France is just two weeks away, so definitely a sense of urgency to getting in some tougher rides! Seems like most every Sunday ride lately has been 56-57 miles. Time to start ramping things up, and add a bit of climbing, not just miles. And with the weather finally getting nicer on the coast, and verification that super-cookies are back in Pescadero (last week’s ride confirmed that), reverse Pesky seemed like a good plan. It even includes one of my very least-favorite climbs, Haskins from the coast-side.

Pretty much every Sunday ride starts with a climb up Old LaHonda, and pretty much every ride up Old LaHonda sucks for me. First climbs always suck these days. In general, it’s taking me longer and longer to find my rhythm and not feel like I’m fighting a losing battle. The remarkable thing is that I always do… always finding that place where I could keep on going and not be wondering if I could keep on going.

So I survived Old LaHonda, and then felt pretty decent on stage road (heading south), didn’t fall apart on the coast side of Haskins, and pretty much came on strongly on West Alpine. Unfortunately, it wasn’t such a good day for Kevin, but I’m sure that’s going to change soon.