WE DID IT

WE DID IT... WE FINISHED OUR FIRST CENTURY. IT WAS A CHALLENGING RIDE DUE TO THE WIND BUT TEAM IN TRAINING HAD US READY... EVERYBODY WAS SMILING AT THE END OF THE RIDE AND NOBODY DROPPED OUT.... WE HEARD RUMOR THAT THE RIDE HAD A 25% DROP RATE.. SO WE WERE HAPPY TO NOT BE PART OF THAT....DID YOU NOTICE THE TROLLEY ON TOP OF THE HELMETS... THAT WAS TO IDENTIFY US AS THE SAN FRANCISCO TEAM... TEAM IN TRAINING HAD A TEXAS TEAM AND A LOS ANGELES TEAM THERE ALSO... THEY HAD THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN AND SOME COWBOY HATS.. IT WAS A CONVERSATION STARTER ON THE RIDE

IF YOU LOOK CLOSE AT MY FINGER NAILS YOU WILL SEE THAT THEY ARE PURPLE... TEAM IN TRAINING COLORS.... HEATHER AND THE GIRLS HAD FUN AT DINNER THE NITE BEFORE THE RIDE..ANOTHER CONVERSATION STARTER....






THANKS TO AMY AND CHRIS WE HAD ALL THE KIDS OUT THERE AS OUR VERY OWN CHEERING SECTION.. AND THE PICTURES FROM THE ROAD WERE AMY AND CHRIS DRIVING THE COURSE TRYING TO FIND US... IT WAS COOL AND A SPIRIT LIFTER TO SEE THEM FOR SURE....

HEATHER'S TEAM COMING INTO THE FINISH


NOTICE ALL THE BIG SMILES.....

THE PARTY AFTER THE RIDE.....THEY LOOK HOTT FOR JUST RIDING 100 MILES ONLY A FEW HOURS EARLIER

AND MY FAVORITE PART OF THE WHOLE THING... A KISS FROM COACH WAYNE...I LOVE THAT GUY

A QUICK STOP AT THE BEACH ON OUR WAY TO DISNEYLAND AFTER THE BIG RIDE....
CHECK BACK TO SEE OUR PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON... WE ARE FIGURING OUT FUTURE WITH TEAM IN TRAINING...WE MIGHT BE MENTORS... AND WE HAVE SOME MORE CENTURIES PLANNED AND I'M GOING TO HIT A FEW RACES AND CRITS..... WE WILL SEE HOW THAT GOES...LOL I HAVE TO CHECK THE OTHER 2 CAMERAS MIGHT HAVE A FEW MORE PICTURES TO POST

ITS FINALLY HERE

SOLVANG HERE WE COME.....
THE TIME IS FINALLY HERE.... WE ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF DAYS AWAY FROM THE BIG RIDE...
WE ARE LEAVING FRIDAY MARCH 12TH... THE KIDS ARE GOING TO SCHOOL JUST TO TAKE ROLL.. AND WE ARE HITTING THE ROAD BY 9. WE ARE HOPING TO BE IN SOLVANG BY 3 FOR A SHAKE DOWN RIDE WITH THE GROUP. THEN TEAM IN TRAINING IS HAVING A DINNER. A GOOD NITE SLEEP AND START THE RIDE BRIGHT AND EARLY SAT MORNING. MARCH 13.
IT'S WED NITE AND I'M WAITING FOR BROOKE TO GET OUT OF SWIMMING SO I CAN GET HOME AND FINISH PREPPING THE BIKES. HEATHER'S BIKE IS ON THE STAND NOW. IF I GET HER'S DONE TONIGHT I CAN DO MINES AFTER WORK THUR AND START PACKING.... OUR LIVES ARE SO CRAZY. WITH WORK AND RUNNING THE KID'S AROUND... UGGGGGHHHHH BUT SOMEHOW IT ALL GETS DONE.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT THROUGHOUT OUR ADVENTURE. WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT ALL THE HELP FROM OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. CHECK BACK FOR THE POST ABOUT THE RIDE. WISH US LUCK

MORGAN TERRITORY AND DIABLO

LAST WEEK I DIDN'T FINISH MY BLOG... SOMETIMES LIFE GETS IN THE WAY OF THE FUN STUFF..
BUT I DO WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO 2 GIRLS ON OUR TEAM THAT REALLY IMPRESSED ME LAST WEEK WHEN WE RODE IN HALF MOON BAY.. IT WAS A TUFF RIDE WITH ALOT OF CLIMBING AND THEY DID GREAT. KATHY CLIMBED SIDE BY SIDE WITH ME ALL DAY.. I HAD TO MAN UP AND BEAT HER TO THE SUMMIT OF EACH CLIMB... NOT SAYING THAT SHE COULDN'T HAVE BEAT ME.. SHE PROBABLY WASN'T TRYING... LOL AND MARY WAS RIGHT BEHIND US ALL DAY... KUDOS TO YOU GALS.

