Bike Blog and Photos

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

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

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

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

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

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

2014

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	137.0 miles
Cumulative climbing:	4780 feet
Total Time:	9:17:16
Riding Time:	8:18:18
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.5 mph
Max. Speed:	48.2 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1577 wh
Wh/mi:	11.5
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	59.8
Peak Current:	44.0 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	1104 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	466 wh
Total energy delivered:	1570 wh

Winter Solstice, December 21, 2014 - Years ago the Winter Solstice Double Century (WSDC) had been held on the weekend closest to the winter solstice. In recent years, the ride has kept its name but the date has shifted, most often into January when the usual suspects' schedules are less busy. This year Jim Kern sent out an email to ride on the Solstice itself a slightly modified route starting and ending at El Toro Brewery in Morgan Hill instead of Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy or Ken Holloway's house in San Jose. It was a good compromise as it allowed us to start at the comfortable hour of 0800 and finish just after sunset, with subsequent dinner near at hand.

Starting from Morgan Hill (not including myself) were Tim Woudenberg, Jim Kern, and Roland Bevan. All three of them were on "high racers", Carbents or Bacchettas. I rode my Gold Rush. Tim called me "CalTrain" on account of my high-visibility striping on my front fairing. Our plan was to ride south on a route that took us past Christmas Hill Park in case anyone else showed up starting from there, then on the usual WSDC route to Pinnacles and back.

Not more than a few blocks from the start my speedometer failed. The signal from the pickup was intermittent. I stopped to debug it while the others continued ahead. After struggling with it for a few minutes, it was clear I would not get it working on the road, so I used my backup speedometer, the GPS (that also occasionally fails), for the rest of the ride^†.

We cruised at 20-22 mph most of the way south on Santa Teresa Blvd. then regrouped briefly at Christmas Hill Park before continuing on. Not long after we left Christmas Hill Park Roland stopped to adjust his bike, while Tim and Jim disappeared ahead. We didn't see them again until shortly before we reached Paicines.

We got a few sprinkles and misted glasses, but otherwise the roads were dry, fortunately. Many of the farm roads were covered with dried mud, and a wet day would have meant riding on mud-slicked roads.

Roland and I cruised at a relaxed pace of 19-20 mph on the flat roads, slowing as needed when climbing Santa Ana Valley Road. A heavy fog hung overhead, but since our route stayed in the valleys, we did not get wet or misty. Unlike my last visit to the area, I saw green grass everywhere. The recent rains had changed the look of the land.

After Roland and I caught up to Jim and Tim we pedaled on to Paicines where we stopped for water and a snack. At this point Roland and Jim decided to cut short their ride and take Old Airline and Cienega Roads north while I and Tim, who was in remarkably good off-season condition, pressed south to Pinnacles with the aid of a slight tailwind.

I tried to offer Tim whatever draft he could find off my tail, but most of the time he chose not to ride close to my tail but several bike lengths back. I think my being a pacing target on the road ahead was what he wanted more than a draft. Only a few times he caught up and started to nose past me, issuing the comment, "Pace is much too comfy," after which I increased speed only to see him drift back again.

We stopped briefly at the Pinnacles Visitor Center before starting back, climbing up Bear Valley toward a low and heavy cloud ceiling that lay just above our highest altitude at the Bear Valley Fire Station.

On our way up Bear Valley I noticed that an Aeromotor windmill that had been turning lazily not more than an hour earlier was now spinning fast, indicating a stiff headwind for us. Still we managed a respectable pace until we turned off onto Old Airline Road.

Cienega Road offers a wind-sheltered route north at the expense of a few short hills. Traffic at the southern end of the road was nonexistent, but after we passed the motorcycle park, traffic was frequent, almost all of it pickup trucks with dirt bikes in the rear bed.

As we emerged onto the plains around Hollister we were again exposed to the wind. This time Tim spent more time in my sweet spot to avoid the worst of the wind. We made good time heading north on CA25 and Frazier Lake Road, and enjoyed the tailwind on Shore Road as we made the traversal.

We discussed whether we should return the same way we came or to take a more direct route north on Monterey Highway. We decided to return on our outbound route.

As we crested the top of Santa Teresa Blvd. I snapped a photo of the heavy fog bank that looked like a roll cloud coming off the mountains.

When we got to Watsonville Road I suggested we return to Morgan Hill by the back door on Sunnyside, West Edmundson, and De Witt, that had us then drop down West Main Street and back to our cars just before "full off" dark. In hindsight I might have taken our original route back as these back roads have no shoulder and were crowded with more traffic than I expected. We arrived at El Toro about one hour after Jim and Roland had returned.

Overall the ride went well, and I felt worked. Had I been riding alone I would have ridden faster and spent less time on the road. But, it was fun to ride with others for a change.

^†After the ride I could find no apparent reason for the intermittent connection. I could find no fault in the wire. Perhaps the high humidity and the wheel magnet clearing the pickup by a generous 5-6mm, barely within range, led to the intermittence. I moved the pickup closer to the magnet. The speedometer worked fine on the next ride.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	123.0 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7190 feet
Total Time:	6:36:12
Riding Time:	6:05:12
Avg. Speed (moving):	20.1 mph
Max. Speed:	53.2 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1620 wh
Wh/mi:	13.2
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	63.4
Peak Current:	42.2 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	1134 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	542 wh
Total energy delivered:	1676 wh

Tailwinds from Santa Cruz, December 14, 2014 - The day promised to be dry with a slight chance of a passing shower and wind from the southeast. This would be a good day to ride my Santa Cruz coastal loop clockwise, riding north along the coast with the aid of a tailwind. I was not disappointed.

I rode from home over to Santa Cruz via the quickest route. Daylight was limited, and even though I have a head and tail light I aimed to be home by 1700, preferably earlier. I also didn't want to be slowed down by poor road conditions due to the recent storms on some of the back roads. I rode at moderate assist power levels, 400 watts on the climbs, less on the rolling and flat parts.

Traffic seemed slightly lighter than usual for a Sunday, especially on CA1, where I felt like I had the road to myself between the infrequent platoons.

After I got through Santa Cruz, I left my assist power at 400 watts. This was sufficient to cruise in the high-20/low-30 mph range much of the way north on CA1. The usual coastal wind had reversed and was now helping. I saw a number of cyclists riding south who appeared to be working hard against the wind.

Interesting and varied clouds filled the sky as I rode north. A small intermittent creek flowing off the ridge near Waddell Beach made for a pretty waterfall that was, unfortunately, partly obscured by the retaining fence along the highway. The combination of greenery from the recent rains, interesting clouds, and roiling sea reminded a bit of Hawaii. Only the temperature was too cool. But, I wasn't complaining.

My original plan had been to duck inland at Gazos Creek Road and return via Pescadero, Alpine, and Page Mill Roads, but traffic on the coast was surprisingly light, and the wind favorable. I had plenty of battery left, so I pressed on. It was too much fun. CA84 was my second "bail-out" option, but as I passed the junction I decided then that I'd continue all the way to Half Moon Bay before turning toward home.

My ride over CA92 was nothing special. Ride fast in traffic for the first 4 miles, then get over the ridge and down to Canada Road without delay. Once I got onto Canada Road I went into slow mode—it was Bicycle Sunday—and took it easy the rest of the way home, arriving a half hour before dark.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	72.9 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5420 feet
Total Time:	4:55:10
Riding Time:	4:33:01
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.0 mph
Max. Speed:	41.7 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
Battery energy consumed:	861 wh
Wh/mi:	11.8
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	33.3
Peak Current:	31.9 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	603 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	472 wh
Total energy delivered:	1075 wh

Clouds and Rain, December 1, 2014 - During a break between storms I took the afternoon off to go riding. My goal was to get some exercise, maybe see some interesting clouds, and to stay out of the rain showers. I satisfied the first two of those goals, but failed the third.

I had intended to climb Page Mill Road, then head north on Skyline to CA92 before looping back toward home. When I got to the Foothills Park entrance I could see rain obscuring Windy Hill and decided that riding along Skyline Blvd. would offer few views in exchange for a good soaking. So I headed down Page Mill and took the low land route through Portola Valley and Woodside, then north on CA92 to do a small loop in San Mateo before heading south again.

I wasn't able to avoid the rain, getting caught in a couple of showers. Even though I forgot to bring my rain shell, I did not chill in the warm rain wearing a short-sleeve wool jersey.

It was on my trip south that I observed the parting of the clouds as the main band of showers I had been caught in earlier, began to move away from the Santa Cruz Mountains and head across the Bay.

When I got to the base of Old La Honda Road I saw that I'd have just enough time to climb to Skyline, head south to the Russian Ridge Vista Point where I stopped to enjoy the contrast of light and dark at the edge of the cloud band, then head down Page Mill and get home before dark. Everything was dripping wet but in a good way. It was nice to see a wet forest after many months of uncharacteristically dry weather.

I got home at about 1700 just as it was getting uncomfortably dark. The bike needs a good cleaning, but it was worth the trouble.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	93.1 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5520 feet
Total Time:	6:12:14
Riding Time:	4:30:29
Avg. Speed (moving):	20.5 mph
Max. Speed:	51.3 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1277 wh
Wh/mi:	13.8
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	48.1
Peak Current:	33.8 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	894 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	325 wh
Total energy delivered:	1219 wh

Pizza Century, November 9, 2014 - According to my records I hadn't ridden the Pizza Century since 2009, but this year the event was held on Sunday, I wasn't too pooped from riding the day before, and the weather was expected to be nice.

I arrived at Phil Plath's in Half Moon Bay about a half hour before the appointed start time. I was early, but that gave me time to chat with Phil and others who began to arrive. It appeared that we wouldn't be starting until closer to 0900. I didn't mind as we had plenty of time to complete the route before dark, and in any event I had head and tail lights.

A couple of days before I had talked Zach Kaplan into riding his e-Scorpion trike, advising that he would have enough battery capacity to complete the ride as long as he rode at a moderate assist level.

Zach and I rode together on the way down. I had limited my bike to 750 watts (in) and a maximum speed of 20mph when assisted as a means of conserving energy. Zach brought his charger with him and planned to partially recharge his battery during lunch. We'd ride with my self-imposed restrictions on the southbound leg, then see what battery capacity we had before deciding if we'd have more fun on the return leg.

Weather was pea-soup/fog-on-the-deck for the first ten miles, thick enough to condense on my glasses. By the time we got to Pescadero the fog had lifted somewhat, and after we rounded Pigeon Point we broke out into the sun for the rest of our southbound trip.

While 20mph felt slow on the flat parts, we were able to make up time on the uphills. On the downhills we coasted as fast as gravity allowed. Overall we made good progress, overtaking most of the others on the route that day by the time we got to Santa Cruz, although I don't doubt that we would not have overtaken the go-fast guys had they been hammering. It was a good pace for relaxed riding and sight-seeing.

While we paused on the bluff over Waddell Beach, Chris Cooper on his Carbon Aero whizzed by. After we got started again, we passed him on the climb south of Waddell Creek. For the rest of the trip into Santa Cruz we could see Chris gaining on us gradually on the flat and downhill parts, then falling back on the uphills.

A few miles outside of Santa Cruz we overtook Dana Lieberman and Jim Kern who both looked pleased to be out riding their bikes on this fine day.

At Upper Crust Pizza (West Side) we ran into Steve Purcell who was out riding his own brevet-style ride without assist. He was not returning up CA1 but would be continuing to Corralitos before heading home.

After splitting with Zach a cheese-less gluten-free pizza that was quite a bit less filling than I expected, we began our return trip. Since Zach was able to restore about 30% capacity of his first battery, he decided to have more fun on the return trip. I told him it was his turn to set the pace, to ride as fast as he wanted. I'd follow behind. At times he got well ahead of me.

Of the un-assisted riders, Greg Thomas on his carbon fiber Quest was able to match our pace on the flat or downhill sections. We leap-frogged with Greg a few times. On our final encounter Zach helped while Greg worked to free a chain jammed between his chainrings.

After we all arrived back at Phil's we enjoyed Happy Hour on his driveway, then around 1700 we headed over to Spanishtown Mexican Restaurant for a hearty dinner.

Low-Key Hill Climbs 2014 - This link takes you to the blog for this year's Low-Key Hill Climb series. Photos are mostly race photos of individuals with some scenery photos thrown in, especially if I did more riding before or afterward. The blog write-up covers technical details from my climb, the ride to and from the climb, technical commentary about the photos, and other related topics.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	95.3 miles
Cumulative climbing:	8400 feet
Total Time:	6:25:03
Riding Time:	4:38:29
Avg. Speed (moving):	20.5 mph
Max. Speed:	54.2 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1974 wh
Wh/mi:	20.7
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	77.2
Peak Current:	42.0 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.5
Motor energy to rear wheel:	1382 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	244 wh
Total energy delivered:	1626 wh
Strava:	Mammoth to Lee Vining
Strava:	Tioga Pass
Strava:	Lee Vining to Mammoth
Strava:	Minaret Summit

Tioga Pass and Minaret Vista, September 17, 2014 - We worked out the same arrangement today as we had yesterday: I would ride out to the base of Tioga Pass and meet Frank and Stella on the way up the climb. They would drive the boring bits in the car. The only difference was that we would all leave the condo at about the same time. Yesterday they had given me a head start, and I ended up waiting for them while they prepared their bikes. Although Lee Vining was further than the southern June Lake Junction, we figured it would work just as well for me to meet them on the climb.

Frank and Stella parked at the Lee Vining Ranger Station at the top of the first climb up from US395. Stella would start her ride up the pass from here, but as Frank wanted to get full credit for the climb he rode down Utility Road into Lee Vining then returned up CA120 from US395. It was while he was riding this short loop that I arrived at the base of Tioga Road and ended up getting ahead of him.

After coasting CA203 through downtown Mammoth and getting all green traffic lights I turned left and headed north on US395. Like yesterday's ride I treated this portion of my ride as something to be done quickly. Today I had not been given a head-start by Frank, and I fully expected to see both of them well on their way up the climb. I rode at or near maximum speed that still allowed me to pedal easily, letting my stoker do most of the work. The pleasant mild tailwind made for a quiet 35mph.

When I got to CA120 I started up the first part of the climb at a more relaxed pace, wanting to savor the experience. As I rode past the ranger station I could see Frank's car in the parking lot, but Frank and Stella were nowhere nearby.

I continued on the mostly level warm-up part of the climb and saw no other cyclists. I did not see any cyclists until I was on the lower part of the climb and could make out a small cyclist ahead. As I drew closer I could see that it was Stella. Another cyclist was a short distance ahead of her. “That must be Frank,” I thought.

I passed her and took her photo and that of the next cyclist who I thought at first was Frank. Later after speaking with this cyclist I learned that he had flown out from Virginia the day before and would be leading an Adventure Cycling bicycle tour in the area over the next week. Today he was getting in a warm-up ride and adjusting to the altitude.

Since I hadn't slowed long enough to have a conversation with Stella, I assumed that Frank was ahead of her, so I pressed on so that I might catch him before he reached the top. I passed a couple more cyclists, but still no Frank. I thought that Frank must have been feeling really strong that day or was making a serious effort to place well on the Strava ranking.

Finally I stopped at a turnout next to the Green Bridge and radioed down to Stella to ask about Frank. She told me then that he had just passed her, and at that moment I figured out why I hadn't seen him on the road.

While I waited until they both reached the Green Bridge, I enjoyed being entertained by a chipmunk who had evidently learned how to elicit a treat. Although I was sorely tempted to give him or her a nibble of an energy bar, the only food I had, I firmly resisted that temptation. After Frank and Stella passed I resumed my climb and rode with Frank up to the pass, where we both waited for Stella.

We took each others' photos in front of the Yosemite gate (Frank, Bill, Frank and Stella) and then began our descent. I rode ahead as I would proceed straight back to Mammoth and meet the two of them at Forest Trail and Minaret Road for a climb up to Minaret Vista.

