Mammoth Peak North Panorama - 9/2012
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| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 86.1 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 7640 feet |
| Total Time: | 6:08:14 |
| Riding Time: | 5:38:10 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 15.2 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 42.9 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 797.4 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.2 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 31.9 |
| Peak Current: | 55 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 21.7 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1287 watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 250 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 3619 kJ (1005 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2067 kJ (574 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | 2749 kJ (764 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (est.): | 1533 kJ (426 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 4816 kJ (1338 wh) |
Skyline Blvd. and Thompson Road, December 30, 2012 - I left home late morning and headed south on Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, then took CA9 into Los Gatos. I did not use the motor until I got to the steep part of the Los Gatos Creek Trail.
My plan was to take Black Road to Skyline Blvd., then ride north until I used up my allotment of battery energy, until I got pooped, or until I ran out of time. In any case I as planning to ride no further than CA92.
To get to Black Road I had usually ridden around Lexington Reservoir on Alma Bridge Road, Aldercroft Heights Road, and Old Santa Cruz Highway. Today I wanted to explore a route I had not ridden before: a trail between Lexington Reservoir and CA17 that allows one to head south from the dam without riding the wrong way in the shoulder of CA17.
In hindsight I should have ridden carefully and slowly in the shoulder of the highway as the trail was a mudbath, something I should have realized given the heavy rain we had had in the area over the last month. I probably used as much battery juice to get through the mud as I would have used riding the long way around the reservoir. Had I done the latter I would have saved myself an hour of bike clean-up at the end of the ride, too.
Riding through the slippery mud would have been impossible without the motor, pedaling forces imparting high peak torque to the rear wheel, breaking traction with each pedal stroke. Using the motor I was able to apply low continuous torque and make some progress, although at some of the slight rises I had push 600-700 watts into the motor to keep moving.
I was glad to emerge from the muddy trail at the Bear Creek Road overpass. As I proceeded out onto pavement my front wheel, encased in mud, slipped briefly on the tarmac before rubber contact could be made.
I proceeded on Montevina Road to Black Road that I climbed as far as Thompson Road.
Thompson Road is one of those out-and-back mountain cul-de-sacs that I seldom ride as they don't go through. But, since I had never before ridden it, I decided at the last moment that today would be the day to explore it.
Thompson climbs steeply for a half-mile before leveling off and meandering through a dense redwood forest. Thompson then climbs steeply again before reaching a clearing in the middle of what appears to be an old farm that was divided into different properties.
As the actual terminus of the county road is not marked I continued up what appeared to be the most likely lane until I reached a fork that looked like two driveways.
I turned around and proceeded back down to Black Road, turned left on Black Road, and then left again on Gist Road. Gist is short, but it has the highest switchback-density of any road in the Bay Area: nine switchbacks over its 1.2 mile length.
The top of Gist Road is Skyline Blvd. I turned right, or rather bore right, and began my long trek north on Skyline Blvd.
I saw my lowest temperature of the day, 39F, as I crossed the highpoint at the Castle Rock summit (3100 feet elevation). Up to that point I was comfortable, but as I began the descent and stopped pedaling I felt how cold the air was.
I could count on two fingers the number of cyclists I saw between Lenihan Dam and Page Mill Road. Even as I rode north on Skyline Blvd. I encountered only a few other cyclists. It was not until I started south on Canada Road that I saw other cyclists.
Temperatures had been in the 40s F from home to Los Gatos and had not increased with the progressing day as I rode into the shady canyons and climbed higher in elevation. By the time I had descended to Canada Road the air temperature was 53F, and it felt balmy.
I rode home on one of my usual routes through Woodside, Portola Valley, and Los Altos Hills. Along the way I encountered a few fast cyclists, two of whom latched onto my tail, and one of whom passed me back after I had passed him earlier.
I don't mind playing target "rabbit" for someone out getting a workout on their bike. If they do happen to latch onto my tail and I'm aware that they're there, I will play nice and not do anything sudden. But, depending on my mood I might play, too.
Speeding up slightly, especially on an incline, when I see someone in my rear view trying furiously to catch me is typical. Most cyclists see what looks like a heavy recumbent with pannier bags lumbering up the road ahead, and unless they know who I am and what I ride, they are often frustrated when try to catch me. If the catch is made and we do happen to speak, they seem especially satisfied to learn that the big heavy 'bent has a motor.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 90 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 7100 feet |
| Total Time: | 6:55:47 |
| Riding Time: | 6:01:45 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 14.8 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 44.0 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 837 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.8 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 33.3 |
| Peak Current: | 56 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 21.8 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1287 watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 250 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 3619 kJ (1005 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2168 kJ (602 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | 2604 kJ (723 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (est.): | 1533 kJ (426 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 4772 kJ (1326 wh) |
Half Moon Bay, December 24, 2012 - I left home late morning and rode into Portola Valley, detouring briefly to the StarOne Credit Union ATM on Hanover Street in Palo Alto.
As I rode up Old Page Mill Road I could see that mud, water, and debris on the road would be a constant companion. All creeks, gutters, ditches, and rivulets flowed. It was a pleasant sight and sound.
I rode without using the motor until I got to the climbs on Arastradero Road, where I used the motor sparingly. After turning left on Alpine Road I pressed up to Portola Road, where I saw three sheriff's deputies going the other way each roll the stop sign, one after another, in a manner that would have earned them citations if they had been on bikes. I wished I had taken a movie of that. They seemed to be in a rush, although there were no flashing lights. Fortunately, they paid me no heed as I slowly rolled the stop sign when I turned right.
I climbed Old La Honda Road and continued down the west side without stopping. I paused at The Faces to put on more clothing for the cold descent through La Honda. I descended CA84 a little more cautiously than usual. The road was damp most of the way and wet with running water in a few places. The road was covered with a thin layer of saturated mud at the site of the old slide and on several curves heading into La Honda. I rode in the cleaner right-hand auto tire track most of the time.
My original plan had been to ride to San Gregorio then turn south on Stage Road and loop through Pescadero. But, on the rolling descent to San Gregorio I considered that I hadn't been to Half Moon Bay recently, and I had ridden through Pescadero on the last two rides. So I decided to head north instead. I'd take in most of the climbs between San Gregorio and Half Moon Bay and return over the hill on CA92 if I was tired, running low on battery, or running late, or Tunitas Creek Road if not.
Mud and water streamed across the Lobitos Cutoff, Verde Road, and Purisima Road, and Purisima Creek was flowing swiftly and deeply. At the base of Lobitos Creek Road a "Road Closed" sign had been erected. I pressed on and figured I could probably squeeze by unless the road was completely gone.
Shortly I encounted a guy in a pickup truck driving the other way. I flagged him down and asked him what the road was like and if I could get through. He said mud was all over the road but that I should have no trouble getting through.
As I climbed higher up Irish Ridge on Lobitos Creek Road I could see another cyclist dressed in canary yellow ahead moving quickly. I did not try to catch up as I wasn't in a mood to ride fast with all the debris on the road.
When I got down to Tunitas Creek Road I continued uphill. I could see the other cyclist still ahead, his yellow jersey clearly visible amongst the dark redwood trunks.
It took me a while to catch him, and then only when I got to the steepest part of the climb. Alec was climbing about 8.5 mph and wanted to use me as a training target. I obliged.
For a while he followed, but at one point he decided to jump ahead. I think he was more motivated by the "devil behind" than the "rabbit ahead". On the rest of the climb I shadowed him up the hill.
Recalling the occasion I descended Kings Mountain Road with a bit too much enthusiasm in the fall of 2006, I descended today with an abundance of caution. I didn't want to encounter mud or debris suddenly as I swooped around a corner.
From the bottom of Kings Mountain Road I returned home, riding the last five miles in the dark.
At about three miles from home my rear tire went flat. It took me a while to figure out that the tube was being pinned in the tire by the nail that had caused the flat, the nail entering at the tread and exiting at the side-wall.
Now that I had discovered the cause of the flat, I had to pull the nail out. The thin end of the crescent wrench on my CoolTool functioned as an able nail-puller, and soon I had a new tube in the tire and was back on the road.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 79.0 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 6530 feet |
| Total Time: | 5:51:49 |
| Riding Time: | 5:20:01 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 14.8 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 41.4 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 761.1 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.6 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 30.3 |
| Peak Current: | 57 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 21.9 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1287 watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 250 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 3619 kJ (1005 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1973 kJ (548 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | 2551 kJ (709 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (est.): | 1533 kJ (426 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 4524 kJ (1257 wh) |
Pescadero, December 19, 2012 - I left from home later than I had planned. With the cold morning I found it hard to get started, and I wanted to linger in the warm indoors.
But, I finally got going some time after 1100. I rode through Sunnyvale and Los Altos on a route I hadn't taken before, then made my way up to Page Mill Road and up to Skyline and down Alpine Road on the other side.
Temperatures were cold in the sun, in the high-40s, but dropped to the high-30s once I got into the shady canyons. The coldest section must have been near the Heritage Grove along Alpine Creek where I could see un-melted frost beside the road. I could not wrap my lips around the mouthpiece of my drink tube.
While climbing Haskins Hill I put on my long gloves and did not remove them until I emerged from the redwoods a few miles outside of Pescadero.
Near Phipps Ranch I saw a hawk sitting on the ground in the sun. I stopped and took its photo, but I dared not cross the road to get closer. I suspect it would have flown off if I had.
I continued through town, skipping the Bakery. I was running late, and as it was I'd make it home just before dark.
I rode up Stage Road slowly until I got to the main part of the climb then engaged the motor. I stopped a couple times to enjoy the crystal clear air and view of the ocean a mile to my west. The bluffs and radar station at Pillar Point were etched on the horizon.
At CA84 I turned right and began the ride home. Since it was a cold day I figured that CA84 and Old La Honda would be warmer and less shady than Tunitas Creek Road.
I rode without stopping until I reached The Faces on Old La Honda. I stopped there for a few minutes, taking a photo of the sun reflecting off the ocean. But it only took a few minutes' rest for me to begin to feel chilled. I put on an additional layer of clothing before I continued the short distance to Skyline Blvd.
At Skyline I crossed and descended Old La Honda Road. The road was in good condition with little debris or other hazards. From the bottom of Old La Honda Road I took Sand Hill Road, Junipero Serra, and Foothill Expressway to Fremont Road and then home.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 66.0 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 4300 feet |
| Total Time: | 4:31:37 |
| Riding Time: | 4:05:55 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 16.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 49.7 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 645.9 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.8 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 25.8 |
| Peak Current: | 56 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 23.1 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1287 watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 250 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 3619 kJ (1005 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1674 kJ (465 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | 1550 kJ (431 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (est.): | 1533 kJ (426 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 3224 kJ (896 wh) |
| Link to: | Strava |
Misty San Mateo, December 16, 2012 - I rode from home north to Woodside on one my usual routes. My plan had been to ride north on Canada Road to CA92, then ascend to Skyline Blvd. and head south to Page Mill Road, but today the hills were hiding behind a heavy layer of clouds that were dropping fine mist even on Canada Road. I scratched that idea and fell back to what I had done on Monday earlier in the week, to ride a loop through San Mateo on Polhemus and Bunker Hill, reversing the direction I had ridden on Monday by climbing the bike path to Polhemus Road and climbing Bunker Hill Road.
As I returned south on Canada Road I detoured up over Edgewood Road and returned to Canada Road through Emerald Hills.
I seemed to run into sheriff's deputies at all of the stop signs. The first occasion was at CA84 and Canada Rd. where I was turning right. He was just getting back into his cruiser in front Robert's Market and was watching me intently as I stopped before making the right turn, even though I usually would glide through this one at a deferentially slow speed.
Then again at Jefferson and Canada after my detour through Emerald Hills. Here I was already stopped waiting for cross traffic when one pulled up behind me. Then later at Glenwood and Canada I noticed at the last moment that a cruiser was hiding on Glenwood out of view, perhaps the same guy I had seen at Jefferson.
I continued south on Mountain Home Road, took Portola Road to Alpine Road, and rode over Arastradero Road into Los Altos Hills. As I rode through Portola Valley mist stopped falling from the sky, and I was spared having to wipe my glasses every minute. At one point the sun even poked through the clouds, and that felt very nice and warm.
My goal was to take a short break at the top of Mora Hill, but I didn't want to repeat the same route I had ridden on Monday. So, I took Arastradero to Purisima and Elena instead of Page Mill and Altamont, and Berkshire, Loyola, and Sunhills instead of Loyola, Rolly, and Kenbar.
I stopped to enjoy the view from Mora Hill for a few minutes while the sun poked out of the clouds for a few minutes, but when the sun went behind the clouds again, I got chilled and then continued home on a slightly different route from usual.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 66.4 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 4000 feet |
| Total Time: | 4:15:03 |
| Riding Time: | 3:58:13 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 16.7 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 43.2 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 637.4 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.6 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 25.2 |
| Peak Current: | 55 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 23.3 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1287 watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 250 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 3619 kJ (1005 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1653 kJ (459 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | 1528 kJ (424 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (est.): | 1533 kJ (426 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 3181 kJ (884 wh) |
Foggy San Mateo, December 11, 2012 - I rode from home to Canada Road. I was planning to ride up CA92 to Skyline Blvd. (CA35) then head south along the ridge to Page Mill Road before descending toward home, but heavy fog on the ridge persuaded me otherwise.
I rode a small loop north of Canada Road then returned along an indirect route through Woodside, Portola Valley, and Los Altos Hills, stopping briefly at the summit of Mora Hill where the once blue sky was now completely overcast.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 112.9 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 3850 feet |
| Total Time: | 6:50:19 |
| Riding Time: | 5:39:53 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 19.9 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 48.7 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1370 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1127 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 10.0 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 45.4 |
| Peak Current: | 60 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 19.6 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1287 watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 250 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 3619 kJ (1005 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2922 kJ (812 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | 2083 kJ (579 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (est.): | 1533 kJ (426 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 5005 kJ (1390 wh) |
Winter Solstice Century, December 8, 2012 - When I awakened I checked the time and discovered that my alarm, a "sunrise clock", so-called because it includes a lamp whose brightness is gradually increased starting a half-hour before its alarm sounds, had sounded 40 minutes after the time I had set.
I went through my morning preparations as quickly as possible, but I was unable to get out of the door before 0700. I arrived at Christmas Hill Park a little before 0800 and found the parking area nearly full, mostly cyclists whom I presumed were doing the Winter Solstice ride to Pinnacles. I had only seen 44 names on the list Deborah Lefferts had sent earlier in the week, but the crowd was at least twice that size. Publicity had been good.
As I was assembling my bike I learned that the group assembling to ride was not the Bikeaholics ride that I've ridden most years since 1998, and that this group scheduled to leave an hour later would be trying to ride as one group on the road. The Bikeaholics group had left earlier, riding as usual in small groups.
I was ready to ride just as the big group started, so I decided to tag along at the end for the first 15 miles or so. I figured I might benefit from their draft and delay using the motor until I hit the first hills. Also, it might be safer to ride in a big group with a couple of follow cars on the foggy roads at the beginning.
At one point the group got separated at the traffic signal at Shore Road and CA156. It was then that I observed that trying to keep a large peloton together was difficult. There simply wasn't enough space on the road for that many cyclists to pull off and wait out of traffic. Fortunately, traffic was light, and although a few motorists may have been delayed for a few minutes, no one expressed hostility.
As we broke out of the fog on Fairview Road I decided to pass the group and to continue on to Pinnacles at my own pace. Everyone was riding mostly two-abreast on the right side of the lane, leaving me enough room to pass without crossing the center line.
While it's fun to ride for a while with a large group, there are hazards associated with riding in close quarters with others. I found that the rear of the group where I had been riding did not maintain anything close to a constant speed, like the hind end of a centipede, slowing and accelerating in an annoying fashion. I wasted almost as much energy as I was saving by sheltering in the group's draft, and it would be tiring to ride like that for 100 miles.
Once I got past the group I soon turned left on Santa Ana Valley Road. On the first climb up Santa Ana Valley Road I could see the group behind me about 1/4-mile, but when I stopped at the top of the second climb, the steep rise just past John Smith Road, and looked back I could not see the group at all. Perhaps they all stopped near the top of the first climb to shed a layer of clothing.
I continued down from the low hill, crossing a narrow section of the valley where the road runs along its western side. Here I saw a tarantula crossing the road. He must be late this year as most male tarantulas roam earlier in the fall. Mindful that a large group of cyclists would be passing this way shortly I guided him gently off the road.
I continued on, climbing over Quien Sabe Road to Tres Pinos and then headed south on CA25 past Bolado Park, Paicines, up arrow-straight Airline Highway, and then past Willow Creek and up the climb into Bear Valley. On the way I passed occasional small groups of cyclists who were riding at their own pace.
At the CA146 turn-off into Pinnacles someone at the property that displays the anti-immigrant signs on CA25 just past CA146 was burning a large pile of debris. The fire generated enough smoke that I first thought I was looking at the aftermath of a house fire.
I spent about an hour at the lunch stop in front of the Pinnacles Visitors Center enjoying the lunch spread Dave Hoag and Deb Lefferts had procured. Then I walked over to the nearby campground to see how Bill Preucel and fellow Velo Palo Verde rider were faring at their lunch stop.
When I got ready to leave the peloton was just starting its return trip. Like earlier that morning I ended up following them for the first ten miles of the return trip. But, I rode further behind the group than I had in the morning. This allowed me to see clearly who had eaten too much lunch and had to drop off the back. I could see that the peloton was climbing at a good clip as they were spread out in a narrow line.
I gave them and their support vehicles a bit more space near the Bear Valley Fire Station before descending to Willow Creek, and then caught back up again just before CA25 crossed the San Benito River. After one gradual uphill curve, the highway would be straight for a few miles, and I could then safely pass in the opposite lane.
This time the peloton was moving at about 27 mph, the wind was blowing a bit, although not too hard. I did not take photos but concentrated on getting past quickly with both hands on the handlebars. It would not do for an errant gust of wind to blow me into the group.
I turned left on Old Airline Highway, happy not to be riding in a tight group as the frequent cracks and potholes in the road kept me busy finding a clean path, and I needed space to do this. At Cienega Road I turned left again and began the rolling climbs past DeRose Winery and Hollister Hills Off-Road Park, passing a number of folks on the Bikeaholics ride including 200-milers Jim Kern, Tim Woudenberg, and upright cyclist, Chris, who seemed to be enjoying the day.
The descent into Hollister is the only technical descent on the ride. It's short, but the road, seeing much fast traffic passing to and from the off-road park, is bumpy and cracked with invisible tar and gravel moguls, some of which are mostly tar.
At Union Road I turned left. As in recent years the shoulder alternated from clean asphalt to deep gravel or mud, both dried and wet. I rode in the lane most of the time.
At CA156 I turned right and rode over a corner of the Flint Hills northwest of Hollister before descending to the traffic signal at CA25. While I waited for the light to change I heard a chorus of clicking cleats and brake levers behind me. The peloton had caught up.
We turned left and as I accelerated from the light one rider from the peloton jumped forward and clung to my tail, finding a sufficient draft to be worth his while. I could see that Joe had gone down earlier in the day, and I figured that maybe he'd take his chances following me on my strange bike than to ride amidst the unpredictability of a large group.
We managed to hold 22-23 mph into a nearly direct headwind of about 5-10 mph. When I could see that he was the only one following me, I tested him by upshifting to 26 mph, but after a minute or two that proved to be too fast, and Joe was off the back. After that we settled on a more relaxing 20-21 mph into the headwind for the remainder of our ride north and about 25-26 mph across the wind on the short section of Shore Road.
We arrived back at Christmas Hill Park at about 1500, a few minutes before the peloton or what was left of it rolled in.
The ride went well for me. A bit damp and foggy and the start, but once the sun came out, the weather was balmy, better than it had been for many previous Winter Solstice Century rides.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 78.3 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 7310 feet |
| Total Time: | 6:40:27 |
| Riding Time: | 5:59:34 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 13.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 38 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 787.8 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 10.0 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 31.2 |
| Peak Current: | 55 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.3 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1287 watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 250 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 3619 kJ (1005 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2070 kJ (575 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | 2325 kJ (646 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (est.): | 1533 kJ (426 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 4395 kJ (1221 wh) |
Pescadero Dirty Roads, December 3, 2012 - After a week of wind and rain I took the day off to go riding. My route took me from home up along the foothills, through Woodside, up Kings Mountain Road, down Tunitas Creek Road, then south along the coast to Pescadero and then home again.
I would have continued riding on CA1 instead of taking Stage Road if I hadn't seen a sign warning that Pescadero Road was closed. Usually Pescadero Road closes where Butano Creek floods the road at Bean Hollow Road. In spite of this I stopped at the San Gregorio General Store to inquire, in case the closure had occurred upstream.
The woman behind the counter hadn't heard of any special closure other than the usual flooding at Butano Creek. I decided to take my chances that I could get through uphill from Pescadero.
Stage Road and roads in the open, not under trees, were generally clean, dry, and free from debris. But, under the redwoods or in the canyons roads were covered with leaves, duff, or mud. I did not ride as fast as usual.
In fact my slow pace became apparent to me as I returned home, arriving just before darkness closed in, about an hour later than I had planned. I also used less battery energy at the slower pace, which should be no surprise since at the slower pace I had more time to contribute my limited 150-200 watts of human power on the climbs, thereby drawing less from the battery to achieve a higher speed.
Overall it was a nice ride. The day started sunny. As I got to the coast a pale overcast came over, and as I returned over Alpine and Page Mill a high fog had formed over the hills. Temperature was downright cold when descending Tunitas Creek Road, and I was happy to break out into the open near the Bike Hut. But, for the rest of the ride the temperature was cool but comfortable provided I kept moving.
I saw a few cyclists on the roads but none at the usual spots in San Gregorio or Pescadero.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 66.9 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 5730 feet |
| Total Time: | 6:29:04 |
| Riding Time: | 3:30:32 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 19.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 40.4 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1100 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 963 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 14.4 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 40.2 |
| Peak Current: | 66 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 21.3 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1287 watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 250 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 3619 kJ (1005 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2427 kJ (674 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | 1609 kJ (447 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (est.): | 1533 kJ (426 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 3699 kJ (1028 wh) |
| Link to: | Results |
LKHC: Mount Hamilton, November 22, 2012 - I left home in Sunnyvale shortly before 0800 and rode the flat route over to the start of the annual Thanksgiving Day Low-Key Hill Climb up Mount Hamilton, using pedal power only until I got to the steeper uphill on McKee Road and then Alum Rock Road.
In past years I carried 1000 watt-hours of battery, using somewhere around 600 watt-hours for the actual Hill Climb, leaving 200 watt-hours or so for the ride home afterward (including the two short uphills on the descent from the mountain) with some margin to avoid an overly-deep discharge.
Today I brought batteries that six years ago when new could hold 1000 watt-hours but have declined with age to about 900 watt-hours. This time I carried an extra 230 watt-hour battery (that I had shuttled to the summit) so that I could ride home without working either myself or the batteries too hard. In the end I used about 700 watt-hours for the hill climb, more than in the past because I'm using a controller that can maintain maximum allowed power (1000 watts in, 750 watts out) and the bike I was riding is less aerodynamic than the bike I had ridden in the last few years.
We assembled for the climb along the broad shoulder of Alum Rock Road immediately downhill from Mount Hamilton Road. Kevin Winterfield gave his usual speech at the start, although I'm not sure people at the back of the queue could hear it. Then he got into his car and we enjoyed a brief but tense promenade around the corner onto Mt. Hamilton Road before Kevin honked his horn and started the clock. Howard Kveck was waiting on the road just ahead and managed to get moving just before being overtaken by Kevin and the group.
