Bike Blog and Photos

Bike Items for Sale - Here's a photo journal of bike parts that I'm trying to clear out of my workshop.

Shipping is $10 or (actual shipping charges + (optional) insurance charges + delivery confirmation fee), whichever is greater. I will try to find cheapest shipping option (e.g. USPS for US Domestic delivery) or will ship according to your carrier of preference.

Some of the parts are new, some are used. If you think my item pricing is off or you're buying multiple items, please make me an offer.

I am selling everything "as is". But, if you buy an item that is dead on arrival, damaged in shipment, or you believe you got a raw deal, please contact me as soon as possible so we can work out a solution. Given the time involved in selling these items I am not making a profit on this and am more interested in seeing components and parts I no longer use but that have remaining useful life to find a home with other bicycle enthusiasts, where they will be used instead of collecting dust in my workshop.

Contact me at the following . It will help if you include the links to photos of the items that interest you. All prices are in US Dollars.

Entire Blog - Display the entire Blog for all years. This is a large file!

2011

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit
Distance:	109.0 miles
Cumulative climbing:	3800 feet
Total Time:	6:37:05
Riding Time:	5:18:41
Avg. Speed (moving):	20.5 mph
Max. Speed:	48.8 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1460 wh
Battery energy consumed:	986.5 wh
Wh/mi:	9.0
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	39.3
Max. Current:	61 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.3
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	3341 kJ (928 wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (Polar HRM estimate):	2192 kJ (609 wh)

Winter Solstice Century, December 17, 2011 - Estimates of the temperature at Christmas Hill Park at 0700 varied from 28 to 32 F. Some of us enjoyed snacks provided by David and Deborah Hoag, while others caught up with friends and acquaintances. We all tried to stay warm under a clear sky. The sun had still not risen on the park. At 0730 David climbed into the cab of his pickup truck and delivered a pre-ride announcement. At its conclusion the first of the Century riders departed the parking lot.

Only four riders had started 2.5 hours earlier at Ken Holloway's house in San Jose to do the Double, 200 miles on one of the shortest days of the year. As I had heard that Tim Woudenberg and Jim Kern were two of the Double riders, I lingered at the start for them to arrive. It might be my only chance to see them on the course, and if I left with the bulk of the Century riders I'd soon find myself ahead of everyone riding alone. I was not planning to carry 50 lbs of battery without converting some of that stored energy into forward motion.

I started with Tim, Jim, Tom Mac, and John Pugliese (the Double riders), and Jon Degenhardt. As I was trying to stay warm I rode initially under pedal power only. I managed a pace of 17-19 mph, and this was enough for me to gradually warm up, yet not too slow for the others. We stopped somewhere near Bloomfield and Frazier Lake Roads to water the weeds and to peel clothing. Tom and Jon continued on.

I waited at the north end of Frazier Lake Road for the others, but I did not see them for several minutes, and I was getting chilly now that I had peeled some clothing off, so I decided to press on sans moteur. I figured they'd catch up to me eventually.

Just as I reached the stopsign at the south end of Frazier Lake Road at Shore Road, Tim, Jim, and John caught up to me. After we turned onto Shore Road to head east, Tim barked, "Let's liven it up!"

I started with a pace of 23-25 mph, but that proved to be a little too fast for the others, so I pulled it down to 21-22 mph, and that was just right. I could only tell the pace was too fast when the others fell off my tail, so there was a bit of trial and error required.

After we turned left on Santa Ana Valley Road we stopped to peel more clothing. While the air was still cool, the sun was warm, and the day promised to be a good day for cycling.

We proceeded up into Santa Ana Valley, then turned right on the unmarked Quien Sabe Road and climbed over some low hills to Tres Pinos and CA25. At CA25 we turned left and started the long ride to the lunch stop at a siding near Pinnacles National Monument.

I started to get ahead of Jim and Tim at this point, and it was clear that we wanted to ride at different speeds. At Paicines I saw Tim stop at the store, so I pressed on, setting the cruise control for a speed of 23-25 mph on the straight part of Airline Highway (CA25).

As I passed other cyclists I practiced pointing the camera backward and shooting. I have discovered that my bike serves as a good photographer's prop to get people to smile as I ride by. Not everyone was amused, but I think it helped more often than not.

I rode without stopping for the next 20 miles, arriving at the lunch stop at 1115. The spread was welcome and unexpected. I expected a few snacks and water but not sandwiches.

I lingered at the lunch stop until most everyone had started back. The air was warm here, and I felt like lying down for a nap. But I knew I still had 3 hours of riding to get back to Gilroy, and the air would not stay warm for long.

As in years past the return route had us riding north on CA25 only as far as Old Airline Road. Here we would turn left and begin a northward journey along the tortured San Andreas Rift Zone on Cienega Road. At first I saw no other cyclists and wondered if the route had changed. But, then I saw a SAG truck go by, and shortly afterward encountered a number of cyclists on this section. Most of them were stopped in front of DeRose Vineyards. I pressed on over the hill past the motorcycle park and then rode over the last hill into Hollister.

At Union Road I turned left. At several points piles of gravel had collected on the shoulder of the road. This gravel was deeper than it looked. The first patch I rode through had my rear end fish-tail slightly. After that I avoided these patches.

At CA156 I turned right. This part wasn't much fun. The highway had been resurfaced, but the resurfacing had excluded the shoulder. Was this due to limited highway funds? Not only was there a lip that needed to be avoided, there was also a rumble strip. The shoulder on the old asphalt to the right of the lip was not always clean. What's worse is that I had to mount this lip several times, the first time to take the left lane to stay on CA156, and again to prepare to turn left on CA25.

CA25 had been worked on recently, and the asphalt was smooth and clean. Perhaps drivers are too busy minding their driving to throw glass out the window onto the shoulder, or maybe they haven't had the chance to trash it yet. The shoulder was smooth, clean, and capacious, and except for the rumble strip, it was a pleasure to ride on.

The official route had us turning right on Shore Road, but as I was enjoying CA25 I continued on to Bolsa Road. I opted to risk running afoul of the oblique railroad crossing rather than to deal with fast motor traffic on a shoulder-less Shore Road and Frazier Lake Road. I didn't need the extra miles of the official route.

At Bolsa Road I turned right and returned to Gilroy, arriving at Christmas Hill Park at 1445. Another wonderful late-season ride was completed.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	49.3 miles
Cumulative climbing:	3500 feet
Total Time:	7:20:00
Riding Time:	4:13:19
Avg. Speed (moving):	11.66 mph
Max. Speed:	38.0 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1000 wh
Battery energy consumed:	638.3 wh
Wh/mi:	12.1
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	25.14
Max. Current:	87.4 Amps
Min. Voltage:	20
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	2162 kJ (601 wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (Polar HRM estimate):	2192 kJ (609 wh)

Black Mountain, December 14, 2011 - I rode with the Western Wheelers' Hills 'R' Us group. We started by riding a tour through Los Altos Hills, including a short out-and-back climb I had never before done, Olive Tree Lane. We then proceeded to climb Montebello Road.

After we regrouped at the summit I split off from the group and rode the Waterwheel Creek Trail and continued up Montebello Road over the summit of Black Mountain before descending Page Mill Road and returning home.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit
Distance:	88.3 miles
Cumulative climbing:	6060 feet
Total Time:	7:14:35
Riding Time:	5:26:55
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.2 mph
Max. Speed:	45.5 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1000 wh
Battery energy consumed:	744.2 wh
Wh/mi:	8.4
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	29.6
Max. Current:	76.4 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.0
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	2521 kJ (700 wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (Polar HRM estimate):	2192 kJ (609 wh)

Half Moon Bay, December 10, 2011 - Today I got up early to join the Western Wheelers ride to Half Moon Bay. I had a hard time leaving the warmth of the house, so I ended up wearing two sets of longs, two long uppers, windbreaker, long gloves, and cap. On the ride to the start at Gunn High School I ended up taking most of this off after I warmed up. Fortunately, I had plenty of space in my tailbox to carry the extra clothes.

Our route took us up Arastradero Road into Portola Valley. As I was still in my warm-up phase I avoided using the motor, so pedaling 90+ lbs of bike up some of the inclines put me behind the group over most of this initial section.

When I turned onto Old La Honda Road, I set the cruise control on a moderate setting and ended up catching most of the group on the way up. I didn't wait at the top but continued on to the viewpoint next to the faces in the rock, where I knew I could feel the warmth of the sun.

Soon the group came down the west side of Old La Honda Road. I followed after everyone had passed, stopping briefly to check on Dave Coale, who had stopped to fix a flat tire. When I got to CA84, most of the group had pressed on, and those who had waited started down into La Honda with me.

Gravity took over on the first couple miles of the descent, pulling me ahead of the others. A sudden onset of "ice cream headache" from the cold air in the redwood canyons had me continuing through La Honda without stopping or slowing. I eventually saw a large group of cyclists ahead on the road, but it took me a while to catch up.

After I caught the main group I offered them the sharp end of my tailbox and what little draft I produced. We continued at a good clip to the store in San Gregorio, where we took a short snack break.

After San Gregorio we climbed Stage Road to the north then descended CA1 to Tunitas Creek and continued into Half Moon Bay, stopping at La-Di-Da for a "coffee" break that extended to a lunch break.

After lunch we took Higgins-Purisima Road over the ridge to Purisima Creek Road, then Verde Road and Lobitos Creek Road. On this section I found myself running in front of the group, although I tried not to get too far ahead, to stay just within sight.

We then climbed Tunitas Creek Road to Skyline, descended Kings Mountain Road into Woodside, and stopped at Robert's Market for water and a regroup where I entertained questions about my bike from passers-by.

Our route then took us on Woodside Road to Whiskey Hill Road, Sand Hill Road, Junipero Serra Blvd. and Foothill Expressway. Along this section members of the group started to peel off toward home.

At Foothill and Magdalena I encountered some guy on a noisy smoke-belcher motor-assist bike. I had passed him earlier when he pulled off to the side due to what appeared to be a mechanical problem. How fast could it go? I was curious to see.

When the light turned green I went into Full Rabbit Mode, full-throttle, top gear, and as much pedal as I could muster. I knew he would not be able to resist the "challenge", and it would give me some idea of the bike's capability.

The obnoxious little smoke-belcher actually had pep, considering it was neither faired nor was its rider pedaling. I was managing about 32mph, and he was receding slowly in my rearview mirror. If I had not been pedaling we probably would have been matched for speed.

At Fremont Road, I exited and headed for home. I could hear the loud rat-tat-tat passing under the overpass.

Salinas, December 6, 2011 - Ron Bobb and I rode over to Salinas and explored some of the farm roads.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit
Distance:	82.2 miles
Cumulative climbing:	6090 feet
Total Time:	5:42:41
Riding Time:	5:06:08
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.1 mph
Max. Speed:	42.9 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1000 wh
Battery energy consumed:	819.8 wh
Wh/mi:	10.0
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	32.68
Max. Current:	65.5 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.4
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	2777 kJ (771 wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (Polar HRM estimate):	1598 kJ (444 wh)

San Gregorio and Pescadero, December 3, 2011 - I left home shortly after 1000 on a day that promised to be a great day for a bike ride to the coast: clear, breezy, and neither warm nor cool.

I rode south on Sunnyvale Avenue, then on Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road to Fremont Road that I took to Foothill Expressway. I got to Page Mill Road through Los Altos Hills on Burke, Robleda, Elena, Taafe, and Altamont Roads. I then took Page Mill Road up to Skyline and continued down Alpine Road into La Honda.

Wind from the last couple of days had blown much debris onto the road, especially in areas under trees. I descended carefully to avoid debris and the possibility of a stick getting stuck in my spokes.

It was warm on the sunny parts of the climb up Page Mill Road, but the shady parts were cool, and before I began the descent down Alpine Road I stopped to put my long sleeves back on. I was comfortable for the rest of the day in long sleeves. It wasn't too warm today.

My route took me west on CA84 to San Gregorio. I turned left on Stage Road, stopping near the top of the first climb to enjoy the view of the Pacific Ocean that appeared remarkably blue under the clear sky. The radome, bluff, and breakers at Pillar Point could clearly be seen in the distance. On most days a thick layer of fog hangs at the coast.

As I wasn't hungry I continued through Pescadero without stopping and found myself leap-frogging a group from the Stanford Cycling Team who had ridden out to Pescadero for the day and were on their way home.

We were going at roughly the same pace, but they went faster on the flat stuff, and I faster on the uphills, mainly because I used the motor more on the uphills. As it looked like they were practicing riding in a double echelon I followed them from a discreet distance until we started up Haskins Hill. They were planning to ride back up Alpine Road, and I was planning to take CA84 and Old La Honda, so after Haskins Hill I did not see them again.

My trip home up CA84 and Old La Honda went mostly without incident. On the way down Old La Honda (east side) I was passed by a cyclist who I thought was taking the blind corners imprudently fast, considering the opposing traffic. I followed this cyclist from a safe distance (slowing on the corners, and catching up on the straightaways) and almost witnessed a head-on collision with an old pickup just downhill from Summit Lane, whose driver abruptly put his right wheels into the ditch when this cyclist passed. The cab of the pickup truck must have witnessed an outburst of a few choice words.

At the bottom of Old La Honda Road I turned left and took Sand Hill Road, Junipero Serra, and Foothill Expressway, following the same route home that I had ridden out in the morning, stopping briefly for groceries at Trader Joe's.

	Bill	Zach
Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2	Power Gold Rush
Distance (miles):	98.7	98.7
Cumulative climbing (feet):	6840	6840
Total Time:	7:00:05	7:00:05
Total weight:	135 kg	112 kg
Riding Time:	5:48:00	5:49:41
Avg. Speed (moving):	17.0 mph	16.8 mph
Max. Speed:	49.9 mph	45.7 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24	24
Battery energy capacity:	1000 wh	1000 wh
Battery energy consumed:	933.1 wh	888.4 wh
Wh/mi:	9.4	9.0
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	37.345	35.446
Max. Current:	66.05 Amps	94.24 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.0	19.0
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)	? kJ (? wh)
Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated):	3161 kJ (878 wh)	3009 kJ (836 wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)	? kJ (? wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (Polar HRM estimate):	? kJ (? wh)	? kJ (? wh)

Zach Rides to Pescadero, November 27, 2011 - Zach Kaplan found the time to come down from Berkeley/Alameda for a visit and a ride on the latest version of my Power Gold Rush. We rode a Grand Loop to the Coast and back. Weather was sunny and mild at the coast and on the ridges, cold and damp in the redwood canyons, and foggy and cold in the bay area.

We started out in a cold tule fog, riding west on Evelyn Ave., then zig-zagged through Mountain View, picking up Foothill Expressway at El Monte Road. We continued north on Foothill Expressway then Junipero Serra Blvd. and Santa Cruz Ave. until we turned left on Sand Hill Road.

Zach ran into one of his customers on Portola Road near the base of Old La Honda Road. We climbed Old La Honda Road and descended west Old La Honda Road, stopping for a few minutes at the sunny spot with a view to the west next to the faces carved into the sandstone.

We coasted down into La Honda, then climbed over Haskins Hill and descended into Pescadero. Traffic was unusually light for a Sunday.

We stopped for about 35 minutes in Pescadero for a lunch/snack at Archangeli's Market before pressing up Stage Road, past the San Gregorio General Store, and joining CA1 at the top of a fast descent to Tunitas Creek.

We turned right and passed the free-range rooster at the Bar None Ranch before stopping for a minute at The Bike Hut. We then continued into the redwoods up Tunitas Creek Road

Zach jumped ahead on the steep part. He's 40 lbs lighter than I am, so he could afford to climb faster without using more energy. In fact, I think he still used less energy than I did at my slower speed.

When we got to Skyline Blvd. we turned left and rode over Kings Mountain before enjoying the long and fast descent to CA92, and slowing only briefly to merge with eastbound traffic, we continued straight down the hill to Crystal Springs Reservoir.

We then shot down Canada Road, continued on Mountain Home Road, took Portola Road through Portola Valley, and descended Alpine Road to I-280 without adding any power (pedal or motor). My minimum speed on this section was 24.5mph just north of Ladera, and Zach's was about 17mph. Weight does have its advantages sometimes.

Once we got to Junipero Serra Blvd. we returned to my house the same way we had left, arriving home at 1650, just as darkness was closing in.

Unfortunately, Zach hasn't been riding his Gold Rush recently, so his muscles and body aren't adapted to the relatively upright riding position. While he can get the proper leg extension and visibility over the fairing on my bike, he did suffer recumbent butt and sore lower back muscles. Maybe I can entice him to try some of the Low-Key Hill Climbs next year, which would each be shorter but more intense efforts than our long ride today.

LKHC: Mount Hamilton, November 24, 2011 - The last of the 2011 Low-Key Hill Climbs was a climb from San Jose up Mt. Hamilton. I took a few candid group photos at the meeting area at Alum Rock Road and Mount Hamilton Road, but most of the photos were taken from the final curve on the access road to Lick Observatory.

While it wasn't raining, the blowing mist was almost as wet and certainly as cold. The camera lens got covered in condensation a few times. I managed to get photos of most of the finishers, but I quit early due to numb fingers unable to operate my camera and one rider needing a ride down the mountain after crashing and injuring himself on the way up.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	96.2 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7010 feet
Total Time:	8:12:51
Riding Time:	5:45:43
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.7 mph
Max. Speed:	44.1 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1460 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1127.2 wh
Wh/mi:	11.6
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	45.93
Max. Current:	88.3 Amps
Min. Voltage:	15.0
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	3818 kJ (1061 wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Human energy to rear wheel (Polar HRM estimate):	? kJ (? wh)

LKHC: Kings Mountain Road, November 19, 2011 - These are photos taken at the Low-Key Hill Climb event on Kings Mountain Road and on the ride I did afterward down the coast (into a steady south wind) and back over Pescadero Road and Alpine Road

After the hill climb I rode down Tunitas Creek Road, passing a number of cyclists riding uphill, including a few large groups.

When I got to CA1 I headed south. I had brought extra battery capacity with me, and I didn't want to haul around the extra weight for nothing! My plan was to ride as far as I felt like riding. At a minimum I would turn inland at San Gregorio and head home, but when I got there I decided to press on. Weather coast-side was comfortable, although a gentle but steady south wind slowed my progress some. I thought briefly of riding to Santa Cruz and then back home through Los Gatos, but after working out the timing, I figured I'd get home around 6p if I did that, and I didn't have a light on my bike.

I ended up riding south past Pigeon Point to Gazos Creek Road. I rode up Gazos Creek Road to Cloverdale Road, then north to Butano Cutoff Road and Pescadero Road. I encountered little traffic the entire way.

I admired the changing color of the big leaf maples along Pescadero Creek and Alpine Creek, and on the climb up Alpine Road I stopped at the panoramic viewpoint to enjoy the scenery. I could see the solid stratus clouds approaching from the northwest, and before I reached the top of Alpine Road the blue sky had been replaced by a brooding cloud layer.

On the descent down Page Mill Road I took Moody Road and arrived home at 1610.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	55 miles
Cumulative climbing:	4000 feet
Total Time:	?
Riding Time:	?
Avg. Speed (moving):	? mph
Max. Speed:	? mph
Nominal System Voltage:	?
Battery energy capacity:	? wh
Battery energy consumed:	? wh
Wh/mi:	?
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	?
Max. Current:	? Amps
Min. Voltage:	?
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	1729 kJ (480 wh)

LKHC: Highway 9, November 12, 2011 - The photos in this album are mostly individual shots of riders arriving at the finish line with a few crowd panoramas thrown in. After the event was over Dan Connelly and I rode north on Skyline Blvd. and descended Page Mill Road.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	54 miles
Cumulative climbing:	3300 feet
Total Time:	?
Riding Time:	?
Avg. Speed (moving):	? mph
Max. Speed:	? mph
Nominal System Voltage:	?
Battery energy capacity:	? wh
Battery energy consumed:	? wh
Wh/mi:	?
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	?
Max. Current:	? Amps
Min. Voltage:	?
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	1729 kJ (480 wh)

Wooden Valley, November 5, 2011 - I started at Pleasants Valley Road and Foothill Road just west of Vacaville, CA and headed south on Pleasants Valley Road. My route took me through the northwestern suburbs of Fairfield, past Manka's Corner, and then up Gordon Valley Road, past several vineyards before descending Gordon Valley Cross Road along Suisun Creek to Wooden Valley Road. I rode quickly, cruising between 23 and 28 mph, so that I could finish before the heavy rain started.

Wooden Valley Road looked as if it had been resurfaced recently. I hadn't been on as nice an asphalt surface since, well, the improbably new and wide upper section of Gates Canyon Road earlier in the day.

As I started up Wooden Valley Road the sides of the valley closed in and formed a narrow slot canyon. Traffic was light, so I was able to enjoy the smooth road without hugging the shoulder alongside the guardrail.

I passed into an oak and maple forest. The maples were turning. It was along this section of the route that I felt the first sprinkles followed by on and off light rain. As the surrounding mountains were still clearly visible I knew that it would be sprinkles for a while yet.

Wooden Valley School went by on my right. I remember stopping here at a rest stop on the Foxy Fall Century in 1997.

When I got to CA121 I turned right, toward Lake Berryessa. I could not recall how far I had to go, nor how much climbing I would have to do, before I got to CA128. But, the climbing seemed to go on longer than I thought it ought.

Before long the road descended for a while, then climbed again. Just as I was to begin my final descent to CA128, I saw Janet Martinez and Friends riding the other way on what was approximately the same route. Bill Preucel had told me earlier that he would be riding this loop counter-clockwise with Janet and others. I did not join them as I had also planned to ride up Mt. Vaca and down Gates Canyon Road and after all that sight-seeing I would be too far behind them to catch up, even riding at maximum speed. They were riding fast.

