Finally, a day we could ride without leg warmers! Actually, Kevin and I started with leg warmers but by the time we met up with Colin, just 10 minutes later, we decided to shed them. Just too nice a day to have anything on your legs. Kept the base layers on though.

I’m learning that I just don’t start out very fast anymore. More like the first half of the ride. Heading up Old LaHonda, I once again bid adieu to both Colin and Kevin, struggling to get up in 24:42, way below the 1000VAM that represent what I’m capable of. Or used to be? I hope those days aren’t gone. Haskins? Again, got to watch Kevin and Colin ride away from me, and that usually doesn’t happen; normally, by the time we get to Haskins, I’m riding well and often faster than Kevin. But, not today.

Pescadero. Finally things are getting back to normal. No long lines at the bakery so we were able to order the usual, a chicken club sandwich that Kevin and I split, and a giant cookie. Heading north on Stage wasn’t too bad today; the winds were mostly coming in from the coast, not the north. I felt OK on the first Stage Road hill, and finally came into my own on the second, steeper one, dropping Kevin and Colin along the way. I’ll admit I was trying. Same thing on the final climb up to Highway 1. I didn’t get to find out how things would go on Tunitas because Kevin had a pretty strong seizure towards the bottom and didn’t get up to full speed. But I did feel like I had a lot more power than earlier in the day!

I would really like to get one strong beginning-to-end outing soon, just to disprove any nonsense that turning 65 last week was in any way relevant. A case could be made that having to spend a whole lot of time filing forms to qualify for medicare took a toll on me though! Not something you can avoid, unless you want to spend an extra thousand dollars a month on health insurance.

So as you get older, after each birthday your first “real” ride is supposed to your age in miles. Well, I turned 65 on Wednesday and Thursday’s ride couldn’t count, because not enough time and not that nice a morning either. Even had to cut off the West Old LaHonda section, making that first post-65 ride a bit of a letdown. So lots depending on Sunday.

From a month ago I recall that a Half Moon Bay routing ended up being about 62 miles… that’s pretty close. Also considered reverse Pescadero plus West Alpine, which is I think 67 miles. But Collin wasn’t too interested in West Alpine, and I wasn’t sure how well I’d hold up to something quite that tough. So Old LaHonda/San Gregorio/Higgins-Purissima/HMB/Los Lobitos/Tunitas it is. And gotta tell you, Old LaHonda just kicked my butt. Hard. Felt like just turning tale and heading home. Seriously. Collin and Kevin went up ahead, chasing a bunch of young kids, and I made it to the top about 4 minutes later. Personal best of Collin, and Kevin was fast enough he began thinking maybe he doesn’t need to lose weight to get faster.

All the way out to the coast I was sucking wheels, either Kevin’s or Collin’s, gradually regaining a bit of confidence. Not a lot. But by the time we started climbing Stage Road heading north from San Gregorio, I at least felt like I could finish this ride. Really, the first part was that bad. Not the way to start you “golden” years, y’know?

Beautiful views of the coast as we descended toward Tunitas Creek, with all of us noting we had to fight our bikes a bit as we continued north on 1; we’re all so used to making that right turn onto Tunitas! We got off highway 1 for a bit using Verde, then looped back into Higgins Purissima for the first climb that I felt OK on. Couldn’t quite keep up with Kevin but Collin drifted back a bit before the summit. Then downhill into Half Moon Bay, where we visited a bakery and coffee shop I hadn’t been to before (which really shouldn’t be a big surprise because I’ll bet I haven’t ridden into Half Moon Bay more than 15 times in my entire cycling life).

Then back on Highway 1 with a nice tailwind to Los Lobitos. Darn, I almost thought I could get to Kevin on that one. I started out pretty slowly but began making up some ground as it went, Kevin weakening a bit, me getting stronger. But, as they say, the hill ended too soon. Didn’t feel like it at the time though!

And then Tunitas. Finally, I thought I had something. Tons of other cyclists climbing Tunitas on Sunday, and I couldn’t help myself, I was going into target acquisition mode. Some of them, I explained to Kevin, weren’t targets, just victims. Going slow enough it was a foregone conclusion you’d pass them. But not all. And eventually, I look around and Kevin’s not there anymore. Quite a bit behind. I kept going but apparently not strongly enough… I wasn’t trying to show off or anything. And after a couple minutes, out of the blue, Kevin blows by me. What the heck? He had to have really put the hammer down for a few minutes! Kevin paid for that effort; all day today at the shop he was complaining how his legs and lower back hurt. Serves him right.

By the time we got back, we were at… 63.2 miles. Not enough. I worried that might happen. So it was like 6 laps around the block I think, to get the needed mileage.

A good ride, another ride where I finished way stronger than I started. Glad I have the patience to stick it out long enough.