The photo on the right shows us approaching the tree, from the west, while the photo on the left shows another cyclist exiting the other side. Like I said, this is one big tree!

Good thing the Tour of California wasn't coming through today (5/9/10). --Mike--
 

WHY WE RIDE #118
YOU DON'T HAVE TO PULL OVER TO ENJOY THE VIEW!
I've said it before, I'll say it again. Life goes by at exactly the right speed on a bike. This is just one more example, the view from Skyline Blvd (Highway 35), about a mile south of Sky Londa.

The cars have special scenic overlooks where they can pull over, turn off the engine, turn off (hopefully) the loud music, get out of their cars and enjoy the view, thankful that they can get in their car and drive to a place like this.

But on a bike, it's one continuous sweeping vista passing by at just the right speed. And it's not just the view that's spectacular, but also the experience of breathing air that hasn't been processed by a car's climate control system, and the sounds and feel of the gentle breezes through the grass and trees.

People travel many thousands of miles for spectacular views, roads with more bikes than cars, and the nearly-endless variety of routes that can be built using nearby roads. You just need to get out there and ride.

WHY WE RIDE #39

ARE YOU READY FOR "WINTER" DAYS LIKE THIS?
How easy it is to forget what a special area for cycling this is. People travel many thousands of miles for spectacular views, roads with more bikes than cars, and a near-endless variety of routes that can be built using nearby roads. This was the view on west-side Old LaHonda this past November 29th. At the far right you've got someone taking a photo of the faces carved into the hillside; on the left you have people who have stopped to admire the view of the coastal mountains and the Pacific Ocean beyond. All types of bikes too, including inexpensive hybrids & mountain bikes with kickstands. And my favorite thing in this picture? Shadows. Any day you can see your shadow is a great day to ride! What's keeping you from an experience like this?

Every ride is an adventure on a bike,   some more so than others. This photo is from a "more so than others" ride my son and I did during the Tour de France.

It started out like the typical everyday ride in France. A nice routine; wake up at a reasonable hour, check the map one more time to make sure the day's plan is going to work, and  ride to the nearest bakery for pastries & orange juice. Then head out from Albertville to Annecy, about 30 miles away, to watch the individual time trial and see if Lance has got a chance against Contador.

Afterward, we headed back to Albertville around the opposite side of the lake, catching up to a few pros who were returning to their team bus (how cool is that?). The weather began to turn nasty (hard rain but not too cold) but it doesn't matter, the adventure, the thousands of other cyclists, the different languages spoken (which, if you're a cyclist, is never an issue)... as they say, it's all good. Slightly downhill path for many miles, with a mild tailwind.

But you're not expecting to see lions & tigers & bears! In fact, you first ride right past them, replaying in your mind what you saw. Yes, right on the bike path, trailers filled with circus animals. I got maybe 200 meters down the road before putting on the brakes and telling Kevin we have to go back and check this out.
 

08/28/09- SO HOW DID YOUR DAY START? I'll admit to sometimes being a bit disenchanted with how many hours/week I have to work, and wonder if I'll ever have a 5-day workweek instead of 6+. It comes with the territory of owning a business. On the other hand, being able to ride on Tuesday & Thursday mornings, at a time when most would have to be at work, definitely helps offset that. How do you put a price on being able, twice a week, no matter what, to ride some of the most beautiful roads in the world? And that's what I've been able to do, for 30+ years now. Sure, it might not be good to figure out just how many thousands of times I've ridden that loop, and yet each time is different, each time there's something new to be seen.