Just after I passed Janet's group I found myself on CA128 heading east toward Winters. CA128 started with an imperceptible climb along the upper reach of Moss Creek to a low pass at 927 feet before beginning a gradual descent along Wragg Creek that leads eventually to Lake Berryessa. Shortly after the transition from Moss to Wragg Creek watersheds I stopped pedaling and coasted down the gradual decline.

At about the same time I felt something stinging my forearm. I thought that maybe it was a burr caught in my sleeve, but the sting smarted too much. I didn't want to stop and lose momentum and check, but eventually the thought of something crawling around under my clothing with the potential to inflict painful bites brought me to a stop near the bottom of the descent.

I shook out my clothes and found nothing, but when I examined my arm I saw two small red marks close together. Spider bite! I shook my clothes out again, this time more vigorously. Nothing fell out. It was starting to rain. I took a photo of the damage, put my clothes on, and continued.

Later, after I examined the red mark on my arm I concluded that whatever it was hadn't injected poison—there was no swelling or redness surrounding the bite. But, bite it must have been. Two small chunks of skin had been ripped from my arm. There was no bleeding. The bites hadn't been deep enough. "Horsefly!", I thought, and a hungry one at that. But, I hadn't seen any horseflies that day. So, what could it have been? And why two bites close together?

I pressed on up the climb of "Cardiac Hill" or its back side. The precipitation was starting to "connect the dots" on the road. I passed a few slicker-clad cyclists on the road as I climbed up the grade. On the descent through Markley Canyon I kept my speed under 30 mph since newly-wet roads are especially slick.

I stopped at Monticello Dam and took a few photos. On other occasions that I had been past this point it seemed that I had been on some ride or another where sight-seeing off the bike was not encouraged by the structure of the event. Either I was being timed or I was riding with others who didn't want to stop. The narrow canyon, Hell's Gate, must have seemed like an unusually sharp defile separating Rocky Ridge to the north from Blue Ridge to the south before the dam was built.

I continued east on CA128 down to Putah Creek that flowed from Monticello Dam, passed a few campgrounds, and at Pleasants Valley Road I turned right and cruised quickly back to my van at Foothill Road. Lying in the rainshadow of Mt. Vaca, the rain had not started there yet, but by evening it would be coming down hard.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	20 miles
Cumulative climbing:	2720 feet
Total Time:	?
Riding Time:	?
Avg. Speed (moving):	? mph
Max. Speed:	? mph
Nominal System Voltage:	?
Battery energy capacity:	? wh
Battery energy consumed:	? wh
Wh/mi:	?
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	?
Max. Current:	? Amps
Min. Voltage:	?
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	1729 kJ (480 wh)

LKHC: Mix Canyon Road (and Blue Ridge Road and Gates Canyon Road), November 5, 2011 - After an early wake-up and 100-minute drive from home to Vacaville, I arrived at Pleasants Valley Road and Foothill Road on the outskirts of town to register for the Low-Key Hill Climb up Mix Canyon Road.

As a warm-up I rode north on Pleasants Valley Road a ways, then retraced my route and arrived at the bottom of Mix Canyon Road with just enough time to shed extra layers before Barry Burr, the climb coordinator, had us all lining up behind a make-shift start line drawn across the road—I hope it was chalk—for a brief speech, at the conclusion of which it was decided after some grumbling that I should start one second ahead of the group to reduce the likelihood of interfering with the other riders.

Soon Howard Kveck sounded his car horn, and we were off to the races. I'm happy to report that I caused no interference. For the first 1/2-mile I managed to stay not too far behind Howard's car, though not close enough to benefit from any draft. I was hoping he saw me and would drive a little faster so that I wouldn't catch him. But, when the road pitched up more steeply I saw Howard for the last time until I reached the top.

The climb is still a bit of a blur for me. I only managed to take one unremarkable photo about halfway up. The lower part of Mix Canyon Road starts with short, steep climbs, followed by more gradual sections alongside Ulatis Creek and an occasional short descent. But a little past the half-way point the road begins a relentless climb with grades in excess of 12%. One-half mile before the top lies an unbroken 1/4-mile climb of 20%. I was pleased that I did not require a gear lower than a 44/30, although if I had no assistance I would gladly have accepted as low a gear as would fit on my bike.

This being the only Low-Key Hill Climb I had never previously ridden, I had neither an image in my mind of the road nor a feel for its difficulty. On the second brief downhill from the start I surrendered a couple of seconds by holding an outside line through the semi-blind curve rather than take the shortest path, and on the steep part closer to the top I did not push as hard as I had on Sierra Road as I was not quite sure how far I was from the finish.

After lingering at the top to photograph most of the finishers just before they crossed the line, I proceeded southward on Blue Ridge Road over the summit of Mt. Vaca (2819ft), that in spite of an unwelcoming sign at the top of Mix Canyon Road, is, according to SummitPost, open to public use by prescriptive easement.

Blue Ridge Road is paved for the first 100 yards, but after rounding a corner it becomes a well-graded dirt road covered with ballast rock most of the way. This ballast rock is good for drainage, but makes riding a bike difficult, especially uphill. A couple of times the rock was so deep that I fishtailed. Having the option of using motor power helped on the steep uphill sections as I could keep the wheel driven with constant torque rather than uneven pedal force.

After a short intermediate descent and climb the road traversed just below the summit of Mt. Vaca. I continued past the summit and took the short road leading up the south side of the summit. When I got to the top I found the fence surrounding the main tower unlocked, so I went in and examined the substantial tower on the summit.

After examining the tower I continued down Blue Ridge Road. The views were better from places along the road as the view from the summit itself was blocked by chapparal, fences, and buildings.

The incoming storm front pushed a moderately high layer of stratus and lenticular clouds over the area, yet the wind was not strong along the ridge. Occasionally the sun would peek through the clouds and provide some welcome warmth.

Views from the ridge include the southern end of Sacramento Valley, Mt. Diablo and Suisun Bay, nearby Twin Sisters, Mt. Tamalpais, and even Sutro Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge between the Twin Sisters were barely visible in the distance. To the west Lake Curry could be seen below, and Wooden Valley, where I would ride later in the day, could be seen further west. To the north some of the higher peaks of the coastal range north of San Francisco Bay could be seen: Geyser Peak, Mount Saint Helena, and Cobb Mountain. Unfortunately, the air was too hazy to see the Sierras.

I was glad to be riding down and not up Blue Ridge Road. The road descends steeply in places and is paved where it is steepest. No doubt this was done because a dirt road would have been impassable in wet weather (and impassable in dry weather with a two-wheel drive vehicle).

Before long I found myself at the top of Gates Canyon Road. The change in road surface was remarkable: rough ballast rock to new, smooth asphalt. It looked like someone had built an impossibly steep freeway up to the ridge.

I thought my speculation might be confirmed when I passed what appeared to be a wide area a short distance below the top, but after some thought I decided that it was probably a truck turnaround.

A little further down I started passing a smaller group of Low-Key Hill Climbers who were riding the extra-credit "Diabolical Duo Strava Challenge" up Gates Canyon Road I stopped to take photos of them when I had enough time to get my camera ready.

At the bottom end of the steep part the nice, smooth (but steep) asphalt disappeared and turned to dirt. At first this was not so bad as the dirt was well-packed, but near the bottom of the dirt section, it looks like someone had dumped a load of fresh soil on the road without running a roller or grader over it. I fishtailed a bit when riding through and was happy not to have encountered this while riding uphill while on the clock or in the rain.

I passed more Diabolical Duo riders until nearly the bottom. But, as I got closer to Pleasants Valley Road I let the brakes go and enjoyed the descent more fully. At Pleasants Valley Road I turned right and rode the short distance back to my van to swap batteries and to prepare to ride the Wooden Valley loop as the rain appeared to be holding off.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	91.9 miles
Cumulative climbing:	4810 feet
Total Time:	8:22:36
Riding Time:	5:21:14
Avg. Speed (moving):	17.16 mph
Max. Speed:	59.6 mph (61 mph on CycleAnalyst)
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	? wh
Battery energy consumed:	888.8 wh
Wh/mi:	9.7
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	35.6
Max. Current:	83.8 Amps
Min. Voltage:	?
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	3011 kJ (836 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	1729 kJ (480 wh)

LKHC: Palomares Road (and there and back), October 29, 2011 - Today's Low-Key Hill Climb was the southern climb of Palomares Road from Niles Canyon near Fremont, CA. It was close enough to home (two hours) that I could ride to the start as a warm-up, mostly without using the motor.

I left home near downtown Sunnyvale at 0740 in time to enjoy the glorious and welcome sunrise at my back. After cruising between 14 and 18 mph (15.5mph average) I arrived somewhat fatigued at the assembly area at Vallejo Mills Historical Park near Mission Blvd. and CA84 at 0940 to sign-in and get the bike ready for the climb, namely to remove the large batteries and panniers that I carry for long range, and the extra water bottles and clothing, bringing the bike from a hefty 50kg down to a lighter 30kg for the climb. The extra stuff I put in the trunk of Howard's car, that he would drive to the top.

We would be timed in small groups, and the first group got underway at 1010, pedaling at an easy 18mph (then 15mph) up Niles Canyon to the start of the climb. When we got to the base of Palomares we waited again for several minutes—the second group was already waiting down at the highway—while our numbers were recorded before we were given the countdown to Go!

The going part didn't take long. Tracy Colwell was off the front for the first 200 yards as I was slow on the throttle. On this occasion it might have been interesting to play rabbit and hang off the front of the group to watch and photograph the tactics play out as the climb was too gradual to break up this group of the strongest climbers. But, in the end I felt it was more important to set my best time and not to run the risk of interfering.

The initial half-mile of the Palomares climb is gradual, steepening only through the narrow passages of the canyon. I had initially overestimated the steepness and found myself running out of top gear until I shifted into the big ring for the first time in this series.

Since the objective is to minimize elapsed time, I kept the motor system on full-throttle, geared to draw maximum power (about 1050 watts, 750 watts to the wheel), where possible and safe to do. On the human side, I pushed as hard as I could on the steepest parts, and eased up a bit on the flatter stuff, allowing myself to recover slightly between efforts and to use the motor more to maintain speed and to provide smoother power delivery while cutting through some of the tighter corners.

After I arrived at the top, I lingered to photograph individual finishers in the later groups.

After the last of the climbers had finished and folks had gone their separate ways, I continued down the frighteningly fast north side toward Castro Valley, coasting most of the way down to Palo Verde Road. At Palo Verde Road I turned right and climbed up Dublin Canyon and coasted down into Pleasanton, stopping for lunch, initially at a Togo's, but while waiting in line I decided to try the Gourmet Burritos next door that was nearly empty.

After a hearty and spicy "Thai Fresh" burrito I continued south on Foothill Road, then shifted over to Pleasanton-Sunol Road on Castlewood Road. At Paloma Way I turned left, passed under I-680, and continued south on Calaveras Road.

Calaveras Road was remarkably free of traffic on this warm, sunny Saturday afternoon. I saw only a few cyclists and about as many motor vehicles from Geary Road to Felter Road.

At Felter Road I turned left and climbed to the top of Sierra Road. On the way I passed one cyclist who was climbing at a good clip for someone with a sprinter's build. Although I was not motoring at high intensity, it took me a while to catch and pass him.

Near the top of Sierra Road I stopped to photograph a wake of vultures feeding on some roadkill, hazy smog hanging over San Jose that reminded me of summer days from the 1980s, and a cow that unlike other cows in the same pen did not move away from the fence when I approached.

I started down Sierra Road at a quick pace, or so I thought. About 1/3 of the way down, near the sharp left turn at a nice viewspot next to the road under a small grove of eucalyptus I was passed by the fast climber I had passed earlier on the climb up Felter Road.

This guy seemed to know the road. Given that he didn't carry much else on his bike, I suspect he lived nearby and rode this road frequently, more frequently than my once or twice a year.

I don't often get passed on descents, so I tend to take notice when I do. Sometimes it is instructive (and often easier) to follow a faster descender. Let them pick the best lines through the curves, although doing so requires a certain amount of trust in the person one is following, an assumption that one's bike handles in a similar manner, and in this case a willingness to fly blindly around the curves.

It was on these two latter points that I made some observations of my descending style. I followed him initially around the next few curves, but I hated flying blind. I had an easier time doing that several years ago when I was on beta-blockers, but I now have a healthy fear response. I've also had too many close calls, unexpected obstacles in the road (gravel, stopped traffic, deer, etc.), when flying blindly around corners.

On the handling part I needed mentally to calculate the required lean angle that gets me through the curve without going too widely or tightly, then to induce that lean angle or something close to it with the correct amount of countersteer upon entering the curve. To adjust the line while in the curve I found that countersteer is too coarse a method, so I used the rear brake to make fine adjustments to the lean angle.

In an analogous fashion to the way a spoked wheel achieves its strength through pre-tensioned spokes, I observed that in order to retain the ability to make subtle adjustments of my line through a curve, to tighten or to widen a curve without using countersteer, I needed to have some application of the brake all the way through the curve, some pre-force on the brake. That would give me flexibility to reduce braking force to widen the curve or to increase braking force to tighten the curve as needed. But, maintaining some significant braking force through the turns limited my speed, that while still fast by most people's standards, still wasn't fast enough to keep up with this guy leading ahead of me.

Since I have a motor on the bike I might have been able to apply motor power in place of reducing brake force where speed was lower than about 30mph, the speed above which the motor is topped out, and as long as the throttle can be modulated smoothly.

One might think that the lower center of gravity of my bike would make possible faster changes to lean angle, to get through twisty curves faster. But, the greater mass of the bike (about 50kg in this case) along with the longer wheelbase and the greater time required for the natural self-righting feedback to occur, makes it harder to control rotational acceleration in the Z-axis. So, if I induce a quick lean, it's hard to stop advancing that lean. There's overshoot. This must be taken into account when inducing the initial lean. An overshoot could lead to a low-side crash, especially if one tries to counter-steer out of it.

But, all was not lost. When I got to the end of the twisty stuff, to the top of the final "ski jump" descent down to Piedmont. I could see the other guy a few blocks ahead, so I released my brakes, touching 60 mph before coming to a controlled stop at the traffic light just behind him.

The rest of my ride home across north San Jose and Santa Clara went without further incident, analysis, observation, or discovery.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
Distance:	89.4 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7590 feet
Total Time:	7:00:59
Riding Time:	5:41:36
Avg. Speed (moving):	15.7 mph
Max. Speed:	? mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	861.0 wh
Wh/mi:	9.6
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	34.3
Max. Current:	64.7 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.5
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	2916 kJ (810 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	1729 kJ (480 wh)

Ben Lomond, October 26, 2011 - I rode over to Los Altos to join the Wednesday Hills 'R' Us ride. The group was smaller today than it was the last time I joined the ride sometime last summer.

We started south on Foothill Expressway and continued on Foothill Blvd. and Stevens Canyon Road. As I was riding as much as I could without using the motor on this part, I found myself gradually falling behind the group until we regrouped at the rest rooms just past Mt. Eden Road.

I stopped to use the facility just as the group left, and again I was bringing up the rear. I didn't really mind this too much as everyone was riding his (and her) own pace. I only started using the motor at the bottom of Redwood Gulch Road just after I stopped to photograph a large rock island rooster strutting in the middle of the road. I started to pass members of the group about two miles from the top, and then waited at Skyline while those I had passed on the way up arrived.

After we regrouped I continued down CA9 to Boulder Creek while the group went south on Skyline Blvd. I would meet them a few hours later, as it turned out, at this exact same spot.

As I arrived in Boulder Creek my tire pump fell off my right chainstay. The mounting bracket had broken. A kind passer-by picked it up and brought it to me.

As I left Boulder Creek I came upon a guy riding a bike down the road with a small dog tucked inside his backpack. The dog did not see me at first, but once he did, he stared intently. Dogs and small children tend to do that when they see the Banana Bike.

I was happy to get off CA9 in Ben Lomond—traffic is frequently impatient through the San Lorenzo Valley. I rode Glen Arbor Road to Quail Hollow Road that climbs over a short hill and down to Zayante Road. I turned left on Zayante Road and climbed back up to Summit Road, stopping to take a couple photos. I turned left at Summit Road, left on Bear Creek Road, and right on Skyline Blvd.

At Gist Road I descended the nine switchbacks to Black Road. To check if I was in front or behind the group, I attempted to call Dave Fitch in the Hills 'R' Us group, but I only got his voicemail. I looked at my watch and figured that if they were behind me they would probably head down into Los Gatos rather than over Castle Rock Summit. So, I pressed on without delay.

I finally did catch the group again at Saratoga Gap. At this point most of them descended CA9, while I continued with a smaller contingent north on Skyline Blvd. to Page Mill Road that we descended back into Los Altos.

LKHC: Bohlman-Norton-Kittridge-Quickert-On Orbit-Bohlman (and the scenic way home), October 22, 2011 - Under clear skies and perfect climbing temperatures, the Low-Key Hill Climbers assembled themselves at Saratoga Elementary School for a climb up through a neighborhood of Saratoga that climbs one of the steepest sequence of roads in the Bay Area. These are photos, mostly groups of people waiting around, from before the climb, after the climb, and a few extras I took on my ride home by an indirect route: down Montevina, up Black and Gist, then Skyline Blvd. to Saratoga Gap, then back again to Old Santa Cruz Hwy, Alma Bridge Road, and Los Gatos Creek Trail.
LKHC: Page Mill Road (and the scenic way home), October 15, 2011 - These are mostly candid people photos from the Low-Key Hill Climb ride up Page Mill Road. The second half of the album are photos from my scenic ride home over Castle Rock Ridge, down through Redwood Estates, up Montevina Road, down Bohlman-On Orbit-Quikert-Kittridge-Norton (checking out next week's climb route in reverse), and then along Stevens Canyon Road.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	102 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5470 feet
Total Time:	7:58:51
Riding Time:	5:50:36
Avg. Speed (moving):	17.37 mph
Max. Speed:	51.7 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1500 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1214.1 wh
Wh/mi:	12.0
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	49.064
Max. Current:	95.45 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.3
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	2878 kJ (800 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	1774 kJ (493 wh)

LKHC: Sierra Road (plus there and back), October 8, 2011 - These are mostly candid people photos from the Low-Key Hill Climb ride up Sierra Road, where I wish I had had the presence of mind to shoot photos behind me on the first half-mile of the climb. I also included a few photos from my long ride home, made longer when I (along with a few other cyclists and motorists) discovered that Niles Canyon was closed to all traffic until 1500.

Rather than return up Calaveras Road, I went north to Pleasanton in an unsuccessful search for a quick lunch stop. I finally stopped at a Subway in Castro Valley. After lunch I returned up Palomares Road, checking out the road conditions on the southern end in preparation of the LKHC in three weeks—the road looked in good condition to me. Since it was after 1500 I continued through Niles Canyon, the Alameda Creek Trail, Decoto Road, and then across the Dumbarton Bridge and home through Palo Alto and Mountain View.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	87 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7000 feet
Total Time:	6:45:29
Riding Time:	5:47:59
Avg. Speed (moving):	15.04 mph
Max. Speed:	51.8 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	925.53 wh
Wh/mi:	10.6
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	36.606
Max. Current:	81.54 Amps
Min. Voltage:	20
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (calculated):	3070 kJ (853 wh)
Total energy from human (calculated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM est.):	1223 kJ (340 wh)

Mammoth Area Ride, September 22, 2011 - David took the day off to rest after two days of hiking, but I had energy to get out of the condo and enjoy the good weather, so I headed out toward Tom's Place with the idea that I would climb up to Mosquito Flat on Upper Rock Creek Canyon Rd. and then return.

I was able to communicate with David on our FRS radios as far as Mt. Morrison Rd. and US395, about 10 miles from the condo as the crow flies, and with good line-of-sight reception. I continued down to Crowley Lake, staying on US395 past McGee and Hilton Creeks, through Little Round Valley, and finally to Tom's Place, where I turned right and began the long climb.

I rode up Upper Rock Creek Canyon to the Mosquito Flat (Little Lakes Valley) trailhead, spoke with a few people curious about my bike and where I was riding, and then returned down the hill again, cruising at about 45-48 mph on the straightaways into a gentle headwind as I descended. I didn't use the brakes too often until I got to the twisty parts in the canyon near the bottom.

When I got back to Tom's Place I returned west on Crowley Lake Drive to McGee Creek and then rejoined US395. I was still feeling energetic, so I continued north on US395 to Deadman Summit before turning around. I briefly entertained the idea of riding the scenic June Lake Loop, but my energy level wasn't high enough (battery or body).

I climbed back into town on the north escape road, euphemistically called "Mammoth Scenic Loop", where the only scenery is a dense lodgepole forest. When I got back into town, instead of returning directly to the condo, I rode back down to the Forest Service office to inquire about a missing bridge over the San Joaquin River on the trail to Garnet Lake we had tried to hike two days earlier. Then I toured through town on one of the bike path/cross-country ski routes that ended near Sherwin Creek Rd. and Old Mammoth Rd. I then climbed back to the condo on Minaret Road.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	46 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5900 feet
Total Time:	6:00
Riding Time:	4:32:23
Avg. Speed (moving):	10.18 mph
Max. Speed:	44.4 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	754.84 wh
Wh/mi:	16.4
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	29.639
Max. Current:	87.47 Amps
Min. Voltage:	15
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (calculated):	2504 kJ (696 wh)
Total energy from human (calculated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM est.):	? kJ (? wh)

Mammoth Tour and San Joaquin Ridge, September 19, 2011 - David wanted to spend the day relaxing and reading, so I went out and did my usual Mammoth Tour (Mammoth town to Red's Meadow Resort and back, then up to Horseshoe Lake and back).

