Had a couple of beers and a few laughs at Mission Cycling’s mid-season meetup at Coffee Bar last week. Pictured here with Zach Bass (left), with whom I rode a couple of the Death Ride passes earlier this summer. Zach ended up riding all five passes at DR this year. I might give it a go next year.

They’ve got a really nice looking kit designed by one of the founders; best looking kit I’ve seen, honestly. The sponsors, all my favorite restaurants, bars, bakeries, and coffee shops in the neighborhood, provide either discounts to members or have subsidized our gear so we get top-quality kit at affordable prices.

Riding with a group is great motivation to get out of the house and ride; even if it’s just one other person. I’m riding 3-4 days a week now and loving it. Wednesdays and Thursday evenings we do hill repeats in the Marin Headlands (20 mi / 2500 ft climb), Saturday a longer challenging ride (60-90 mi / 5000+ ft climb), and on Sunday or Monday I try to ride with my lady, Addy.

The club has also been a great way to meet people, and I have found most of the club members to be very friendly and welcoming.

While I was riding ALC, I posted pictures via Twitter [follow me]. Some of these appeared in the club blog – here and here.

Recently I won a really nice helmet in a club contest. They filmed the winners being drawn and there’s a funny bit where someone who doesn’t know me assumes Shannon is a girls name. Video is taken at Delfina Pizzaria, a club sponsor.

Here’s one of the club founders interviewing us last weekend after we climbed Bolinas-Fairfax Road from HWY 1 to Ridgecrest Blvd. near Mt. Tam.

We were the first ones in line for tent assignment, and while waiting for that line to open we bought commemorative jerseys at the Camp Store. Can you believe I wear an Xsmall?

The tent assignment team managed to put all four of our tents next to one another, just as we had hoped. We got red tags with our tent number to go on our gear bags and a blue tag to carry on our person.

After that we went to check-in and I actually had to wait behind one person! [/sarcasm] There we signed all the waivers and received stickers with our rider numbers to put on our helmets and bikes.

The final step was to check our bikes into bike parking where we collect them tomorrow morning for ride-out at 6am (after opening ceremonies).

When did you watch the safety video, you ask? The pre-requisite for all the above steps and the reason orientation takes so long for most people? Suffice to say we did watch it, and have the wristbands to prove it, but if I told you any more I’d have to kill ‘ya. Thank you, Emily!!!

Pictures here are of Adriene, Justin, and I sporting the ALC8 jerseys, our fantastic roadies Greg (driving sweep) and Jim (volunteering both in SF and in LA), and the line for the safety video which we managed to avoid.

Today’s stage was a very important stage as time trials often result in major changes in the General Classification (GC), or overall standings. On top of that this time trial wasn’t flat or straight; rather it was long, twisty, and involved two significant climbs. It required competitors to ride flat-out for about 90 minutes.

Thankfully I found that Universal Sports has exactly what I’ve been looking for. Here is their main listing for the Giro.

The three most important stage (multi-day) races in professional cycling are known as the Grand Tours; they are the Tour de France, Vuelta a España, and the Giro d’Italia.

This year celebrates the 100th Giro d’Italia and has had all the drama befitting this auspicious race. Of particular interest is that Lance Armstrong has been using the race to get back in form after three years in retirement and has been helping his team mate Levi Leipheimer to win the Giro. They’ve been saving themselves up until now and I expect things to get really exciting after today. Go Levi!

More great coverage:
Graham Watson
Cycling News
Cycling Fans
Steephill.tv

At lunch in Pt. Reyes lost his sandwich between the deli and our picnic spot; fortunately there was enough food to go around. After the long ride out there, those sandwiches never tasted so good.

Addy got a little sore on the way home but girl scout Emily saved the day with Advil. Within 20 minutes Addy had a smile on her face again and was leading the charge home. Although the forcast predicted 70s there was a chill in the wind and I was under dressed. Addy let me use her arm warmers and upon our return I had a long soak in a hot tub to avert getting sick.

Go team!

Last Saturday I had also intended to ride with these peeps but was 30 minutes late getting out of the house. I made up a lot of time and by Sausalito thought I might catch them as they have a scheduled stop there, but my efforts were thwarted by an Easter roadblock. Police had stopped traffic so that a large number of people could cross the road to the park by the water. Lots of kids with their Easter baskets, and women in festive hats.

After 10 minutes of waiting, the long line of cyclists were allowed to pass. I’d come to terms with the idea that I’d be riding alone by then, and headed toward Fairfax (gateway to cycling heaven). I rode faster than usual, chasing a rear wheel through Mill Valley, and by Fairfax was wondering what route would be appropriate. After filling my water bottle and bumping into our vet in line for the bathroom at the coffee shop, I decided to try Mt. Tam and ate a pack of Shot Bloks. mmm.. juice!

As I started the climb I was seriously doubting I’d make it; I’d ridden too hard from San Francisco to Fairfax and my muscles were weak and in pain. Once before I did the same thing and had to turn around. I figured I’d just keep the pedals turning until I couldn’t any longer and after 10-15 minutes I found renewed strength. Yahoo! I arrived at Alpine Dam at noon; my pictures don’t do justice to the beautiful serenity of that place.

The second climb, from Alpine to Ridgecrest, was a struggle; a lot more standing than usual. I had a guy behind me using me as a pacer, and a few times he provided encouragement; I was grateful for that. Near the top I got inspired and sprinted the last switchback.

Once on Ridgecrest, all concerns float away. It’s a world apart up there; such a beautiful stretch of road. I took a break to eat a Cliff Bar between climbing the sisters. Clear sky; maybe 75 deg; a bit more windy than usual. So peaceful.

