Believe

Friday July 1, 2022

It was 8 or so on Friday of a long holiday weekend.  I’d taken the day off because I was going on a long ride, then I had an appointment, then a massage.  So, I figured it was the birthday of our nation why not make a three day weekend into a four day weekend.  

I was running around trying to make Kona feel special because it was our last day alone together for some time.  I was driving the next day to Utah to pick up Shiner to foster her for the next month or so.  It is hard on the Girl having another dog around, because 99.9% of her life she has been my only focus.  

However, the other thing logged firmly in my head was I was going to get on my bike as soon as I dropped Kona off and ride to Pleasanton and then loop back to Livermore.  I had 35 miles on my mind and it was freaking me out a little bit.  I’m not sure I had ever ridden 35 miles before.  For me it was huge and it was scary.  

I was going to go out via Stanley Boulevard.  How many times had I driven Stanley and wondered if I’d ever ride my bike on it?  To many to count.  How many times recently had I been on Stanley thinking that ride is coming soon.  Again, to many to count and all the sudden the day was here.  

I wish I could say I was cool as a cucumber.  That I wasn’t the least bit worried, but I was.  Everything from cycle safety to what if I can’t do it was on my mind.  What if I just didn’t have what it takes to go that far. This fear was mingled with excitement.  I was very excited actually.  I love being on the bike right now.  There is nothing I love more.  Not even swimming.  So the fear mixed with excitement and by 8:30 Kona had been dropped off at day care and I was getting ready to slide my newest jersey on.  Little did I know that jersey said it all in one word:  Believe.  

My route was locked in.  My Bigfoot jersey was on and I was ready to go.  My buddy asked my why snow capped mountain socks with Bigfoot?  To me it is simple when Mr. Bigfeet finally let’s us find him it will be somewhere up in a mountain with snowy caps.  That’s is his hood.  It’s where he chills with Mrs. Squatch and his little squatchlings.  

The ride was awesome.  3 hours and four minutes of awesomeness.  I even caught up to another biker and passed him.  

I started like all rides recently heading for Greenville Road.  I road climbs 1 and 2 and hated myself for it.  They were harder than they had been the first two times I went up them last week.  I did them, I loved myself for doing them.  I wore that same smile from the first few pictures on my face while I did them.  

I found myself doing something and saying something to myself as I did they rolling hills, let the bike do the work. Use the gears.  That’s why you have them.  Let the bike do the work and you enjoy them.  

Below is a picture of climb 3:  

I know it probably doesn’t look all that bad but it is hard for me.  A real pain in the ass.  Just like the pain in the ass my new bike seat is, well any bike seat is I guess.  

After going back down Greenville at 30 mph it was over to Tesla and a small climb over to Vasco and then a kick ass down hill that has us almost back to 30 mph.  I’m starting to love coming downhill.  It was Tesla to Conncanon and Conncanon to Murdell.  Which I’m not gonna lie every time I see the sign for Murdell Lane I see a cover of a novel most like horror called Murder Lane but it’s really Murdell with the l’s x’ed out and an R painted in their place.  I have some ideas floating around for it, but I always have ideas.  

Anyway, Murder Lane brings us to Stanley.  So, with a huge smile on my face when I got the green light I was heading left on from Murdell to Stanley and I was on my way to Pleasanton.  

Anyone who tells you that going from Livermore to Pleasanton on Stanley is flat is a liar.  It’s a false flat.  You think you shouldn’t being pushing up hill but it feels like you are.  Lots of roads in California like that.  Stanley isn’t terrible, but isn’t flat.  Not like that bastard Dagnino but that is another story for another day,we are going to get to that monster next week?  

I enjoyed my time in Stanley.  Passing the rock quarries and mining equipment.  Unfortunately, I passed some unpleasant things on the road as well.  What happened to that kitty was a damn shame and I am pretty sure there was a skunk out there.  Poor animals I touch my Saint Christopher for them and give them some good thoughts to find at the clearing at the end of the path.  Stanley is good riding.  

From Stanley we took Village and Village I had driven hundreds of times and I never noticed the little hill their.  It was my fifth climb of the day.  Not awful, but something you have to work the gears on to let the bike help you get her done.  

Village Wraps you around to Santa Rita and that is where I saw another cyclist on the road.  I didn’t figure I’d be able to real them in any a catch them but I did.  I was totally stoked.  I was announced myself and went right in by him.  Made me feel strong.  That smile got a little wider but it was still in my face.  

When I got to Stoneridge and went right I couldn’t believe I was already starting my return from Pleasanton to Livermore, but I was.  It felt really good. Funny thing about Stoneridge it isn’t flat either.  It roles upwards.  I wouldn’t say you are climbing but you are going up a bit.  I’m sure I came back down too but at time of writing I only remember going up.  Funny how that works.  I road back by the Livermore outlets.  Then by the Livermore airport to the point where you cross Isabelle and have to avoid lots and lots or rocks.  Why are there so many rocks on Isabelle?  The city needs to clean that road for sure.  It’s bike lanes are rock gardens.  Maybe when I write th city to let them know they need to change Greenville Lane to Green Bill Lane I’ll ask about the cleaning Isabelle too.

Once you cross Isabelle it’s back to familiar territory for me.  It’s taking Jack London to Murrieta and Murrieta to Portola.  On both Jack London and Portola I have to cross traffic to get into a left turn lane.  I’m getting much better at this but it still make me nervous.

The left turn from Portola put you on North Livermore and well riding North Livermore is a bastard for 3 reasons.  Reason 1- it’s a busy road.  Lots of traffic there is a nice big bike lane but still lots of cars and it will get worse once that stupid Chik-fil-a opens.  Reason 2 - you have to ride past in and out burger and some days, more than others that smell is torture to ride thru. I love me some in and out and while I have been off of it for over a year it’s hard.  Reason 3 - climb 6 is on the other side of I-580.  It’s a tricky one because one you have to go under the over pass.  Then if you are unlucky and I was unlucky on Friday you can get a red light, so you lose all momentum and your climb from a stand still.  If your really unlucky like I was on Friday when you get the green you can’t find your clip to clip in and it’s a pain in the asshole for me to try and ride uphill and try to clip in.  However, once you get going you smile again because you know this is the bike ride.  This is the last challenge to you, the next 8 miles afterwards are just moving the machine along with your legs cranking like pistons.  You smile bigger and release just how much fun you’ve been having today.  You realize you are gonna get 35 or 36 miles under your belt and you are proud of yourself.  So you cruise North on North Livermore to May School and from May School you take the good part of Dagnino to to curvy road, can’t remember what it is called, then you backroads your way to scenic and you go left on scenic and then your basically home and your smiling.

You text your family letting them know you did it.  Your mom tells you to shower because you probably smell.  I tell her that yes I probably smell like bigfoots ass in that bike seat on my jersey, I laugh and smile more, no one on the text finds me as funny as I do :)

This reminds me of the quote of the ride.  Right before my Climb 1 on Greenville there is a stop light coming out of the Livermore labs.  It changed late on me but I came to stop at it.  There is a truck parked there and the driver yells out of his truck window, hey man I would have waited for you.  I wave and say all good and I appreciate it.  As he is turning he yells to me, I have a road bike at home, but it really hurts my ass!  I smile and laugh and yell back I know the feeling all to well. However even with a little ass pain, thinking about the ride and the accomplishment now, I still am smiling.  Now that I think about it maybe the word on the Jersey while import and huge to the ride wasn’t the word of the ride.  Maybe the word was smile because that is what I did all during the ride and what I am doing now.  Really excited for my next ride and my big ride Friday morning!!