The Double-Door Technique

On February 27th, the Death Ride Group completed an All-Team ride in beautiful Marin County. Our route started in San Rafael in a steady rain (we ride rain or shine) out on Lucas Valley, then looped out north and back through Point Reyes Station and Olema for a total of 65 miles. Some of the roads were familiar to me but some were new, and of course, everything was absolutely gorgeous.

After the first hour, the rain transformed into partly sunny skies that seemed to make the lush green hills illuminate. The Bay Area is still caught somewhere between winter and spring and somehow we managed to experience it all in one day. The photo taken shows our little sub-group climbing out of the valley to start our loop north. There were plenty of very furry cows (not pictured), all depicting the trademark of happiness in cheese factory country.

Ok, by now there's a burning question in your mind: where are the bathrooms? And so you start doing the math...."65 miles, drinking one bottle of water per hour... riding for at least 4 hours... hmmmmmmmm..." So first, let me reassure that the kidneys don't stop working, and is actually a good indication that a rider is staying well hydrated. The only problem is, the bathrooms aren't always there when you need them. So let me explain the double-door technique.

We have SAG support on our rides (if they show up when they're supposed to). When no bathrooms are in sight (and I'm including bushes in the criteria), you hope to God that the SAG car is a four-door. You simply open the two doors on one side of the car, and voilà! You have a stall! Needless to say, this is not on the side of the car in full view of the road, and I don't have a picture to support my explanation. So trust me on this one: when you have to go so badly that you can't even think about getting back on your bike, you really don't care about finding the perfect spot. And since we're all family on these rides, everyone around you understands and will help you pull it off. =)