of riding my first solo century. I have ridden several local centuries and even joined some friends for an unorganized century or two but have never ventured out on my own for a 100 mile ride.

I headed south to Tracy and of course was met with the nasty wind that makes riding the flats out here feel like climbing. In this picture, I'm headed south on Tracy Boulevard, taking advantage of a cross tail wind. Easily staying at about 20 MPH with a cadence of 90.


I had a nice tail wind through Banta and out Kasson Road easily holding 25 for the whole 7.5 miles to Airport Way. That's when I hit the head wind and nasty cross wind. I would have it all the way home, except for the short parts through the Weston Ranch and Brookside loops.

This was my most productive week, 200 miles, and so far this month (8 days into it) I have more miles than any of the last 17 months.

Check out the rest of the pictures from today's ride here.

I am a self-professed podcast junky. One of my favorite podcasts is Mostly Trivial, with your host Johnee Bee. After doing some research on the penny-farthing bike I bought recently, I decided to pitch some trivia questions to the show. I was driving home from work, listening to podcasts, and Mostly Trivial started to play. I was blown away when Johnee Bee introduced the category as 'bicycles'. I'm practically famous! Finally, I knew all of the questions.

If you haven't listened to Mostly Trivial, give it a try. It is a short, very well produced weekly show.

Check out the episode I contributed to here.

Click here for Mostly Trivial on iTunes.

The first century of the year for me was the Party Pardee. This great metric century started in Ione and took us through Amador and Calaveras counties. This was the first time I have ridden in this ride although I have been on most of the roads before on other rides. Mike warned me that the hills were brutal, I just didn't realize how brutal they were.

Mike's son, Spencer, joined us for the ride but had little notion of what he was in store for today. Today was not only Spencer's first century, it was also his first organized ride, and he hadn't climbed this much before. He had a new bike, an awesome looking Trek 1500, which he hadn't even been on before today!!! The odds were stacked against him but he persevered!!! Even though there were times he wanted to take the SAG wagon back to the car, he didn't give up (the Chariot's of Fire theme song would be appropriate here) and kept pounding away at the climbs! Mike rode exceptionally well, especially since he's put less than 150 miles on his bike this year.



This ride was one of the best supported rides in the area and we will definitely be doing it again next year.

At the end of the ride Spencer found his way in front of me and Mike so it looked like he pulled us the whole way. You learn fast, Spencer! So, what did he look like at the end of day? Cool, calm and collected... ah to be young again!



Thanks for the great ride gents!

I only took a couple of pics, but here they are.

In its second year, the Tour of California rolled through Stockton for stage three, starting downtown, on the waterfront and ending in San Jose.



What a great event for downtown Stockton. The girls and I went downtown first thing in the morning and walked around. With Center Street closed between Fremont and Weber, the area in front of the waterfront was filled with the greats like Hincapie, Leipheimer, Haedo, Basso, Rasmussen and O'Grady. I even had a chance to say hello to Johan Bruyneel and wish him good luck.

I also got a chance to meet David from The Fred Cast, the internet's premier cycling podcast. David covered everyday of the race and provided some great insight and interviews as he travelled with the race caravans.

Check out our pictures from the race here.

After having her new bike for only a week Emily decided it was time to go on a longer ride. We headed out this morning to the wonderful little town of Thornton. We only stopped once at the 76 station in Thornton and then we were back on our way. By the time we got home she had completed her longest ride to date.... 36 miles... she was tired but did very well.

Emily has said that her goal is to be the first female to win le Tour de France. Well, she got one step closer this weekend when we picked up her first road bike... a sweet looking red Specialized Dolce. She did awesome on her first ride on the new bike... 23 miles and looking strong. She is still proud to be part of the Sprocket Rockets (click here to visit the Sprocket Rocket's web site)

What a nice Father's Day. I got to sleep in... until almost 9 am... Dawn and the girls made me and Grandpa Jack a great breakfast and then Dawn mowed the front yard (I still did the back yard). After yard work Emily and rode our bikes to Jack & Rita's for dinner. Jack made a killer tri-tip (and made me a great steak). We all practiced our drives and chip shots in his back yard and had a great time. Click here for the videos of our ride (pics, here).

