Thank god for Lycra!

One of the benefits of getting into a hobby like cycling is that you have an excuse for buying some REALLY COOL stuff. I thought it was just me, but when I talk with my cycling buddies, we talk about our STUFF. We get excited about trying out a new pair of socks. "How warm will my feet be today with these new socks...I can't wait to find out..." is what we are thinking. I will spend extra time inspecting every inch of Sports Basement, looking for those hidden gems as if I am plowing a field (they actually re-arrange their store every week or so. On purpose). Even more fun (for me) is ORGANIZING my stuff to make certain I have all of my stuff when I need it. And then having all of the right pouches, and zip-lock bags to keep my stuff in. So I took a picture of my stuff to get you excited too. Perhaps only cycling people will look at this photo and start drooling, or admire my organization, so you'll have to take my word for it.

But the coolest thing of all, especially for those of us who really need it, is LYCRA. Those cycling shorts are made of a fantastic body shaping material that gives us some hope of at least looking like we have a "hard body." My tushie would have a tendency to hang over the back of my saddle (sad but true) but Lycra cures that problem INSTANTLY. It's a miracle.

Bike to work, work to eat, eat to bike

The weather this week was absolutely GORGEOUS, so I decided to ride my bike to work on Wednesday. To save a little time, I took BART in the morning with my bike in hand, apologized to my co-workers all day about my "natural" look (the hair and body sprays did NOT help much at ALL), and then planned for the right time to leave so that I could get home by dark.

I ended up leaving a little later than I had hoped, but I was fairly confident I could make it... so off I went! Everything was fine until I took a few wrong turns in the twisting streets of residential Oakland (I was admiring the beautiful homes and landscaping and got lost), but a nice neighbor walking her dog pointed me in the right direction.

Shepherd Canyon was my route of choice, looking like the quickest way up and over the Oakland Hills. "Quick" in this case meant "lots of climbing" so I found myself tapping my Irish pigheadedness all the way up the hill (1,084 feet to be exact). Once I reached Skyline, it was a fast drop into the cold and rapidly dimming town on Canyon, so I rode like a "bat outa hell" to beat the sunset. I made it home just in time to immediately hop in the car (still wearing my cycling clothes) and pick up my daughter from her drama class =)

I'm not sure if I was that successful with reducing my carbon footprint that day, as I am certain my carbon dioxide output still contributed to global warming (with apologies to Al Gore), so some day I will figure out the math...

For Hank

Our latest training ride brought us to some beautiful weather in the East Bay. We rode 50 miles from Castro Valley, through Sunol and to Calaveras and back. We dedicated this ride to personal honoree, Hank, who is having a particularly rough time right now with treatment and is in the hospital. The group put together a banner that was signed by all and will hopefully brighten his day, reminding him that there is an army
of TNTers out there training in honor of him.

Ride + Rain = Bad Hair Day

Our first group ride with Team in Training (TNT) was held yesterday in beautiful Mill Valley. We rode 25 miles with some mild climbing and views of San Francisco and the area bridges. It was quite a sight!

After a brief overview and safety check with the TNT coaches, we were rolling while the sun was still shining. By mile 10 we had started a climb up and over the hill and we started to see a little rain. The saying goes, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." I thought of son, Ian, my Eagle Scout, and how he described the "11 essentials" for surviving outdoors (the 11th item is DUCT tape, btw). I was wearing all of the proper clothing, of course, which worked quite well until I got back to parking lot and took off my helmet.

So the 12th essential is a HAT to quickly cover any evidence of a coif mishap. Luckily, I didn't let my son down, and came well-prepared.

Flatliner.... NOT!

By now you might be wondering what in the heck has Tere gotten herself into?? So I've included a link to the Death Ride elevation map... it kinda looks like something you'd want to see on a heart monitor: no FLAT LINES! Today I am supposed to do some endurance training so I will put my bike on the trainer and spin spin spin... but first, some coffeeeeeeeeeeeee...

Above the fog

The first day of training was a cold foggy morning in Walnut Creek. After a BIG cup of Peets, I was on my bike and heading up the mountain. By the time I had passed the 1000 ft. elevation, I was completely shrouded in clouds as I watched cyclists within 50 feet ahead of me disappear before my eyes. Passing above the fog at 2000 ft. I continued to Juniper where I stopped to take in the sun and the view. Reaching into pocket, I realized I had FORGOTTEN my CAMERA, so I used my phone to take a picture. Somehow I didn't save the picture (my bad) so I have no way to prove that I rode 25 miles and climbed 2,500 feet except my legs are a little stiff now. Time to stretch!