I started moderately fast and could see that some of the faster riders in the lead group were marking my tail. I gradually ramped up the power to the maximum, and I was soon alone on the road.
I kept the throttle at maximum most of the time, either breaking cruise or downshifting at some of the sharp corners. Since I didn't have tens of kilowatts of power at my disposal to use on the straightaways as a motorcycle would, I knew that I would have to keep as much speed as I could through the corners and to pedal as hard as I could for the hour that the climb would take to finish.
The first of the three sub-climbs, the climb over Masters Ridge, was mostly in the sun. The road was dry, so I did not lose too much speed on the corners. But, when the road went to the shady east side of Masters Ridge, the road became damp. Some corners were covered with fallen maple leaves. On these corners I slowed down more than I might have otherwise had the road been dry, especially on the downhill segment where one corner in particular has seen many crashes.
The rest of the climb was similar. I overtook small groups of cyclists sporadically, but none covered the entire lane, prevented me from passing, or encouraged me to violate the yellow center line. Only a couple of times was it necessary to sound my horn, although I still did so before most passes as a courtesy and because I installed it on the bike, I might as well use it.
On the middle climb and for some distance on either side the road has been treated to a recent tar & gravel application. The roughness improved traction, although I was still cautious as I would not have wanted to slip on this stuff. When new tar & gravel has pretty good traction, but as it wears, the gravel tends to get pushed out of the tar, leaving only tar that can be slick as snot when wet.
The upper climb was mostly new asphalt and was quite nice to ride. Just after the surface changed to the new asphalt I felt like my rear tire might be going soft, accustomed as I had become to the surface roughness that I could feel through my seat.
My arrival at the observatory parking lot seemed to come as a surprise for some, but I'm glad someone was able to record my time in spite of my neglecting to shout out my number. My goal had been to arrive in under an hour, something I was not quite able to accomplish on the Kennedy Trail climb the weekend before. The Hamilton climb felt less stressful on my body as my heart rhythm later that evening was not as jumpy with as many skipped/extra beats as it had been after the Kennedy Trail climb.
I did not wear an HRM on this climb—it receives too much interference from the motor controller—so I have no objective way of knowing if I had maintained the same level of effort although I felt as if I had. Assuming I had, then the only differences from Kennedy are that Hamilton was ten minutes shorter, and my body position on Hamilton was recumbent instead of upright.
750 watts of assist is a good limit for the hybrid-electric bikes in these events. Even with this power allowance, much of this climb is mentally more like a descent where the main concern is maintaining good line and speed through the corners without taking excessive risk. Looking at my segment times for the climb and later the descent, I can see that my climbing time was only about 7 minutes longer than my descending time.
After the climb I spent the next hour and a half at the corner below the observatory parking lot snapping photos of riders finishing, and the bulk of the photos I took on this occasion are from this spot. The weather this year was much nicer than it was in 2011 or 2010. In 2011 I stood at the same spot in a driving cold mist for almost as long, and in 2010 snow lined the road and parking area at the top with temperatures to match. The only minor detraction was the occasional whiff of sewer gas wafting from an access vault on the observatory's sanitary sewer line that runs nearby.
I descended after most of the crowds had left the summit. The descent was remarkable in that it was the first time I can recall descending from the summit and neither being impeded nor overtaken by any other vehicle from the summit all the way to Alum Rock Road. I felt like I had the road to myself.
As I started my ride home from the base of the climb I followed Daryl and Laura Spano and a friend up Piedmont Road until I turned left on Cropley and then made my way across north San Jose and Santa Clara.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 61.2 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 6410 feet |
| Total Time: | 4:25:39 |
| Riding Time: | 4:03:21 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 15.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 55.2 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 859.5 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 14.0 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 34.7 |
| Peak Current: | 58 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 21.3 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1287 watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 250 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 3619 kJ (1005 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2166 kJ (602 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | 1609 kJ (447 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (est.): | 1533 kJ (426 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 3699 kJ (1028 wh) |
Connelly's Climbs, November 14, 2012 - Dan Connelly, the impresario of the Low-Key Hill Climb series, recently posted an interesting sequence of non-trivial climbs in Portola Valley and Woodside that never touches Skyline Blvd., but that when ridden altogether in one go make for a interesting challenge.
Dan's idea is to include this sequence of climbs, or something similar, in the 2013 season. The timing would be handled by GPS and Strava. As usual, only the climbs would be timed, but participants in the challenge would have to ride the climbs in sequence. A time allowance would be made between the top of one climb to the bottom of the next such that these intermezzi could be completed in a safe, unhurried fashion, but not so generous as to allow a lengthy recovery.
I won't clutter my write-up by detailing the route turn-by-turn. As the route doubles back on itself in many places, especially on Golden Oak Road, please see the Strava link in the sidebar to see exactly where it goes. (Pull the cursor along the route profile and watch the icon on the route map.)
I added a few climbs that Dan had discussed but ruled out due to narrow roads: Wayside Road, Santa Maria Road, and Hayfields Road, because while reading the discussion I realized I had never ridden them before. I included Patrol Road after Summit Springs Road in Woodside as these climbs make a good pair, although Dan had only advanced Summit Springs as a candidate. Finally, I decided at the last second to ride up and down Bear Gulch Road (east) as far as the gate since I hadn't ridden that way in many years.
I agree that the three out-and-back climbs off Portola Road, Wayside, Santa Maria, and Hayfields, are too narrow and thickly settled to be good candidates for sending a hundred or more cyclists in a short space of time, although they are nice, short, steep climbs. I do think Patrol Road ought to be considered if one goes through the trouble of riding out to Summit Springs that is some distance from the other climbs that are all less than a mile apart from each other.
For this ride I maintained a moderately fast pace with minimal stopping. No Strava KOMs were harmed.
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 79.7 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 7840 feet |
| Total Time: | 7:19:54 |
| Riding Time: | 5:17:47 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 15.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 43.9 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1370 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1102 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 13.8 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 45.8 |
| Peak Current: | 67 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 21.4 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1287 watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 250 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 3619 kJ (1005 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2777 kJ (771 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | 1609 kJ (447 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (est.): | 1917 kJ (533 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 4694 kJ (1304 wh) |
| Link to Strava: | Warm-up ride |
| Link to Strava: | Hill Climb |
| Link to Strava: | Post-climb ride |
| Link to: | Results |
LKHC: Soda Springs Road, November 10, 2012 - I left home a little before 0800 and rode the direct route to Los Gatos: south on Lawrence Expressway and Quito, then CA9 into town. Then onto the bike path up to Lexington Reservoir and Alma Bridge Road to the sign-in area at the Miller Point picnic area.
A large crowd had already gathered, and many had to park their cars along the road. The air was cool, but the sun felt warm when it wasn't obscured by clouds. Someone mentioned that the temperature had been below freezing at the top of Soda Springs that morning.
After signing in and taking a few photos of the start area I pulled the big batteries off the bike and put them in Howard's car. No need to carry more weight than necessary on the climb. Then I rode over to the bottom of Soda Springs Road, so that I could get there without having to use any battery energy trying to keep up with the promenade.
After a short speech by Barry, the climb coordinator, we were off to the sound of Howard's car horn. The first hazard I encountered was a compact car descending quickly at one of the early sharp corners. I slowed so that I would stay well on my side of the road. The car braked suddenly. After I passed I could see that the driver had decided to wait out the passing of the bunch that was close on my tail.
The next hazard was another curve sharp enough to require easing up on the power. But, as the climb progressed I managed to get around most of the curves by downshifting rather than throttling back. Sight lines were also longer, and I used the entire road where I could do so safely.
In addition to the car near the bottom of the climb, I encountered two descending vehicles in addition to the compact car near the bottom. The first was an SUV that made a rasping noise that I could hear well before it came into view around a curve. The second was a jacked-up pickup truck with wide tires. The driver of the latter seemed surprised to see me as he jerked to the right. Fortunately, there was enough room on the road for me to slip past.
The rest of the climb was somewhat a blur. I recall passing three or four people stopped by the road, some of them taking photos. I also remember the feeling that the climb seemed to go on and on. I had remembered the four sharp curves, the last of which was at Weaver Road. From there it was one long push to the gate at the top.
When I saw the "200 Yards" sign I gave one final push. Then the finish area came into view.
After the climb I retrieved my battery panniers from Howard's car and descended Soda Springs. The air was still cold, and I was glad I was bundled up. Even so, I was happy to reach the bottom. I kept moving by continuing on Alma Bridge Road toward Aldercroft Heights, and I did not warm up until I was on the climb to Holy City.
On the way I ran into the three juniors who bested their elders on the hill climb. They had stopped at Old Santa Cruz Highway and Idylwild to repair a flat and disclosed that they were riding up Loma Prieta. I gave them some information about the road before moving on.
It had been a while since I climbed to the summit of Loma Prieta, so I couldn't be sure of today's status. One used to be able to climb up to the antenna farm on the north side of the summit, just outside of the big fence that encircles the actual summit, but now that area may be gated off. More than eleven years ago I took a group of recumbent riders up there.
After I stopped a short distance later near Chemeketa Park to peel off some clothing—I was finally losing my chill from the descent—I ran into Andrea Ivan. She was riding a loop up to Summit Road before heading back to her car near Lenihan Dam.
We rode together off and on until I veered off onto Madrone Drive and headed up through Redwood Estates. At Summit Road I turned right and continued past Upper Zayante Road and then onto Bear Creek Road. I turned right at Skyline Blvd. and headed north, not quite sure where I would cut my loop short and descend back into the valley. At the very least I would continue as far as Saratoga Gap.
The road past Castle Rock was in good condition with smooth asphalt, having been repaved not too many seasons ago. The big leaf maples had dropped most of their leaves, and this created a warm visual effect along the road on an otherwise cold day.
As I continued north toward Page Mill Road I encountered the new tar & gravel job at the San Mateo County line. The new surface is a low-budget way to preserve a road through the next several seasons by sealing the cracks with tar and providing good traction atop the tar with embedded gravel. The problem is that the process relies on normal road traffic to finish the embedding process. Until that occurs loose gravel can be a hazard on the road, especially for single-track vehicles. The other problem with tar & gravel is that it creates a harsh surface for biking.
Fortunately, I did not find too many places where loose gravel created a hazard, and the surface was not unbearably rough, though I would have preferred a smoother surface. Still, I stuck to riding in the right tire track most of the way.
When I got to Old La Honda Road I turned right and descended into Portola Valley and then took back roads through Los Altos Hills before heading home.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 71.1 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 5270 feet |
| Total Time: | 6:27:07 |
| Riding Time: | 4:04:00 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 17.4 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 46.0 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1000 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 798 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 11.2 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 32.8 |
| Peak Current: | 55 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.3 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1287 watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 250 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 3619 kJ (1005 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2010 kJ (558 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | 1609 kJ (447 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (est.): | 1350 kJ (375 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 2395 kJ (665 wh) |
| Link to Strava: | Warm-up ride |
| Link to Strava: | Hill Climb |
| Link to Strava: | Post-climb ride |
| Link to: | Results |
| Split 1 | |
| Distance: | 8.5 miles |
|---|---|
| Cumulative climbing: | 440 feet |
| Time: | 16:28 |
| Avg. Speed: | 31.1 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 40.5 mph |
| Avg. Power: | 720 watts |
| Max. Power: | 1287 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 711 kJ |
| Split 2 | |
| Distance: | 6.6 miles |
|---|---|
| Cumulative climbing: | 1970 feet |
| Time: | 21:30 |
| Avg. Speed: | 18.5 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 31.9 mph |
| Avg. Power: | 800 watts |
| Max. Power: | 1163 watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | 1050 kJ |
LKHC: CA84 and West Alpine Road, November 3, 2012 - Getting up and leaving the house early to ride over the hill to San Gregorio took some will power. The outside air was cold and my body had become accustomed to the balmy breezes of Hawai'i over the prior week. Fortunately, Dan had graciously allowed me a late start after everyone else so that I could leave home after sunrise.
Once I got going, the chill left my extremities, and I began to feel comfortable.
Since the ride to the time trial doubled as a warm-up ride I rode on mostly human power, calling upon a low level of motor power on a few of the short, steep uphills and on the climb up Old La Honda Road. I wanted to preserve as much battery capacity as possible for the timed part of today's ride so that I would experience minimal voltage sag over the course.
A number of times, most notably on the descent of CA84 into La Honda, I thought my rear tire was going flat. The day before I had swapped out my usual rear wheel for my PowerTap wheel. On the PowerTap wheel I ran a Ritchey Tom Slick, a lightweight 559 tire that feels like riding on a cushion of air. My usual rear tire is a durable if rough-riding Kenda Kwest. The Ritchey has lower rolling resistance, but the Kenda gets fewer flats.
I was unaccustomed to the soft ride of the Ritchey, mistaking it for a softening tire more than once. When I stopped to check the tire, it felt as hard as a rock. So, I continued on.
Somewhere west of Driscoll Ranch I started seeing the time trial going the other direction. First the tandems, then the ladies. As I approached San Gregorio I saw the men.
I arrived in San Gregorio at 10:25, almost an hour before I was to start and about 2.5 hours after I left home.
After preparing my bike for the event, replacing my headlight with an electric horn, I decided to make myself useful by snapping some starting line photos, many of which turned out better than I had expected given the harsh lighting conditions, although some that didn't make it into the online album were dreadful.
Once everyone was off, Pat and Patt cleaned up the tables, and Dan got ready to ride up to the finish. But, before he started he gave me his stopwatch, telling me to go ahead and self-start at 1120.
At 1115 I rolled out to what was the starting point, and at 11:19:50 I stuffed the stopwatch on its long lanyard into the front of my jersey so that it wouldn't swing about while I was riding. I counted down the last ten seconds then took off.
Just as I started Patt's Webcor van drew alongside and accelerated slowly. I tried to keep pace, but once I got up to cruising speed, the van accelerated into the distance.
I soon discovered that my maximum geared speed did not require maximum allowed power. I had surrendered some time, maybe 30 seconds altogether by gearing the bike too low for the flat section.
In a few other spots I would surrender some seconds, mainly at some of the corners, the first of which was the turn onto Pescadero Road, then several more on Alpine Road.
Dan must have been riding briskly as I did not catch him until the rollers west of Driscoll Ranch at about the same point I had seen the tandems earlier in the morning.
At Pescadero Road I expected to see someone taking numbers for a time split, but no one was there. I registered a lap on the PowerTap. Perhaps they quit their post, thinking everyone had come through. I was about 15 minutes behind the next to last starter.
At Alpine Road I saw a small crowd watching me as I prepared to continue straight (logical left turn) from Pescadero Road. I yelled out my number in case they were the Low-Key team—they were—and registered another lap on the PowerTap.
On the narrow section of Alpine Road I was happy not to encounter any other cyclists. Passing would have been risky on the one-lane parts. Even riding at full speed felt dangerous should a car or truck suddenly appear going the other direction. I slowed slightly where I could not see far enough ahead.
From the bridge over Alpine Creek the time trial felt more like a usual hill climb, varying only where the grade reversed briefly at the wonderful view point of the Peters Creek watershed that I did not have time to enjoy, and at the stop sign about half-way up.
I passed four or five of the men near the top of the climb, fewer than the 14 that Dan predicted. This was fine with me. Although none of the passings resulted in delay, there is always the risk of delay. So, the fewer passes the better.
I rolled across the top, stopping briefly at the turnout just beyond, then I continued down to Skyline Blvd. for refreshments.
On my way home I was delayed at El Camino Real and Sunnyvale Avenue where police had cordoned off the intersection investigating what looked like a car vs. bicyclist or pedestrian accident.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 48.1 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 3320 feet |
| Total Time: | 5:00:28 |
| Riding Time: | 3:00:58 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 15.9 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 49.8 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 450 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 403 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 8.4 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 16.8 |
| Max. Current: | ? Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 21.7 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1045 kJ (290 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1350 kJ (375 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 2395 kJ (665 wh) |
| Link to Strava: | Warm-up ride |
| Link to Strava: | Hill Climb |
| Link to Strava: | Post-climb ride |
| Link to: | Results |
LKHC: Morgan Territory, October 20, 2012 - This was an interesting climb. The weather was overcast at the bottom, turning to fog on the ground mid-climb all the way until just before the finish where the road broke out into the sun. The thick, damp fog on the climb obscured the road ahead, making it difficult to judge where the next steep up-pitch might come and how much further one had to ride before arriving at the top. The climb seemed to go longer than I expected. I also used more battery energy than I expected, about 235 watt-hours.
Mark King followed me on the lower part on his motorcycle, giving me use of the full lane or road when the centerline disappeared and visibility allowed—thanks, Mark. I also saw Cara and one or two cars descending. But, otherwise the road was quiet.
After I got to the top I had time to dress warmly and to find a good spot to snap photos of riders crossing the finish line.
After the event disbanded Greg Smith and I continued down the north side of Morgan Territory Road where we saw many cyclists riding the other direction, some of them Low-Key'ers who had ridden the Morgan Territory climb earlier. We descended to Marsh Creek Road where we met up with Barry Burr, Andrea Ivan, and Rich Hill.
Andrea and Rich decided to turn around and climb back up Morgan Territory Road. Greg and I had planned ride a loop out to Vasco Road and return to Livermore where we had parked our cars earlier in the morning. Barry decided to join us.
So we rode east on Marsh Creek Road. Traffic was moderate and came in waves. Even though the road was narrow and had little or no shoulder, most drivers were patient and passed safely.
We made good time on Marsh Creek Road, generally descending with a slight tailwind. We continued onto Camino Diablo where traffic became so sporadic that it was only an occasional nuisance.
We took a short break at the traffic light at Vasco Road before starting the Vasco Road segment into Livermore.
I had not ridden Vasco Road since 1995. Since then it had been rebuilt to avoid the new Los Vaqueros Reservoir. The new road has a wider shoulder marred by a rumble strip. Unfortunately, the new Vasco Road climbs higher through the windmill-studded hills before descending to Livermore.
Initially we had a slight tailwind, but this changed to a strong headwind that always had a frontal component. The 5-6% grade seemed more like 7-8% with the headwind, and we did not make as good time as we thought we would. Vasco Road is Vallecitos Road on steroids.
By the time we returned to our cars in Livermore we felt we had ridden far enough, even though our total for the day was just under 50 miles.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 3.3 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 1700 feet |
| Total Time: | 28:54 |
| Riding Time: | 13:49 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 14.5 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 27.6 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 450 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 201 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 61 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 8.5 |
| 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) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2103 kJ (584 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2652 kJ (737 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 621 kJ (172.5 wh) |
| Link to: | Results |
LKHC: Quimby, October 13, 2012 - These are photos from the Low-Key Hill Climb event on Quimby Road.
At Murillo Road, Quimby descends slightly for a couple tenths of a mile before starting the main climb. At the sound of the horn we started, but the bike felt a little sluggish off the line. I wasn't leaving the front of the bunch behind as quickly as I thought I should. When I hit the hill I didn't see 900 watts (in) on the meter until my cadence dropped uncomfortably low. It was then that I realized I still had my throttle range limited to 85%, a setting I use when I'm riding in a more relaxed fashion at lower assist power levels or when trying to conserve energy. I flipped the switch over to the 115% setting, and I suddenly had maximum motor power at a cadence that allowed me to apply maximum pedaling power, around 100-110 RPM. This also ran the motor more efficiently at high power.
About two-thirds of the way to the summit Quimby Road traverses the hillside high above a small valley where one can look down and see a straight section of road below. I thought of trying to get a photo looking down, but I could see that the human-powered riders hadn't quite reached the section of road that I could see below, and, being on the inside lane, I didn't have a clear shot without riding on the wrong side of the road.
As I was tucking the camera away, I came upon an unexpected sharp 180-degree turn. I panicked and braked. This killed motor power just as I was leaning into the turn and climbing. Like an airplane going into a stall I felt myself tipping out of control toward the ground. Fortunately, at the last moment I managed to hit the throttle with my thumb and power out of the lean, but not before clumsily running off the road and then back onto the road. Only my pride and perhaps a second or two were lost. Surprises like this are what I get for not having climbed Quimby since the Low-Keys did it in 1998. I last descended it in 2007.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 5.6 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 2040 feet |
| Total Time: | 23:02 |
| Riding Time: | 19:38 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 17.1 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 30.7 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 450 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 268 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 48 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 11.4 |
| 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) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2103 kJ (584 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2652 kJ (737 wh) |
| Total energy delivered (est.): | 636 kJ (177 wh) |
| Link to: | Results |
LKHC: Montebello, October 6, 2012 - These are photos from the Low-Key Hill Climb event on Montebello Road.
In 2010 I ran a different motor at 48 volts, capable of putting out about 1.5hp, but also prone to overheating. Since that motor was designed for 24-volt operation and was connected through my cranks, running at 48 volts spun the cranks way too fast for me to keep up, about 180 RPM. So, the ride became literally that. I sat there, steering the bike and spraying water on the motor can every once in a while to keep it from shutting down.
That year my time had been under 20 minutes. I was too lazy to check the exact figure this morning, but I was confident that this year with the "1 horsepower" rule in place (750 watts out or 1000 watts in), I would not beat my 2010 time.
What I hadn't counted on was that I could run this year's motor at 1hp while turning the cranks at a speed (100-110 RPM) where my pedaling could contribute significantly to forward motion. I was also using a slightly more efficient motor and controller. And, I had fine-tuned my strategy to keep my power level near the limit for the duration of the climb.
In the end I was able to shave 45 seconds off my 2010 time. Pedaling makes a difference.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 39.6 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 4580 feet |
| Total Time: | 2:44:50 |
| Riding Time: | 2:13:04 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 17.8 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 48.6 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 647.99 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 16.4 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 25.9 |
| Max. Current: | 55.3 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 23.4 |
| 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 (calculated): | 1680 kJ (467 wh) |
| Total energy from human (calculated): | 839 kJ (233 wh) |
| Total energy from human (Polar HRM est.): | 1223 kJ (340 wh) |
Minaret Road and Horseshoe Lake, September 19, 2012 - Frank and Stella took the day off to do some shopping and to prepare for our climb up Mt. Conness the next day. I spent most of the day indoors on the computer, but when afternoon rolled around I decided I had to get out for at least a few hours to enjoy the beautiful day. So, I got out and did my usual Mammoth area ride up past the ski resort to Minaret Vista, then down the west side to Reds Meadow, then back up the same way.
After that excursion I had a bit more in the tank, so I took the new and finished Lakes Basin Bike Path up alongside Lake Mary Road and continued all the way to Horseshoe Lake where I was disappointed to see that the lake had almost disappeared. I returned to the condo by taking Lake Mary Road instead of the bike path so that I could go fast down the hill. Then I turned onto Davison Road and rode up past the Canyon Lodge on my way back to the condo.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 80.7 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 7390 feet |
| Total Time: | 6:09:23 |
| Riding Time: | 5:28:45 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 14.7 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 45.9 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 800 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.9 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 31.5 |
| Max. Current: | 62 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) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2103 kJ (584 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2652 kJ (737 wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 4755 kJ (1321 wh) |
Classic Coast Loop, August 8, 2012 - I rode from home out one of my usual routes to Los Altos, then climbed Burke, Robleda, Elena, Taafe, and Altamont Roads to Page Mill Road. Then I climbed Page Mill Road to Skyline and continued on Alpine Road over the top of the ridge and down to Pescadero Road.
Just past the junction with Camp Pomponio Road I noticed that my chainrings were spinning. (Note that my cranks are attached to my chainrings by a freewheel, so even if the bike is in "fixie mode", my cranks are not forced around.) I stopped briefly to check if the bike was O.K. I thought for a moment that the chain had become wedged behind the cassette. I don't like surprises when I'm descending. The freewheel seemed to be working properly, and as I continued down the hill, the chain and chainrings were motionless.