I started by coasting downhill to The Village from the condo, then climbed Minaret Rd. Unfortunately, road crews were busy resurfacing the road, so the uphill lane was grooved in preparation for a new coat of asphalt. At the north escape road (a.k.a. Mammoth Scenic Loop) road crews had blocked the uphill lane and were permitting traffic only on the downhill side, one direction at a time. I waited with a line of cars for several minutes before we were allowed through.

When we started to go I started up in the grooved uphill lane to let the motor vehicles past, but when the grooved pavement became oiled, I jumped up on the new asphalt and gave it full throttle so that I wouldn't run afoul the downhill traffic on the next cycle.

It didn't take long to get up to the base lodge of the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. I continued past the dormant operations--even the gondola was idle, the carriages having been taken off their cable--and pressed on to Minaret Summit at a slower pace.

At the pass I turned right and made my usual visit to the vista point that always has a nice view of the Ritter Range bathed in morning light.

After taking my usual photos I headed down Minaret Road toward Red's Meadow. I descended quickly, trying to coast over the few uphill segments as much as I could and to pedal as little as possible. The air was cool but not cold.

Soon I found myself at Red's Meadow proper, and shortly afterward at Red's Meadow Resort, where I spoke with the guy who runs the store there.

He told me that the horses had recently been transported over to their wintering corral in Bishop, and the Resort itself would be closing down by the end of September, as usual.

"The road isn't plowed, so after the first big snowstorm the only way out is snowshoes, skis or snowmobile."

I asked if a caretaker stays over the winter.

"Up until a few years ago we had a guy who stayed in that cabin over there." he pointed to an older cabin with a pitched roof, "Two or three times in the winter he'd ski over Mammoth Pass, and people from Mammoth would snowmobile down the road. But, the last few years no one is here in winter. It's a pretty tough life to be snowed in for several months."

I said my goodbyes, "Until next year," and proceeded to climb back up to Minaret Summit, stopping a few times on the way to take more photos.

When I reached the summit again, I got the bright idea to ride up San Joaquin Ridge. The road is open to "off-road vehicles", so I figure a hybrid recumbent would be allowed, if unanticipated. I figure I am probably the first (and perhaps the last) to make the journey on such a bike.

The first part of the road was fairly firm but had large whoop-de-doos (if ridden at high speed). Then the road started to climb steeply. Sharp rocks appeared in the surface, and I had to choose my line carefully not to bottom out some part of my bike. If I hadn't had a motor to help keep the rear wheel torque even, I might have had to walk some of this.

Mid-way up the road surface was firmly-packed, straight, and not too steep. I had no trouble riding. But, near the top, the road became very steep and sandy, and even with the motor I could only spin the rear wheel in the sand. I was not using knobbies, just road semi-slicks.

I got off and pushed the bike (with help from the motor) up this steepest section before getting back on the bike and continuing the climb to the end of the road above Deadman Pass.

The views were magnificent, as expected. Unexpected, though magnificent in its own way, was the rapidly changing weather. I had enough time to take a set of panorama photos (1, 2, 3) and to make a quick radio call to Frank in San Jose (KJ6PZV) through the CARLA linked repeater in Hawthorne, Nevada, that I could hit with good signal quality on "low" power (1 watt).

Then I headed back down the road. As I descended I was amazed at the speed with which the clouds over the ridge had built up. By the time I was halfway down the ridge to the paved road, the clouds looked angry, indeed.

Without delay I headed back down to the ski resort and back into town as far as The Village. At Lake Mary Road, the weather didn't seem to be imminently threatening, so I decided to venture up the new Lakes Bike Path that parallels Lake Mary Road all the way to Horseshoe Lake.

Normally I don't like bike paths because every side-road and driveway requires at least a yield in practice (a stop, officially). But, I was in the mood now to take my time and enjoy the scenery. Besides this bike path was brand new this year, clearly constructed to high standards (though not for high speed) through rocky soil and at great expense, and I hadn't ridden it yet.

The path disappears at Twin Lakes. I assume this is only temporary as work crews appeared to be building this last section. The temporary detour went toward the Twin Lakes Campground and past the Tamarack Lodge. I took the road until I saw a bike path heading off alongside the lower Twin Lake.

At first I took the path until it ended at the campground entrance. I turned around and found myself at a road junction in front of the Twin Lakes store. A path continued into the forest on the other side, and I began climbing switchbacks up to Lake Mary Road again. This part of the path was the steepest.

After the path reached Lake Mary Road it continued alongside, passing a nice Scenic Overlook (only accessible from the path) where I could see big clouds building over Mammoth Mountain, rode past the pack station, around the bend past Lake Mary, and on up to Horseshoe Lake.

At Horseshoe Lake I stopped and chatted with an older couple from southern California who were vacationing. They took my photo. I took a few more.

Then I started down the bike path. I had thought of taking the road as it would have been faster, and the weather did seem to be closing in around the area, although so far I managed to keep myself in the sunny pockets, while dark clouds surrounded me above the mountains and ridges. My luck would not hold.

I left the path at Davison and Lake Mary Road, climbed up the steep and straight Davison Road, past the Canyon Lodge. As I rode through the acres of parking before the Lodge, less than a mile before home, the rain came down hard. By the time I pulled into the driveway for the condo I might as well have been out in it all day.

Rather than duck inside immediately, I rode around the complex, found a working hose, and proceeded to wash the pumice dust off my bike--the rain wasn't getting all of it, and then dry off the bike in the garage with a towel.

Sun Valley - Elkhorn, August 21, 2010 - After riding up Trail Creek Road I took the long way back to Ketchum by way of Sun Valley and Elkhorn. I rode mostly the paved bike path that would probably irritate many bicycle commuters, but it was a nice way to tool along slowly and enjoy the scenery, as long as I was attentive at intersections and road crossings.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	40 miles
Cumulative climbing:	3000 feet
Total Time:	4:00
Riding Time:	3:06:45
Avg. Speed (moving):	13.01 mph
Max. Speed:	40.7 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	461.73 wh
Wh/mi:	11.4
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	17.92
Max. Current:	83.92 Amps
Min. Voltage:	19.6
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (calculated):	1164 kJ (323 wh)
Total energy from human (calculated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM est.):	? kJ (? wh)

Trail Creek Road, August 21, 2010 - My main ride of the day was to climb up Trail Creek Road as far as seemed prudent.

Trail Creek Road starts as Sun Valley Road and continues past Sun Valley up the initially broad canyon that narrows considerably as the road begins its climb up to Trail Creek Pass (7894ft). About 1/2-mile after the road begins its long climb, its surface transitions to well-graded dirt.

I hadn't planned to ride dirt roads on this trip, but this road was just starting to get pretty, so I pressed on. Fortunately, there wasn't too much traffic, although when motorists passed me they stirred up a cloud of dust.

I was able to enjoy nice views down into the canyon as the road climbed further. The climb ends at a wooded pass where there is no view.

I did not continue down the other side as the day was getting late, and I knew that I had ridden the scenic part already, so I turned around and went back toward Sun Valley.

Warm Springs Road, August 21, 2010 - I got a late start on a shorter day of biking. I first took a ride up to the end of the pavement on Warm Springs Road. Someday I'll have to explore the quiet dirt road further upstream. Looks like there's a hot spring 6.5 miles in.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	77 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5500 feet
Total Time:	5:48:51
Riding Time:	5:10:07
Avg. Speed (moving):	14.83 mph
Max. Speed:	45.4 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	707.11 wh
Wh/mi:	9.3
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	27.557
Max. Current:	82.91 Amps
Min. Voltage:	15.2
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (1629 wh)
Total energy from motor (calculated):	1782 kJ (495 wh)
Total energy from human (calculated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM est.):	? kJ (? wh)

Galena Summit, August 19, 2010 - I took most of the day to explore ID75 over Galena Summit as far as the Smiley Creek Lodge. I enjoyed beautiful views of the mountains north of Ketchum and around the headwaters of the Salmon River.

On the way up to Galena Summit I saw a few cyclists, including one older guy on a Bacchetta Giro (I think) at the Galena Lodge. While I was stopped at the Alexander Ross turnout I met a couple of cycle tourists descending from the pass who stopped to check out the big yellow bike-thing. One of them took my photo.

After crossing Galena Summit I stopped at the Church Overlook to admire the view of the Salmon River Valley and the Sawtooth Mountains in the distance. I continued down into the Salmon River Valley as far as Smiley Creek as I didn't have enough time or energy to ride all the way to Stanley and back.

The return trip covered the same road until I got into Ketchum, where I stayed on the main highway into town and stopped by the supermarket to pick up a few groceries before heading back to Michael's condo.

One remarkable aspect of the ride included the longest coasting I can recall having enjoyed. From Galena Summit eastward I coasted without pedaling (or motoring) for about 15 miles, sometimes slowing to about 10mph, but never stopping. I had to pedal on a slight uphill after passing Cathedral Pines, but then I was able to coast again for another 10 miles, although more slowly and tediously, slowing sometimes to 6mph. When I got close to town I grew tired of coasting at walking pace and decided to ride normally the rest of the way in.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	77 miles
Cumulative climbing:	6000 feet
Total Time:	7:30:42
Riding Time:	5:40:23
Avg. Speed (moving):	13.51 mph
Max. Speed:	44.8 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1264 wh
Battery energy consumed:	873.43 wh
Wh/mi:	11.4
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	34.624
Max. Current:	84.36 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.2
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	1078 watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	203 watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	5863 kJ (1629 wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	2201 kJ (611 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	1870 kJ (519 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	1870 kJ (519 wh)

Hills 'R' Us Goes to Big Basin, August 3, 2011 - Our route took us from Shoup Park in Los Altos south on Foothill Expressway, up Stevens Canyon, Redwood Gulch (where I stopped to photograph some blooming Hyacinth Bean, then up CA9 (where I witnessed my second out-of-control single-auto crash in less than a month), and over to Boulder Creek where we stopped to buy lunch at the New Leaf market. We continued up West Park and CA236 into Big Basin where we enjoyed an extended stop for lunch. After lunch we rode up CA236 and CA9, then returned the way we had come.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	81 miles
Cumulative climbing:	6000 feet
Total Time:	7:40:59
Riding Time:	5:07:31
Avg. Speed (moving):	15.78 mph
Max. Speed:	46.8 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1015.5 wh
Wh/mi:	12.6
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	40.384
Max. Current:	82.98 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.5
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	1078 watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	203 watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	5863 kJ (1629 wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	2559 kJ (711 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	1204 kJ (344 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	1650 kJ (458 wh)

Hills 'R' Us Goes to Pescadero, July 20, 2011 - This Wednesday Hills 'R' Us ride took advantage of the clear, warm weather and went to Pescadero for lunch, going by way of Page Mill, Alpine, and Pescadero Roads, returning by Stage Road, CA84, and Old La Honda Road.

We climbed at our own pace but regrouped to fight the headwind on Pescadero Road and pacelined up CA84 as far as La Honda before hills and mechanicals broke the group. We started with 14 riders but dwindled gradually through the day to only four near the end.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	68.6 miles
Cumulative climbing:	6310 feet
Total Time:	7:23:43
Riding Time:	4:33:08
Avg. Speed (moving):	15.07 mph
Max. Speed:	46.4 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	847.66 wh
Wh/mi:	12.4
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	33.587
Max. Current:	81.8 Amps
Min. Voltage:	?
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	1078 watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	203 watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	5863 kJ (1629 wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	2167 kJ (602 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	1204 kJ (344 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	1204 kJ (344 wh)

Field Day, June 25, 2011 - I decided to visit four ARRL (American Radio Relay League) Field Day encampments at various spots around the South Bay Area. I had taken (and passed) my Technician Class license exam two days earlier, had heard about the nationwide Field Day event, and decided to see what the fuss was all about. But, as it was my usual day for a bike ride I determined to get to all of the sites by bike.

My first stop was at the SARA site at a CDF storage area atop a lesser peak about one mile southeast of Saratoga Gap (elev. 2930ft).

I then rode north on Skyline, then down Alpine Road into La Honda and visited the SC4ARC site at La Honda Gardens.

After learning about SC4ARC I rode up CA84, Old La Honda Road, and Skyline Blvd. to Page Mill and Moody Roads, then backroads through Los Altos Hills to the WVARA site atop Mora (Water Tank) Hill in Rancho San Antonio Open Space.

My last stop was at the FARS site on the large field inside the Maryknoll Seminary grounds.

On my way through Rancho San Antonio Sunday afternoon foot-traffic was heaviest (though at the time enjoyed a brief break from hikers), I saw a plump rattlesnake making its way from one side to the other. As I approached the rattler, he stopped and turned. We both stared each other down for several seconds before he turned away and began quickly slithering off to the other side of the road.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
Distance:	102.7 miles
Cumulative climbing:	6580 feet
Total Time:	7:54:24
Riding Time:	6:52:26
Avg. Speed (moving):	14.9 mph
Max. Speed:	42.0 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	811.53 wh
Wh/mi:	7.9
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	31.822
Max. Current:	77.5 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.9
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	1078 watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	203 watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	5863 kJ (1629 wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	2103 kJ (584 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	2319 kJ (644 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	2344 kJ (651 wh)

Mt. Madonna, June 19, 2011 - I left home at 0945 and headed through Santa Clara, San Jose, Campbell, and Los Gatos. I then picked up the Los Gatos Creek Trail and headed up Los Gatos Creek to Lexington Reservoir. The trail was busy.

At the top of the Dam I took Alma Bridge Road around to the backside of the reservoir, then Aldercroft Heights Road to Old Santa Cruz Highway that I took up to Summit Road. So far the air was cool in the shade and warm in the sun.

I turned left on Summit Road and headed southeast past the Store—no need to stop yet—and onto Highland Way where I startled and "chased" a doe and her fawn down the road.

Multiple slides on Highland Way appear to have been arrested using black vinyl tarps. The location of a major road repair from several years ago saw another huge mudslide cover the road. This mud had all been pushed out of the way, creating tall berms on the downhill side of the road and leaving only one lane of travel. But, it was enough to get through.

The roadside parking at the Soquel Demonstration Forest was busy with mountain bikers either coming or going. I continued on up to "Four Corners" (Ormsby, Highland, Eureka Canyon, and Buzzard Lagoon Roads).

While I rested at the top a group of three road bikers caught up to me. Time hasn't done these roads any good, and not much maintenance has been performed. Numerous small potholes and rocks were on the final climb up Highland Way. I decided to follow the roadies down Eureka Canyon as they seemed to know the road, or at least to know the current condition of the road.

When we got down to Corralitos we went our separate ways. I paused for a few minutes to consider stopping for a sandwich at the Corralitos Market and Sausage Company, but opted instead to eat a couple of energy bars and to press on.

I continued on Browns Valley and Hazel Dell. Again I was into the cool redwoods for the next half hour.

At Mt. Madonna Road I turned left and started up the short but steep climb to the summit. Mt. Madonna Road (west) reminds me of Old La Honda Road, but the former is shorter and steeper. The steepest part of the climb is the first 2/3. The upper 1/3 mostly through redwoods is much less steep.

At the junction of Mt. Madonna, Summit, and Pole Line Roads I chatted briefly with a couple of cyclists who had come up the east side of Mt. Madonna Road and reported that, in spite of the road closure sign, the road was bumpy but preferable to taking CA152, the only other reasonable alternative.

I ventured down the east side. The dirt road could use grading as deep pits had formed in its surface over the last season. Initially the road descends through thick stands of redwood and is slightly muddy in spots from the moisture collected when fog blows through. The dampness did have one nice side-effect: no dust.

About 1.5 miles from the top the road surface becomes paved and the grade steepens. Near the bottom, I passed a one-lane control past a slide-out under an inadequate repair, probably the reason for the closure sign.

When I got to Redwood Retreat Road at the bottom I turned left and explored Redwood Retreat Road to its end. I had never ridden that way before. I wasn't missing too much. The road continues up the valley for another mile past some vineyards that are trying to attract tourist traffic.

I returned down Redwood Retreat Road to Watsonville Road and turned left. I made my only out-of-bike stop at the Chitactac-Adams roadside park to top off my water bladder at the drinking fountain. The temperature was noticeably warmer here than in Corralitos.

Once back on the road I pressed on up Watsonville Road to Sycamore Road, over the hump, then left on Oak Glen Road past Chesbro Reservoir. When I got to Uvas Road I turned right on Uvas Road, continued on McKean Road past Cinnabar Hills and Calero Reservoir.

Almaden Valley was downright hot, and I was at this point getting tired. So, I started pedaling less forcefully and used the motor more. I continued north on Almaden Expressway, then Camden Ave. over the hill, then Hicks, Shannon, and Kennedy over another hill into Los Gatos, stopping briefly to photograph a convenient example of Farewell to Spring (Clarkia rubicunda) I then took CA9 to Saratoga and Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road home.

Overall it was a good ride on roads I hadn't ridden in several years, one of them never before. I felt tired at the end, but it was a good kind of tired.

Sequoia Worker's Events, June, 2011 - This is an album of photos from the Sequoia Worker's Ride and Picnic the next day. Most of the photos were taken at the picnic.
Short Loop to Skyline, June 2, 2011 - I managed to squeeze in a short afternoon loop up Old La Honda Road to Skyline and down Page Mill Road before the arrival of gloomy wet weather for the next few days. End of day light and clouds made for some interesting photographs.

After I got most of the way down Page Mill Road I tried out the new Matadero Creek Multi-Use Trail from Deer Hill Road down to Foothill Expressway. The trail is nice, but the unprotected crossing of Coyote Hill Road and its turn lanes make it less safe than taking the shoulder of the expressway.
Tour of California, Stage 4, May 18, 2011 - It was a picturesque day in air cleared by the departing stormy weather to witness this spectacle on Sierra Road for the finish of Stage 4 of the 2011 Tour of California.

I rode from home to the top, or almost. The race organizers weren't letting spectators across the official finish line at the top. After riding as far as I could I turned around and picked a spot by the road with some friends from my bike local bike club that looked as if it might afford a good view of the race as it went by.

After the race passed I rode down Sierra Road rather than attempt to get through the finishing area, and then I rode home.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	89.6 miles
Cumulative climbing:	3700 feet
Total Time:	9:56:42
Riding Time:	6:40:03
Avg. Speed (moving):	13.4 mph
Max. Speed:	42.3 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	642.2 wh
Wh/mi:	7.2
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	25.394
Max. Current:	82.8 Amps
Min. Voltage:	?
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	1078 watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	203 watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	5863 kJ (1629 wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	1572 kJ (437 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	3165 kJ (879 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	2020 kJ (561 wh)

Half Moon Bay Trails, May 7, 2011 - I hadn't ridden a loop around the Bay since 2005 when Randall Hull and I rode a similar loop. The loop I was planning for today was a bit different. After having a discussion a few months ago with Richard Mlynarik about the trails above the Pillar Point Bluffs and the Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail, I decided to head out that way and explore these trails for myself.

I emailed Richard at the last minute in case he wanted meet up in Daly City to show me the way, but I did not hear from him. So, I printed out some aerial views from Google Maps and left home around 0930, heading southeast directly away from Daly City, as if I were riding up Mt. Hamilton as I was last week.

My route took me the usual and shortest way by time through north San Jose, then north through Milpitas, Warm Springs, and Fremont, where I stopped briefly at Central Park for a break, then on a short distance to Fremont BART station. I rode the entire distance from home (22 miles) on human power only.

I had been carrying around an old BART ticket with some credit that I wanted to use up—I hardly ever take BART these days. And riding a heavy e-bike doesn't make it easy.

Getting into the station wasn't hard, but my long, heavy bike didn't fit into the elevator (It will fit into the elevators at the newer BART stations.), so I had to lug it up the stairs. No bikes are allowed on escalators, which would have been the easiest way to get up to the platform. I waited until there was a pause in pedestrian traffic as I needed to use the full width of the stairway when climbing, then I started up.

I had done this once before at Rockridge BART several years ago, and I remember thinking at the time that I was relieved that the platform wasn't higher above street level, but since then I must have lost some upper body strength, or perhaps these stairs were narrower or longer. I got halfway up the final flight, six steps from the platform, and I couldn't lift the bike another step. My muscles were shot, and I could tell I had probably pulled every muscle in my arms and back getting myself this far. I couldn't go up, and I couldn't go down. My biking shoes with their narrow, slippery soles weren't helping matters either.

I pride myself on being able to move my bikes as needed through awkward spaces, into and out of motor vehicles, through turnstiles, over low gates, curbs, doing "cable-car" turnarounds, and whatnot. But this time, not in the privacy of my back yard nor before some obscure gate on a quiet road in the middle of nowhere, but in a busy BART station in full view of curious onlookers, I was defeated by six lousy steps.

A fellow traveler took pity on me and offered to help. With the extra help I was on the platform in a few seconds, and I found my way to the Daly City-bound train where I took a seat by the door.

Next time I'm alone and have to carry the bike up the stairs, I'll I have to take two trips, one for the bike, the other for the battery bags. The only potential problem with this plan is causing general alarm by leaving for a few minutes unattended at one end of the stairway or the other two black bags with wires coming out of them.

The BART trip was uneventful, yet I noticed that the trip under the bay had gotten noisier. Back in the 1970s trains used to scoot under the bay at 80+ mph with less noise. Why so noisy now? I wondered what the A-weighted noise was. I could hardly hear myself think. Next time I'll wear my earplugs.

As the train approached Daly City I thought briefly of switching to an SFO-bound train if it could be done on the same platform, so that I could use the capacious elevator at the newer Colma Station. But in the end I decided that walking the bike down the stairs would be easier than going up, and easier than switching trains and going out of my way to avoid going down a stairway. Gravity would make the job easier, although I would have to take care at the landings not to bottom-out the frame on the leading step edge.