Part is ritual; Tuesday & Thursday mornings I get up at precisely 7:05am, get dressed in my cycling clothes and then check the view from the kitchen window to see if I'll need leg warmers or a jacket. Make a bottle of Cytomax, unplug the Garmin computer from the USB port on my workstation, put a few dollar bills, Kaiser card, driver's license and credit card into a plastic baggie, and then a quick check of the computer for any emails telling me not to wait for a regular who can't make it (not that it would matter; at 7:45am on the dot we leave). At 7:30am I'm on my front porch getting on my shoes, gloves & helmet and inflating my tires, after a too-quick look to make sure there are no serious cuts & gashes, and at 7:35 I zero out my two bike computers (yes, two, I have both a Garmin and a Trek Incite 9i that has much bigger/easier to read numbers for speed) and head over Jefferson to the start. Within 30 seconds I have a good read from my legs, which either feel good or... not. And a couple minutes later I know if my heart is responding appropriately when I pour on the gas. That's probably the best indicator of how the ride is going to go. On a good day, my heart rate ramps up smoothly, almost on demand, as I push harder on the pedals. Everything in sync. On a not-so-good day, it's difficult to get the heart rate up, or when you do get it up, it doesn't want to come back down when you back off on the gas. That's the ritual.

But the ride up Kings, south on Skyline to 84, down the backside to west-side Old LaHonda, back up to Skyline and down 84 into Woodside... that's never ritual. Anywhere from 3 to 10 people show up for the ride, and how they feel affects the pacing and dynamics. And beyond that, even subtle changes in the weather (temperature, fog, breeze) all combine to make each ride unique. In fact, one of the ironies is that, the more times you do a ride, the more likely you will recognize the subtle things that make each ride different. Heading down 84 towards the coast, for example, you might have a 3mph tail wind if there's an offshore flow, or a 3mph headwind if it's a cooling breeze from the coast. 3mph. Not much. Could even be less than that, and yet it's plain as night & day to the veterans on our ride.

I've said before that the world goes by at just the right speed when you're on a bike. And every time I ride, whether I'm feeling great or not-so-hot, it's still the same. Each ride a unique experience, each ride something you can look back upon and say, well, at least I did something worthwhile today. Today, helping me with yet another unique and wonderful experience, were Billy, Kevin, Karl, Eric, Steve & Millo.

It's time to ride. Find a way to incorporate a few rides each week on a regular schedule, and make that ride a priority in your life. That reliable thing you look forward to, no matter what. It's always there for you, because you decided that's the way it's going to be. Don't overdo it. If you can reliably only get in one ride a week, then come up with a time for that one reliable ride. Don't pretend that you can ride four days a week and then end up missing a couple, and soon, most. Because soon you'll have no time at all for riding because so many things are able to bump it from your schedule. Like the Nike ad says, Just Do It. And then invite some others to join you. Extra motivation on those few days where you think about sleeping in, but then remember that there may be others out there depending on you to help make their day a little bit better too!
 

07/26/09- VENTOUX WAS UNREAL,

It's got to be one of the most-unreal experiences imaginable. The sun burns, but it's cold at the same time. The ride up is one of relentless steep grade, but when you ride it, you have a choice for how hard, and if or when to stop. What the races go through boggles the mind.

We planted ourselves almost directly across from the Tom Simpson memorial, seen in the left side of this photo. On the right we have the two brothers, Andy & Frank, with Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong firmly attached to their rear wheels. This was the last chance to rearrange the top-3 positions, but nobody cracked. In a couple days I'll have a chance to get pictures up from the various days we were there, including the finale in Paris. For now, it's 1:19am, got another early morning tomorrow, time to try and get some sleep after a shower to get rid of that icky feeling you get from being around too many people smoking. Yes, in France, people still smoke.

Oh, I should point out this photo was taken by my son, Kevin, not me. My pictures were all about the riders, and didn't quite catch the essence of Ventoux itself. Many cool photos of agonized & contorted faces & interesting reflections in sunglasses, but no wide shots showing what the mountain is really like --Mike--
 

05/17/09- WHY WE RIDE #36- BECAUSE THERE'S A NEW GENERATION TO TEACH THE JOYS OF CLIMBING!

And today's ride had a lot of "joy" to it. It was time to expand Kevin's (that's Kevin in the picture) universe to include roads & hills not in his back yard, so we set off for Scott's Valley and did a 50 mile ride with about 5700 ft of climbing, including the infamous Alba Road out of Ben Lomond and Mountain Charlie, a fun, twisty one-lane road the heads up to Skyline.

