Category Archives: Tues/Thurs 7:45am ride

Endless ramblings regarding the every Tuesday & Thursday-morning bike ride, leaving Olive Hill & Canada Road at 7:45am, rain or shine

Finally, back to the regular routine


It’s been a while since doing the “full” Tuesday/Thursday-morning ride; “life” has gotten in the way, many times. I’ve actually wimped out on a few wet mornings and ridden the trainer indoors, on Zwift, which is not nearly as good a workout, for me, as being on the road. Just cannot get much power on Zwift. Tuesday was one of those Zwift days, rode with Kevin on side-by-side trainers in my family room. Kevin can crank the watts; climbing the virtual Alpe d’Huez, he was up there at 5 watts/kg while I was struggling at literally half that.

But today, the sun was out, the roads are drying (still wet most places) and ex-Pilot (Kevin K) was back on the bike after some surgery on his back to correct pain while walking. Pain while walking? Just ride your bike instead, right?

It was a pretty easy pace up Kings (thank goodness for ex-Pilot’s month off the bike!), and he rode with me as far as Swett Road before turning around to meet up with others who were riding later. Ah, the life of the retired! Me, I kept going, and it really wasn’t that hard. I need the miles, for sure! Real miles.

West Old LaHonda wasn’t easy but still worth the beautiful view high up. Note the new mini rockslide if you’re heading at speed down the hill. Normally I’d move debris out of the way, but that thing is a bit too big (and if I could, what would I do, roll it down the hill and hope it didn’t do serious damage to something?).

And where was younger Kevin? Long story but basically he thought I wouldn’t be riding this morning because I’d made plans to take my wife to Las Vegas to see a show. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much interest so I was available to ride after all. Very glad I did. It feels so good to get in the full ride… so much better than when it has to be shortened by lopping off the West Old LaHonda section.

Sunday, To the Sea! But a lot more of me showed up Tuesday

Sunday, there really wasn’t a choice. It’s been weeks, maybe over a month, who knows how long, since I’d ridden out to the coast. I’ve been hanging out on “this” side of the hill, sometimes due to weather, sometimes due to having to ride solo and not feeling like I wanted to be “over the hill” with too many thoughts to myself. Lots of reasons. But Sunday I finally got out with three others (Kevin, Kevin, JeffH) and did the LaHonda/San Gregorio/Pescadero loop. It wasn’t pretty; I was the weakest link all along the way. But I survived, saw the creek flowing on Tunitas, and yeah, it was slow, JeffH waited for me at the Grassy Knoll (where the steep part of Tunitas ends) but I didn’t mind that it took just over an hour. }

Tuesday was another thing entirely. No idea why a different version of me, one I hadn’t seen for a while, showed up and actually wanted to climb. That first steep pitch on Kings, yes, it still hurt, but I got over the top of it and didn’t feel 100% dead like usual. Kept up with Kevin, for once, and by the time we got to the first creek crossing I was gapping him, able to put in a minute or so hard effort, then throttle back and wait for him to catch up. Actually able to keep that up all the way to the top. Don’t know how fast I’d have been if I’d just kept it up, but looks like I’m going to have to re-calibrate the rate of my decline and actually raise my FTP, which I’d just lowered to a pathetic 210 watts.

Tomorrow… who knows what version of me shows up tomorrow. Film at 11.