OK NOW TO THIS WEEK... THE MORGAN TERRITORY DIABLO LOOP WAS ALSO A TUFF RIDE. SHORTER THAN THE HALF MOON BAY RIDE.. BUT MORE CLIMBING... 65 MILES WITH 6800 FEET OF CLIMBING.
THE DESCENT INTO LIVERMORE FROM TOP OF MORGAN TERRITORY WAS GREAT... FAST AND SMOOTH.. I THINK I HEARD PEOPLE CALL THIS THE PLUNGE.... I HEARD SOME OF THE TEAM WANTING TO CLIMB BACK UP JUST TO DO THE DESCENT AGAIN... THAT'S A LIL CRAZY BUT IT WAS FUN. OUR TEAM STARTED OUT BIG BUT FINSIHED SMALL.. 11 TURNED INTO 6 AND 5 BECAUSE OF 2 FLATS IN A BLOCK OF EACH OTHER... THEN ANOTHER FLAT AND THEN A RIDER SWITCHING GROUPS THEN LAST DROP WAS A RIDER THAT DIDN'T GO TO THE SUMMIT. SO 11 TURNED INTO 3 GOING TO THE SUMMIT.
WE MET HEATHER'S GROUP AT THE RANGER STATION AT THE JUNCTION AND ABOUT 7 OF US, A MIXTURE OF 2 TEAMS CLIMBED TO THE SUMMIT. SO THIS WEEK I HAVE TO BRAG ON MY WIFE HEATHER.. SHE CLIMBED HER BUTT OFF. ME AND MY CLIMBING PARTNER THE SKINNY KID DROPPED HER ABOUT A MILE IN .. AND THEN ABOUT 1/4 MILE FROM THE WALL SHE REELED US IN AND PASSED US... WOW.. I WAS IMPRESSED.. BUT YES I DID BEAT HER AND THE SKINNY KID UP THE WALL...
BUT THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE RIDE FOR ME WAS WATCHING THE JOY THE OTHER RIDERS HAD WHEN MAKING IT TO THE SUMMIT FOR THE FIRST TIME... IT WAS GREAT WATCHING THEM CELEBRATE...I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO STOP THINKING ABOUT IT SINCE... OK THAT'S IT .. FOR THIS WEEK...
WE ARE READY FOR SOLVANG.. OUR FIRST CENTURY... NEXT WEEKEND..... CANT WAIT.....BUT WE DON'T WANT THIS ADVENTURE TO END....BUT WE THINK WE HAVE MADE SOME LASTING FRIENDSHIPS.. JUST LIKE COACH WAYNE SAID WE WOULD SOME 14 WEEKS AGO AT THE KICK OFF RALLY. WE ARE EVEN PLANNING MONTHLY RIDES AND A 200 MILE SEATTLE TO PORTLAND RIDE WITH A COUPLE OF THE GUYS..

OH AND THE COW BELL.. OUR SAG HAD A COW BELL AND WAS RINGING IT ALL THE WAY UP THE CLIMBS.... IT WAS GREAT .. REALLY MOTIVATING.....LOL