Once I worked my way slowly, step by step, down to street level, I got out of the station without trouble and headed west on John Daly Blvd. to Skyline Blvd.

My route took me up Skyline Blvd. to Westridge where I turned right, then left again and continued on Skyline Drive parallel to the expressway. Skyline Drive climbed to the high point in Daly City, past all of the Little Boxes on the hillside (and directly atop the San Andreas Fault where it crosses the coastline), before plunging steeply down into Pacifica.

I rode past the infamous apartments on Esplanade Ave. that are in the slow process of being reclaimed by the sea. My route then took me down Palmetto, through downtown Pacifica, then around the Sharp Park Golf Course, past the Moose Lodge, and onto CA1 southbound.

Traffic was fast and heavy, and the shoulder was narrow. I exited CA1 near an unlikely location for a Taco Bell at Pacifica Beach. I got onto a short bike path that soon looped across CA1 before the latter began its ascent to Devil's Slide.

I had originally planned to ride CA1 all the way over Devil's Slide, but the inviting path intrigued me, so I decided to follow it further. It went as far as San Pedro Terrace Road. At that point I decided I had enough time to take the scenic route over San Pedro Mountain Road, so I continued on Rosita, Adobe, and Higgins Road, then around the gate and onto San Pedro Mountain Road.

I was happy to see that the road was in no worse shape than I remember the last time I had taken it a number of years ago, although there are a few places near the bottom where small slides had covered parts of the road and would have been sloppy when wet, Scotch Broom and poison oak were encroaching on both sides, and at a couple of spots a recent washout had taken out a chunk of the road.

After crossing the summit at the saddle between Montara Mountain and San Pedro Mountain, the road descends gradually on mostly good surface, punctuated by an occasional rideable singletrack. This section was better than I recall from years ago. I remember having to dismount and portage across one such section. Not this time.

When I got to the North Peak Trail junction I thought of climbing to the summit of Montara Mountain, but thought better of it since I might not have time to complete my planned exploration of the coast-side trails, the mountain would be in the fog—I was already at the ceiling, and I had ridden up Montara Mountain before, so I felt no compulsion to do so now.

I continued down San Pedro Mountain Road, stopping to photograph a jackrabbit who stood still long enough for me to get a good photo but then darted off into the bushes.

At the North Peak Trail junction I descended steeply to the left and plunged directly down to McNee Ranch rather than remaining on the circuitous San Pedro Mountain Road. I had not ridden down this trail, but with the exception of small dry rivulets crossing at an angle, the trail was otherwise clean, if steep.

After I got down to CA1 I resumed my southward journey, then turned right onto Cypress Ave. in Moss Beach. I rode past the Moss Beach Distillery, now a restaurant with an interesting history, then rode two short blocks on Ocean Blvd. that have slid halfway into the ocean, the asphalt having stretched and deformed over the shifting and eroding sand underneath. Lifting my bike up the tall step at the top of the first hill was a minor effort, but a cinch compared to lugging it up the stairway at the Fremont BART station.

At the southern end of Moss Beach I continued onto the Jean Lauer Trail at Pillar Point Bluff. Actually a small network of trails, these trails runs roughly along the top of the bluffs north of Pillar Point, exiting the area at West Point Ave. near the Air Force radar station. Along the way I enjoyed the views of the dramatic crumbling western face of the bluff.

I exited Princeton by the Sea on Capistrano Road, returning to CA1 for a short distance south to Coronado St. where I exited right and picked up the northern end of the Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail.

I continued south on the Coastal Trail through a neighborhood where I saw a man on a horse, then past several public beaches. Having not actually ever been to the beach at Half Moon Bay I was surprised that very little development stands adjacent to the shore. Most of Half Moon Bay is separated from the beaches by a 1/4-mile buffer zone. It is through this buffer zone that the Coastal Trail runs.

I continued lazily on the trail. There was no point in rushing as many other trail users were about, and I wanted to enjoy this section.

When I got to the southern end of the paved trail, south of Poplar St. the trail crossed a bridge made from a railroad flat car, then turned abruptly to dirt. I was now inside the Wavecrest property.

My next goal was to get through to The Ritz, as in Carlton, that could be seen hovering like a mirage in the distance atop Miramontes Point a mile and a quarter away. Richard had warned that this area had canyons that had to be got past, and that it might be difficult on my bike. Time and distance would be greater than line of sight suggested.

Most of these canyons were small and only required a short detour. But, near the southern end of the Wavecrest property a deep canyon required an extra mile of riding to circumnavigate. This detour could all be ridden and other than the expenditure of time was a trivial obstacle compared to the horrible stairs at the Fremont BART station.

I exited Wavecrest at Redondo Beach Road. Yet, the trail continued at the south end of Thorne Ave. The quality of the trail and the ad-hoc opening in the cyclone fence belied what lay beyond, neatly manicured greens and hedges surrounding The Ritz, its paths, and its adjoining golf course.

It was apparent that the hotel was not interested in attracting the public to this section of trail, but it was also clear to me that one of the conditions of development of this prime piece of real estate had to have been the retention of a public easement to the Coastal Trail through The Ritz property. I have no doubt that given a choice management would have closed it off to keep out the non-paying riff-raff.

I continued on the trail past gardeners and hotel workers humming about in NEVs, past a wedding ceremony seconds from its ultimate moment (and none too soon by the look of the bare-shouldered bridesmaids), past the white-haired, ruddy-faced vacationers sipping sherry while lounging on reclined deck chairs, and through throngs of tourists, many speaking foreign languages, strolling the trail. It was as if a resort had been transported in a moment from the balmy shores of Ka'anapali to some inhospitable clime, yet life continued as if its guests had not noticed that the weather had changed.

I pressed on up the hill past the amphitheater formed by the north and west wings of the main building and continued around the south side of the hotel, across Canada Verde Creek and south on the still-paved-with-concrete trail. The trail continued up to the summit of a taller bluff at the end of the golf course and then ended abruptly.

There was a road that led into the golf course upon which pedestrians were forbidden—didn't say anything about bicycles, but it appeared to loop back the way I had come. A fence blocked further progress south, although if I had been desperate I could have lifted my bike over and continued, except there didn't appear to be much of a trail on the other side, and I wasn't desperate. At any rate I would not have to backtrack too far to get to CA1.

I rode back down the hill and across Canada Verde Creek, then turned right and exited the hotel grounds to Miramontes Point Road that took me directly to CA1 where I saw an old and rare Vixen 21td motorhome.

If I had carried more food with me I might have pressed south on CA1 and then returned over the mountains on scenic Tunitas Creek Road, but I needed to eat. If I went back into town to get food I would not have enough daylight to take the scenic route. I decided eating was more important than scenery. Besides, the mountains would be in the clouds anyway. Not much to see.

So, I returned north on CA1 to Half Moon Bay and stopped for a late quick lunch (or early dinner) at the Subway shop before pressing over CA92 to Crystal Springs and home the usual route on Canada Road et. al. I had used my electric assist only sparingly until this point, so I had plenty in reserve to run at or near maximum power on the climb up CA92.

On my way down Canada Road I ran into the remnants of Mike Harding's hard ride from Woodside to Sausalito and back. Their day had been cold and windy, especially the crossings of the Golden Gate Bridge, and most especially, I was told, when circling the bridge towers. They were finishing later than expected, well into the dinner hour.

At Robert's in Woodside I bid the small group (Mike, Dave Fitch, and Christine Nguyen) goodbye and continued home, arriving at 1920.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
Distance:	116.5 miles
Cumulative climbing:	10720 feet
Total Time:	14:00:00
Riding Time:	8:33:42
Avg. Speed (moving):	13.6 mph
Max. Speed:	42.7 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1450 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1280.1 wh
Wh/mi:	11.0
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	51.133
Max. Current:	64.45 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.0
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	1078 watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	203 watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	5863 kJ (1629 wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	3318 kJ (922 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	3165 kJ (879 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	3352 kJ (931 wh)

Mt. Hamilton Twice, April 30, 2011 - Having missed the early registration cutoff date for the Mt. Hamilton Challenge¹ by one day I decided to plan my own ride over Mt. Hamilton. Some time back I had discussed with Zach Kaplan meeting up with him and Willie Hunt on Zach's Double Vision tandem riding the DMD. We had tentatively settled on a plan where I would encounter them from the opposite direction, then turn around and ride with them for a few miles before turning around again and continuing on my route.

I observed that I had already ridden the loop once in each direction this year, so I could allow for some creativity on my third trip over the Mountain. I decided to start on the Mt. Hamilton Challenge route, but leave home later, after getting a full beauty sleep. I'd ride over to The Junction, enjoy an unhurried lunch, and then wait for Zach and Willie to arrive at their lunch stop at The Junction Cafe, then join them on the second half of their ride as far as I could. It would be an out-and-back ride to The Junction, passing over Mt. Hamilton twice.

My ride through north San Jose went without incident, although I did not have good luck with the red lights. More traffic than usual was out on the road, with minor street cross-traffic arriving just enough to trip the lights on the arterials to red before I could get through, and always when I had a good head of steam.

In spite of some gusty crosswinds I got to Alum Rock Ave. and Mt. Hamilton Road under my own power, then started up the first climb, setting the cruise control so that the motor drew roughly 300 watts on average (~220 watts of that got to the wheel; my contribution was about 150 watts). This was good for about 9-9.5 mph on the up grades and consumed 500 watt-hours to get to Lick Observatory at the summit.

The hillsides were still green, but they were starting to turn brown in patches. It had been a cool spring, but a week of hot weather will see much of the green turn to brown. The north wind that was crossing my path across San Jose was mostly a tailwind on this leg of the ride. On the way up I made a mental note of gravel and rocks at the inside corners, tar ripples from speeding motorists, and "invisible potholes", pits in the road formed by unbroken asphalt deforming and sinking into voids in the road bed.

On the way up I saw a few cyclists I knew descending: Tom Lawrence, who turned around to pace me for a hundred yards, curious to see how fast I was going, and at the post office at the summit, Terry Morse, who was doing his own ride up the mountain with a friend.

The summit was chilly and breezy, although the small lobby of the Post Office was relatively warm. I only remained long enough to get some water, eat a snack, and stretch out a bit.

The backside descent, technically a descent from Copernicus Peak, the easternmost peak on the Mt. Hamilton ridge, is steeper than the front-side. I rode with some care, dragging the rear brake most of the way. After I got to the bottom I could see that my rear rim got to 143C maximum temperature, hotter than the last time I descended, in spite of the cooler weather (about 5C cooler). The only difference was that I was using a different wheel with a slightly lower-profile and slightly lower mass than I used the last time. No blowoff today, although I was using a brand new tight-fitting Kenda Kwest tire at 75psi.

As I crossed the small valley at Isabel Creek I could see the DMD crew setting up their rest stop, although I doubted the lead bunch would be through anytime soon.

I continued up over Seeboy Ridge, then down to Arroyo Bayo, past the Arnold Ranch, and on up to China Grade Summit. Before I got to the summit my cell phone rang. Never thought I'd get reception out here—Verizon must've installed a repeater on Copernicus Peak. It was Zach telling me he was in Livermore and was a few hours from lunch at The Junction.

I was in no danger of eating a rushed lunch, so I slowed down and took in the sights and scents. After I crossed the cattle grate at the China Grade Summit I saw the lead bunch from the DMD followed by a SAG vehicle going the other way. The SAG driver leaned out his window and yelled at me, "Zach would be proud!" I wondered if he knew I was planning to meet Zach in a couple of hours (or if he knew that I, too, had a stoker aboard).

I continued down into Upper San Antonio Valley, stopping a few times to take photos. The flowers were still out, but it looked as if they were past their peak, broad as it was this year. Never saw much red or blue compared to last year's show. Mostly buttercups, some broadly-scattered white flower, and occasional poppies and lupines.

I pedaled against a strengthening headwind on the rolling terrain north to The Junction. Cyclists heading south became more frequent. I recognized Ernesto Montenero, then Mark Homrighausen from the GPC. As one bunch (David Vrane and Lisa Emerich?) went by, someone yelled my name. Must be the bike.

I got to The Junction in time to see the peak of the "first-half group" on the DMD at their lunch stop in the picnic area. These are the guys who are trying to finish with a respectably low time and don't want to lose time lollygagging at the rest stops. They're mostly business. The other side of the parking lot was filled with motorcycles, mostly Harleys. A few SAG vehicles were parked in front. Inside the place must be packed, yet I wanted to eat lunch, so I went in.

To my surprise there was no queue at the ordering counter. "Cheese sandwich?", asked the girl behind the counter. She remembered me from my prior visits. After I got my sandwich I went outside to find a quiet bench to sit on.

While I was eating lunch I spoke briefly with Mark Abrahams of GPC and Brian Chun of ACTC. I sensed that both were acutely aware of a ticking clock, that small talk wasn't part of the plan. After I had finished lunch Tim Woudenberg breezed in on his Bacchetta Ti-Aero—he seemed to be enjoying his day—and breezed out a full 23 minutes later.

For the next hour I waited for Zach and Willie while trying to keep myself on the warm side of chilled, in gusty breezes just a tad cool for comfort. An old timer, part American Indian, who grew up near Porterville, CA and later in the San Antone Valley, as he called it, walked up and asked me about Tim Woudenberg's bike while Tim was off getting lunch. "How do you ride that thing?", he asked pointing at it. He told me tales that in the old days The Junction was the local watering hole, open all the time, and how every year they'd hold a community BBQ at The Junction. Then when former cab-driver, Mike, leased the place some 20 years ago and started charging money for the BBQ, the locals didn't visit as much except on Mike's day off when he left the place in the hands of his more agreeable assistant. Cranky old Mike had a scowl for all of his visitors, except, apparently, for the ladies when their men visited the restroom.

I walked over to one of the radio operators for the DMD to ask if there was any mention of a recumbent tandem on Mines Road when suddenly Zach and Willie pulled up. They took only 15 minutes to resupply themselves, which was quick for the motley cyclists in the "second-half group" that were relaxing at the picnic tables.

I told them to go. I would follow in a few minutes. But the tailwind was swift, and I didn't catch them until they were nearly on the climb out of Upper San Antonio Valley.

For the next two hours I leap-frogged Zach and Willie. I tried going their pace, but the equivalent voltage resolution of my cruise control is poor at moderate power levels and low speed (<6mph) with my current gearing. I'd either have to run on motor only and draw the batteries down faster than I wanted, or I'd have to pedal harder than I wanted. If I tried to hold an in-between setting the motor heaved uncomfortably and in all likelihood, inefficiently.

To make up for not being able to ride alongside and chat, I took advantage of the situation to practice my photography. I'd ride ahead on the road and look for good photo spots, places that afforded an interesting background. The light is pleasant in the late afternoon as long as you don't need to take photos into the sun. This meant that I'd get good exposure of their faces most of the time, since we were heading in a generally western direction.

We stopped for a few minutes at the DMD rest stop at Isabel Creek then started up the long climb to Copernicus Peak (4360ft). An advantage of climbing this late in the day is that the climb is mostly in the shade, the sun having set behind the Mountain.

When we got to the top of the climb we continued west on the ridge a short distance past Copernicus Peak and stopped briefly where Willie finally decided to put on some clothes for the descent although he still left his feet bare, claiming that his sandals sheltered his feet from the wind.

We bypassed the actual summit of the mountain—I had already been there earlier, so I felt no loss. I let Zach and Willie go in front after warning Zach to take it easy on the rough road. I also thought I might get some good photos of them on the way down, but only a few were worth presenting. Camera shake is harder to prevent, not to mention the issue of having only one hand on the handlebars for what is a technical descent.

While we were stopped at the Crothers Road DMD rest stop, the host offered me some snacks, even though I wasn't officially on the ride. I had planned to head home after reaching the bottom as I didn't have enough food with me to continue on the DMD route up Sierra Road. But, with the additional food and water I was able to continue for another few hours.

Zach and Willie took off ahead of me. I decided to continue down Crothers Road through the closed section across the slide. On the way I found a nice spot to snap a photo of the sunset over San Francisco Bay. I was maybe too late to get the ideal photo, but the light was sufficient to get a nice effect.

I continued down into San Jose on Alum Rock Ave., McKee, Toyon, Penitencia Creek, and Piedmont. A guy in a pickup truck almost pulled out of a driveway in front of me. I was about to yell something, but I quickly realized that it was getting quite dark now, and I hadn't yet turned on my headlight.

I turned right onto Sierra Road. I saw no rear blinkies on the long initial climb, so I wondered if Zach and Willie had found new sets of legs. As I drew closer to the sharp turn at the top of the first climb I could see them waiting on the side road. I don't know if they were stopped for their own reason or if they were waiting for me, and I neglected to ask.

I got my headlight working and continued up Sierra Road, again leap-frogging the tandem. I stopped a few times, exercising the time-exposure capability of my point-n-shoot camera for shots of the city lights below, with mixed results. I got a few interesting photos of the city lights and a "ghost rider" effect when Zach and Willie came by.

I also used the opportunity to adjust my headlight bracket that was not aimed ideally. The light also had a tendency to jump out of adjustment if I hit a hard bump on the road. I'd need to fix the latter problem after I got home. I don't usually ride this bike at night.

Riding in the dark on country roads was an interesting experience. Traffic was lighter and I felt more at one with nature. Whether due to sensory deprivation from reduced eyesight or the still air after dusk, the scents of grasses and other plants struck my olfactory organs strongly. Cattle were lowing loudly in a pasture halfway up the climb. Time passed faster. The hour that it took us to reach the "Pet the Goat" rest stop at the top went by quickly.

At the top I chatted for a few minutes with Ken Holloway and Mike Aberg, who were working the rest stop. Mike and I recalled our favorite high school physics instructor, Andrea Erzberger, who died of cancer last year.

Nighttime exposures were taken at one to three seconds shutterspeed. I usually did O.K. using the bike as a "bi-pod", but the people had difficulty standing still for that long. Turns out the best shots were with my headlight on and with the flash, in short, using as much light as possible with the flash freezing the motion.

After 15 minutes we pressed on down Felter Road. I let Zach and Willie go in front this time because of their superior headlight. At Calaveras Road I bid them goodbye as they made the right turn up the "Calaveras Wall" and on to their next rest stop in Sunol.

I pressed on down Calaveras Canyon (Arroyo de los Coches) into some cold temps (low-40F) that, fortunately, warmed when I left the mountains and arrived in the suburbs. I then took the quickest route home across north San Jose and Santa Clara, arriving home at 2245.

¹The Mt. Hamilton Challenge is the best value around for an organized ride. $15 signs you up. The catch is you have to bring your own food. But, they provide water and SAG.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	97.8 miles
Cumulative climbing:	3400 feet
Total Time:	7:31:09
Riding Time:	6:34:35
Avg. Speed (moving):	14.9 mph
Max. Speed:	37.3 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	801.8 wh
Wh/mi:	8.1
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	31.57
Max. Current:	98.1 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.6
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	1905 kJ (529 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	? kJ (? wh)

Coyote Creek Trail, April 24, 2011 - This Easter Sunday morning started off with dark gray skies. The air temperature felt warm; it felt like rain. But, except for a short period of sprinkles earlier in the week, it hadn't rained all week.

I hadn't been riding my Gold Rush recently as I'd been developing a new hybrid drivetrain for it. Today I decided would be a good day to get out and test it on a long ride, one that would not have me on the wrong side of a steep hill should I experience a failure.

I looked at the hills both west and east of the south bay and decided this day might be a good day to stay low if I wanted to see more than mist and fog (and to stay dry). At the very least I'd have interesting clouds to watch as I navigated the urban and suburban sprawl.

I set off for downtown San Jose, or rather, southeast San Jose, where I would join the northern end of the southern reach of the Coyote Creek Trail at Tully Road. The quickest way to the start of the trail was directly through downtown San Jose.

After navigating around Cesar Chavez Plaza, playing leapfrog several times with the VTA #68 bus, and dealing with the narrow, dirty bike lane on Tully Road I bid goodbye to roads and motor traffic and for the next two hours enjoyed a slow, relaxed, and peaceful, if at times soporific, ride south to Morgan Hill.

When riding a trail through a linear park such as a creek trail, one often forgets how close to the city one is. My first reminder that I was on an urban trail was when passing a substantial homeless encampment beneath and near the Capitol Expressway bridge over Coyote Creek.

The next point of interest was the velodrome at Hellyer Park. I could see someone circling the track, but there were no cheering fans in the bleachers, nor officials keeping score. Perhaps someone was practicing. The storage shed was open.

The trail hugs the creek through Hellyer Park, passing out the south end of the park under US101. The next several miles of trail pass though thick forest and grassland, although from time to time I could make out through the trees and overgrown shrubbery shapes of buildings occupied by light industry. Evidence of rainfall lingered on the trail, but the sun had come out. Overcome with sleepiness I felt like taking a nap in the warmth and humidity. Still I pedaled on lazily.

The trail passes again under US101 and emerges at the southernmost subdivision of San Jose wedged between Monterey Highway and Coyote Creek. Extended families were enjoying a Sunday gathering in the local city park. Children were everywhere.

I pressed on to Metcalf Road. The last time I had been here was a few years ago when the Low-Key Hill Climbs visited the climb up to the motorcycle park two miles to the east.

From Metcalf the Coyote Creek Trail presses on southward, using old or side road easements, zigging this way then that, almost always out of sight of other roads, almost never out of earshot of US101, but always relaxing. No impatient traffic to bully one into riding faster "to keep up", although one or two faster cyclists out "training" on the path whizzed by me. I was too sleepy to care.

After a short climb part way up a knoll I stopped at the Eucalyptus Grove where a few picnic tables stood under the trees. Here I discovered that my front brake shoe had been rubbing, so I took a break from riding to adjust it.

