After Thursday’s ride, where I felt so bad going up Kings I didn’t even want to write about it… so bad I was beginning to wonder if everything in my future was going to be in decline… I didn’t have the greatest expecations for today’s ride. I figured 30 minutes up Old LaHonda, and actually made it in 27-something. Which was horrifyingly slow for Kevin, who later blamed me for ruining a day where he thought he could be posting some really good numbers. Yeah, well, I’m a bit skeptical, especially since, after the run out to the coast, he was insisting that he was pulling me the whole way and that was absolutely false. I was able to ride to his side mode of the way (don’t worry, never when cars were present, and the Garmin Radar units give excellent warning way before they arrive) and, for the last two miles, I was pulling solidly into San Gregorio.

It’s not like I was strong… I wasn’t. But I was feeling far better than I have in at least a couple of weeks.

Oh, and did I mention we stopped about halfway up Old LaHonda for a mountain lion sighting? Except it wasn’t; since it stood motionless in the distance, we have to assume it was a statue of a mountain lion, but meant for what purpose? Why would someone put something like that about 100 feet off the road, where it could be seen and mistaken as the real thing? It was located just before 442 Old LaHonda, right hand side of the road while climbing.

OK, back to San Gregorio. I was ok just blowing through and mentioned that to Kevin, but he apparently didn’t think I was serious (he complained about this stop later). The usual cup of coffee, plus an almond cake for me, coconut rum bread pudding for Kevin. Damn fine coffee, as Agent Cooper (from the TV show Twin Peaks).

Stage Road wasn’t easy but wasn’t impossible either, with beautiful views of the valley we’d just ridden through enroute to San Gregorio. One of those days everything looked 3D.

Tunitas. Slight tailwind and it was here that Kevin started to complain about how I was holding him back. It’s not like I don’t know the way home; I finally convinced him that, if he felt that good, he should take off and try and get a good time. Eventually he got bored of me and started riding hard just as the climb began. He pulled ahead pretty quickly but I never got that feeling I’d be lucky to finish on the same day, and got to the top in about 54 minutes, just 3 minutes behind him. A couple weeks ago, it took something like an hour and 4 minutes, so big improvement!

So feeling a lot more hopeful today than Thursday!

Too bad Kevin had to miss this one due to an upset stomach. I mean, you’d be crazy not to want to wait until the rain actually started before heading out & up into the rain, wind, cold and snow right? Sometimes I can detach myself a bit from reality and think that it’s kind of nuts to enjoy riding in weather like that, and most nearly 67 year olds would probably be thinking about the cold doing a number on their arthritis and the wind being a bit more testing of handling skills flaunted by those much younger.

Starts to sound like someone’s trying to deny their age doesn’t it? And sure, it’s a real thing, that thought that the day will come when you face well-defined limitations instead of gradual decline that allows you to still do what you used to do, just maybe a bit slower, a but more cautiously. I’ll ride that gradual decline for as long as I can, and in the meantime take advantage of bicycle handling skills that have far more to do with learning how not to be over-reactive to a situation than the ability to thread a needle.

It would have been nice to have felt better going up Old LaHonda, but it wasn’t about speed, it was just getting out on a ride. And once I got up on Skyline, in the wind & cold, and started seeing snow, I felt better. And why not? 37F is no match for electric gloves, thermal windfront tights, 3 layers up top plus a light rain jacket, booties, and dogged determination to have some fun.