This was also the warmest day of the year, running 91 to 97 degrees (in the shade) for most of the ride. I'm sure many were sitting at home wishing they had air conditioning, but we were surprisingly comfortable riding. Yes, we drank a lot, and on the drive over 17 to Scotts Valley, we even hid a cooler, filled with ice & water bottles & Mountain Dew, at the top of the Mtn Charlie climb.

As we were enjoying our secret stash a couple other cyclists rode by who were very appreciative of our offer of ice cold water and Mountain Dew (we'd stashed more than we needed for just ourselves).

Next time you're planning a challenging ride, you might consider a strategically-located secret stash yourself. And definitely include more than you need, so you have something to share with other cyclists that might come by. --Mike--
 

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02/24/09- WHY WE RIDE #37- DON'T MISS A DAY!
The weatherfolk can say what they want about how we need the rain and how we're in a drought, but truth is, sometimes you just get tired of gray & drizzle (or even real live rain). And that's what makes days like this so memorable.

You go to bed not knowing what you're going to find in the morning, but you're hopeful. The weather report says to expect a day without rain, the first in several, but followed by... more rain.

But that's yesterday and tomorrow. This morning, the sun is shining! The roads are still a bit damp, but the air is incredibly clear, and the suns rays shining through the the tress is the stuff of postcards.

It's a ride I do every Tuesday & Thursday morning, no matter what the weather, and I'm beginning to understand what it means when they say "Don't miss a day." If it's not the sounds of the noisy creeks after a heavy rain, or spotting a couple of coyotes, or beautiful views of the coast, then it's the friends you're riding with. There's nothing that beats getting out on your bike.

WE CAME, WE LOBBIED, WE CONQUERED?

March 11-13th the League of American Bicyclists held its annual National Bike Summit in Washington DC. This is a very big deal; 550 cycling advocates and industry people (as a bike shop we're "industry") converging on Congress to make the US a more fun, more convenient and safer to ride bicycles. We promoted road projects that keep the needs of cyclists in mind, championed the rights of the cycling commuter, secured funds for recreational trails and supported programs that encourage kids to ride to school. Here's a link to the agenda.

How well we did will be told in the months ahead. The mood in DC was quite different from years past, and not just because a new administration is in power. In many of the offices we visited, they were already up-to-date on our mission and the specific bills which, to some extent, stole some of our thunder! But that's a lot better than pretending we don't exist, or don't have to be paid attention to. We're now a legit force in DC. The mission now is to follow up on the contacts we made and make sure that good talk and intentions actually amounts to something.

Regarding the question about whether we "conquered" or not, the visit with Feinstein's office brought us the nitty-gritty reality of the political world. Her aide explained that they could support one of our bills ("Clean-T", an effort to promote alternatives to fossil fuels for energy) if we could get the author of Clean-T to withdraw a bill on carbon caps & trades that they felt inferior to their own. That's how it works in a finely-tuned long-running powerful machine like Feinstein's. But please, don't let that get in the way of trying to make a difference with a phone call or email or letter to your representative in Congress. They do listen and you do make a difference. --Mike--

12/16/08- WHY WE RIDE #57
A couple days ago it was 35 and wet on Skyline. This morning? 34 degrees, snowing at times, ice & snow on the road. Just another routine Tuesday/Thursday-morning ride!

The phone call came at 7:09am from Kevin, one of the regulars for the morning ride. "You're not really riding this morning, are you?"

Let me see... it is Tuesday, and I ride on Tuesday mornings. Pretty much no-matter-what. So yes, I told him, I'll be there. Even if he wasn't. Which, of course, he'd have to be, if I was going to be there.

So I pile on all the clothing needed to stay warm (plus four separate lights) and hit the road, a bit slower than normal, but feeling better than I expected. And when I get to the start of the ride, there's not only Kevin, but also Chris (who would have been all alone had I agreed with Kevin to skip the ride).

