Four Weeks Out Now…

 

Four Weeks Out Now…

 

Last weekend was the last LONG training ride before the century ride on October 14.  From a weather perspective we could not have asked for better weather.  It was cool most of the day.  Best riding weather we have had in a long time.  The weather topped out at 75 degrees.  It was not too windy, and the sun hide itself until very late in the day.  Overall great riding conditions for the last long ride before the event.

 

I think last Saturday showed me just how stupid people can be and how they don’t pay much attention.  This goes for both people riding bikes and behind the wheel of cars.  Maybe I am just losing my faith in humanity because, so any people don’t call out when they are passing on the bike. More likely than not that I really do believe had I not been out riding the bike on Saturday a man would have been killed. 

 

To get out to Manning you must ride out North Livermore to a dead man’s curve.  This curve recommends that you take it at no more than 15 mph in your car.  There is no recommendation posted for what you should do on a bike. Every week David and I have ridden out on Manning, coming towards us we see countless packs of riders bombing down the hill at top speed.  Normally, we pass these people as we start to go up Manning.  Last Saturday as we started to enter the dead man’s curve, we could see the first pack of four riders bombing down.  

 

What normally happens as we approach the curve that literally turns North Livermore into Manning is I slow down because I start to get my bike into climbing gears.  So, David starts to pull away from me, and I just take my time getting ready to climb. This weekend was no different.  Although this Saturday I heard what I assumed was a truck coming up behind me.  I am not sure how I knew it was a truck, but it just sounded bigger than a car or an SUV.   I can also feel because I am riding and not the smallest guy on the bike that the truck was handing back waiting for me to clear the turn. As I am getting my gears right for the turn because once you exit the turn you start to climb on Manning, I looked ahead and saw this pack of four riders.  The lead rider called out a car ahead and I am starting to yell car back right after and they start bombing into the turn from opposite direction as I am coming from.  As, I yell car back because the truck was going to start their pass, I suddenly hear a scream and I look up and a biker number four is coming at me on my side of the road at top speed.  Luckily for me, he swerved and missed me.  Lucky for him the truck wasn’t doing what most cars do going into the Manning Dead Man Curve and slowed down and therefore it didn’t flatten that idiot into a pancake. I really do believe that idiot should be at home right now thanking whatever god it is he prays to that he isn’t dead right now because he should be.  He took that turn way to fast and was completely out of control.  Man, it made me angry.  As I continued to climb Manning, I lost count of how many other stupid people were bombing down the hill.  Wondering if they would slow down before they took the curve.  As I was telling David what happened he accidently swerved into the other lane, and I gave him a tongue lashing for doing that, even though it was an accident.  

 

That wasn’t the only close encounter we had with cars on Saturday unfortunately.  As we were riding on San Ramon Parkway, I almost got hit because a car couldn’t make up its mind on what to do.  Should it wait for me to turn, should turn.  I was hanging back trying to let it turn.  It just sat there so I started to go and then it decided it would try to turn.   Finally, as we were 16 miles from home coming out of the dog park at the top of Windemere and older women decided red lights were optional and almost took David and I out as we crossed to head home.  Luckily, she realized we were there and locked up her breaks, but I have no idea what she was looking at, it certainly wasn’t the three cars stopped next to her in the right lane.  I am not perfect on the bike, but I try to be as careful as I can.  I know it is a dangerous sport.  I just wish people both on the bike and in the car paid more attention. 

 

As David and I push further and further west towards Walnut Creek and the like, the more we rely on gas stations for water stops and potty breaks.  We have become huge fans of the Chevron.  Normally, they are newer and cleaner than other gas stations but for some reason as I have state before their water seems to be cheaper as well.  Especially, that I have joined their rewards program and get like every other bottle of water free.  I honestly feel like we do a tour of Chevron stations.  I mean I don’t go to the gas station that often for gas, after all I drive an electric hybrid, but I have been to more gas stations over the last few months than I have the last 5 years and 90% of them are Chevrons.  Well on Alcosta and San Ramon Parkway we have found our favorite gas station.  So much so that we stopped there twice on Saturday.  First, the gas station and facilities are clean.  That is a huge bonus.  Second, it was the women there who told me to sign up for rewards and I would get free stuff.  Finally, they have a bike station outside.  A stand for you to put your bike up and do fixes.  An air pump if your tires need air.  Then, I shit you not, they have a vending machine that has all sort of bike goodies in it.  Lights, tubes, sunscreen, and the list goes on and on.  It is really a little vending machine, something I had never seen before.  Luckily, we didn’t need anything but knowing it is there is pretty awesome.  

 

Saturday was a good ride!  I had some issues, there was a hill on Bollinger Canyon that I made a bad decision and missed the bike lane and was climbing in heavy traffic, so I had to stop and do some walking and climb over rail to get to the sidewalk and out of harms way.  I get so mad when I must walk. When David pulled up next to me, I told him I was not talking to him, as if it was his fault I couldn’t do the climb, and then I told him honestly, I wanted to hit him.  He didn’t let me do that.  Again, he had done nothing wrong I was just mad at myself for walking a bit.  Overall, really good ride minus the stupid people we saw out there.  

 

Ride Stats:

 

Distance: 76.4 miles

Elevation Gain: 2,671 feet

Moving time: 6:41:05

Average Power: 105 W

Average Speed: 11.4 mi/h