70+ MILE HALF MOON BAY RIDE

THE RAIN GODS SMILED UPON US SAT. FOR OUR HALF MOON BAY RIDE WITH TEAM IN TRAINING.
I WATCHED THE WEATHER REPORT ALL WEEK AND IT SAID RAIN UNTIL THURS. IT CHANGED IN OUR FAVOR. NO RAIN BUT WAS CHILLY AT 8 AM WHEN WE STARTED THE RIDE. I DRESSED WRONG. I WORE THE WRONG GLOVES AND A WINDBREAKER. THE GLOVES HAD TO COME OFF WAY TOO HOT AND THE WINDBREAKER STAYED ON BUT I HAD A NICE SWEAT GOING ON AND GOT CHILLED EVERY TIME WE STOPPED AND HAD TO CHANGE QUICK WHEN WE GOT BACK TO THE CAR. I STILL LEARN SOMETHING EVERY TIME I GO OUT. HERE IS A LINK TO MY GARMIN UPLOAD
HALF MOON BAY GARMIN UPLOAD
I FEEL THIS WAS OUR MOST CHALLENGING RIDE SO FAR. IT WAS 70 MILES WITH 6K FEET OF CLIMBING. SOLVANG IS 103 MILES WITH 5.5K OF CLIMBING... SO I FEEL WE ARE GOING TO BE READY FOR OUR FIRST CENTURY IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
OUR RIDE IN HALF MOON BAY WAS BEAUTIFUL. SCENERY, ROADS, AND CLIMBS. HEATHER'S GROUP TOOK MORE PICS THAN WE DID. I'M THE ONLY NERD WITH A CAMERA IN MY GROUP. I'M TOO BUSY TRYING TO BE FAST WITH THE OTHER GUYS TO TAKE OUT MY CAMERA AND BE A TOURIST. BUT I DID GET A COUPLE LIKE THIS ONE OF MY BIKE GETTING FRIENDLY WITH THE CUTE GUY'S FELT.
TEAM IN TRAINING DOES A GOOD JOB OF FINDING ROADS THAT ARE GREAT FOR RIDING. ONCE WE GOT OFF HWY.1 WE WERE ON ROADS THAT FELT LIKE A BIKE PATH. NO CARS AND WE COULD RIDE SIDE BY SIDE AND TALK, I HATE WHEN WE HAVE TO RIDE SINGLE FILE. I GET YELLED AT ALOT FOR ALWAYS TRYING TO RIDE DOUBLE WHEN IT REALLY SHOULD BE SINGLE FILE... I DON'T LIKE RULES SOMETIMES. GOT TO RUN WILL FINISH POST LATER..