It started out in a light rain, but as we moved higher up Kings Mtn, the drops started doing that funny slow-motion dance on the way down. Still rain, but not rain acting normally. Something that only a cyclist, riding up the hill at a speed just right to notice such things, would know about. And then, at the wide clearing about 2/3rds of the way up the hill, it snowed. Significant, real snow. By the time we got to the top it had pretty much stopped, but there was plenty enough on the ground and in the trees to make for a real-life winter wonderland.

Driving up to Skyline in a car, you'd never notice the subtleties of the transition from rain to snow. You'd have your windows rolled up, heater cranked, and anxious to get to the top, where you'd search for some place with enough snow to satisfy your need to build a snowman. But on a bike, it's all about the journey. Your bike, your legs, your mind all working magically together to create an experience you won't get any other way.

Click here, or on the photo, to see a Picasa album of photos from this ride. --Mike--

12/14/08- WHY WE RIDE #53
It's 35 degrees and raining lightly up on Skyline, and we're enjoying it. We're actually comfortable at a time when most are fleeing the cold for the comfort of a warm couch with a remote control for switching between football games.

Of course there are days you check the weather outside and wonder why you, or anyone else, would want to ride on a day like this. But really, the trickiest part is timing. That last layer, the one that allows you to be comfortable out there? The one that essentially entombs you? Better make sure you made your last trip to the bathroom beforehand!

Once you get out there, the first thing that surprises you is that there are quite a few others as well! Next is that everything just seems a lot cleaner, fresher than the last time you rode. And then there's the fact that your bike is actually working pretty darned well (never mind the theory that one mile in the rain causes the equivalent wear of 50+ normal miles).

Besides, we're talking 35 degrees here. Check out the smaller photo, taken 12/22/1998 (10 years ago). That was the coldest-day ever for our Tuesday/Thursday morning ride, hitting 23 degrees at one point.

So I guess the other reason we ride is for the stories we can tell people afterward! --Mike--

10/19/08- WHY WE RIDE #4
Because this is not Spain, or Costa Rica, or France. No flight needed; it's just three hours from home.

If you live in Northern California, you really ought to get what you're paying for. And there's no better way to do that than on a bike! Shown here is a spot near Angels Camp, part of a benefit ride (Mr. Frogs Wild Ride).

Sweeping vistas, very few cars (and those I came across were very friendly), incredible climbs and thrilling descents.

Sure, each climb doesn't feature a small pub serving up sandwiches & cold drinks, but the towns aren't too far apart, and the stores have no issues taking US dollars and US credit cards.

The world really does go by at exactly the right speed on a bike.

09/21/08- WHY WE RIDE #402 Because someday it will be fun riding up Tunitas Creek!

Actually, the challenge of Tunitas Creek hasn't just been getting up it, it's been trying to get a photo that really defines it! The one here comes close, taken during the Tour for Woodside, an annual benefit ride for Woodside High School in Redwood City (which just happens to be the school both Steve and I have kids at).

Shown here is Vince, riding a Trek 2100 that I must have sold him quite some time ago, at least 12 years. That's the problem with the bikes we sell. They just last too long.

Tunitas Creek is one of the more-challenging climbs the area offers, as well as one of the most beautiful and car-free. For Vince, it came at the 80-mile mark of a 102 mile ride. I had it easy, since I was just out for a quick 60 miler.

It's no wonder road bikes are so popular here! --Mike--

08/17/08- WHY WE RIDE #397 Because we live in one of the greatest areas in the world for riding!

I've been a "road" biker for 41 years now, beginning in the way-back days on a 40-pound Schwinn Varsity that, along with a AAA "Bay and River" map, made me realize that, with a bike, the entire world was at your disposal. At least it seemed that way.

And now it's my job to get everyone else I can to feel the same way. Of course, the bikes are a lot better these days, and you've got a cell phone if you run into trouble. But the roads, they're still there, and once you head into the hills, they're surprisingly light on traffic. In fact, we have many roads that likely see far more bike traffic than cars!

