The "Griz"

This past weekend, I rode the Grizzly Century in North Fork, CA. 100 miles and 10,000 feet of climbing. I've got to admit, I was pretty daunted by the prospect. I knew I could do 100 miles, but 10,000 feet seemed damn near impossible.

Spurred on to this idiocy by Paul and his claim that the ride wasn't even "two miles straight up", we set off for North Fork late on Friday. Of course, traffic was a mess and we didn't get to bed until 11.

Up at 5:15 to make it over to the school in North Fork for the departure. With me still feeling apprehensive (I don't think I talked to anyone at breakfast), we set out at about 7:30 (half an hour after our planned departure).

As we got started climbing, I realized that my legs were really on. The hills felt easy, and, according to Paul's Garmin, we started out on a 9% grade. The feeling continued, and I felt great for the first half of the ride. The scenery was amazing and made the ride worth the 200 mile drive from the Bay Area.

The scenery and support on this ride were both truly astonishing. I think the whole town of North Fork, CA comes out to support this ride, and the views throughout the ride make every turn of the crank worthwhile.

The lunch stop (which we hit at about 10:30 -- kinda odd) was stocked with the normal PB&J, etc., but was also sporting some pretty good-tasting sushi. Later rest stops had Baklava and water was everywhere. It's the best organized, highest enjoyment-to-dollar ratio cycling event I've seen.

Then, after 6,500 feet of climbing, I started to get left knee problems. After the turn-off at four corners, where the "Griz" really starts, my knee was killing me. Certain angles of pedal rotation would cause me to wince. I finally loosened my shoe and, ultimately, stopped and rotated my cleat to try to get better alignment. I think it helped, but it was tough to tell at that point because I was in pain management mode.

Paul unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon how you look at it) dropped his vest into his rear derailleur and broke it at the bottom of the Griz and had to be SAG'd to the top. When he came by in the SAG wagon, I was sorely tempted to be the smarter man and get off my bike. Ultimately, I decided that as I'd made it past 9,000 feet of climbing, I'd go all the way.

Paul was able to get a used 105 derailleur installed at the top of the hill for $20 (deal of the century, so to speak), and, as a result, got to experience the amazing 11 mile decent to Bass Lake. I was fortunate enough to have $20 on me to buy a pair of leg warmers, as it was ~45 degrees on the decent.

Once at the base, Paul was strong (I'd like to think it's cause he missed 2,000 feet of climbing), and I struggled to stay on his wheel while we finished up the route, nursing my knee to the school parking lot.

We were met by the wonderful volunteers and eclairs (2 for me, 3 for Paul). We managed to skip the loop around Bass Lake accidentally, but at the end of the day I got 93 miles and 10,058 feet of climbing in ~7:30 in the saddle. An average of 12mph for the route, which I feel isn't half bad considering the climbing and my knee.

This is the must-do century of the year, and I'll be back next year.

The Ride to Defeat ALS

As I wrote earlier this year, my Uncle Dick passed away this June from ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. This disease doesn't get a lot of press (or research money), though at any one time as many as 40,000 Americans have the disease.

This ride was special for me on many levels. It was an opportunity for closure -- to say goodbye to Dick. It was an opportunity to think about my own family (both my family and my parents) and how the passing of the first of my dad's siblings affected me. It was also a chance to do what I hope is a great deal of good.

I was the third largest individual fundraiser for the event, raising $6,644 towards a search for a cure. I'm proud of the fact that I was the largest fundraiser who was not the head of a team.

The ride took place in Napa on September 24th, just a week after I basically bonked on the EBI. The weather itself was spectacular, and the course was quite flat.

I spent half the ride alone, just thinking about Dick and about my family. The second half of the ride, I hooked up with some guys wearing Olympic Club kit and finally fell into a paceline groove.

I was feeling much stronger this week, and we averaged somewhere north of 20mph for the second half of the ride (my Cyclocomputer's battery was dead, so I was riding blind w/r/t technology).

Elise and Juliana were back at the hotel, so I extended my metric century another 8 miles or so to ride back to the hotel and meet them. It was great having my family there for the weekend, even if they didn't make the ride.

I'll be back next year, and I'll be working hard to exceed my fundraising from this year. It felt good to be a contributor.

The East Bay Invitational (EBI)

I've been pretty lax in getting around to posting about the past couple of months of riding.

Thanks to Rob Hamner for pulling together a great ride for the 1st annual East Bay Invitational (September 17th, 2006). Although I didn't feel my best during the day (I think I under-hydrated), it was a great ride with a bunch of nice folks. I hope this is the first of many annual rides.

Here's a shot of my friend Paul and I at the top of Tunnel Road / Skyline (depending upon which way you approach it). Clearly, I'm still feeling pretty good at this point, but it was not to be my day. We ran along Grizzly Peak and up to the Steam Trains, where we set off down a steep winding decent I've never done (and doubt I'll do again). Kinda crappy road conditions and a cyclo-cross sand pit at the bottom. This met Wildcat Canyon about a mile from Inspiration Point (towards the bears). I think just running over to Shasta or the entrance at Euclid would have been a better idea (and perhaps an idea for next year).

In any case, the weather was fantastic and we got some decent pacelining going, though I haven't ridden with these gentlemen (and ladies) before,
so you can see the safety distance (that's me in second place, waiting to take a pull at the front).

For some reason, the Bears kicked my ass a little bit this time around. Admittedly, I hadn't been on the bike in a couple of weeks, but I was getting passed easily going up Papa Bear. Hot day, ran out of water -- all the excuses, but I just had a weak day.

Nonetheless, a good group of folks, a well organized ride, and good fun. Plus, it hooked me back up with my friend Paul and ultimately led to my registering for the Grizzly Century.

Thanks, Rob. Looking forward to it next year (perhaps without the cyclocross section).