If that was the only mechanical issue of the day, I would be happy. As I hadn't climbed anything more challenging than an overpass I had not yet used the motor drive. Testing that would come later.

After starting south again I passed through a large field below the Eucalyptus Grove, then past a small airfield where people were flying aerobatic RC (radio-controlled) airplanes. I continued on, passing under US101 again.

A half-mile later I was enjoying the trail so much that I failed to negotiate a sharp left turn, barreling straight into a picnic area whose occupants had been screened by the high grass beside the trail. I wasn't completely without my wits as some prankster had moved the sign indicating the proper direction of the trail. I apologized to the picnickers, and as they must have been amused rather than annoyed at my error, they wished me a happy Easter.

Once back on the trail I continued for another half-mile before I reached its southern terminus at Morningstar Drive in Morgan Hill.

After I got back on regular roads I continued east on Malaguerra and Cochrane Roads, climbed up past the dam for Anderson Reservoir, then turned right on East Main St. and crossed the valley to the other side of Morgan Hill.

I turned left on DeWitt, left again on Edmundson, then right on Sunnyside, then continued on Santa Teresa Blvd. By the time I got to Gilroy, the clouds began to close in again. I turned right on CA152 and headed toward Hecker Pass. The clouds were dark ahead of me, and I could feel an occasional spit.

Someone smoking a cigar passed me. The odor was detectable hanging in the air for the next mile. The humidity heightens one's sense of smell.

Normally when riding this way I turn right on Burchell Road to get off the main highway, but I decided to press on to Watsonville Road as I hadn't gone that way in many years.

I turned right on Watsonville Road. After leaving CA152 and climbing the short hill to the north the weather lightened noticeably. The clouds were obviously blowing through Hecker Pass, the lowest point on the ridge for many miles in either direction. To the north the ridge gains altitude quickly, rising to almost 4000 feet at Loma Prieta, and blocking most of the wet weather that blows off the Pacific Ocean.

After taking a short break at Chitactac-Adams Park I pressed on up Watsonville Road, adding motor power now to my pedal power and making much better time. I turned left at Uvas Road and climbed up to the reservoir, then around its back side and on up past the countryside that lies upstream.

Then I descended to Oak Glen Road followed by a gradual ascent alongside Llagas Creek to McKean Road. Then over another hill and a descent past the Cinnabar Hills Golf Club, then past the more open countryside near and north of Calero Reservoir before I reached Harry Road.

I turned left on Harry and left again on Almaden Road. I still needed to climb one steep hill, and for testing maximum rim temperature, to descend a steep hill. Hicks Road would do nicely.

Every telephone pole in New Almaden flew an American flag. Must be an Easter tradition. Looked like the Fourth of July.

I continued up past the Hacienda trailhead for Almaden Quicksilver County Park, onto Alamitos Road, along which there is no parking, past Almaden Reservoir, and then turned right up Hicks Road.

I pedaled the first and easier half of the climb, but since I wanted to test the drivetrain I stopped pedaling and let the motor haul my lazy ass up the steeper half of the climb. Everything worked without a hiccup.

At the top of Hicks I continued over the pass and down the north side without pausing except once to take a photo of the sharp left turn in front of a drop-off above Los Capitancillos Creek. One really gets a feel for how quickly one can stop on a steep downgrade (and how well one's brakes work) by actually braking and coming to a stop on a steep downgrade. This descent is a "two-brake" descent, which means both hands are on the handlebars. No free hands for snapping on-the-go photos here.

The bottom of the descent must be handled with care. The sharp right turn over the bridge that crosses Guadalupe Creek is slightly off-camber, and it takes longer to slow down due to the steep downgrade. I stopped at the dam containing Almaden Reservoir to peek at the maximum front rim temperature. (Rear brake is disc.) I was surprised to see that all of my temperature indicators had blackened, the highest reading being 104C. I'll have to repeat the experiment with a higher temperature strip next time.

I continued down Hicks Road, and turned left on Shannon Road. I ran into a couple of Western Wheelers friends, riding with them to the top of Shannon, then plunged down into Los Gatos.

At Los Gatos Blvd. I turned right and then returned home on Lark, Winchester, San Tomas Expressway, and various minor arterials.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
Distance:	127.9 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7560 feet
Total Time:	10:20:26
Riding Time:	8:00:40
Avg. Speed (moving):	15.9 mph
Max. Speed:	45.5 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1450 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1026.6 wh
Wh/mi:	8.0
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	40.740
Max. Current:	71.89 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.0
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	1078 watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	203 watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	5863 kJ (1629 wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	2698 kJ (749 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	3165 kJ (879 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	3352 kJ (931 wh)

Mt. Hamilton Loop, April 16, 2011 - I left home just after 0730 and headed over to Central Expressway, then east on Central Expressway to its end at De La Cruz Blvd. where I turned left. Taking the middle lane (the right-most through lane) I continued over US-101 on Trimble Road and then continued on Montague Expressway to Trade Zone Blvd. Traffic was light on the freeway overpasses, and the overcast skies kept temperatures cool.

At Capitol Ave. I turned right and continued southeast to Penitencia Creek Road, where I turned left, taking care when crossing the light rail tracks that run down the center of Capitol. From Penitencia Creek Road I turned right on Toyon, left on McKee, then left again on Alum Rock Ave., turning right a half-mile later on Mt. Hamilton Road. Having ridden this far under my own power I asked my stoker to start helping out.

This time of year is the best time to ride in the Diablo Range. Temperatures are mild, days are long, wildflowers are appearing, and everything is green and fragrant. On the west side of the mountains the grasses are long and full of moisture, everything in bloom giving off pungent odors. On the east and drier sides of the ridges the vegetation is decidedly more desert-like. The strongest odors reminded me a little of the smell of heatsink paste.

Pressing up Mt. Hamilton Road I quicky rose into the fog. Shortly after crossing the ridge to its east side I began to see lighter sky. The sun peeked out briefly as I crossed over the high point on the first climb, but as I descended into Halls Valley I skirted the edge of a long finger of fog that had blown up Penitencia Creek and into Halls Valley and that showed no sign of burning back quickly.

Crossing the bottom of the valley near the main entrance to Grant Ranch Park I passed from somewhat clear skies back into the finger of fog, though it was not long before I had risen out of it again. Two-thirds of the way to the summit of the middle climb I stopped to take some photos of Halls Valley below, warm and verdant in the morning sun. At the top of the middle climb where the road crosses the ridge one can see the Lick Observatory Domes 1900 feet higher atop Mt. Hamilton.

The last climb is the longest. From Smith Creek to the summit is about 2100 feet, and usually it seems to go on forever. Today, with the green countryside warming in the sun and the interesting fog poking into the folds of the land below, I didn't notice the length of the climb as much as usual. At the top I detoured to the summit to enjoy the view for a while.

After my visit to the summit I descended a little way past mile marker "1" on San Antonio Valley Road to take a panorama off the eastern side. Visible in the unusually clear air across the vast expanse of the Central Valley was the snow-covered Sierra Crest.

The descent to Isabel Creek averages about 9% grade, but parts are steeper. The steepest section is just above the cattle grate that must be crossed on a curve about 1.5 miles up from the bottom.

This part of San Antonio Valley Road has never been smooth, having been given the "tar and gravel" treatment several times. That and drivers who take the corners too fast on hot days, have created areas, mostly in corners, where gravel was pushed aside, leaving only slick tar and ripples in the road surface.

Although the road was dry I descended cautiously. I also wanted to see how hot my rear rim got when descending 2000 feet of steep grade while dragging the rear brake the entire while.

Just after I crossed Isabel Creek at the bottom I came upon a jackrabbit scampering along the road. He didn't seem terribly alarmed by my presence. Usually they dart off into the bushes never to be seen again.

I climbed the short rise that separates Isabel Creek from Arroyo Bayo, then descended to the Arroyo. From here the road climbs gradually through the driest climate on the loop—in the rain shadow directly east of Mt. Hamilton, and a couple of times steeply, past the Arnold Ranch, and to China Grade Summit before dropping again into Upper San Antonio Valley. This area more than any other reminds me of the high desert climate found more often in southern California or the Great Basin.

I stopped a few times in both Upper San Antonio Valley and San Antonio Valley (two distinct valleys) to photograph the wildflower displays. They were more abundant today than they were two weeks ago, the last time I came through the area, although still, I felt that they had not yet peaked.

I stopped for lunch at The Junction Cafe. The place was busy inside. Mostly motorcyclists, but bicyclists were well represented. The family that runs the place were busy taking orders and preparing sandwiches.

While I was eating, I saw Janet Martinez and her team pulling in for lunch. They were riding a similar loop but had been behind me by about 10-15 minutes in San Jose, so I missed them on the climb and at the top of the mountain by only a few minutes.

The ride into Livermore is long but not arduous. There are three climbs from The Junction, the first is the short climb past the fire station immediately to the north of the Cafe, the second and longest starts in the Mines area and climbs for about 1.5 miles alongside Sweetwater Creek, crossing the ridge into Blackbird Valley where there follows a short descent to Colorado Creek. The last climb to Eylar Summit is shorter and enjoys a nice view of endless mountains and valleys to the west.

Eylar Summit arrives as a cut in the ridge, followed by an initially swift and sweeping descent that I was able to enjoy for several miles courtesy of gravity. Along the way I gradually overtook a couple of cyclists, one of whom managed to find refuge from the usual headwind by riding in the lee of my fairing. She managed to stick with me until a few miles from the bottom.

After arriving in Livermore I stopped for about 15 minutes at the Little League ballpark at Concannon and S. Livermore Ave. The place was crowded, but the ball games were just wrapping up. More importantly, the rest rooms were open.

After refreshing myself I continued south and east on Concannon Blvd., turned left on Holmes, and pressed on up over Pigeon Pass on CA84. The east side of Pigeon Pass is the only spot on a road from which one can see San Antonio Reservoir (SFWD) shimmering like a mirage in an otherwise barren landscape in the low hills off to the south.

Cyclists taking this route find themselves near I-680 riding on a freeway for about half a mile. Traveling west a cyclist discovers that the shoulder is cracked, broken, and nearly unrideable with weeds growing in the concrete seams. I found it safer to ride in the right lane. Fortunately, traffic was light, and motorists seemed to understand by moving into the left lane. But, I wouldn't want to go this way during the morning commute hour.

I continued on CA84 by exiting the freeway at Scotty's corner and turning right to go through Sunol and Niles Canyon. Niles Canyon is another of those potentially-unpleasant riding roads for which no reasonable alternative exists for bicyclists. Several spots along the gradual descent through the canyon have no shoulder, and traffic can be rude and impatient. Fortunately, on a weekend traffic is light, and I had no unpleasant encounters.

When I got to the mouth of Niles Canyon I backtracked up Old Canyon Road, crossing Alameda Creek, and then promptly turned right onto Alameda Creek Trail. After riding on roads with fast traffic I was in the mood for a more relaxing ride through Fremont and Newark.

Alameda Creek Trail is not the fastest way through town, but it is probably the most pleasant. The trail sits atop the southern levee alongside Alameda Creek and is essentially flat, though it descends imperceptibly as it approaches San Francisco Bay. The only climbing occurs when the trail dives below bridges that cross the creek. The main hazards are encountering opposing traffic at the dips under the bridges and encountering unpredictable children or dogs on the trail.

I stopped at the two inflatable dams, the first of which appeared as a great distended garden slug, having earlier feasted on the weeds in the creek bed, taking its repose across the flow of the Creek.

I exited the Trail at Ardenwood Blvd. where I continued to Paseo Padre Parkway, and then to Marshlands Road and across the Dumbarton Bridge into a fierce headwind. I stopped at the top of the bridge to admire the unusually clear view where the tall buildings in downtown San Jose stood etched on the horizon. At the same time I found unnerving that the bridge vibrated substantially as traffic passed in the lanes nearby, especially with truck traffic.

When I got to the other side of the bridge I continued to Willow Road and then into Menlo Park. I stopped in downtown Palo Alto to visit Jobst Brandt who is still recovering from a bike crash last January but who was ailing today from a respiratory virus. As I could tell Jobst wasn't in the mood to visit and as I wasn't keen on acquiring whatever ailed him, I didn't stay long, bidding him and his caretaker, Eileen, goodbye after 20 minutes. I continued back to Sunnyvale on the Ellen Fletcher (Bryant Street) Bicycle Boulevard, Alma St., and Central Expressway, arriving home a half-hour later.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
Distance:	116.9 miles
Cumulative climbing:	6520 feet
Total Time:	11:04:35
Riding Time:	7:04:55
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.5 mph
Max. Speed:	49.2 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1450 wh
Battery energy consumed:	962.95 wh
Wh/mi:	8.2
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	38.380
Max. Current:	65.78 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.9
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	1053 watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	199 watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	5065 kJ (1407 wh)
Total energy from motor (estimated):	2461 kJ (684 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	2604 kJ (723 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	2453 kJ (690 wh)

Santa Cruz, April 10, 2011 - After spending a Saturday at home cleaning house and working in the yard I got to bed early and up the next morning early and was on the road by 0730. Today I shouldn't have any daylight anxiety. I could ride slowly and enjoy the sights, have a nice relaxing lunch in Santa Cruz, and then get home in plenty of time before dark.

My plan was to ride to Santa Cruz via the coastal route and return along the CA17 corridor. My route took me west on Evelyn Ave., through Mountain View and Los Altos, and out to Foothill Expressway and Junipero Serra Blvd. to Sand Hill Road. As is usual I try to ride the first 10% or 10 miles (whichever is greater) of my planned route under my own power. When I go this way I usually make it as far as Saga Lane before I call down to the engine room. This morning I was more energetic than usual and made it as far as halfway to the top of Sand Hill west of I-280 before I became impatient.

I coasted down to Whiskey Hill Road, powered up the other side, and shortly thereafter found myself at the bottom of Old La Honda Road. I set the cruise control on "low" such that in combination with human power I averaged about 9.5 mph up the climb. Fifteen years ago I was able (just) to climb slightly faster than that on human power alone, albeit on a lighter bike.

At the top of Old La Honda I stopped to check for a cell phone signal. I was going to call my sister, Laura, to meet her for lunch in Santa Cruz. But, I only got a weak signal of one bar. I continued down the west side of Old La Honda and stopped at the open section directly opposite the faces in the rock where I often like to stop to enjoy the view in the warm sun. Here I got five bars.

After setting up a lunch rendezvous at her house I continued down the hill, stopping to photograph the recently washed out repair that looked as if the rest of the road could slide away at any moment.

I got no more than 30 feet from the slide when I felt my rear tire go soft. I pulled over and wondered if today would be one of those days when I get a bunch of flats. I never get debris-caused puncture flats any more. Either blowoffs, blowouts, leaky patches, torn or bent valves, pinch flats, or tubes abraiding on the sharp spoke recess where the rim tape slides aside. This flat was of the latter variety.

While I was fixing the flat several groups of cyclists went by. One of them could be heard loudly observing that my bike "looked like a canoe!" I've been called many things by passers by, some amusing and whimsical, some rude, but "a canoe" was a first. While I was stopped I observed that bikers' loud conversations can be heard distinctly from a long distance away.

After fixing the flat I continued to CA84 and then pressed on into La Honda. My tire felt slightly soft on the corners, but when I stopped at the top of the first uphill on Pescadero Road a quick pinch suggested it was still as hard as when I pumped it up. Maybe I was getting paranoid.

I continued on up Pescadero Road and over the top of Haskins Hill. I descended more cautiously than usual. The road was mostly clear of debris, but I couldn't shake the feeling that my rear tire was too soft. The descent went well, but as I was coming out of the last corner at the bottom of the west side of the descent near some residences, I felt the tire go soft suddenly and noiselessly (or maybe it just got soft enough to be unmistakably flat). The bike felt like it wanted to crab, the rear tire offering no sideways stability. Fortunately, I had finished the twisty stuff, but I was still moving pretty fast. I steered into the direction that the rear of the bike wanted to go and used my front brake to bring myself to a controlled stop with the rubber side down.

Curses. It was going to be one of those days. I pulled out the tube. At first I thought that the patch I had put on the tube after last week's pinch flat had leaked. Disgusted with myself, I threw that tube into the rear of the bike and pulled out a brand new tube. I carry at least two spare rear tubes these days. I also removed the tire completely and reseated the rim tape, portions of which had become folded over itself, preventing all of the spoke holes from being completely covered.

(After I got home I inspected the tube with what I thought was a leaky patch and found that the other pinch of the pinch flat I got last weekend did, in fact, cause a puncture. Or, at least it nearly punctured the tube last weekend, and my short ride on it today was enough to tear the weakened rubber, fortunately, just as I had finished descending Haskins Hill. I had reason to be paranoid, but I now felt better about my patching abilities.)

I inflated the new tube and was on my way with minimal delay. When got out to Pescadero High School I stopped again to check the tire. Still hard as a rock. I decided I would try not to think about softening tires for the rest of the day. I called Laura to tell her I would be a little later than planned and then started south on Cloverdale.

Runners with numbers were running up the left side of the road where I would normally ride, so I rode in the lane. I learned later that this was the Artichoke 10k and Half-Marathon out of Pescadero. It was a nice day to be outdoors, whether on running shoes or on wheels.

I passed the last of the runners by the time I got to Butano State Park. Here Cloverdale narrows to 1.5 lanes without a centerline and climbs over a low pass before descending to Gazos Creek Road. Another two miles on Gazos Creek Road and I found myself at CA1. I turned left and began a fast trip non-stop into Santa Cruz with the aid of a strong tailwind.

When I got into Santa Cruz I continued on Mission to Bay, then took Bay St. down to West Cliff Drive before heading through downtown, across the Laurel Street bridge and then over to East Cliff Drive. I met Laura at home first, then we met again at Dharma's in Capitola where we enjoyed an extended lunch. If I had ended my ride there I might have ordered one of the hearty specials, but since I still had to get over the hill, filling my tummy to the popping point now would have made for an unpleasant ride. One seldom goes away hungry after eating at Dharma's.

After lunch I returned on Capitola Road into Santa Cruz, then on Soquel Drive and Water Street to Market St. and up Emeline and under CA1 to North Plymouth St.

Last week I had read Ray Hosler's blog posting about the shortest and safest route from San Jose to Santa Cruz and back. I had been this way before but not recently, and I had usually taken a different combination of roads when I returned home through Scotts Valley and Los Gatos. So, today I decided to try Ray's Way.

The first segment of Ray's Way was to take El Rancho (actually starts as North Plymouth) that runs along the east side of CA17. The freeway is nearby, but it is not too noisy. At any rate, I couldn't hear it when I was wearing my ear plugs, except when a noisy vehicle went by.

El Rancho Road climbs peacefully under a canopy of trees and passes through a small gathering of residences called, Beulah Park, a community one would not even notice when roaring through on the nearby freeway.

The north end of El Rancho Road is a cul-de-sac, but just before this dead-end there's a connection to Mt. Hermon Road. I took the latter and rode into Scotts Valley, turning right on Scotts Valley Blvd.

Normally I would take a left at the first light onto Bean Creek Road, but today I continued through Scotts Valley on the main drag. It has been at least fifteen years since I had ridden this section. The road was in better shape than I recall from years ago, and on a Sunday afternoon traffic was light. So must be the case load for the local constabulary as they could be seen biding their time lying in wait for speeders along this broad boulevard.

I turned left on Glenwood Drive and continued past the local high school, checking for waiting policemen at each of the unnecessary stop signs along the way.

Glenwood Drive climbs over a low point on the ridge and then descends to Bean Creek. Still damp remnants of a mud slide covered parts of the road just south of the junction of Mountain Charlie Road.

Mountain Charlie Road is my favorite climb on the way from Santa Cruz to home. It's narrow, almost no motor traffic, and due to the varying grade, terrain, and scenery, the climb is interesting in a way that Old San Jose Road could never be.

I remember in early 1994 Mountain Charlie Road was in such bad shape that I thought the county might be letting it return to dirt. I'm afraid to report that the road is in nearly as bad shape now as it was then. If there's one good thing about having a number of residences on this road, it's that one presumes they'll light a fire under the county roads department to keep the road maintained. Unlike west Old La Honda the danger here is not that the road will slide, though it has done that in the past, but that the surface is increasingly broken and rough, like the last 100 meters at the top of east Old La Honda Road. I also happen to know that on occasion Mountain Charlie Road suffers the indignity of cut-through traffic when CA17 is backed up south of the summit.

At the top of Mountain Charlie Road I continued down Summit Road, across CA17 and then continued on the north side of Mountain Charlie Road down to Old Santa Cruz Hwy that I rode down to Bear Creek Road.

Last week on Ray's blog I had enjoyed a lively exchange over what is the shortest and safest route from Los Gatos to Santa Cruz and back. I suggested that continuing on CA17 north past Alma Bridge Road and avoiding the Los Gatos Creek Trail altogether was certainly faster, though not necessarily safer. (Not to reopen old arguments, but the Trail has its own hazards, steep grades, loose surfaces, walkers, joggers, dogs, and a mile of unfenced trail adjacent to a deep concrete creek channel. Certainly less stressful to ride, but I wonder what injuries have occurred on the upper segment of the Trail.)

I thought of taking my usual route down CA17 into Los Gatos, but then I thought of three reasons to take the Trail: (1) I noticed that Lexington Reservoir was full and may still be flowing over the spillway; I wanted to see that, (2) I wanted to continue on Ray's Way into Los Gatos so that I could experience the gestalt of his route, and (3) I was still a wee bit paranoid about my dodgy rear wheel. It would be no fun to flat while running The Rapids, so to speak.

I turned right on Alma Bridge Road and went out to the edge of the spillway. Yes, water was still flowing over. Not a torrent, but more than a trickle.

