Alpaca Sighting

What a wonderful club outing I had today with the support of Donny, Joan and Miss P., plus 23 other cyclists.  The weather was perfect for our ride that included Buffalo, Croy, Redwood Retreat,  a somewhat steep 1.1 miles of Mt. Madonna (off Redwood), and sections of Gilroy and Morgan Hill. Miss P and I endured over 20 miles of headwinds on the return.  Let me tell you, headwinds are nothing compared to hot flashes and night sweats.  You got that right, Mister.  The Alpaca were lovely but I did not capture them as I wished.   They came up close to us and flirted wildly in a most adorable way.

Just the Stats:

68.29 miles
29 mph descent
11.5 mph avg
5 hr 55 min

Solvang Again

Sunday, May 20 - Wednesday, May 23

The remainder of our biking holiday was once again spent in Solvang.  I've written blog posts of previous trips in past years.   The BF tackled Figuero Mtn while I slept in.  I met up with him later in the day.  He had an accident and bruised his hip and thigh area but otherwise was okay.  While he attended to himself back at the hotel, I decided to continue on alone, doing a portion of the ride he had done earlier that morning.


Me:  Ring Ring
The BF:  Room Service
Me:  #@!!%
The BF:  What's that you say, a rear tire flat?
Me:   #@!!%
The BF:  The Limo is on its way.
Me:  Cocktails would be appreciated.
The BF:  Of course.

Tuesday was spent doing a 60 mile route of which the first 28 miles were a mix of headwinds and crosswinds.  Can't really see but somewhere in the photo is me, alas not with a cocktail in hand.  I hit 37 mph on a descent, which is a first for me.  The BF managed 44 mph.

Wednesday, we did 44 miles, once again being assaulted by headwinds for the first 25 miles.  Excellent workout though.  It was so nice to spend a few days leading a simple life, mainly that of biking, eating, sleeping.  And the occasional cocktail, and firemen....

Day of - Stage 7 Amgen TOC

 Saturday, May 19th

Photo above:  Here's what the end of the stage looks like -- The BF shot the pic yesterday.  As we climbed, many men and women said hi to me and commented on my outfit and my bicycle, much to the dismay of The BF.  hee hee hee.  Emergency vehicles shot past us, bellowing their sirens. 

Oh my Gosh, here they come ... and go.  It was a tricky corner and some of the later cyclists overshot it.

The BF and I followed the stage route once the cyclists left.  Time to laugh hysterically:  by the time we completed a portion of the circuit, the pros had already done their loop and finished at the top.  Yes, that is me, in the photo.

 No one else thought to do as we did, follow the stage, and once again, we had the mountain to ourselves.

This side of the mountain reminded me of our Provence trip, specifically Gorges du Verdon.  Today, I biked 36.78 miles, descending  32.5 mph and an avg of 10 mph, in 3 hrs. 38 min.  It was wonderful to watch the stage and experience Mt. Baldy.