At the bottom of the hill I turned left on Pescadero Road and climbed up over Haskins Hill and down toward Memorial Park, enjoying peaceful roads empty of traffic. Somewhere on Pescadero Road before I reached Butano Cutoff I noticed that my chainrings were spinning again. I pressed my foot against the rings in an attempt to stop them, but this time I could not stop them without wearing a groove in my shoes. Unfortunately, pressing my foot against the rings got the motor chain tensioner out of adjustment, and the chain would skip if I applied power from the motor. So I had to stop to readjust it when I got to Butano Cutoff Road. The freehub really appeared to be jammed this time†. This freehub on a Shimano XT rear hub has only about 4000 miles on it.
When I got to Pescadero I turned right onto North Road just past Phipps Ranch, then right again on Stage Road and rode Stage Road through San Gregorio past the store and up to CA1. I resolved to enjoy the rest of my ride, even if my bike was behaving strangely. At CA1 I turned right and descended to Tunitas Creek Road. I turned right and climbed through a redwood forest enjoying the slanted rays of the late afternoon sun through the trees.
At Skyline I crossed over to Kings Mountain Road and descended into Woodside, then took Mountain Home Road and Sand Hill Road back into the press of rush-hour traffic on Junipero Serra Blvd. and Foothill Expressway on my way home.
The ride was unremarkable except for the freezing of my rear freehub. Because I have freewheeling cranks I was not physically inconvenienced by having to ride my bike fixie-style, but it is a bit unnerving to have the chainrings spinning while I'm coasting, knowing that if the chain were to get thrown or jammed it could cause the rear wheel to lock up and probably cause a crash.
†Later I discovered after removing the cassette that a long, tough blade of dried grass had gotten itself wedged between the freehub/cassette and axle, effectively jamming it. I must have picked it up on one of my recent off-road rides. After I removed the grass, the freehub spun normally in the free-spinning direction.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 94.1 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 8020 feet |
| Total Time: | 9:06:39 |
| Riding Time: | 7:35:20 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 12.4 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 46.7 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 749 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 7.9 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 29.3 |
| Max. Current: | 60 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.9 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1970 kJ (547 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 3468 kJ (963 wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 5438 kJ (1511 wh) |
Corralitos via Summit South and Buzzard Lagoon, August 1, 2012 - I left home at a rather late hour and headed in the direction of Los Gatos. My general plan for the day was to head to Corralitos by way of Loma Prieta Way, Summit Road south, and Mt. Madonna Road, and to return by way of Buzzard Lagoon Road and Highland Way.
It had been many years since I had ridden either Summit Road south or Buzzard Lagoon, the two longest roads open to general traffic in Santa Cruz County that are still mostly unpaved.
I rode south on San Tomas Expressway, then on Los Gatos Blvd., picking up the Los Gatos Creek Trail at Forbes' Mill, then circling around Lexington Reservoir and climbing Old Santa Cruz Highway.
On my way up Old Santa Cruz Highway I saw several cyclists climbing and descending between Idylwild and Holy City. One was practicing his interval training.
At Summit Road I turned left and rode mostly downhill, sharing the narrow two-lane road with frequent traffic.
Just before I reached the Summit Store I turned left on Loma Prieta Way and begin my climb up the shoulder of Loma Prieta (3791ft).
Loma Prieta Way climbs directly up Summit Ridge for a few miles until the ridge ascends more abruptly. At this point signs warn that the road is not maintained by the county.
The road begins to zig-zag up the slope of the ridge, leaving the cover of trees and entering chaparral-covered hillsides. Views open up to the south and west.
At a high point the road turns to dirt and begins a gradual descent through similar terrain. At one point the road narrows, becoming overgrown with Scotch Broom, and giving the impression of not seeing much traffic. Then, it steeply descends a rutted lane before it arrives at Mt. Bache Road.
At Mt. Bache Road I kept left on Loma Prieta Way and resumed climbing past a few houses and ranchettes. The road descended briefly then resumed climbing more steeply without break until it reached a pass that offered a view of Loma Prieta itself and Summit Ridge to the south.
I continued on to the junction of Loma Prieta Way and Summit Road, where I kept to the right to begin my long undulating ride south.
Since my last ride here I noticed that the 2009 fire in the area burned many of the few remaining trees growing in the area. Additionally I could see that the road was seeing more traffic. Tire-cutting ballast rock had been distributed thinly on the dusty surface, and while some of the more treacherous sections had been paved, the asphalt layer contained many large potholes. Other sections of the road were washboarded from too many speeding vehicles spinning or locking wheels. Dirt roads open to motor vehicle traffic often suffer from these conditions.
Although I could see evidence of development on either side of the road, much of it recent, I did not see much traffic on the road. This was probably because I rode through on the middle of a weekday. As a pickup truck filled with day laborers drove by in the opposite direction it's driver gave me a wave.
The temperature along Summit Road south was the hottest of the day at about 90-95F. There was little shade from which to take shelter from the hot midday sun.
I stopped several times to take photos: at Ormsby Trail, where a loose dog had planted itself in the middle of the road and began barking at me, in front of the building that used to be a fire station, in view of the 1800-foot tall antenna tower that is visible from all over the south bay and Monterey Bay area, and at the junction with Croy Ridge Road. The latter I explored only as far as the first gate.
As I descended from the Croy Ridge junction the road entered the shade of the first redwood trees I had seen since Loma Prieta Way, and I noticed the temperature decline significantly and the humidity increase. Even a small grove of redwoods can moderate the weather.
At the southern gate I noticed that signs prohibiting travel on the road still stood in spite of a July 2000 CA State Appeals Court decision upholding a lower court's decision finding that the road was a public easement, concluding a period of litigation in the late 1990s between various interested parties.
Shortly below the lower gate I was back on asphalt where riding felt like floating compared to the washboard and ballast rock of the dirt road. I proceeded over a few rollers then down a long, straight descent to the junction with Mt. Madonna Road.
I turned right and descended quickly to Hazel Dell Road. It felt good to ride fast for a change. At Hazel Dell Road I proceeded to climb to its high point then descend through the forested valley on the other side on Browns Valley Road. These two valleys lying along the San Andreas Fault never reach a ridge at their highest ends but merely rise only so far before falling again into a different watershed. A casual observer might wonder how the creek contained within reversed its flow.
When I got to Corralitos I stopped at the market for a sandwich and took an extended break at the small picnic area nearby.
After eating my late lunch I resumed my ride by heading north on Eureka Canyon Road. A few miles from Corralitos I turned left on Rider Road and ascended a cool redwood-filled canyon for a short distance before turning right on Buzzard Lagoon Road.
A sign at the junction warned that the road was closed, but the fine print suggested that this closure was effective only during the wet season. Why this might be so became apparent later.
I climbed steeply for a mile and a half on asphalt roadway before it turned to dirt without decreasing its steepness. Just before the road became dirt I came upon a rafter of wild turkeys who were not interested in posing for a photograph.
The dirt part of Buzzard Lagoon Road was initially well-graded as it climbed above the forest enough to afford one a view south toward Watsonville and Santa Cruz. But, once I got past the last residence that looked to be permanently occupied, the road became overgrown in parts with Scotch Broom and in many places became deeply-rutted. Only high-clearance vehicles would have been happy.
The road continued to climb steeply through a mixed redwood and madrone forest in a remote corner of Forest of Nisene Marks State Park until it reached a gated junction with another road that according to the map leads to Buzzard Lagoon itself.
I continued on. The road itself became less rutted, although I believe this was because little motor vehicle traffic gets this far, and traffic from the upper end has no reason to descend Buzzard Lagoon Road.
A short distance before the junction with the Aptos Creek Fire Road Buzzard Lagoon Road descends slightly, then more steeply after the junction. As I was descending to Four Corners I came upon a group of mountain bikers spread out all over the road as they climbed in the opposite direction.
I stopped briefly at Four Corners (Buzzard Lagoon, Eureka Canyon, Ormsby Trail, and Highland Way) before heading toward home on Highland Way.
I coasted the initial descent almost down to the parking area for the Soquel Demonstration Forest, then began the climb up past the old slides where I noticed that the road is beginning to give way near one of the old slides. Highland Way runs along an unstable hillside in the San Andreas Rift Zone. As far as I can remember the road has been sliding out in one or more places during wet years. I'm sure maintenance costs are significant.
After the short, fast descent to the Summit Center I decided to press on rather than to stop. The hour was late, and I calculated I could ride home in daylight if I kept moving.
As I rode west on Summit Road I was happy to see that most of the traffic was flowing the other direction. On Old Santa Cruz Highway I coasted the entire way except for the short up-grade at Idylwild Road and the longer up-grade in front of Lexington School. I stopped near the Alma Fire Station to shoot a panorama of the Sierra Azul bathed in the light of sunset.
The final descent took me down CA17 into Los Gatos where a gap in traffic allowed me to make a lucky exit onto Santa Cruz Ave. An outdoor concert was in progress at the Town Plaza Park, but at this point I was looking forward to getting home.
I returned home up Saratoga-Los Gatos Blvd. then Quito Road and Lawrence Expressway, avoiding the frequent traffic lights and driveways on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road through Cupertino.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 91.6 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 5500 feet |
| Total Time: | 5:51:09 |
| Riding Time: | 5:22:21 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 17.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 48.5 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1000 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 863 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.4 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 34.5 |
| Max. Current: | 70 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.2 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2238 kJ (622 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2100 kJ (583 wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 4338 kJ (1205 wh) |
Half Moon Bay, July 22, 2012 - I rode from home via the usual roads to Old La Honda Road, climbed Old La Honda, descended the west side, stopping at my usual view spot across from the faces in the rock, then continued into La Honda and beyond to San Gregorio. I used assist on the short climbs, but mostly pedaled only or coasted. I did not stop at the store but turned right on Stage Road and climbed up to CA1, then descended to Tunitas Creek Road.
I took the inland route to Half Moon Bay, which meant climbing over a few low ridges between Tunitas and Lobitos Creeks, between Lobitos and Purisima Creeks, and between Purisima Creek and Leon Arroyo. The fog was hanging at the coast, but no more than a mile inland the sun was shining warmly. Even at the coast the air was warm enough in the fog that I felt no need to don more clothing.
When I got to Half Moon Bay I turned right on Main Street and rode through the downtown tourist area without stopping for more than a few stop signs.
At CA92 I turned right and took the short, fast route back over the hill, using full assist mode. I was able to keep up with traffic, a steady stream of it, moving at about 33-35 mph. As there is no shoulder on this part of CA92 I made full use of the lane.
The most exciting part of the day was climbing the grade from the Pilarcitos Creek bridge to Skyline as fast as I could while auto traffic was creeping along. It's always a bit risky to be passing traffic on the right shoulder, but that was the only unobstructed part of the roadway. Even then, an occasional car would pull partly onto the shoulder for one reason or another, and I had to slow down to pass carefully in the remaining gap.
Traffic starting moving a bit more quickly, about as fast as I was climbing, after the two ascending lanes merged to one lane. But on the descent to Canada Road traffic did not accelerate.
About a half-mile from the top I came upon the probable cause of the traffic back-up: a car and a motorcycle were parked by the road on the uphill side as were two CHP cruisers. Once I got past the police activity, downhill traffic speed increased to the usual "heavy traffic on CA92" speed, but I could see that the uphill traffic was creeping along. I would not wish to commute regularly over this section of CA92.
When I got to Canada Road things quieted down significantly. A few cyclists were out, but the road was remarkably free of traffic compared to CA92.
I continued through Woodside and Portola Valley before coasting down Alpine Road from Portola to I-280 without pedaling (or motoring). Minimum speed was 21.2mph about a 0.2 miles past the Shell station in Ladera.
My remaining trip home took Junipero Serra Blvd. and Foothill Expressway, the same way I had ridden out earlier in the day.
As I neared home I decided at the last moment to try out the new Stevens Creek Trail bike bridge over CA85 between Mountain View and Sunnyvale at Sleeper Ave. I always try to take a new road or two on each ride, and if I can't do that I try to take a route I haven't ridden in a while. This keeps things interesting, delaying the onset of burnout and boredom.
The bridge is an impressive piece of construction, complete with a couple acres of newly-landscaped park beneath the PG&E right-of-way, and decorative bridge stone-work. All of the photos I took on this ride were at or near the bridge.
After descending the eastern approach I zig-zagged my way through Mountain View and Sunnyvale to get home.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 21.1 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 100 feet |
| Total Time: | 5:04:25 |
| Riding Time: | 0:57:46 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 21.8 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 36.3 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 333 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 15.9 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 13.3 |
| Max. Current: | 59 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 23.2 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 863 kJ (240 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 243 kJ (68 wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1106 kJ (307 wh) |
Dinner with Jobst and Friends, July 20, 2012 - I rode from home to Jobst's place to meet him and a bunch of his friends who had organized an informal pizza and potluck dinner at his place. We recounted old adventures and spent a couple of hours viewing photos of bike rides and other adventures from long ago.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 93.0 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 9720 feet |
| Total Time: | 7:44:37 |
| Riding Time: | 6:40:57 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 13.9 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 47.0 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 883 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.5 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 35.1 |
| Max. Current: | 60 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) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2290 kJ (636 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 3444 kJ (957 wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 5734 kJ (1593 wh) |
Big Figure Eight, July 15, 2012 - I set out from home at a leisurely hour on Sunday morning, riding south on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road under human power only, as usual, at the start of a long ride. As I started the climb up CA9 I was feeling more energetic than usual and continued on human power up to the one-way control at the Bonjetti Creek Bridge near Sanborn Road.
I was surprised that I had not been passed by any other cyclists on my ride up to Saratoga, and only three cyclists passed me on CA9 before I called upon my stoker. As the main climb got under way I switched throttle control to economy mode, dialed in about 250 watts of assist and continued this way up to Saratoga Gap.
After stopping briefly at Skyline Blvd. I continued down the west side toward Boulder Creek, enjoying the relatively warm air on the descent. No need for longs.
In Boulder Creek I turned right on West Park Drive that runs parallel to CA236 for the first two miles. At Oak Street I turned left and rejoined CA236. I continued another couple miles up to Jamison Creek Road where I turned left and climbed with more assist although still running in economy mode.
At the summit of Jamison Creek Road I encountered a group of familiar cyclists who were in the process of regrouping before descending the way I had arrived. After a few minutes I pressed down Empire Grade toward its end at the Lockheed facility.
I had last ridden this way in 2005, so I was overdue for another visit. The broad valley at the head of Big Creek at 2200 feet elevation is unusual for the Santa Cruz Mountains. Most valleys are lower in elevation and are not as broad. Topographically the area reminded me more of the Sierra Foothills or of some places in the Diablo Range.
I stopped to take a few photos of Eagle Peak and its barely visible NFS lookout tower now abandoned. In 1988 a friend and I had ridden our bikes up Eagle Rock to visit the tower. Now forest fires are detected by satellite, so there is no need for staffing these remote lookout towers.
I continued up Empire Grade Road to its abrupt end at the gate of the Lockheed facility. There I met a guy driving out the adjacent gate for Bertoli Drive. We talked a bit about living in the area and the activity at the Lockheed facility.
But there wasn't much more to see, so I turned around and headed back past the Locatelli Ranch and its broad valley, back up the hill to Jamison Creek Road and beyond past the CDF training center and state minimum security prison (at which no activity could be seen from the road) on Ben Lomond Mountain and down to Alba Road.
I had last descended Alba Road in 1988, and I recall the road surface being very rough. That day I stopped a few times on the way down to let my brakes cool. Today I was able to do the entire descent in one go, arriving at the bottom without blowing off a tire.
After riding through Ben Lomond I continued up Glen Arbor Road, then Quail Hollow Road, climbing up through a dry desert-like landscape of sandstone, pine, and manzanita, quite different from the dark forest I had just descended on Alba Road.
At Zayante Road I turned left and pressed on past the turn-off for Lompico, one area in the Santa Cruz Mountains I have never visited.
I decided to stop at the Zayante Market and Deli as I hadn't gotten out of the bike since home, and I was ready for an extended break. I ordered a sandwich, eating it outside in the parking lot. The place could use a few chairs or tables.
After lunch I resumed my trip through Zayante and alongside Zayante Creek. Just before Zayante Road starts its first long climb I veered right, crossing a metal bridge, and climbed Fern Ridge Road.
It had been many years since I had ridden this way, and my memory of the roads had faded. As I started the climb I recalled the steep upward pitches, followed by shallow up-grades.
At Lower Hutchinson Road I kept to the left and rode down and through a couple of creek drainages before resuming the climb on this mostly one-lane road that reminded me of Mountain Charlie Road on the next ridge to the east.
It was not long before I arrived at a major junction of three roads: Hutchinson, Bell, and Lower Hutchinson. From here I continued up Hutchinson where the road widened, although the steepness of the grade did not relent.
After Hutchinson reached the ridge, it undulated, down then up, a couple of times before commencing a hot steep climb in the sun. To make up for the steepness, the view opened up to the east of Mountain Charlie Ridge and back toward Santa Cruz.
Only one car passed me on the climb of Fern Ridge Road, none on Lower Hutchinson, and a few I saw driving down while I was climbing the upper reach of Hutchinson Road, about as much traffic as I've seen on Mountain Charlie Road.
It was not long before I arrived at the stop sign at Riva Ridge Road where I have ridden more recently. I continued on Hutchinson to Summit Road, turned left and pressed north along Skyline Ridge.
At Bear Creek Road I turned left and flipping my throttle into normal mode, I rode quickly so that I could enjoy the gap in the usual rush of traffic one experiences on Bear Creek Rd.
At Skyline Blvd I turned right and resumed riding at a more relaxed pace for a while, using "economy" throttle mode when needed on the climbs.
At Black Road Skyline Blvd. opened up to a two-lane highway with good surface, so I rode more quickly, though still in "economy" throttle mode.
As I crossed the Castle Rock Summit I stopped pedaling and throttling altogether and coasted all the way down to Saratoga Gap, except for having to pedal at the first intermediate uphill. (On a hot day when riding my more aerodynamic bike I can avoid pedaling and powering the entire distance.)
I continued north past Saratoga Gap, still in economy mode, although as my battery was starting to get weak economy mode was becoming increasingly stingy. I had to work harder on the intermediate up-grades to maintain speed.
At Page Mill Rd. I turned right and began my descent to Alpine Road, the short ascent to Montebello Open Space parking area, the steep drop across San Andreas, then down the rest of Page Mill Road.
Half-way down the steep bit below Shotgun Bend I caught up to a pickup truck whose driver was descending cautiously. At each turn I was hoping he would let me by, but he appeared to be lost in conversation with his passenger. Other cars started to catch up, and we formed a caravan.
At Altamont Road I had had enough, so I turned right and descended to Moody, El Monte, and then home.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 53.6 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 4860 feet |
| Total Time: | 4:20:59 |
| Riding Time: | 3:39:12 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 14.6 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 54.1 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 610 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 11.4 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 24.1 |
| Max. Current: | 55.6 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 23.5 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1582 kJ (439 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1606 kJ (446 wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 3188 kJ (886 wh) |
Stevens Canyon, Grizzly Flat, and Los Trancos Woods, July 12, 2012 - I set out mid-afternoon for this mid-week ride not really having much of a plan of where to go. I started with the idea of the typical route of up Page Mill Road, perhaps down to La Honda, then back home through Woodside and Portola Valley.
But, as I rode west on Fremont Road I thought about climbing up Stevens Canyon and Redwood Gulch, then skipping the dip to La Honda but instead heading straight for OLH or CA84, then adding a loop into Los Trancos Woods, since I hadn't ridden there in a while.
That plan stuck in my head until I got into Stevens Canyon past Mt. Eden Road, when I considered that I hadn't ridden up the canyon to the end of the paved road in a while.
So, at Redwood Gulch I continued straight up the canyon, crossing Stevens Creek several times before arriving at the gate. After carrying my bike over the barrier I continued up the still-paved road until it petered out to dirt and gravel. I was getting sucked in...
I paused briefly to take a photo of the spot where the Canyon Road becomes the Canyon Trail, a spot I had ridden to but not beyond in years past. The last time I had ventured up the trail was in 2005.
"Oh, what the hell," I thought. I'd come all the way up to this point, it was a nice day, I had plenty of daylight, and no one else seemed to be on the trails. At this point I didn't really want to descend back to Redwood Gulch, then climb again from there. I pressed on.
The Canyon Trail narrows and steepens as it crosses an old slide that closed the trail for a few years back in the 1990s.
I rounded the slide and continued on, descending to the first crossing of Stevens Creek. In case you're wondering, I did walk the bike across the creek, but the water was low enough I was able to keep my feet dry.
After surmounting a couple of root-bound steep sections the trail returned to a pleasant singletrack for the next half-mile or so, climbing high above the creek on its northeast side. It was good that no other trail users were about; it would have been difficult to pass anyone along this stretch.
The trail descended again to a junction with the Table Mountain Trail where I had hiked earlier this summer. Upstream from this junction the trail widened to a road, climbed past an out-of-place-looking Palo Alto City Limit sign to a junction with the Grizzly Flat Trail.
On my hike in the other direction I had made a mental note to try this trail on my bike sometime. The trickiest part was the connection between the Canyon Trail and the southwest side of Stevens Creek. The connector trail was narrow with sharp, hairpin turns as it descended to Stevens Creek, my second crossing for the day.
Again I was able to get across without getting the insides of my shoes wet.
When I was on the other side I stopped to adjust my front brake pads that were rubbing the rim before climbing the remaining singletrack to the Grizzly Flat Trail that is wide enough to be a road.
Compared to the Canyon Trail and the creek crossings, Grizzly Flat Trail was a piece of cake. The climb was never too steep or loose, so I just selected a low gear and climbed slowly, enjoying the solitude of the forest.
At the junction with the south Grizzly Flat Trail I selected the north trail. On my earlier hike I had taken the south trail and found it steep in places, mainly because it climbs and descends rather than keeping an even grade the entire way. The north trail is more suitable for biking.
It wasn't long before I arrived at the Grizzly Flat Trailhead on Skyline Blvd. I was not surprised to see no cars parked: I hadn't seen a soul since Redwood Gulch and Stevens Canyon Roads. Maybe the weather was too warm. It had been in the upper 80s in the shade and the low 90s in the sun, even deep in the canyon.
I got back on the road and headed north on Skyline Blvd., stopping only once above Old La Honda Road to heed the call of nature.
I decided to descend Old La Honda Road (east). The new asphalt has made this a more pleasant descent, and I find the road overall more relaxing than CA84 with its harried commuter and work-truck traffic. For better or worse I quickly found myself behind a driver who seemed to be looking for an address but never finding it. For worse because I would have descended a little faster on my own, for better because the car ran interference for me against oncoming traffic, and it wasn't going too horribly slow, although its driver could have exhibited more skill in the corners. I was surprised when one, then two other cyclists out for a ride had also caught up to our small caravan. I see I'm not the only cyclist who likes descending Old La Honda Road on its eastern side.
At Portola Road I rode uphill to Willowbrook, then Alpine Road, ascending the latter as far as Joaquin. I paused on Alpine Road at one point to photograph a fawn walking toward me down the road. It bolted as soon as my camera made a whirring noise. Unfortunately, the photos are too blurry to post.
I climbed Joaquin, then Old Spanish Trail and Vista Verde to the top of the cul-de-sac before descending Vista Verda to Los Trancos Woods Road. Normally I would take Ramona, but I hadn't ridden the narrow road through the Woods in a while.
The descent below Ramona I coasted as usual without pedaling all the way to Alpine Road, reaching my maximum speed of the day at the bottom of the "ski jump".
