Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Transitions
Friday, August 27, 2010
Riding Bikes
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
My First Triathlon
Yes, I know - it's a little ridiculous that I'm writing about doing triathlons. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I've hated running for a lot longer than I've loved cycling. Moreover, it's a little weird that I'm just now even remotely interested in the sport, given that my dad raced pretty seriously for much of my childhood (and yes, I know that my lifestyle quickly approaching "I might as well just join the Navy" similarity with my father's...)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
RSVP+
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
My September and October
September 12, 2010
Sumas, British Columbia, Canada to Lake Cavanaugh, WA
about 66 miles
Our first day! We're going to start the day in Canada with a cold Canadian beer (after all, we're bookending this tour with a Tecate in Tecate) and a few miles in the great white North, then head south to Lake Cavanaugh in Washington state.
September 13, 2010
Lake Cavanaugh, WA to Seattle, WA
about 75 miles
Some more pretty riding in rural Washington, all funneling toward the Emerald City. We'll be leading a group ride in Seattle in the evening.
September 14, 2010
Seattle, WA to Olympia, WA
about 82 miles, including the Bremerton Ferry
This day starts in Seattle with a morning ride to the ferry dock and the always-pleasant ferry to Bremerton. From there we'll be riding the peninsula to the state capitol in Olympia. We'll be leading a group ride in Olympia.
September 15, 2010
Olympia, WA to Bay Center, WA
about 80 miles
We'll be riding through the rolling hills of rural Washington toward the Pacific Ocean, and starting our first of many miles on US 101. We'll be camping at the Bay Center Campground.
September 16, 2010
Bay Center, WA to Jewell Meadows, OR
about 74 miles
Today will mark our first sighting of the western coast of America - we'll be laying our eyes on the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach, WA before crossing the Oregon Coast Highway Bridge to Astoria, OR, and our second state of the trip. Our day continues past Astoria into the Catsop State Forest and Jewell Meadows.
September 17, 2010
Jewell Meadows, OR to Portland, OR
about 70 miles
The City of Roses! Our 5th day takes us from the forests of Oregon to it's capitol city. We'll ride from Jewell Meadows to the capitol building in Portland, and lead a group ride in the evening in Portland.
September 18, 2010
Rest Day/Awareness Ride Day in Portland
Although we won't be putting a dent in our touring miles, we'll be leading at least 2 group rides in Portland and doing some promotional work with a few local shops and clubs. Come join us!
September 19, 2010
Portland, OR to Lincoln City, OR
about 93 miles
Our legs "fresh" after a down day in Portland, we'll be knocking out 90+ miles for the first time in our trip today. We'll be heading west all day in search of the Pacific Ocean, arriving in LIncoln City and spending the night on the beach. We may be leading a group ride in Portland first thing in the morning - keep posted!
September 20, 2010
Lincoln City, OR to Winchester Bay, OR
about 97 miles
Even more miles! Inching toward a single-day century now.... Today's ride is simple: take the Pacific Coast Bicycling Highway south while looking at the Pacific Ocean all day. If you don't like good scenery, this isn't your kind of bike ride. If you like jaw-dropping postcard views all day, then come join us.
September 21, 2010
Winchester Bay, OR to Port Orford, OR
about 93 miles
Well, after waking up on the beach after yesterday''s ride, we assume that we'll be into doing pretty much the same thing. So we're going to stay on the coast and take 101 south to Port Orford, enjoying more views and great roads along the way.
September 22, 2010
Port Orford, OR to Klamath, CA
about 105 miles
High five! Our first single-day century of the tour also takes us into our third state, California. We'll be staying on the Pacific Coast Bicycling Highway all day, crossing into California about 2/3 of the way though our day. Camping on the beach is still the accommodation of choice, and tonight's venue will be Flint Ridge.
September 23, 2010
Klamath, CA to Eureka, CA
about 73 miles
We'll be sticking to our oceanfront riding+forests theme, enjoying both the Pacific Ocean and the giants of Redwood National Park today, before ending up in Eureka, CA. We'll be sure to explore some of the famous mansions and architecture the town is known for while we're there.
September 24, 2010
Rest Day/Awareness Ride Day in Eureka
Going to rest our legs and spread the word with the friendly locals of Eureka - we'll be leading a group ride this afternoon.