I continued over to the Los Gatos Creek Trailhead and started down the dam. I stopped on the bridge where Ray took his photo and snapped a shot of the water rushing down the spillway channel. I then continued down the trail. Except for the steep, loose section the Trail wasn't so horrible to ride. I had ridden up it not long ago, just not down it in many years. I continued under Main Street, past Forbes' Mill and then over the bridge across CA17 and twice across the creek before exiting the trail at Miles Avenue.

I then rode up to University Ave. and then took CA9 into Saratoga and then Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road to home, arriving at 1835.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
Distance:	124.2 miles
Cumulative climbing:	8470 feet
Total Time:	9:02:35
Riding Time:	7:25:50
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.7 mph
Max. Speed:	40 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1450 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1165.0 wh
Wh/mi:	9.4
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	46.635
Max. Current:	70.57 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.4
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor:	3062 kJ (851 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	2906 kJ (807 wh)

Mt. Hamilton Clockwise, April 3, 2011 - With all of the options bicyclists living in the south bay area have for interesting rides, two loops stand out as classics for the all-day venture: (1) a ride to the San Mateo County coast, then south on CA1 to Santa Cruz and a return trip over the mountains, and (2) the "Mt. Hamilton Loop" in either direction. Generally, (1) is best ridden on a warm day, and (2) on a cool day. I find myself riding variations on these loops several times each season.

I had intended to join Mike Mysza and his group on Saturday, the day before, on the Mt. Hamilton Loop "in reverse" or "clockwise", as I prefer to call it, but I couldn't rouse myself from slumber early enough to make the start. Moreover, the cold, overcast skies did not invite. The next day the temperatures were still cool, but the sun was out. I didn't want to miss the opportunity while the weather was ideal.

I left home at the civilized hour of 0935 and headed off across the industrial sprawl of north Santa Clara, north San Jose, and Milpitas before arriving at Piedmont Road, the foot of the mountains of the Diablo Range.

My usual route would have taken me directly up Calaveras Road, but Mike's ride had taken Old Calaveras Road. Since I hadn't ridden up Old Calaveras recently, I decided to detour to the north and climb its short wall.

Old Calaveras Road climbs steeply over a low ridge before descending 200 feet into Ed Levin Park, where it rejoins Calaveras Road. I continued up Calaveras Road, up its wall and over the ridge to within sight of Calaveras Reservoir that is still about 20 feet below its spillway. Ground squirrels were active in the fields and across the road as were many red-tailed hawks, soaring over the fields, searching for an easy meal. On my way northward I saw Steve Schmidt riding the other direction with a small group.

Since Caltrans had widened and realigned CA84 over Pigeon Pass I have in recent years taken I-680 to CA84 directly into Livermore, saving a few miles at the expense of some extra climbing. But, Mike's ride had gone through Pleasanton, so I pressed on to Pleasanton-Sunol Road and then north into Pleasanton.

I don't know what route Mike's ride took through Pleasanton, but I suspect it was Vineyard Road and not the direct route to Livermore on Stanley Blvd., where the ample shoulder was under construction and coned or walled off for the entire distance. Fortunately, traffic was light enough (and polite enough) to move into the left lane when passing me.

I continued through Livermore, passing the Flag Pole at the center of town before heading south on South Livermore Ave. I stopped as I usually do at the Little League Ball Park at Concannon Blvd. where the drinking fountains have running water. On Saturdays the rest rooms are open since games are playing, but on Sunday the rest rooms were locked. (When riding through the south side of town on Concannon Blvd., one still passes by this facility.)

After taking a short break I continued south on South Livermore Ave. that becomes Tesla Road when it curves due east. At the next traffic light I turned right on Mines Rd

Mines Road climbs gradually beside Arroyo Mocho for a few miles before going left as the straight road becomes Del Valle Road that climbs steeply over the northern end of Cedar Mountain Ridge and down again to Del Valle Reservoir and Recreation Area. Fortunately, most of the traffic is headed to Del Valle and not up Mines Road.

Shortly after the fork Mines Road begins a steep climb of about 2 miles before leveling off and becoming a rolling, gradual climb high above Arroyo Mocho, visible occasionally in the canyon below to the right.

The road climbs 500 feet over the next several miles, although the altitude gain cannot always be felt due to the usual strong tailwinds blowing up-canyon along this section. Cyclists riding in the other direction find themselves working harder than expected to descend the same 500 feet.

Near the site of Fourteenmile House, Mines Road comes even again with Arroyo Mocho before resuming its long gradual climb up to Eylar Summit. Along the way the road passes through picturesque meadows and under jagged rock outcroppings. It is still probably a week or two too early to see abundant wildflower displays, but some meadows, especially the largest meadow near the large turnout, exhibited satisfying splashes of color.

After cresting Eylar Summit (2880ft) I descended through the large S curve to Colorado Creek, named appropriately for the red soil in the region. The descent is followed by a short climb and a longer descent alongside Sweetwater Creek.

It was on this descent that I had the misfortune of running over a loose Stimsonite pavement marker, somehow flipping it up so that my rear wheel ran over it edge-on, giving me a pinch flat, my first pinch flat in many years. After fixing my flat I continued my descent to The Junction, where I paused at the Cafe for a quick lunch.

The Cafe appeared to be run by the same folks I saw last year. Although I was the only bicyclist there at the time, several groups of motorcyclists were parked out front. After lunch I pressed on, mostly downhill through San Antonio Valley and Upper San Antonio Valley that in spite of its name is actually lower in elevation.

Wildflower displays were spotty. A few pale poppies were out and an occasional spread of California Buttercups. Given all of the rain we've had in March, this year should offer a good display over the next several weeks if ranchers can keep their cattle from treading on the fields.

When riding south it always seems too soon that the road veers out of the valley and begins the first of three climbs, each increasingly longer (China Grade, Seeboy Ridge, and Copernicus Peak) back to San Jose.

Halfway up the climb to Copernicus Peak I passed a guy I had seen earlier on the northern section of Mines Road. He must have kept riding while I stopped for lunch. He was looking tired, but he had only 2 miles to go to the top of the climb. Since I was not pressed for time I stopped at Lick Observatory to use the restroom and to enjoy the late afternoon view.

The descent down the "front" side of Mt. Hamilton is long and somewhat tedious. The road is mostly well-sealed, certainly better than west Old La Honda Road that is determined to slide out and break up this season. But the combination of subsidence pockets beneath the road surface that leave pits and dips in the roadway not easily seen and ridges of asphalt created by too-fast traffic and hard braking and cornering make for a bumpy descent. I call the former invisible potholes, not as hard on the bike as real potholes, but still uncomfortable and potentially dangerous when ridden over without preparation. Yet, in spite of all the recent rain I did not find more than the usual amount of sand, dried mud, rocks, and gravel around some of the turns.

I was getting tired by the time I got down into San Jose and did not spend extra time or effort while retracing my route through the heavier traffic in the industrial sprawl of north San Jose. I arrived home at 1840.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
Distance:	78.07 miles
Cumulative climbing:	6330 feet
Total Time:	7:01:51
Riding Time:	5:08:41
Avg. Speed (moving):	15.1 mph
Max. Speed:	? mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	741.16 wh
Wh/mi:	9.5
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	29.176
Max. Current:	73.70 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.0
Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? watts
Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from motor:	1948 kJ (541 wh)
Total energy from human (estimated):	? kJ (? wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	1856 kJ (516 wh)

Pescadero, March 30, 2011 - Hills 'R' Us left on time from Shoup Park, so I had to play catch-up. This time as usual my stoker did no work for the first 10-15 miles (or until the first significant up-grade), so I wasn't going faster than the group until I got to Old La Honda Road, where I finally caught up.

We continued down the west side of Old La Honda Road where I observed that the road is transforming itself into a dirt road in several places, and the recently-repaired section (where I actually saw the road crews working recently) has slid out again. We then continued on to La Honda for a quick stop at the market before pressing on to San Gregorio, while trying with mixed success to maintain an orderly paceline. We turned left on Stage Road and continued over the two short hills into Pescadero for a longer lunch break at Archangeli Market. The picnic area behind the store was warm and pleasant on this, the first warm day of spring.

Either because I ate slowly or because my sandwich was unusually large, I found myself finishing alone after everyone else had resumed the second half of the ride up Pescadero Road. I finally finished, though I wished for a slightly longer break to digest lunch. Normally I would allow my stoker to rest on most of the gradual climb up Pescadero Road, but to forestall a case of side-stitches I called for some assistance on this rolling climb up to Memorial Park, where I caught up to the rear of the group.

At Alpine Road we turned right and continued up along Alpine Creek through the Heritage Grove and regrouped at Portola State Park Road. Even though I had not worked as hard as most of the others by this point, I felt like taking a nap in the balmy air. After a short break we pressed up the upper section of the climb. By this point the group had become too split up to regroup as one, and at Page Mill Road those of us present went home our separate ways.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
Distance:	101.2 miles
Cumulative climbing:	6590 feet
Total Time:	7:13:49
Riding Time:	6:20:38
Avg. Speed (moving):	15.9 mph
Max. Speed:	50.3 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	907.9 wh
Wh/mi:	8.9
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	36.370
Max. Current:	65.80 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.6
Total energy from motor:	2419 kJ (672 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	2324 kJ (646 wh)

Pillar Point, March 17, 2011 - I rode from home up Page Mill Rd, down west Alpine Road and then out to San Gregorio. I then rode north on Stage Road and CA1, detouring onto Purisima Creek and Higgins-Purisima Roads before heading through Half Moon Bay and northward to Pillar Point.

When I got to Pillar Point I found a full parking lot, two TV camera crews and an overhead KTVU helicopter. No one was surfing at Mavericks—the tide was out, but a small gathering of people were huddled on the beach. I later learned that a surfer (Sion Milosky) had died in the surf the day before.

While I was watching the mild surf, another recumbent rider, Grant, came riding up on his BikeE. Grant, 84, lives in Half Moon Bay and rides out to Pillar Point regularly.

I returned to Half Moon Bay and then rode up CA92, the least-pleasant part of my ride. At Skyline Blvd. I turned southward and continued up to Kings Mountain where it seemed every turnout or driveway featured a live security guard or policeman. I wondered what was going on, but I didn't stop to ask.

I turned left on Kings Mountain Road and descended into Woodside, then rode through Portola Valley and home on Junipero Serra Blvd. and Foothill Expressway.

Bike Ridden: Power Gold Rush

Distance: 85 miles

Cumulative climbing: 7300 feet

Big Basin, March 12, 2011 - I rode with Mark Yelencich and friends, Glen and Jerome, through Big Basin and back, riding Redwood Gulch, CA9, CA236, North Escape Road, Bear Creek Road, Skyline Blvd., and Page Mill Road.
Pacelining to San Gregorio, March 9, 2011 - Here are a few photos I took while the group on today's ride was trying to stay on my tail from La Honda to San Gregorio. We started out together, but eventually the group peeled off. The problem is that I can only see the guy behind me hanging on, and so I assume incorrectly that the rest are, too.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	105.9 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7400 feet
Total Time:	7:03:32
Riding Time:	6:05:59
Avg. Speed (moving):	17.36 mph
Max. Speed:	48.0 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1484 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1230.0 wh
Wh/mi:	11.6
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	49.329
Max. Current:	58.73 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.3
Total energy from motor:	3100 kJ (861 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	2947 kJ (819 wh)

To Bonny Doon and Back, March 4, 2011 - Since the coming weekend's weather is threatening to be less than ideal, I decided to do my weekend ride today (Friday) as today's weather promised to be the best for the next few days.

I left home at 0940 and headed out of Sunnyvale on Evelyn Ave, then through Mountain View and Los Altos to El Monte and Foothill Expressway before heading north to Page Mill Road, then Arastradero, Alpine, and Portola before climbing up Old La Honda Road. A few cyclists were out, but once I crossed Skyline Blvd. and headed down Old La Honda (west) and CA84, I saw no more cyclists until I got near Ano Nuevo, and few cyclists for the remainder of my ride.

I rode CA84 out to CA1 and then headed south. I took a few photos on the way down the coast, but the light was not ideal for photography. The sky was a milky white, typical of pre-storm ice clouds. Colors were dull and bland, yet shadows were still harsh. Worst of both worlds.

The construction zone near Pescadero Road featured a crane whose boom looked almost as long as the top of the hill north of Pescadero Beach is high.

After the construction zone motor vehicles passed in platoons about 6-7 minutes apart, making riding out of the debris and in the traffic lane easier for much of the remaining journey south. I only needed to ride the shoulder while the platoons were passing.

I pressed on past Davenport and turned left on Bonny Doon Road, then turned right on Martin Road and stopped at Karl Abbe's shop (Zzip Designs) to speak with him about getting a replacement fairing. Unfortunately, Karl had just gone down the hill to Davenport to get his mail—we probably passed each other on the road—but was expected to be back in about 15 minutes. I waited in the warm sun and ate a few energy bars in lieu of lunch in Davenport and watched a young doe quietly chew some weeds in a nearby field. After half an hour I decided Karl must have found other business to attend, and I had to get moving if I wanted to get home at a reasonable hour (with a reasonable safety margin in case of trouble). But, I was not annoyed as Karl was not expecting me. Stopping made for a nice change of pace.

I continued up Martin Road, through the burn area in the Bonny Doon Preserve. Then I descended Ice Cream Grade across Laguna Creek and back up to Empire Grade, then down Felton-Empire Grade into Felton. I crossed CA9 and then turned left on E. Zayante Road. Traffic was heavy on the lower part of E. Zayante as far as the turnoff for Lompico. I took some comfort in the thought that these motorists making my ride less pleasant were paying an increasingly high price for the privilege of doing so.

Above Lompico and the small residences of Zayante, traffic became almost non-existent, and I had a peaceful climb up to Summit Road While I rode through Zayante I noticed the occasional smell of rotten eggs, similar to the smell of a natural gas, but slightly different. Was it propane? Maybe someone had a leaky tank. But I was getting a strong whiff of it at several points along the way. I also noticed the same smell up in Bonny Doon, especially at the bottoms of canyons, which makes me suspect leaky propane tanks. I wonder if people's tanks and piping developed leaks during the recent cold weather.

On the intermediate downhill on Upper Zayante Road I encountered the hazard of a damp, slick metal grate that had been placed over a road repair at the apex of a turn. I only saw this at the last moment and had only enough time to straighten my turn and head across the road—no opposite traffic, to avoid slipping while in the turn.

When I got to the top of Zayante Road I turned left on Summit then right on Bear Creek, descending swiftly to CA17 that I took me directly into downtown Los Gatos—I got a lucky break in traffic to catch the left-hand exit. The alternative and usual exit is at CA9, but the Saratoga-bound exit can be tricky if there is traffic entering CA17 northbound as the merge is very short.

From Los Gatos I headed toward Saratoga, then veered right on Quito and continued on Lawrence Expressway. As I neared home it seemed like I had only a few minutes earlier been climbing Zayante, so quick was the descent out of the mountains on Bear Creek and CA17. No wonder the locals like that commute route.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	84 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7500 feet
Total Time:	6:47:25
Riding Time:	6:14:16
Avg. Speed (moving):	13.41 mph
Max. Speed:	44.4 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	897.96 wh
Wh/mi:	10.7
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	35.620
Max. Current:	56.66 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.0
Total energy from motor:	2262 kJ (628 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	2324 kJ (646 wh)

Soda Springs Road and Weaver Road, February 28, 2011 - It had been too long since I had ridden south and up into the mountains through Los Gatos and past Lexington Reservoir, so I began my ride by heading south on Lawrence Expressway, slightly uphill and into a weak headwind. Riding on a county expressway might not sound like fun, but it's really not so bad as the expressway allows for safe, efficient travel with a minimum of stops and intersections, and it helped that I got lucky with a long sequence of green lights.

I continued south on Quito Road, then CA9 into Los Gatos. I turned right on University then left on Miles Ave to the Los Gatos Creek Trail. I decided to pick up the Los Gatos Creek Trail earlier than the usual connection at Main Street so that I could pass by the Forbes Mill on Los Gatos Creek (now a museum) on my way into the mountains.

I could see that the creek was flowing swiftly from the recent rains. Water was standing in puddles or running across the trail in many places, but the trail was not muddy.

After I climbed up the dam face I continued left on Alma Bridge Road. As I passed Soda Springs Road I paused, recalling the last time I rode up that road was more than ten years ago. So, I decided to head up the long climb (>2400 feet) to its end.

Soda Springs Road climbs for almost six miles up a nearly unbroken grade of approximately 8%. Unfortunately, the road climbs a mountainside with northern exposure, mostly through groves of bay and live oak, and the views are obscured. I passed many residences, more than I recall the last time I rode this road back in the mid-1990s. One residence near the top even had a small astronomical observatory dome. The road surface was in reasonably good shape, having been chip-sealed sometime in the last year.

As I passed Weaver Road (not a through road) I made a mental note to explore it on my way down Soda Springs Road. The end of Soda Springs Road approaches with little warning or fanfare, only a sign 500 feet from the end, and the gate at the top has more threatening signs than it did in the 1990s. A small but thick patch of dirty snow stood next to the gate.

I returned back to Weaver Road and turned left. I had never before ridden Weaver Road, and I couldn't remember how far it went. But, I determined to find out.

As soon as I started down Weaver Road the view to the west and south opened up magnificently. If not for the taller vegetation Soda Springs Road would enjoy a similar view. I continued down Weaver Road for just over a mile (and a descent of 400 feet) until I reached a gate and what looked like someone's driveway at the bottom.

Imagine having to commute up this road and down most of Soda Springs Road (and Alma Bridge Road) every day as some of these residents must do. I then thought of the rapidly increasing price of gas. No thanks. But like a good dessert that's better when it isn't eaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the countryside and magnificent views are best enjoyed occasasionally as a treat.

I returned up Weaver Road and then continued down Soda Springs Road to Alma Bridge Road. I turned left, but was stopped by a road crew clearing debris from next to the road. Less than a minute later and I was waved through.

I continued up Aldercroft Heights Road and Old Santa Cruz Highway. At Holy City I turned right and climbed steeply up under CA17 and through Redwood Estates. At Summit Road I turned right and headed north to Bear Creek Road and Skyline Blvd.

I continued on Skyline over the Castle Rock Summit, where I found a few remaining patches of dirty snow by the road. The temperature was a cool 47F at the high point on Skyline Blvd. (3100ft). I continued on Skyline Blvd. to Old La Honda Road where I turned right and descended into Woodside.

My route home from the base of Old La Honda Road was Portola to Sand Hill Road and then Junipero Serra Blvd., Foothill Expressway and back into Sunnyvale on Fremont Ave. I arrived home just after 1700.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	96.1 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7310 feet
Total Time:	7:48
Riding Time:	6:49:36
Avg. Speed (moving):	14.1 mph
Max. Speed:	47.1 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1254 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1015.4 wh
Wh/mi:	10.6
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	40.504
Max. Current:	92 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.2
Total energy from motor:	2559 kJ (711 wh)
Total energy from human (Polar HRM estimate):	1883 kJ (523 wh)

Snow and Sand, February 20, 2011 - The entire preceeding week had been stormy, cold, and wet. After last week's wonderful weather on the MegaMonster Enduro ride at the end of our summer in winter, we got Winter II with a vengeance. With snow on the local hills and low-pressure systems that hung over the area for a day or more dumping continuous rain, I was ready by Sunday to get out and ride.

The day broke clear and bright. By the time I got my act together and was out the door at 0930, a few puffy clouds had started to form over the hills. I headed out from home on one of my routes to Foothill Expressway and El Monte Road. I took El Monte Road toward the hills, using only pedal power until I reached the hairpin turn that marks the start of the steep section of Moody Road. From that point I set the cruise control (constant voltage into the motor) and climbed at a slow to moderate pace, enjoying the fresh air and the sound of water running in every channel near the road.

A short distance uphill from Moody and Page Mill Roads I slowly gained on an older guy who was climbing at a good clip. He managed to stay with me until we got into the steep stuff below Shotgun Bend. As I drew near to Montebello Open Space patches of snow appeared next to the road, elevation about 2000 feet. The biggest patches were barely thick enough to cover the ground, and any snow that was lying in the sun was melting fast. Temperature was 40F.

As I continued up Alpine Road to its summit west of Skyline Blvd. I saw a few more snow patches, but none as large was what I saw on Page Mill Road. The old guy I saw on Page Mill caught up to me along this section. He must not have wasted any time. We both stopped at the summit of Alpine Road to put on more clothing before the long, cold descent. I stopped again once at the open, flat area with a view to photograph clouds over the Pescadero Creek watershed. I saw many cyclists climbing the other direction. They must start early in the morning to be on the return trip by late morning.

By the time I reached Pescadero Road my fingers were aching from the cold, even though they are relatively sheltered behind the fairing. Temperature was 39F behind the fairing. I continued up Pescadero Road and down the other side, exercising some caution on the curves as I did not know if the road would be clear of storm debris. The road under the redwoods was still slick, but elsewhere it was only damp or dry.

I continued out to Pescadero, past the town, then turned left at the fire station and up Bean Hollow Road. I took Bean Hollow Road out past the landfill and the artichoke fields and then descended again to CA1 near Bean Hollow Beach. I turned left on CA1 and headed south, detouring out to Pigeon Point to see the surf and one large red-tail hawk and a smaller falcon hunting (separately) for their meals, before I reached Gazos Creek Beach House where I bought a drink to go with lunch I had packed.

I backtracked a bit to Gazos Creek Beach to enjoy the view of the ocean while I ate lunch. After lunch I returned to Gazos Creek Road and started the ride toward home. My route followed Gazos Creek Road to Cloverdale Road and then into Pescadero itself before taking Stage Road north to San Gregorio and again to CA1.