At Alpine Road I headed home on the backroads: Arastradero, Purisima, Robleda, etc. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper southbound on I-280, and drivers were looking for alternates. I encountered heavier than normal traffic even on these backroads, making the last few miles home a bit less pleasant than usual.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 95.0 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 4900 feet |
| Total Time: | 8:53:59 |
| Riding Time: | 5:21:01 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 17.7 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 49.8 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1100 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 987 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 10.4 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 39.3 |
| Max. Current: | 64.3 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.2 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2557 kJ (710 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1949 kJ (541 wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 4506 kJ (1252 wh) |
Coastal Century Cruise, July 8, 2012 - I drove me and my bike to Half Moon Bay to join the Coast Century Cruise, an informal group ride organized by a group from BentRiderOnLine: Alan, John, Rod, Dave, and Pierre. Later at Pescadero Beach we would be joined by Paul and Roland.
We started from Main Street across from the fire station at the south end of the old town at about 0915. The route was simple: we would ride south, stopping for lunch at Upper Crust Pizza at the west end of Santa Cruz, then return the same way.
Some of the group planned to meet us at Pescadero Beach and save themselves 30 of the 95 miles round-trip from Half Moon Bay.
Zach was late arriving at the start, so I volunteered to wait for him, then keep him company at least as far as the regroup at Pescadero Beach.
Weather was foggy and drizzly at the start. Temperature was 57F. All of us were on short-wheelbase high-racers, except for Pierre on his VK2, John on his tail-boxed VK2, and me on my faired and socked Power Gold Rush.
Zach started off at a good clip, legs spinning like a sewing machine, and I was forced to use my motor to catch up and keep up. Even so, I used the motor only enough to stay with him and avoided using it on the level and downhill parts.
I discovered that Zach could stay comfortably in my slight draft if I kept motor input power in the 200-250 watt range (which means about 120-170 watts at the rear wheel), in addition to my pedaling. If the power was lower, then he would catch up and freewheel or pass, and if higher I'd pull away.
The voltage-based cruise control that I'm using is a proxy for a speed-based cruise control. As the grade and the load on the motor varies the controller attempts to keep the apparent voltage (speed†) constant. But human riders can only put out so much power continuously, so to ride with them I need to be adjusting the cruise control setting or shifting gears as the grade changes. These adjustments are quantum, so the effect on followers is one of "push-pull", depending on whether I'm going a little too slowly or a little too fast. I know how to set up a current (and hence, power) throttle, but I don't think my cruise control can run in set-current mode.
We made good time to Pescadero Beach, averaging 20.6 mph; the rest of the group had arrived just ahead of us.
When we resumed our trek south, I found myself behind the group much of the way. The typical summer tailwind was picking up speed. Tailwinds are a great equalizer, allowing people of different ability and bike configuration to ride together, and this part of our ride south went pleasantly, especially after the sun emerged from behind a heavy fog bank near Franklin Point.
We all arrived in Santa Cruz within about six or seven minutes of each other.
For the next hour we relaxed in the breezy interior of Upper Crust Pizza and enjoyed our luncheons. An hour later, full of pizza, we set off on our return trip.
Right from the start, it was clear we were in for a long haul into a wind even stronger than it was in the morning. The difference in speeds southbound vs. northbound can be seen in the speed profile. The group had gotten ahead of me, and I pedaled the first couple of miles of flat highway without the motor at about 12 mph.
At the first hill I turned on the motor and set the cruise control and geared for about 250 watts on a slight upgrade. This allowed me to catch up gradually to the group just north of Bonny Doon Road.
After I passed by the group Zach and Roland jumped on my tail and we continued to Swanton Berry Farm where I suggested we stop for a dessert (where bicyclists get a 10% discount). Roland was fine with the idea, but Zach was still working on his pizza, and no one else seemed intererested in stopping so early on our return ride to Half Moon Bay. So, we resumed riding past Scott Creek Beach, up the long hill, past Greyhound Rock, Waddell Beach, Año Nuevo, and stopped for a break from the wind at the convenience store at Gazos Creek.
The next segment of the ride was a mostly flat run up to Pescadero Beach where we bid goodbye to Roland who was going straight home. Pierre took advantage of Paul's vanpool van. On his southbound run earlier in the day John only got as far as Pigeon Point before a loose cassette lockring forced him to effect a temporary repair and then return to Half Moon Bay. They planned to meet the rest of us at the Half Moon Bay Coffee Company for a well-deserved post-ride meal.
Soon those of us riding back to Half Moon Bay started the final leg north. At the top of first climb out of Pescadero I got ahead of the group and figured they would do fine on their own. I got the idea to have some fun testing the "full power" "boost" or "turbo" mode of my controller on the hills. This mode is only useful to extend the top power end of the controller's operating envelope, maintaining high power at high RPM.
At first I did not want to use this mode as I had destroyed a cruise control when I was testing it on the bench at 36 volts. But, since my bikes operate at 24 volts I felt that I could run this way occasionally when I needed a power boost at high RPM.
In any case the boost mode seems to give a noticeable kick at 24 volts, less at 36 volts, and almost no kick at 48 volts. At the latter voltage the e-bike rides more like a low-powered motorcycle or scooter, rendering a boost mode redundant.
My bench tests revealed that the boost mode also offers a slight efficiency gain, but only when high power (e.g. >500 watts) is drawn. Of course high power usage burns up the watt-hours faster than low-power, so even though efficiency is greater, the battery is drained faster, especially on this occasion as I was riding into a stiff headwind.
In boost mode I was able to cruise the last flat open section of highway into Half Moon Bay at 35 mph (my self-imposed speed limit) with moderate pedaling. With the headwind that required a power draw of about 1000-1100 watts.
I arrived at the Half Moon Bay Coffee Company not too long after Pierre, Paul, and John had arrived. Fifteen minutes later Zach rolled in, then the others individually arrived. Unfortunately, Alan had to return directly home due to a family emergency.
Overall, it was a fun ride with a good group.
†A cruise control that sets effective voltage does not quite maintain speed as motor load increases because phase current limits exist. Where the phase current limit is not binding, a voltage cruise control will maintain speed.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 80.0 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 7810 feet |
| Total Time: | 8:47:28 |
| Riding Time: | 7:28:17 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 10.8 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 48.6 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 653 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 8.1 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 25.3 |
| Max. Current: | 53.8 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 23.4 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1692 kJ (470 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 3536 kJ (982 wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 5228 kJ (1452 wh) |
Old Haul, Gazos Creek, and Johansen Roads, July 1, 2012 - Again I got started late, 1045, and rode one of my usual routes from home to Moody Road, pedaling slowly under my own power for the first hour until I got to the steep climb. My objective for the day was to ride more at an un-assisted bike pace and little more than fast hiking pace on the dirt roads, using the motor only to relieve me of some of the effort.
I was also "breaking in" a CoolMax "Shorty" headsweat that was just a little too small for comfort. By the time I stopped to remove it at the base of the steep Moody climb I had a splitting muscle tension headache from having my head in a "vise" and was not sure that I would continue riding. Laundering these stretches them out enough not to fit too tightly the next time around. Only a few minutes after I took it off my headache was gone and did not return.
I climbed up Moody and Page Mill slowly and continued down Alpine Road, then Portola State Park Road. Fog hung over the hills, but the air was warm underneath. By the time I had started down Old Haul Road intermittent sunshine poked through occasionally.
On my way to the Hoffman Creek Trailhead I passed one family hiking, a couple of mountain bikers riding the other way, and a couple of rangers working on clearing a drainage ditch.
When I got to Hoffman Creek I turned left on Wurr Road and rode around the south side of Memorial Park, joining Pescadero Road in Loma Mar near the store. I continued west on Pescadero Road where I saw a couple groups of cyclists riding the other way who recognized me. I only recognized David Coale. At Butano Cutoff I turned left, then left again at Cloverdale Road.
I rode south on Cloverdale Road past Butano State Park and over the short pass into the Gazos Creek watershed. I turned left on Gazos Creek Road and began my climb to Sandy Point.
It had been several years since I had ridden up Gazos Creek Road, and I had forgotten how pretty this road is.
When I got to the gate marking the end of the pavement I was disappointed to see that it was locked shut. The walk-through gap is too narrow for me to fit my bike, so I had to take off the heavy parts and lift it over.
While I was putting things back together a guy on a cross bike came down Gazos Creek Road. I asked him about the road condition, and he said only that it was steep. It was his first time riding in the area. He had ridden a loop from Pescadero up South Butano Fire Road and back down Gazos Creek Road by way of Big Basin and was the only other cyclist I had seen since Pescadero Road and the only cyclist I'd see that day until I got to Saratoga Gap.
Once I got back on the road and started climbing through the narrow part of the canyon it was clear that the road through the upper canyon had taken a beating. The ballast rock that had been put down several years ago was mostly gone. Large ruts made picking a reasonable path difficult but not impossible.
Just before I got to Sandy Point I stopped to watch a young doe standing on the road ahead. Unusual for a deer, it began to approach me. I took many photos as it took halting steps toward me, ears pricked forward. When it was clear it would approach no further, about 50 feet distant, and I had taken all my photos, I started the motor at a low growl, and all of a sudden it took off into the bushes, almost stumbling in its panic.
When I got to Sandy Point I began to see why Gazos Creek Road was so beaten up in the upper canyon: the Markegard's inholding has furthered its development.
Not only do we have a full-gauge track segment complete with boxcar and caboose—no locomotive, alas—but the latest project appears to be an enormous treehouse suspended some 25 feet above the ground, supported by four adjacent redwood trees. The trunk of one of them appears to pass directly through the structure. I hope they've taken into account that redwood trees are not static pillars. I have no doubt that building codes are being ignored, yet I am curious to see how the treehouse fares over the years, assuming it is allowed to continue. Perhaps someday the compound will be added to Big Basin State Park as a fee-generating attraction, like Sarah Winchester's old house.
Two men working on the treehouse stopped their hootin' and hollerin' long enough to watch me ride by. I, too, gave them something to look at. After I had had my fill of the treehouse, I proceeded to climb up Berry Creek Ridge on Johansen Road.
I had last descended Johansen Road in 2005 and last ascended it in 1992. My memory of the descent was that the road was covered with debris and looked like it hadn't been maintained and that the descent was fairly steep and unbroken. The debris part was somewhat true this time, but the climb occurred in fits and starts with a few short intermediate descents thrown in that I had forgotten.
The road climbs the ridge through a young forest with a few old growth redwoods that had been allowed to stand when the area was logged. Near the top the ridge breaks out into a few clear areas, the last of which appeared to have burned within the last five to ten years. The clear areas afforded nice views to the south of Ben Lomond Mountain. Eagle Rock could just be spotted.
On the last mile of the climb the road turned northward and rose through a dark forest to meet the extension of China Grade Road.
China Grade Road was as bumpy as ever. Although the worst of the potholes had been patched, the asphalt still hid invisible heaves and a couple spots of gravel on the fast lines through the corners. I paused part-way down to admire the view of the fog blowing in over Big Basin, and again when I got a clear shot of Pine Mountain and Hihn Hammond Hill.
Once I got on CA236 I pressed on, trying to stay just ahead of the fog where the sun kept things warm enough that I didn't need to wear any additional clothing. I continued straight on CA9 and ascended at a moderate pace to Saratoga Gap, the fog overtaking me as I climbed. But, I was amazed to see that the fog did not advance across Skyline Blvd. as if forbidden to cross the county line. The sky toward Saratoga was clear blue.
I descended into Saratoga and then rode directly home, where luck had me hitting more red than green traffic lights.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 93.3 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 7660 feet |
| Total Time: | 6:59:19 |
| Riding Time: | 5:49:32 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 16.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 45.1 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 912 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.8 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 36.2 |
| Max. Current: | 53.4 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 20.4 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 5169 kJ (1436 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2363 kJ (656 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2806 kJ (779 wh) |
Pescadero Loop and Allen Road, June 27, 2012 - I intended to ride the Western Wheeler's Wednesday Hills 'R' Us ride that starts at Shoup Park. So, I arrived at Shoup Park just before 1000 and waited while no one showed up.
It had been a while since I had ridden with this group, and although I had checked the route the night before, I was now not sure if perhaps the start of this ride had been moved for some reason. I turned on 3G networking on my phone and checked the web page. The start location was correct, but the time had been moved to 0900!
I immediately got on the bike and proceeded along the route at a speed that I figured would be a bit faster than the group yet would not be too wasteful of battery energy. The riders in the group are usually pretty fast, but groups on hilly rides with regroups are always as slow as the slowest rider. There would be regroups at various places along the way, and if I kept moving I could catch them.
I rode up Page Mill Road at a brisk pace, then paused only long enough to see that it was safe to cross Skyline Blvd. I continued on Alpine Road, down to Pescadero Road, then up over Haskins Hill and down alongside Pescadero Creek. A few miles outside of Pescadero I ran into two riders on the Hills 'R' Us ride, and we paced into Pescadero for lunch. Today most of the group that had started omitted the loop to Pescadero and returned up CA84 after descending Alpine Road. The loss was theirs as weather was beautiful at the coast: no fog.
After lunch I resumed riding later than the others, again playing catch-up over Stage Road and part way up CA84 toward La Honda. I caught the group again near Driscoll Ranch, and we paced each other up to Old La Honda Road, regrouping briefly at Skyline Blvd.
The route took us north on Skyline Blvd., and I decided to leave the group at Skylonda and continue up to Kings Mountain Road.
While I was climbing Skyline Blvd. north of Skylonda I considered that I hadn't ridden Allen Road in many years. Allen Road is an out-and-back road off Bear Gulch Road west of Skyline Blvd. that terminates at La Honda Open Space Preserve.
The last time I had ridden that way, the preserve was open to bikes. Not any longer. Yet, I sneaked in past the gate far enough to get a view of the ocean to the south and west. There are better views further on inside the preserve, but I didn't want to get caught riding my bike there.
So, I turned around and returned up Allen Road, Bear Gulch Road, and continued north on Skyline Blvd. to Kings Mountain Road that I descended without delay. From Woodside I took one of my usual routes home.
At about 2.5 miles from home my battery system shut down. I had intentionally exhausted the battery. While I have tested the battery on the bench I wanted to see what my capacity was when I was using it on the bike. Turns out the capacity is about the same as when I tested it. The battery is about six years old, which is on the older side for a lithium battery. It has about 90% of its original capacity, so it is still usable, but I need to be a little more careful to watch my consumption now so that I don't unintentionally exhaust it on a ride.
I've been thinking about replacing the battery, but I keep hoping that battery technology will make quantum improvements before I really must replace it. I can get a similar "turn-key" battery with only about 20-25% greater energy density than I could six years ago for about the same price. That's disappointing.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 55.2 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 4810 feet |
| Total Time: | 4:05:46 |
| Riding Time: | 3:18:47 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 16.6 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 44.4 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1000 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 731.8 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 13.3 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 29.5 |
| Max. Current: | 71.4 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.7 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2857 kJ (794 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1897 kJ (527 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 960 kJ (267 wh) |
La Honda, June 21, 2012 - My intention was not to ride hard or long but to spin easily on the bike and have some fun, calling upon my stoker liberally.
I left home after I ate lunch and headed through Los Altos and Portola Valley to Old La Honda Road, climbed over Skyline Blvd. and coasted down into the town of La Honda. The weather was comfortable but blustery in Portola Valley. As I climbed Old La Honda I rode up and under a mid-level layer of overcast (fog). As is usual when riding into or under a fog layer, the wind calmed.
The west side of Old La Honda was damp from fog drip under the redwoods. My glasses misted slightly. But, as I broke from the trees the air dried out somewhat.
Road crews have been busy putting down fresh tar patches over the old potholes and rough asphalt. Some of the tar patches had not been rolled adequately, leaving bits of gravel to spray the insides of my fenders as I rode by.
When I got to CA84 I descended into La Honda. The temperature was cold. If the foliage hadn't been so lush I might have thought it was winter.
I turned left on Pescadero Road and continued up Alpine Road, admiring the large redwoods at Heritage Grove as I rode by.
About half way up Alpine Road, one-half mile before reaching Portola State Park Road, I turned right on Camp Pomponio Road, a road that descends an intermediate ridge between Tarwater and Evans Creeks to the old San Mateo County jail deep in the forest near Pescadero Creek at the center of Pescadero Creek County Park.
The jail has been closed for many years, so the road serves primarily as an access to the Tarwater Trailhead in Pescadero Creek County Park.
County road crews have ignored the many potholes, pits, heaves, loose rock, and rough asphalt on this road that sees little use. While descending one must take care to avoid the worst of them. To make up for that, the views (1, 2) one can enjoy while pausing on the descent are spectacular.
Soon I was at the Tarwater Trailhead. Since I found the second gate closed—it is always locked closed now that the jail is no longer in use—I decided to turn around and return to Alpine Road. This gate does not have a convenient walk/ride-around, requiring me to hoist my bike over the gate, and on the bike I was riding that would have been difficult/impossible for me to do.
I returned up the hill as quickly as the road surface allowed and then resumed my climb up Alpine Road, seeing the only cyclist I would encounter the entire time I was west of Skyline Blvd. resting at the dirt siding at Portola State Park Road. I continued up to Skyline and immediately pressed down Page Mill Road.
The descent was going well until I hit the steep part just downhill from Shotgun Bend, where I heard a tell-tale fss-fss-fss! from my rear wheel.
I pulled to the side at the only spot that wasn't tilted to fix my rear flat. Turns out the valve stem failed. The tube had several patches already, so it's possible the stem had been "exercised" too much over its life, weakening the seal around its base. But, since I know I'm careful not to yank sideways on stems when I'm using a pump, I suspect a faulty or especially weak seal. The tube was a Trek/Bontrager.
After fixing my flat I continued down Page Mill with slightly greater caution—one flat tire increases the chance of another soon afterward—fortunately none occurred. I continued straight onto Moody Road and then home into increasingly heavy traffic without further incident.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 86.1 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 8220 feet |
| Total Time: | 9:27:49 |
| Riding Time: | 7:48:23 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 11.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 45.6 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 878 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 10.2 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 34.7 |
| Max. Current: | 37 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.7 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 5105 kJ (1418 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2275 kJ (632 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2830 kJ (786 wh) |
South Butano, Old Haul, Borel Hill, east Alpine, June 16, 2012 - I left home on the late side as I usually like to visit the nearby farmers market on Saturday morning, and that usually precludes an early start.
My route took me up Stevens Canyon where the temperature was already 95F. Deeper in the shady canyon temperatures cooled somewhat but were still hot.
I rode slowly under human power only until I got to the base of Redwood Gulch where I set the cruise control for about 400 watts for the climb.
At CA9 I headed uphill toward Saratoga Gap. Just as I was getting started on the climb I saw Bill Preucel heading downhill, although it took me too long to associate the face with the name. I didn't recognize his jersey. I waved.
As I climbed CA9 I saw other cyclists descending in small clumps. I did not linger at Skyline Blvd. but continued down to Waterman Gap.
Before this ride I swapped wheels, installing a wheel with crossed spoke lacing and a fatter tire, more appropriate for the dirt roads I was planning to ride. The fatter tire on the front made the bike a better mannered in the corners.
I coasted all but a couple of uphill spots on this descent, getting up to around 45mph maximum. At Waterman gap I continued on CA236 through the redwoods and up the ridge that joins with China Grade Road.
The woods were warm, but the sunny areas were hot, especially on the climb up China Grade Road.
At the end of China Grade Road, marked by a large sandstone pillar, the pavement disappears, leaving a dusty dirt road. Most of the traffic on this road is headed to or from Camp Cutter (BSA), but fortunately, I saw no motor traffic while I was on it.
The first junction reached is with Johansen Road heading down to the left to Sandy Point. I kept right, still heading toward Camp Cutter. But less than a mile later the road begins to descend the north side of the ridge. A faint road that almost looks abandoned veers left into the trees. This is South Butano Fire Road. I noticed that someone had recently put up a sign marking the turn.
South Butano Fire Road or South Butano Road descends the ridge west from China Grade, staying on or near the ridge top on its long journey to Cloverdale Road near Butano State Park.
The first few miles of the descent from China Grade are on a poorly-maintained fire trail. Steep in a few places, overgrown in a few others, and occasionally rutted from erosion.
This is one of the few areas one can get many miles from the nearest internal combustion engine (ICE). But, as I was descending I heard the unmistakable rat-tat-tat of a small, poorly-muffled ICE, and it was getting closer!
Shortly a 4-wheel ORV came around the curve. Looked like a dad and young son. Then came another ORV with two boys. They weren't going terribly fast, and we waved at each other, but their presence was unexpected as I usually see few people on the road, and then only mountain bikers.
I continued down the road crossing into Butano State Park, past a low spot on the ridge where a couple of old growth trees had not been felled, then up the short climb to the abandoned airstrip.
I explored the south end of the airstrip that drops off quite steeply before the forest closes in, then rode back up to the north end. The strip itself is not very long. Only a few tenths of a mile, at most. And, it would be unusable today due to the encroaching trees on either side and in a few places in the middle. The airstrip was used during logging days by the lumber barons inspecting their holdings.
I rested under the only tree casting usable shade near the trail crossing while I ate a snack and chatted with another biker who had ridden up from the west and wanted to know what the road was like further up. Dad and the boys on the ORVs came by the other way while we chatted. I was happier seeing them go by then than having them overtake me while I'm on the road.
After a few minutes we went our own ways, he eastward to Olmo Trail, and I westward to Cloverdale Road. The descent from the airstrip is one of the nicest descents on a dirt road, especially considering that the road traverses a ridgetop. The grade is a nice, gradual 5-7% most of the way, becoming less steep as it re-enters the cooler forest a few miles from its western end. The road surface is crushed sandstone that is only too deep for comfort in a few spots that are easy to avoid.
Near the bottom the road becomes a rutted dual-track with rather deep ruts in a few places. Years ago when cattle were run in the area the road surface was pock-marked with dried mud cattle hoof imprints, making for bumpy riding. Now the hazard is dried mud trenches, whether from erosion or knobby tire use, I'm not sure. Periodically the center and sides of the road were splashed with Birdsfoot trefoil.
Once out on Cloverdale Road I headed north with the aid of a light tailwind to Butano Cutoff Road and Pescadero Road. I stopped for a snack break at the Loma Mar Store. Something salty, potato chips, hit the spot.
I continued on Wurr Road, a short residential road that parallels Pescadero Road on the south side of Memorial Park. Wurr Road took me to the Hoffman Flat trailhead of Old Haul Road.
I figured since the bike was already covered with dust I'd take another dirt road on my way home. Distance and climbing would be similar to climbing over Haskins Hill and west Alpine Road.
I rode Old Haul Road all the way to its bitter end at the southeast gate bordering Redtree Properties, who have in the past made clear their dislike of bicyclists using their roads.
On my way east I overtook a few groups of hikers, most of them near Hoffman Flat, including what looked like a ranger driving a golf cart-like vehicle carrying someone with crutches going the other way.
Closer to the southeast end I overtook a large group of hikers who insisted on my stopping so they could take my photo. I obliged them.
After inspecting the southeast gate I returned to the access road into Portola State Park, descended past the abandoned ranger's residences, rode across the new Bailey bridge, and up to the Park HQ building, where I filled up on water at the fountain out front.
As I planned to take a few more dirt roads and wanted to have time to do that I pressed on up Portola State Park Road and Alpine Road a little faster than my current average speed so that I could get home before dark.
At the top of Alpine Road I turned left and entered Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve and climbed the road to the ridge trail, aiming for the summit of Borel Hill, not quite the highest point on my ride at 2572ft. (Saratoga Gap is a few feet higher.)