The Sierra Century What a ride! Even though I was saddened by Chuck's absence at today's century I still managed to get on the bike and win won for the Gipper (wow, was that sentimental or what?). I pulled up to the fairgrounds a little before 0600 and Pete and I headed out at about 0630. Pete had not ridden this century before but had heard me hype it up for the last two weeks. As we started our ride I reminded him that the first leg of the ride goes downhill... and it was going to be cold. We felt pretty good when we hit the first rest stop, at mile twenty-something, in less than an hour! The rest of the day, of course, would not be as quick, or as cold. We rode into Volcano and saw Felix (who had no visable signs of being tired). He and his friend, AJ, took off a few minutes before we did but I never saw them again. After the lunch stop in Fiddletown (mile 60), we headed back out and, along with another poor sap, followed a rogue arrow marked 200k. We ended up doing a big circle out of our way and met up with a couple of other riders that had turned the wrong way and found themselves almost back to Plymouth. So, all of us (except one guy who was obviously mentally beaten by the fact that he had to re-trace his steps) headed back to Fiddletown to start the second half again. Rodrigo said it best... "I didn't pay $40 to ride 60 miles!" After some more moderate climbing Pete and I finally reached the bottom of the famous Slug Gulch... with almost 20 more miles in our legs than we should have had thanks to that rogue arrow. I took the bypass at this point last year and my bike immediately thanked with me a flat. This year I was determined to do Slug Gulch! I had no idea this climb was as difficult as it was. It could have been the 95 miles / 3000+ feet I already rode... but I was almost ready to bonk! All I could think of was getting to the top and getting my pin. We finally made it to the top and after some rest and food we headed back down. In my opinion, this has to be the best century in the area, bar none... even with the hillbillies cursing at us. The 300+ volunteers are everywhere!!!! They truly make the day a great one with their attention to detail (having Advil and sunblock at the lunch stop, getting the applause at the top of Slug Gulch, and not having to make my own sandwiches at the rest stop). 118 miles.... a lot of climbing!

Emily and I headed out to Paradise Point... what a hot ride. I hate FLATS! Oh well... Emily got her first on-the-road flat! Front tire and only a few miles from home. I decided to change it for her but gave her pointers along the way.

It's time to ride...
Here are some up coming centuries on my calendar... 4/9/05 - Tierra Bella Century 4/17/05 - Primavera Century 5/1/05 - Delta Century 5/21/05 - Lodi Sunrise Century 5/24/05 - Ride to work... ok, so it's a week late but I rode from Stockton to Pleasanton and then back to Stockton after work... wow! What a ride! 6/4/05 - Sierra Century

The Newman Bike Club (Chuck & Bill) traveled all the way to North Stockton for an early 0530 start.  
We rode through town to the Calaveras trail and then through UOP and on through the beautiful downtown Stockton.  Much to their disappointment, we didn't see a single gang banger (probably because it was too early in the morning).  We turned west at French Camp and headed right into a head wind at Mathews / Howard roads.  We rotated turns up front but I kept dropping back.  I kept promising a rest stop at mile 20 or mile 30 but as we rolled through the twentieth mile with not a damn thing in site other than dirt and road I realized it was 25 or 30.  Bill was so distraught over having to ride further than expected to get to the 1st rest stop that he, in anger, tried to take me out of the ride.  He clipped my back wheel and bit it hard!  Well, of course I'm joking about his intent... he had one hand on the bars and one hand on his water bottle when he looked up and WHAM! Actually it sounded more like, "OH SHIT!!!" and then WHAM! Bill was down hard!  Chuck and I stopped and after a couple of minutes we were back on the road again.... Bill suffering a major cut to his arm and probably a deep raspberry on his ass.  He'll have to re-tape his bars soon, too.  
We finally made our first stop at mile 31 in Tracy (205 & Tracy Blvd) and then headed toward the raging metropolis of Banta.  As we crossed 11th street and Grantline Mike text paged me with the results from the Tour (Lance takes the stage and is now 22 seconds behind the Yellow Jersey)!  
This ride could be coined as the HEADWIND TOUR because it seems we got it from every direction.  Going East on Grantline, South East on Kassoon and North on Airport, it all felt like we were riding right into it!
I kept falling off the pace on Kassoon and Union and Bill and Chuck were gracious enough to allow me to catch up (mostly because they didn't know the way back).
Bill rode extremely tough and I did my best to keep up as much as I did.  All in all, ass kicked and all, it felt awesome... plus I knocked 45 minutes off my time from when I did this same ride in April.