Today's ride, up over Old LaHonda, down the other side to San Gregorio, and then heading up the lightly-traveled Los Lobitos Road and Tunitas Creek, provided a showcase for such roads, and we saw many of our customers along the way. Many bikes, few cars, great weather. If this is a cycling paradise, what is?

If you think you're not in shape for a great ride, think again. You don't have to be fast to enjoy our local hills, just persistent. Maybe we don't have a cafe at the top of each climb, like they do in Europe, but we do have Alice's on Skyline at 84, a great place to stop for lunch after your first climb up Old LaHonda. So find a friend and head for the hills. Your first time up, sure, you might want to stop a few times along the way to catch your breath. Or to admire the views! You will make it. And you'll wonder why it took you so long to discover our hills. --Mike--
 

6/01/08- WHY WE RIDE #3 Because local clubs do a fantastic job putting on organized events like the Sequoia Century!

I've probably ridden the Sequoia Century, in various incarnations, more times than any other organized ride. Run by the Western Wheelers, it always features a challenging course over our local mountains. Even the 100k/62 mile ride will cross the 100ft/mile elevation gain threshold that is traditionally used to describe a tough ride. And the longer ride, in this case a 112 mile event? Not for the faint of heart!

But with the great support these rides offer, you'll find you can take on a much tougher ride than you thought you could, and even have fun doing it.

The photo shows one of the steeper sections of West Alpine Road, which climbs from La Honda up to Skyline, ending just across from Page Mill. Doing it on your own, a climb like this can seem endless. But doing it with hundreds of other cyclists, of all abilities, and it becomes fun!

And if you are brave enough to try the 112 mile course, you just might come across a "water stop" at exactly the point you feel most desperate, stocked with hundreds of Cokes, Mtn Dews, Ice Teas, Sprites... all kept cold in two big barrels of ice. That's been our contribution to the ride for the last few years. But that's nothing compared to the efforts of the 200 volunteers of the Western Wheelers bicycle club who do everything they can to ensure a safe, fun ride for all.

5/15/08- THE ROAD IS LONG, WITH MANY A WINDING TURN (Otherwise known as "WHY WE RIDE, #819)

The song was made popular first by The Hollies and later Neil Diamond ("He ain't heavy, he's my brother"), and must have been written about local climbs like Old LaHonda and Kings Mtn (pictured here).

4.34 miles, 1600 feet of climbing for Kings Mtn, and 3.75 miles, 1200 feet of climbing for Old LaHonda, both with countless turns and switchbacks. It's those turns and switchbacks that make all the difference in the world, turning a mere physical exercise into something extraordinary and memorable.

Many people travel to France to experience the famous climbs of the Tour de France, including the legendary Alpe d'Huez with its numbered switchbacks. But truthfully, many of the world's greatest climbs are right here.

What do the climbs of France have to offer that ours don't? Really just one thing- it seems like every single climb in France has a pub or cafe at the top. What have we got? Well, there's Alice's at the top of 84... and that hot dog stand at the top of Highway 9. So yes, we're a bit lacking there. But it's easy enough to plan a ride that could stop at Alice's, or the incredible bakery in Pescadero.

So start planning to get out into the hills and really experience the best that cycling has to offer. Old La Honda, Kings Mtn, Tunitas Creek, Alpine Road (west side), Page Mill, Black Road, Alba, Felton-Empire, Mt. Hamilton, Mt. Diablo, Bohlman/On Orbit. Just to name a few.
 

4/13/2008- YOU MEET THE NICEST PEOPLE ON A BIKE! (Otherwise known as "WHY WE RIDE, #742)

Not a whole lot of time to squeeze in a ride in the morning, before taking your kid to... well, some "kid function." Could be baseball practice, or a 4H function, whatever. In this case, it's a workout session at the Velodrome (bicycle racing track) in San Jose.

So you call up a friend the night before (or email these days; if you're younger than, say, 25, you'd probably text message or IM) and set up a quick ride. No problem, who wouldn't want to go for a bike ride?