My descent went well, and the wind was mostly a tailwind, but occasional gusts counseled moderating my descent speed. I allowed my speed to creep into the mid-40's, but the rest of the time I kept it in the mid-30's. Having descended Tioga Pass on my upright bike many years ago under windy conditions I knew that one moment could be calm, and the next a gale-force gust could blow me into the weeds or worse.

As Frank had done earlier I descended Utility Road into Lee Vining before heading south on US395.

My ride south toward Mammoth enjoyed a mammoth-sized headwind. Probably not more than 15mph with gusts to 25, but it felt like a gale compared to the morning's trip north. I would use much more battery energy to ride south, and my average speed would be lower.

As US395 began climbing to the southern June Lake Junction I passed another cyclist who appeared to be struggling into the wind. I slowed and offered him my draft, but he declined. He did mention that he had planned to take CA158 but discovered the road was closed due to the fire.

I stopped just south of the southern June Lake Junction to photograph smoke from the small wildfire that had erupted near the June Mountain Ski Resort, the wildfire that had closed CA158. Just then Frank and Stella whizzed by in their car. My radio crackled with Stella's voice asking if I was OK. I replied that I was and that I'd see them again in Mammoth.

I pressed on up the hill to Deadman Summit, then coasted for the first time in a while down past Crestview, taking the right-hand lane on the highway to give myself more options should I get pushed laterally by the wind that was still gusting.

As I made the turn onto CA203 to head into Mammoth the headwind seemed to change direction and follow me as I climbed into town.

I got to The Village, called Frank and Stella by radio, and got a reply that they had stopped at the condo but were on their way down to meet me in a few minutes. After some length they arrived, and the three of us proceeded up Minaret Road.

When we got to the ski resort Stella decided she had had enough riding. We took a group photo under The Mammoth, then Frank and I continued up to Minaret Vista while Stella returned to the condo.

After enjoying a short break at the vista point, Frank and I returned down CA203, enjoying the smooth curves on the descent.

On the last climb up Mammoth Slopes Drive, Frank made an attempt to beat the best Strava time on the segment. He had a little encouragement from a motorist on his tail, but after he uploaded his track to the website he discovered that he had only achieved fourth place.

As I was loading my bike into the van I discovered that I had melted the inboard adjustment dial on my rear disk brake, probably while dragging it most of the way down Tioga Pass.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	87.4 miles
Cumulative climbing:	6910 feet
Total Time:	5:46:35
Riding Time:	4:44:24
Avg. Speed (moving):	18.4 mph
Max. Speed:	55.3 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	2400 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1361 wh
Wh/mi:	15.6
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	51.5
Peak Current:	40.4 Amps
Min. Voltage:	24.4
Motor energy to rear wheel:	952 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	325 wh
Total energy delivered:	1277 wh

June Lake Loop and Minaret Summit, September 16, 2014 - On our third full day in the mountains we decided it was time to have an "easy" day by getting out on the bike. The June Lake Loop offers scenery without a huge amount of climbing and fits the requirement.

Our plan was for me to ride from the condo out to the June Lake Junction and meet Frank and Stella who would drive their bikes to that location. All three of us would ride from one end of CA158 to the other and back again, then I would ride back to Mammoth.

Since I was essentially commuting I rode near maximum pace on the run from Mammoth out to June Lake, making no attempt to hold back my speed on the hills.

Frank and Stella passed me at Deadman Summit, but when I met them at their parking spot, they were still preparing their bikes.

After some delay we got under way. We stopped briefly at the June Lake Slot Machine at Oh! Ridge. In 2005 when Zach, Ron, and I came this way, a rickety wooden tower stood at one end of the parking lot from which I took a photo of them. I was not surprised to see the tower gone, only its foundation remaining. That thing did not inspire my confidence to bear our weight even in 2005.

We continued on CA158 through the quaint town of June Lake that had the hint of a resort feel without the development, commercialism, and size of Mammoth Lakes to the south.

Our route then began a long descent alongside Reversed Creek, past June Mountain Ski Resort, through groves of aspen, and finally alongside Silver Lake. The wind was at our backs, and it felt good to spin the pedals, go fast, and not have to work hard.

We continued alongside Rush Creek through more open scrub lands and one aspen grove before climbing up above the shore of Grant Lake, the northernmost and largest lake on the Loop. Grant Lake was lying depressingly low in its basin. A wide dry plain stretched across its upper end.

As we crested the pass north of Grant Lake we began a sharp descent into the desert plain and to US395. We all recorded speeds in the mid-40's (mph) before stopping at the Mono Craters viewpoint where Stella waited while Frank and I completed the Loop by riding down to US395 before returning in the opposite direction.

On our ride back we became aware of the wind that had been at our backs on the outbound trip. Yet as we rode alongside Grant Lake Stella got inspired to ride off the front. After we regrouped on the gradual climb to Silver Lake Stella started to flag. As we passed the Rush Creek Trailhead again, Stella gave notice that she wanted to stop for a rest. I picked a spot in front of the Silver Lake General Store.

At this point Stella decided she had had enough riding for a rest day and wanted to save her energy for tomorrow's activity. She decided to wait near the store or on the shore of Silver Lake while Frank and I returned to the car. Frank would drive back to collect her while I rode back to Mammoth.

Frank and I continued up Reversed Creek opposite our outbound route until we drew even with the June Mountain Ski Resort, where we turned left onto Northside Drive. Northside Drive would take us around the north side of June Lake and would avoid going through town a second time.

Traffic was light on Northside Drive, and the road itself climbed and descended more than CA158 would have, yet it was an interesting alternative. We rejoined CA158 at Oh! Ridge, where the rickety old tower stood. From there it was a short run back to the car.

After Frank started back to collect Stella, I got on US395 and zipped back to Mammoth, returning up the Scenic Loop to Minaret Road. Instead of heading directly back to the condo I climbed up past Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort to Minaret Vista to stop for the view of The Minarets. Then I descended back into town on the marvelously smooth asphalt surface that allowed curves to be taken near the limit of traction, although the gusty winds at the time suggested I leave some margin for error.

As I yet had more legs left, I did not return directly to the condo. At Lake Mary Road I turned right and zipped up to Horseshoe Lake to check its status where I discovered that the lake was almost dry. On my way down the hill I detoured the scenic way around Lake Mary before descending to Davison that I climbed up to Canyon Lodge before heading back to the condo nearby.

Overall it was a good day on the bike. Lots of scenery, some fun downhills, comfortable temperatures, and not too much exercise—I only contributed about one-quarter of the total energy. I wouldn't need a rest day tomorrow.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	82.4 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7070 feet
Total Time:	9:44:19
Riding Time:	5:34:02
Avg. Speed (moving):	14.9 mph
Max. Speed:	51.0 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1064 wh
Wh/mi:	12.9
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	40.0
Peak Current:	32.8 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	745 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	570 wh
Total energy delivered:	1315 wh

Bicycle Traffic School, August 28, 2014 - The letter from Santa Cruz County Superior Court gave me a few choices: I could post bail, $196, and request a court date, or I could plead "guilty" or "no contest" and request a payment plan, community service, or bike safety school. I called the court to request a Trial by Written Declaration, which was granted. The idea was to plead "not guilty" and hope the citing officer doesn't submit evidence, leading to a dismissal. After a finding of "guilty" in a Trial by Declaration one can request a Trial de Nuovo, an in-court trial before a judge, and then hope the officer doesn't show, leading again to dismissal. Each of these steps requires an increasing commitment of time. I knew that I would not win my case on the facts.

By now you're probably wondering what was my offense. CVC 22450(a), "Failure to stop at posted stop sign". Where? Hames Road and Freedom Blvd.

It was an unlucky confluence of events. I was riding with Ron Bobb, who was ahead of me at the time. We were both descending Hames Road westbound, approaching the intersection with Freedom Blvd. Ron blew through the stop and onto Freedom Blvd., I suspect, as he usually does. I slowed slightly to look over my left shoulder to check for conflicts, but otherwise treated the Stop as a Yield. Ron and I were both riding socked Gold Rushes at the time, bikes that tend to draw attention when ridden singly. Two of them together constituted a parade and couldn't be missed. This time we drew the attention of a Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputy who just happened to be driving opposite to our direction of travel on Freedom Blvd. It was no Stop Sign Sting.

Upon seeing the opportunity for a twofer, the deputy pulled a U-turn on Freedom and caught up to us at Day Valley Road, where Ron had stopped to take a quick break. When the deputy asked us if there was a reason we had blown through the stop sign, Ron impertinently asked the deputy, "Do you ride bikes much?" Probably didn't help our case. I answered that I was looking for conflicting traffic, hoping to score a bonus point that might incline the deputy to issue a warning. Of course, I knew there was a stop sign at that intersection even if I didn't see it on this occasion. Neither of us admitted guilt.

The deputy recounted our behavior, noting that I had at least slowed down to look. But, that didn't get me out of a citation.

Ron paid his fine after his courtesy notice came in the mail. I considered fighting it through court procedure and hope for some luck. After doing some research, I learned I had about a 30% of succeeding with that strategy in a busy county, probably worse odds in Santa Cruz County where the courts are not backlogged--I was always able to get through to a live court clerk within a couple of minutes of when I called--and law enforcement officers are not working as much overtime.

While I had initially dismissed the idea of attending traffic school, I learned that in Santa Cruz County, the fine is suspended if one attends Bicycle Traffic School, unlike Traffic School for a motor vehicle moving violation. The cost to attend Bicycle Traffic School is $35, and the time commitment is one two-hour class held at the Santa Cruz County government center on Emeline Drive.

So, I could try to fight the ticket through court procedure (i.e. requesting extensions, submitting motions as late as possible, serving discovery with the county DA and hope the request is ignored, and possibly spend one or more days at the courthouse, etc.) and still have only 30% chance of dismissal (expected loss: 0.7 * 196 = $137) at best. Or, I could attend Bicycle Traffic School for $35 and spend only 2 hours of my time. After further thought I considered that I could ride my bike from home to Bicycle Traffic School and bring some pleasure to my punishment.

The choice was clear. I submitted a request to the Court to attend Bicycle Traffic School. The request was granted.

Santa Cruz County Bicycle Traffic School is an in-class presentation by an LCI and discussion that covers the typical topics: rights and responsibilities, advice on street riding behavior (lane positioning, signaling, etc.), and information on resources for bicyclists in Santa Cruz County. The tone was positive and while most of the material was not new to me, I'm sure much of it was new to some of my classmates, some of whom were new to urban biking having had their licenses suspended. Most had been cited for stop sign or red light violations, a couple for riding on the downtown sidewalk, and one for riding the wrong way. The two hours went by quickly.

I left home shortly before 1400 and started my ride to Santa Cruz, taking a somewhat indirect route to avoid what appeared to be an early start to the afternoon commute over the hill. Traffic on Summit Road and Soquel-San Jose Road was heavy, and I altered my route on the fly to avoid traffic.

As I was running early I took Schulties Road and Redwood Lodge Road to avoid a nearly continuous stream of traffic on Summit Road. I got lucky descending the fun part of Soquel-San Jose Road, having the road to myself, topping out at about 45 mph coasting, neither overtaking traffic nor being overtaken, until I got close to Casalegno's. I turned right on Laurel Glen and climbed to Rodeo Gulch Road that I descended into town. Even Laurel Glen had much traffic traveling opposite.

I made a short detour to eat a quick dinner before taking Soquel Drive into Santa Cruz and then to class.

By the time class finished at 2000 nightfall was nearly complete. I took one of my usual routes home, stopping a number of times on the climb up Mountain Charlie Road to snap some night photos. On my way down Old Santa Cruz Highway I noticed that one of my tires was developing a lump.

At the bottom of the descent my front wheel fell into a rather deep crack in the road, a crack that appears to have widened since the last time I rode by this spot as the road surface slides or subsides into a dry Lexington Reservoir. I lost control for a moment, but managed to keep the bike upright. But, I could feel the front tire bottom out on the edge of the crevasse as it climbed out, and the rim momentarily rode on asphalt for a short distance. I stopped to roll back and photograph the offending crack, as wide and deep as any gap at a railroad crossing, only this one was in line with the road and right where a bicyclist might be riding. I recall this particular hazard from my daytime visits, but I didn't have it foremost on my mind on this occasion. Had it been daylight I could have avoided it by maneuvering myself early to the left of the lane, but at night my range of visibility was reduced.

I pressed on past Lexington School, but just beyond I noticed my front tire going flat. Pinch flat, no doubt. I stopped to repair the flat and noticed that the rim had a nice dent in the side wall and the tire now had two large patches of tread peeling away. Maybe that ticket was going to cost me the full $196 after all.

I continued down into Los Gatos, opting for the Creek Trail instead of the fast descent down The Chute on CA17, given the condition of my tires. Fortunately, I got home without further trouble or delay, although shortly before midnight was much later than I had planned. My ride home was more of an adventure than I had expected, but not quite rising to the level of "epic".

Post-mortem: Rear tire was bulging. I've had several Kenda Kwest tires that start to bulge (ply separation) after about 3000 miles. This tire was no exception. Front tire had about 3500 miles and was now too damaged to continue to use safely. The new large rubber divots peeling away from the cords revealed that the outer layer of cords was also cut. Time to replace that tire, too. The rim suffered a dent on one wall at one location and a sharp-edged gouges on the hook distributed around the entire circumference of the rim, probably from riding directly on asphalt for a short distance. I was able to straighten the dent with a large crescent wrench and to file smooth the sharp-edged gouges. The only way to tell visually that the rim wall isn't perfectly flat is to observe the reflection of a bright object in its polished surface. A couple of tiny ripples can be seen, but no large excursions. I will wait and see how it brakes before concluding that it, too, needs replacement. I'm hoping I can still use it for a while.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
Distance:	52.3 miles
Cumulative climbing:	4610 feet
Total Time:	3:19:20
Riding Time:	3:00:35
Avg. Speed (moving):	17.7 mph
Max. Speed:	46.1 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
Battery energy consumed:	964 wh
Wh/mi:	18.5
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	36.8
Peak Current:	35.3 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	704 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	0 wh
Total energy delivered:	704 wh

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	52.3 miles
Cumulative climbing:	4720 feet
Total Time:	3:19:28
Riding Time:	3:05:42
Avg. Speed (moving):	17.0 mph
Max. Speed:	48.1 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1032 wh
Wh/mi:	19.7
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	39.4
Peak Current:	31.4 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	753 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	0 wh
Total energy delivered:	753 wh

Effortless Rides, August 2014 - As I make my annual shift from riding to hiking my muscles and joints often experience aches and pains. Aside from having sore calves after doing a hike with lots of climbing after a long period of not hiking at all, I occasionally get right knee pain.

Recently while my right knee was bothering me slightly I still wanted to get out on the bike rather than stay at home and sulk. An idea struck me that I hadn't really tested my hybrid-electric bikes by riding them as low-powered scooters over an entire ride of non-trivial length. I decided to perform an informal experiment.

I chose a loop route to La Honda and back that I had ridden many times that offered a mix of climbing and flatter terrain, although the climbing density was still fairly high at about 90 feet/mile. I rode this route twice on each of my two hybrid-electric bikes at roughly the same time of day when weather was consistently pleasant on two different August afternoons.

Both bikes would be limited to power input of 750 watts (yielding about 550 watts at the rear wheel, given electrical and drivetrain energy losses) and would allow motor power to be applied only when speed was at or below 20 mph. These restrictions kept both bikes within the common definition of a "low-speed electric bicycle" in the United States and would give me a baseline energy consumption rate when using 100% motor power. When using motor power I would ride both bikes with "full-on" throttle, conditions permitting.

My first trial was on the Power Pursuit with the hard side panels, a slightly more aerodynamic bike that yielded a slightly lower consumption figure and higher average speed than the Power Gold Rush that I rode second. See the tables for the complete stats. I have always assumed that my Pursuit was about 10% more efficient than my Gold Rush, and while the energy figures show a 7% difference, the average speed is also less on the Gold Rush, suggesting that the energy use on the Gold Rush would be greater if the average speed were as high as it was on the Pursuit.

