There’s something wrong when the alarm clock goes off and it’s still dark outside. I know a lot of people are already up and on their way to work; many in fact already working even, if their jobs require talking with people on the east coast. But I’m not one of them. But not much I can do about the shortening hours of daylight as we head towards winter. Sad thing, that.

The reality is that it’s only a few of my rides that will really be affected, just prior to the end of daylight saving time. Mostly it’s just the getting up when it’s dark thing. The main change in my routine? The second I’m out of bed I’m heading to turn on the coffee maker!

Fortunately, it’s still light as we start to ride. This was Kevin’s first ride in a week, after messing up his knee. Doesn’t seem to matter much though; even without base miles, he can still climb fast. I should have stayed behind with the rest of the guys, who were in a talkative mood as they slowly headed up Kings (pilot Kevin, Mark P and George) but no, I tried to stay with Kevin, and actually did as he eased off a bit at the top. Helped me a bit this morning that it was warmer, helping me to breathe.

They’re still working on the West Old LaHonda reconstruction, moving big boulders around. Hopefully we’ll soon be doing the full loop again!