GREAT FUNDRAISER

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO OUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, TEAM IN TRAINING PARTICIPANTS, LOARD'S ICE CREAM CUSTOMERS, AND THE BRENTWOOD COMMUNITY FOR MAKING OUR FUNDRAISER A SUCCESS. WE HIT OUR GOAL, THE FUNDRAISER MADE MORE THAN WE EXPECTED FOR A ONE DAY 4 HOUR EVENT ON A HOLIDAY WHEN PEOPLE WERE OUT OF TOWN. WE HAD RAFFLE PRIZES THAT WERE DONATED FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES, A 50/50 RAFFLE, PRIZE WHEEL, FACE PAINTING, VENDORS THAT DONATED BACK TO LLS, GLITTER TATTOOS, AND ICE CREAM. WE SOLD RAFFLE TICKETS TO OUR TEAM AT THE SATURDAY COACHED RIDE, WE WERE HOPING THAT ONE OF THEM WOULD WIN THE 50/50 RAFFLE SO THEY COULD ADD THE MONEY TO THEIR FUNDRAISING BUT NO LUCK, MY LUCKY BOSS AT FEDEX WON. HE ALSO WON 2 QUARTERS OF OUR SUPER BOWL POOL FOR A CURE. IT'S SUCH A RELIEF TO HAVE ALL OUR FUNDRAISING DONE. ONE LESS THING ON OUR PLATE SO WE CAN CONCENTRATE ON OUR TRAINING AND GETTING OUR HOUSE BACK IN ORDER. WHAT A MESS..SORRY NO PICTURE OF THAT...LOL
WE HAVE BEEN HAVING SOME GREAT RIDES. WE DID A 50 MILE BUDDY RIDE WITH OUR TEAM IN TRAINING FRIENDS TO CALAVERAS RES. LAST SUNDAY... BEAUTIFUL..BUT I DIDN'T TAKE ANY PICTURES...I WAS TOO BUSY TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THESE TWO FAST GUYS...
THIS LAST SATURDAY WE HAD A COACHED RIDE WITH TEAM IN TRAINING IN LIVERMORE. WE GOT IN 70 MILES SO WE CAN SAY WE DID A METRIC CENTURY NOW. EVERYBODY WAS FEELING GREAT AT THE END OF THE RIDE THAT I TALKED TO. I FELT REALLY GOOD... I DIDN'T DO THAT MANY MILES DURING THE WEEK SO I WAS REALLY FRESH. I WAS ABLE TO RIDE WITH COACH WAYNE. I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THAT, I LOOK UP TO COACH WAYNE. I'M GLAD I WAS HAVING A GOOD DAY SO I FELT I COULD KEEP UP WITH HIM. THE WILD ONES WERE ACTUALLY RIDING LIKE THE WILD ONES ON SATURDAY. WE WERE NOT THE STOP AND GOES AT ALL. WE ONLY HAD ONE UNSCHEDULED BATHROOM STOP. NO FLAT TIRES OR EXTRA BATHROOM STOPS. WE HAD A NICE FAST PACELINE GOING AND DID OUR NORMAL CLIMB AT YOUR OWN PACE AND MEET AT THE TOP.
HEATHER HAD A GREAT RIDE ALSO. SHE LOOKS SO HAPPY WHEN SHE IS RIDING WITH THE GROUP. HEATHER IS TRAINING REALLY HARD, AND LISTENING TO ALL THE TIPS THAT SHE IS GETTING FROM ME AND THE BRENTWOOD BIKE CLUB. I SAW HEATHER DESCENDING FROM THE FALSE SUMMIT ON CALAVARAS, SHE LOOKED FAST AND WAS YELLING OUT GO TEAM TO EVERYBODY AS SHE WAS RIPPING DOWN THE HILL.... NO PICTURES OF THE THAT EITHER. I WAS TOO BUSY TRYING TO STAY WITH THE GUYS THAT USUALLY OUT CLIMB ME.
WHEN I GOT TO THE FALSE SUMMIT I WAS ABLE TO MESS WITH MY BUDDY GARY WHO WAS SAG WHILE HE LET HIS KNEE HEAL. HE WILL BE RIDING WITH US NEXT WEEK FOR OUR LONGEST RIDE OF THE TRAINING IN HALF MOON BAY.
I ACTUALLY CONVINCED GARY TO FEED ME POTATOES BECAUSE MY GLOVES WERE ON. I CAN'T BELIEVE NOBODY GOT A PICTURE OF THAT. I WAS LAUGHING SO HARD, AND HE DID A GREAT JOB COOKING THOSE POTATOES BY THE WAY.
I KNOW IT'S NOT A RACE AND THAT'S NOT WHAT WE ARE DOING THIS FOR.. BUT IT FELT REALLY GOOD TO PASS JIM'S HAREM FINALLY.... MUSTANG SALLY LOVES TO POKE FUN AT US BECAUSE THEY BEAT US BACK ALL THE TIME... WHEN WE PASSED I WAS LEADING MY GROUP AND I ROLLED REALLY CLOSE TO HER AND BLEW HER A BIG KISS AS WE SAILED BY THEM. A GREAT MOMENT FOR ME LOL. THE KID IN OUR GROUP DROPPED HIS CHAIN OFF THE BIG RING... I NOTICED WE DROPPED HIM, LET THE GROUP KNOW I WAS GOING BACK.. GOT HIM AND WE CAUGHT BACK UP TO THE GROUP AS THEY SOFT PEDALED FOR US.. AGAIN NO STOPPING THIS WEEK. THE KID ALSO HAD HIS KNEE BOTHER HIM ON THE CLIMB TO THE FALSE SUMMIT. HE USUALLY CLIMBS WITH ME BUT TODAY HE FELL BACK SO I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. HE PUSHED THROUGH THE PAIN AND TOOK IT EASY FOR SOME MILES AND FELT GOOD ON THE SECOND HALF OF THE RIDE AND WAS BACK UP TO SPEED ALL THE WAY TO THE FINISH. AT THE END HE JUMPED INTO SOME HOT LOOKING PJS.. NO WONDER HE CLIMBS GOOD LOOK HOW SKINNY HE IS... LOL
WE HAD ONE PROBLEM ON OUR RIDE THAT FORCED A STOP AND SOME TEMPERS TO FLAIR.. AND OF COURSE I WAS INVLOLVED.. DAMN I HATE WHEN I'M INVOLVED....SO HERE IS MY SIDE OF THE STORY.... WE WERE ABOUT 50 MILES INTO OUR RIDE AND JUST ABOUT TO GET TO OUR 2ND AND LAST SAG STOP. I WAS LEADING THE GROUP AND WAS LOOKING AT THE MAP.. ON A NICE BIG BIKE LANE ON CROW CANYON I BELIEVE... WELL I PASSED A PINE CONE AND DIDN'T SEE IT BECAUSE I WAS DOING THE MAP THING... WELL THE GUY BEHIND ME DIDN'T SEE IT AND DIDN'T MISS IT .. AND WOUND UP CRASHING INTO THE BUSHES...I HEARD THE COMOTION BEHIND ME AND SAW THE ACCIDENT.. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS MAYBE HE CROSSED WHEELS WITH ME AND I DIDN'T HOLD MY LINE AND HE WENT DOWN... BECAUSE AGAIN I NEVER SAW THE PINE CONE... WHEN I GOT BACK TO HIM AS HE CLIMBED OUT OF THE BUSHES... AND CHECKED HIMSELF AND THE BIKE.. I FELT A LIL HAUSTILITY TOWARDS ME AND HE WAS IRRITATED CUZ I DIDN'T CALL OUT THE CONE I DIDN'T SEE.... SO NOW I'M HOTT BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE BEING TALKED TO LIKE THAT.. SO I'M NOT PROUD OF IT BUT I WAS READY TO FIGHT AND HAD A LIL SMART MOUTH GOING. FOR YOU THAT DON'T KNOW ME, I GO FROM ZERO TO 100... AND NOW THE WAY I'M WIRED I FELT THAT EVERYTHING THIS GUYS WAS SAYING TO ME AND TO OTHERS WAS ABOUT ME AND HOW I MESSED UP AND BLAH BLAH BLAH... SO I WASN'T HAPPY THE REST OF THE RIDE...AND IT ALL COULD HAVE BEEN IN MY HEAD... AND PROBALLY WAS.. BUT I RODE MAD THE REST OF THE TRIP AND ROAD OUT IN FRONT AND IT FELT GOOD... I FELT FAST AND STRONG... AGAIN COULD OF ALL BEEN IN MY HEAD... BUT I DON'T THINK SO... LOL... AT THE END OF THE RIDE I HEARD ALOT OF TALK ABOUT A HEAD WIND...I FELT NOTHING....
I'M GOINGT TO CHALK IT UP TO A GUY WHO WAS MAD CUZ HE WENT DOWN AND ANOTHER HOT HEAD NOT WANTING TO BE TOLD HE DID SOMETHING WRONG... WE ALL SHOOK HANDS AT THE END OF THE RIDE AND SAID SEE YA NEXT WEEK SO IT'S ALL GOOD... BUT I WILL BE STRONG AGAIN NEXT WEEK.. IT FELT GOOD RIDING MAD AND BEING IN FRONT... PSYCHO SANTOS OUT....SORRY SOMEBODY GAVE ME THAT NAME FROM THE TEAM ...SO I NEED TO LIVE UP TO IT...LOL
OOPS ONE LAST THING... WE ATE LUNCH WITH LISA AND CRAZY MUSTANG SALLY... WOW SHE IS A MESS... BUT I GUESS THAT'S WHY WE LOVE HER AND I FEEL BLESSED TO HAVE MET HER THRU TEAM IN TRAINING... BUT SHE CLEANS UP GOOD .. SHE WAS AT OUR FUNDRAISER LOOKING HOT. HER HUSBAND IS A LUCKY MAN....LOVE YOU SALLY