I learned several things from this experiment:

If I ever find myself needing to continue a ride under motor-power only (e.g. bonked, dehydrated, or injured to the point that I can control the bike but cannot pedal) I can safely assume a consumption rate of about 20 watt-hours/mile to estimate my range. A flatter course will require less energy, but 20 wh/mile is probably a safe assumption in my usual hilly riding area.
Even when I'm not pedaling, I can still rotate the cranks without engaging the drivetrain. One might think this is useless activity as it contributes no forward motion, but I found that it works my glutes and adductors more than normal pedaling. I observed that pedaling against no resistance causes the legs to "snap" twice per revolution at the bottom of each pedal stroke. I suspect that this snapping places a high load on the aforementioned muscles, which contributed to some soreness in those muscles for a few days afterward. So, even when I'm not exerting myself aerobically, I can still get some exercise on a "no work" ride.
When riding without working I found that my sense of smell was more acute than usual. I suspect this was because I was more consistently breathing a normal volume of air through my nose and not breathing heavily through my mouth. Also, I found my anxiety level lower, requiring less mental preparation in connection with anticipated physical exertion. I experienced my ride more in the moment.
Since I wasn't exercising (much) on the bike I needed to wear more clothing to avoid chill.

While I don't plan to make "no work" rides a habit, I was pleasantly surprised that I could still enjoy an outing on the bike, perhaps get a little isometric exercise by soft-pedaling, and not feel guilty about it.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	55.1 miles
Cumulative climbing:	3250 feet
Total Time:	8:01:56
Riding Time:	4:41:14
Avg. Speed (moving):	11.7 mph
Max. Speed:	39.4 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
Battery energy consumed:	434 wh
Wh/mi:	7.8
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	15.7
Peak Current:	22.4 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	304 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	449 wh
Total energy delivered:	753 wh

Panoche Inn, July 2, 2014 - Ron Bobb and I rode from Paicines, CA out to the Panoche Inn for lunch, then returned to Paicines on the same road. We met Ron's friends, Gordon and Sue, several miles east of Paicines and again for lunch at the Panoche Inn. Gordon and Sue had ridden to the Inn on their motorcycles.

Weather was in the high-70s F when we started in Paicines, then warmed to a toasty 102 F by the time we reached Panoche Inn. On our return ride, the temperature cooled to 71 F by the time we arrived in Paicines shortly after 1800. We had anticipated cooler weather with the forecast of stronger on-shore winds. While the winds were present, we discovered that the air warmed as it pushed over Panoche Pass and down into Panoche Valley.

We had two mechanical incidents. Ron's rear derailleur cable came loose from its stop, and upon our departure from Panoche Inn I discovered a front flat tire on my bike. That tube had a leaky valve stem, and the first replacement tube also had a leaky valve stem. Fortunately, I carry two spare tubes for each wheel, and that third (and last) tube held air.

Everything looked dry. Even the buckeye trees are turning color as in early fall. The meadow grass looked like close-cropped brown astro-turf from a distance.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
Distance:	103.0 miles
Cumulative climbing:	9140 feet
Total Time:	9:20:12
Riding Time:	6:17:14
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.3 mph
Max. Speed:	50.0 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1290 wh
Wh/mi:	12.5
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	49.5
Peak Current:	43.6 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	903 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	705 wh
Total energy delivered:	1603 wh

Sequoia Century Worker's Ride, June 7, 2014 -
Sequoia Century Worker's Picnic, June 8, 2014 - I rode the Sequoia Century Worker's Ride and attended the picnic the next day at Rengstorff Park. I rode alone over most of the course, riding only in a group on segments where I could provide a consistent wind break for others.

The route was altered slightly from the official route due to our not wanting to interfere with the Pescadero Road Race, so we did not go through Pescadero. Then at the end of the day, I skipped the loop up Elena Road and took Purisima Road instead. But, I got 100 miles by starting and finishing my ride at home, and I got plenty of climbing.

Weather was cool in the canyons but never cold, warm on the ridge tops and comfortable at the coast in the afternoon where fog hung at the shoreline. It was a good day to be on the bike.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	111.4 miles
Cumulative climbing:	11370 feet
Total Time:	7:57:33
Riding Time:	6:13:47
Avg. Speed (moving):	17.8 mph
Max. Speed:	52.4 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1500 wh
Wh/mi:	13.5
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	57.4
Peak Current:	38.1 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	1050 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	695 wh
Total energy delivered:	1745 wh

Monitor Pass, Ebbetts Pass, and Pacific Grade Summit, May 26, 2014 - After a fitful but physically restful night's sleep, I awoke just after 0600 as sunlight was streaming through a crack in the blackout curtains. My legs felt like they could ride another hundred hilly miles at somewhat reduced effort from yesterday. I resolved not to push myself quite as hard as I had the day before. The room was cold as the nighttime temperature had dipped into the 40s F. Without wasting time but without feeling rushed, I went through my morning preparations, breakfast, stretches, and re-packing my panniers. I was out the door just after 0800.

Weather was warm and clear. Not a cloud could be seen in the sky today.

The first several miles of today's ride had me continuing north on US-395 toward the Nevada state line. Again most motor traffic on the highway was heading southbound. The highway offered a nice view over the north end of Antelope Valley as it rolled generally downhill, dipping to about 5000 feet above sea level before rising slightly to the junction with CA89.

It was here that my legs would endure their first test on the most difficult climb of the day, the east side of Monitor Pass.

CA89 climbs at first through a narrow canyon formed from the outflow of Slinkard Valley, then continues climbing the ridge ahead in open terrain. I stopped several times to enjoy the expansive view of Slinkard Valley, Antelope Valley, and the Sierra Crest, and to snap photos. I stopped again at Monitor Pass for the obligatory summit photo and a once again on the west side descent to snap more photos.

My descent of the west side was not as fast as I had enjoyed previously mainly on account of a significant headwind blowing from the west and up the canyon on the lower descent alongside Monitor Creek, where speeds are usually fastest.

When I got to the CA4 junction I turned left and started up toward Ebbetts Pass.

The climb up Ebbetts Pass starts with a slowly rising meander alongside the East Fork Carson River that was flowing nicely. At Wolf Creek Road CA4 turns toward the west, loses its center stripe, and pitches up slightly as it climbs alongside Silver Creek. It was along this section that I encountered the first recreational cyclists I had seen in the last two days. Several small groups were either climbing or descending the road. I learned that most were staying in the Woodfords or Markleeville area.

The climb begins in earnest just before passing the Silver Creek Campground and climbs several long switchbacks. Unlike Monitor Pass east, the climb up Ebbetts Pass east is a varied affair. As the road rises it enters a region of classic Sierra granite and lodgepole pine. Although the climb has about the same vertical feet gained as Monitor Pass East, the variation of the terrain and views help make the climb seem shorter and less tedious.

After passing Kinney Reservoir I found myself at the Pass in short order. One of the cyclists who had been riding hard on the climb took my photo in front of the summit sign while he waited for the rest of his group to arrive. They were planning to ride down to Hermit Valley before returning over Ebbetts Pass.

The descent into Hermit Valley and the North Fork Mokelumne River enjoys a reasonably even grade and good sight lines. The downside is the occasional tree root pushing up the road in a number of spots. These root "heaves" are hard to see in the speckled shadows. I stopped a couple of times on the descent to take photos, one looking west down the valley and across to the opposite ridge.

The road doesn't spend much time in Hermit Valley. After crossing the River it climbs steeply to Pacific Valley and then up a series of short, steep switchbacks to Pacific Grade Summit. In spite of the steepness this was the easiest of the major climbs today.

At Mosquito Lake I stopped for more photos. I neither saw nor felt any mosquitos but did see a surprising amount of snow on the ground along the southern, shady shore of the lake. Maybe it was a bit too early in the season for mosquitos.

West of Mosquito Lake the road contours along the slope to Cape Horn, where a nice view across the Carson Iceberg Wilderness of the nearby peaks and the distinctive Dardanelles can be enjoyed.

West of Cape Horn the road plunges to Lake Alpine where I saw many tourists enjoying a sunny Memorial Day holiday at the lake. One man and his daughter had driven up from Oakdale where "...it was 98 degrees yesterday!"

I topped off my water bladder at the faucet adjacent to a pit toilet. The faucet was labeled "Hydrant Sanitary", I suppose, to reassure those who might think drawing water from a spigot located near a pit toilet to be an unappealing proposition.

I continued westward, stopping to take two photos of Lake Alpine, one without and one with a polarizing filter, rode past the Lake Alpine Inn and up over a low pass and down into Bear Valley. At the pass the road regained its center stripe and considerable width.

The next 40 miles I expected traffic to be somewhat heavier as it would be the last afternoon of a holiday weekend and tourists would be on their way home. I was pleasantly surprised to have this substantial highway largely to myself for the next 30 miles, as far as Arnold.

Aside from a few minor up-grades, CA4 descends comfortably for miles at a time, one of the longest almost-continuous descents I can recall enjoying. Terminal velocity was about 40mph, which was comfortable on my fully-loaded bike. I'd get an occasional cross/head wind, but with the wide road, nothing strong enough to spook me into dragging my brake to control my speed, except at a few curves where the wind was gusting unpredictably. Along this stretch I saw one cyclist climbing the other direction and wondered if I might wish to ride this loop someday in the opposite direction.

The road narrowed again through Calaveras Big Trees, but the surface was smooth and the curves banked, allowing progress at speed.

The fun ended as I entered Arnold. Traffic was getting heavy and passed me in long bumper-to-bumper platoons of cars and pickups loaded with camping/picnicking gear and passengers. Through town the highway had a nice shoulder, but as I descended to Murphys the shoulder disappeared. Fortunately, most motorists did not complain when I moved into the lane moving at a speed slightly slower than motor traffic. West of Murphys traffic thickened further into a nearly continuous line of cars heading home from vacation. I slotted in behind one such platoon and rode quickly to my turn onto Parrots Ferry Road. When I made the turn I was glad to be off CA4.

Parrots Ferry Road rolls over moderate hills before plunging to its low point at a high bridge over New Melones Reservoir. This was the low point on my loop.

On the opposite side of the bridge I felt the heat for the first time. Temperature was 96F and I was moving slowly now, climbing the hill into Columbia.

I detoured around the restored old town in Columbia, but I decided not to ride my bike past the sign that read "Horse Drawn Carriages Only" to get closer to the buildings, and I didn't really want to get out of my bike and walk.

The ride from Columbia to Sonora was quick. I passed through downtown Sonora, passed by the Inns of California Sonora, where I could see that my van was still in the parking lot, and continued on to the Subway Sandwich shop I had seen on my way out the day before, where I ate a late lunch.

After lunch I returned to the hotel, put the bike in the van, checked into my room, got cleaned up, and ate another sandwich I had brought from home. I considered checking out early and driving home, but that meant joining all the other tourists on the highways heading back to the Bay Area. Aside from that I noticed that I was feeling a bit tipsy when I went out to get something from the van, that driving as fatigued as I was was probably not the best idea.

In hindsight, I probably would have driven home that evening, especially if I could avoid paying for another night in the hotel. A couple of Mountain Dew's would've set me right for several hours. But, I felt I had to stay at least one night before I could ask them if I could leave my van in their lot for an extra day. Traffic on Tuesday late morning (1030) was still bumper-to-bumper at Altamont Pass—how does anyone put up with that?—, and although the hotel room had a shower that had no flow restrictor and a comfy bed, the room had no ventilation, smelled of anti-smoke cleaning solution, and the complimentary breakfast the next morning was barely adequate.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	102.6 miles
Cumulative climbing:	11480 feet
Total Time:	8:09:45
Riding Time:	6:42:01
Avg. Speed (moving):	15.3 mph
Max. Speed:	49.2 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1491 wh
Wh/mi:	14.5
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	56.5
Peak Current:	31.7 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	1044 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	874 wh
Total energy delivered:	1918 wh

Sonora Pass, May 25, 2014 - Weather promised to be excellent, neither too warm nor too cold, and without precipitation. Moreover, I had just last week ridden the Davis Double and felt in better shape than I had in years. Although it was a holiday weekend, I believed I could avoid the worst of the holiday traffic by shifting my schedule slightly and enjoy light traffic on my route by riding on Sunday and Monday, returning home on Tuesday late morning. The iron was hot, and this weekend was a good moment to strike it.

I awoke from my bed at home at 0300 to make my final preparations and was out the door and on the drive to Sonora shortly after 0500. I arrived in Sonora before 0800. After parking my van in the parking lot of Inns of California Sonora and confirming this with the on-duty manager, I was on the road a half-hour later.

I decided to take a peek at Tuolumne City and to avoid the busiest section of CA108 between Sonora and Confidence. Tuolumne Road headed east over rolling but mostly climbing terrain before dropping into Tuolumne.

If I had had cellphone data connectivity I could have consulted an online map and discovered that the old downtown was a few blocks off my route to the right. But I had no data at all in the Sierras until I came within sight of US-395, so I was flying blind, and the old Krebs map I had brought as a backup lacked detail in this area. Not wishing to delay my transit over the Pass I snapped a photo of the plaque and the Catholic church, turned left on Carter Street, and headed for the Pass. Downtown Tuolumne would have to wait for another trip.

Shortly after I joined Tuolumne Road North I passed the enormous Mi-Wuk Indian casino complex with its six-level parking structure. I don't like casinos, but when indian tribes were granted permission to operate casinos on their reservations I couldn't help but think that was a bit of poetic justice: a century later the indians would fleece the descendants of the white settlers who drove them onto reservations and attempted to stamp out their culture.

I had devised a route to delay my entrance onto CA108 for as long as possible by taking a series of back roads. But, while climbing Tuolumne Road North I wasn't paying attention and missed the first junction with Cedar Springs Road. When I hit the second junction I turned right and when the road veered south again I thought I was in error as I had recalled my route continuing north on Cedar Springs. Had I taken the first junction I would have continued north. And, had I continued south from the northern junction of Cedar Springs that I was on I would have found Confidence Road. But, without a detailed map I lacked the confidence to explore further, so I turned around and returned to Tuolumne Road North.

A short distance later I found Little John and Robin Hood and thought that they might go through, but these roads went nowhere, so again I turned around. At this point I was just guessing, so I decided to join CA108 and not spend more time backtracking or exploring as I had yet many miles to go.

As it turns out Tuolumne Road North joins CA108 only a half-mile downhill from Confidence Road in Twain Harte. I continued climbing through Sugar Pine, Mi-Wuk Village, Sierra Village, Long Barn, and Cold Springs. Then I hit my last detour of the day off the main highways: Old Strawberry Road.

I descended the bumpy road and discovered that one of my pannier hooks had come off the rack. I checked the other hooks, but while I was checking the left pannier I carelessly stuck my fingers into my rear wheel spokes. The result could have been much worse. I cursed my carelessness and stupidity. I've never done that before, and I hope I never do that again.

After the initial smarting pain wore off, I continued down the hill to the old bridge over the South Fork Stanislaus River, where I asked a passerby to take a photo of me on the bridge.

Just beyond the bridge I came to the site of the old Strawberry Flat House. Then I climbed back up the other side of the canyon to CA108.

Between Strawberry and the Donnell Reservoir Vista the highway rolls along a tree-covered ridge without views or description, each curve looking like the last. Traffic came in platoons, and although there was little usable shoulder to ride upon most of the time, motorists were uniformly courteous, passing only when visibility allowed moving completely into the opposite lane.

I stopped briefly at the parking area for the Vista, but I decided not to venture down the trail to the railing as I often do when driving this route in a car.

After returning to CA108 I began a 500-foot descent into the Middle Fork Stanislaus River Canyon, a descent that ended at Clark Fork Road. I continued to the right.

The road proceeded over lumpy terrain for the next several miles past campgrounds and picnic areas: Boulder Flat, Brightman Flat, Dardanelle, Jack Hazard, Pigeon Flat, Eureka Valley, Douglas, and Baker. I stopped to top off my water bottles at the Brightman Ranger Station.