After enjoying the view and eating another snack I descended the ridge trail to Skyline Blvd. then took Clouds Rest to the Meadow Trail through Coal Creek Open Space Preserve, eventually meeting up with Alpine Road, the dirt part.
Alpine Road is hardly a road now, mostly overgrown, and washed out in a few places. At best it's a wide trail. Aside from a fallen tree on the bypass trail, Alpine Road is about as passable as it was the last time I had taken it several years ago. I see that the ballast rock that had been freshly laid down on the lower section of road on my last trip has now been mostly pressed into the dirt, although some was still loose on top.
When I got to the paved part I coasted down the rest of the way, enjoying the shade along Corte Madera Creek. After the stopsign at Portola Road I coasted as I usually do all the way to I-280, dropping down to a minimum of about 20mph just past Ladera before stopping at the stopsign at I-280.
My route home from there took the usual roads, and I finished not long before 2000.
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 18.7 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 70 feet |
| Total Time: | 6:39:36 |
| Riding Time: | 1:02:07 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 18.1 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 35.9 mph |
Visit to Palo Alto, June 10, 2012 - I rode from home to Palo Alto to attend the Sequoia Century Worker's Picnic at Mitchell Park, and to visit friends and family. This was primarily a transportation ride in lieu of driving an automobile. I rode easily, spinning the pedals lightly and without guilt let the motor do most of the work.
On my trip home after dark I felt more comfortable cruising at 25mph on an unlit Central Expressway, even though I have a good light on the front. Fate confirmed that the speed was right as I hit all green lights without breaking cruise.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 128.6 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 11050 feet |
| Total Time: | 11:01:59 |
| Riding Time: | 8:32:59 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 15.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 46.7 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1370 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1329 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 10.3 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 53.2 |
| Max. Current: | 57 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.1 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 7430 kJ (2064 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 3445 kJ (957 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 3985 kJ (1107 wh) |
Sequoia Century 200k Route, June 9, 2012 - Instead of riding extra city miles to Gunn High School for the official start, I started from home and rode directly to Saratoga and up CA9 to Skyline, joining the official route where CA9 meets Redwood Gulch Road.
I rode as far as Sanborn Road before I used the motor, which meant I was riding slowly for the first 11 miles. On the climb up to Skyline I dialed in about 300 watts of assistance, which means I was getting about 220 watts of motor power at the rear wheel plus 130-150 watts of me to haul my 300 lbs of bike and body up the hill. Climbing speed was 7-7.5 mph. A few cyclists passed me on the climb. As I had a long day ahead, I didn't take the bait.
As I didn't need refreshment and was running a little behind schedule I continued south on CA9 toward Boulder Creek. Shortly after I started the descent I was overtaken by a go-fast bunch that included Bill Preucel. I let them go ahead as I didn't want to work hard on the descent, but gravity allowed me to catch up and pass a few of them when the downgrade steepened.
Soon we were all bunched behind the cautious driver of a Corolla who couldn't bring himself to pull aside to let the group by. Given where the driver applied his brakes it almost seemed as if he intended to slow us down.
At the short up-grade before Waterman Gap I managed to squeeze by the group, and on the down-grade before the stopsign the Corolla driver finally found a nice wide paved turnout that he liked.
I pressed ahead of the Corolla down CA9 after the stopsign, taking care at the decreasing-radius hairpin right-hand curve, then enjoyed the rollers down into Boulder Creek where the go-fast group caught up to me again near Redwood School before they stopped for a break at Rainbow's End. They were planning to return up Bear Creek Road to Skyline Blvd. From Boulder Creek I rode in the other direction up West Park Drive as far as I could, then rejoined CA236.
I noticed that my phone had downloaded email somewhere along the ride. I turn off 3G networking to save batteries, so perhaps Rainbow's End has an open WiFi network. I must have been stopped just long enough to connect and download.
While climbing CA236 I found myself reading (but not replying to) my email messages. The shade of the trees prevented glare on the screen, traffic was light, and I was climbing slowly enough to make this activity not unsafe.
At China Grade Road I turned right and proceeded slowly up the easy part, stopping a couple of times as I tried to capture the mood of the place in a photo. After I crossed the bridge over Boulder Creek, I kicked in the motor, this time for around 400 watts, or about 300 watts to the rear wheel.
On my way up to CA236 I overtook Steve Prothero and Linda Vanderhule. We rode together until we reached the top of CA236 and started the descent to Waterman Gap. At Waterman Gap I continued up CA9 at a moderately fast pace, overtaking a few more riders on the Sequoia Worker's Ride: Martha Landis and Angeline Tan, Gene Kiernan, Mike Harding, Rao Loka, and Thomas Maslen. Near the top of the climb to Skyline Blvd. I saw Clark Foy riding the other way, and I wondered what climbs he might have on his agenda. Turns out his agenda was enjoyment of the ride and not speed.
After relaxing for a while and munching cookies at the amply supplied rest stop, I continued north on CA35 to Alpine Road, then descended Alpine Road into La Honda where lunch was set up next to the market.
I ate too much food and had to lollygag for an extra 20 minutes before resuming my ride to San Gregorio where the wind was blowing fiercely into my face.
I turned left on Stage Road, the wind at my back for most of the trip to Pescadero. The road was lined in many places with the invasive Birdsfoot trefoil as if someone had sprinkled the seeds out of a passing car window. Nearer to Pescadero I saw Thomas Maslen and a few others riding northbound.
At Pescadero Road I turned right and then left on Bean Hollow Road, climbing the hill past the local landfill and the Bay City Flower Co. before descending down to CA1 near Bean Hollow State Beach. The strong wind blowing off the ocean was almost chilly enough for me to want to put on another layer.
I turned right and began my ride north into the wind. I rode slowly to conserve battery energy and because I did not want the gusty wind to blow me off the road.
At CA84 I turned right. At Stage Road I turned left where a sheriff's deputy had pulled over a motorcyclist.
The descent to Tunitas Creek was probably as slow as I've ever experienced into the headwind, and when I turned right onto Tunitas Creek Road I was happy to be off the coast highway and onto a quieter road. I saw only one other cyclist on the entire climb.
I started the climb at 1620 and figured that if the rest stop at the top of Tunitas Creek Road was being staffed, it would only be until 1700. So, I used moderate motor power for the entire climb, reaching the top at about 1700 where David Kamp had just packed everything up and was ready to leave when I arrived.
I ate a few more cookies and downed a couple of V8's before starting down Kings Mountain Road and heading home. When I got home I had only 40 watt-hours left in the tank. The climbing and the wind had taken its toll. It was good that I didn't try to ride too fast.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Link to: | Strava |
| Distance: | 83.2 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 7580 feet |
| Total Time: | 6:57:39 |
| Driving Time: | 3:07:17 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 26.7 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 55 mph |
Sequoia Century SAG, June 3, 2012 - I drove SAG on the Sequoia Century and managed to take a few photos while I was at the rest stops on my route or while driving.
My route took me from SAG HQ out to La Honda via the most direct path, then out to The Bike Hut on Tunitas Creek Road and back to La Honda before heading up Tunitas Creek Road, backtracking once part-way back down, then forward again to the finish.
I helped a couple of people by the road with my floor pump and by supplying them with water. Later I SAGged one person from The Bike Hut to the top of Tunitas Creek Road, and a couple from the top of Tunitas Creek Road back to the finish.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 78.7 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 7480 feet |
| Total Time: | 4:45:01 |
| Riding Time: | 4:25:26 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 17.7 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 46.7 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 859 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 10.9 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 34.5 |
| Max. Current: | 57 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Total energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 3972 kJ (1103 wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2226 kJ (618 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1746 kJ (485 wh) |
San Gregorio, June 2, 2012 - I wasn't able to get out for a ride until later in the afternoon. Because of my SAG duties for the Sequoia Century the next day, I had only today to get in a good ride.
After I left home I got all the way to Sand Hill Road and Saga Lane before I used the motor. Usually I try to ride the first 10% or until I get to the first big hill under pedal power only.
The weather was warm on the bay side of the hills, but as I climbed Kings Mountain Road the air cooled. I saw a group of cyclists who looked familiar at Tripp Road, but I didn't stop to chat. I set the cruise control to max throttle, but geared the bike so that I was spinning a comfortable 90 RPM. This drew about 500-600 watts from the battery, and was probably good for a little more than that at the rear wheel, taking into account efficiency losses in the motor that are more than made up for by my pedaling.
When I got to Skyline Blvd. I put on my long sleeves and continued down Tunitas Creek Road, veering off onto Lobitos Creek Road when a moment before I hadn't recalled riding east to west on it in a long time. I stopped along here to photograph the abundant yellow lupine bushes by the road, and to watch a fawn venture out onto the road.
From Lobitos I took Lobitos Cutoff Road back to Tunitas Creek Road, then continued past the Bike Hut to CA1. I then headed south and up into the fog, then down Stage Road to CA84. I decided not to go to Pescadero as the fog was cold and damp and nearly at ground level.
As I turned my sights eastward again I could see sunshine warming the land not too far off. For the first several miles from the coast a robust tailwind pushed me along, so I didn't need to use the motor too much.
When I got to La Honda I turned right onto Pescadero Road and continued on Alpine Road. On my way up Alpine Road near Camp Pomponio Road I passed someone who bore a striking resemblance to Tom Ritchey. I didn't get a good look, but I did manage to say, "Hi!" to the him, the only other cyclist I saw on Alpine Road.
I pressed on to Skyline Blvd. without stopping, then rode south to CA9 and down into Saratoga and then home. Somewhere along Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road someone on the sidewalk called out my name, but I when I looked, I couldn't see who it was. I was already too far down the road.
It was a good ride and workout. My legs are tired. Probably all the spinning. I rode fast, partly because I started late, but also because it was cool most of the time, and I wanted to keep warm without putting on and taking off clothing.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 93.3 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 6300 feet |
| Total Time: | 7:11:51 |
| Riding Time: | 5:55:30 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 15.7 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 40.4 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 827 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 8.9 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 33 |
| Max. Current: | 62 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) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 2144 kJ (596 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2002 kJ (556 wh) |
Mount Umunhum and the Reservoirs, May 28, 2012 - After spending the last week indoors suffering with the flu I managed to get out on the last day of Memorial Day weekend. My goal was to head south around The Reservoirs since I hadn't been that way in a while, but I had no definite plan. I didn't want to get chilled, so I decided not to go to the coast, choosing instead one of the warmest areas I could ride to from home.
I rode south on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road toward Saratoga, continuing at CA9 toward Los Gatos. I hadn't used the motor by the time I got to the short uphill after crossing CA17, but when I pressed the throttle I got an anemic response from the motor.
In the future, even if I plan to ride the first 10-15 miles without using the motor I should at least check that it works properly before I hit the first steep uphill.
After turning left onto Los Gatos Blvd. and right onto Kennedy Road, I pulled over to debug the system. Wires all seemed to be connected, the battery was connected directly and not through the soft-start resistor, speedometer was working correctly. I had power at low speed but the motor quit at higher speed. What could be the problem?
I thought about it for a few minutes and was almost out of ideas when I remembered the speed limit switch. It was set to "1", which limited the throttle to something like 35%. I checked, and it was in position "1". After flipping it to "3" everything worked normally. Whew!
I continued up Kennedy Road, down to Shannon, then at Hicks I paused for a moment. I could turn left and take the suburban route through Almaden to McKean Road or I could take the harder but more interesting route over Hicks that avoided city traffic. I chose the latter.
Hicks Road climbs in fits and starts alongside Guadalupe Creek, making a steep pitch up to the dam holding back Guadalupe Reservoir, and again for a longer distance as it climbs steeply to the top of Jacques Ridge.
I stopped at the junction with Mt. Umunhum Road and again considered that I hadn't been up this way in a while, and, well, here I was, might as well continue up as far as I can. What was to be a convalescing ride was starting with quite a bit of climbing.
I had hardly started up Mt. Umunhum Road when I saw a guy riding a unicycle down the hill. One doesn't see that every day.
I continued up the road. Signs warned of truck traffic, probably connected to the cleanup and refurbishment of the summit area that has been waiting for almost 30 years for public access—(It's about time!)
I saw a few cyclists and hikers on the road. A few cars passed me on the way up, and I saw them parked by the road before the gate at the half-way point.
I squeezed through the bypass and continued up the road that was in poorer shape than the lower section. Large potholes were left unfilled, frost heaves had become ridges in places, and rocks and gravel were a frequent sight.
Eventually, I got to the ridge and could see the view down to Santa Cruz and points south and west. But, not much further I arrived at a gate whose owner had taken pains to keep out the curious with many unwelcoming signs, Klieg lights, a video camera, and other fortifications.
I decided to turn back at this point and on the downhill to test my new front tire (Schwalbe Stelvio 28-406) to see if I could get the rim hot enough to blow it off. The weather was comfortably in the low-70's, but even so I got the rim hotter than 150C. Yet, the tire did not blow. I was impressed.
I continued down the south side of Hicks Road to Almaden Reservoir. At the bottom I met up with a couple who were out riding and who lived in the area and rode frequently. We talked for a while about the roads and various routes into the mountains. After our chat they began their climb up Hicks Road and I continued down through New Almaden.
I turned right on McKean Road and headed southeast with the help of a nice tailwind that I knew I would be fighting on the return trip. I rode using minimal motor, which means I only used it on the climbs, and then only after slowing down.
At Oak Glen I turned left and rode around Chesbro Reservoir, then through the ranchettes of Morgan Hill. At Sycamore Road I turned right and climbed over the ridge and down to Watsonville Road.
At Watsonville Road I turned right, then again right on Uvas Road and started my long trip home.
Memories of my first ride in the area were on my mind: hot temperatures, strong headwind, running out of water. I feathered the throttle as I rode along Uvas Reservoir. The headwind wasn't too strong yet, but I didn't want to run short today as I was starting to get tired, the climb up the mountain earlier had drained my reserves.
I started using the motor more as I climbed the short hills north of Uvas Reservoir. By the time I got back to Calero Reservoir the wind was howling, but I fought back with a heavier thumb on the throttle.
On Almaden Expressway and Camden Road I was no longer conserving battery energy. Up and over the Camden Hill, up and over Shannon Road. By the time I got back to Los Gatos I knew I'd have energy to spare before I got home, so I rode as quickly as prudence allowed, up CA9 to Quito, then Quito down to Lawrence Expressway and north to Reed and eventually home.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 155.0 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 8090 feet |
| Total Time: | 13:00:35 |
| Riding Time: | 9:41:04 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 16.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 41.1 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1450 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1306 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 8.4 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 53.2 |
| Max. Current: | 69 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 21.7 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 3386 kJ (941 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Link to: | Strava, Part 1 |
| Link to: | Strava, Part 2 |
| Link to: | Strava, Part 3 |
Mount Tamalpais, May 19, 2012 - After running into "Bill" on Mt. Diablo last weekend and hearing his plan to ride the Triple Threat in June, all three of Mt. Hamilton, Mt Diablo, and Mt. Tamalpais in one day, using public transportation to get between the bases of the climbs, I thought I'd try something in a similar spirit. This would also fill out my "heat map" of the bay area, showing areas I usually ride. I'd give myself a day for each climb, but I'd do each of them from home.
So, with that goal in mind I set out on the longest ride of the three yet the least lofty of the three summits.
I left early in the morning so that I could take advantage of light traffic on the most direct and least-hilly route into San Francisco: El Camino Real, then Bayshore Blvd. and Third Street. My goal was to pedal under my own power until I reached SF. That should leave me enough in the tank for the major climbs and to have some left for the hillier trip home.
It had been a long time since I'd ridden my bike to or through San Francisco. Riding up El Camino Real allowed me to ride through the old part of each city on the Peninsula, and to see each town from a pace and perspective different from that seen from the freeway.
As I rode northward the cities seemed more preserved in the sense that new development and in-fill had not occurred on the same scale as for cities to the south. E.g. Downtown San Bruno on San Mateo Avenue looked much as it did 30 years ago.
I hit my first "major" hill on Airport Blvd. climbing over the shoulder of San Bruno Mountain into Brisbane. The second hill up to Guadalupe Parkway took similar effort. I knew I had one more hill to surmount where Bayshore Blvd. crosses US-101. I finally gave in and used the motor for the first time on the last block of this steeper hill, even though the adjacent light-rail tracks suggested that the grade could not be too severe.
I descended into The Bayview and continued on past India Basin, arriving at the Third Street Bridge near AT&T Ballpark where early arriving fans were already queued at the O'Doul Gate to enter the stadium for the day's game.
I turned right on King Street and proceeded to The Embarcadero, taking the perimeter route around the northeast of the city, past the Ferry Building, the Aquatic Park Bathhouse Building, Fort Mason, Marina Blvd. and Crissy Field, to the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Not having ridden recently through San Francisco I had forgotten about the crowds and some cyclists' appalling disregard for traffic signals. While I stopped and waited with traffic at each red light, cyclists who looked to be out for their workout blasted past, swerving around pedestrians with the right-of-way and other obstacles in their path.
Perhaps I have been spoiled living in the south bay where reasonably uncrowded cycling roads can be found in any direction, where extending common road courtesy to others does not impinge on one's riding enjoyment. Yet if I lived in the city perhaps I might find myself impatient when faced with the prospect of "idiots" getting in my way on one of the few reasonable routes to the countryside.
My goal was to get through the city safely and at a speed that would allow me to play sight-seeing tourist, so I did not mind stopping as required. I didn't want a mishap to mar the day.
So, I thought I had seen it all by the time I got to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was an ominous sign that the bike path to the west walkway was gated off and closed. When I got to the plaza in front of the visitors center, it was clear that everyone would be sharing the east walkway, bikes and peds alike. This wound be fun.
The day was sunny, cool, and slightly breezy. Tourists were on rental bikes and on foot crossing the bridge. Mixed in were the weekend warriors on their way to Marin County for their ride.
To my surprise the tourists on bikes were the most careful and courteous. Tourists on foot less so, often walking two or three abreast, allowing only enough space for one bicyclist to pass on the inside. Still I did not feel it necessary to call out and startle them, waiting until opposite bicycle traffic had cleared before passing.
The rudest again were the weekend warriors who pushed past anyone as soon as a momentary opening was found, swerving around pedestrians and cycle tourists alike. Yet through all of this collisions were avoided, even though at times I was sure I would brush bars with someone riding the other way.
At the north end of the path tourist traffic at the vista point still had to be avoided, but once I was out onto Alexander Drive, I could enjoy an open road again.
I descended into Sausalito, through the thick part of town, up over the Bridgeway hump and down to the Mill Valley bike path. But, before I could reach the path I felt my rear tire go soft.
As I had been moving since I left home, getting out of the bike and walking around was a welcome change, so I did not mind the delay. A convenient park bench made the work more comfortable.
After the flat repair I continued on the bike path alongside Richardson Bay. At Blithedale Road I turned left, then right on Camino Alto and climbed the low ridge over to Corte Madera.
On the twisty descent into Corte Madera I imagined that my rear felt squishy again, yet I could still feel road bumps. But, as I neared Larkspur I could no longer mistake the squishy rear end feeling of a tire slowly losing air, again! So, I pulled over to work on it, my frustration rising slightly with the additional unwanted delay.
When I had flatted on CA17 last Monday I ran my fingers along the inside of the tire to check for sharps still embedded in the rubber. But, I had neglected to remove the substantial shard of glass that was completely loose inside the tire and was plainly visible if I had taken the time to look.
Under the circumstances and location (shoulder of CA17) of that flat repair I could forgive myself for not being as thorough then. What was less forgiveable was not noticing the glass still rolling around inside the tire before I inserted a new tube in Sausalito.
I dumped the glass out where it wouldn't puncture another tire, put in a new tube and was about to be on my way when one of several people to walk past, stopped to ask about my bike.
Bernard Catalinotto had been a cartographer for Thomas Brothers before Google, Garmin, Trimble, and others put them out of business. His new business, MyMapbook, offers local free printed maps of various communities, paid for by advertising. The maps were good quality, and in the style of the Thomas Brothers map books. He gave me a copy of the Southern Marin Community Map Book he happened to be carrying with him.
He asked me how I liked riding in Marin, and I told him it was very scenic but also very crowded as there was really only one route through southern Marin from the bridge, so everyone out riding a bike from SF is on that route. That that one route is also shared most of the way with local traffic on local streets with frequent traffic signals makes the going somewhat tedious. I can see why regular weekend warriors might ignore some of the lesser stopsigns. The sheriff's stopsign patrols must have easy pickings in Marin County.
I finally got moving again, passed through Larkspur, Kentfield, Ross, San Anselmo, and Fairfax. Once I got through Fairfax I tried to make up for some lost time, climbing up to Pine Mountain Summit without further delay, dilly-dallying, or lollygagging.
I slowed a bit on the twists and turns around Alpine Lake, stopping to take some photos near the dam, then pressed up the main ridge to Ridgecrest Road. I did not see as many cyclists out as I expected. The day was perfect cycling weather: sunny and warm with a hint of cool dampness.
At Ridgecrest I headed southeast on the ridge, the mostly-uphill direction, stopping at a small turnout near the top to enjoy the view down to Stinson Beach and Bolinas Lagoon. The photos were washed out and hazy, so I didn't use them in the album.
At Pan Toll Road I kept to the ridge and continued up over the shoulder of the west summit and through the dips to the East Peak Parking Area where I stopped for a break. I made a mental note to look for available 120-volt outlets for plugging in a charger, but I found none. There was a Coke machine in front of the snack bar, and I suppose there must have been an outlet behind it, but it would have been difficult to reach. There were no outlets in the men's room.
Shortly after 1500 I began my ride down the mountain. My next goal was to descend to the main square in Mill Valley and eat a late lunch/early dinner. Bernard recommended the Depot Cafe on the main square. The food was good, but hungry cyclists would do well to bring a $20 bill with them.
A musical band was just cleaning up after performance in the square. I asked one of their techs where they were getting power, and he showed me the two junction boxes in the planters. This would be nice to know in case I make the trip again with fewer batteries and wish to charge up before returning.
Although I brought a charger with me on this trip, the longest I have ridden on my hybrid e-bikes, I did not use it. Setting it up would have taken extra time, and I would have gotten only about 6 Ah while I was stopped for lunch unless I had decided to wait longer for the sake of charging.
AC outlets are not too common on the exterior of most public buildings. I had done well to "bank" my energy on the first 35 miles of the ride that was not too hilly.
After I finished lunch I continued down Miller Ave., onto the bike path into Sausalito, through the crowded downtown, onto Alexander Drive, and up to the Bridge.
The east walkway was even more crowded now than it was in the morning. And, I also had more gusty wind to deal with. I rode more slowly and was happy to exit the walkway on the south side.
My trip home would take the western route around San Francisco. I continued down Lincoln Blvd. but instead of continuing through Seacliff toward Lands End I headed south on 25th Ave. and into Golden Gate Park.
At one point I misread a sign that I thought said MLK Drive was closed to traffic. Turns out it would be closed the next day for Bay-to-Breakers, but by then I had already committed myself and didn't want to backtrack to JFK Drive.
I exited Golden Gate Park to Lincoln Way and went downhill toward the ocean. The Great Highway was closed, but I was able to ride under the barrier without getting off the bike and enjoyed a quiet road, like Bicycle Sunday on Canada Road, as far as Sloat Blvd.
I continued south on Skyline Blvd. through Daly City, past the little boxes on the hillside where the San Andreas makes its southernmost contact with the Pacific Ocean.
I continued south and up the long climb to CA1, through the interchange that looks scarier than it is, traffic is usually light on a weekend, and on south through San Bruno, Hillsborough, and San Mateo. At Crystal Springs Road I had to detour down the hill to Polhemus then the Ralston Ave. bike path over I-280 and down to Canada Road.
