Duke It Out Fellas

Cue symphonic crescendo and wail along with Eric Carmen's All by Myself. Oh wait, there's a herd of male cyclists coming towards me ... Hello. But the bike ride, the firemen and all the others became incidental, irrelevant when I came upon the two peacock dueling it out on Montebello!

Given my fertile imagination, I naturally believed they were dueling over a peahen. My, what fine plumage....

Oh oh. After circling one another for quite some time, one took flight and went in for the kill. "You stay away from my peahen, you hear me!"

"Say Wilbur." "Yes, Alfred?" "Fancy taking a little break?" "Oh I say, a rest in the shaded trees sounds splendid." "I suppose we can resume the show for the humans later." Alas, their time out meant it was time for me to go my merry way. Adieu peafowl!

Satisfaction Guaranteed

I can't get no satisfaction

I can't get no hilly action

And I try, and I try (well, not really)

But thanks to Miss P and Dr. G

For mapping out a hilly club ride

One that was sure to satisfy

Old La Honda, Bear Gulch West, Skyline, Sand Hill Road and lots of stuff inbetween (Kings Mtn, Alpine, Arastradero, Portola, Whiskey Hill, Foothill). Up, down, all around. We were blessed with a cloudless sky and pleasant temperatures. And a great gang of riders, too.

2 years ago, I did Old La Honda for a LKHC with a time of 34 minutes. Today, I did it in 37 minutes. Still, I'm pleased because it seemed effortless on the Specialized Ruby Elite. A few years ago, I bombed on Bear Gulch West. This time, while it was still difficult, I stayed on the bike. I enjoyed the descents as well, feeling confident on the bike. I also enjoyed the motorcyclists at the Skylonda Store parking lot....

Just the Stats:

46.63 miles

30 mph descent

10.8 avg mph

4 hr 18 m

Pedaling to Pleasanton

Another fantastic club ride from Milpitas to downtown Pleasanton via Old Calaveras, Calaveras and Sunol led by the dynamic duo of Miss P and Dr G! About the train, we'll get to that momentarily.

In another life, I once had friends who lived in Pleasanton. Their wedding reception, held at Wente Vineyards, still holds the title of Best Ever reception. The Bachelorette party involving the Chippendale men ranks high in my youthful indiscretions. Perhaps that is where my fondness for firemen took hold. But, I digress. As The Boyfriend (away for the rest of the month on a business trip) said to me throughout the week, "Focus Woman, focus on the biking."

Now about that train. What a thrill. We were already assaulted somewhat by a windy day and the train barreling through caused quite the uproar. The power needed for such a ride, the swelling of the engine, the blast of wind ... I practically had an -- oh wait, I digress. As The Boyfriend would say, "Focus Woman, focus on the biking."

Note to The Boyfriend who believes that I make things up about the men I encounter: Dr. G bore witness to the motorcyclist who waved to me and the male cyclists who checked up on me when Dr. G and I stopped briefly. Which reminds me, earlier in the week, the elevator repairman at work, desired to give me a hug for some reason. Really, I can not be responsible for the behaviors of others when they cross my path. But I digress. As The Boyfriend often says, "Focus Woman, focus on the biking."

While waiting for the others to catch up to us, Miss P, Dr. G and I watched a cow pee, another cow poo, and another cow carry two birds on its back. As Dr. G said, "And that concludes our nature program." Thank you Dr. G for riding with me.

Towards the end, Miss P. clobbered me on a descent (her speciality -- descents not clobbering me) but I felt much more stable and confident in my abilities to take on rollers and descents.

Just the Stats:

47.5 miles
3000 ft or so of climbing
10.6 avg mph
26 mph on descent
4 hr 28 min

Wild and Wet

Finally a break in the stormy weather sweeping the Bay Area; off I went on my bike at an early hour and close to home, still wary of a possible thunderstorm or two. I was greeted by blue skies and lots of of runners, of the male variety. Testosterone in motion and lots of it. My kind of day. The Boyfriend was once a serious runner. Now he chases after me ....

The weather held for my outing but the trail was full of puddles and mud. I and my hybrid got wet and dirty. Caked in mud. Bathing with the ducks was tempting. Goodbye to the wild weather and I look forward to drier days ahead!