Just having a bit of fun here, showing Kevin demonstrating Trek’s new ultra-tiny travel bike. 🙂Got off to an early start this morning, but not on the bike. First *big* race of the season on TV- Paris Roubaix! Live coverage started at 1:45am (darn time difference between here and France!) but I didn’t get up until 7am, in time to watch the last hour and 15 minutes. Got Kevin up too, but he kind of dozed off and on, and, at the finish, just kept sleeping for a while. By the time we actually did get out, it was about the usual for us, just before noon.
The Red Barn on west 84The original plan was to do the reverse Pescadero loop, thinking that might put the wind at our backs instead of in our faces, but since we’d climbed West Alpine (which is part of that route) the past two Sundays, we went for the usual. Old LaHonda/Pescadero/Tunitas. Pretty nice weather; generally mid-50s except the upper parts of Tunitas and descending Kings, where we saw mid-40s.
Old LaHonda went well, better time than I’ve seen for about 6 months (just barely under 24 minutes, by a few seconds, and it really was “just barely” because there was a car coming down just before the top, and squeezing past it wasn’t easy!). Haskins, well, nothing great there. Normally Haskins and the Stage Road bumps are where I sometimes have an edge on Kevin, but not today.
Saw quite a few customers out there today! Even the family we sold 5 (yes 5!) bikes to on Saturday. Caught up with Paul in Pescadero, whose bike I’d worked on Saturday (thankfully working very well), Laura & Mark, and several others along the way. Kevin’s better at keeping track of the names.
Lance, a Corgi named before Lance Armstrong became infamous, on Canada Road.Stage Road? Yep, tough headwind and Kevin was simply feeling better. Tunitas? More of the same, so just as we got to the steep part, I told Kevin to go on ahead, have some fun and challenge the climb. I arrive at the top 6 minutes later, although I did stop to take photos of the creek on the way up. Just a minute and a half, so maybe 4 1/2 minutes behind him. Could be worse!
We did have three Corgi sightings! The two on Olive Hill (which we didn’t stop for this time; their attention was being taken by someone walking their own dog past) and Lance, the famous-named Corgi that is often seen walking his owner on Canada Road.
At the end it felt like a good hard ride, with reasonable mileage for the first time in several weeks. About time to get back to normal!
Luke Skywalker looking west and thinking about future rides, heck, the future in general. Er, I mean, Kevin.I’m trying, really, I’m trying, but neither my photoshop nor video skills are good enough. I know what I want. I want to superimpose the two suns (or are they moons?) into the photo, and have it play Luke Skywalker’s them. Just doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
Meantime, there was the ride, now two days ago. A recurring theme, this getting around to reporting on a ride well after the fact. Just myself and Kevin, riding up through the park, still too cool for my lungs to work well (is 42 degrees cool or cold? It really doesn’t seem cold to me, but what I feel and how my breathing works seem to be at odds with each other). Unlike Kevin’s relatively-fast ride up on Tuesday, he stayed with me, staying near idle speed, probably too much time to think. I vaguely recall what that was like, back in the day.
Curiously, it felt like the “big storm” (which, as of Friday night, has yet to materialize) was moving in a bit early as we started the ride, although, by the end, the sun was coming out quite strongly.
The next four months would normally be something I’d be looking forward to, as the warmer weather helps my breathing and I start planning for France in July. Unfortunately, I’m facing a lot of additional challenges this year, some from the closing of our Los Altos location last September (which has created quite an inventory bulge in road bikes), and an increasing workload as it becomes difficult to find enough staff. Business is very strong right now, so we need more people than ever, but there simply isn’t enough of “us” (present employees, largely my family!) to go around, and the high cost of living isn’t attracting more to the area. Any thought of going to a 5 day workweek have gone out the window.
Think what I need is a really, really good bike ride!