And what a beautiful day! It felt like the Indian Summer we never had this year. Everybody was out on the roads, including a whole lot of our customers, a number of which are seen here as I was waiting for Todd to show up for our ride. And have you ever noticed that people are almost never in a bad mood when they're riding? Actually, they're always in a good mood when riding! It's when they're dealing with a flat tire, which is technically not riding, that you might find otherwise. But today, even the guy I saw fixing a flat was in a good mood (and yes, I asked if he was OK and had everything he needed).

3/23/2008- WHY WE RIDE, #231

72 degrees, low humidity and great roads. It doesn't get any better. This is why you live in the Bay Area, and this is why you ride a bike.

Easter Sunday afternoon, out for a quick spin before an early dinner. You've got less than 3 hours, so you've got to go for quality over quantity. With more time, you'd do the Old LaHonda /Pescadero /Tunitas loop, but with just 3 hours, you go for Old LaHonda /LaHonda /West Alpine.

It was on the west side of Old LaHonda that I found someone else admiring the beauty of the day. A young woman stopped by the side of the road, looking out towards the ocean. It's a spot I've shown photos of on this website many times before, usually taken behind the guys I ride with on Tuesday or Thursday mornings.
 

2/26/2008- WHY WE RIDE, #92

It might happen right after you leave your front door, or it might be several hours into a long ride. But there's almost always some point in a bike ride where everything lines up exactly right and you feel better about life than anytime during the past week. Or maybe more.

For me, it's often this stretch of Old LaHonda road, on the "unknown" west side. Everybody knows the main climb to Skyline, from Portola Valley. But surprisingly few seem to have gone over the other side, where it turns into an almost-private one-lane road with just a handful of houses, more bikes than cars, and million-dollar views of the coast that, fortunately, aren't reserved for million-dollar houses.

Riding it in the morning is best, when the shadows are strong and the air is clear. It's a bit nicer heading west than east, since you'll be climbing at moderate speed and the road's narrow & twisty nature will be welcome rather than a challenge. But it's enjoyable either way.

You don't need a fancy road bike to enjoy each side of Old LaHonda; we see many hybrids and mountain bikes, as well as riders of all shapes & sizes. If it's your first time to Skyline, you might ride up Old LaHonda from Portola Valley, then north on Skyline to Sky Londa, west down 84 a few miles and then make the left turn onto west-side Old LaHonda and climb back up to Skyline.

11/18/07
WHY WE RIDE #493
Because your bike computer says you've burned off 6,330 calories!

This morning my son was off at camp so I got to do something a bit more challenging- a 62 mile loop through Pescadero and up Tunitas in fast company.

I learned long ago that "riding to eat" isn't such a good idea, as cycling is generally more efficient than you'd think, meaning you might still pay the price for doughnuts and other excesses.

But today's ride, showing an optimistic burn of 6,330 calories... which, even if you discount by 1/3, is still a pretty impressive figure for just 4.5 hours of riding...  there just aren't that many things you could do that would burn off even close to that many calories, and have fun doing it!

So if you're concerned about that over-indulgent Thanksgiving fest, or just trying to keep from adding girth as you get older, cycling may be just the answer. At the very least, you can pay a visit to the Pescadero bakery and grab a pastry (or two!) prior to riding back over the hill and enjoy it, guilt-free. --Mike--
 

July 27th, 2007. This could be you in July, 2008! Why not? Why not make cycling part of a big adventure, and visit France during the 'Tour? You've listened to Phil & Paul & Bob do the coverage for years, and maybe you've even seen all the RVs that follow the Tour route, with the mandatory TdF route sign in the window (you can see two of them in our rental car).

There are many ways to experience the 'Tour. You can go with a Tour company like Trek Travel and have your every need taken care of, or do a more-reasonably priced option like Graham Baxter, Adventure Travel or our local Agile Compass.

