I don’t know how much longer this dry weather can continue, but it seems safe to recommend that all those frustrated winter-sports types ought to give up and think about riding a bike. How little rain (and snow in the Sierras) have we seen in the past couple of months? We had a brief flirtation with moisture last Saturday, and that was about it. And yet we are not seeing cyclists “return” to the roads in large numbers. Those that would normally hibernate for the winter and hit the slopes… I’m not exactly sure what they’re doing, but most aren’t out there putting in serious miles.

This is not to say people aren’t riding. The “usual suspects” who have found cycling to be a defining part of themselves, they’re out there. And our repair department is seeing a curious influx of rusted bike-shaped-objects that’s unusual for this time of year. But those frustrated skiers? They must be packing planes to Colorado, or paying a bit more attention to those terribly-sad anti-depressant ads on TV. There’s got to be a way to get them back onto their bikes. It’s just way too nice out there.

And too nice again was the case this morning. Sure, it’s still a bit cold in Woodside at 7:45am, it’s not as if you can head out without a base layer, long-fingered gloves and leg warmers. But it warms up pretty quickly, especially as you climb towards Skyline. Not too fast, as Kevin (the pilot) still isn’t feeling great, but it is winter after all. The other Kevin (my son) wasn’t heading up too quickly either. Marcus, Eric & Todd all looked ready for more that was on tap for this morning.

Not getting a workout on Kings, I found a need to push hard on the Sky Londa to West Old LaHonda section, joining Marcus. It’s tough, when you’ve still got gas in the tank, to not want to have a bit of fun with the throttle. If you can. The only way to find out is to try.

Interesting morning ride today; myself, Kevin, Kevin, George, Eric & Karen, and for reasons unknown, nobody wanted to put up a fight going up Kings. Normally this would be welcome, but an interesting thing happens when fast men & women ride slow. Things bunch up, and people get a bit “lazy” in how they ride. Speeds become a bit erratic, wheels overlap when someone stands up and their rear wheel moves back towards the rider behind.

When your ride quickly, things get strung out and people pay more attention to their line, their pacing, you could say their responsibilities on the road. I never noticed it so much until today. I can imagine this might be a big issue on more-social rides. And maybe this helps to explain the remarkable safety record our ride has had these past 30+ years, with very few crashes, no serious injuries, and very few times we’ve had to address safety issues in general with anyone.

Thursday morning the pace will likely be much tougher; I’ll be gasping for air again and thinking I know, precisely, what it means to say “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.”