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Lovin' the Sally
Aug. 2nd, 2008 03:35 amYeah.. that's my road bike. She's blue in color, but happy in spirit. ( Sally gets some new upgrades )
Tuesday morning Biking
Jun. 10th, 2008 09:42 amSally(1) and I took BART to Orinda and we went up Wildcat Canyon.
Don't know what it is? 40+ minutes of uphill switchbacks climbing the Berkeley hills to the peak.
I am stunned I was able to do it. And I had a backpack full of food and clothes, too. So I was 10+ lbs heavier than usual. I rock. And it was another gorgeous ride.
Some chick cyclist fell over onto a rock and into some weeds when she tried to stop at the stop sign above Tilden. It was pretty much a graceless topple. Yeah, that was me too. More like "meeting a rock" than "rocking out". My heart rate was 180+, think-brain had shut down, and lizard brain forgot how to get my feet out of my pedals. Yup, I've got it in spades in the enthusiasm department, but not much going in the skill department. Sally is fine, I'm scraped and bruised.
The ride down Shasta was exciting. I was going too fast and my rear tire almost skidded out from under me when I tried to stop. That got me to slow down.
Overall: Orinda BART station to Work: 1 hr, 15 min.
Woot Factor: getting to the top
Techno-comment: Love the Heart Rate monitor. Glad I finally read the directions so I could use it.
Next bike upgrade: new computer. My onboard AI system can only handle one function at a time, ie. time or odometer or speedometer or trip mileage. And it chooses which one it's displaying at its own discretion. I knew how fast I was creeping up the hill until it decided to start telling me what time it was. Nice, but not super-useful when I'm trying to gauge improvement.
We think this will be our Tuesday morning routine.
Need to figure out when I have to leave so I can catch a BART train that permits bikes. Cuz I won't have the time to repeat the trip to go home. (yet!)
(1) my sturdy ride.
Don't know what it is? 40+ minutes of uphill switchbacks climbing the Berkeley hills to the peak.
I am stunned I was able to do it. And I had a backpack full of food and clothes, too. So I was 10+ lbs heavier than usual. I rock. And it was another gorgeous ride.
Some chick cyclist fell over onto a rock and into some weeds when she tried to stop at the stop sign above Tilden. It was pretty much a graceless topple. Yeah, that was me too. More like "meeting a rock" than "rocking out". My heart rate was 180+, think-brain had shut down, and lizard brain forgot how to get my feet out of my pedals. Yup, I've got it in spades in the enthusiasm department, but not much going in the skill department. Sally is fine, I'm scraped and bruised.
The ride down Shasta was exciting. I was going too fast and my rear tire almost skidded out from under me when I tried to stop. That got me to slow down.
Overall: Orinda BART station to Work: 1 hr, 15 min.
Woot Factor: getting to the top
Techno-comment: Love the Heart Rate monitor. Glad I finally read the directions so I could use it.
Next bike upgrade: new computer. My onboard AI system can only handle one function at a time, ie. time or odometer or speedometer or trip mileage. And it chooses which one it's displaying at its own discretion. I knew how fast I was creeping up the hill until it decided to start telling me what time it was. Nice, but not super-useful when I'm trying to gauge improvement.
We think this will be our Tuesday morning routine.
Need to figure out when I have to leave so I can catch a BART train that permits bikes. Cuz I won't have the time to repeat the trip to go home. (yet!)
(1) my sturdy ride.
Sunday was a road-riding day for me.
Yay for public transportation. I rode to my Concord station and I took BART to Orinda. (Take THAT evil petroleum moguls!)
One small snafu at the Orinda BART station. My BART ticket was loopy; it let me in the Concord station, but not out at Orinda. The nice station agent and I chatted while she wrote it up and created the receipt so that I'd get reimbursed via mail in a month or 2. I wasn't bothered; the day was beautiful and I was about to ride my bike; what's a little train ticket red tape compared to that? So I joked that BART and I have a long relationship and that as long as we continue to respect each other and make time for open communcation, all will be well. I played on that theme while she worked up my receipt and after dying laughing, she gave me a free courtesy ticket. See, being nice DOES pay!
And then, to the sound of trumpets, I was off. (No real trumpets, all in my head). And .... I couldn't figure out how to get out of the BART parking lot. LOL. (Mental trumpets stumble and crash). I had to circle a few times to figure out (1) where I was wrt North-South-East-West (2) where the exits were and (3) which exit ramp I wanted.
Reboot trumpets and I was off again! Yay! The ride was awesome. The day was beautiful. The rolling country side was amazing. I saw other cyclists, circling red-tails, a deer, cows, horses, and some little brown bird with a crest on its head paced me for a bit, hop-flying along a length of fence and chirping at me. I figured it was using me to "hide" from winged predators.
It was a serene ride that was challenging and really emotionally centering. And I've named my bike Sally. She's earned it.
( ride details )
Yay for public transportation. I rode to my Concord station and I took BART to Orinda. (Take THAT evil petroleum moguls!)
One small snafu at the Orinda BART station. My BART ticket was loopy; it let me in the Concord station, but not out at Orinda. The nice station agent and I chatted while she wrote it up and created the receipt so that I'd get reimbursed via mail in a month or 2. I wasn't bothered; the day was beautiful and I was about to ride my bike; what's a little train ticket red tape compared to that? So I joked that BART and I have a long relationship and that as long as we continue to respect each other and make time for open communcation, all will be well. I played on that theme while she worked up my receipt and after dying laughing, she gave me a free courtesy ticket. See, being nice DOES pay!
And then, to the sound of trumpets, I was off. (No real trumpets, all in my head). And .... I couldn't figure out how to get out of the BART parking lot. LOL. (Mental trumpets stumble and crash). I had to circle a few times to figure out (1) where I was wrt North-South-East-West (2) where the exits were and (3) which exit ramp I wanted.
Reboot trumpets and I was off again! Yay! The ride was awesome. The day was beautiful. The rolling country side was amazing. I saw other cyclists, circling red-tails, a deer, cows, horses, and some little brown bird with a crest on its head paced me for a bit, hop-flying along a length of fence and chirping at me. I figured it was using me to "hide" from winged predators.
It was a serene ride that was challenging and really emotionally centering. And I've named my bike Sally. She's earned it.
( ride details )