LOARD'S ICE CREAM TEAM IN TRAINING FUNDRAISER

NOW THAT THE FLYER IS IN PRINT... IT MUST BE OFFICIAL.... SO COME ON OUT AND SUPPORT OUR TEAM IN TRAINING FUNDRAISER AND HAVE SOME ICE CREAM. MIKE WILL EVEN BE SCOOPING SOME ICE CREAM. SHOOT BRING YOUR BIKES AND PSYCHO SANTOS' CAN LEAD A QUICK RIDE UP TO LOS VAQUEROS DAM... IT'S A NICE LIL SHORT CLIMB LIKE THE WALL AT DIABLO AND PIG FARM

HEATHER AND MIKE'S LONGEST RIDE

Here is a link to our garmin info of this route garmin
Today was a buddy ride for Team in Training. That is less organized ride with no s.a.g.
This weeks long ride was scheduled to be 55 miles in Woodside. I heard it's really pretty and a good place to ride, but Heather had a baby shower to go to in Livermore at 1 pm. Not enuff time to ride and then make it back and get cleaned up to go. So we decided to start our ride from the house and our goal was 50 miles. I didn't map our route but guessed it to be 50 miles and if it was short I would cheat in a couple of laps around the lake in Discovery Bay. Well to our surprise we hit 50 miles about 10 miles from home so we were golden, didn't have to add any miles. The route was mostly flat but had a few rolling hills and one steep climb up to Black Diamond Mines. Similiar to the wall at Diablo and the climb to Los Vaqueros dam. It was nice to see Heather's improvements. Last time we did Black Diamond Mines, she stopped twice on the climb. Today we had about 40 miles in our legs already and she went to the top without stopping. With just one days rest after climbing to the summit of Diablo.

