Last Sunday’s ride repeat (but thankfully, no rinse or wash)

Today my son and I did the exact same ride Brian, Andrew & I rode last week- up Old LaHonda, down 84 to San Gregorio, Stage Road to Pescadero, over Haskins Grade & up West Alpine. And, just like last week, it got pretty cold up on Skyline!

We got off to a pretty late start, since Kevin had left his bike at the shop so the first order of the day was to head down to pick it up, along with Starbucks for all. By the time we got out the door it was almost noon, and given the length of the ride, I figured it would be a good idea to bring not only flashing tail lights but headlights as well, and we came close to needing them. Kevin did fine until we got to Haskins, at which point he started running out of steam. Probably had something to do with the 4 or 5 LaCrosse games he played in a tournament the day before!

Beautiful clouds & shadows as Kevin climbs West Alpine towards Skyline.
Cold? I got to remind Kevin several times that he thought he wouldn’t need a base layer today! By the time we got to Skyline, it was down to 41 degrees with a bit of dampness in the air, and it wasn’t too long after that that Kevin asked if I’d consider calling for a lift. Um… besides the fact that that’s not how I roll, there was also the issue that we had to keep moving and get down off that hill, and once off Skyline, what would the point be to getting a ride the last few miles home? Actually, there was a simpler solution anyway. Put on the jacket that was in his seat bag. Duh.

Just another nice winter day to ride in Northern California. That’s where the “no rinse or wash” line comes from. Dry roads, nice skies with a few clouds here & there to make it interesting.






2 thoughts on “Last Sunday’s ride repeat (but thankfully, no rinse or wash)

    1. It was the ride I intended to do with Kevin last week, and if it was a good plan then, it was a good plan yesterday. In general, I stick to the plan. But faster ride? Don’t think so. I’ll have to look at the timing points, but Kevin wasn’t climbing West Alpine very quickly; it took 1hr 3 minutes from Pescadero Road to Skyline (I think he’s done it in 52 minutes before). I’m at least partly responsible for that, allowing him two pieces of pastry at Pescadero for “lunch” instead of splitting a sandwich. The resulting sugar spike and crash was not a good thing. Me, I can ride through that, no biggie. For Kevin, it was tough because he was dealing with cold weather and declining output. It is so important to maintain consistent output when cold! One more thing to file away… the increased importance of eating properly on a cold day.

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