I then pressed home on familiar roads, arriving home near sunset at quarter past eight o'clock, with what is likely to be my longest ride of the year "in the bag".
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 112.3 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 9700 feet |
| Total Time: | 8:48:39 |
| Riding Time: | 6:35:25 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 16.5 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 42 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1450 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1323 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 12.1 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 55.5 |
| Max. Current: | 64 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 17.8 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 3429 kJ (953 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 3778 kJ (1049 wh) |
Tour of California, Stage Two, May 14, 2012 - My plan was to ride over to the coast and join the route for Stage 2 of the Tour of California somewhere near Pescadero about an hour before the race caravan was scheduled to pass. That plan worked out well.
On the climb up Page Mill Road I had almost turned back when my controller started shutting down without explanation. I managed to get it working again, but it shut off a couple more times. I checked the wiring and connectors and resolved to turn around (to avoid getting stranded on the wrong side of a hill) if it acted up once more before I reached the high point on west Alpine Road. Everything continued to work, so I pressed on down the west side.
I had no further controller problems for a long time, so I assumed that cleared whatever error existed before. But, later on CA1 I had another power loss, and again after a descent while I was not using the motor. These were all nuisances, although in the back of my head I was worried that the malfunction might be a sign of imminent permanent failure, leaving me to climb a long hill un-aided, something I had already done this year and did not want to do again.
While I descended west Alpine Road I saw a few cyclists ascending—I rarely see other cyclists out west of Skyline Blvd. during the week. I continued without pause up Haskins Hill on Pescadero Road and down the west side, past Pescadero itself, then south on Bean Hollow Road, reaching CA1 just before noon, about an hour before the arrival of the race caravan.
I continued south on CA1 into an atypical headwind past Pigeon Point, Anu Nuevo, Waddell State Beach, and Davenport. I kept my speed to 20 mph, worrying at first that I might not reach my planned spectating spot before the race but then remembering that if I had to suffer headwinds, so did the racers. The slower pace meant that I ended up doing more work, too, since my pedaling contribution is generally independent of speed.
More cyclists were out riding along the coast than usual, and a few had set up base camp along the highway, complete with deck chairs and refreshments.
At Bonny Doon Road the CHP (highway patrol) had blocked northbound travel on CA1. The race caravan could not have been too far behind. I turned left and started up the climb. Spectators gathered in turnouts by the road. Some of them cheered me on. A few yelled words of encouragement. Children pointed and stared as children are wont to do—"It's a banana bike!" Some spectators after hearing suspicious noises from my bike as I rode by, expressed dismay at my having undeservedly received their encouragement moments earlier. Fortunately, I was out of brickbat range by then.
A few spectators who had ridden to see the race, found me an attractive target. Others had brought children by bike and trailer.
After crossing the KOM on Empire Grade Road I descended toward Alba Road and then pressed on up over the top of Ben Lomond Mountain past the state Conservation Camp, then down again to Jamison Creek Road.
Jamison Creek Road is still bumpy and hazardous. Some of the potholes have been patched with what looks like tar with loose gravel on top. I took it easy on the upper descent, noting that some spectators had set themselves up in the "runaway cyclist zone".
At the fire station at the bottom of Jamison Creek Road a small crowd had gathered in anticipation of the race's arrival. I turned right and began the gradual descent into Boulder Creek without worrying about overtaking auto traffic.
In Boulder Creek a large crowd had gathered at the intersection of CA236 and CA9. While riding the race course ahead of the race had a disadvantage of being somewhat hurried—I couldn't afford to stop for an extended break if I wanted to stay ahead of the race, it did give me an open road as the course was closed to all but residential traffic and spectators on foot or bike. Drivers in a hurry had found other routes. I also observed that many residents and families had taken the day off work to set up camps at the ends of their driveways to enjoy the spectacle.
At Bear Creek Road I turned right and began a gradual climb alongside Bear Creek. After crossing Bear Creek for the last time the road began the main climb. This was one of the few occasions I could do this climb without worrying about impatient overtaking traffic. Bear Creek Road is the main commute route between Boulder Creek and the south bay area and on a weekday is usually busy.
As I heaved myself up to the Bear Creek KOM the crowd beside and on the road thickened—I slowed down to crawl under the banner then continued on. My destination was a local maximum on Summit Road below Wozniak's llamas, where I found just enough room to park my machine out of the way.
I had about ten minutes to get out of the bike (for the first time that day) and get my camera ready before the first of several CHP motorcycle brigades came roaring by. Twenty minutes later the race leaders came by. Less than an hour later, the broom wagon passed, and that was all. Those of us spectating at that point said our goodbyes, and we went our separate ways.
I continued south on Summit Road, stopped at a small park at the top of Redwood Estates to get some water, then descended the steep and narrow way through Redwood Estates, taking Madrone Road down to Old Santa Cruz Highway after crossing under CA17. I had never before taken the continuation of Madrone below CA17. I turned left on Old Santa Cruz Highway, then descended CA17 into Los Gatos.
Just after I passed The Cats I heard a suspicious "pfss-pfss-pfss" sound reflecting off the barrier sidewall. Sounded like my rear tire losing air. I slowed down and managed to stop before losing all lateral control in the rear. This was my first flat tire in many miles. And what an inconvenient location!
The shoulder was eight feet wide, at least, but it still felt narrow with cars and trucks whizzing past at 55+ mph. I was happy to be wearing earplugs. I thought briefly of walking the bike across the two lanes and up the Santa Cruz Ave. exit so that I could make repairs in relative peace and quiet, but decided against that because my bike is heavy and awkward to walk with quickly—I could only see about 4 seconds up the road, so I could only assume a break afforded me that much time to cross. A flat tire would only make walking it slower. There was some danger by lingering in the shoulder but much less, I felt, than trying to make a dash with a heavy bike with a flat tire across lanes of traffic. I left my tail light on and visible from the rear while I worked on the wheel, replacing the tube after checking that the inside of the tire was free from whatever caused the original puncture.
Once I got everything back together again, I did decide to motor across the lanes and onto Santa Cruz Ave. once I saw a break in traffic. That could be done well within 4 seconds.
The last challenge to overcome was the ride home from Los Gatos, up CA9 to Saratoga then north on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road into a headwind, rush-hour traffic, and past a couple of fender-benders blocking traffic.
Having not quite recovered from my long ride on Saturday, I was ready to be home, showered, fed, and rested.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 141.2 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 8100 feet |
| Total Time: | 10:51:08 |
| Riding Time: | 8:42:47 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 16.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 43.1 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1450 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1320.2 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.4 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 52.9 |
| Max. Current: | 74 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 21.9 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 3422 kJ (951 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 3896 kJ (1082 wh) |
Mount Diablo from Home, May 12, 2012 - Earlier in the week I had been talking with Steve Prothero about riding from home to Mt. Diablo, climbing the mountain, and returning home, all by bike. We both concluded that such a ride would include too much urban and suburban riding to be much fun. But, the idea took hold in my head. I had ridden similar routes twenty years ago before all of the Tri-Valley cities became contiguous. Would such a ride be as bearable now as it was then?
I had intended to get an early start, perhaps as early as 0600, but even though I rose from slumber at 0500 I did not get started until shortly after 0800. Still, this was earlier than my usual 0930 or 1000 start.
My hope was to meet up with the Western Wheelers LDT ride up Mount Diablo. As it turns out I did not arrive at the starting area for that ride until after 1100. At best I might see a few descending as I climbed.
My route took me across northern San Jose on the usual Central Expressway -> Trimble Road -> Montague Expressway. On Trimble Road I met up with Daryl Spano who was riding to the start of a group ride in Fremont. We rode together as far as the base of the Calaveras climb, and I got to show him a route that avoids the I-680 on/off ramps and minimizes distance and climbing, not that he would worry about such details, but of which I am acutely aware when I pedal without assistance my fully-loaded machine.
On the climb up Calaveras Road I dialed in the cruise control to about 300 watts that yields about 220 watts at the wheel plus my own pedaling, about 150 watts. This gives me a climbing speed that is a little faster than most cyclists who ride without competitive spirit.
Many cyclists were out enjoying the warm weather on Calaveras Road, including one large group going the other way.
In Sunol I turned north toward Pleasanton and rode through downtown Pleasanton. My study of the map the day before revealed that the optimal (shortest) route to Mount Diablo took Hopyard to Dougherty Road. According to the map Hopyard became Division Road near downtown. I rode up Main Street but saw no "Division". I knew that if I reached Valley Blvd., I had gone too far and that I should turn left on Valley, which I did. (When I got home I saw that "Division Road" changes names yet again to "St. Mary's Road" before connecting with Main Street, but I had not zoomed the map enough to see that detail.)
After pedaling what seemed longer than it ought to have been along Valley Blvd., I reached Hopyard Road, turned right, and continued north across I-580 and onto Dougherty Road.
It had been many years since I had ridden Dougherty Road. The last time I had come this way Dougherty was a two-lane country road, but now the entire way was lined with new subdivisions. Lax lending practices of the previous 10 years had fueled a manic building boom, converting open ranchland into sprawling, auto-centric, cookie-cutter subdivisions, a massive misallocation of wealth given the increasing price of transportation energy. Even the alignment of the old Dougherty Road had been changed, the new road, a broad four-lane affair with landscaped center strip and manicured lawns on either side, being routed in an arc to the east before rejoining the old alignment just south of Crow Canyon Road. Fortunately traffic was not heavy, and the road shoulder/bike lane was sufficiently wide.
At Mt. Diablo Scenic Blvd. I turned right and began the long climb up the mountain. I saw many cyclists on Mount Diablo, more than anywhere else on my ride. Some were riding slowly, others quickly, and still others alternated unpredictably between fast and slow.
I relaxed at the summit for about half and hour. Like an interesting dog at the end of a leash, my bike is a conversation starter. Without fail the first question most people ask is if it charges the battery while I ride or coast down hill. (Neither.) I then explain why: I don't have enough leg to charge the battery and move the bike forward, and regenerative braking nets only 10-15% return, at best, but requires extra hardware that makes carrying 10-15% more battery the more practical solution. The second-most frequently asked question is how fast does it go. The answer to that is a small research project for the reader.
I asked a guy, also named "Bill", if he could take a photo of me and my bike as I don't get too many opportunities, other than the usual distorted self-portraits. Bill had taken BART from San Francisco to Walnut Creek before starting his ride. He was getting ready to ride the Triple Threat in June and has not yet ridden up Mt. Hamilton. He should have a treat as it looks like they will be climbing Mt. Hamilton at sunrise.
I had noticed that as I climbed Diablo the temperature did not seem to cool, as I would have expected given the elevation rise. As I descended I noticed that the temperature increased from the low-80's F to about 90F by the time I got to the bottom in Walnut Creek.
My route took me to Ygnacio Valley Road, over the hill past John Muir Medical Center and down into the central business district. I turned left onto Civic Drive and again onto California Blvd. It was lunchtime, so I stopped at Genova's Deli, a popular local lunch place.
My original plan was to to head south from Walnut Creek through Amador Valley through Danville, San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, and Sunol, then west through Niles Canyon to the Dumbarton Bridge. But, I felt like I had a little bit more in my legs, so I headed west on Olympic Blvd. into Lafayette, then south to Moraga. I did not take the bike trail along the old railroad right of way as I wanted to ride faster than would be prudent on the trail and because the trail has many inconvenient blind street crossings.
So at Reliez Station Road I turned left and climbed the short steep hill with lots of traffic, trying my best not to cause too much of a delay. At St. Marys Road I turned left and zipped up the busy, shoulder-less road into Moraga.
From Moraga I continued on Canyon Road to Pinehurst Road. I had been toying with the idea of taking Palomares Road later, but an alternate plan emerged: Instead of turning left onto Pinehurst Road and riding directly to Redwood Road, I would turn right onto Pinehurst, ride up the canyon to Skyline Blvd. Then turn left on Skyline and catch Redwood Road at the top of the ridge. The latter idea had more appeal because I had ridden Palomares Road just last fall, hadn't ridden along Skyline Blvd. in Oakland in a long while, temperatures would be cooler, there were better views along Skyline Blvd., and the descent of Redwood Road is one of those rare descents in the bay area that satisfies without pedaling or braking.
At the southern junction with Pinehurst Road I pressed south without stopping, climbed back up past the Chabot Regional Park entrance, and then down again into Castro Valley.
The next hour of riding was the least pleasant of the day. Once I got through Castro Valley, I turned left onto Foothill Blvd. and again left onto Mission Blvd. Traffic was heavy and impatient, travel lanes narrow due to construction, and the road surface was rough and dirty. A generous shoulder would occasionally be offered on Mission Blvd. only to be denied by parked cars often enough to render it useless. To add insult to injury drivers begrudged my using the right lane to avoid the hazard of popping into and out of the shoulder. No accommodation for bicyclists seems to have been made through all of Hayward and South Hayward. At Decoto Road I turned right and headed straight for the Dumbarton Bridge.
At I-880, my route took me on a bike path that was so root-bound that I had to ride slowly to avoid losing control. The bike path ends at the access road to Ardenwood Farm. I turned left and rode over CA84 only to find a closed gate blocking my way. The only ways through were two narrow openings along the sidewalk. I had to lift the bike up the high curb onto the sidewalk to continue.
Once through the gate I turned right onto Jarvis Avenue and continued toward the bridge, passing the Don Edwards Wildlife Center. On Marshlands Road I came upon a family of Canada Geese, mom, dad, and five goslings. They appeared to be trapped on the one side by the fence separating Marshlands from CA84 and on the other by a temporary fence that appears to have been installed on the edge of a project to dredge the salt ponds. I thought of trying to shoo them back toward Don Edwards, but realized that anything I might do could make things worse, like having the geese try to escape my help by flying over the fence and onto the freeway.
The wind was blowing fiercely on the Bridge, especially when a truck or bus came the other way, but I made it across without getting blown into the sidewalls.
I continued on the bike path to Willow Road across from the new Facebook campus, turned left onto Willow Road, crossed US-101, and then turned left onto Middlefield Road.
I thought of stopping to visit Jobst, but decided I was too tired at this point to be a good visitor, and I wanted to get home quickly. I took Middlefield Road all the way to Mary, then I finished on Evelyn Avenue, arriving home just before 1900.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 125.2 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 8000 feet |
| Total Time: | 9:32:14 |
| Riding Time: | 7:55:25 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 15.8 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 37.8 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1450 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1179 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.4 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 47.4 |
| Max. Current: | 66 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) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 3055 kJ (849 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2855 kJ (793 wh) |
Mount Hamilton Loop Clockwise, May 6, 2012 - I left home around 0900, rode across northern San Jose and into Milpitas. At Calaveras Road I headed east and up into the hills, using my motor for the first time. I rode past Ed Levin Park, up the Calaveras "Wall", and then the zig-zags above Calaveras Reservoir.
I saw relatively few cyclists given that it was a fine Sunday to enjoy a ride. In Sunol I turned right on Pleasanton-Sunol Road and caught up to a threesome wearing "Berkeley" jerseys who were moving at a good clip.
I didn't really want to pass them as then I'd feel obligated to stay ahead. I was trying to ride moderately so that I didn't need to use the motor much. So, I hung back at a polite distance, but close enough that I might poach a small volume of disturbed air that would make my effort into the slight headwind just a bit easier.
We parted ways at Castlewood Road where they turned left, but I continued right and up under I-680 and into Pleasanton. At Vineyard Road I turned right. It had been many years since I had taken Vineyard Road between Livermore and Pleasanton, and even longer since I had ridden it in the direction I was going today.
Although it is longer than CA84 over Pigeon Pass, Vineyard Road avoids the climbing and heavy traffic of the former. And, on this day the winds were much less on Vineyard than the usual gale blowing through Pigeon Pass. My usual avoid-84 route is on Stanley Blvd., but Stanley has been under construction and without a shoulder for the last two years, making that road more stressful than usual.
When I got into Livermore I took Concannon Drive from the west side of town at Isabel Ave. to the east side at South Livermore Ave. It seemed to take me a long time to cross the town. Either Livermore has expanded greatly in the last few years, the west to east traversal is slightly uphill (which it is, slightly), or I was just tired of riding and needed a break.
At South Livermore Ave., I stopped at the ballpark restrooms to top off my water and to take a short break. When I arrived I expected to have access only to the drinking fountain on the outside of the building as the parking lot was empty. But, I was happy to find the restroom door unlocked. Perhaps they had been unlocked in anticipation of a ballgame later in the afternoon.
After my short break I started south on South Livermore Ave., taking the bike path at the side of the road. At Mines Road I turned right and rode slowly under human power only until I got to the bottom of the first major climb.
I saw little traffic and few cyclists on Mines Road. I felt like I had the road to myself most of the time.
While the grass was still remarkably green, wildflowers were few and far between.
I came upon the aftermath of a crash between a motorcycle and a pickup truck. It looked as if the motorycycle had taken a right turn too fast and had struck the side of a pickup truck going the other way.
I came upon a squirrel that had just been hit by a car seconds before. I could see it twitching helplessly on the road. I turned around to see if there was anything I could do to help, but when I drew near, its spasms stilled, and I could see that the squirrel was beyond help. I only hope the poor creature didn't suffer too much.
On the descent to The Junction I almost ran over a young rattlesnake as it was trying to slither across the road. Fortunately, I missed it. I turned around to see if I could get close enough to take a good photo. By the time I drew alongside it had almost slithered off the road. It coiled up angrily, but then changed its mind and made a dash for the relative shelter of the road embankment.
At The Junction I ate lunch with four cyclists who had ridden up from Livermore and were returning that same way afterward. They asked about the road up Mt. Hamilton and about my bike.
I discovered that my camera would not take any photos until I had downloaded and deleted from my memory card all photos leading up to and including "DSCF9999". As I did not want to delete the photos I had taken thus far, I took no more on the entire ride.
After lunch I felt slightly bloated, so I rode slowly. But, when I got to the bottom of the climb up Copernicus Peak (the backside of Mt. Hamilton), I was ready to work harder. I noticed I had extra battery energy, so I rode the climb fast, the only time on the ride that I rode hard.
I spent 10 minutes at the Observatory before I started down. The views were hazy—I had seen better on previous visits, and while the temperature at the summit was a comfortable cool I did not want to chill before I started the descent.
About 1/2-mile from the summit I felt my front tire going "bump-bump-bump" with each revolution. Either something was stuck on the tire, or a lump had developed. My prior tire had just recently gotten lumpy before I discarded it.
This tire had been on my Gold Rush for a couple of years, inflated to 70 psi under easier service. Prior to this ride I had moved the tire to my Pursuit and had inflated it to 90 psi. The Pursuit has more weight over the front wheel. That was apparently too much for this old tire that had seen 5800 miles (9300km).
The cords appeared to be separating, and a tear in the rubber had developed, exposing the outer layer of cords, which could be seen fraying. The tire could fail spectacularly at any moment.
I reduced the pressure to about 70-75psi and resolved to keep my speed on the descent below 20mph. It had been many years since I had descended Mt. Hamilton this slowly, but it would be better for me to get myself home without crashing than to have too much fun on the descent. A sudden loss of front-end control on the Pursuit would almost certainly cause a crash.
Half-way down the "bump-bump-bump" got worse, so I stopped and deflated the tire more, to about 50psi. I was now in the zone where handling was compromised and pinch-flats could have occurred.
Fortunately, I made it down to Alum Rock Ave. and then all the way home across San Jose without further incident.
Aside from the problems with my camera and my front tire, the ride was a success. I felt good all day, no aches or pains. Just a good kind of tired at the end.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 126.0 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 7700 feet |
| Total Time: | 10:47:35 |
| Riding Time: | 8:32:05 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 14.7 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 52.4 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1450 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1080.0 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 8.5 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 42.7 |
| Max. Current: | ? 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) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 2799 kJ (778 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2546 kJ (707 wh) |
Santa Cruz Big Loop with Zach, April 29, 2012 - After signing up for the Devil Mountain Double Century (DMD) the week before but having not ridden 100 miles under his own power in one go since the prior year, Zach got cold feet and changed his mind. To help him ease his decision I suggested he come down to my place and ride with me a big loop to Santa Cruz and back. It would be a consolation ride.
We got started at 1100, quite late considering the distance we had planned. We headed out west on Evelyn Ave., rode through Mountain View, Los Altos, and made our way to the base of Old La Honda Road, where we met up with Bob Heath from Minnesota, who was visiting his sons who lived locally.
Bob had ridden PBP (Paris-Brest-Paris) a few times (but not the same year Zach rode PBP), and he had an Easy Racers Gold Rush at home in Minnesota and was interested in talking recumbents with Zach as we climbed Old La Honda Road.
After crossing Skyline Blvd. we stopped at the sunny spot on Old La Honda Road to take in the view, to decide if we'd aim for the coast immediately, or take an inland route as far south as we could on account of fog at the coast. The coast was foggy, so we took CA84 to Pescadero Road, then Cloverdale Road to Gazos Creek Road.
By the time we got to CA1, the fog had burned off, and a stiff tailwind helped push us the rest of the way into Santa Cruz.
We stopped once at Waddell State Beach to watch the kite-surfers but otherwise enjoyed an unbroken ride to Swift Street, where we detoured to West Cliff Drive, taking the slower, scenic route along the coast through Santa Cruz.
We had aimed to stop for a leisurely lunch at Dharma's Restaurant in Capitola, but as it was 1630 by the time we arrived, we considered it an early dinner.
After enjoying our refreshment we started home. But, instead of taking the slow, scenic route, we returned on Capitola Road and Soquel Drive to Branciforte Road. We rode Branciforte Road to Granite Creek Road, that we climbed over the hill into Scotts Valley.
As the evening wore on traffic lightened considerably. We only saw a few cars on Glenwood Road, and even fewer on Mountain Charlie Road.
At the top of Mountain Charlie Road I let Zach choose between the shorter, busier, quicker route home through Los Gatos, or the quieter, longer, but more scenic route home over Castle Rock Summit on Skyline Blvd. We both had enough light for either route, so Zach chose the longer, more scenic route.
We started with a short, mean little climb up Riva Ridge Road, followed by a rolling climb up Summit Road, Bear Creek Road, and Skyline Blvd.
We did not see any wildlife, probably on account of my very noisy motor chain drive. I discovered later that the motor chain was dry, a link binding each time the chain went around. The noise my bike was making was a sacrilege breaking the calm silence of nature at the end of the day.
Once over the summit we coasted down to Saratoga Gap, then down into Saratoga, stopping only once at the one-way control.
Zach missed the left turn onto Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, so I had to chase him down Saratoga Road a short distance. I also discovered that my phone (and GPS) battery had died just before I reached the bottom of CA9.
We continued on Saratoga Road, then turned left on Herriman Road to return to the planned route north on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. We reached my house at about 2230 and promptly set to preparing a second dinner.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 20.9 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 100 feet |
| Total Time: | 1:10:56 |
| Riding Time: | 0:54:47 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 23.3 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 37.6 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1000 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 292.0 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 14 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 11.6 |
| Max. Current: | ? Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 23.3 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 757 kJ (210 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 993 kJ (276 wh) |
Lunch Party at Jobst's, April 21, 2012 - This was more "transportation cycling" in lieu of driving the car. It was a warm/hot day, and as I was wearing street clothes I resolved not to pedal very hard on this trip. Yet, I still arrived dripping with sweat. Fortunately, no one seemed to mind or to notice. I carried a mixed salad with separate oil and vinegar dressing and seasoning. Someone else brought salad that was too much for the assembled people, so I ended up carrying my salad, dressing, and seasoning back home again afterward. None of the containers leaked.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 52.7 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 3720 feet |
| Total Time: | 2:52:49 |
| Riding Time: | 2:29:10 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 21.1 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 49.9 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1000 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 715.4 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 13.6 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 28.8 |
| Max. Current: | 65 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.9 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 1854 kJ (515 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 993 kJ (276 wh) |
Redwood Gulch and Skyline, April 18, 2012 - I left home at 1515 and rode out toward Foothill Expressway with the intention of heading in the direction of Stevens Canyon. The day was sunny and warm, just warm enough for short sleeves.