On Cloverdale Road I met up with a prosperous looking couple on a tandem who had had some sort of mechanical mishap while climbing the short steep wall on the south end of Cloverdale Road. They re-started going downhill then did a U-turn and followed me up the hill. On the way down the gradual north side past Butano State Park they passed me. It is fortunate for them that I was behind them at that point as less than a minute later a black object came flying off of their bike, landing on the road in front of me. I stopped and picked it up. It was a cell phone. They told me earlier that they were headed to San Gregorio, so I followed them but not too closely. They were riding fast, and I was more in the mood to enjoy the scenery. We connected again in Pescadero when they turned into the Archangeli Store, where I returned their phone to them.

On my way out of Pescadero I ran into Patrick Goebel and Bob ?. While we were riding together a spoke on Bob's front wheel broke at the nipple. Never seen a break there before, nor on a front wheel. His front wheel has 24 spokes, so he had to stop and make an adjustment to keep his brake from rubbing. Good thing he didn't break the spoke on a descent!

After I passed through San Gregorio I didn't see another cyclist on the road until after I had climbed Tunitas Creek Road and descended part way down Kings Mountain Road. I passed a couple of small snow patches near the top of the former, and did my best to avoid slick wet patches and debris on the latter, so again I descended carefully, yet I still managed to catch up to a motorist who was exercising even more caution. I was also testing a new rear disc brake to see how it would hold up under the abuse of being dragged most of the way down the hill. The brake worked fine, although the rotor was hot enough to boil water when I got to the bottom of the hill, and I noticed that my brake lever was starting to bottom out during hard braking. Did my pads wear that much in one ride? (After I got home I also saw that my rotor, an Avid BB7 203mm, had warped slightly, but bending it back to true with a crescent wrench was not difficult.)

The trip home from Woodside went without incident. I took Whiskey Hill Road to Sand Hill Road, stopping to examine the large traffic island onto which Jobst Brandt came to grief a month ago when he was heading to the coast on one of his long rides. I turned right on Santa Cruz Ave. then left on Junipero Serra Blvd., continued on Foothill Expressway, and proceeded home on a different route than my outgoing route, arriving home at 1715, shortly before sunset.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
Distance:	100.7 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5220 feet
Total Time:	3:45:20
Riding Time:	3:41:02
Avg. Speed (moving):	27.3 mph
Avg. Speed (overall):	27.16 mph
Max. Speed:	51.4 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1484 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1323.3 wh
Wh/mi:	13.1
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	53.670
Max. Current:	59.44 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.5
Max. power to rear wheel:	937 watts
Avg. power to rear wheel:	419 watts
Total energy to rear wheel:	5585 kJ (1551 wh)
Total energy from motor:	3478 kJ (966 wh)
Total energy from human:	2107 kJ (585 wh)

Low-Key MegaMonster Enduro, February 12, 2011 - I did a little bit of everything on this ride: helped out a bit at the start and finish, rode the 100-mile course, and took photos along the way, trying to get at least one photo of everyone. It was also nice to work again with the Low-Key cast of characters before Low-Key goes into hibernation for the cycling season until the 2011 Hill Climb series.

At the start I met Edward Lyen, fellow hybrid e-biker from San Francisco and importer of the Infineon controller. Ilia Brouk, also of San Francisco (ebikessf.com), had pre-registered but was unable to ride due to illness. Maybe next year.

The morning started cool but not cold as last year, and things warmed up quickly by the time I shoved off from the start line at 0942. Last year I had used a smaller motor on my rig that ended up having problems near the most distant point on the course, not because it was too small but because a circuit trace on the Hall sensor board broke and would only make good contact when the motor was hot. Finding a fix that would get me 50 miles back to the start wasted about 20 minutes of my time on the road.

This year I was using a MAC-BMC motor (similar to Powerpack) with Hall sensors tuned for the Infineon controller. The MAC-BMC motor is a bigger motor than the 24-volt Transmagnetics motor I used in 2010, and its efficiency is slightly greater.

The bike was loaded with 1.45 kwh of batteries, although I did not intend to use all of the stored energy. Batteries don't like to be drained to zero, so my goal was to use about 90-95% of my stored energy (a pair of Valence RT batteries and a pair of smaller batteries I built up from Headway LiFePO4 cells). Normally I'd aim to use not more than 80%, but for a timed event I'm willing to push the batteries a bit.

Before the event I had printed up a cue sheet showing what I estimated to be a reasonable wh/mi consumption rate at various waypoints along the course for an end usage of 1000 watt-hours, 1250 watt-hours, and 1450 watt-hours. I was aiming for a total usage of 1250 watt-hours or maybe a bit more. By looking at my consumption rate periodically I would know if my thumb on the throttle was too light or too heavy and could adjust accordingly.

The first ten miles of the course are on a mostly straight highway ("Airline Highway", as it is called) that is slightly uphill more often than downhill when heading from north to south. Also, unexpectedly this morning, I noticed a light headwind blowing from south to north. This headwind gave me some worry that I would need to consume more energy on the first half of the out and back course, leaving too little battery energy to complete the return trip. When I wasn't snapping photos of other riders on the course I did my best to hunker down behind the fairing as much as possible and kept the output power (measured by a PowerTap hub) in the 400-500 watt range.

The Infineon controller I was using from Grin Technologies Ltd. has a convenient cruise control feature such that I hold one throttle position for about 8 seconds, and the controller will maintain that throttle setting. To minimize losses in the controller I set the throttle to maximum and used my gearing to vary the load and hence the power demanded for a given speed.

Unlike last year's event, this year there was no adventure to report. I had no mechanical problems. No flats, no human problems aside from the usual fatigue toward the end. I did have one minor, though extremely annoying problem that I was able to resolve without stopping. I opened a packet of Gu and made the mistake of holding it about the middle with one hand while I put the plastic stub I tore off into a jersey pocket. I realized my error when I noticed my fingers covered with gel, as well as my Grip shifter. I used half a bottle of water to rinse my hand and shifter. Fortunately, the gel dissolves easily in water. No soap needed.

Last year I had spent several minutes at the Bitterwater checkpoint to adjust my bike as I had not got it quite adjusted to my body, having built it up the night before from a bare frame. This year I kept my stops to a minimum, about 4 minutes altogether for three stops. The clock keeps ticking at the checkpoints.

On the first half of a ride like this or of any ride, for that matter, I try to use less motor and more pedaling. The idea is that it is better to have juice left in the battery at the end than to pedal the last part of the course with no juice in the battery.

When I got to the turnaround point I had used slightly less than half the battery capacity, so I knew I could press harder on the return trip. There is more descending on the return trip, but there is also the risk of stronger afternoon north to south headwinds on the last ten miles. The morning headwind was somewhat comforting in that respect. Perhaps the afternoon headwind would not blow. Well, the afternoon headwind did blow, but only in the last five miles.

Wind direction has a significant effect on power requirement. When moving 35 mph with the light tailwind I was pulling about 100-200 watts into the motor (in addition to my pedaling), but with the stronger headwind I was pulling 500-700 watts to maintain the same speed.

Overall I had a fine ride. Weather was just about perfect with temperature in the low- to mid-70F range (22-23C). No wind would have been best, but that condition only occurs during heat waves.

Here is a link to the page for MegaMonster 2011 results, overall and split times, for all participants.

Here is a link to the MegaMonster 2011 general information page.

Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F2
Distance:	100.4 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7450 feet
Total Time:	6:48:11
Riding Time:	6:08:11
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.3 mph
Max. Speed:	49.1 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	920.7 wh
Wh/mi:	9.2
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	36.481
Max. Current:	70.02 Amps
Min. Voltage:	22.4
Max. power to rear wheel:	1125 watts
Avg. power to rear wheel:	212 watts
Total energy to rear wheel:	4675 kJ (1299 wh)
Total energy from motor:	2385 kJ (663 wh)
Total energy from human:	2290 kJ (636 wh)

Sunday Ride, February 6, 2011 - I rode a zig-zagging route from home to the coast and back, visiting Page Mill Road, Pescadero Road, Stage Road, Tunitas Creek Road and Skyline Blvd. (among others).

Bike Ridden: Power Gold Rush

Distance: 47 miles

Cumulative climbing: 3200 feet

WW LDT Ride: Seascape, February 5, 2011 - I joined the Western Wheelers ride out of Seascape near Aptos. Our route, the "D" Route, took us through the back streets of Aptos, through Seacliff State Beach, then over to Corralitos along Valencia, Cox, Day, and Hames Roads. After a brief stop at Corralitos we continued on Browns Valley, Hazel Dell, Mt. Madonna, and Casserly Roads, stopping at Gizdich Ranch for lunch and pie. After lunch we returned to Seascape through Freedom and Larkin Valley Road.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	98.1 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5000 feet
Total Time:	8:15
Riding Time:	6:06:04
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.07 mph
Max. Speed:	45.1 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	755.51 wh
Wh/mi:	7.7
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	29.804
Max. Current:	71 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.8
Total energy from motor:	1904 kJ (529 wh)

GPC Ride: Suisun City, January 29, 2011 - I joined Zach Kaplan and the Grizzly Peak Cyclists (led by Mark Abrahams) at Spruce St. and Grizzly Peak Blvd. in Berkeley at 0800 for a round-trip ride to Suisun City. I had not been out this way since I had ridden a loop through Rio Vista with Richard Mlynarik back in 1995.

Our outbound route took us on the Grizzly Peak Century northern loop as far as Crockett where we crossed the Zampa Bridge to Vallejo. We then rode through neighborhoods of Vallejo before riding Lake Herman Road across the low hills to Benicia. At Lopes Road we turned north to Cordelia and then rode east to Suisun City. After taking a short detour to see the Suisun City waterfront we stopped for lunch at Taqueria Tepa.

Those of us not taking Amtrak back to Berkeley began our return trip at 1300, retracing our route to Cordelia into an increasingly heavy mist, enough to wet the road, the railroad track crossings, and our glasses, but not to soak our skin. By the time we reached the Benicia Bridge it was clear that the rain expected by evening had arrived earlier than forecast.

We took Shell Ave. through the hills of residential Martinez, then Estudillo and Alhambra Way before heading out of town on Alhambra Valley Road and returning to the Berkeley area. After climbing Pig Farm Hill I left the group and took The Bears (Bear Creek Road) back to Wildcat Canyon Road instead of the flatter but more circuitous Alhambra Valley Road, Castro Ranch Road and Camino Pablo Ave. The rain/mist continued on and off for the duration of my trip, being heaviest near the summits of the climbs on Bear Creek Road and Wildcat Canyon Road and absent on most of the climb up Wildcat Canyon Road.

Bike Ridden: Power Pursuit F2

Distance: 109 miles

Cumulative climbing: 6000 feet

Santa Cruz, January 22, 2011 - I rode a quick loop from Sunnyvale to Santa Cruz and back. Up Old La Honda, down CA84, south CA1, return on Glen Canyon, Bean Creek, Mountain Charlie, and Old Santa Cruz Hwy.

Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	87.9 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5000 feet
Total Time:	7:03:11
Riding Time:	5:53:16
Avg. Speed (moving):	14.93 mph
Max. Speed:	48.2 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1024 wh
Battery energy consumed:	672.04 wh
Wh/mi:	7.6
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	26.375
Max. Current:	69.6 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.6
Total energy to rear wheel:	4137 kJ (1149 wh)
Total energy from motor:	1695 kJ (471 wh)
Total energy from human:	2442 kJ (678 wh)

GPC Second Saturday Ride, January 8, 2011 - I joined Zach Kaplan for the Grizzly Peak Cyclists Second Saturday ride from Orinda BART, through Contra Costa County and south to Sunol, returning on Palomares and Redwood Roads. The day was cold and foggy. We didn't see the sun. The temperature started at 39F and rose to a balmy 48F before falling again, accompanied by renewed drizzle on the last ten miles.