I met Chuck early on Saturday morning in the big city of Patterson.  He promised me an incredible ride... he promised me a lot of climbing... he promised me more than 100 miles of lung pounding, leg screaming roads.  Well, once again, the coach delivered!   
The first order of the day was to get over the famed Del Puerto Canyon (after I went back and did the first .75 miles twice because I FORGOT MY WATER BOTTLES) [see 6-12-04 and 9-20-03] which I finally did without a rest!  On the way up a guy flew past us like we were standing still.  When we approached the wall (the last 1.5 miles, Chuck took off strong, eventually passing that same guy (who, by the way, never made it to the top).  We re-grouped and rode to the junction to fill our water bottles with the nasty tank water (this time, we brought plenty of powdered energy mix to kill the taste).
It was now 31 miles to Livermore with more climbing, beautiful views and far more bikes than cars.  Chuck caught a swarm of bees in his helmet on a downhill stretch and flung his helmet off... only to realize that his shades went, too.  He was able to save his frame and nose piece but he would have to ride the rest of the day without any eye protection because the lens was demolished!
We had lunch at a Subway in Livermore and headed back toward Patterson.  The hills were even more brutal on the return trip and it was getting hotter and hotter.  Somewhere up Mines Road we stopped where there were three very young girls selling ice cold lemonade for $1 glass!  These girls were very entrepreneurial.  I said that, given all of the cyclists out, perhaps selling cytomax would be more profitable... Chuck, on the other hand, pointed out that in a few years, when they were all "legal" they would surely sell "A LOT MORE LEMONADE!" 
Chuck caught a flat shortly before the Junction on the return trip so we had an unscheduled (but much needed by me) rest stop.  
After filling our bottles at the Junction we headed back for town.  Chuck made me power over the last couple of little baby climbs (which I still feel today).  
Total miles: 112
See y'all on 7/17/04 . . . Stockton, French Camp, Tracy, Manteca...

Another cool ride with the entire NBC (Newman Bike Club)... Chuck and Bill.  We met in Livermore and then drove out to Antioch to start the ride.  Chuck had been promising a lot of climbing on this ride and within the first several miles we knew what he meant.  
Against a horrific head wind, we climbed up Kirker Pass and into Concord.  The next climb was Morgan Territory.  With plenty of shade, never a car in sight, some long but gradual climbing and just enough flat spots makes this one of my favorite places to climb.... not to mention the killer descent on the south side!  With a nasty head & cross wind coming at us I was never able to get over 42. We thought we lost Bill on the ascent but later learned that he hadn't tightened his new saddle well enough and it was tilting back quite a bit.  None of us had any tools but thankfully there were some other riders that did.  Chuck empathized... I, on the other hand, told Bill to be a man... take the damn seat off and ride on the post!!! 
We then headed to Danville and to Mount Diablo.  We rode up very strong... and I shaved 7 minutes off my to-the-junction time.  At this rate... I'll be able to get to the Summit in one hour... in 2008!
From the junction we headed down to Walnut Creek and up Yngacio Valley.  Near the end, we faced the other side of Kirker Pass... it was very hot but we got to the top and then FLEW down into Pittsburgh!  This descent was awesome... I got it up to 53... wow, what a rush!!
What a great ride... Bill pushed hard on the climbs and kicked my ass on the last 10 miles. Chuck, of course, dominated in the hills!
Our ride ended up only being 80 miles... but 80 miles with a lot of climbing!

