Well, just half the Bay. The north end. But all the way around. Plus some. It was a massive ride. 140 miles. Longer than I've ever ridden in a day.
Crazy! I just rode my bike around the San Francisco Bay!
Planning
This event has been in the works for a year. Last summer, a cycling friend, John, started talking about it. He planned a 100-mile route around the South Bay last year, but I passed on that one, uninterested in slogging through Silicon Valley suburbs. I wanted pretty. I wanted Napa and Sonoma and Marin. But fall was coming along quickly, and the days were getting shorter, too short for the longer route of the North Bay ride.
This gave John time to tinker with his route, do crowd-sourcing to find the local byways, and test out a few sections to make sure all the roads connected.
Finally, the day arrived. September 1 would be the time to Ride Around the North Bay.
It Begins
John rides with Alameda Velo, and invited members of that group, as well as another friend of his. At 7:00 am on Sunday, 8 avid cyclists met at Orinda Bart Station, ready for the adventure.
The morning was cool and breezy, and still quiet as we pedaled from Orinda through El Sobrante, Pinole, Hercules, Rodeo and Crockett, before traversing the Carquinez Bridge into Vallejo. Seven towns in 2 hours, not too bad!
Geeking Out
I got a few Queen of the Mountains (QOMs) on Strava for some segments in Vallejo. This tells me that 1) very few women my age cycle in Vallejo, and 2) even fewer of them are on Strava. Can't really blame them. Here's the link for the ride stats: http://www.strava.com/activities/79360265.
Resting or Riding?
We had our first rest stop in Vallejo, dismounting at a Starbucks John thoughtfully included in the cue sheet. We stayed longer than I expected, and I began to remember how it is with cyclists. Cyclists love to get coffee out on a ride. They love to hang out and chat. After so many months with triathletes, I had forgotten how much off-bike time cyclists take on rides. We were at Starbucks for 15-20 minutes, about 10 minutes longer than I needed. Ah well, it's only a race against daylight.
At least the group was speedy while on the bike. When John told me it would be an Alameda Velo ride, I was nervous because he has told me that they are pretty strong riders. I got worried that they would drop me, or would have to wait for me. I did okay. They were definitely strong, but I felt comfortable riding with them, challenged but not taxed. It may have helped that there was very little climbing in the first 60 miles of the ride, and I'm pretty good on flats and rollers.
We rode north from Vallejo into American Canyon and then onto Napa on a route that paralleled and occasionally included Hwy 29. In Napa, I got a flat tire, quickly fixed by the team, and then we headed west into the lowland fields separating Napa and Sonoma. It was amazing how much the scenery improved the moment we entered Napa. Money, I suppose.
After a funky, rutted bike path that was a necessary connector but not ideal riding, we hit a section of road with lots of straight-aways and rollers through vineyards and farmland, good fun to ride, good fun to hammer without too much effort. It was here I began thinking about the sandwich waiting for me at our 60-mile lunch stop in Sonoma.
We hit up the Sonoma Cheese Factory (the first of 2 cheese factories on this ride), and again lingered longer than I cared to. Much longer! We were there at least 45 minutes, probably 20 minutes longer than necessary.
I started my riding life doing self-supported rides. I'm used to taking care of my own needs. Buy a gatorade, water, sandwich, take the fuel in, move on. I don't like to linger. When I'm riding alone, I may take a break every 90 minutes, but it usually only lasts 5 minutes or so, with maybe 20 for lunch, if I'm doing that kind of ride. This is not the cycling way! I guess it makes sense that I'm a triathlete.
However, I will say that the long stops we made (there were 5 total) gave me enough time to get my heart rate fully down, which allowed me to eat sufficiently throughout the ride. Silver linings!
To the Hills
Lunch provided fuel for the climbing segment of the day. At mile 70 or so, we hit Bennett Valley Road. I believe I have written before about roads with the word "Valley" in them. My theory holds true.
The heat of the day began to wear on me, on all of us. Some of the guys were fading a bit. Though I was tired, I still felt some pep in my legs. However, I was incredibly relieved when John told me at mile 80, just east of Rohnert Park, that we had finally turned fully south and were about to make our way toward Marin. Whew!
We made our third stop in Penngrove, buying large quantities of ice, water, and electrolyte drinks. I packed a bottle with ice, shook it around, and very soon had water. The air was quite warm.
We headed through Petaluma and out onto Chileno Valley Road. The day before, I drove segments of that road while supporting my team on their own ride. It was beautiful and I was excited to try it for myself. I hadn't counted on the afternoon wind. Oy.
We climbed up Wilson Hill Road, which I'd heard about. It was a pretty big hill, got my heart rate up fairly high. I used some indelicate language while climbing it. Then I got to the top and the view was spectacular.
