Bambi and Brie

Friday night, The Boyfriend and I were enveloped in fog as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. It was like a living breathing mist, atmospheric like you expect in a juicy horror film, that swirled all around us; fierce winds with poor visibility until we entered Sausalito on our way to San Rafael.

Saturday, we headed off to do our 3rd Marin Century; actually, the Metric for me and the Mt. Tam century for him. Above, I have posted photos of me capturing each year along with a great shot of Big Rock below which greets riders after the first climb.



The Metric involves 3,830 feet of climbing and the Tam route includes 7,800 feet of climbing. The ride is varied with rolling hills, gentle and steep climbs, grasslands, redwood forests, ranches and pastures full of horses, cows and goats. The Boyfriend's ride was much more scenic than mine since his involved Mt. Tam.

This year, I had to brake for wild turkeys crossing the road and a really dumb deer, so dumb that I had to get off my bike and tell Bambi to move if she wanted to live a long life.

Prior to the start, we were waiting in line to use the restroom when we met a woman biking alone. I asked her to ride with me and surprisingly, I had to leave her after the first climb because she wasn't fast enough for me. Too bad as I enjoy the social aspect of bike tours. This year, I was high on gatorade and Powergels with the occasional slice of Brie, potato chips, figs and nectarines available at the rest stops (very nice volunteers and great food; Thank you). I was determined, focused and ready to to ride hard and fast.

Part of my ride involved biking in fog. Not the pretty romantic kind but more the dense kind. Along the way, I kept meeting men; some rode with me and others chatted about this and that at rest stops. I also met a woman who was wearing a jersey that I had thought about wearing that day, too. We discussed the sad state of women's cycling clothes. You see, women, in case you haven't noticed, happen to have curves and we come in different sizes. Some people thought it odd that The Boyfriend and I don't ride together. Hello, he's much stronger than me and a better cyclist. It reminded me of something I just don't get: men joining their women on shopping trips to the mall. Why I ask you? Most men look incredibly bored.

Anyway, after the tour, The Boyfriend listened as I said, "And then I met this guy ... and then there was this other man, and next, I met this guy and ...." He was probably thinking, "Let's see, you ate Brie and met men. Did you do any biking?" I set a goal this year, hoping to do 15 mph average for the 60 mile route. Last year, I did 12.6 mph. At this year's event, with only 10 miles to go and my average being 13.2 mph, I floored it and ended the tour with an average of 13.6 mph. So yes, I think I did some biking. As for The Boyfriend, he arrived about an hour after I had finished. Pretty impressive given that he did 40 miles more than me!

Next week, we're off to do the Tour de Max.