Blocked from a decent time up OLH by cars!

Tues/Thurs 7:45am ride

Just myself and Kevin today; the other Kevin (pilot) is claiming to have a back issue. We’ll be doing the new loop up through the Huddart Park Entrance for some time; the guy we saw today confirmed we’re likely looking at a road closure all the way through winter. How ironic that we don’t get the road back until it starts raining and people don’t want to ride! Except that, for some time, people don’t seem to have been interested in this ride anyway. Think the word got out that I’ve gotten old & slow. But truth is, I’ve actually gotten quite a bit faster this year. Just not getting any credit for it.

Fortunately Kevin’s knee was feeling better this morning; it may also have helped that I made sure he used leg warmers, since it’s becoming a bit cooler in the mornings. Not cold, just cool. Very, very few other cyclists out on the roads. Even the Strava flyby showed only a few cyclists; we’ve seen far more on really miserable days!

But OLH. Wasn’t sure how I was going to be feeling, but lately I’ve been feeling pretty good on morning runs up OLH. Heart rate climbing to where it ought to be, legs seeming to work, lungs, well, best I can say is that they’re there. Was not happy to have lost 28 seconds having to stop just 150 meters (maybe less) from the top! In fact, my Upenough-to-top time was just 17 seconds off my best in many years, despite those 28 lost seconds. But, as you can see in the photo, there was no way to get around.

Finally a regular ride entry! An “Ugly” ride at that.

Ride reports (not Tu/Th)

Kevin on Skyline at the view point just north of Page Mill
It’s about time I get a regular ride entry in here, even though somewhat of an irregular ride. It seems like nearly every Sunday ride has been the Pescadero/Tunitas loop, and for reasons unknown I decided it should be something tougher. And the ride through the foothills to Los Altos then up Stevens Creek, up Redwood Gulch, and finally 9… that’s tougher. Even though less climbing, trust me, it’s tougher.

It starts out easily enough, riding past Old LaHonda instead of heading up it, fooling you into a false sense of the ride being easier, just because you’re not climbing. Yet. We traditionally stop at the Peet’s near our former Los Altos store location which, by the way, remains un-rented. From there, it’s the not-so-fun ride up Steven’s Creek, which becomes Stevens Canyon, which takes you to the base of Redwood Gulch. Kevin was feeling better on Redwood Gulch than I was, at least at first. I was feeling really, really slow but for reasons unknown, the last third I found some extra power, saving myself from a dismal time.

9? Always a long slog to the top. Skyline? Pretty nice heading north, where you lose a bit of altitude and generally have favorable tail winds.

It was one of those rides where I felt a whole lot better than at the start. That’s always a good thing!