The group had spread by this point, so we waited at the top for everyone to catch up. From this point forward, there was a little more spread, and a little more waiting for slower riders. Not significant, but noticeable.
Marin = Home
We had our fourth stop at the Cheese Factory (the Marin version), and I began to get excited. We were in my home territory. I had ridden all of our upcoming roads about a million times. We were so close! We passed the 100-mile mark (though we were still 40 from the finish). I was eager to roll and anxious that my Garmin battery was failing (if it doesn't get on Strava, it didn't happen!), but the boys wanted popsicles. I waited.
Just before Fairfax, our group began to splinter. The strongest rider of the crew had a time crunch, needing to meet a plane, so he and another peeled off to rush ahead to the finish. One rider needed an espresso at Fairfax, so we made our 5th stop. I had a pretty bad headache (exertion and heat related, it started on the Bennett Valley hill at mile 70). I wanted to see this thing done, but I calmed myself, took ibuprofen and ate a Clif Bar. In Sausalito, another of the crew left us to catch the ferry home. Our 8 were now 5 heading across the Bay.
Sausalito at 5:00 pm on a holiday weekend is crazy stupid. The Golden Gate Bridge, yes, the same. Crissy Field and the Embarcadero? Oh my god. Despite the unbelievable mayhem and the immediate associated tension in my back, neck and shoulders, I kept my spirits high, shouting up-beat on-your-lefts to Blazing Saddles tourists over and over until we hit Market Street.
This was it. We were back. The ride was done. Success!
We headed down to Bart, got a train quickly, and made our way back to Orinda.
In 11 hours and 50 minutes (9:30 riding), we had cycled 141.6 miles, climbing 7,661 feet along the way. Despite the many, many breaks, we had made it to the end by dusk, and before my Garmin failed. I felt tired, but not dead. My training is good. My muscles are strong. I just rode around the Bay!!
The Boy's Club
All day long, I kept track of our group by counting heads, and I got into an early habit of counting like this:
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven dudes."
It was me and 7 dudes. I was very aware of this throughout the ride. At the end, one guy said, "You're the strongest woman I've ever ridden with." I had just been talking to a couple others about all the amazing women I ride with, how much I love my team for the chance to know these strong and wonderful ladies, several of whom regularly kick my ass on the bike. All I could say back to him was, "Wow, you need to get out more."
It was great to be challenged, and it felt nice to be acknowledged as a strong rider, but I felt like a novelty, not a peer. It's why I hate the term "chicked" as used in the cycling world. When a woman passes a man out on the open road, the man did not "get chicked." No, he just got passed by a stronger cyclist. She probably worked harder in spin class. Deal with it, and go work on getting stronger yourself. This is a call to arms (a call to wheels?), all my women riders! Let's get out there and be fast, strong, amazing cyclists. Visibility is the key. (And really, if I was so very strong, I'd have a lot more Strava QOMs than I do.)
Love and Fashion
I fell in love during the ride. I love my Sugoi RS bike shorts. They are new - second outing on Sunday, breaking them in with a 140-miler. They were phenomenal. Phenomenal. I had been debating wardrobe for the Ironman, and now the decision is made.
Swim: Sports bra, swim bottoms
Bike: Sports bra, IronTeam bike jersey, Sugoi RS shorts
Run: Sports bra, IronTeam bike jersey, tri shorts (or maybe capri running pants, TBD)
I didn't know if I wanted to change bottoms during the race. It seemed simpler to just have one outfit throughout, though many teammates and coaches discussed the benefit of changing during transitions. Biking 112 miles will take quite a few hours, and a comfy short has its advantages. If my tush is as cozy during 112 as it was during 140, I'll be a happy girl. Done.
And speaking of IMLT ...... TAPER!
Three week taper begins today. My heart rate just spiked.
Week 42 Mileage
Tuesday, August 27 Swim - 1 hour 15 minutes, 3600 yards Wednesday, August 28 Impromptu wine with friend Thursday, August 29 Cardio - 1 hour 10 minutes (elliptical) Core - 50 minutes (strength class) Friday, August 30 Swim - 55 minutes, 2664 yards Saturday, August 31 Water Stop and Kitten Rescue for Team's 100-mile ride Sunday, September 1 - Ride Around the Bay Bike - 9 hours 30 minutes (ride time), 141 miles, 7661 ft elevation gain (11:50 total time) | Totals: Swim - 2 hours 10 minutes, 6264 yards Bike - 9 hours 30 minutes, 141 miles Run - 0 (resting knees) Cardio/Core - 2 hours Total - 13 hours 40 minutes |