As this was my mid-week ride, my intention was not to ride hard or long as I did on Sunday but to spin easily to relieve stiffness in my muscles and joints that I get when I sit all day at my desk. I rode most of the time making liberal use of my stoker, as can be seen from the relatively high wh/mi figure and the division of energy where I produced only about one-third of the work. One-half is typical. In fact, I could probably label this ride as a “lead thumb” ride. After uploading to Strava I can see that I could have used a little less thumb and perhaps a bit more leg.
As usual I coasted most of the downhills, worked hardest on the steepest uphills, and the rest of the time worked hard enough to stay warm in short sleeves and to keep my heart rate in the aerobic zone but not enough to leave me gasping and dripping with sweat. It was a short workout with moderate distance and relatively high speed. I had fun.
My route took me up Stevens Canyon Road and Redwood Gulch Road. I turned right onto CA9 and continued up to Saratoga Gap without pause, stopping only for a couple of minutes at the local summit north of Saratoga Gap on Skyline Blvd. to heed the call of nature and to put on my long sleeves. I then rode north to CA84 and descended into Woodside, again without stopping until I got to Portola Road and Mountain Home Road. I then took Sand Hill Road, Junipero Serra Blvd., Foothill Expressway, Homestead Road, then Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road home.
I took no photos on this ride. Nothing extraordinary was seen, although I do recall that the Forget-Me-Nots (Myosotis sylvatica) were thick by the road on Skyline Blvd. just north of Old La Honda Road, but I did not want to lose momentum to stop and photograph them.
The only fly in the ointment on this ride was that I somehow lost a new sweat/skull cap I was trying. I have for years used sweat bands, but with age and thinning hair I feel it's time for me to switch over to something that provides me some sun protection on the top of my head. The vent holes in a bike helmet let some sun through.
So, when Nashbar ran a recent sale on these things, I bought a bunch of different sweat caps. I believe I lost this one when I stopped to put on or take off my long sleeves. It would have been the same color, black, and easy to miss if it popped off then. If I hadn't lost it I would probably have returned it for a refund (after washing it, of course) as it did not fit me well, binding too tightly on my oversized head and with the black long sleeve shirt I was wearing gave me a monastic appearance. I should have taken a photo. Oh well.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 123.5 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 8000 feet |
| Total Time: | 9:55:55 |
| Riding Time: | 7:50:47 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 15.7 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 46.6 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1460 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1256 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 10.1 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 50.9 |
| Max. Current: | 62 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 20.5 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 3255 kJ (904 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2676 kJ (743 wh) |
Mount Hamilton Counter-Clockwise, April 15, 2012 - After a week of rain we were due for a sunny weekend. I decided to head out to Mount Hamilton as I had not been that way yet this year, and I thought I might be able to spot some wildflowers popping up in the meadows along the way.
I left home at 0915 and rode across north San Jose under human power, reaching the base of the main climb just over an hour later. A few cyclists were standing at the parking area at Alum Rock Ave. and Mt. Hamilton Road and looked as if they might be preparing for a ride. But the parking area was almost empty, suggesting that not many cyclists had the same idea of climbing the mountain today.
I rode at a moderate pace, dialed in about 250-300 watts of motor power, and enjoyed a mostly solitary ride up the first climb. I saw a few cyclists descending and a couple of pedestrians walking up the road, but I encountered little traffic otherwise.
On the middle climb I passed a few cyclists, some of whom were riding almost as fast as I was. It took me a while to catch them.
One of them remarked to me that I was "cheating" by using an electric motor. I answered, "Only if I'm racing.", which reminded me to consider that I was now posting my rides on Strava.
Half of the rides I have posted to Strava have already been flagged, which means that the results are not included in the time rankings for each ride segment, and I had received a couple of complaints from other Strava users. So, today I tried to be good, to ride moderately, not to trump anyone's KOM and with any luck to keep myself off the first page of any results listing. My goal was not to see this ride flagged.
Most of the way up the final climb I could see another cyclist ahead who managed to stay ahead of my me, opening a gap when he observed I had closed some distance. It was clear he was trying to maintain a gap. In keeping with the spirit of today's ride I hung back, relaxing my effort on the pedals slightly when I noticed the gap closing. But, about 3/4 of the way to the summit, his pace slackened just enough that it was difficult not to overtake him.
Ben works as a mechanic at Slough's Bike Shoppe in San Jose, and was riding with three friends that I had passed earlier. They were planning to ride the loop through Livermore as part of a training program to prepare for the Davis Double Century.
As we rounded the last few bends in the road we encountered not-too-old snow in the shady spots on the northern slope of the mountain. At the summit a surprisingly substantial pile of the white stuff was concentrated at the railing.
I took a short break at the summit, taking on some additional water, but I did not linger too long. While the sun was warm, the air was chilly.
I started down from the summit, rode across the ridge to Copernicus Peak, but before I started the descent to Isabel Creek, I checked my GPS and discovered that once again it had stopped functioning, the third time on this ride! These GPS-enabled phones are still quite buggy.
After rebooting my phone and clearing the "Aiding Data", I started up the tracking program again and plunged down the back side of Mt. Hamilton.
On my way to The Junction I stopped a few more times to take photos. Wildflowers in the main valleys were non-existent. Only cattle were grazing in Upper San Antonio Valley, and the grass in the meadows looked short as if not much rain had fallen.
When I got to The Junction Cafe I ordered lunch. While I was waiting for lunch, Ben and his friends (Mike, Alex, and Dave) arrived. They were not planning to stop for lunch, but they must have thought better of it: eating a regular meal instead of scarfing energy bars and sucking Gu for the rest of the day.
I left The Junction while the others were still eating lunch and enjoying their break from the saddle. I continued north slowly, climbing over the ridge into Blackbird Valley, then over Eylar Summit.
I began the descent by coasting for several miles, but then a long line of motorcycles came past right near the county line where I like to use the entire road to straighten the curves and get enough speed on the dip to carry me up the next hill past the county line.
Just as I got to that point, the motorcycles that had all passed me suddenly stopped next to a pickup towing a horse trailer. There was plenty of room to get by. Why did they stop? I'll never know, except I lost all of my momentum in the traffic jam.
After everything was sorted out I continued in relative peace for the next 5-10 miles, stopping a couple of times to photograph the best wildflower display I was to encounter on the ride.
While I was stopped testing some roadside kitty litter, Ben came by and asked if I was O.K. Shortly after I resumed another cyclist overtook me, an older guy who was pedaling up a storm. I continued somewhat faster, thinking that my moderation may be excessive.
Ben's friend, Dave, overtook me. I picked up the pace again, and Dave tried to find the sweet spot in my draft. He told me later that I didn't offer much break from the wind. It was windy, as usual, on this section of Mines Road in the afternoon.
Just past Fourteenmile House we passed the older guy, and I could see Ben a couple turns ahead on the road. The headwind must have been taking its toll as this section of the "descent" is actually level and into a headwind.
The three of us continued for the next mile, but then they decided to slow down before the final plunge into Livermore. I saw them again for the last time when we arrived at Del Valle Road.
When I got into Livermore I stopped at the ball park to use the restroom and get a drink of water. My route through Livermore took me downtown to Railroad Ave., then west on Railroad and Stanley Blvd. into Pleasanton.
I was not happy to see that Stanley Blvd. still does not have a shoulder in either direction. A bike path was visible on the south side of the road, but I would have had to cross Stanley twice to use it and deal with a few cross-streets. Later I noticed that the path did not continue all the way into Pleasanton.
I pressed on through Pleasanton and onto Pleasanton-Sunol Road, turned left onto CA84, crossed under I-680, and headed south on Calaveras Road.
A large sign warned that Calaveras Road was closed, but I recall reading on our local bike club forum that SFWD was opening the gates on weekends, that the road was only closed during the week while construction on the Calaveras Dam was in progress.
Still, I did not want to have to back-track through Niles Canyon should I find my way blocked even though I had enough battery reserve to handle such a detour. I counted cyclists and autos going the other way and tried to ascertain by simple examination if they had ridden from Milpitas.
When I got to Geary Road, I saw that the gate on Calaveras Road was indeed open. I continued up the climb on a quiet road. Most auto traffic was going to/from Sunol Regional Wilderness or were PG&E work crews, no doubt happy to be working Sunday afternoon for overtime.
Calaveras Road is prettiest in the mornings and evenings, when the light is low in the sky. The meadows looked especially green, and the young leaves on the big leaf maples growing near the streams glowed against the early evening sky. I stopped several more times as good photo opportunities presented themselves.
When I got down into Milpitas I took my usual route home, arriving at 1910.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 114.0 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 5920 feet |
| Total Time: | 8:06:02 |
| Riding Time: | 5:36:53 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 20.3 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 52.1 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1460 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1208 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 10.6 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 49.5 |
| Max. Current: | 64.2 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 18.2 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 3132 kJ (870 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 3098 kJ (861 wh) |
| Link to: | Strava |
Big Loop to Santa Cruz, April 7, 2012 - I left home at about 0945 and rode up El Camino, Juniper Serra Blvd., and Alameda de las Pulgas to CA84 in Redwood City. While stopped at the light I noticed that my GPS wasn't working, so I rebooted my phone and started a new ride segment. I had ridden thus far without using the motor.
As I started up CA84 I started to use the motor more. But I only went heavy on the throttle after I passed Portola Road and began the main climb to Skyline, where my primary goal was to minimize the number of motor vehicles passing me in the narrow lane.
As I descended the other side I coasted the upper, gradual part. The road was quiet on this section. I didn't have motorists trying to pass me until just after I passed Old La Honda Road as the descent steepened.
I continued through La Honda and pressed on to San Gregorio, not stopping until I reached CA1. I rode quickly but I spared the throttle as much as I could while maintaining a brisk clip.
I stopped for a break at CA1, then began the longest, unbroken segment of riding: no stopping until I reached Western Drive in Santa Cruz.
The day was magnificent. A slight northwest breeze blew off the ocean, but the air was clear, if a bit hazy. No fog, and the sun was warm. I was somewhat surprised to see few cyclists on the coast on such a beautiful day.
When I got to Santa Cruz I had planned to meet Laura and Michael at Vivas for lunch, but she had an important work-related conference call at 1300. Our new meeting time was 1400, so I detoured to West Cliff Drive and hung out for a while at Lighthouse Point and watched the surfers on the swells to the east and listened to the sea lions on the rock to the west.
At ten minutes before 1400 I resumed my ride up West Cliff Drive toward the Boardwalk. I then rode through downtown Santa Cruz and arrived at Vivas five minutes late, but still Laura and Michael were later. I was hungry, so I went in and ordered.
By the time Laura and Michael arrived I had worked my way through half of the veggie specialty plate. All three of us enjoyed lunch and lingered for a while afterward to chat.
After lunch I began my trip home on one of my favorite routes. I rode slowly up Branciforte Road, then quickly up Glen Canyon Road. When I got to Scotts Valley I took Bean Creek Road, almost slipping on some sand in a sharp corner on the downhill section.
My route then took me down Glenwood Road to Mountain Charlie Road that could really use refurbishing like Old La Honda Road received recently on its eastern side.
After a very bumpy ascent to Summit Road I continued down the northern side of Mountain Charlie Road to Old Santa Cruz Highway that I took down to Bear Creek Road.
I then got onto CA17 (Highway 17) and descended into Los Gatos, exiting at CA9. At the bottom of the narrows some idiot in a pickup truck towing a wide tractor trailer layed on the horn as he passed me, after I had moved out of the lane and into the shoulder, no doubt disapproving of my claiming the lane for that short section where the shoulder disappears.
At the CA9 exit, traffic had come to a stop. I thought I could squeeze through traffic but realized at the last moment that space between the cars was too small, so I stopped quickly. As I put my right foot down it slipped on the oily asphalt on the ramp and almost slipped out from under me. If it had I would have tilted over onto the roadway which would have been most embarrassing, and would possibly have busted a fairing mount.
After I took the cloverleaf I continued west on Saratoga-Los Gatos Road ("southbound CA9") and decided at the last minute to take Quito and Lawrence Expressway instead of CA9 and Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road.
I used to prefer Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, but lately I have been indifferent. So, I take whichever route I've done least recently. Quito and Lawrence have less cross-traffic, but the descent of Quito is slightly more technical, and a few on/off ramps on Lawrence can be tricky if there's heavy traffic.
I got home just before 1800 and felt like I had ridden enough for the day.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 51.7 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 3290 feet |
| Total Time: | 3:10:50 |
| Riding Time: | 2:49:34 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 18.3 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 47.7 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1000 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 570 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 11.0 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 28 |
| Max. Current: | 69.6 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.6 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 1477 kJ (410 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1165 kJ (324 wh) |
| Link to: | Strava |
Old La Honda and Kings, April 4, 2012 - As I was out of town for a long weekend and unable to get much exercise, I was ready to get out for a few hours of biking.
I left home just after 1500 and rode out toward Foothill Expressway, turning west on Arastradero Road. I climbed up Arastradero and Alpine Road, then descended gradually to Old La Honda Road. After climbing Old La Honda I continued north on Skyline as far as Kings Mountain Road that I then descended. My route home took me on Tripp Road, CA84, Portola Road, and Sand Hill Road. I saw very few cyclists on the road this afternoon in spite of the nice weather. I then rode south on Junipero Serra Blvd. and Foothill Expressway where I became a rabbit for a few greyhounds commuting home. I turned off on Fremont Road and Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road and headed home.
The afternoon was windy, clear, and cool. I got blown around a few times, but none of the gusts endured long enough to be safety hazard.
I took no photos on this ride. Nothing extraordinary was seen. But, it felt good to get out and ride after a short time off.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 55.6 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 4330 feet |
| Total Time: | 3:42:47 |
| Riding Time: | 3:12:34 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 17.3 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 42.3 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1000 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 671 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 12.1 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 27.2 |
| Max. Current: | 66.6 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.7 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 1740 kJ (483 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1139 kJ (316 wh) |
| Link to: | Strava |
Skyline Loop, March 26, 2012 - I left home and rode west toward Woodside, then up Kings Mountain Road, then south on Skyline Blvd., stopping a few times to enjoy the views and the interesting between-storm clouds. I then descended Page Mill Road, taking Altamont Road to Moody Road, then the backroads through Los Altos Hills into Rancho San Antonio, where I stopped at the top of Mora Hill to enjoy the views of the south bay and the interesting roll cloud over the mountains. I then went home through Rancho San Antonio.
The roads were mostly dry, but the weather was cool and windy, especially along Skyline Blvd. I did not ride particularly fast except on a couple of hills, mainly due to the gusty wind and greater than usual debris on the roads.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 69.3 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 5070 feet |
| Total Time: | 5:16:44 |
| Riding Time: | 4:03:32 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 17.0 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 49.1 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1000 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 773 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 11.1 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 30.8 |
| Max. Current: | 66.7 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.8 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 2004 kJ (557 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 1611 kJ (447 wh) |
| Link to: | Strava |
Ride with Frank, March 21, 2012 - I was sitting at my computer finishing some work when Frank Paysen sent me an instant message asking if I wanted to join him on a bike ride. I hadn't planned to ride until Friday, but the weather was nice, and I couldn't resist.
The plan was to meet at Forbes Mill in Los Gatos at 1115. I got out the door at about 1030, and with some assistance I was able to arrive at the Mill only a few minutes late.
We continued up the trail, then proceeded around Lexington Reservoir on Alma Bridge Road. The air had a clean, fresh feel, and the cumulous clouds were etched sharply against a blue sky.
On the way up Aldercroft Heights Road, I ran into John Kastel "Death Valley John". I stopped and chatted with John for a while as Frank pressed on up Old Santa Cruz Highway. We regrouped in Holy City and continued up to Mountain Charlie Road, then on up to Summit Road.
We crossed the bridge over CA17 and rode north as far as Black Road. At this point Frank had planned to return to Bear Creek Road, and didn't seem too interested in pressing on to CA9 and descending into Saratoga.
I was feeling good, so I continued north over Castle Rock summit. I thought first of descending CA9 but decided to continue on to Page Mill Road. At Page Mill Road I decided again to stay on Skyline Blvd. The air was clear, and the views on Skyline north of Page Mill Road would be good both to the east and to the west.
I stopped at the Russian Ridge Vista Point and again at the Spring Ridge Trailhead before descending Old La Honda Road.
Once in Portola Valley, I took the Portola Road to Alpine Road and then Arastradero Road into Los Altos Hills, taking back roads through Los Altos Hills and Los Altos on my way home.
My GPS receiver malfunctioned twice on this ride, once on Summit Road and on the southern end of Skyline Blvd. until Black Road, and again from Portola Valley until I got home. Fortunately I was able to piece together some data from Google Latitude, but these data are too coarse to follow a twisting road.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 58.0 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 1890 feet |
| Total Time: | 3:11:56 |
| Riding Time: | 2:41:46 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 21.5 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 45.4 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1000 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 565.72 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.8 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 22.8 |
| Max. Current: | 72 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 22.8 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 1466 kJ (407 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Link to: | Strava |
The Extended Loop, March 19, 2012 - Or The Loop with two long ears. After being cooped up all last week and weekend due to rainy weather—I did get out for a short walk the day before—I was ready to get out and ride.
Since I started late in the day I kept the route fairly simple, not going to Skyline Blvd. and including all of the classic Loop with extensions up Canada Road to the north, and a ride to and from home to the south.
Aside from getting out and exercising on a nice afternoon, I had a demon to face on Canada Road. In particular, the Wind Demon that blew me off the road in January, just before the last uphill before reaching CA92 when northbound. I'm pleased to report that I managed to stare down my demon as I rode past The Spot.
I rode quickly on certain sections that featured gradual uphill where the I enjoyed freedom from cross-traffic and other hazards. On most of the downhills I tended to let gravity do most of the work, and on the level parts I usually used my motor to accelerate, then pedaled to maintain speed.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 95.5 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 7900 feet |
| Total Time: | 7:00:00 |
| Riding Time: | 5:40:26 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 16.7 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 49.5 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1000 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 979.88 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 10.1 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 39.4 |
| Max. Current: | 65 Amps |
| Min. Voltage: | 20.3 |
| Max. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Avg. power to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? watts |
| Total energy to rear wheel (PowerTap): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 2540 kJ (706 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2038 kJ (566 wh) |
| Link to: | Strava |
Grand Loop to Pescadero and Back, March 12, 2012 - Although I had not quite recovered from my unassisted climb up west Alpine Road on Friday, I chose to go riding again the day before a week of rainy weather.
Some preliminary investigation of the battery that failed on my last ride seemed to indicate that the battery had partially depleted at the start. The display showing state of charge is connected to both batteries that are wired in series and shows the state of charge of the most-charged battery, not the average or the minimum of the two, thereby misleading me into thinking I had more capacity at the start than I did.
The question of why one of my batteries had self-discharged is still open, but I suspect that the internal BMS is not going to sleep when the battery is idle and is draining the battery at a low but significant rate, enough to get the two batteries out of balance with respect to each other.
This time I made sure that both batteries had been topped off individually and that I had started with a full charge in both batteries. But, in case my diagnostic skills had overlooked the true cause of Friday's malfunction, I carried a spare 9Ah battery pack with me, an extra 8 pounds of dead-weight that turns out I never needed. If my main system failed, this small battery would be enough to get me home over the hill from the coast, saving me from a "lithium-iron pig" climb.
My route took me through Los Altos Hills, where I saw a jackrabbit running through a nearby field, and up Page Mill Road. I continued across Skyline and climbed a short distance to the high point on Alpine Road. I stopped to put on more clothing and took stock of the weather at the coast. Overcast but no rain in sight.
I pressed down the hill that I had climbed on Friday. At the bottom I continued on Pescadero Road over Haskins Hill and did not stop again until I reached the Archangeli Market and Deli in Pescadero, where I stopped for about 45 minutes for lunch. While I was there the overcast parted letting the warm sun through.
After lunch I headed north on Stage Road, climbing over the two bumps, then climbing a third north of San Gregorio. The air was cool and humid, and the wind from the south. The roads were quiet. I had seen only a few cyclists on the roads so far, and auto traffic was light.
I coasted down to Tunitas Creek, turning right on Tunitas Creek Road, where I continued up the climb to Skyline without pausing at the Bike Hut.
I saw a few more cyclists on the climb up Tunitas Creek Road, more than half of them women cyclists, either alone or in pairs. One was coming down the hill. It was also one of those days that I seemed to encounter cyclists I'd seen before on the road that day.
At Skyline Blvd. I turned left and took the rollers over Kings Mountain before coasting cautiously down to CA92. Winds were gusting, and my last encounter with a rogue wind gust was in recent memory.
At CA92 I kept right and coasted down to Crystal Springs and Canada Road. Again, on Canada Road I rode with some care past the site of last January's blow-over. Once I was through the gusty areas I felt more relaxed.
My route home meandered through Woodside and Portola Valley, taking the back-side of The Loop. As usual, I coasted down Alpine Road from Portola Road to I-280, dropping to a minimum of 23.5 mph north of Ladera before coming to a stop at the stop sign. I then continued home on Junipero Serra Blvd. and Foothill Expressway, playing rabbit to a cyclist who was probably commuting home and found my speed just enough of a challenge to want to hang on.
On Fremont Road in Los Altos and Sunnyvale, within the last five miles of home I had three close-calls with traffic, all of them connected with motorists passing through, merging into, or deviating from lines of stop-and-go traffic. I was arriving home during the commute rush, and my mind was still enjoying quiet open roads at the coast.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
| Distance: | 51.9 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 4570 feet |
| Total Time: | 4:33 |
| Riding Time: | 3:52:25 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 13.4 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 46.4 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1000 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 313.72 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 6.0 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 12.89 |
| Max. Current: | 65 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) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 813 kJ (226 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2159 kJ (600 wh) |
| Link to: | Strava |
La Honda, March 9, 2012 - I got a somewhat late start on what was to be a short to moderate-length ride to La Honda and back. My route took me from home up Evelyn Ave. to Mountain View, then to Los Altos and north on Foothill Expressway and Junipero Serra Blvd. to Sand Hill Road.
I continued over Sand Hill to Portola Road and then climbed Old La Honda. I didn't stop until I got to my favorite view spot with a view of the back side of Windy Hill in one direction and the Pacific Ocean in the other.
After speaking briefly with a couple other cyclists out for an afternoon ride I continued down Old La Honda Road to CA84, then continued down the hill into the redwoods of La Honda. I did not stop in La Honda but passed through town and turned left on Pescadero Road.
Half-way to Alpine Road a schoolbus had stopped with flashing lights. At the same moment a grossly overweight and unruly dog came running into the road, followed by two children who appeared to be attempting to catch it. The dog, evading their grasping hands, would have none of it. Schoolbus, waiting cars, and children all watched the scene play out, the dog darting this way then that way across the road, until the dog could be subdued.
Following this brief diversion I pressed on up Alpine Road. I thought briefly of riding to Pescadero. I did have lights, but I decided against it as my plan had been to keep this ride short so I had some legs left for the weekend. I also thought Friday evening would not be the best night to ride on dark mountain roads.
As I began the climb up the first switchback I encountered a rafter of turkeys, the wild kind. I have always thought wild turkeys had an elegance and grace, their large feathers sturdy and unruffled, their motions smooth and measured, mindful of conserving energy, to take flight only if and when necessary. I tried to take photos, but none of them turned out. I was moving too fast, the turkeys were moving, and the light was poor.