September 25, 2010
Eureka, CA to Leggett, CA via the Avenue of the Giants
about 88 miles
Well, this has all of the makings of one of the highlight days of our tour. After our "rest" day in Eureka, we'll be heading inland to the Avenue of the Giants - one of the most popular natural attractions in the world. Trees bigger than houses? Why yes, thank you.
September 26, 2010
Leggett, CA to Point Arena, CA
about 90 miles
If there's a way to one-up the natural beauty of the Avenue of the Giants, the ride on California State Route 1 all day might just do it. We'll let you know. Want to see for yourself? Come ride with us.
September 27, 2010
Point Arena, CA to Santa Rosa, CA
about 82 miles
Another gorgeous day riding the Pacific Coast Highway in California to on of the biggest cycling towns in the world, Santa Rosa, CA.
September 28, 2010
Rest Day/Awareness Ride Day in Santa Rosa, CA
We'll be leading some group rides and meeting some of the local cycling population in Santa Rosa - come say hello!
September 29, 2010
our own King's Ridge Gran Fondo
103 miles, about 8,500 feet of climbing
Some of us will be retracing the 2009 Gran Fondo route (yes, just for fun) while the rest of the team will be enjoying an additional day in Santa Rosa. The King's Ridge Gran Fondo is local pro Levi Leipheimer's home ride. We can't make the event this year, so we're setting out on our own ride. It's going to be awesome.
September 30, 2010
Santa Rosa, CA to Napa and Sonoma, CA
about 70 miles
All of this cycling has made us thirsty, so we decided on a detour day out to California's fabled wine country. Nothing like a few vineyard tours to relax those aching muscles...
October 1, 2010
Sonoma, CA to Muir Beach, CA
about 61 miles
A nice short day is on the calendar for our first day of October - after numerous vineyard tours the day before, we'll probably be glad we've only got 61 miles to go today! The day's ride ends on scenic Muir Beach, CA in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Another night spent sleeping on the beach....
October 2, 2010
Muir Beach, CA to San Francisco, CA
28 miles
Definitely going to be one of the best days of the tour. We're going to rise with the sun on the beach, then enjoy the ride into San Francisco over the world famous Golden Gate Bridge. The day will then be spent touring San Francisco and meeting some of the enthusiast commuters that tackle those famous hills every day. We'll be leading 2 group rides in San Francisco today.
October 3, 2010
Rest Day/Awareness Ride Day in San Francisco, CA
We'll be leading some group rides and touring the city - if you live in San Francisco, come show us your roads! We're excited to also take a trolley somewhere while we're here...
October 4, 2010
San Francisco to Opal Cliffs, CA via Half Moon Bay
about 82 miles
Leaving the City by the Bay, we'll head south along the coast to Half Moon Bay, one of the more famous beaches on the California coast for an unwinding day at the beach (and some bodysurfing!). After dinner, we'll take a twilight ride on to Opal Cliffs, CA for a night's sleep on one of their lovely beaches.
October 5, 2010
Opal Cliffs, CA to Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
about 50 miles
Taking it easy today with only 50 miles, but with all of them along Monterey Bay, and with the day ending in Carmel-by-the-Sea, I think we'll manage.
October 6, 2010
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA to Morro Bay, CA
about 123 miles
Well, here's where we put those legs to the test after an easy day yesterday. Tackling all of Big Sur in one day - a California cyclist's dream. Despite the mileage and the thousands of feet of climbing (or maybe because of the miles and climbing), the consistent views of the Pacific should make today one to remember.
October 7, 2010
Morro Bay, CA to Gaviota, CA
about 93 miles
More coastal riding and stops in San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria should make today's ride a real treat. And at the end of the day? More camping on the beach!
October 8, 2010
Gaviota, CA to Ventura, CA
about 60 miles
A pleasant coastal ride today, with a stop for a Friday afternoon group ride in Santa Barbara. We'll then be cruising along Highway 1 around sunset all the way to Ventura and yet another night spent on the beach under the stars.
October 9, 2010
Ventura, CA to Beverly Hills, CA
about 83 miles
Starting the day with a Saturday morning group ride in Ventura, CA, we'll then head out for LA, stopping in Camarillo for some sightseeing (Chris was born there, and wants to see the town...). Up next, a stop at the Santa Monica Pier and some time at the beach! The day ends with a self-guided tour of Beverly Hills, a evening cruise down Sunset Blvd. and a nighttime view of the famous Hollywood sign.