Proceeding onward I shortly reached the base of the steep climb to the pass just past the turn off for Kennedy Meadows. After shifting into my small ring that I almost never use for a paved climb I started up.

The road climbs quickly, but I moved slowly, about 5-6 mph. It felt hot, although when I checked my thermometer it read only 83F. The wind was rising up-canyon at my speed.

Even though I have an assist motor on the bike I kept the power level low. I did not want to go so fast that I might not wish to stop for a good photo spot, I wanted to conserve battery energy, and I wanted to ride as if I might have the company of an unassisted cyclist.

I stopped at a popular turnout just past the Rock Window for the first such opportunity. Then several more times I paused briefly to take photos, stopping long enough to get out of my bike for the first time when I reached Sonora Pass, where another tourist snapped my obligatory photo in front of the sign at the Pass.

Air temperature at the Pass was cool, in the 60s F, but not quite cold enough for me to don more clothing given that I continue on before chilling too much.

The east side descent starts with a steep drop to Sardine Creek, then a short uphill followed by a sharp right bend. If the drop is taken at full speed, full brakes must be used on the short uphill to avoid the unfortunate scenario of being unable to make the right bend while staying in the downhill lane. The rest of the eastern descent is similar: straight sections followed by sharp bends or chicanes, and a few up-grades. The uppermost of the two long switchbacks above Leavitt Meadow make for a good photo spot (1, 2) where one can see the distant snow-capped Sweetwater Mountains, Leavitt Meadow, and the road snaking down the hillside below.

Soon I was passing the Leavitt Pack Station. At this point the road climbs a bit before dropping into Pickel Meadow and passing the US Marine Corp Mountain Warfare Training Center. No one appeared to be about today, but in past years I had always seen troops nearby, presumably training in the high altitude terrain.

The highway leaves the West Walker River just before it reaches US-395 at Sonora Junction. At the junction I turned left and began a long scenic descent through Walker River Canyon at a pleasing speed that varied from 25 to 40 mph in spite of the slight headwind. The river to my right was flowing swiftly in spite of the light snowfall year in the mountains. It was nice to be descending to the end of the ride. The highway at this point varied from wide shoulder with rumble strip to no shoulder. I did not want to be on a no-shoulder section when the next truck came through in my direction. Fortunately, I saw little traffic going my way. Most traffic seemed to be heading south, including several trucks, Class A motorhomes, and motor coaches.

Before long I was out of the canyon and entering Walker. I stopped at the Walker General Store to buy some fruit for dinner and breakfast the next morning as there were no stores near The Meadowcliff where I was staying, three miles north of Walker, and I had brought food for all of my meals.

The Meadowcliff, presumably named as it sits at the base of Centennial Bluff and adjacent to a nice pasture, offers an RV park and lodge. I was staying one night in a room at the lodge, and I found my room clean, spacious, and comfortably equipped, and even had a nice view through the large sliding patio door. Best of all I was able to open windows on either side to get a cross-breeze. No stuffy motel room smell! The only downside is that the on-site restaurant is only open for breakfast and early lunch but not dinner. Although it took extra space in my packs, I brought my own dinner, breakfast, and on-bike food. The management could not tell me the day before I arrived whether the restaurant would be open for breakfast on the day of my departure.

The room was quiet, but I had worked too hard on the bike the day before and found myself over-stimulated when it came time for me to sleep. I slept fitfully.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	207.4 miles
Cumulative climbing:	8400 feet
Total Time:	13:34:25
Riding Time:	10:29:04
Avg. Speed (moving):	19.7 mph
Max. Speed:	55.4 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	4000 wh
Battery energy consumed:	2684 wh
Wh/mi:	12.9
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	100.0
Peak Current:	40.3 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	1879 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	1241 wh
Total energy delivered:	3120 wh

Davis Double Century, May 17, 2014 - I had mixed memories from riding double centuries (200 miles) earlier in life. Most of the memories were of complete and utter exhaustion, followed by several days of 10-hour sleeps, aches and pains in various parts of my body that took at least a week to go away, and occasionally upset tummy. So, it was with some trepidation that I committed to ride the Davis Double this year, my rookie year^†.

I did not sleep well the night before. Perhaps I ate something that disagreed with me, or perhaps I was having a mild thyroid storm of the sort that sent me to the emergency room in the 1980s when the doctors were baffled by my symptoms, inclined to believe either that I had some serious malfunction in my gut or that it was “all in my head”. Fortunately, at the time they were inclined to believe the latter, and I avoided exploratory surgery but not another slightly invasive procedure that is best discussed some other time.

During the night I had similar if milder symptoms, crampy gut, feeling hot and feverish, strong palpitations, with anxious thoughts racing through my brain, and an inability to sleep soundly. These episodes tend to occur during hot weather, and the anticipatory stress of the event could have helped things along. It was not an auspicious start to a long day on the bike.

But, when my alarm went off I got up and started my morning routine. I was tired but the activity got my mind off whatever anxious thoughts had been racing through my head the night before. Somehow I managed to eat some breakfast, although not as much as I usually eat before a long ride. I would need to start eating earlier in the ride than usual and to dose my nutrition throughout the day to avoid the bonk. At the very least I was determined to start the Double and get my money's worth on this trip, avoiding a tedious day in a cramped motel room.

Zach Kaplan and I had carpooled and shared a room. He got up later but had done more preparation the night before, so he was out the door 45 minutes ahead of me. I took longer than I would have liked to get out the door, having a couple of false starts before I finally got my act together and was on the road.

We both missed the access to the bike path to downtown (that we later observed was at the on-ramp for I-80 westbound off Mace Blvd.) and took 2nd Street instead, a route that might have been quicker than the bike path as it put us immediately on the north side of the railroad tracks and deposits us at the east end of the downtown street grid. In any case, there was no traffic to deal with at 0530.

I rode through a quiet downtown, quite a contrast from the bustle of activity the evening before. I continued to 3rd and B Street and turned right, starting the course at about 0540. I noticed that a few other stragglers had started onto the course a minute ahead of me. I could see their blinking tail lights in the distance. As soon as I was able I would try to catch up to them so that I would not get lost in the maze of turns through the valley at the beginning of the route.

As I rode north on Sycamore I finally caught up to the group and followed them for a while until I realized that all of the turns were staffed by someone with a large orange flag indicating the correct way.

I moved to take the lead, and for the next several miles I offered my tail to allow the others to draft me at about 20 mph.

After we turned left onto Road 24 the three fell back and I continued at a slightly faster pace, eventually catching up to Scott McKinney who drafted me until we met up with a large group at the I-505 overpass. At this point I hung behind the group and followed them as far as the Farnham Ranch rest stop, where they stopped. Not yet needing a break I continued on.

After I turned onto Road 25 I stopped to peel off my longs. The weather this morning was cool and slightly overcast, but not cold. Nevertheless I felt more comfortable initially wearing all longs. Now that I was warmed up these could come off. As I started up again I felt slightly chilled, but not cool enough to want to put the longs back on. Surely, it would warm up as soon as the sun broke through these clouds.

I turned right on Road 89. On the first part of the ride I was cruising at about 20 mph, but now that I was on the open road not riding with other riders I cruised at 28-30 mph until I entered Winters.

I turned right and headed up CA128 toward the hills. A strong cold headwind was blowing downslope. I started passing more riders on the road, then several large groups of riders on the climb up to Monticello Dam. It was here that the bulk of the riders appeared to be. A dense stream of cyclists could be seen on the road for some distance ahead in several spots.

On the climb up Cardiac Hill I encountered Lane Parker and Jim Kern, and a couple other guys riding recumbents (1, 2).

Descending Cardiac Hill I took more care than usual as I was carrying a greater load of batteries so that I could be certain I had enough to see me to the finish. The bike was not handling well when it hit dips in the road, especially on curves. It felt like I was being hit with a side-gust of wind.

I stopped briefly at the Capell Valley Fire Station to nibble at the snack table and to snap a photo of the rest stop and its activity. A couple of miles down the road I stopped again to debug the handling problem. It was then I discovered that in my rush to get started I had neglected to fasten the bottom strap of the left pannier to the rack, allowing the heavy pannier bag (~30lbs) to swing on the rack. This explained the poor handling when hitting bumps or dips in the road. After the pannier was fastened the bike handled as well as could be expected when carrying a 60-lb load on its racks.

I pressed northwest on the outbound course through Capell Valley, Chiles Valley, and Pope Valley. The road through these valleys saw an increasingly rough surface with occasional hidden potholes. Cyclists were repairing flat tires at several spots. I rode at a moderate speed, taking care to avoid the worst of it, and occasionally I stopped to snap a photo.

I stopped at the Pope Valley Rest Stop to nibble some more and to pick up a few packaged fig newtons for the road. I continued on after a few minutes of stretching. It felt good to get off the bike briefly to stretch and to reset the muscles, but I did not hang around the rest stops for long.

Perhaps it has been too long since I rode an organized bicycling event, but it felt to me at these early rest stops that the mood was unexpectedly grim and determined. Few words were spoken among the riders, and although rest stop staff were pleasant and even cheerful, riders did not appear to be in a festive mood. An undercurrent of mild destination anxiety floated in the air, that we had to keep moving. This was understandable given that we all still had 2/3 of the course to complete, but it felt oddly stressful to me.

I was feeling better than I felt upon rising, but my slightly crampy gut was still twinging occasionally. Fortunately, I had some appetite, and I seemed to be tolerating food. I didn't want to dip into the Hammergel until the second half of the ride, after I had eaten lunch. The weather was now warm enough for me to feel comfortable removing my long sleeves.

At this point the course continued northeast past the turnoff for Ink Grade and past Hubcap City that seemed less extensive than I had remembered from the last time I was here in 1997 on the Tour of Napa Valley. Once we passed Aetna Hot Springs I was on roads I had never ridden.

We continued up Butts Canyon Road into terrain that was drier than Pope Valley. This area looked like the lands in the rain shadow of Mount Hamilton, barren iron-rich soil, creosote bush, blue pine, and far from civilization. Then as we crested the climb and descended toward Middletown, glossy-white plastic fencing bordering alternating pasture and vineyard appeared on both sides of the road. We shortly passed the grand entrance to Langtry Estate on the right and broad Detert Reservoir on the left. Then not long after we entered Middletown where I stopped at the Rest Stop to nibble again.

Here I saw Zach on the road for the first time. He was getting ready to leave, so I snapped his photo quickly.

Again, I limited my time at this rest stop. I suppose I appeared just as grim and on a mission as everyone else this morning, and it was probably a good habit to acquire so I wouldn't waste time lingering.

Big Canyon Road starts with a steep climb, then a gradual descent on a dusty but well-graded dirt/gravel road. For the next four miles we would be on this dirt road, the worst part of which was the dust stirred up with the passing of the few motor vehicles that came through while I was on this section. I rode carefully, not because the bike was handling poorly, but because I didn't want to stress the bike more than necessary given its load. Besides that I didn't want to miss a photo opportunity by riding too fast.

When the road became paved again I increased my speed as I followed the winding road up Big Canyon. Then the road began to climb out of the Canyon. I encountered Zach again near the Big Canyon Rest Stop. We both pressed on, although I stopped several times between the Rest Stop and the summit to snap photos. This was the one of the few places where the route offered a dramatic view down upon surrounding terrain.

Once over the summit I descended next to an old airstrip to a T-junction with Siegler Canyon Road. I turned right and began a pleasant descent into Lower Lake, a descent that was at just the right downgrade to encourage coasting without braking or pedaling, the curves tight but nicely banked.

Once I got into Lower Lake I continued directly to the lunch stop at the local high school. Here I met up again with Zach who had also just arrived, and we ate lunch at a picnic table with only one bench under the shade of a large tree.

I spent the longest time off the bike at lunch, somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes, although I didn't measure it exactly. My digestive system was gradually recovering. While I didn't eat a huge meal, I did eat enough to maintain my energy. It felt like the right amount of time for an extended break.

The route after lunch headed north on CA53 through Clear Lake (the town) on a wide highway bordered by fields and slopes covered with wildflowers, mostly California poppies and blue and purple lupine. An electronic highway sign warned drivers of a biking event on the road ahead.

At CA20 our route turned right and we began heading back in the general direction of Davis. First up was a short hill followed by a fast plunge to Cache Creek with the aid of a stiff tailwind. Here I saw my fastest speed of the day, and that included dragging my rear brake to keep my speed from getting out of hand in the gusty wind.

The highway doesn't spend much time along Cache Creek. A look at the map suggests that continuing the highway along Cache Creek would have required a highway with a lower speed limit or the building of tunnels to avoid the tight meanders of the canyon, not to mention disturbing the canyon's natural features.

CA20 climbs Grizzly Canyon alongside Grizzly Creek, a climb that has earned the nickname "Resurrection". The Resurrection Rest Stop is near the summit of this climb, but I pressed on without stopping, over the summit and down the second shorter descent into Harley Gulch, this time with a slight headwind. The highway then climbs to a low summit across the Colusa County line before plunging again more steeply down Lynch Canyon to Bear Creek, again with a neutral to slight headwind.

At the bottom of the descent the route turned south on CA16 and began the long rolling descent alongside Bear Creek and Cache Creek, passing through the lower end of Cache Creek Canyon. Here I passed several small groups of cyclists most of whom appeared to be having fun now that they had crested the majority of the climbs and were on their way home.

As I descended deeper into the canyon I passed various facilities for Cache Creek Regional Park. A sign of the multi-year drought we've had in California, the creek itself contained water but had very little flow. It would not be difficult to find a place to walk or hop across with dry feet.

After emerging from the bottom of Cache Creek Canyon I found myself in the comparatively broad and long Capay Valley. By now the temperature was hot, mid-90s F, and although I had been mostly descending and not working hard, it was likely I was drinking water at an increasing rate.

Somewhere between Ramsey and Guinda my 3-liter bladder ran dry. I had underestimated my requirements when I skipped the Resurrection Rest Stop. Fortunately, the Guinda Rest Stop was only a couple of miles further down the road. I stopped to eat more fig bars—fig bars seemed to hit the spot for me today—and to refill my water.

As I got back on the road I maintained a high cruising speed, passing “Winners” Way at the Cache Creek Casino, an enormous complex that looked out of place so far from a metropolitan center or a freeway.

We had been instructed to ride single file between the casino and our next turn and encouraged to make all haste to pass this area before nightfall. As I rode east I noticed with some relief that most of the traffic was passing in the opposite direction.

The remaining miles into Davis went quickly. I skipped the next two rest stops at Farnham Ranch and Plainfield Fire Station, the latter on Road 95 where a fierce headwind was blowing.

Just after Farnham Ranch I picked up my last and strongest drafter who was all business and seemed keen to the finish quickly. At first I kept the speed moderate, about 21-22 mph, but it was clear he had more in the tank. He was jumping to lead after each turn. So, the next time I found myself in front I gradually increased speed to 30 mph, and in the wind shadow of my bike he managed to hang on for a few miles. But, then suddenly at one point he was back in the distance, having dropped off. I slowed to allow him to catch back on, but he declined the invitation, so I resumed my ride to the finish.

In spite of my poor sleep and upset tummy in the morning, I finished well. To be sure, I was tired and hungry at the end. The pasta and beans tasted good. After eating two dinners at the finish line I rode back to the motel, got cleaned up, then turned on the TV to see what I might find while I waited for Zach to return. Whatever I found on the TV must not have been interesting because I found myself nodding off. I turned off the TV, put my head down on the pillow, and promptly fell asleep just after 2000.

When Zach returned to the motel he said I was sound asleep with the windows wide open while kids outside were running around, banging on doors, and making a racket. I did not awaken until 0600 the next morning.

I took more photos of riders, but the ones seen in the online album are the best of the bunch. I discovered that when I take photos one-handed while riding I frequently mis-adjust the dial that sets shutter speed or mode in the direction of slower shutter speeds. This resulted in a number of blurry photos.

