The Eucalyptus Trees

Another ride with the Diablo Cyclists - my last hard ride before Waves-to-Wine. Walnut Creek through Danville and Blackhawk. Out Tassajara Road to Highland, Collier Canyon and return.

The pace to Blackhawk was moderate, but things started to pick up after the rest break. We had a big pack going 28 mph on Tassajara. Turning on to Highland, the hammer went down. I hung on until the second roller, dropping off with one other guy. We stuck together until the rest break including a fun 30+ mph stretch.

When everyone got rolling after the break, it was pretty much a repeat. I hung on as long as I could with my heart rate in the low 160s. I paired up with a different partner for the ride back to Danville and finished just before noon. 50 miles, 33 mph max, 17.6 mph average.

Biking the Bears

I rode this morning with the Diablo Cyclists. They have changed their starting spot since the last time I rode with them to Heather Farms Park in Walnut Creek. To get more miles I rode from home to the start. It was a short (30 miles) but challenging ride around Briones Park. Reliez Valley and Alhambra and over Happy Valley to Lafayette. As usual, I was in the middle of the pack. Three tandems showed up, but with the hills they were trailing the whole way.

The lighter riders have the advantage on the climbs. The two women, both strong riders, would blow by me only to be caught on the downhills. It's a good club to ride with if you want to go pretty hard. I'm training for the Waves-to-Wine MS fund raising ride at the end of September so it was good to be with a group that could push me. Total miles: 46. Max speed: 40 mph.