Distance: 60.5 mi
Duration: 05:07:32
Avg Moving Speed: 14.0 mph
Climb: 4743.1 ft

As I write this I’m at 70% of my goal; I need to raise $886 in the next month and a half. Can you help with a small donation to a worthy cause? If yes, visit http://tofighthiv.org/goto/shannon. The beneficiary of these funds, The San Francisco AIDS Foundation, provides leadership in preventing new HIV infections.

Rodeo themed costume party. Raffles, silent auction, pole dancing lessons, drink specials, and lots of great music.

Performers:
Digital Rust
The Whoa Nellies
Motion Potion
The Cons

$15 cover – all proceeds will be donated to the SF AIDS Foundation and AIDS/Lifecycle 8 and will help our team reach our goals of $3000 each.

Wednesday, April 15th 2009
8pm – 2am
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell @ Van Ness, San Francisco

My friends and I are preparing for LifeCycle 8 this June, when we will join 2500 others and ride our bicycles from San Francisco to Los Angeles (545 miles) over the course of a week. The event raises money for The San Francisco AIDS Foundation, who provides leadership in preventing new HIV infections. I am $1750 away from achieving my fundraising goal; can you help with a small donation? Every little bit counts!!

To help me to participate in this event, and to support a worthy cause, visit http://tofighthiv.org/goto/shannon

On a bright Spring Saturday morning Justin and I rode out at 8am with the goal of riding China Camp and Lucas Valley Road. The LifeCycle training route sheet said this would be about 69 miles but I’ve learned to add 10 miles to this figure as the distance to and from my apartment. It was still cold at this hour but as soon as we reach Sausalito it warmed up significantly and we recognized it would be a beautiful day.

At San Anselmo the route turns East to San Rafael. This section involves riding with some busy traffic until you pass under 101. I haven’t spent any time here but Justin used to visit our friend Kiki when she lived there and pointed out both where she lived and where her son Simon and his father lived. The latter sat directly across the street from the water and I suspect the view from the large windows is impressive, but I couldn’t bear the thought of living there as the stench along this section of road reeked of low tide.

A short while later we reached China Camp State Park and took a couple of snapshots. The beach in the first photo could be the end of McNear’s Beach (I enjoyed the write up by Lainie L. on Yelp).

The road through the park really is great for cycling. It’s a quiet and peaceful place; very few cars and a smooth road that follows the winding coastline over rolling hills. Riding roads like this is such a joy not for what it adds but what it removes. It filters out thoughts of your bike, sensations from the road, threats from cars or people, and you’re left relaxed to enjoy the sensations of nature. We saw many cyclists out, all tucked on their aero bars. Alas the road isn’t long (just a few miles) and after passing back under 101 we turned right on Los Ranchitos Road and headed north for a few miles via Las Gallinas Ave to Lucas Valley Rd.

Just as we passed Big Rock Deli, a popular stop for cyclists, I got a flat; a long rusty staple in the rear. I ride tubulars so I can ride on a flat if I have to (slowly but easier than walking in cycling shoes!) but I carry a spare and remembered seeing some tables and chairs outside the deli so we went back and sat down while I changed the tire. It was also a good opportunity to top off our water bottles because there wouldn’t be anywhere to stop for an hour or more.

Contrary to popular belief, Lucas Valley Road was not named for George Lucas, whose Skywalker Ranch can be found on the West side of the one hill you’ll climb on the way to Nicasio.

Lucas Valley Road is another spectacular section of road through orchards and horse ranches. This time of year everything is lush and green and wild flowers abound. After climbing the hill halfway between 101 and Nicasio in the open sun, the shade of a redwood forest comes as a real treat.

At Nicasio Valley Road we turned left, heading homeward. We’d ridden 50 miles by this time and I was feeling tired. I gobbled a pack of Shot Bloks and struggled up the little hill out of the valley that always seems to be there when I hit a wall. We took it easy along Sir Francis Drake and over White’s Hill and stopped in Fairfax for bananas and a Recharge.

I like to think that once you’re back to Fairfax the ride home is a promenade. But it’s still 25 miles and involves two more climbs. We took it easy on the first and by the time we got to Sausalito I had my legs back and found the climb to the bridge and through the Presidio easier than ever. It’s a pretty cool feeling when you get over the wall; despite the pain of fatigue the muscles are willing to give nearly as much as when they’re fresh.

Since we did ride through some water and the bikes needed a hose-down, I stopped at my place for the chain lube and we rode to Justin’s (he’s got a back yard). The GPS clocked the ride at 80.75 miles. That’s longer than I’ve ridden since high school and we were both very pleased.

Unfortunately I didn’t think to put on sunscreen and got burned on my forearms and tops of my knees. After a winter of not using it I have to work that into the routine again! Of course my girlfriend the skin-care professional was concerned; we broke out the Aloe Juice and now I’m in good shape.

I was ravenous and Justin wanted beer so we grabbed some delicious cheese-steaks from a new place in the neighborhood, Phat Philly (I got the Phat Chile Philly, a 12″ cheese-steak with cheddar beer sauce and topped with chile; it was amazing). Then we picked up a couple of Belgians, including the Three Philosophers by Ommegang; so good. Perfect end to the ride.

The following Tuesday Addy and I rode back to China camp. She had never been and I thought she’d enjoy it. There are several charming spots for a picnic there, complete with bathrooms, picnic tables, and BBQ grills. We stopped at one and enjoyed a peaceful respite. On the way home Addy’s left knee started to really bother her and so we took the 6:00pm ferry home from Sausalito. It was interesting to see all the people getting off the boat on their commute home.