WHY WE RIDE #629-
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!
9/16/09 --Mike Jacoubowsky, Partner, Chain Reaction Bicycles
It's just over 26 miles, with a great combination of climbs, descents and
sprinting opportunities for those so inclined. What's missing?
Well, there's frankly not a whole lot of flat terrain on this ride!
Another thing thankfully missing is glass; it's very rare that anybody gets
a flat on this ride.
This is pretty much a rain-or-shine ride, and it's always interesting to see
who's silly enough to show up when it's particularly nasty. We'll
typically cut the ride short if it's really wet out, lopping off the section
of 84 and Old LaHonda west of Skyline. View Larger Map
09/04/07- Pretty amazing that this ride has continued to,
well, continue, after all these years. It's still getting the best of me, and
it's still the thing that keeps me going. If you can climb Kings in under 28
minutes (summer, 32 minutes, winter), you ought to come out and give it a try. We leave promptly at
7:45am, but if you think you need a bit of a head start, go for it! It's common
for a couple of our "regulars" to leave 5 or 6 minutes early and try to stay ahead of us. No matter what you know you'll
see us at the top of the hill. --Mike--
Every Tuesday & Thursday
morning
at 7:45am, join us for a quick ride up
King's Mountain Road in Woodside! We meet at Olive Hill &
Canada Road, which is between the town of Woodside and the 280 overpass over Canada Road
just south of Jefferson. From there we head out Olive Hill, twist around a few backroads
that visit both Deer Meadow (so named for obvious reasons) and the coldest spot on the
mid-peninsula (which just happens to be exactly where the San Andreas fault crosses King's
Mountain Road), and then to the infamous timing point- the intersection of Tripp Road and
King's Mountain. There's just enough time to adjust ones breathing apparatus prior to the
1600-foot climb, and the scenery on the way up is nothing short of spectacular!
Who's the "us" who do this ride? Anybody who cares to! Usually
that's just a couple of us...most people seem too sensible. But it's a great way to start
the day, and lets you feel a bit less guilty about your health-food breakfast of coffee
and doughnuts.
Below you can see a map of our ride. Back in the day
it was a bit shorter, without the little jaunt down the west side of 84 and
then back up Old LaHonda.
We start on Canada Road at Olive Hill, which is about a mile north of
Woodside. Heading west on Olive Hill to Albion (#2), which takes us to
Manuella (#3), which connects us to Kings Mtn (#4). The start of the
climb (and the dreaded timing point) is where Tripp Road ends at King's Mtn
(#5), right where the historic store is.
We then climb 4.34 miles on Kings Mtn to Skyline (#6), where we head south
towards Sky Londa (#7). In the old days, we'd then head back down into
Woodside, but we're tougher now so we head west down 84 towards the coast,
to the point where Old LaHonda intersects (about 3 miles, at #8). We
then take Old LaHonda back to Skyline (past #9 and on to #10), then head
north on Skyline about a mile and a half to Sky Londa again (#11). Now
it's down 84 into Woodside (#12) but instead of continuing into town, we
head onto Tripp Road (#13) which dead-ends at Kings Mtn (#14), then retrace
our steps back to the start.
09/30/03-
BREAKFAST AT ALICES RESTAURANT, AND SITTIN' ON THE GROUP-W BENCH. I suppose we could have gone for the Dock of the Bay,
but the hills are so much more
interesting.
What are we talking about here? This morning's Tuesday/Thursday
ride, of course! We've passed Alice's Restaurantso many
times over the years (a staggering number, I'm sure), so this morning
we decided to have breakfast there before heading down the hill.
Nice place, really, especially on Tuesdays when they have a special
lower-priced menu (French Toast & a side of sausage for $4).
Plus, they have a Group W bench. How many places have a Group W
bench? Not many, I'm sure!
Enjoying the pleasantries (from right to left on the infamous Group W
bench) were Brian, Donald (a newbie, first time!) Jeffrey and Kevin.
And some nameless guy on the far left.
Our group on Tuesday morning, 8/23/99.
Left to right is Derek from Los Altos, Dick from Redwood City,
Mike M (a SM County Sheriff who just happens to love riding a bicycle much
more than ticketing cyclists!) and Sergei from Redwood City.
The very bottom of the hill, approaching Trip Road, which is the timing point for the climb. That's
right, right here is where you start your clock, not 1/4 mile up the road like some do!
Dick and Mike McVay rounding the first hairpin.
So far, not so bad!
The Huddart Park entrance, about a third of the
way up the hill in terms of time.
1.6 miles from the start, 1090 ft elevation.
You're thinking it just might be possible...
...until you hit the first really steep
hairpin. On this one you just have to dig in and be thankful it
doesn't last!
2.9 miles into the ride, at 1570 feet, you hit
"the clearing", where you'll also have spectacular views on a
clear day.
Approaching the very steepest part of your
jouney to the top, coming after a spot where you can actually catch your
breath.
The final hairpin. Forget Cytomax; try
and grab some extra juice from those powerlines that go overhead!
The last half mile is very pretty and peaceful
(unless, of course, you're trying to outgun the guy next to you...then
it's deadly!).
4.3 miles and about 1500 feet of climbing
later, you reach the top.
Next we head south on Skyline to
84 and, weather permitting, west on 84 and then back to the top via Old
LaHonda before heading down the east side back into Woodside.
Chain Reaction sells bicycles & accessories
from Trek, Gary Fisher, BikeFriday,Shimano, Pearl Izumi, Continental, Descente,
Sidi, Giro, Blackburn, Speedplay, Oakley, Saris, NiteRider, Bontrager,
Torelli, Look, DeFeet, Rock N Roll, Hammer, Cytomax,
Powerbar, Fox, Clif
Bar, CamelBak, Chris King, Profile Design, Craft, X-Lab and many more!
Every Tuesday & Thursday
morning
at 7:45am, join us for a quick ride up
King's Mountain Road in Woodside! We meet at Olive Hill &
Canada Road, which is between the town of Woodside and the 280 overpass over Canada Road
just south of Jefferson. From there we head out Olive Hill, twist around a few backroads
that visit both Deer Meadow (so named for obvious reasons) and the coldest spot on the
mid-peninsula (which just happens to be exactly where the San Andreas fault crosses King's
Mountain Road), and then to the infamous timing point- the intersection of Tripp Road and
King's Mountain. There's just enough time to adjust ones breathing apparatus prior to the
1600-foot climb, and the scenery on the way up is nothing short of spectacular!
interesting.
What are we talking about here? This morning's Tuesday/Thursday
ride, of course! We've passed Alice's Restaurant so many
times over the years (a staggering number, I'm sure), so this morning
we decided to have breakfast there before heading down the hill.
Nice place, really, especially on Tuesdays when they have a special
lower-priced menu (French Toast & a side of sausage for $4).
Plus, they have a Group W bench. How many places have a Group W
bench? Not many, I'm sure!
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