^†Yet this year is likely to be my last year. A few days after the event I received an email from the ride organizers expressing consternation that I had discovered a loophole in the ride rules—there was no prohibition of a cyclist riding an e-bike—and was told that the rules would likely be amended in 2015 to disallow e-bikes. "We never imagined anyone would use a motor." Although the ride is informally timed and is officially not a race, these times are taken more seriously than the event literature would have a newcomer believe. I had been reported by another cyclist whom I had passed on an uphill while grinning. Apparently, I wasn't suffering enough!

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	28.2 miles
Cumulative climbing:	3370 feet
Total Time:	3:10:59
Riding Time:	2:03:45
Avg. Speed (moving):	13.6 mph
Max. Speed:	35.3 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
Battery energy consumed:	329 wh
Wh/mi:	11.7
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	12.4
Peak Current:	32.2 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	231 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	263 wh
Total energy delivered:	494 wh

Tour of California Stage 3, May 13, 2014 - I headed over to Danville, meeting Zach Kaplan at East Dublin/Pleasanton BART, to do a short ride up Mount Diablo as far as we could, then return down the mountain again to find a shady spot to stop and watch the race go by. About the only excitement was being allowed to continue up the road by the officials as we arrived at the bottom of South Gate Road at 1400, the hour at which the road would be closed to additional traffic. We made it under the wire, so to speak.

I rode ahead of Zach on the climb at his urging, although we both made it to the point at which they were not allowing bicyclists to continue. I rode down to an unoccupied spot I had noticed on the way up on a steep section of road below Juniper Campground. I was able to get a few good photos from this location.

Zach was not quite able to get back down Summit Road to where I was stopped due to the arrival of the race. But, after the broom wagon went by, he proceeded down, and then we both joined the mad dash to the bottom.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	176.3 miles
Cumulative climbing:	8040 feet
Total Time:	12:13:56
Riding Time:	9:46:53
Avg. Speed (moving):	18.0 mph
Max. Speed:	53.8 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
Battery energy consumed:	2359 wh
Wh/mi:	13.4
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	89.8
Peak Current:	43.1 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	1652 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	1202 wh
Total energy delivered:	2854 wh

Around The Bay, May 3, 2014 - For a while I've thought to ride a loop around San Francisco and San Pablo Bays without being shuttled across any bridge or through any tube. I have ridden most of it at one time or another over the last 22 years, but a few segments are new to me, mostly in Marin County, where new bike paths have been constructed since my prior visits.

I started early under overcast skies. The day promised to be cool to warm and breezy.

After riding through sleepy Milpitas I climbed up Calaveras Road into fog that was hugging the ground at the top of The Wall. The fog lifted some as I traversed the ridges and canyons west of Calaveras Reservoir. Then after I descended into Sunol the sun finally came out for the rest of the day.

I saw only one cyclist on Calaveras Road, but as I rode north on Foothill Blvd. and San Ramon Valley Road I saw more and more. Several large groups rode by in the opposite direction, and I encountered a number of small groups and individuals heading north as well.

Then, on Danville Blvd. somewhere north of Stone Valley Road the driver of an SUV who apparently didn't know how to use his right-side mirror, right-hooked me. I was prepared, but I did have to execute an emergency braking maneuver. At the time I had two fast roadies on my tail, and this made matters tricky. At first I thought the driver was going to wait for us to pass before turning right, but just in case, I stopped pedaling and touched the brakes lightly as a signal in case my followers were in "heads-down" mode. If I had been alone I probably would have played it safe and braked harder. A moment later came the right hook. I was too busy braking with both hands and skidding my front wheel to yell out or snap a photo of the offender. Fortunately, the two roadies had their heads up, saw trouble coming, and were ready to take evasive action. They did the yelling, not at me, but at the driver of the SUV. Only nerves were frayed this time. The driver continued on oblivious.

After that excitement I turned left on Hillgrade and made my way through the southwest corner of Walnut Creek and over to Pleasant Hill, reaching my fastest speed of the day descending Taylor Expressway to Withers Road.

I stopped along Reliez Valley Road to enjoy the morning sun on Alhambra Valley near Briones Park. Then I proceeded into Martinez, making it as far as the rusty BNSF trestle before I started a long gradual climb up Franklin Canyon Road to Cummings Skyway. I stopped several times along Cummings Skyway to enjoy the view as it had been over 20 years since I had last ridden there.

On the north side descent I experienced some confusion at Crockett Blvd. The bike route continued on Cummings—it had been closed to bikes 20 years ago. I was heading for Vallejo but by bike, not car. So I consulted my maps before deciding to head down Crockett Blvd. The ride through town would be more interesting and slightly shorter than the ride on San Pablo Road, but either way would have gotten me there.

On my trip over the Zampa Bridge I encountered one other cyclist and four pedestrians. It was nice having the path mostly to myself.

Once in Vallejo I continued down Sonoma Blvd. and Curtola Parkway to the waterfront, passing the Ferry Terminal before heading over the Mare Island Causeway. On my last trip west from Vallejo I had taken the CA37 bridge over the Napa River and found the railing on the north side to be uncomfortably low given the height above the water.

I headed north on Railroad Avenue, passing a number of abandoned, dilapidated buildings, then joined the traffic heading west on CA37.

This part reminded me of riding north on CA25 from Hollister. Flat, two-lane highway with a center wall, heavy traffic, and a stiff headwind. Although I kept my speed in the low-20s (mph), I was glad I had help on this part.

What made CA37 worse than CA25 was the wide rumble strip, about twice as wide as usual, leaving me to ride on the right side of the shoulder that contained occasional weeds and other debris. This segment had my full attention.

As I neared Marin County, CA37 became less bicycle-friendly. The Petaluma River Bridge at Black Point is a tall 4-lane affair with no shoulder. Fortunately, traffic at Sears Point (CA121) was being gated by a traffic light, so I waited until the current platoon of vehicles had passed, then I used maximum power (both leg and motor) to get over the bridge before the next platoon arrived.

One more narrow bridge over Novato Creek required a similar approach, but this bridge was shorter in all ways and was easier to slip across between platoons.

My last obstacle to overcome on CA37 was at Hanna Ranch Road. A sign directed bicycles off the highway here, but once I was off the highway I could not find any way out other than to return east on CA37, which I wasn't about to do. I saw no "bike route" signs or any other indication other than the return loops to CA37 east and west and the dead-end Hanna Ranch Road with its "Not A Through Street" signs, two of them on either side of the road, as if for emphasis. I had come through here in 1995 and recalled taking a path or trail beneath the CA37/US101 interchange, but now my memory was failing me. I looked in vain for a path on the other side of the railroad tracks below the tangle of concrete above, but I saw only weeds. I even tried to bring up Google Maps on my phone to plot me a bike route out of there, but I was instead directed to head west on CA37 and onto Novato Blvd., in defiance of the posted signs.

If I had explored the Not A Through Street of Hanna Ranch Road I would have soon discovered the path I had taken years ago heading left just west of the railroad tracks. But, today I was getting cranky with the delay and the misleading signage or lack thereof. So, I returned to CA37 and headed west to Novato Blvd., picking a moment to thread the overpasses when again there was a break in traffic.

I soon found myself at the northern end of a posted bike route from Novato into downtown San Rafael. This route starts with a path alongside US101, then exits into a hotel parking lot. After winding around a small business district I was on Ignacio Blvd. and then on Alameda del Prado. My memory was returning as I had ridden here about four or five years ago while traveling in the other direction.

Then it was onto another bike path past the old Marin Independent Journal building that appeared to be falling into disrepair, the brick facade crumbling brick by brick.

At Miller Creek Road I headed west then south on Las Gallinas and Los Ranchitos before getting back on a bike path that took me into downtown San Rafael, dumping me at Fourth and Hetherton. Again I turned to my maps to find the best way south.

Getting through Marin alternated between relaxing and frustrating, the relaxing parts on the bike paths, the frustrating parts on the streets between the bike paths. The bike routes appeared to be set up for bicyclists traveling between cities but not through cities. I could find no signs directing me from the San Rafael bike path to the start of the path to Larkspur. I knew it must cross Anderson Drive, so I forded through heavy traffic around the Transit Center and turned onto Anderson Drive and in the process heard a sharp Fwump-tick-tick-tick sound coming from my rear tire as I made the turn.

I stopped to check the rear tire, and discovered a nail sticking out of it.

After replacing the tube I continued down Anderson Drive and shortly encountered the path to Larkspur.

I recall reading about the grand opening of this path a number of years ago that refurbished an old railroad tunnel to ease the way through the ridge separating San Rafael from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. This was my first trip through the slightly claustrophobic confines of the bike path tunnel.

With my most recent trip to this area fresher in my mind, I crossed Sir Francis Drake (SFD) Blvd., zigged through the Ferry Terminal parking lot, and got onto the sidewalk on the south side of SFD Blvd. Then I found the path to the US101 bridge over Corte Madera Creek. A sign instructs bicyclists to walk, but that would render difficult the task of passing opposing traffic on this narrow path. As it happens I did pass another opposite cyclist, a pack-laden tourist, at the apex of the bridge, and we both had just enough space to pass each other slowly and carefully while mounted.

I continued through Corte Madera and onto the Mill Valley Bike Path where I stopped to refill my almost-empty bladder. I had seen almost no cyclists as far south as Corte Madera, but from Mill Valley south I saw many recreational cyclists.

I continued into Sausalito among increasing clumps of cyclists and tourists, both on foot and upon rental bikes. Sausalito was pretty as usual but was crawling with cops hiding behind parked cars, just waiting to nab an unwary cyclist or motorist not complying with stop sign or crosswalk rules.

As I approached the Golden Gate Bridge humanity reached the peak of its density that did not begin to abate until after I had ridden well south of the Bridge.

I was slow on the Bridge itself due mainly to heavy crowds and a stiff crosswind that wanted to blow me into the path of oncoming traffic, especially at the circulation of the bridge towers. I stopped once at a pull-out to take a photo. The in-camera panorama stitcher does a good job editing out traffic and sidewalk crowds.

My traversal of eastern Marin County had taken far longer than I expected. Route-finding, traffic, frequent stop signs, gusty crosswinds, and a flat tire each took their toll. From San Francisco southward the route was more straightforward, and as I passed south of the City increasingly enjoying the prevailing northwest tailwind, I was able to cover ground more quickly.

I have to admit it was nice to get back onto Cañada Road, home territory, as it were, and have some room to cruise without worrying about squirrelly tourists at close quarters. Although San Francisco, Sausalito, and Marin are picturesque and worth a visit every so often, I'm afraid I'm spoiled riding the relatively quieter roads of the south Peninsula, south, and east bay.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	80.6 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7680 feet
Total Time:	7:35:27
Riding Time:	5:40:33
Avg. Speed (moving):	14.2 mph
Max. Speed:	44.6 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
Battery energy consumed:	863 wh
Wh/mi:	10.7
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	32.5
Peak Current:	31.6 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	604 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	666 wh
Total energy delivered:	1270 wh

Pescadero, April 29, 2014 - Frank Paysen met me at my house and from there we rode one of my usual routes west toward the Santa Cruz Mountains, to begin a classic coastal route. We left mid-morning, and already the temperature was warm enough to start in shorts and short-sleeves, the first time this year. In fact, temperatures on the entire ride were warm enough to remain in shorts and short sleeves, even at the coast or in the deepest redwood dell.

I've discovered that the best time to ride in the local hills is mid-day on a weekday. Weekends are busy with tourists, and early mornings and late afternoons busy with commuters in certain directions (toward the valley in the morning, and into the hills in the afternoon). But one has the roads to oneself mid-day during the week. And so it was today. We saw very little traffic once we left the urban areas. While the temperatures varied from comfortable to warm, winds were absent except near the coast.

We stopped for less than a half-hour at Archengeli's in Pescadero to share a couple of bakery items, then proceeded to the coast at Pescadero Beach. We rode north on CA1, stopping briefly at San Gregorio Beach, then turned onto Tunitas Creek Road and stopped again at The Bike Hut.

I hadn't stopped at The Bike Hut in over a year, maybe longer, mainly because usually I need neither the break nor the provisions. But today was warm and not uncomfortable to sit on the bench outside under the sun. I nibbled some chocolate-covered sunflower seeds while I chatted with "Matt" who owns a framing business in Sunnyvale and who was also resting at The Bike Hut on this fine day.

After climbing Tunitas Creek Road we descended Kings Mountain Road into Woodside, then rode around the Portola Valley Loop before reintroducing ourselves to heavy traffic on Arastradero Road. We continued into Los Altos Hills, then took Purisima and the O'Keefe Path from Robleda to O'Keefe alongside I-280 before taking usual roads back to my place.

Today I rode with the bike's assist system limited to 750 watts power input and 20mph maximum assisted speed, and I found that the speed limit, in particular, acted as a leash of sorts, preventing me from getting too far ahead of (or too far behind) Frank on the flatter parts of the course and kept me working harder than usual.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
Distance:	164.8 miles
Cumulative climbing:	9880 feet
Total Time:	11:04:23
Riding Time:	8:51:02
Avg. Speed (moving):	18.6 mph
Max. Speed:	43.0 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	2800 wh
Battery energy consumed:	2143 wh
Wh/mi:	13.0
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	82.1
Peak Current:	41.9 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	1500 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	910 wh
Total energy delivered:	2410 wh

Patterson, April 20, 2014 - This weekend's ride was the next step in my conditioning myself (and taking advantage of my new batteries) for longer rides. Today's was a loop I had always wanted to ride from home but until now lacked the battery capacity to finish (and before I started riding hybrid-style, lacked sufficient desire to punish my body). I had last ridden to Patterson starting and ending in Livermore in 1993, but today's route followed more closely my ride in 1992.

Some areas haven't changed much in 22 years (Tesla Road, south Tracy, CA33), but Patterson has quadrupled in size with new developments, strip malls, widened roads (although inconsistently), and increased traffic, at least in town.

The first quarter of my ride was on roads I had recently ridden, but as I passed the turn-off for Mines Road and continued straight on Tesla Road, I began covering territory I hadn't visited in many years.

I stopped part way up the climb on Tesla Road to reboot my phone when I noticed that the GPS had stopped recording. The climb to the pass is not steep but felt longer than I remember. At the top I continued down Corral Hollow Road on the east side without stopping, the descent technical for the first mile and a half, then abruptly flattening out alongside the Carnegie Off-Road Park. The typical wind was blowing consistently, and gave me a nice push most of the way, although the wind shifted to a side wind blowing from the left for part of the trip down the canyon.

I continued toward Tracy, turning right on Linne Road that would skirt the southern edge of town and avoid most of the in-town traffic. At Bird Road my GPS died again. This time I deleted a few suspect Apps from my phone and rebooted. The GPS functioned properly for the rest of the day. I hope I've gotten rid of the problem.

I turned right on Ahern Road (CA33) and began a fast uninterrupted trip south to Patterson. It seemed appropriate to cruise at 33mph on CA33, but the road was not entirely flat. At one point it rose ever so slightly, but enough for my speed to drop to 31mph. At first I thought I had lost my nice tailwind, but upon hitting the complementary downslope I saw my speed touch 35mph.

I had thought I might encounter much traffic on CA33. On my 1992 trip we saw more traffic. If traffic had been unpleasant I would have detoured east a couple of miles to Kasson and River Roads, but this morning traffic was light. I counted 25 motor vehicles passing in my direction the entire distance, and most of them passed me as I neared Patterson.

Once I got to Patterson I rode around the central circle looking for a place to top off my water. I thought of stopping at the public restroom in the central park, but I was dissuaded by a group of sketchy-looking characters hanging about. At the side of City Hall a drinking fountain stood. On the bench nearby "Ray" was seated eating a sandwich. I stopped here and chatted with him while he looked over my bike.

I had planned to stop at Blues Cafe, but the establishment was closed for Easter Sunday. So, I rode down to Sperry and headed west toward the strip malls in the new part of town.

I found Togo's (also closed for the day), then a Subway Sandwich inside the windowless Walmart. Fortunately, it was just inside the front door, so I didn't have to wander through the enormous building. Unfortunately, I could not watch my bike while I was seated inside, so I ordered "to go" and walked outside to eat.