I met Chuck and Bill in Newman early... and it was already warm.  Bill rode the 20 miles out to the road up the canyon and then turned around and headed home (he had a prior engagement).  Chuck and I rode the 25 miles up the road... plenty of shade, few cars, lots of turns and subtle climbing (subtle, but long).  The last mile-and-a-half was harder than I remembered from the 9-20-03 ride.  I have ridden a couple of thousand of miles since being here but I still was not able to get that last big climb without a breather.
When I finally got to the top I confirmed with Chuck that the junction store was only a few more miles up the road.  I did tell him that my big fear kept flashing before my eyes.... we get to the store and it's closed (for the record, it was 10 am and the store didn't open until 11!!!! "Don't worry, it's open... I was just here a couple of weeks ago" Chuck said.... famous last words of a fool.... you guessed it.... it was closed!!!!  
Chuck and I trespassed on the property and nervously filled one bottle each of the nasty yellow water that came from a huge tank.  I got up that damn climb partly because of Chuck's tantalizing account of all the wonderful food and drink that awaited us at the store... gatorade a plenty... powerbars... clifbars... rice crispy treats... cold water... it's a cyclist's heaven. 
We eventually made it back to Patterson and got refilled at the AM/PM... but after 70 miles.  
There were some nasty winds on the last 20 miles but overall it was a great ride.... about as great as can be expected as 6 hours or Chuck talking smack can be.... ha ha!
90 miles... a lot of climbing... 
Next week.... Diablo, Morgan Territory... etc.... 104 miles.... a lot more climbing.... ouch.... I can't wait!

The early start from Plymouth was cold but by 8 am I was glad I started when I did because it was starting to get hot!  
Just like I was warned at the last century, the first 20 miles had a lot of downhill.  I was told to not push too hard... hard to resist... but I knew I had to save my legs for the  climbing.  The first rest stop came early but I still stopped.  

Shortly after leaving the Ione stop I hitched a ride on a paceline with an Anne, 2 Steves and a Jeff (that's how Anne introduced them all).  I was happy to hook up with these four riders because they were very tall (great to draft behind them) and strong.  I took my turns pulling and had a good time going with them for about 15 miles.  Once the climbs came, however, they dropped me.  I saw them at the Volcano rest stop but left before they did.  I also saw Steve from Foster City (the Steve that helped pull me the last 20 miles in the Sunrise Century).
Leaving Volcano had some great climbs and it was getting hotter.  At the end of that climb came the 10 mile descent into Fiddletown... wow, what a descent!    I stayed too long at the Fiddletown rest and felt a little sluggish getting back on the saddle.  
I stopped at a water stop to get my derailleur adjusted and then headed off again.
I found plenty of other riders to pace along with through the rest of the climbs but decided against doing Slug Gulch, opting for the bypass option.
Toward the end of that bypass climb I was already regretting not taking Slug Gulch... and then I caught a flat... first one in over 500 miles... I hate flats!!!!  
Once back on Omo Ranch road it was an easy push back to Plymouth.  Little wind... hot, but a some shade.  
Shortly after I got back, Steve N. pulled up who left a few minutes before me... I knew something was up if he was just minutes behind me... well I was right, he did Slug Gulch plus the extra 20+ miles (the Challenge - the Double Metric)... that guy is incredible!
Overall, my third century was great... my favorite of all...  SAG was everywhere (again, luckily I did not require)... rest stops were awesome... route was excellent... volunteers were plentiful and very nice. 

What a trooper!!! Emily had no problem taking a 15 mile jaunt with me to her grandparents house... 3 pm on a day that hit 97 degrees.... pretty impressive! She's already talkin' about doin' Centuries with her dear ol' Dad... hmmmmm... perhaps a tandem someday!