Things didn’t work out the way they were supposed to; about the time Kevin was ready to ride he started getting some pretty nasty side pains, reminiscent of his kidney stone issues last year. Darn. 4+ hours at Kaiser dealing with pain management for something that’s likely transient; by late afternoon he was pretty much fine, but not ready for a ride.

So at 4:30pm I set off for a quick run up Old LaHonda & out to the coast, returning on Tunitas. Met a nice guy on the way, Brent, who rode up Old LaHonda with me, and is yet another local cyclist who has never been on the backside of that road! Unfortunately I couldn’t introduce him to it today as he had to get back quickly.

Very few people out riding this late in the day, and I’ve never really been sure why. During the summer, the temps cool down just a bit, and the shadows add depth to our already-beautiful surroundings.

It was fortunate that I came across Brent, since it put me into semi-social mode on Old LaHonda and kept me from burning out too quickly. Good thing because I had a pretty stiff headwind going out to San Gregorio. A bit lonely being out there on my own, but also nice to be responsible only for myself and not have to worry about going too hard, blowing up and being left behind. I did decide to push things on Tunitas, and while far from a personal best, getting from the coast to Skyline in 49:15 was an indication that I haven’t lost too much of what I gained from the challenging rides in France a few weeks ago. I had some concerns that a 45 mile ride wasn’t going to be enough for a serious ride, but the way my legs feel right now, I think it was!