Dusk is best time to ride…

Sun set at 6 p.m. Got in a quick 25 on the TT route. That gives me 75 + 90 minutes on the trainer in the bank. Slow but steady. Saturday early out I hope for 60-75, Sunday repeat. Started a Facebook group called “What’s Your Favorite Ride?”. Hoping to set up a hub where members can share their favorite routes, complete with maps, elevation profiles and tips on where to get the perfect espresso. Open to roadies and trail riders. Anyone can join, post pictures and other material. Also checking out a very active group on Flickr called Bike Nation. It has 3,650 members from around the world. No picture tonight. Redlights run by motorists: 2. Horns honked: 0.

This is more like it…

74 degrees. Sunny. Late lunch ride today for quick 25. Shooting for 200+ this week. All small ring. Amazing how different a ride feels when the weather’s like this. Best winter day so far this year. One picture. Cool down on a now dustry Moots. No horns. 5 other late lunchers on two wheels along the quick route.

6-word biographies…

Smith Magazine was smart to promote and trademark this concept, but the idea appears to have sprang forth earlier on blogs. Can you write a 6-word biography? Harder than Haiku.

Dazzling Grand Teton photograph…

If you love U.S. national parks and natural beauty, you’ve got to check out James Neeley’s collection on flickr. This shot of Grand Teton at dawn caught my eye and inspired me this morning. Another on his landing page is stunning. Wow.

photo by James Neeley on flickr

Sunny Monday, training in garage…

As luck would have it, today was a gloriously sunny one here in San Diego. Perfect for working indoors by day and riding the trainer by night in the garage or under the stars on the patio. More base miles (cumulative time in saddle) to log. No need for heart rate monitor or power meter. But definitely will need the iPod for this session. Spoon. Angels and Airwaves. Springsteen. 90-100 minutes should be just right.

This is why people in Portland have bike fenders

Best thing about riding in the rain in San Diego? You never get passed by any other cyclists. Ego-boost for us slow pokes. 25 soggy miles in the bank of C2K. First time for the Moots in a steady rainstorm. Handled spectactularly. One horn. One Land Rover running red light (on a Sunday afternoon, for reasons unknown to anyone except the driver). No one hurt as a result.

Moots vest. Works great in the rain to block pesky water and sand tail.

Into the rain

55 degrees and wet. Short 25-miler is the call on the Moots since it will need a tune-up soon anyway. What’s a little extra grit and water? Miles are miles… Temps in mid-70s by Tuesday. And each day of sunlight grows a few minutes longer… No Pasadena this afternoon. ToC on the tube at 8 tonight.

Cycling Belguim style. Be sure to wear shoe covers to protect your kicks.

Great photos of Kaiser Pass and more…

I just came across this link for anyone interested in the last sections of climb on Kaiser Pass in the C2K ride. The photographs are beautiful. I also came across more rider diaries (9) dating back to 1996. Safe riding to you!

Photo: Andreas Vogel

Winter riding in San Diego: Feb 23

Got in 65 base miles. All small ring, easy tempo. About 50 people passed me on the 101 between Torrey and Carlsbad. But I kept to plan. Build slow-twitch fiber and burn some K-Cals. It will pay off in June when I’m into the 11th hour of Kaiser. Maybe I’ll get lucky and finish under 11 hours. Yeah, right! It’s so tempting to dismount and take a long lunch at Huntington Lake and the summit. Met some great folks on the coast today — Ed from Long Island, NY who is a Mets and cycling fan; a nice couple who just moved here from Atlanta and wondered about all the rain we’ve had this winter; a Livestrong-bracelet wearing businessman from New Hampshire who was happy to be out of the snow. I need to ask permission to photograph these people. Very kind and gracious. Motorists, too. No horns. No close calls. Pleasant. And 8 tandems out there! Great to see. I think everyone is eager to get fresh air. No 10-foot waves to photograph. Just two shots of the big swimming hole we call the Pacific Ocean, a little bike lane humor and a dry pavement peek.

Highway 56 bike path under 20 mph.

The Pacific from the bluffs of south Del Mar on the downhill stretch to Torrey Pines State Beach.

Great property on bluff in south Del Mar. Look at that view!

Where to ride? No confusion with this neighborhood association where bike lane cuts a public easement.

Clear and cold

Apple widget says 37 degrees outside. Balmy for NYC. Not for San Diego. SDBC group ride is 8:30 a.m., starting in front of UCSD Bike Shop. Get water bottles ready and dine on some oatmeal. Gloves. Arm warmers. Thermal vest. Wool socks. Suitcase of courage, as Phil Liggett would say. Sort of. C2K and ToC on my mind to kick-off base training program. Big waves also expected Sunday. 10-20 footers. Take shots at Swami’s.