Or you can do it on your own, the complete planes, trains & automobile thing. It's easier than you might think, even if your command of French is as bad (and limited) as my own. Which is really really bad, and really really limited! Start thinking about it now, and I'll try to put up a new resource page shortly which could help others who might want to do it on their own. And if you've got teenage kids who are getting into riding, you've got exactly enough time to get them into shape for such an adventure. If I can do it, you can! --Mike--

10/25/07-
WHY WE RIDE, #3

We'd ridden down Native Sons road before (one of Skyline's dead-end roads on the coast-side); a twisty little one-lane road that drops close to 1000ft on its way towards the coast. About halfway down the road is blocked by a large gate, marking the beginning of the private section that winds its way to the coast through Neil Young's property.

But today, because of heavy debris on the lower part of the road, we mistakenly went straight when we should have gone right, sending us down an even-narrower crazy little half-paved trail that ended at the ranch you see in the photo.

We never would have found that almost-magical spot, with its views of the hilltops just barely popping up out of the fog, had we not missed the turn. It's a whole different world out there, just an hour away by bike from the congestion and concrete of the city. The only way you'll ever find a place like this is on a bike (unless you're so dreadfully lost in your car that you'll be next Tuesday's headline on the 11pm news). It's funny how taking a wrong turn on your bike, when you're under your own power, becomes something fun, an exploration, something worthwhile. While doing the same thing in your car is, at best, a waste of time, and a serious intrusion on whatever it was you had planned to be doing. Proof that life really does go by at exactly the right speed when you're on a bike.
 
IT'S TIME TO RIDE!
If you're a Chain Reaction customer (or live close enough to be one), you know that this is one of the best places on the planet for cycling. We've got great mountain biking, road biking and family fun all around us... in many cases, you can leave from your front door!
JOIN THE FUN!
Chain Reaction can supply you with the right bike, properly fit, and back it up with exceptional service. And Cycle California magazine has a great page with links to the various club & rides in the area. 

10/14/07-
WHY WE RIDE, #927

That's why you ride an event like the Tour de Menlo. 50 miles, about 5000ft of climbing. And all of it, every single piece of climbing, in residential areas. Yes, steep roads built for no good reason other than that the area suddenly becomes extremely expensive real estate once you can get to it (just check out the views in the photo, up on Melendy Drive in San Carlos).

The challenging aspect comes from roads much steeper than would ever be built for everyday traffic, far more stop signs than you feel like dealing with on a bike, and there's just not all that much worth looking at (unless your idea of a good time is cruising around to look at what people have done with their homes, which is something my mom & dad subjected me to when I was a kid, and it wasn't much fun then, and it still isn't much fun now). 

She was heading into the great unknown, riding out to Pescadero, north to Half Moon Bay and back over the hill. First time for her, using directions she'd gotten off another website. Directions only; nothing to tell her what makes this particular route so special. No notes about the faces carved into the hillside on west-side Old LaHonda. Or the infamous Machine-gun-toting metal sculptures on Stage Road. So I rode with her as far as highway 84, showed her the face carvings, and made sure she knew about the metal sculptures that so many people ride past without seeing. The sort of things that you're never going to see if not pointed out to you, and best experienced on a bike.

Next time you come across a cyclist stopped at a crossroads (common at the top of Old LaHonda), take a moment and ask where they're going, and if they've been that way before. You'd be surprised how many first-timers there might be. And you'd also be surprised how many old-timers who have passed by the machine-gun sculptures and never seen them!

The cool thing about cycling is that you're moving through at exactly the right pace to experience the world. You see something in the distance and have enough time to study it and notice things that would be a blur if you were wrapped up in a ton of steel and glass traveling 60 miles per hour. And you're not moving through so slowly that it's boring, either. Bicycling isn't about sound bytes, nor is it an overly-long epic novel that doesn't, but often should, be marketed as an alternative to sleep medications. Life happens at just the right speed when you're out on your bike.

IT'S TIME TO RIDE!
If you're a Chain Reaction customer (or live close enough to be one), you know that this is one of the best places on the planet for cycling. We've got great mountain biking, road biking and family fun all around us... in many cases, you can leave from your front door!
JOIN THE FUN!
Chain Reaction can supply you with the right bike, properly fit, and back it up with exceptional service. And Cycle California magazine has a great page with links to the various club & rides in the area. 