The day started off ruff. We stayed up late last night watching American Flyers, an old classic movie about cycle racing. It's a must see if your are into the sport. We had no kids for a change, so I didn't prep the bikes at all... woke up at 05:30 to change out all our tires and clean bikes and lube the chains. If you notice the pictures I got Heather some cool new red tires.. I figured since she climbed Mt. Diablo so good that she deserved to be on a good fast light tire. But guess what? My pump was in my lil box at Loard's in Brentwood. We had to call on Amy to bring us her pump to save me the trip to get mine. I hate it when I mess up and leave my car somewhere and stuff in it I need. "LOSER"
It was a beautiful day for a long bike ride. At 8 am it was perfect, no jackets needed just arm warmers and cycle tights. The tires felt great. Comfy and fast. I don't know how they can be both but they are... We decided to go with the Conti 4000.
Heather was having a hard time getting warmed up. Her leg was bothering her a lil bit, but pushed thru it and had a nice strong ride all the way to the end. We did the whole ride with only 2 outhouse breaks. One about 10 miles in.. I had to go, Heather never got off her bike, she just circled waiting for me. The second break was at the top of Black Diamond Mines. We both had to go there, after about 40 miles of riding.
On the way home we went through Empire Mines Road. It looks like it was a real road at one time that has been closed. It's a lil climb up to it and then a nice descent with a few turns and then flattens out. It is so much fun to just hammer on the flat part and take it to your threshold all the way to the end. It's only a few miles long. I was trying to hit 30 mph on the flat today but didn't get there all I saw was 28 on the computer. But I forgot a funny part. We passed a couple going the opposite direction and they yelled for us to be careful there was some mud down the road.. I thought a lil mud so what and kept on going.. WOW it was thick and sticky and slippery.. I'm glad we had a lil warning and didn't go blasting thru it. Heather's pretty little bike and new red tires looked like a cyclocross bike. Mud was caked on her brakes, she couldn't even roll, we had to clean it to proceed. This picture doesn't even do it justice.

Since we are getting ready for a 100 mile ride, we are trying to figure out how much to eat and drink and what works best for us. We heard a good rule of thumb is 100 calories per 10 miles. 60 miles 600 calories. So we went with
Hammer Heed electrolyte drink 100 cal
Hammer perpetuem drink endurance fuel 270 cal
Gu roctane ultra endurance energy gel 100 cal
Power bar honey roasted nut 240 cal
If we would have eaten it all 710 cal
I didn't eat my gel and Heather didn't eat her bar.
I consumed 610 and my garmin said I burned 4612 seems to high but sounds good
Heather consumed 470 and her computer said she burned 1994 cal.
so we both had some cal. left to eat. I'm going to stick with this combo till we pass the 65 mile mark. When we hit our 80 mile ride I'm going to add some real food like maybe some dried pineapple or a box of raisins. Trying to think of food that is easy to carry and not get all smashed up... I would love to try a pb&j sammich but I can imagine what that would look like after about 30 miles.
Ok here are our numbers.
61.69 miles ave 14.4 mph 4hours 15 min in saddle
Heather average heart rate was 150 max 188 (Black Diamond Mines climb)
and average cadence was 75
My numbers were average heart rate 120 max 173 and average cadence 74
I want to finish our first century in under 7 hours .. if today was our ride we would have finished in 6.9 hours.. so we are close...(can you tell I love numbers) We still have 6 weeks of training so we possibly could pick up some more speed, and pray for no flats or crashes, or chain breaks... Go Team.

