My New Best Friends

You know it's going to be a good ride when the first Rest Stop has 5 gallon dispensers of Peet's coffee. And coffee is what I needed for this hilly 102 mile ride I was to do after riding 62 miles yesterday. Inadvisable, perhaps, to schedule back to back rides, but that's how the calendar fell and I planned accordingly.

Saturday's ride was a gorgeous stroll through the vineyards. A postcard loop through Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley. We rode up and down lots of fun rollers and had a few bumps along the way, but Death Ride training has paid off, and I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the summit to “the hill” arrived. Still, 62 miles will take a toll and I was a tad worried about how I would do today, on 102 miles and 8000 feet of climbing in the East Bay Hills (all of the East Bay Hills, it seemed).

Today, I started off slowly. I always do. It takes that first climb to get the blood flowing to my legs and my lungs to open up. But even after Pinehurst I still felt sluggish and struggled a bit to keep up with the team. Seeing the Peet's made my morning. If you're not familiar, Peet's is a local coffee roaster and purveyor and they make their brew wicked-strong. Richer, deeper, stronger than McStarbucks. It'll take the varnish off your chest. And you'll be happy about it.

We meandered around the Berkeley hills and descended to San Pablo Dam Road. Then talk turned to McEwen Road. Have you “done” McEwen? No, I don't think so. Oh, you'd remember. McEwen loomed large in my mind for the next 18 miles, as unknown hills always do. They take on Everest-like qualities: steep, inhospitable, long, arduous. Not everyone makes it up... McEwen... in my mind.

The second Rest Stop comes about about mile 40. At the bottom of McEwen. So we get to start a climb from a dead stop. No momentum to help us – momentum is my only biking skill. Lisa tells us how good the chocolate GU tasted. I was already having trouble keeping up with her – those workouts on Diablo were paying off – so I figured if I ever wanted to see her tail feathers again on this ride, I'd better do a GU, too. It was the first one I've done all season, although I'm no stranger to the allure of the gel.

GU is my new best friend.

I forgot the legendary combination of caffeine and sugar, all tucked in to a little foil packet that sometimes tastes like what the label says. There have been long discussions over beers about bourbon flavored GU and so forth. I did an “Espresso Love” with 2X caffeine. Espresso Love is my new best friend.

McEwen. Starts out with a yellow sign emblazoned with a squiggly arrow and “Next 2 miles”. Ugh. The first mile is somewhat of a wall, and steep and narrow with a crappy surface. At least when climbing, the surface doesn't matter so much. A bump at 3.5 mph is different than at 35 mph. Still, a bump is a rise in the road that has to be climbed over. Yes, sometimes it is just that trivial. You think it's never going to freaking level off and then bing! the GU kicks in. Out of nowhere, a little more juice in your legs. Pedals turn more easily, the mind eases as the caffeine circulates to the brain and muscles. You start passing people. Not at lightning speed or anything, but this energy has to be sold and the quads make their purchase. I imagine that GU for women must be what it's like for men all the time – their muscles constantly bathed in performance-enhancing testosterone. Jerks.

Not really, of course.

Around mile 80, it came decision time. Do we do the full 109, or do we do the 102 option? Either is difficult. The seven miles in the 109 route involves an additional 500 or so feet of climbing and tours the Oakland Zoo and back around to Redwood Road. A route we did in late February. (Seems so long ago). The shorter option involves going up and over Redwood Road and then back over. The classic out-and-back which means you don't enjoy the downhill side as much knowing you have to climb back up it in a very short while. After the descent, we start climbing to the last Rest Stop. At this rest stop, the group that did the 109 miles meets with the group that did the 102 miles. And the best part? Popsicles.

First, however, you have to reach the stop. On the final ascent, Coach Jim and Vivek pulled ahead. I said to K.Sue, “and that's where the testosterone kicks in.” She laughed. But something was amiss. My bike seemed to be making more noise than the usual rattles and squeaks. Am I riding on gravel? What is with all this resistance? I look down at my wheel, but can't really see it past my water bottle. I'm starting to feel every eucalyptus nut and pebble. I look down again. Is it? Really?

Finally, I ask someone following me. “Is there something wrong with my rear tire?”

“Yes,” he responds. “Actually, it's looking a little low.”

Aaaaaargh. I haven't had a flat since I started my training in 2010, when I changed my tires after having two flats in one commute. Which is an exceptional record. But I guess I hit some thorns because I found two sticking through the tire. My teammate Vivek was gracious enough to stop and help me get it changed – it's always faster with two. Ironically, we were only about 100 feet from the rest stop, but it was still faster to change it and ride than walk the bike and change it at the stop.

Finally, we get to the stop, meet up with teammates, eat popsicles and take care of the usual rest stop activities. Back on the bikes for the second to last climb. A long one, exposed to the sun for most of it. The heat and the sun concerned me more than the actual climb. My legs felt... ok... after 90 miles, 1 GU, 1 pepsi and a popsicle (among other things, but those were the treats). But the sun...

At last, the uphill, downhill, uphill and downhill were done and we were on the home stretch back to the start. Pulling into the parking lot gave me a strong sense of satisfaction. Training was working. This was my longest ride of the season and the most climbing of the season. And, maybe it was all the caffeine (and who cares if it was?), but I felt tired but great, and happy it was in the books. The second Pepsi of the day didn't hurt, either.