Neither benches nor curbs of any kind were near the front door of this Walmart. Even the small pedestals on the exterior walls were sloped at an uncomfortable angle as if to discourage sitting. The only outdoor activity appeared to be parking and walking to and from one's car and the store's front door. Feeling like a pigeon considering a structure upon which spikes had been installed to discourage perching I walked around to the side of the store and found a spot with a curb where I could rest undisturbed while I ate lunch.

After lunch I began my long trip home, heading west on Sperry Ave., passing more developments and an Amazon fulfillment center some distance from the road to the north. The last time I had ridden here Sperry was a rough two-lane road leading from town to I-5. Now it is four lanes that unexpectedly narrow to what appears to be the old two-lane road just before I-5. Looks like the city was unable to get the developer to foot the bill to widen the road all the way to I-5, forcing most traffic in and out of town onto a short two-lane stretch that crosses both the Delta Mendota and California Aquaducts.

Although this past winter season saw much lower than normal rainfall, the hills west of Patterson still showed green. In June 1993 I had snapped a photo from almost the same spot.

At a couple spots along the lower portion of the canyon, groups of cars could be seen stopped by the road. If I looked down toward the creek I could see large groups, extended families, perhaps, enjoying an Easter Sunday picnic by Del Puerto Creek that was more often than not narrow enough to be leapt across.

Further up the canyon I passed Frank Raines Regional Park that was filled with many large group picnics. On past trips up this way I would stop at the park and refill water, but today I had enough so I continued past without stopping.

Above Frank Raines Park the vegetation changed. More blue pines and chaparral, less grass, and fewer oaks. Soon the back side of Red Mountain came into view. Red Mountain is the mountain that stands at the head of Mines Road. Not much further I arrived at the abrupt start of the steep climb to the county line at Beauregard Summit.

I passed a few splashes of color beside the road on the descent to The Junction.

At The Junction I did not stop at the cafe as I had already eaten lunch and was doing fine for water. I turned left and south on San Antonio Valley Road, stopping in Lower San Antonio Valley to photograph the most colorful of the wildflower displays I had seen this year.

As the road bent west again I climbed over China Grade Summit, descended alongside Arroyo Bayo, and then started up the climb to Copernicus Peak, cresting just before 1600, three and a half hours after I had left Patterson.

I did not stop at the Observatory, having visited many times before.

On the descent I had the road to myself, but the bike felt heavy and sluggish in the curves. I was carrying more batteries than usual, and there was an occasional gust of wind, so I figured heavy bike plus wind was the cause.

Earlier on Del Puerto Canyon Road I had stopped to check my rear tire when it provided a bit too much floatation over the cattle grates but had found the tire hard, so I did not worry about it. But, I couldn't get the thought of a soft tire out of my mind. If it was going flat, the squishiness and side-slop in the corners would get worse with time, right? But there was no change to the feel. And, I didn't want to lose my momentum and my having the road to myself by stopping to inspect the tire. If it was going flat, I'd know soon enough.

Finally at Alum Rock Ave. I stopped and felt the tire. Hard. But, it deflected too much when I sat on the bike. So, I got off, took out my pump, and checked the pressure. 30psi.

OK, it had lost air, and the sluggish handling in the corners probably was largely on account of the soft tire. But how had it lost air? I had pumped it to 85psi the night before. Maybe some kid at the Walmart had let some air out while I was inside the Subway ordering my sandwich. I was hoping it wasn't a bad patch as that would reflect on my competence. Since the leak appeared to be slow, I decided to add air now and investigate later. I was almost home.

I got home in good shape just before 1800 and removed the rear tube to check for a leak, and I found a leak and the cut in the tube and tire, as if a shard of glass had gone in and out. The puncture was quite large, so I was surprised the tire held any air. The leak behaved like a leaky patch that would allow air to escape above a certain pressure but would be airtight at lower pressure. I regretted not investigating and repairing the flat on the road so that I could enjoy the descent of Mt. Hamilton, the longest technical descent in the bay area, but I felt better knowing that it was a true puncture not incompetent patchwork that caused the leak.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
Distance:	92.8 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5750 feet
Total Time:	6:12:48
Riding Time:	4:57:46
Avg. Speed (moving):	18.6 mph
Max. Speed:	50.6 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1053 wh
Wh/mi:	11.3
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	39.5
Peak Current:	42.9 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	737 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	564 wh
Total energy delivered:	1301 wh

Devil's Slide, April 16, 2014 - The day was forecast to be warm and clear with light breezes at the coast, an ideal day to head north to explore the new recreational trail at Devil's Slide.

I rode quickly on a direct route to Montara, a route that had me taking CA92 over the mountains, a short and easy climb followed by a quick but short descent into Half Moon Bay. Traffic was heavy going over the hill, but it moved at a speed at which I could keep up and not have impatient motorists try to pass me on the relatively flat but narrow road into town.

I rode north on CA1 from Half Moon Bay into a constant moderate headwind, maintaining a cruising speed in the low-20's (mph). As the highway narrowed north of Montara State Beach traffic lightened considerably, I was able to get most of the way to the traffic signal for the southern end of the Devil's Slide Trail before the southern tunnel portals without having motorists breathing down my neck. I waited through one cycle before I concluded that the left turn signal into the parking lot did not respond to my bicycle. Perhaps Caltrans do not expect cyclists to arrive at the trailhead by bicycle.

I continued on the new trail that was the old highway along the dramatic right-of-way perched on crumbly cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean below. I rode over the high point and down to the northern parking area before returning south to stop at all of the view spots.

At the highest of these viewpoints I chatted at some length with Larry Carr from Ross (Marin County) and his daughter, Lorrie, visiting from Orange County. They were both out enjoying the new trail on a nice day.

After I reached the southern trailhead again I turned left onto CA1 and rode north through the tunnel and then down into Pacifica before heading up Sharp Park Road and turning toward home on Skyline Blvd. and other familiar roads.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
Distance:	117.3 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5500 feet
Total Time:	7:19:28
Riding Time:	5:59:41
Avg. Speed (moving):	19.5 mph
Max. Speed:	46.0 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1300 wh
Wh/mi:	11.1
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	49.8
Peak Current:	46.1 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	910 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	668 wh
Total energy delivered:	1578 wh

Aromas, April 13, 2014 - It took me a while to settle on a route for the day. I would be riding the PowerPursuit that I had recently reassembled with under-seat battery mounts, and I was eager to test out the rig. I finally decided to head south toward Gilroy and a bit beyond before returning home, a route that would provide me with the opportunity to get used to longer distance and longer pulls between stops. I also felt like riding in warmer rather than cooler weather. I'd head to the coast after the fog had time to burn off.

Stops were hard to avoid for the first 12 miles as I rode through downtown San Jose, where every other block was a red light with a long wait, and then on Almaden Expressway where the traffic lights were not cutting me any slack. Moreover, my GPS quit on me a few times and had to be restarted. Finally, I got out on McKean Road and was able to get into a groove as I flew past the reservoirs.

Once I got past Gilroy I continued south on US-101 as far as CA129. Instead of taking CA129 through Chittenden Gap I detoured into San Benito and Monterey Counties on some back roads in the hills near Aromas: Brown, Cannon, Anzar, and Carr. I had recently corresponded with Joe Biondo, a fellow e-bike builder, who told me he lived on Cannon Road and operated a small nursery. I thought of stopping at the only nursery I saw along the way, but aside from not having set up an appointment I didn't have time for a visit if I wanted to maintain a high likelihood of arriving home before dark. I wasn't equipped with a headlight today.

After descending the hill down past Driscoll's on San Juan Road I crossed the Pajaro Valley on Murphy Crossing, CA129, Carlton, and Lakeview before skirting the edge of Watsonville on Holohan Road before heading toward home on Freedom Blvd.

Since Laura wasn't in Santa Cruz this weekend and was unavailable for a visit, I decided to avoid Santa Cruz and instead rode through Corralitos and up Eureka Canyon Road. A few miles up the road from Corralitos I stopped to repair a rear tire that had been punctured by a nasty piece of sharp metal that was difficult to remove without tools.

Eureka Canyon Road is a quiet, pretty climb alongside Corralitos Creek and higher, but the road surface hasn't improved much in the last few years, full of bumps, potholes, cracks, and crumbly bits. It was a good test of my battery box latches to see if they would hold under harsh vibration. They did.

I continued on Highland Way, pausing only once at Mt. Bache Road to heed the call of nature before continuing on Summit Road and then down Old Santa Cruz Highway and onto CA17 where traffic ran slightly above capacity. Traffic was moving slowly through the Chute, but this was OK as it makes for a less stressful merging onto the highway at the bottom of the Chute and allows for the left-hand exit into downtown Los Gatos.

From Los Gatos I continued home on one of the usual routes.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	78.6 miles
Cumulative climbing:	7900 feet
Total Time:	6:39:28
Riding Time:	5:28:12
Avg. Speed (moving):	14.3 mph
Max. Speed:	45.9 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1055 wh
Wh/mi:	13.4
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	40.8
Peak Current:	43.1 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	739 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	662 wh
Total energy delivered:	1401 wh

South Butano and Old Haul Roads, April 9, 2014 - I got started shortly after noon, on the late side for a ride this long and with so much of its distance (about 20 miles) on dirt roads. I fully expected to be finishing in the dark.

My departure had been delayed by my needing to take care of desk work in the morning and upon my discovering a dead Cycle Lumenator headlamp on my bike. Fortunately, I have a second head unit that I was able to install quickly. But the discovery was unsettling as I did not want my second light to fail suddenly on me on a dark country road.

I rode with all deliberate speed south to Saratoga then up CA9, barely pausing at the stop sign at CA35 before heading down to CA236 and into Big Basin. At China Grade Road I turned right and began a steep climb up to the high point on the ridge that probably would be a named peak given its prominence in the greater region, standing as it does at the apex of ridge lines heading east, south, west, and north, if it weren't for the fact that its summit at 2359ft is forested and nondescript and easy to miss when riding along China Grade Road.

I continued onto the dirt road, following signs for BSA Camp Cutter, continued past Johansen Road descending to the left. Then, just as the road began descending toward Camp Cutter, I veered left onto a faint fire road marked by a small sign that read "South Butano". It was here that I encountered the only other human activity. A Ben Lomond Fire Company truck was slowly climbing the hill in the opposite direction.

Recent rains had left drainage ditches down the middle or edges of the road, but there was little dust and only a few muddy parts. Only once did I pass standing water.

Since my last visit to this road in 2012 I could see that someone had been working to clear brush. Perhaps that explained why the Ben Lomond fire crews were seen so far from home. The road could function as a fire break today, but on my last trip in 2012 it was overgrown with Scotch Broom in many places.

I continued past the turn-off for Olmo Trail and soon I was out of the forest crossing the abandoned airstrip. After a short forested climb I began a long gradual descent on mostly smooth crushed sandstone as the road continued west along the ridge. After the road plunged again into the trees the temperature dropped about 10 degrees F. I stopped to put on another layer.

The last mile down to Cloverdale Road is the roughest, the two dual tracks being rutted enough to be stream beds. I rode on the mound at the center of the road.

Once back on Cloverdale Road I headed north into a stiff cold headwind, then east on Pescadero Road. The old Loma Mar Store appears to be closed again. I remember stopping for lunch and outdoor entertainment here years ago.

I turned right on Wurr Road that passes along the southern edge of Memorial Park, then turned right on Old Haul Road.

I saw no one the entire time I was on Old Haul, and again I had the place to myself in Portola State Park where the park HQ building was dark and shuttered. A few campers occupied the campground, but I saw no people about. The rangers' residences appear to be abandoned, although a faint hum could be heard emanating from one of the cabins.

I rode quickly uphill from Portola State Park, stopping only once at the top of Alpine before descending Page Mill and Moody Roads and heading directly home, arriving comfortably before darkness. And, my headlight was still lit.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	62.7 miles
Cumulative climbing:	10140 feet
Total Time:	6:36:11
Riding Time:	5:04:37
Avg. Speed (moving):	12.3 mph
Max. Speed:	54.0 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1800 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1182.3 wh
Wh/mi:	18.7
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	45.1
Peak Current:	43.1 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	828 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	827 wh
Total energy delivered:	1655 wh
Link to:	Nifty Ten Fifty Web Page

Nifty Ten Fifty, April 6, 2014 - I managed to talk Zach Kaplan into joining me on the Nifty Ten Fifty this year, riding his new electric-assist HP Velotechnik Scorpion fs26 s-pedalec.

I left home at 0645 and arrived at Cerrito Vista Park in El Cerrito about an hour and five minutes later, with enough time to chit-chat with others, take a few photos, and set the bike up without being rushed. While I was setting up Zach arrived at the start, having ridden without the motor from home in Alameda.

Our first climb up Moeser Lane starts the ride with a bang, or rather with an "Ugh!". Some riders were seen tacking across the road.

Almost as difficult as the physical challenge of this ride is the route-finding challenge, especially on the first few trips up and down the hill in El Cerrito and later in Oakland, where streets are narrow and in many cases unmarked, and where turns come quickly in succession. I found myself holding the route sheet in my hand much of the time.

Zach's electric trike uses an efficient direct-drive rear hub motor that is all but silent compared to the whirring of my crank-drive motor and has very little drag when spun unpowered, allowing him to pedal for extended periods using no motor power. It is able to partially-recharge the battery (regenerative braking) on descents, provided descending speed is kept below about 28mph.

But, Zach discovered while climbing at a low assist power level on the early climbs to increase his likelihood of not exhausting both batteries before finishing the ride, that the motor is happiest when kept at speeds above about 10 mph. He climbed faster on the second half of the ride, having a better idea of his energy usage. In the end he was able to finish the ride on the roughly 1kwh of battery capacity he carried with him, swapping batteries once at the refreshment stop at the Island picnic area in Tilden Park.

Zach suffered one major mechanical that almost ended his ride. Not far from the summit of Lomas Cantadas his chain over-shifted and wedged itself between the cassette and the hub motor. After struggling with it for a half-hour we managed to free it, reconnect the chain, and continue the ride without further mechanicals or misfortune.

Since we were running behind we skipped the stop at Peet's and pressed on up Claremont and Grizzly Peak, to the summit of Vollmer Peak where we could just make out the faint white snow line atop the Sierra Crest through the Central Valley haze.

After we returned to Cerrito Vista Park, Zach rode home while I took a short nap in the van before heading over to Lanesplitter Pizza in Berkeley where I was unable to find the post-ride pizza group†. As I was hungry I decided to stay and order a Vegan Calzone rather than drive home on an empty stomach. What arrived at my table was an enormous half-crescent of pizza dough stuffed with veggies and vegan cheese that extended beyond the boundaries of the plate. The waitress brought unbidden a take-out tray along with my order. Much to my surprise I managed to clean my plate just as I began to feel full. Probably the vegan cheese was not as filling as mozzarella would have been.

^†It turns out the group was in the rear garden, and although I went out there to look for them, I did not recognize anyone, especially since they were in street clothes.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	87.2 miles
Cumulative climbing:	3530 feet
Total Time:	7:04:10
Riding Time:	4:51:26
Avg. Speed (moving):	17.9 mph
Max. Speed:	51.5 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1000 wh
Wh/mi:	11.3
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	39.2
Peak Current:	39.3 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	700 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	582 wh
Total energy delivered:	1282 wh

Coyote Hills with BARC, March 30, 2014 - This morning at the last minute I decided to join the Zach Kaplan and the BARC (Bay Area Recumbent Cyclists) ride on the Alameda Creek Trail and around the Coyote Hills.

I left home just after 1000 and rode via the fastest route to Menlo Park up Central Expressway and Alma, then Willow Road and over the Dumbarton Bridge to the trail leading over the bridge above the toll plaza and onto the Apay and Bay Trails around the Coyote Hills. I got to the Alameda Creek Trail about one hour after I left home. I called Zach, and he informed me that he was not far away, having made gradual progress from Niles Canyon toward the bay.