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2026	2007 Southern CA25, December 2007 Low-Key Hill Climb: Mt. Hamilton, November 2007 Low-Key Hill Climb: Sierra Road, November 2007 McGee Creek and Rock Creek Roads, September 8, 2007 Swanton Pacific Railroad, August 2007 Mt. Hamilton Sunrise, July 29, 2007 Pescadero and Purisima, July 2007 Contra Costa, July 2007 A Ride with Stella and Frank, June 2007 Rodney Smith Incident, June 2007 Sequoia Century, June 2007 Tioga Road, May 12, 2007 Left Coast Velomobile Gathering, March 2007 Zach does Livermore on his Sunset, March 2007 Tour of California: Stage 3, February 2007	1988
2025	2006 East Dunne Ave., Morgan Hill, October 2006 John Peckham Memorial Ride, September 2006 Kings Creek, September 2006 Return to Freedom, September 2006 Hollister, August 2006 Old Stage Road, August 2006 Shoreline Park, August 2006 Montevina, August 2006 Aptos Creek Fire Road, July 2006 Fort Ord, July 2006 Chalk Mountain, July 2006 Montara Mountain, July 2006 Lyresa's Hills Candid Group Photo, July 2006 Olmo Trail, July 2006 San Benito, Clear Creek, and Idria, May 27, 2006 Tour of the Unknown Coast, May 13, 2006 Mission-Allison-Monument Traverse, May 2006 Mount Hamilton Loop Clockwise, April 29, 2006 Panoche and Mercey Hot Springs, April 2006 Pescadero, April 2006 Calaveras LDT, February 2006 Tour of California: Stage 3, February 2006 Tour of California: Stage 2, February 2006 Tour of California: Prologue, February 2006 Morgan Hill LDT, February 2006 Winter Ride Around the Reservoirs, January 2006	1987
2024	2005 Winter Solstice Century, December 2005 Loma Prieta, November 24, 2005 Johansen and Gazos Creek Roads, November 2005 Gazos Creek and Old Haul Roads, November 2005 Phyllis Olrich's Impromptu Ride to Pescadero, October 2005 Michelle Mazzei Memorial Ride, October 2005 Star Hill - Bear Gulch, October 2005 Watsonville, October 2005 East Bay Convolutions, October 2005 Reds Meadow, September 14, 2005 High Sierra Fall Century, September 10, 2005 San Francisco Grand Prix bike race, September 2005 Santa Cruz Surfer Statue, August 2005 South Butano, Old Haul, and Alpine east, August 6, 2005 One Third of the Bay in a Day, July 23, 2005 Pescadero, July 2005 Santa Cruz via Hecker Pass, July 2005 Stevens Canyon, July 2005 Big Basin, July 2005 San Bruno Mountain, June 2005 Half Moon Bay, June 2005 Sequoia Worker's Ride (200k w/variations), June 2005 First Half of Mr. Bill's, June 2005 Mt. Diablo LDT, May 2005 Empire Grade, May 2005 Mt. Tamalpais LDT, May 2005 Mt. Hamilton Challenge, April 2005 Half Moon Bay, April 2005 Rancho San Antonio, April 2005 Tailwinds to Santa Cruz, April 9, 2005 San Francisco Peninsula, April 2005 Hollister and San Juan Bautista LDT, March 2005 Marin Headlands & Tiburon LDT, March 2005 Pacific Grove, March 2005 Calaveras to Pleasanton LDT, February 2005 Morgan Hill LDT, February 2005 Point Reyes, January 2005	1986
2023 Lee Vining to Columbia, October 19, 2023 Columbia to Lee Vining, October 18, 2023 South Lake Tahoe to Angels Camp, August 9, 2023 Angels Camp to South Lake Tahoe, August 8, 2023 Mount Hamilton Big Loop North CW, April 23, 2023	2004 Panoche and Idria, December 18, 2004 Black Mountain, December 4, 2004 Coast Ride, November 28, 2004 Hull Lotta Hills, November 6, 2004 Tour of Southwest Marin, October 30, 2004 Watsonville to San Juan Buatista and back, October 16, 2004 Backroads of San Benito County, October 2, 2004 High Sierra Fall Century, September 18, 2004 Mount Hamilton by Moonlight, August 29, 2004 Marin Century, August 7, 2004 Ride to Santa Cruz, July 18, 2004 HPV Fun Day at Hellyer Park Velodrome, May 16, 2004 Montara Mountain, May 1, 2004	1985
2022 Mammoth Grand Tour, June 29, 2022	2003 High Sierra Fall Century, September 13, 2003 Bountiful Ridge, June 25, 2003 Mount Hamilton Challenge, April 26, 2003 Cherry Pie Criterium, February 2003 Winter Solstice Century, January 2003	1984
2021	2002 Ride with Zach and Dan, December 28, 2002 High Sierra Fall Centuiry, September 14, 2002 Bill Models Gold Rush with Full Fairing, 2002 Pierce Point Road, July 2002 First Tailbox, July 2002 Return to Freedom, June 29, 2002	1983
2020 South Lake Tahoe to Angels Camp, October 21, 2020 Lake Tahoe Circuit CCW, October 20, 2020 Angels Camp to South Lake Tahoe, October 19, 2020 Coleville to Columbia, August 14, 2020 Columbia to Coleville, August 13, 2020	2001 Winter Solstice Century, December 15, 2001 Knoxville Double Metric Century, September 29, 2001 San Francisco Grand Prix, September 9, 2001 South Butano Fire Road, August 25, 2001 Marin Century, August 5, 2001 San Gregorio, July 8, 2001 Loma Prieta Avenue, July 6, 2001 Bolinas Ridge, July 1, 2001 Return to Freedom, June 23, 2001 David rides a RANS Vivo, June 16, 2001 Sequoia Century, June 3, 2001 HPV Day at Hellyer Velodrome, May 20, 2001 Borel Hill, January 14, 2001	1982
2019 Lee Vining to Tuolumne, October 23, 2019 Tuolumne to Lee Vining, October 22, 2019 Lee Vining to Columbia, July 16, 2019 Columbia to Lee Vining, July 15, 2019	2000 Winter Solstice Double Century, December 16, 2000 Ron Eats Hot Dog, August 5, 2000 Seattle to Portland, July 8, 2000 Zach's Monthly Recumbent Ride, July 1, 2000 Sequoia Century, June 4, 2000 Strawberry Fields Forever, May 21, 2000 Taste of the Devil, April 15, 2000 Tierra Bella Century: 200k, April 8, 2000 Death Valley Double Century, February 19, 2000 Cherry Pie Criterium, February 6, 2000 Quien Sabe and Lone Tree Roads, January 27, 2000 Mt. Hamilton, January 22, 2000 New Years Ride up Mt. Diablo, January 1, 2000	1981
2018 Lee Vining to Tuolumne, October 13, 2018 Tuolumne to Lee Vining, October 12, 2018	1999 Easy Racers Factory, December 30, 1999 Fremont Peak, December 30, 1999 Visiting Karl Abbe of Zzip Designs, December 28, 1999 Winter Solstice Double Century, December 18, 1999 Seaside, December 11, 1999 Zach's Recumbent Ride in Alameda, December 4, 1999 Carmel Valley Road, November 26, 1999 Recumbents to Santa Cruz, October 10, 1999 Eating Hot Dogs at Saratoga Gap, September 4, 1999 San Gregorio Beach, August 22, 1999 Barbara Kester, August 21, 1999 Zach's Recumbent Ride, August 7, 1999 Stella's Restored Schwinn American Cruiser, July 1999 Sequoia Century SAG HQ, June 6, 1999 Mount Hamilton Challenge, April 24, 1999 Central Valley Recumbent Rally, April 17, 1999 Zach's Monthly Recumbent Ride, January 2, 1999	1980
2017 Mount Umunhum, September 21, 2017 Long Valley Tour, September 12, 2017 Lee Vining to Columbia, July 20, 2017 Markleeville to Lee Vining, July 19, 2017 Columbia to Markleeville, July 18, 2017 Terrible Two, June 17, 2017 Around the Bay with Tam and Diablo, May 28, 2017 Central Coast Double, May 13, 2017 Devil Mountain Double, April 29, 2017	1998 Winter Solstice Century, December 19, 1998 LKHC: Bohlman Road, November 21, 1998 LKHC: Mount Hamilton, November 14, 1998 LKHC: Soda Springs Road, October 17, 1998 High Sierra Fall Century, September 12, 1998 Group ride down South Butano Fire Trail, June, 1998 Southern Santa Cruz Mountains, June, 1998 Paicines, June, 1998 Bill Rides a BikeE to Half Moon Bay, May, 1998 Bill Rides Stella's Bicycle, May, 1998 CA84 and La Honda Open Space Preserve, February 15, 1998 How many Western Wheelers does it take to fix a flat?, February 28, 1998	1979
2016 Low-Key Hill Climbs 2016 Knoxville Double (abridged), September 24, 2016 Mammoth Tour, September 15, 2016 Markleeville to Columbia, August 4, 2016 Columbia to Markleeville, August 3, 2016 Around the Bay, May 15, 2016 Mount Hamilton Big Loop South CCW, May 8, 2016 Mount Hamilton Big Loop North CCW, May 1, 2016 Low-Key MegaMonster Enduro, February 6, 2016	1997 Foxy Fall Century, October 18, 1997 Grizzly Century, October 4, 1997 El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve, June 14, 1997 Mt. Hamilton, May, 1997 Sawyer Camp Trail, May, 1997 Primavera Century, April, 1997 Chabot Regional Park, March, 1997 Las Cumbres, February, 22, 1997 Bear Gulch west, February, 1997	1978
2015 Low-Key Hill Climbs 2015 Davenport, July 11, 2015 Jobst Brandt Memorial Celebration, June 20, 2015 Sequoia Century Workers Ride, June 6, 2015 Mount Hamilton CCW, May 24, 2015 Coastal Loop, May 17, 2015 Mount Hamilton Big Loop South CW, May 10, 2015 Jobst Brandt, R.I.P., January 14, 1935 - May 5, 2015 Nine Counties Ride Around the Bay, May 3, 2015 Mount Hamilton Big Loop CW, April 26, 2015 Patterson Pass, April 4, 2015 The Reservoirs and Uvas Park, March 22, 2015 Lake Del Valle and Mendenhall Road, March 14, 2015 Mount Hamilton CCW, February 21, 2015 Low-Key MegaMonster Enduro, February 7, 2015 Nine Continents Direct-Drive Hub Motor, February 4, 2015 Santa Cruz January 28, 2015 Devil's Slide, January 25, 2015 Gilroy and Corralitos, January 20, 2015 Capitola, January 3, 2015 Pescadero, January 1, 2015	1996 Jeff Steinwedel Memorial Ride, December 15, 1996 Loma Prieta, December 1996 Mt. Hamilton, November, 1996 Mt. Umunhum Road, November, 16, 1996 Low-Key Hill Climb: Bohlman-On Orbit-Bohlman, November 9, 1996 Low-Key Hill Climb: CA84 west Old La Honda, November 2, 1996 Ride with Derek, October 12, 1996 Low-Key Hill Climb: Montebello, October, 1996 Hekaton Classic, September, 1996 Ocean Beach, August, 1996 Pleasanton Ridge, August 10, 1996 Montara State Beach, July, 1996 Bill's Hills, July, 1996 Drawbridge, July, 1996 Mosquito Flat and June Lake Loop, July 3, 1996 Highland Way, June 1996 Sequoia Preview, June 1996 Low-Key Nightmare, June 1996 San Bruno Mountain, March 9, 1996 Livermore Hills, March 2, 1996 Sacramento Northern Railroad Right-of-Way, February, 1996 Santa Clara County Dead End Road, January 14, 1996 Santiago Canyon, January 11, 1996 Marin Headlands, January 7, 1996 New Years on Mt. Diablo, January 1, 1996	1977
2014 Winter Solstice, December 21, 2014 Tailwinds from Santa Cruz, December 14, 2014 Clouds and Rain, December 1, 2014 Pizza Century, November 9, 2014 Low-Key Hill Climbs 2014 Tioga Pass and Minaret Vista, September 17, 2014 June Lake Loop and Minaret Summit, September 16, 2014 Bicycle Traffic School, August 28, 2014 Effortless Rides, August 2014 Panoche Inn, July 2, 2014 Sequoia Century Worker's Ride and Picnic, June 7, 2014 Monitor Pass, Ebbetts Pass, and Pacific Grade Summit, May 26, 2014 Sonora Pass, May 25, 2014 Davis Double Century, May 17, 2014 Tour of California Stage 3, May 13, 2014 Around the Bay, May 3, 2014 Pescadero, April 29, 2014 Patterson, April 20, 2014 Devil's Slide, April 16, 2014 Aromas, April 13, 2014 South Butano and Old Haul Roads, April 9, 2014 Nifty Ten Fifty, April 6, 2014 Coyote Hills with BARC, March 30, 2014 Mount Hamilton Loop Clockwise, March 23, 2014 Visiting Luke At Zero, March 20, 2014 Big Basin, March 11, 2014 Bay and Creek Trails and Calaveras Road, March 8, 2014 MegaMonster Enduro, February 8, 2014 Winter Solstice '110', January 18, 2014 NTS Works 2x4 e-Cargo Bike, January 15, 2014 Seaside, January 15, 2014 Black Mountain, January 8, 2014 Henry Coe State Park, January 5, 2014 Mount Hamilton on New Years Day, January 1, 2014	1995 Marin County, December 28, 1995 Northern Contra Costa County, December 23, 1995 Contra Costa County, December 19, 1995 Mt. Diablo, December 9, 1995 Mt. Tamalpais, October 14, 1995 Contra Costa County, October 7, 1995 Pine Mountain, September 30, 1995 Marin County, September 24, 1995 Southern Marin, September 16, 1995 Vallejo to San Francisco, September 10, 1995 Alameda, September 2, 1995 Tour of Napa Valley, August 20, 1995 The Delta, August 12, 1995 Sandy Point Junction, August 5, 1995 Berkeley Criterium, July, 23, 1995 Mr. Bill's Reprise, July 16, 1995 San Pedro Mountain Road, July 3, 1995 Santa Cruz, July 1, 1995 Tioga Pass, June 14, 1995 Upper Rock Creek Canyon, June 12, 1995 Ride Around the Bear, June 10, 1995 Sequoia Century Support, June 4, 1995 Around Santa Ana Mountains, May 28, 1995 Laguna Hills, May 26, 1995 Mt. Tamalpais, May 21, 1995 Grizzly Peak Century, May 7, 1995 Mt. Hamilton Sunrise Ride, February 19, 1995 Franklin Canyon Road, February 18, 1995 Grizzly Peak Summit, February 12, 1995 Mt. Diablo, February 5, 1995 Sunset from Grizzly Peak, January 28, 1995	1976
2013 Sierra Road and Coyote Hills, December 25, 2013 LKHC: Mount Hamilton, November 28, 2013 LKHC: Lomas Cantadas and Marin, November 16, 2013 LKHC: Patterson Pass East, November 9, 2013 LKHC: Black Road and Castle Rock Summit, November 2, 2013 LKHC: Bohlman Road, October 19, 2013 LKHC: Montevina Road, October 12, 2013 LKHC: Montebello Road, October 5, 2013 Stevens Canyon, September 20, 2013 La Honda, September 8, 2013 Half Moon Bay, September 1, 2013 Ben Lomond and Zayante, August 30, 2013 San Gregorio, August 25, 2013 Pescadero, August 17, 2013 Ben Lomond, August 14, 2013 San Juan and Salinas, August 6, 2013 Casserly and Corralitos, July 28, 2013 Skyline Blvd., July 25, 2013 San Gregorio, July 21, 2013 Santa Cruz via Laurel, July 14, 2013 Lake Ranch, July 10, 2013 Skyline Blvd., June 25, 2013 Old Haul Road, June 22, 2013 Sequoia Worker's Picnic, June 9, 2013 Sequoia Worker's Ride, 100-mile, June 8, 2013 Mount Hamilton Loop Counter-Clockwise, May 26, 2013 Maker Faire, May 19, 2013 Tour of California Stage 7: Mt. Diablo, May 18, 2013 Tour of California Stage 6: San Jose Time Trial, May 17, 2013 Guadalupe River and Bay Trail, May 14, 2013 Devil's Slide, May 7, 2013 Santa Cruz, April 28, 2013 Classic Coast Loop, April 22, 2013 Skyline Boulevard Loop, April 17, 2013 La Honda, April 10, 2013 Nifty Ten Fifty, April 7, 2013 Mount Hamilton Clockwise, March 24, 2013 Santa Cruz, March 17, 2013 Pescadero, March 10, 2013 Little Basin and Bloom Grade, March 4, 2013 Redwood City via CA92, February 28, 2013 Santa Cruz via Pescadero, February 24, 2013 Redwood City via San Gregorio, February 21, 2013 Ess to Santa Cruz, February 16, 2013 Big and Little Basins, February 13, 2013 Low-Key Mega-Monster Enduro, February 9, 2013 Superbowl Ride to Half Moon Bay, February 3, 2013 San Gregorio via Black Mountain, January 30, 2013 Gilroy and The Reservoirs, January 27, 2013 The Loop, January 25, 2013 Skyline Blvd., January 21, 2013 Pulgas Water Temple LDT Ride, January 19, 2013 Page Mill Loop, January 16, 2013 Shoreline LDT E-Ride, January 5, 2013 Santa Cruz, January 1, 2013	1994 Oakland Hills, October 16, 1994 Point Reyes, October 9, 1994 CA85 Before Opening, September 25, 1994 Marin Headlands and Bolinas, September 18, 1994 Mt. Diablo and Morgan Territory, September 11, 1994 Loma Prieta, August 13, 1994 El Sereno, July 30, 1994 Santa Cruz Zig-Zag, July 24, 1994 Borel Hill, July 17, 1994 Daggett, Luther, and Carson Passes, July 9, 1994 Ebbetts Pass, July 8, 1994 Mt. Rose Highway, July 7, 1994 July 4th Ride to the Grimm's, July 4, 1994 Mt. Hamilton, July 2, 1994 Santa Cruz with Stella June 16, 1994 Santa Cruz Mountains Coastal Loop, June 12, 1994 Sequoia Century Support, June 5, 1994 Mt. Hamilton, May 21, 1994 Mr. Bill's Nightmare Preview, May 8, 1994 Mt. Hamilton and Mt. Diablo in a Day, April 30, 1994 Primavera Century, April 17, 1994 Santa Cruz, April 10, 1994 Santiago Peak (Old Saddleback), April 3, 1994 Mount Hamilton Clockwise, March 26, 1994 Marin County, February 5, 1994 Mount Diablo Sunrise, January 30, 1994 Half Sequoia 200k, January 15, 1994 Martin Luther King Weekend Rides, January 1994 Brunch in Blackhawk, January 8, 1994 Fremont Older Open Space and Black Mountain, January 1, 1994	1975
2012 Skyline Blvd. and Thompson Road, December 30, 2012 Half Moon Bay, December 24, 2012 Pescadero, December 19, 2012 Misty San Mateo, December 16, 2012 Foggy San Mateo, December 11, 2012 Winter Solstice Century, December 8, 2012 Pescadero Dirty Roads, December 3, 2012 LKHC: Mount Hamilton, November 22, 2012 Connelly's Climbs, November 14, 2012 LKHC: Soda Springs Road, November 10, 2012 LKHC: CA84 and West Alpine Road, November 3, 2012 LKHC: Morgan Territory, October 20, 2012 LKHC: Quimby, October 13, 2012 LKHC: Montebello, October 6, 2012 Minaret Road and Horseshoe Lake, September 19, 2012 Classic Coast Loop, August 8, 2012 Corralitos via Summit South and Buzzard Lagoon, August 1, 2012 Half Moon Bay, July 22, 2012 Dinner with Jobst and Friends, July 20, 2012 Big Figure Eight, July 15, 2012 Stevens Canyon, Grizzly Flat, and Los Trancos Woods, July 12, 2012 Coastal Century Cruise, July 8, 2012 Old Haul, Gazos Creek, and Johansen Roads, July 1, 2012 Pescadero Loop and Allen Road, June 27, 2012 La Honda, June 21, 2012 South Butano, Old Haul, Borel Hill, east Alpine, June 16, 2012 Palo Alto Visit, June 10, 2012 Sequoia Century 200k Route, June 9, 2012 Sequoia Century SAG, June 3, 2012 San Gregorio, June 2, 2012 Mount Umunhum and the Reservoirs, May 28, 2012 Mount Tamalpais, May 19, 2012 Tour of California, Stage Two, May 14, 2012 Mount Diablo from Home, May 12, 2012 Mount Hamilton Loop Clockwise, May 6, 2012 Santa Cruz Big Loop with Zach, April 29, 2012 Lunch Party at Jobst's, April 21, 2012 Redwood Gulch and Skyline, April 18, 2012 Mount Hamilton Counter-Clockwise, April 15, 2012 Big Loop to Santa Cruz, April 7, 2012 Old La Honda and Kings, April 4, 2012 Skyline Loop, March 26, 2012 Ride with Frank, March 21, 2012 The Extended Loop, March 19, 2012 Grand Loop to Pescadero and Back, March 12, 2012 La Honda, March 9, 2012 Santa Cruz, March 4, 2012 Low-Key MegaMonster Enduro, February 11, 2012 Aborted Ride to San Francisco, January 7, 2012 Santa Cruz Loop, January 1, 2012	1993 Henry Cowell Redwoods, December 26, 1993 Mt. Hamilton Sunrise, December 5, 1993 Kings Mountain Road, November 26, 1993 Night Ride, November 20, 1993 John Nicholas Trail and Long Ridge, November, 1993 Chalk Mountain, November 7, 1993 South Butano Fire Trail, October, 1993 Bolinas Ridge, October 9, 1993 Furnace Creek 508, October, 1993 Carson Pass, September, 1993 Newport Bay, September, 1993 Amtrak Century, September 18, 1993 Ride to Santa Cruz, September 12, 1993 Night Ride, September, 1993 Hekaton Classic, September, 1993 Forest of Nisene Marks, August, 1993 Around the Santa Cruz Mountains, August 21, 1993 Ride with Willie Stewart, August, 1993 Sonora Pass East, August 4, 1993 White Mountain Peak, August 3, 1993 June Lake and Conway Summit, August 1, 1993 Last Chance Road, July, 1993 Backroads to the Coast, July, 1993 Ward Road, July 15, 1993 Kings Mountain Store, July, 1993 Ride with Joel Cain, July, 1993 Santa Cruz, July 3, 1993 Comstock Silver Century, June, 1993 Monitor Pass East, June, 1993 Uncle Bill's Double Century, June 19, 1993 Sequoia Workers Ride, June, 1993 Mt. Tamalpais, June 5, 1993 Three Sierra Passes, May, 1993 Ride Around Lake Tahoe, May, 1993 Uncle Bill's Very Difficult Ride, May 22, 1993 Mt. Hamilton Loop Counter-Clockwise, May 15, 1993 Kings Mountain Store, May, 1993 Grizzly Peak Century, May, 1993 Primavera Century, April, 1993 Orange County, April 11, 1993 Irvine to San Diego, April 9, 1993 Gazos Creek Road, April, 1993 Stevens Canyon & Soda Springs Road, April 9, 1993 Morgan Territory and Mt. Diablo, March 21, 1993 Solvang Century, March 6, 1993 La Honda, February 28, 1993 Blackhawk, February 27, 1993 Gilroy, February 21, 1993 Morgan Territory, February 6, 1993 Half Moon Bay, January 31, 1993 Two Bay Loops, January 16, 1993 Rainy Day on Skyline, January 10, 1993 Montevina and Bohlman, January 3, 1993	1974
2011 Winter Solstice Century, December 17, 2011 Black Mountain, December 14, 2011 Half Moon Bay, December 10, 2011 Salinas, December 6, 2011 San Gregorio and Pescadero, December 3, 2011 Zach Rides to Pescadero, November 27, 2011 LKHC: Mount Hamilton, November 24, 2011 LKHC: Kings Mountain Road, November 19, 2011 LKHC: Highway 9, November 12, 2011 Wooden Valley, November 5, 2011 LKHC: Mix Canyon Road (and Blue Ridge Road and Gates Canyon Road), November 5, 2011 LKHC: Palomares Road (and there and back), October 29, 2011 Ben Lomond, October 26, 2011 LKHC: Bohlman-Norton-Kittridge-Quickert-On Orbit-Bohlman (and the scenic way home), October 22, 2011 LKHC: Page Mill Road (and the scenic way home), October 15, 2011 LKHC: Sierra Road (plus there and back), October 8, 2011 Mammoth Area Ride, September 22, 2011 Mammoth Tour and San Joaquin Ridge, September 19, 2011 Sun Valley - Elkhorn, August 21, 2010 Trail Creek Road, August 21, 2010 Warm Springs Road, August 21, 2010 Galena Summit, August 19, 2010 Hills 'R' Us Goes to Big Basin, August 3, 2011 Hills 'R' Us Goes to Pescadero, July 20, 2011 Field Day, June 25, 2011 Mt. Madonna, June 19, 2011 Sequoia Worker's Events, June, 2011 Short Loop to Skyline, June 2, 2011 Tour of California, Stage 4, May 18, 2011 Half Moon Bay Trails, May 7, 2011 Mt. Hamilton Twice, April 30, 2011 Coyote Creek Trail, April 24, 2011 Mt. Hamilton Loop, April 16, 2011 Santa Cruz, April 10, 2011 Mt. Hamilton Clockwise, April 3, 2011 Pescadero, March 30, 2011 Pillar Point, March 17, 2011 Big Basin, March 12, 2011 Pacelining to San Gregorio, March 9, 2011 To Bonny Doon and Back, March 4, 2011 Soda Springs Road and Weaver Road, February 28, 2011 Snow and Sand, February 20, 2011 Low-Key MegaMonster Enduro, February 12, 2011 Sunday Ride, February 6, 2011 WW LDT Ride: Seascape, February 5, 2011 GPC Ride: Suisun City, January 29, 2011 Santa Cruz, January 22, 2011 GPC Second Saturday Ride, January 8, 2011	1992 Chalk Mountain, December 27, 1992 Mission Peak, December 26, 1992 Windy Hill with Laura, December 25, 1992 Quimby, Kincaid, and Mt. Hamilton, December 20, 1992 Swanton Loop, December 13, 1992 Swanton Loop, December 5, 1992 Berkeley Hills, November 21, 1992 Go Directly To Jail, November 14, 1992 Twin Peaks and San Bruno Mountain, October 31, 1992 Mt. Tamalpais, October 18, 1992 East Bay Ride, October 11, 1992 Old Haul Road, October 4, 1992 Sonora Pass west, September 21, 1992 Ebbetts Pass, September 20, 1992 Monitor Pass, September 19, 1992 Hekaton Classic, September 6, 1992 Mt. Madonna and Uvas Road, September 5, 1992 Eureka Canyon Road, August 30, 1992 Jamison Creek Road, August 23, 1992 San Francisco, August 15, 1992 Banana Classic, August 9, 1992 Alba Road, August 2, 1992 Dumbarton Bridge, Calaveras Road, and Felter Road, August 1, 1992 Bohlman Road, July 30, 1992 Tioga Road, July 25, 1992 Minaret Vista, July 23, 1992 Mt. Diablo, July 12, 1992 Comstock Silver Century, June 28, 1992 Santa Cruz, June 20, 1992 Del Puerto Canyon, June 15, 1992 Sequoia Century, June 7, 1992 Bonny Doon to Palo Alto, May 30, 1992 Three Sierra Passes, May 23, 1992 Mt. Hamilton Loop Clockwise, May 16, 1992 East Bay and BART, April 19, 1992 First Ride to Santa Cruz, May 9, 1992 Mt. Hamilton Challenge, April 25, 1992 Purissima Creek Trail, April 17, 1992 South Butano Fire Trail, April 4, 1992 Eagle Rock Road, March 8, 1992 Gazos Creek Road, February 22, 1992	1973
2010 Zach Rides the Hybrid Gold Rush, December 4, 2010 Low-Key Hillclimb: Mount Hamilton, November 25, 2010 Native Sons, Star Hill, and Bear Gulch (west) Roads, November 17, 2010 Gazos Creek Road, November 13, 2010 Low-Key Hillclimb: Bonny Doon/Pine Flat, November 13, 2010 Low-Key Hillclimb: Welch Creek Road, November 6, 2010 Old Haul Road, October 16, 2010 Low-Key Hillclimb: Portola State Park, October 16, 2010 Low-Key Hillclimb: OLH, October 9, 2010 Low-Key Hillclimb: Montebello, October 2, 2010 Mammoth Lakes Full Tour, September 15, 2010 Aptos, August, 2010 Davenport, July, 2010 Pomponio Creek Road, July, 2010 Mt. Umunhum Road, July, 2010 Ridgecrest Road, June, 2010 HPV Races at Hellyer Velodrome, June, 2010 OHPV E-Power Challenge, May 31, 2010 OHPV HPC Road Race, May 30, 2010 OHPV HPC Obstacle Race, May 30, 2010 Left-Coast Velomobile Gathering, May 30, 2010 Tour of California, Stage 4, May, 2010 Tour of California, Stage 3, May, 2010 Kings Ridge Loop, May, 2010 Mt. Hamilton Loop Clockwise, May, 2010 Mt. Hamilton Challenge, April, 2010 Panoche, April, 2010 Northern Marin County, April, 2010 Northern Contra Costa County, April, 2010 The Geysers, March 27, 2010 MegaMonster Enduro, February 13, 2010 Winter Solstice Century, January, 2010 Devil's Slide, January, 2010	1991	1972
2009 Countryview Drive, December, 2009 Low-Key Hillclimbs, October/November, 2009 Pizza Century, November 22, 2009 Morgan Territory Road, November 14, 2009 Big Sur - Indians Tour, October 31, 2009 Muir Beach to San Francisco, October 24, 2009 Zach and Michi's wedding ride to Muir Woods, October 24, 2009 San Francisco to Muir Beach, October 24, 2009 June Lake Loop, September 13, 2009 Santa Cruz, July 2009 Return to Freedom, July 2009 Oakland/Berkeley Hills, July 2009 HPV races at Hellyer Velodrome, May 2009 OHPV E-Power Challenge, May 25, 2009 King Ridge, May 9, 2009 Mt. Hamilton Challenge, April 2009 Quien Sabe Valley, April 19, 2009 East Bay Hills, April 2009 Morgan Hill, April 2009 Swift Street Bike Festival, January 2009 Fremont Peak, January 2009 East Bay, January 2009 Mount Diablo, January 2009	1990	1971
2008 San Bruno Mountain, December 20, 2008 Winter Solstice Century, December 13, 2008 Pizza Century, December 7, 2008 Low-Key Hill Climb: Mt. Hamilton, November 27, 2008 The Bike Hut, October 26, 2008 Unveiling of the Monument for Matt Peterson and Kristy Gough, October 18, 2008 South Livermore Bike path, September 20, 2008 Pigeon Pass, September 20, 2008 Highland Way, Eureka Canyon Road, and Mt. Madonna Road, September 13, 2008 Reds Meadow, September 6, 2008 Horseshoe Lake, September 5, 2008 Adobe Trail, August 30, 2008 Bonny Doon, August 13, 2008 Sierra Azul, August 2, 2008 Majors, July 30, 2008 Aquinas Trail, July 20, 2008 East Bay Tour, July 12, 2008 HPV races at Hellyer Park Velodrome, May 31, 2008 Tour of California Stage 3, February 20, 2008 Tour of California Prologue, February 17, 2008 San Benito Enduro, February 9, 2008	1989	1970