Marin! Cyclocross & Coast Time

Mary and I journeyed to Marin County last weekend to race cyclocross, enjoy some coast time, and visit my old high school buddy Alan Reynolds.

After a surprisingly long drive we reached San Anselmo where we stayed at the San Anselmo Inn.

The next morning we had a short drive to Fairfax, the site of the Lion of Fairfax cyclocross race.

Here I am ready to roll.
Zoomin' through the fun singletrack section.
I started with about twenty guys in the 45+ B division. We were quickly racing amongst slower 35+ B riders who started two minutes ahead.

I am fourth rider in this pic, with the first two riders 35+B riders. I battled with the guy in front of me in the green & white most of the race.
Concentrating!
Sadly, I suffered a flat tire midway through the last lap whilst running fifth or sixth. Kind of a bummer, but I had raced real well, feeling strong & smooth, so I wasn't crying too much.

After regrouping & redressing we reconnoitered at the Biketoberfest bike show & beer tasting.

Here's myself, Mary, and my buddy Alan having a good ol time.
These folks played a lively Russian polka.
Hmmm. Maybe he's right. At least 50% right anyway.
Saw a lot of exotic bikes.

This one did not purr, but it's tail swayed when rubbed in the right spot.
Saw this startling woven Kevlar fiber bike.

Loved the classic lugged steel bikes from Steelman.
Wood bikes are the latest rage.
They reportedly have a smooth, damp ride.
Looks cool too.

This is a Calfee with hemp fiber lugs and bamboo tubes.
More bamboo from Calfee.
Renova displayed this hardwood beauty.
Marin is home of eccentric!
We slept long and peacefully and woke up feeling chipper, so we headed out to Point Reyes.
The storm cleared just as we got out to the lighthouse.
The deer were abundant and tame.
We strolled on South Beach.
and Stinson Beach.
Where Mary made easy work of this V9 route.
Alas the trip was over too soon, and we headed home over Tioga Pass. The scenery here at Olmstead Point was especially grand.
Lots of driving, but lots of fun.

Lakebed

'bout time I put sumpin' on the blog!

Pics of bike rides aren't real exciting nor are they convenient to take, hence the blog suffers.

The lakebed at Owens Lake, however, is always interesting!

The Surly

I have two 'cross bikes, a racing bike and an "adventure" bike. The "adventure" bike is a Surly Crosscheck with a wider gear selection and less expensive, but very functional components.

Here's the Crosscheck.

I bought this frame over ten years ago. At that time Surly used Reynolds 631 tubing instead of the 4130 tubing they use now (a fairly useless fact only a bike geek would care about).
The trickest piece on the bike is this Wound Up carbon fork (old school 1"). The original steel fork has better clearance and perhaps a plusher ride, but the carbon fork is way lighter and rides pretty nicely itself.
The business end. I like my bars high and wide with Ultegra shifters left and right. The front is original. It's beat, but works fine. I think I am on my third rear. These things just get thrashed! The Runkle levers work well for long descents since they give more power than braking from the hoods.
I just put on the Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires which have a tread that seems to works well for most conditions around here.

Down low I have Time ATAC pedals attached to an old Ritchey 110 bcd crank (172.5) with 46 36 rings. The Ultegra derailleur has stood the test of time.
In the back I've gone to an XT mountain bike derailleur and a 12x32 cassette to give me some nice low gears for climbing.
Note the blue Velocity Aerohead (no relation!) rims. I confess to running my tires at a fairly low pressure for better handling and comfort, but the penalty is occassional pinch flats and rim abuse. These wheels, my second set for this bike, have held up surprisingly well.

I can't honestly say I have a favorite bike in my quiver, they are all different, but I truly love this bike for the places it takes me and the comfort it provides.

Hogback Creek Cross

End of the absence!

I camped in the Alabama Hills, which I'll keep doing until it gets too hot, and rode north to Hogback Creek. I headed out on Movie Road to Moffat Ranch Road on wide, well graded, roads which were a touch washboardy, but decent overall.

This is the view heading down Moffat Ranch Road just above the creek crossing.
Once I crossed the creek I found the road heading to Manzanar and took it for a mile or so until I realized I needed a lot more time to do that area justice, so I headed back to Hogback Creek.

This is the road heading to Manzanar. Twas a bit soft and rocky here, but looks sweet lower down.
I headed up the small road on the north side of Hogback Creek which proved to be real nice riding in a pleasant setting.
Found these flashy flowers growing in the road too.
The road eventually crossed back over Hogback Creek and joined Hogback Road which I took back down to Movie Road.

Mighty fine fun on the 'cross bike!

Heap of the Week VI

Another fine old truck from Keeler!

This one is literally a few feet from my office.

Bike Club Ride

My annual transition from skiing to cycling is underway. There's plenty of snow in the hills, but warm weather lures me onto the saddle.

The Eastern Sierra Velo folks had a ride from the County Park at Mono Lake out Highway 167, so Mary and I joined them.

I realize cycling pics aren't nearly as fun to look at as skiing pics, but here goes.

This is out near what appeared to be a small summit on Highway 167, maybe five miles east of the Nevada border.
167 is one straight road for a long long distance.
A great spread was waiting for us at the end thanks to Sara and Steve (right).
Tyler, myself, and Tom eye the desserts.
I hooked up with Tyler, Tom, and Jason for the ride out, taking turns on the front riding moderately hard. On the way back I ended up on my own and riding really hard. I was hammered by the end. This skier's body felt pretty good in the old saddle!

Heap of the Week V

This week's Heap of the Week is not technically in Keeler, but it does sit on a hill about one mile away.

For whatever reason most of these older trucks seem fade to an army green color before turning to rust.