October 10, 2010
Rest Day/Awareness Ride Day in Los Angeles, CA
We'll be leading some group rides and touring the city - if you live in Los Angeles, come show us your roads! We know there's a lot to see, so give us some ideas of some good places to see and things to do while we're here!
October 11, 2010
Rest Day
Okay, so we're going to be tourists for a day and enjoy Los Angeles.
October 12, 2010
Los Angeles, CA to Palmdale, CA
about 67 miles
This is the setup ride for tomorrow... 67 nice and flat miles...
October 13, 2010
Palmdale, CA to Big Bear Lake, CA
about 136 miles with about 14,200 feet of climbing
Ouch. Yes, we're bold enough to think we can complete stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California. It'll be fun to look at the ProTour riders' times when we're done.
October 14, 2010
Rest Day at Big Bear Lake, CA
If you think we're doing anything but sleeping and eating under the sun at Big Bear Lake after yesterday, you're nuts.
October 15, 2010
Big Bear Lake, CA to San Bernandino, CA
about 42 miles
Nice, easy day through the San Bernandino National Forest, culminating in a group ride in San Bernandino.
October 16, 2010
San Bernandino, CA to Long Beach, CA
about 85 miles
Our Saturday takes us back through the concrete jungle of suburban Los Angeles, stopping in Pasadena for a group ride and a sightseeing trip to the Rose Bowl. Then on toward the Pacific Ocean once again - we'll be spending the night in Long Beach/Huntington Beach.
October 17, 2010
Group Rides in Long Beach, CA and Huntington Beach, CA
about 18 miles, plus group rides
Ah, Sundays. Nothing like meeting new friends over a few miles of Pacific coastline riding.
October 18, 2010
Rest Day in Huntington Beach, CA
We're going swimming and working on our tans.
October 19, 2010
Huntington Beach, CA to Oceanside, CA
about 52 miles
A full day back on Highway 1 on the Pacific coast, stopping in Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente for some sightseeing.
October 20, 2010
Oceanside, CA to San Diego, CA
about 40 miles
Another pleasant day on Highway 1 - this one is to be the last of our tour. We'll be passing through Carlsbad and Encinitas en route to San Diego, our last big city of the trip.
October 21, 2010
San Diego
We may go to the zoo..... who am I kidding, we're going to the zoo.
October 22, 2010
Group Ride in San Diego
We'll be leading an afternoon group ride to celebrate Friday evening - come join us.
October 23, 2010
More group rides!
We'll be leading a morning group ride, spending the day exploring the city, then leading a twilight ride. It's going to be fun....
October 24, 2010
Our last group rides!
These Sunday rides will be the last TYB group rides of the Border2Border tour, with one in the AM and a low key ride in the PM. Ah, Sundays...
October 25, 2010
San Diego, CA to Tecate, Baja California, Mexico
about 50 miles
THIS IS IT! Our last day of the tour! All of those miles have culminated in a short ride from San Diego to the Tecate Brewery in Tecate, Mexico. It's going to be a tasty beer....
Friday, August 6, 2010
Life, Bikes, and Jobs
It's been an absolutely hectic week, and I'm thoroughly enjoying elevating my legs for a bit as I write this. It's 10:42 on Friday morning, and I gave myself the day off today. I've spent my morning resting my legs, learning how to swim (in theory - I'll try it in the pool tomorrow), enjoying some jazz music, and making dents on my to-do lists (yes, I have several, and yes, they are "comprehensive"). I feel like I'm starting to catch back up after imposing an easy day on myself yesterday (both with work and with training) and forcing a rest day (no work and no training) on myself today. This may sound a little feeble, but I might have to admit that I ran myself into the ground. Last week I "enjoyed" 24 hours of training, worked 36 hours, and only squeezed in 37 hours of sleep - when that's the case you know you've got issues. I know that my body can take a lot (and I even know that my body can take a week like that), but add those up and you hit a wall pretty quickly. I feel as though I need to be a bit more aware of how my ambition and "I'm 24 and my body can handle it" mentality interact.