It's a good thing I decided not to go into Pescadero. As I was climbing Alpine Road, just past the entrance to the Alpine Ranch, my motor system died. A short investigation revealed that the battery was not supplying voltage. I suspected the temperamental battery management system (BMS) had shut itself off. It had been acting up for the last several weeks, displaying a spurious error code but still working normally. Well, now it had made good on its threat and shut itself down. What an inconvenient spot!
Past experience has shown that applying a charge through the BMS might reset it. I got off the bike and attempted to run it backwards. No effect. (After I got home I discovered that I had started my ride with only a 30% charge in half of the cells, even though the charge indicator had shown full.)
After muttering a few choice words I manually shifted to my smaller front chainring and proceeded to pedal under human power only up the rest of the climb, another 1400 feet.
The last time I had to pedal my lithium-iron pig up a long hill was on a climb up Fremont Peak back in 2007. Back then I could have turned around at any point and coasted back to the start. This time the mountain lay between me and home.
My pace was slow, but I was able to do it, often using my lowest gear to get up the steepest bits. It's nice to know I can pedal this thing without help, if necessary. But, the effort was more than I had been accustomed to for the last two months. When I got home I could feel every muscle in my legs, buttocks, and back had been worked.
After I got to the top of Alpine Road I continued down Page Mill Road and Moody Road, taking the shortest route home, and the route with the fewest up-grades. I arrived home just as the streets were getting too dark to ride upon without good lights.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 91.5 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 6150 feet |
| Total Time: | 9:33:49 |
| Riding Time: | 6:06:13 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 14.9 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 48.6 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 900 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 833.48 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.1 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 33.138 |
| Max. Current: | 64 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) |
| Motor energy to rear wheel: | 2220 kJ (617 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (calculated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | 2975 kJ (826 wh) |
| Link to: | Strava |
Santa Cruz, March 4, 2012 - I had been awaiting this day with some anticipation as it would be eight weeks and a day since I had broken my leg. The doc had said no biking on the road for eight full weeks (although a trainer was O.K. after four weeks). It also turns out that I had a GroupOn expiring in a few days that I had bought some time ago for Dharma's Restaurant in Capitola, and I wanted to get my money's worth.
So, I planned to meet my sister, Laura, for lunch at Dharma's. Since I hadn't ridden longer than a tedious hour on a stationary trainer in the last eight weeks, I doubted I would have enough stamina for the full coastal loop. So, I decided to take a direct route from Sunnyvale to Santa Cruz, passing through Los Gatos, up Old Santa Cruz Highway, and down Soquel-San Jose Road. My route home would depend on how I felt.
During my time off the bike I had decided to acquaint myself with the capabilities of a modern "smart phone", including its GPS tracking features. In addition to being my re-introduction to road riding after a long layoff, this ride was the first that I tracked with a GPS device, in this case a Motorola Droid3 Android-based computer, that happens to include a built-in telephone.
Most of the ride was tracked properly. But after I paused the program when I stopped to take a phone call at Old Santa Cruz Highway and Summit Roads, I resumed recording, saw no toggle action on the screen and hit the button again. But, the action was delayed and two taps were interpreted, causing the program to resume, then promptly to pause again after I put the Droid3 away in my pack, so I did not discover the error until I got to Santa Cruz.
My route took me from home south on San Tomas Expressway, then Winchester Blvd. into Los Gatos where I caught the Los Gatos Creek Trail. I rode under pedal power only until I got to the steep bits on the Creek Trail.
The Los Gatos Creek Trail was crowded. Many people were out walking dogs, jogging, biking, and enjoying the warm sunny day.
When I got to the top of Lenihan Dam I continued around the east side of Lexington Reservoir on Alma Bridge Road, then took Aldercroft Heights Road and Old Santa Cruz Highway to Summit Road. I rode at a moderate pace, stopping only once near Idylwild Road to photograph the underside of some trees that were growing in a thin layer of soil overhanging a road cut.
At Summit Road I turned left and continued to Soquel-San Jose Road and commenced what is one of the better descents in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It's not particularly steep, nor of particularly great height, but it seems to go on and on. The road is also smooth and well-banked. My terminal velocity was close to the maximum comfortable speed–I only touched the brakes a few times before crossing Hester Creek at the bottom.
I continued into Soquel and Capitola, running into heavy traffic near the quaint town center of Capitola. I continued along the cliffs and rode to Pleasure Point where I met my sister. She walked/jogged, and I rode alongside as we made our way over to Dharma's to enjoy our feast of a lunch.
After feasting, resting, and chatting for a couple of hours, we finally got up and went our separate ways. Although my tummy was still a bit full, I was otherwise feeling great, so I decided to return home by a different route.
I rode through Santa Cruz, then zig-zagged up Emeline, Plymouth, and El Rancho, and La Madrona. Then I cut over on Sims Road to Graham Hill Road. I hadn't ridden on Graham Hill Road in many years, and my memory of it was lots of traffic. Traffic on Graham Hill Road came in platoons of closely-spaced cars, but between platoons I had the lane to myself.
I thought of cutting through Henry Cowell Redwoods on the Pipeline Road, but decided against the extra distance. So, I continued up Graham Hill Road that climbed gradually to a summit before plunging quickly down into Felton.
I turned right on Zayante Road and pressed on up to Summit Road. Traffic on Zayante Road was somewhat heavy until I passed the turn-off for Lompico. Then things quieted down considerably. I saw only two cars going the opposite direction while I was on the intermediate descent near the bottom of Upper Zayante Road.
As I climbed up Zayante Creek from the dark, damp redwoods near the bottom to the live oaks closer to the ridge top, I noticed how quiet the forest had become. I recalled my trip home from Santa Cruz on New Year's Day when I had reached the top near sunset. The sunset was later now than it was then, but the land felt the same, quiet and relaxed, as if repairing from being trodden by human activity. I like riding at this time of day when I have the road to myself.
When I got to Summit Road I turned left, then again at Bear Creek Road. I had time and energy to go past Castle Rock, and this southern part of Skyline Blvd. is one of my favorite roads.
I stopped to photograph the setting sun on the trunks of a stand of madrone trees, and again to catch the sunset over Favre Ridge. Then a third time I stopped a mile above Saratoga Gap to catch the orange glow of sunset fade to the cobalt blue of twilight over Big Basin.
I continued down to Saratoga Gap, then plunged down into darkness toward Saratoga. Fortunately, I have a good light on the front of my bike, so I could take the descent almost as fast as I would during daylight.
Once I got to Saratoga I turned left on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road and pressed on home without delay, arriving just before 1930.
| Course Map: | Strava Map |
|---|---|
| Bike Zach Rode: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 100.97 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 5220 feet |
| Total Time: | 3:58:00 |
| Riding Time: | 3:58:00 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 25.37 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 41.3 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1368.9 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1368.9 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 13.6 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 55.838 |
| Max. Current: | 70 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): | 3647 kJ (1013 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (Polar HRM estimate): | 2192 kJ (609 wh) |
| Link to: | MegaMonster Website |
| Link to: | Results |
| Link to: | Edward Lyen's report on Endless-Sphere |
| Link to: | Edward Lyen's video (over 3 hours) |
| Link to: | Will Wagoner's report on Endless-Sphere |
| Link to: | Mark King's blog entry |
Low-Key MegaMonster Enduro, February 11, 2012 - Since I was still recovering from a broken fibula in my left leg, I was unable to ride the event this year. But, five weeks into my recovery my left leg was strong enough to stand and to walk upon, and I felt no pain when pressing the clutch pedal in my van. My doctor had cleared me to ease back into normal activity, although biking was to be done only on the trainer until the end of February. So, I volunteered to drive SAG for the event. I also ended up taking a bunch of photos, too.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity to get one of my bikes out on the road, I asked my friend, Zach Kaplan, if he would be interested in entering the event and riding my Power Gold Rush. I felt comfortable putting my bike in Zach's hands as he has many years of experience riding recumbents in all conditions. He had tried riding my Gold Rush on a few other occasions, but he had complained in the past of having sore glutes after riding my bike—he usually rides a more laid-back recumbent. So, I did not expect him to accept my offer, or if he did, that he would think better of it the day before the event.
To my surprise he accepted and he rode.
During my time off riding I made a few changes to the bike: (1) I replaced the Headline controller with a Lyen Mark II 12FET controller using IRFB3077 FETs for highest efficiency at system voltages under 60 volts, (2) I added ebrake levers so that the motor power would cease when either brake was applied, and (3) I added a proper cruise control that operates much like that in an automobile. I had made all of these changes and tested them on the bench to make sure major problems would be avoided, but Zach still ran into a couple bugs that, fortunately, were not showstoppers.
The first problem was apparent right from the start: the speedometer/odometer did not work. This meant that the cheat-sheet I had printed out for Zach telling him what his energy usage should be at various points along the course, could not be used. As it turns out the controller was sending a speed signal to the speedometer that was conflicting with the pickup I had on the front wheel. This controller-fed speed signal is intended for use with hub motors where some division of the commutation frequency could be used in lieu of a signal sent from a pickup at the wheel. Fortunately, the watt-hour meter still worked, and I had written on the cheat-sheet the total watt-hours for the course that he should target. He would have to ration his energy manually.
The second problem was that my battery could no longer put out the energy that I thought it could. I had estimated 1450 watt-hours, but Zach managed to squeeze 1368 watt-hours before the BMS on the battery cut off power for good. Zach had to pedal the last nine miles under his own power. Fortunately, the course is mostly downhill at that point, although there were a few short rises that could be surmounted only after Zach shifted into a very low gear. If Zach had a little more experience with hybrid-electric bikes he might have recognized the noticeable voltage sag under load of the battery as must have occurred during the last couple hundred watt-hours of discharge and might have altered his game plan slightly (i.e. slow down a little bit) before it was too late, so that the battery could help all the way to the finish.
In spite of these errors, and in spite of the less-than ideal weather, Zach managed to finish in just under four hours, which was his goal at the start. If he had had that extra 80 watt-hours of energy he might have been able to beat my time from last year of 3:45.
Zach spent Friday night at my place so that we could get an early start the next day. We were both up by 0415 and were on the road by 0535, heading south to Paicines, CA under on and off rain showers.
When we arrived in front of the General Store, Kevin Winterfield, Howard Kveck, Lane Parker (and Dixie and Jack), Russell Stevens, Dan Connelly, and a few other volunteers or riders were already there.
Zach unrolled his sleeping bag in the rear of my van and tried to get his beauty sleep while I stood around taking photos, meeting the other hybrid bikers (Edward Lyen and Will Wagoner), velomobilists (Peter Borenstadt and Greg Thomas), and lone recumbent rider, Mark King. I also got good practice retelling the tale of my left leg.
At 0930 Zach got set up on the bike, and by 1000 he was off, the last starter on the course. Shortly afterward I closed up the van and commenced my SAG duties on CA25.
The first MegaMonster cyclist I saw on the road was Zach, but he was already about 6 miles from Paicines, nearly to the end of Airline Highway portion. I paced him for a minute at about 25 mph on the gradual incline. I wondered if he might have been pushing a little too fast, but then I remembered that he's lighter than I am by about 40 lbs.
After taking a few photos I continued on, passing Peter Borenstadt pedaling his Mango Sport up the Bear Valley Grade and other cyclists in Bear Valley itself. The rain came on and off. Never heavy, but enough to make anyone wet who had the good luck to be riding in it all day.
The wet weather made for interesting scenery, especially the clouds that don't photograph well when exposure is set for objects on the ground. The air was clean and the diffuse light made it easy to take photos without harsh shadows.
I tried to photograph every cyclist I passed, once from behind, and once from the side, and occasionally from the front through the right-side mirror. The side photos required that I move completely into the opposite lane, so this could only be done when I had long sight-lines showing empty road ahead.
While the clouds made for good light, the raindrops on the windows were a nuisance. I had to take most of the photos through the window glass.
After San Benito Lateral on the climb up into Dry Lake Valley I saw Greg Thomas on his Carbon Quest. He seemed to be moving right along, and quite a bit ahead of Peter Borenstadt on his Mango, in spite of Peter having started earlier. I know Peter is a strong rider, so he must have been having an off day.
A short time later I encountered Will Wagoner on his Green Cruiser with Bafang rear geared hub motor. Will seemed to be enjoying himself, even though it looked like he could have used a rain slicker or shell.
On the short climb out of Topo Valley into Rabbit Valley I caught up to Team Clark who were tearing up the road at a blistering pace and had nearly caught up to Team Honey Badger who had started a number of minutes earlier.
I stopped briefly at Bitterwater School where Lane was distributing refreshments, and a bunch of riders, most of them riding the 100k course, were resting.
Zach caught up to me here. As my bike rounded the bend above the school I could hear the fairing amplifying the road noise. I looked up. Someone called out, "Bill!". Then someone else said, "He's right there [pointing at me standing by the van]." "Then who's that?", came the reply. There were a few furrowed brows.
Zach slowed down to give his number, but he didn't stop. After a few minutes, I pressed on in the van, riding only slightly faster than most of the cyclists on the road.
As I rounded a bend where the road descends to Lonoak, I saw a cyclist standing in a muddy ditch examining his rear wheel. It was Jim Langley.
Jim was the third rider on Team Honey Badger. His rear wheel had suffered a blowout that almost sent him down. There was no way he could repair the tubular tire on the road, so into the van he and his bike went. His teammates could continue without him.
Further down the highway in Peachtree Valley we stopped again for another cyclist who was standing unhappily by the road holding a wheel. It was Clark Foy, one of the Clarks on Team Clark. Tim Clark had ridden on, but their team effort was over, which was too bad, as they were on track to finish in record time.
Clark's wheel was also a tubular that had flatted. No way to repair, and no replacement available. Into and onto the van he and his bike went.
The three of us continued down to the CA198 turnaround where we stopped for about 10-15 minutes to visit with Kevin Winterfield, who was staffing the turnaround stop, and to see other cyclists come through, including the bulk of Team Sisters and Misters of No Mercy.
As we were about to leave Tim Clark considered the long ride back into a likely headwind and opted to ride in the van, too. There would be no credit either way, having ridden as a team for most of the first half, as solo the second half, he was un-categorizable.
Shortly after we started north again, we encountered a cheerful-looking Will Wagoner, perhaps enjoying the drier conditions at the south end of the course. Shortly afterward we passed Edward Lyen who looked decidedly less cheery, if more determined than Will to finish on his own.
Five miles north of the turnaround we encountered the tandem ridden by Brian Lucido and Janet Wagner stopped by the road. They had almost finished repairing their flat tire, but needed a pump. I offered my floor pump.
Soon they were on the road, but perhaps Tim thought better of bouncing along in a cramped van for the next couple of hours, so he got out. His plan was to "suck the tandem's rear wheel" (ride in their substantial wake) to avoid working as hard to fight the wind.
By the time we arrived back at Bitterwater the rain appeared to have settled in for a long soak. Poor Lane was trying to find shelter under a pine tree, but everything was soaked, the table, the refreshments, even his clipboard and the ink on the pages. Even the dogs had retired into the car.
The drive north from Bitterwater was mostly wet, only drying out as we came back onto Airline Highway, about eight miles from the finish.
Jim was happy to see his Team Honey Badger still going strong on the closing stretch of the course. They would finish in 4:37, a human-only-power course record.
When we arrived at the finish, I got debriefed by Zach about his ride, what went right, and of course, what didn't. We also saw Randall Braun and his partner who had just been passing through the area, noticed a bike event occurring, and stopped to check it out. He was scouting a possible route over Panoche Pass for the Sierra to the Sea Tour for this summer.
After rearranging all the junk in the van, I put away the bike. Then Zach and I went to order some burritos in the store. We sat with Greg Thomas and chatted about how his ride went.
It was some time later that Edward Lyen pulled into the finish area. He looked tired, but he managed to smile. It had been a tough ride for him. The weather made his ride not only less pleasant but dangerous. His rear end was sore, and he told us how he almost crashed a couple of times when his wheels skidded on the slick road. The 20-lb battery pannier cantilevered off the rear didn't help matters. (I think Edward's bike is too small for him.) Then his GoPro mount broke. Yet, he finished on his own. He deserves credit for hanging in and finishing in decent form and for keeping the rubber side down, if not always connected with the road.
The three of us (I, Zach, and Edward) went back into the store where Edward bought a late lunch and we talked about how his ride went and about what's new in the world of ebikes.
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 48 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 1550 feet |
| Total Time: | 9:35:00 |
| Riding Time: | 6:42:06 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 17.5 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 47.3 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1460 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1173.4 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.9 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 47.1 |
| Max. Current: | 83 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): | 3041 kJ (845 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (Polar HRM estimate): | 2192 kJ (609 wh) |
Aborted Ride to San Francisco, January 7, 2012 - I left home at the late hour of 1000 to ride to San Francisco to pick up some electric bike parts from Edward Lyen.
I rode without using the motor the first 16 miles or so until I got to the first uphill on Woodside Road heading into Woodside, and even then used the motor only enough to keep pace with other cyclists out riding. I was thinking of returning home by a longer route around the periphery of the city, perhaps even through Pacifica, arriving home after dark, and I wanted to make sure I had plenty of juice left in the battery for the second half of the ride.
I turned right on Canada Road and continued north to CA92, but I never made it that far. As I was starting to climb the last rise before arriving at CA92 I was pushed from 10 o'clock by a strong gust of wind. I compensated, then straightened, as I had done hundreds of times before when riding a faired bike in the wind. The gust abated for a split second then came a second gust with my name on it, stronger and longer duration than the first that like an invisible hand pushed me off the road into a dirt and gravel shoulder. I didn't have enough traction in the gravel and dirt to maintain the compensating lean, so down I went.
Damage to the bike was minimal: a few more wrinkles in the left side panel that had been damaged several years ago when I slid out on a slick Kings Mountain Road. The fairing kept my skin intact, but I fell on my left leg. I had thought to put down my left foot to help keep me upright, but I had misjudged my speed and traction. I was moving too fast and leaning too far. Leg suck, it is often called. Next time keep feet in pedals!
After the crash I called Edward to cancel our meeting. I then returned home under motor power only, something I don't do often. Even while wearing all of my clothes (except on the hottest of days) I get chilled sitting idly on the bike while riding it this way. My left leg could still move and bear some weight, but the fairing mount on the left side had broken, causing interference between my left foot and the mount. I decided it would be better to rest my left leg in any case until I could properly assess the damage.
My ride home was not the most cheerful affair—I wasn't in a good mood, but I kept running into people I knew. Everyone seemed to be out biking, but I did my best not to be crabby with anyone.
Thanks to the fairing I neither lost skin nor drew blood. But, the unseen damage was more severe. I could tell that I had pulled a bunch of tendons in my lower left leg and that I'd be sore for a few days at least. What I didn't discover for another 24 hours was that I had fractured my fibula near its head where two tendons attach, pulling away two small chunks of bone, cracked the head of the fibula, and sprained my lateral collateral ligament. The good news is that I probably won't need surgery or a cast, and I can still put weight on the leg as long as I'm careful not to twist or bend it under load. The bad news is that I'll be off my bike and for the most part, my feet for the next six to eight weeks.
| Bike Ridden: | Power Pursuit |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 117.7 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 6490 feet |
| Total Time: | 9:35:00 |
| Riding Time: | 6:42:06 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 17.5 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 47.3 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 24 |
| Battery energy capacity: | 1460 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1173.4 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.9 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 47.1 |
| Max. Current: | 83 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): | 3041 kJ (845 wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (estimated): | ? kJ (? wh) |
| Human energy to rear wheel (Polar HRM estimate): | 2192 kJ (609 wh) |
Santa Cruz Loop, January 1, 2012 - I left home at the comfortable hour of 0935 on a long New Year's Day tour that I planned to ride to Santa Cruz and back via the coast.
My route took me up Foothill Expressway and Junipero Serra Road to Sand Hill Road. In spite of the unseasonably warm, sunny weather I saw few other cyclists on the road. In fact, the roads were rather empty.
I rode up over Sand Hill and then continued on Portola Road, turning right on Old La Honda Road. On my way up Old La Honda Road I ran into the first cyclists going my direction. I continued past Skyline Blvd. and stopped as I usually do at the sunny viewspot about 3/4-mile west of Skyline Blvd. to take a quick break.
When I started again I continued down to CA84, then down into La Honda, turning left on Pescadero Road. I took Pescadero Road to Butano Cutoff Road and Cloverdale Road, then south to Gazos Creek Road and west to CA1. At this point I went south on CA1 without pause, passing several groups of cyclists and encountering increasing traffic. I stopped only after I got to Santa Cruz when I tried to answer my ringing phone.
Shortly before 1400 I arrived at Laura and Michael's place, but no one was home. Laura had left Kumba in the house with the front window cracked open but hadn't left any of the doors open. Kumba wanted to give me his usual greeting but he couldn't get out, and I couldn't get in. This didn't please him. He made such a fuss, barking, howling, and whining all at once, that the neighbors came over to check on him.
After spending a couple of hours resting and relaxing, I finally began my trip home. I intentionally left late so that I would have the opportunity to test my new Cycle Lumenator headlight on dark roads.
My route home took me back through the east side of Santa Cruz, then up Branciforte Road to Granite Creek Road and into Scotts Valley. I continued up Glenwood Road, where I saw the sun set and then on up Mountain Charlie Road where darkness finally closed in. It felt like a cool summer evening.
The Cycle Lumenator has three brightness settings adjusted by a remote switch that I mounted on my handlebar a few feet from the lamp itself. The lowest setting draws about 100 milliwatts and is so dim as to be useful only as a "to be seen" light or possibly as a work light when stopped. The middle setting, 2 watts, works well as a low beam when climbing slowly or as a daytime running light. The high setting draws 10 watts and is just bright enough that I feel comfortable riding at normal daytime speed on all but the most winding roads. The beam pattern is nicely broad for winding roads—I seldom felt the need for an aim-able head-mounted lamp—but gets a bit washed out by automobile headlights in the city.
Because this light is designed to run off of an e-bike battery, battery capacity is not an issue. Even at 10 watts, running the light all night would draw only 1/10 my typical capacity. My thoughts of an ideal light would have a "low" setting equivalent to the "2 watt" setting of the Cycle Lumenator, a "lowbeam" setting of a bright 10-15 watts with a sharply-defined lowbeam cut-off at the top of the left side of the beam so as not to blind on-coming road users, and a "highbeam" setting of maybe 20-30 watts that gives a similarly wide beam pattern of the Cycle Lumenator but with less light thrown up and slightly more light thrown overall. Such a light would probably require two lamps, one of them dedicated to the "lowbeam" function with the sharp cutoff.
At first I was a little disappointed in the Cycle Lumenator, But, after stopping a few times on Mountain Charlie Road to aim the light properly, I found it adequate to the task of illuminating the rough, winding mountain road without slowing me down too much.
After crossing Summit Road and CA17 I continued down Mountain Charlie Road and Old Santa Cruz Highway. My descending speed was only slightly slower and more cautious—usually in the corners—than during daylight.
Instead of pressing down Old Santa Cruz Highway to the Bear Creek Road overcrossing at CA17 I turned right on Aldercroft Heights Road and took the long way around the east side of Lexington Reservoir. The road was quiet. I saw only one automobile and one cyclist. Riding quiet country roads at night is a peaceful experience, an experience that puts one closer to nature.
At the Los Gatos Creek Trail I turned right and headed down the face of the dam and continued on the dirt and gravel trail as far as Forbes Mill. I saw no other trail users the entire way. After crossing a couple of bridges I exited the trail at Miles Avenue and then took University Avenue and CA9 to Quito Road and Lawrence Expressway on my way home.
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