I started riding upstream, but it was not long before I encountered Zach and one other rider ahead of the rest of the group. I turned around and followed them back toward the bay.

After regrouping we all continued out to the end of the levee where Alameda Creek joins San Francisco Bay, where we took a short break. A dirt trail that continues on the levee beyond the end of the paved trail reconnects with Coyote Hills or the eastern end of the Dumbarton Bridge. I made a mental note to explore these options sometime when the top of the levee has seen many weeks of warm dry weather.

We returned up the paved trail, then rode a circuit around the Coyote Hills, reversing my route from the morning. When we got back to the Alameda Creek Trail we turned right and pressed upstream on the trail.

At the Isherwood bridge we stopped to regroup before some of the riders left the group. While we were waiting Gary Suplick happened by on his new Mango velomobile. We all gathered around to gawk at it.

After we arrived at the eastern trailhead at the mouth of Niles Canyon, Zach and I split off from the group, Zach returning to BART and home, and I heading up Niles Canyon to complete a longer loop home via Calaveras, Felter, and Sierra Roads.

I rode quickly through Niles Canyon but slower on Calaveras, Felter, and Sierra, stopping a few times to snap photos of the green landscape and the interesting cumulus and nimbus clouds hovering overhead.

When I got to the top of Sierra Road it was clear that a large raincloud was dumping moisture over south San Jose. Fortunately, the wind was blowing the weather away from my location. Even so, I didn't linger long.

After descending Sierra as quickly as seemed prudent with debris having recently been washed onto the road in several spots, I returned home across San Jose via the south route on Maybury and Taylor, passing through San Jose just north of downtown. This slower route was more congested with more frequent traffic signals, but it was an interesting alternative from my usual fast route across north San Jose on Montague and Trimble. I arrived home shortly before 1800.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	120.0 miles
Cumulative climbing:	8870 feet
Total Time:	8:42:54
Riding Time:	6:53:25
Avg. Speed (moving):	17.4 mph
Max. Speed:	43.0 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1358 wh
Wh/mi:	11.3
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	52.1
Peak Current:	43.5 Amps
Motor energy to rear wheel:	951 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	905 wh
Total energy delivered:	1856 wh

Mount Hamilton Loop Clockwise, March 23, 2014 - I had hoped to get an early start, but I discovered before leaving home that only one of my two batteries had fully charged in the night. I quickly wired three chargers in parallel to charge the second battery quickly. This took about an hour.

So, I set off on my usual route across north San Jose on Central, Trimble, Montague, and then through Milpitas to Calaveras Road.

On Calaveras Road I saw few cyclists going my way, and only a few more riding the other way until I was riding north through Sunol Valley, when I saw a large group riding the other way.

I entered I-680 at Calaveras Road and got on CA84 to ride over Pigeon Pass instead of riding through Pleasanton. On my way over the pass I made a mental note to ride someday the old two-lane highway that is now closed to traffic but runs parallel to the new highway. Gates at both ends appear to be passable by someone on foot or bike.

In Livermore I stopped at the ball field at Wente Avenue and South Livermore Avenue to top off my water. As I stepped into the rest room at the ball park I discovered a sink running into a clogged drain that was about to overflow. I quickly shut off the water, but I wondered why someone would have left the water running to cause a flood in the rest room, not to speak of the wasted water during a drought.

As I pressed on up Mines Road, motor traffic was heavy heading up over the hill to Lake Del Valle. On Mines Road the main traffic were motorcycles, an occasional pickup truck, and several small groups of cyclists riding the opposite direction. The air was clear and warm and the hills green yet sparsely-covered with new grass.

I continued up over Eylar Summit with the aid of a slight tailwind, then down through Blackbird Valley and over the second ridge before coasting quickly down to The Junction Cafe for a sit-down lunch.

The cafe appears to be under new ownership or management. They were just coming off a power outage but were able to grill a veggie burger, an unusual patty made from what appeared to be potato or flour and diced mushroom and/or eggplant. I ate lunch with a couple, Sean and Sherrie, who were building up their mileage for a charity ride they were planning to do later in the year. They had ridden from Livermore.

After lunch I pressed on into San Antonio Valley and Upper San Antonio Valley before climbing over parched China Grade Summit, then along nearly dry Arroyo Bayo before starting up the big climb of the day to Copernicus Peak, broken only by the short descent to Isabel Creek just over one mile into the climb.

Near the top of the climb I came across a CHP cruiser and CDF truck, yet no one was about. As I rounded a couple more bends I looked back on that section of road and saw why. Apparently, a motorcyclist traveling uphill did not make the curve and flew off the road and down the embankment. The wrecked motorcycle was lying 30 feet below the road edge next to an old oak tree. The CHP officer and CDF guy had been down at the wreck. The motorcyclist was nowhere, probably taken to hospital.

I did not climb to the summit of Mount Hamilton, but continued down the west side, stopping only to don an additional layer of clothing. I then rode home along my usual route.

I rode the entire day using torque pedal assist, where motor power is added in proportion to my pedaling effort. The only time I did not run the motor was on significant down-grades where cruising speed was over 25 mph. But, the assist level was moderate at most, to enhance the conditioning effect. By the time I got home my legs had had enough.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	93.7 miles
Cumulative climbing:	8740 feet
Total Time:	8:57:06
Riding Time:	5:42:04
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.8 mph
Max. Speed:	45.8 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1600 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1140 wh
Wh/mi:	12.2
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	43.6
Peak Current:	43.4 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.4
Motor energy to rear wheel:	798 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	733 wh
Total energy delivered:	1531 wh

Visiting Luke At Zero, March 20, 2014 - I started from home and rode quickly to Saratoga, then up CA9 and down the south side into the San Lorenzo Valley. I had given myself only just enough time to get from home to Scotts Valley via CA9, so I rode without delay.

By the time I got to Ben Lomond I saw that I had enough time to take the longer but quieter route over Quail Hollow Road into Felton rather than stay on CA9 that was increasingly crowded with impatient traffic. I arrived at Zero Motorcycles in Scotts Valley a few minutes after noon.

After meeting Luke "LiveForPhysics" Workman, he changed into his biking gear—wearing just enough to be legal—and got his bike. His front hub motor was still not working, and his two other work colleagues who were to join us had pressing obligations in the office, so the two of us set off. I dialed my assist level back so that I could match Luke's speed on the climbs.

We rode up Glenwood and Mountain Charlie, stopping a few times to take photos, enjoy the view, or chat about his work—as much as he could divulge—, bikes, e-bikes, hydration, nutrition, and life philosophy. At the top of Mountain Charlie Road I showed Luke a fun little climb up Riva Ridge Road. We looped back to Mountain Charlie Road via Summit Road and began the bumpy descent. Some parts of Mountain Charlie are due for a resurfacing.

We rode straight back to Zero where I met some of Luke's colleagues including Patrick ("methods") whom I first met at the Maker Faire last May.

As I was preparing to leave for home Rando Pikner of Stigo came by to demonstrate his folding e-scooter, a personal transportation device that could be quite handy for someone commuting by bus or train. I took a short spin around the parking lot and was reminded when I briefly broke rear wheel traction that small wheels result in greater torque. That little scooter has plenty of oomph, perhaps too much.

I left Zero at 1630 and returned up Mountain Charlie, this time via Bean Creek Road. I then proceeded down the north side of Mountain Charlie to Old Santa Cruz Highway and thence into Los Gatos via The Chute, where I got a lucky break in traffic and took the Santa Cruz Ave. exit.

From there it was a quick ride into the wind mostly against commute traffic as I rode north on Quito and Lawrence, arriving home just before 1800.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	69.6 miles
Cumulative climbing:	6770 feet
Total Time:	4:56:05
Riding Time:	4:06:36
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.9 mph
Max. Speed:	46.9 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
Battery energy consumed:	856 wh
Wh/mi:	12.3
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	33.2
Peak Current:	41.9 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.3
Motor energy to rear wheel:	599 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	592 wh
Total energy delivered:	1191 wh

Big Basin, March 11, 2014 - For today's ride I switched over to the Gold Rush that I hadn't ridden in a while. The Gold Rush employs a fabric fairing with a hard nose, is somewhat less aerodynamic, but is easier to handle in windy conditions. Today was windy. My Gold Rush also uses a torque-reading bottom bracket that allows me to monitor my own (human) performance more closely, and since I had set up the assist to be proportional to pedaling torque, I would get immediate feedback from the bike when I worked harder or slacked off.

As I climbed up Redwood Gulch and continued up CA9 to Saratoga Gap I noticed that I was slacking off my effort more often that I expected. My legs felt tired, and I couldn't maintain the 150-200 watt effort for the entire climb. My legs hurt. A mile from top I couldn't take any more and switched the assist mode to PAS (fixed motor power).

Riding the Pursuit with its assist mode that added fixed (instead of proportional) motor power when the cranks turned had lulled me into practicing lazy pedaling technique. I knew that I wouldn't enjoy riding the Butano loop I had planned, so I decided to take a slightly shorter route and make the best of the training opportunity.

After switching back to "torque assist" mode I descended toward Boulder Creek, taking a bit more care than usual due to the wind gusting over the ridge. I continued onto CA236 and climbed up along the ridge separating the San Lorenzo River and Pescadero Creek watersheds.

On my descent into Big Basin I took North Escape Road, stopping several times to take photos. At the bottom of the descent a tree had fallen across the road, but I was able to find a way around without getting out of the bike.

Once I got to the Park HQ I turned right and continued through Big Basin toward Boulder Creek. As I passed the Boulder Creek Country Club I briefly considered climbing Jamison Creek Road, then descending Alba or Felton-Empire before making my final climb over to Los Gatos or Saratoga, but I remembered my legs from earlier and decided it would be best not to overdo it.

From Boulder Creek I climbed Bear Creek Road. Bear Creek Road is the most popular route over to San Jose from Boulder Creek and is often busy with impatient motorists driving too fast and not happy to encounter bicyclists on the road where there the shoulder often disappears. Weekdays mid-day are not too busy on Bear Creek Road.

Again I considered turning left at Skyline Blvd. and heading over Castle Rock to CA9 before descending into Saratoga, but by this time I was tired. So I pressed on down Bear Creek Road toward CA17. I thought I was making pretty good time—a little too good at one point where my front wheel slipped on some gravel—but near the bottom I got held up by a one-lane control where road crews were clearing debris from the side of the road.

I continued onto CA17 into Los Gatos, unable to take the Santa Cruz Ave. exit due to traffic, and again opting to take the CA9 eastbound exit instead of the usual cloverleaf westbound exit when I saw a long line of motorists entering the freeway.

After stopping to collect some contact lenses at For Eyes in San Jose I continued home while observing gradually-thickening traffic, especially opposite my direction.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
Distance:	83.0 miles
Cumulative climbing:	1970 feet
Total Time:	8:05:03
Riding Time:	5:26:38
Avg. Speed (moving):	15.2 mph
Max. Speed:	48.3 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1200 wh
Battery energy consumed:	711 wh
Wh/mi:	8.6
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	26.4
Peak Current:	42.1 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.8
Motor energy to rear wheel:	498 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	371 wh
Total energy delivered:	869 wh

Bay and Creek Trails and Calaveras Road, March 8, 2014 - When Lisa Antonino announced she was planning a Bikeaholics ride for today, I considered that the weather was forecast to be nicer on Saturday than Sunday and that I hadn't ridden with this group in many years. I'd have to get up early enough to get to Peet's in Menlo Park before 0800, and I'd have to skip the nearby farmer's market that I usually visit every Saturday and instead visit Mountain View's farmer's market on Sunday morning.

I was out the door at 0715 and on the road shortly afterward. I rode quickly on the most direct route to Menlo Park: Eveyln Avenue and Central Expressway/Alma Street. Traffic was light, and I rode moderately fast but not at maximum speed. I had good luck with the traffic signals, getting green lights most of the time.

When I arrived at Peet's (at University and Santa Cruz Ave.) Lisa Antonino, Tom Lawrence, and Ken Straub were enjoying their continental breakfast al fresco. As I pulled my bike onto the sidewalk, a dog waiting nearby while its owner was visiting Peet's got spooked at my bike that to a dog must have smelled human but looked like something entirely unknown and vaguely threatening.

We started off by heading northeast through Menlo Park, taking the bicycle/pedestrian bridge over US-101 between Willow and Marsh Roads. We then zig-zagged through east Menlo Park to Willow and Bayfront Expressway, then started on the bike path alongside.

After we got to the other side of the bridge we turned left onto Apay Trail, crossed the bridge over the toll plaza and then toured around the western side of the Coyote Hills. We continued onto the Alameda Creek Trail and rode as far as Old Canyon Road, dodging a fair number of pedestrians along the way. At this point we got onto CA84 and headed up Niles Canyon, riding quickly to minimize our exposure to traffic on this road.

We stopped briefly in Sunol before continuing on Calaveras Road, stopping three times to regroup before Lisa led us to a Vietnamese noodle shop that was still in its grand opening phase for a hearty lunch.

After lunch Tom led us through Milpitas to Dixon Landing Road and onto Coyote Creek Trail and other trails and minor roads to Alviso.

We continued home on the Bay Trail behind Moffett Field and then crossed US-101 on the Permanente Creek Bridge, an example of how a bicycle/pedestrian bridge should be built, inline with the direction of travel to minimize distance traveled, with the exception of obstacle courses at each end and the glaring omission of a crossing or curb cut across Charleston Road on its northern approach.

At Middlefield Road we split up to head home, Tom and Lisa heading north, and Ken and I heading south.

MegaMonster Enduro, February 8, 2014 - After being ill over most of the three weeks since I had ridden the Winter Solstice “110” and having a lingering cough I decided not to ride the event this year. But, I was still able to help out. So, at 0530 I left home and drove an hour and a half in the rain/drizzle, certain I would be spending the day in similar conditions, to Paicines to meet Kevin Winterfield and the other volunteers.

The first significant rain in over a year had decided to visit the Bay Area on MegaMonster Weekend. While rain was steady and significant the further north one went, rain had so far only dampened the roads south of Hollister. We saw less than half the usual number of riders show up. Weather reports were not promising earlier in the week, but the night before Kevin scouted the course and discovered dry roads and a forecast of clouds and 20% chance of precipitation. Precipitation occurred at times but was light and sporadic, not enough to keep a hardy cyclist off the road. Moreover, temperatures were not too cold at about 60F at the peak of the day.

After photographing most of the starters, Christine Holmes and I drove my van south along the course, ready to help a cyclist in need. We had no customers, leaving me little to do other than to drive and snap photos of riders along the way.

We stopped at the Bitterwater checkpoint to visit with Lane Parker and some local families that had come by to help out and see what all the fuss was about.

We continued on to CA198 where Kevin was waiting at the turnaround point. After visiting with Kevin we drove back to Paicines, stopping briefly at Bitterwater again.

On the course the wind was mostly blowing from the south, not the usual direction. But, later in the day, the wind changed direction on the northernmost ten miles, becoming a headwind for most cyclists on their return leg just when they were most fatigued.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a hybrid-electric bike entry this year from Paul Daniel, Brammo Motorcycles’ chief battery engineer.

Paul’s ebike was a converted cross-bike. His battery was made up of rejected or test cells of what I can assume is the latest battery technology from his work at Brammo, constituting a 2 kwh battery in four 500 wh modules. One module was mounted to the handlebars, one mounted to the bicycle frame, and two attached to a rear rack clamped to the seat post. The weight distribution of the battery resulted in some “interesting” handling of the bike at times. With a single 500wh battery mounted to the frame, the bike has better road manners, I am told.

The power system was a 750-watt Bafang 8FUN crank-drive motor and reduction that served him well. Paul finished the 100-mile course in 3:52, the fastest time of the day and the second-fastest time in the hybrid-electric division in any year by less than 7 minutes. He consumed 1872 watt-hours with an average motor power of 482 watts.

In 2011 on my faired long-wheelbase recumbent I completed the course in 3:45:20 at an average motor power of 352 watts. The 130-watt difference in average power illustrates the advantage of aerodynamics, even with my bike+body weight being about 100 lbs greater than Paul’s.