OUR FIRST RIDE UP MT. DIABLO

here is a link to our Diablo ride per garmin garmin
WE TOOK OUR FIRST RIDE UP MT. DIABLO TODAY. WE HAD TO ASK ALOT OF FAVORS OF PEOPLE TO GET A MID WEEK RIDE IN. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR HELP... WE HAD KIDS EVERYWHERE, AND OUR WORKERS COVERED FOR HEATHER AT LOARDS. I TOOK THE BIKES TO WORK WITH ME AND MET HEATHER AT SPORTS BASEMENT IN WALNUT CREEK.THE GUYS AT WORK HAD TO MAKE FUN OF THE FACT THAT THE BIKES ARE WORTH MORE THAN THE CAR I HAULED THEM AROUND WITH... MY BOX IS SO COOL THAT CAN'T EVEN HANDLE IT...LOL. WE USED SPORTS BASEMENT'S PARKING LOT TO START OUR RIDE. WE TOOK IT EASY UP THE HILL BECAUSE WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. SOME PEOPLE SAY ITS EASY SOME PEOPLE SAY YOUR AREN'T READY SOME PEOPLE SAY WATCH OUT FOR THE WALL... ALL I CAN SAY, I FELT LIKE I GOT A GOOD WORK OUT IN... I FEEL MY LEGS RIGHT NOW AS I'M TYPING...WE MET SOME NICE PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY... AT THE RANGER STATION.. A COUPLE GUYS REALLY ENCOURAGED US.THEY SEEMED IMPRESSED WE WERE GOING TO THE SUMMIT ON OUR FIRST TIME ON THE MT. AND THEN WE GOT PASSED BY 3 GUYS AND THEN WE CAUGHT BACK UP WITH THEM AND RODE THE LAST 2 MILES OR SO WITH THEM. YOU KNOW HOW HEATHER IS .. SHE DOESN'T LIKE TO GET PASSED. HIM AND HEATHER TALKED ALL THE WAY UP.. HE HAS A COUPLE OF KIDS AND RODE UP TO THE SNOW TOWING HIS 6 YEAR OLD ON A TRAILER BIKE... GREAT PICS OF IT SNOWING ON THEM.. HARDCORE..HIS BLOG IS http://cycling-through.blogspot.com/ I JUST WENT TO HIS BLOG.. HE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT MEETING US ON HIS... VERY COOL GUY... WE HAVE MET SO MANY COOL PEOPLE IN OUR SHORT TIME IN THIS SPORT.. HE WAS TELLING US GOING UP THE HILL THAT HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE LIKES MORE.. THE RIDE UP THE MT. OR MEETING AND TALKING WITH PEOPLE... I CAN'T WAIT TO DO THE RIDE AGAIN.. I WOULD LIKE TO DO IT FASTER NEXT TIME...MAYBE I'LL TRY TO DO THIS RIDE ONCE A MONTH...
AND I HAVE TO SAY HOW IMPRESSED WITH HEATHER I AM. SHE HAS IMPROVED SO MUCH IN SUCH A SHORT TIME... SHE RODE AWESOME TODAY... GO HEATHER... SHE KEEPS ME ON MY TOES.. CUZ MIKE SANTOS WILL NOT GET OUT CLIMBED BY HIS WIFE...LOL...

