Last night I went to bed hoping, maybe, the roads would be dry in the morning. It really was looking promising at 11pm, but I brought the rain bike up from the garage just in case. Unfortunately, at 7:04am (I tend to wake up a minute or so before the alarm goes off), it was wet outside, far too wet for the Madone. Darn. At least I was ready for it.

Kevin, Eric, John, Ludo and, for the climb up Kings, Marcos, all riding on the cusp of much-nicer weather (by the end of the ride, the roads were dry and it felt almost balmy, but in a very relative since, given that it was likely in the mid-50s). No Nigel for a while; he’s back home in the UK for a month or so (he splits his time between the Peninsula and the UK as his job requires). Since it was a Thursday, and Kevin was feigning weakness, we rode up through the park, which really is not easier, but delays the inevitable (since it’s a flat run for a bit on Greer Road instead of the immediate climb up Kings).

Apparently, our group isn’t too scary, since a squirrel ran across the road right in front of our wheels and, shortly after, we passed a deer who couldn’t care less about us as we climbed up through the park. Are we that insiginificant?

Still no rabbits out west-side Old LaHonda, but maybe they’ve headed for more-stable territory as the crumbling section of road shown in the photo continues to get worse, and won’t be getting better anytime soon if their idea of a “repair” involves dumping more asphalt into the depressions. As you cas see, the road is both falling off on the side, as well as sinking nastily at the other end. What’s happening is obvious; the road simply wasn’t expected to have to deal with powerhouse cyclists like us riding over it!

A note regarding next week’s rides- I’ll be missing both, as I head to Washington, DC, for the annual Bicycle Summit. Coming with me will be my daughter Becky, brother Steve and his wife Teri. We’re pulling out all the stops to try and convince those in DC that bicycle infrastructure shouldn’t be pulled from the budget, and that’s going to be a very tough sell this year! –Mike–