Joining Paul on a non-functional electric bike was Luke “LiveForPhysics” Workman. Luke, chief battery engineer at Brammo's competition, Zero Motorcycles, had planned to ride a tall Lemond road bike with a Bafang geared front hub motor and a single battery pack mounted behind his seat. Unfortunately, Luke’s motor malfunctioned late the prior night while testing it—I see that the custom of testing and assembling the night before a big event is common in the e-bike world—with not enough time to debug before the event. He discovered afterward that his front brake rotor was cutting into the motor’s Hall sensor wires.

Yet he is due at least as much credit for “suffering” as Paul as he rode his bike unassisted (without battery) on the 100-km course, having started too late to ride the full 100 miles.

The last riders finished the course at 1715 and seemed happy to have completed the event on a day with sub-optimal weather.

After enjoying mostly dry weather under a varying sky, I drove home through rain most of the way. Even though I didn’t ride this year, I was just as weary by the time I slipped into bed, falling asleep before 2100.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
Distance:	111.5 miles
Cumulative climbing:	4220 feet
Total Time:	7:07:03
Riding Time:	5:56:38
Avg. Speed (moving):	18.7 mph
Max. Speed:	51.6 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1325 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1129 wh
Wh/mi:	10.1
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	44.2
Peak Current:	41.2 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.1
Motor energy to rear wheel:	790 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	605 wh
Total energy delivered:	1395 wh

Winter Solstice '110', January 18, 2014 - My body must have an internal clock. When I awoke at 0343, my alarm was set to go off two minutes later. I had slept well but not long enough, and I wanted to go back to sleep. But, I knew that the day would be a good day to ride and temperatures would be comfortable if not warm, so I continued my morning routine, then headed down to Gilroy's Christmas Hill Park, the starting location for the Winter "Solstice" "Century" (held this year a month late due to scheduling conflicts and 110 miles long).

After a couple of false starts and having to return to the start to retrieve some forgotten item, I was off. I wore all clothes initially, but as soon as I was south of town I warmed up enough to take off my windbreaker and long sleeve top.

While I was busy changing by the road Jim Kern and a couple other double-century riders, Peter Morrissey and Vidas Placiakis, rode by. Jim was on his Bacchetta Carbon Aero and had found a good draft behind the other two upright cyclists. As soon as I had packed up my stuff I took off in pursuit.

My goal today was to ride at a moderate pace, using motor power most of the time so that my human effort was never excessive. I spent a couple of minutes closing the gap to Jim and the others by adding about 180 watts of motor power to my own effort. When I caught up to them I dialed back the motor power to about 100 watts. This was about the right amount to stay in contact on flat ground.

The four of us continued down Bolsa Road, then turned left on Bloomfield and right on Frazier Lake Road as we crossed the county line and continued through dry and fallow farm lands between Gilroy and Hollister.

Although I got ahead of the group a few times to snap photos, most of the time I hung back at the rear adjusting motor power instead of human power to maintain contact. Peter and Vidas seemed happy to set the pace up front.

We stopped for a short break when we got to the bottom of the first climb up Santa Ana Valley Road. Later on Quien Sabe Road I stopped by the road to deal with a messy energy bar wrapper, and the others got ahead of me. I caught up again on CA25 near Paicines, but a few miles later I stopped again to mend a rear tire puncture. A small piece of glass appeared to be the culprit. It was here that I noticed that the temperature had climbed into the high 70s F, and I was getting warm just standing by the road.

I peeled off my remaining extra layers and resumed my southward journey on CA25. Since I was playing catch-up I dialed the motor power up to about 450-500 watts and cruised up the road at about 24mph. I did not catch Peter and Vidas until the Pinnacles Junction, and did not see Jim until the lunch stop.

Lane Parker single-handedly supported the ride and had a generous lunch spread including Subway sandwiches and other sweet and salty snacks. In exchange for lunch we each got our mug shots taken.

I ate two six-inch veggie sandwiches and was back on the road again within a half-hour.

On the climb north on CA25 out of Bear Valley I passed Peter and Vidas and was told that Jim was fifteen minutes ahead. I set the assist at 150-180 watts of motor power and figured I'd catch Jim if or when I caught him.

Although it was fun to cruise quickly down the "new" Airline Highway part of CA25, it was a relief to turn left onto Old Airline Highway and leave the fast traffic behind. Most of the traffic was still heading south to Pinnacles, but the park itself was more crowded than I had ever seen it on a winter weekend. Old Airline Highway was rough and full of potholes, but I was still able to move along quickly.

Not long before I got to Cienega Road I could see another cyclist ahead who appeared to be pedaling feet first. It was Jim. I almost caught up to him at the top of the first climb on Cienega Road, but he got ahead again when I stopped for a quick relief break.

For the next several miles I could see him ahead but only made slow progress catching up. It was almost as if he pushed a little harder when he saw me begin to overtake. Yet I did not give in to the temptation to use more motor power. Then not far from the school on Cienega Road I finally caught up.

We rode together the rest of the way, sociably on the climbs, traffic permitting, he in front on the descents, as he likes to pedal with constant effort up to 35 mph while I prefer to let gravity do the work, and I on the flat parts into and across the head and cross winds.

We arrived back at Christmas Hill Park two minutes before 1500.

I was pleasantly fatigued at the end, but on the drive home I fought drowsiness. My sleep deficit from the early-morning wake-up was catching up with me.

NTS Works 2x4 e-Cargo Bike, January 15, 2014 - After our ride to Seaside, Ron Bobb and I visited NTS Works where CEO Neal Saiki and his wife Lisa were showing off their new electric-assist "2x4" cargo bike to friends and potential investors.

The bike is unusual in several ways:
1. The load is carried primarily above the front wheel.
2. Steering uses a linkage between the handlebar/headset and the front fork. I counted seven (7) pivots altogether, including two for the headset.
3. Front tire is ISO 507, while the rear is ISO 559, although a quick glance at the bike might miss this detail.
4. Battery uses pressure contacts to connect the cells, making battery shipping and servicing easier.
5. Connection to the battery uses a proprietary connector with a key and magnet to prevent reverse polarity hookup.
I observed a slight shimmy at certain speeds with a full load on the bike, although for me this shimmy was well damped and never felt uncontrolled. Not surprisingly the bike resisted sudden steering attempts at speed with a full load up front. Aside from feeling a bit cramped in the cockpit and occasionally striking the kickstand with my toes—the bike is sized for a smaller rider, I found that it rode surprisingly well.

The motor is a geared Bafang "8FUN" run at 36 volts limited to 350 watts. The three settings on the handlebar control appear to set the speed at which constant motor power is cut off (low, med, high), not how much motor power is added. E.g. At low speed switching from "low" to "high" does not increase the motor torque. The cranks are fitted with a PAS ring and pickup so that motor power is only applied when pedals are turning.

The SunCycle model of the bike includes a cargo hood atop which is installed a solar panel that is said to produce about 60 watts under full sun.

A couple of concerns I have are the long-term reliability of the complex steering system, how long the pivots will run without play, and the two different tire sizes. This latter point is not obvious to the casual observer as the front wheel is hidden by the cargo bed. The front wheel size ISO 507 is not common. I wonder if the use of the more common ISO 406 front wheel had been considered, thereby allowing a deeper cargo bed and a wider selection and availability of front tires.

The bike itself is built from aluminum. Welds are clean and even. I was impressed by the design of the battery that allows the user or dealer to service it by separating the cells from the battery for shipment, if needed. Designing a compact, energy-dense and reliable battery to power an e-bike is not a trivial problem.

Neal and Lisa seem to have done their homework and designed a good system for a cargo e-assist bike. They also have several patents pending on their bike and battery design, have studied the market and believe that the time is right for adoption of the concept in certain sectors, mainly delivery and cargo shipment in congested urban areas and/or where green transportation alternatives are enthusiastically embraced.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	53.3 miles
Cumulative climbing:	940 feet
Total Time:	4:56:14
Riding Time:	3:48:52
Avg. Speed (moving):	14.0 mph
Max. Speed:	36.1 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	900 wh
Battery energy consumed:	366 wh
Wh/mi:	6.9
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	14.3
Peak Current:	43.4 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.7
Motor energy to rear wheel:	256 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	344 wh
Total energy delivered:	600 wh

Seaside, January 15, 2014 - Ron Bobb and I rode from his place in Watsonville south to Seaside and back.

The weather was warm already, and I stripped down to shorts and short-sleeves, the first time I had started a ride like that since August or September. Later during the day the temperature rose to about 85F, warm even for summer in this area.

On the southbound trip we rode the scenic way down Elkhorn Road and then to Castroville before picking up the bike path that would take us through Marina and the Fort Ord Dunes on the way to Seaside.

We rode south on the Fort Ord path and returned on the CA1 path. When we got to Nashua Road we continued over CA1 onto Molera Road and then after a short stop where Ron massaged his foot and removed his leg-warmers, to CA1 that we took past Moss Landing.

After we crossed Elkhorn Slough my front tire punctured rather noisily and suddenly. At first I thought something had gotten in my wheel, but as I slowed I could see my front tire nearly flat.

I pulled off the highway and repaired the tire and replaced the tube. By the look of the rubber that had been peeled off the tire, it looks like I ran over a piece of glass or sharp metal object. Fortunately, the hole in the tire casing was small, and there was no bulge after I reinflated the tire. So, I think with the boot installed it will hold for a while.

Ron Bobb had continued on ahead, and so I found myself with an opportunity to open the throttle to catch up to him. I caught him on Salinas Road just beyond CA1.

We rode back through Pajaro and Watsonville, arriving at Ron's place after 1500.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	36.4 miles
Cumulative climbing:	3580 feet
Total Time:	2:35:37
Riding Time:	2:11:50
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.5 mph
Max. Speed:	36.9 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	900 wh
Battery energy consumed:	588 wh
Wh/mi:	16.2
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	23.4
Peak Current:	42.8 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.3
Motor energy to rear wheel:	411 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	258 wh
Total energy delivered:	669 wh

Black Mountain, January 8, 2014 - After a busy morning, I managed to get out for a quick mid-afternoon ride. I had planned longer routes and an earlier departure but had to settle for the climb over Black Mountain since I didn't have enough daylight for anything more ambitious.

I rode quickly to the edge of the city, then headed south on Stevens Canyon Road. Since I wasn't riding far today I used the motor liberally (as can be seen from the "wh/mi" figure above), although I did take care not to ride so fast that I would upset the popular Strava segment rankings.

On my way up Montebello I explored Peacock Lane but found the Swiss Creek Lane gate shut, so I continued up Montebello. At the Montebello gate I continued to the summit of Black Mountain where I did not sit long as it was a cool 48F and I was dripping with perspiration from the climb.

On my way down to Page Mill Road I rode through the Backpacker's Camp and then down the Bella Vista Trail. Bella Vista Trail appears to have received lots of use this season. I hoped (vainly) that the light rain last night had washed away some of the dust.

The trail itself was more rutted and undulating than I recall from my last visit. It was as if someone had recut the trail to include more whoop-de-doos and "carved" corners, where the bicycle tire tracks have ridden up on the embankment in the corners.

When I got to Page Mill Road I turned right and descended to Altamont Road, then through Los Altos Hills and eventually to home.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Pursuit F3
Distance:	92.6 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5110 feet
Total Time:	6:15:44
Riding Time:	5:09:29
Avg. Speed (moving):	17.2 mph
Max. Speed:	45.4 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1100 wh
Battery energy consumed:	1012.5 wh
Wh/mi:	11
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	40.3
Peak Current:	43.3 Amps
Min. Voltage:	20.7
Motor energy to rear wheel:	709 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	555 wh
Total energy delivered:	1264 wh

Henry Coe State Park, January 5, 2014 - My last visit to Henry Coe State Park in 2012 was for a long hike through the western region of the park. My last ride up to the park HQ was in April 2009, so it had been a while since I had ridden up East Dunne Ave.

I started my outing by taking the direct route through downtown San Jose. I rode the first six to seven miles under human power only, until I felt sufficiently warmed up to off-load some of the effort.

My quick calculation suggested I should be able to do the ride with only the main batteries. But, that assumed I wouldn't mind using human power on most of the flat stuff and that I was using new batteries. My batteries are older, retaining about 93% of their original capacity, and I knew my legs wouldn't be happy plugging away for the first two hours of the ride down to Morgan Hill.

So, I packed a spare battery. This would give me some headroom to have some fun and cruise in the mid- to high-20's (mph) on the flat stuff.

I got to downtown Morgan Hill at 12:30 then proceeded up East Dunne Ave., arriving at the Coe Park HQ an hour later. The climb was as I expected: the hills dry and Anderson Reservoir low, so low that the bridge was over dry land.

Once I got past Anderson Reservoir and started up the main climb traffic was light. Only a few cars passed me on the climb. At the park HQ I rode down to the campground and rested for about half an hour to enjoy the view and to eat a snack.

As I was getting ready to head home a guy on a motorcycle arrived and wanted to check out my bike. So we chatted for about 15 minutes.

I stopped a few times on the way down to snap some shots of the view. The descent was tricky on account of the rough surface, cracked and potholed in a number of spots. The final plunge into Morgan Hill is rougher than it looks and had a couple of invisible heaves that almost launched me into the air.

Once down into Morgan Hill I headed over to Hale and Santa Teresa Blvd., then cruised north to Bailey Road that I took over to McKean. I then proceeded home on the usual route for the Reservoirs ride through Almaden, Los Gatos, and Saratoga.

My battery reserves were getting low as I climbed Kennedy Road, and I was happy to get through downtown Los Gatos with power available.

I continued home at a good clip on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, arriving shortly before 1700 and the onset of darkness.

GPS track:	GPX
Bike Ridden:	Power Gold Rush
Distance:	68.2 miles
Cumulative climbing:	5000 feet
Total Time:	7:18:17
Riding Time:	4:11:50
Avg. Speed (moving):	16.2 mph
Max. Speed:	41 mph
Nominal System Voltage:	24
Battery energy capacity:	1100 wh
Battery energy consumed:	810.7 wh
Wh/mi:	11.9
Battery Amps-Hour Used:	32.2
Peak Current:	43.8 Amps
Min. Voltage:	23.5
Motor energy to rear wheel:	568 wh
Human energy to rear wheel:	508 wh
Total energy delivered:	1076 wh

Mount Hamilton on New Years Day, January 1, 2014 - I rode the usual way through north San Jose to Penitencia Creek Road. Instead of taking Toyon and McKee to Alum Rock Road I continued up Penitencia Creek Road into Alum Rock Park and then climbed Crothers Road, that although it is closed to motor vehicles due to roadbed subsidence, it is still easily passable by bike.

When I got to Mt. Hamilton Road I turned left and started the long climb to the summit. At this point I did not notice that my GPS had stopped recording. I only discovered the omission after I arrived at the summit.

The temperature inversion boundary was at about 1200 feet, and the air smelled fresher and breathing was easier as I climbed above it. The temperature climbed from the 50s to the 60s F, and with the sun shining, the air felt warm.

I expected to see more cyclists on the road. I passed several small groups, but at the summit most of the tourists appeared to have arrived by car or motorbike. On my descent I saw more cyclists climbing. Maybe they got a late start after a long night of revelry.

I climbed using about half the motor power that I used on the recent Low-Key Hill Climb on Thanksgiving Day, and my legs noticed the increased work.

After spending an hour at the summit relaxing near the Jeanne Meadows Bench I started down.

On a whim I descended a side road to cut off the long switchback near the top of the mountain. This steep road was essentially a driveway that serviced a few houses down the northwest side of the mountain. Sand and gravel had been applied to the surface to improve traction in icy conditions (but not in warm, dry conditions). I rode carefully. At the bottom I arrived at a closed gate. Fortunately, I was able to ride around it without stopping. Then, I was again on Mt. Hamilton Road.

I descended into San Jose and took my usual return route with the exception that I continued on Montague to San Tomas Expressway into Santa Clara before heading west on Monroe to return home.

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