07/23/07- I ASK YOU, DOES THIS (Rasmussen, the guy in the Yellow Jersey) LOOK LIKE A TOUR DE FRANCE WINNER? I THINK NOT!

• Rasmussen not only cannot shake Contador on the climbs, but Contador has been mercilessly attacking the man in Yellow the last couple of days. If Contador can crack Rasmussen...
   
• Rasmussen's time trialing has improved, but Contador excels at the discipline, and there's one more long time trail coming up, this Saturday.
   
• Rasmussen frankly looks a bit wiped out, mentally. This picture (not taken by me; I was too busy trying to get fancy stuff and missed the best shots... this one is from my 14-year-old son Kevin, who simply takes pictures of things that he finds interesting... what a concept!) tells that story in spades, as the riders come over the top of the penultimate climb in today's stage.

So maybe I'll be eating these words, but what the heck, a bit of crow now & then should be a part of every balanced diet! I predict Contador to be in Yellow when the 'Tour finishes this Sunday.  --Mike--

And now, back to our regularly-scheduled message-
IT'S TIME TO RIDE!
If you're a Chain Reaction customer (or live close enough to be one), you know that this is one of the best places on the planet for cycling. We've got great mountain biking, road biking and family fun all around us... in many cases, you can leave from your front door!
JOIN THE FUN!
Chain Reaction can supply you with the right bike, properly fit, and back it up with exceptional service. And Cycle California magazine has a great page with links to the various club & rides in the area. We've also put together a page with past "Why We Ride" episodes.

01/09/07- WHY WE RIDE, EPISODE #4

I never considered that either my bike or I wouldn't be up to what lay ahead. As they said in Apollo 13, failure wasn't an option. Instead, we (my bike & I) had a darned good time. I found out that Bontrager carbon rims & cork pads worked great in snow & slushy conditions. I found out that even the most absurd of weather conditions didn't have to ruin my day. And I got revenge on Sonora Pass for that day in June, 2001, when a freak snowstorm required that a group of us got hauled off the top in a van instead of finishing the ride.

Winter's here, and many will be hanging their bikes up until the skies clear and temperatures rise. But why? Even if you avoid riding in the rain (which some thing a sensible thing to do), there will be many more dry days than rainy. Cycling in the SF Bay Area is something you can do even in the winter. Those crisp mornings when the air is so clear you can see from Skyline all the way to Hawaii. The scenic roads that you avoid in the summer because of the traffic, but are lightly traveled now.
 

'TOUR CHAOS CAME TO CALIFORNIA!

Sunday 5/23, The Amgen Tour of California concluded its 5th run through the state, this time moving to a supposedly weather-friendly date in May (it was in February through last year). Of course, this being California 2010, the cold & wet weather that would seem normal in February followed it to its new May dates for a couple of stages in Northern California, including the one in our backyard up Tunitas Creek!

Organized chaos? The event's promoters do a lot to organize things, but check out the action in this photo, taken on the big climb on the final stage. Someone costumed in a goofy-looking water bottle (we sell "CLEANBOTTLE" by the way!) the "Pope" running alongside, the race leader (Mick Rogers) looking a bit distressed at the front as he tries to fend off attack after attack from the other riders in the lead group, some of whom are mere seconds behind him in the overall time classification that determines the winner.

The race was not without its controversy, as Floyd Landis, the defrocked (disqualified for doping) winner of the 2006 Tour de France chose to use the Tour of California as a backdrop for allegations about doping by Lance Armstrong (and many others), and the disappointment to many fans when Lance crashed out of the race after just a few days. And then there was the TV coverage, with VS not showing the all-important Time Trial stage live, and cutting away to a hockey pre-game show just before the finish of the stage that ended in Santa Cruz! Please consider sending your comments to them here.

But overall this race has become bigger and better each year, and has even convinced some shop owners to travel around the state to watch it, riding all or parts of the course ahead of time and marveling at the strength of the riders and the appeal to spectators. --Mike--