9.17.16 Super Saturday!

Enjoy your day off!

I had a 3 mile run this morning with the doggy. We just had new gravel put down on our half mile road so running on it felt like running on a big sponge. Kinda cool.

Have a great day everyone

Rode in the Tehachapi Gran Fondo. I was going to do the whole 104 mile ride but training setbacks led me to back down to the Piccolo Fondo Plus 60 mile option.

It was a great ride with great weather and 1000 bicyclist from all over California and a few other countries as well. Lots of good climbs, some great downhill sections, hit 50 mph on 2 descents. I need to get a helmet with a face shield as the wind at those speed flows over my prescript glasses and causes my eyes to tear up and my vision goes really blurry, not particularly good at high speeds.

My favorite moment was barely getting passed on a high speed descent by pro cyclist Cory Lockwood of Tehachapi, I held my line and made him and another pro cyclist do the work for a safe pass at 45-50mph, after they safely passed I tucked in behind them all the way down. For just a few minutes I felt like I was hanging with the pro's, it was awesome. 

Scariest moment was when we had a truck behind me and another cyclist and we had to take a left, the truck was about 300-400 yard behind us, we both held out our and hands and waved for the left, looked back, clear, we then took the lane, hand still waving out for the left, look on more time and the Ahole was all the way in the opposing lane foot matted to the floor board and blew past us both at about 70mph just as we where about to make the left. He was in a big chevy truck towing a empty trailer. That would have unlocked my life insurance policy for sure! 

Other then that I had a awesome ride and glad I dropped down to the 60 as I didn't have to destroy myself and was able to finish strong. My moving time was 3hrs 55 minutes with and average of about 16mph. My official time was 4:29 that took into a couple hospitality stops for water, leg stretch, and some casual chit chat with other riders as this was NOT a race.

Did have a few incidents as happens in cycling. (I did not see these happen, stories from several riders on the course) Someone over cooked a very steep downhill section and crashed and busted their head open, another rider crashed into a parked car, and another had a heart attack. Yikes! This is why real world bike riding is essential so that you learn real bike handling skills, fatigue management and of course fitness.

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