50 MILE PINEHURST SKYLINE 3 BEARS LOOP

I like my new Team in Training cycle cap. I wore it all day like a little kid. One of our team members made these to sell for their fundraiser. Great idea
This was our longest ride with Team In Training so far. We did two loops, Pinehurst loop and 3 Bears loop the opposite way we did it last time. The ride was 50 miles with 4k feet of climbing. We started at Orinda Bart. Nobody could believe how wet it was. We all expected it to be dry, but it rained all the way until we got out of the cars, then it was fine for the whole ride. The ground was still wet, so we were wet and dirty anyhow. The scenery was beautiful. Team In Training has taken us to some great places to ride.
This ride was full of craziness. Just about anything that could go wrong did go wrong.
1st off we had a rider turn back on the first climb because his knee was hurting him. We were like 10 miles into the ride and he knew it wasn't going to happen, so he did the smart thing and turned back instead of hurting it worse.
2nd I had a blow out on my brand new tires... we were descending a hill, going around 30 miles an hour, bang instant flat front tire. Thoughts of crashing were running through my head. All I was thinking was, you crash when this happens, period. Thank God that didn't happen. It was totally controllable, pulled over to the side, did a quick tire change and on the road we went.
3rd another rider got a flat. I went back to help. Had my bike upside down while working on other bike, bang my sidewall blew out. Second flat on my front tire. Now I had a big gash in my sidewall, and our tire boot was not working so onto the sag car my bike went. Off to the the bike store to get a tire we went. Just like Heather, last time we road the 3 bears. I love our sag drivers. They are great. We were able to find a tire and rejoin my group before we climbed the 3 bears. So I didn't miss any climbing just about 10 miles of flat.
It made me feel real good when I rejoined the team because they were all happy to have me back. Clapping and hooting, and it wasn't the same without you is what I heard as I got Sammy off the rack.
4th after I hooked back up with my team I found out another rider dropped because she wasn't feeling good. It's been a long and cold training season for us so far. One of my biggest concerns is staying healthy through this whole training period.
5th Another rider and I were riding side by side talking and he crossed wheels with another rider and down he went. I call this guy the kid, even though he is 30 years old. He went down very gracefully and instantly said I'm ok. So I started laughing. I think that was our teams first crash.
6th and most crazy. Right after our last sag stop we started to climb the 3 bears as I heard a noise behind me. It was one of our riders crashing and laying face down in the gutter. I call this guy powerstroke cuz he is big and powerful and just goes and goes. When I looked back I could laugh because he was moving, just laying there face down. SO as we turned around to help two other riders kinda hit each other and would up on the ground and in the gutter. The cutest guy on our calls this crash a sympathy crash. Well powerstroke rolled over and said his knee hurt. A really nice lady in a pickup truck stopped to make sure all was good as powerstroke jumped up and started hopping around in pain. We talked him into putting the bike in her truck and skipping the 3 bear climb. Thank you nice lady, it's nice to know there still are some nice people out there.
7th I felt pretty good climbing the 3 bears and was sitting on our best climbers wheel until he decided it was time10to let me know he was our king of the mountains. He dropped me like a bad habit. I got my ass handed to me. But at least it was only one person. Even though we are not racing and he has more experience than me and is in better shape, I WAS NOT HAPPY about this. I'm going to take my diet and training a little more serious now. I really don't like getting dropped like that on climbs.
8th I did my first pee in the bushes on a ride.
9th after a quick 3 mile ride back to Bart Me and the cute guy had a lil playful sprint through the parking lot to the cars. I won and had to throw up my arms like an idiot, like I just won a stage in race. It was all a show for Heather and her group because they were cheering us on.
10th the cute guy told me at the car he thinks he has a hairline fracture in his wrist from the sympathy fall.
All this was just in our 10 person group. I don't know what happened in the 4 other groups.
Heather sounded like she had a strong uneventful ride except for her first flat. She was happy that she changed it basically all by herself without much help from any men.
It was great... when we got home from our ride we were greeted with the coolest double rainbow we have ever seen.

TEAM IN TRAINING BUDDY RIDE DANVILLE

We had a great buddy ride with Team in Training sat. starting in Danville. The route was 47.5 miles but I'm going to call it 50 miles because that sounds way better, and it's half of what we are going to ride in Solvang. Since it was a buddy ride we didn't have to ride in our normal ride groups. This was cool because Heather was able to tag along with the Wild Ones. I felt she was a great addition to our group. She had a nice strong ride. I really enjoy riding with Heather because I can see her improve every time we ride. After our rides we always talk about the ride, what went right and what went wrong. Heather always works on what went wrong and becomes a lil better cyclist every group ride.
The ride started out foggy, but that didn't slow us down, we had a nice pace going until I had a flat tire on a narrow road. We waited for a driveway to pull into so we could change the tire safely. As we were changing the tire we were passed by another group. That doesn't make us happy. The route was fun for me because it's the back roads I take to get to Vasco when 580 is backed up. So we passed the other group after we got rolling and made a bathroom stop. Got passed by the group again. Passed them on the road, made another bathroom stop, got passed by the other group, passed the other group, we got another flat tire, got passed by the other group, passed them again on a nice gradual incline. DO YOU SEE A PATTERN HERE. SO OUR NEW NAME IS TEAM STOP AND GO. WE NEED TO WORK ON THIS. I THINK WE WILL HAVE TO PUNISH THE OTHER TEAMS NEXT SATURDAY AND MAKE THEM EAT THEIR WORDS. I was telling the other teams we were doing interval training.

But the other teams were talking about how good we looked pacelining and I was happy how we rode as a team. By the time Solvang comes we will be really strong I'm sure.

I was happy about 3 things that happened today. 1) I was able to ride with Heather
2) Everybody I talked to after the ride said they could have gone farther.
3) We all had a really good time after the ride in the parking lot
Mustang Sally was doing this crazy dance, asking me how I like looking at the back of her the whole ride. If I didn't love Sally so much I would have grabbed her and put her into a choke hold until she tapped out or passed out. Here are some pictures of my favorite Sally in the world.


Oh I forgot, We had a huge group of racers pass us. It was awesome to see. That was the closest I've been to a peloton. I so wanted to jump on their wheel and see how long I could hang with them...I hope to be able to do that soon. Sorry no pictures of that. I wish I had my camera ready.
Ok that's it for this post, but enjoy these random pictures I was taking of the group today.