Deer Everywhere

I decided against trying Hicks and Mt. Um for the first time until the neck strain fully heals. I was rewarded by Bambis and Jane Does everywhere. Ten of you scattered along Kennedy, making the end of the club ride a treat. If only they wouldn't stand so dumbly in the middle of the road. I chased each and every one of them into the woods and got lots of photos.

LKHC Palomares The Kid and I

I dressed up for Hallowe'en (photo by Franz Kelsch) -- that's a spider on my jersey. I didn't get the memo to come as a French Maid; not only was she hot, she placed first in the women's category for this week's LKHC.

Once again, I found myself in the last group with the children. Good think I wasn't wearing a French Maid costume, eh....

I told The Kid that we were going to duke it out on Palomares. We shot off, me ahead of him. Then he passed me. I kept him in sight. I caught up to him. We talked strategy, yeah, the 12 year old (?) and the 47 year old just shooting the breeze. Like he needed pointers from me. Then he shot off. Fast learner ....

I caught up to him again. We talked a bit. Then off he went. He kept looking to see if I was still there. Yeah, Kid, I'm still here. I realized he was having fun while I was pushing myself. Without him, I might have slacked off.

Thanks to The Kid, I didn't place last. I was hoping to finish with a score of 30 minutes and came close at 31.24. I did it in 36 minutes at last week's trial run. And apparently, I now have the honor of 1st place as Most Consistent. Hmm....

Til we meet again, Kid. :)

Reconnaissance on Palomares

L, A and I decided to check out Palomares in preparation for next week's LKHC. That's new for me to scope out the situation in advance. What a beautiful route:

Niles Canyon -->Palomares -->Palo Verde -->Dublin Canyon -->Foothill -->Main

Guess who we saw climbing in the other direction on Palomares! The Divine Miss M.

Guess who else we saw -- yes, you guessed it, divine male cyclists.

But far more interesting was the albino turkey or peacock (not sure) that I saw. Today wasn't a day to stop to take photos (after all we were on a mission). I wore my woolies (arm warmers and leggings; definitely a thumbs up) but the day became much too warm for them.

Next week's LKHC is going to be interesting with the opportunity to really floor it on the flat sections. Can't wait. Thanks A and L for a great day.

Just the Stats:

28.74 miles
29 mph on descent
12.1 mph avg
2 hr 23 m

LKHC Bohlman Boys and Babes

Bohlman Busters waving to LKHC cyclists at registration.

Chris and I directed cyclists to turn onto Bohlman after they flew down Orbit. The photo doesn't capture the steepness and blind turn. An ACTC club ride led by Donny and Joan happened to be in the area and they stopped to cheer the 125 male and female cyclists who did this climb. How nice is that.



It was a joy to watch each rider at this junction. I wish I had the lungs and legs to do what they did. Next week, a new climb in the LKHC series -- Palomares. See you there.

LKHC Page Mill Road

On our way, somewhere in Los Altos, to Arastradero, the starting point for the LKHC Page Mill Road event, Miss P. and I got a wee bit lost. [photo above by Josh; pretty low key, eh]

Define fortuitous: Lost in front of a fire station with buff firemen ready to serve ....

But Miss P. whipped out her handy dandy Android thingy to steer us back on track.
Because, after all, we are self sufficient, independent women.
And because, well, men really are only good for one thing. oh oh, I'm in trouble now.
Still, the thoughts I had about those firemen coming to our rescue.
Focus, damn it, focus on the biking, The Boyfriend says from our neighbors to the north.

Alas, we showed up on time. Dan the Man organized us by groups. First up to go, children and us. Sigh, don't even ask. But, it was a treat to be surrounded by cyclists as we biked up Page Mill Road. Got my engines fired up. All those delicious men. Yeah, they motivated me alrighty. Focus, damn it, focus, The Boyfriend, says again from the country to the our north. Oh but I was, Mister ....

What a lovely day to be out. I've been confined to my home due to a relentless kewtie that invaded my body. Guess who I saw coming down Page Mill! Mr. S. How swell. And then, later, at the top, I ran into Thomas, who I met on the Eastern Sierras trip. And I also met Laura Hipp, a sweet woman. Plus, Miss A and Miss L were on board. I also got to try out my new SmartWool arm warmers with their girly green colored flowers. Very feminine. Matched my jersey and looked good with my nicely painted nails. Because these things matter.... But the day was much to warm to keep them on for long.



Nearing the top, a cyclist on the way down said, "Great job." Of course that's code for "I'd like to get your number." Oh oh, The BF may get on the next flight out to have a talk with me ....

How'd I do? Well, the results are not posted but I may have shaved 10 minutes off my LKHC 2006 time. Not bad for someone not firing on all cylinders and distracted by firemen and cyclists full of testosterone. Oh oh, The BF is probably in the air somewhere ready to have a talk with me....

Thank you Miss P for riding with me today.

Danke Schoen LKHC Montebello

How low key looking is that, the pic of me. Speaking of Low Key -- our team for the LKHC series has dwindled to just 2 -- the tortoise and the hare. Still, our team of 2 managed to place 16 out of 43 (not bad given that the first 10 or so teams have multiple team mates).

I sort of really tried this time to put some effort into it. The plan was to at least beat The Kid. He's about my level of competition, sad as that is to note. 12 other women participated and they were simply swell. All together, there were 127 cyclists for the first ride of the LKHC 2011 series.

But enough about biking. Let's talk about my nails which aren't visible in the photo. Lovely cherry color to match my outfit. I spotted some newbies, some young men, their first time doing the series. As a veteran, I naturally felt that it was my duty to break them in ....

Focus on the biking, The Boyfriend says. I beat my last recorded LKHC time back in 2008. Then: 55.58. Now, 54:53. I received a standing ovation when I cross the finish line. Oh alrighty, they were already standing .... still, despite placing last and not beating the kid, I did a decent job and more importantly, my nail polish looked outstanding.

Danke Schoen Montebello, thank you for the joy and pain. Til we meet again, next week Sierra Road.