A kinder, gentler Devil Mountain Double

I love the mass starts on some of the doubles. There's a sense of excitement and anticipation in the group as 150 riders head out for a challenging day of riding. As we head up, the group spreads out, so there is a stream of tail lights ahead and occasional flashes of headlights in the rear view mirror.

This was my 4th DMD, so I knew what I was getting into (yes, I guess I'm a slow learner). In 2010, I rode it as part of the stage race and did pretty well, for me, at 15:31. Last year, I tackled it again, hoping to improve my time. Instead, I got my first ambulance ride, which was a whole lot slower. This year, I just wanted to ride, to enjoy the day and the challenge.

It was a beautiful day! The weather couldn't have been better. 

I found I really enjoyed riding along at a moderate pace, enjoying the day, the roads, the scenery and occasionally riding with others. I found that I had "hill amnesia." I'm pretty sure those hills were 2-3 miles shorter the last time I did the ride.  Yes, there were times when I wondered what in the world I was doing out there and a few times I wondered if I had enough pedal strokes left to crest a hill.

At the final rest stop I joined four others for the final stretch to the lasagne. It was fun, doing a "night ride," hanging out with a group that was finishing a challenging ride.

I took two hours longer this year to finish the ride. I had a great, fulfilling ride - other than sitting on the saddle for two more hours, that is! 

SEBC hat pics

SEBC has these 100% cotton hats embroidered with the club logo on sale for $20.

Russ

Solvang Double Century

It was my first "double" of the year, having taken a six week, unplanned "couch time" vacation last year... Hmmm. 

Anyway, my hope was to finish the ride and not feel like I'd been taken out behind the barn for good ass whoopin' when I finished. You know, have fun.

Jeanette Summers and I headed off into the darkness around 5:30. It was fun trying to catch the next blinking tail light down the road. When you catch that one, you look for the next one. Connect the dots. Then, connect the green jackets. Just trying to keep a good, steady pace and not get too "used up" in the first half of the ride... and, not stop too long at rest stops. By mile 100, I was under 6 hours total ride time with only 9 minutes paused, so I was feeling pretty optimistic about a 12 hour finish.

But, I hadn't found any good pace lines or people to work with since sunrise. As I headed to the lunch stop at mile 113, I spotted a tandem in my rearview mirror! Hallelujah! Rest break! It didn't last... the road tilted up, the tandem slowed... and I was solo again. Drat! (this is family rated, right?)

I ate a half sandwich at lunch, then jumped back on the bike because I saw a pretty good sized group leaving. As we started to head south and toward the ocean, the wind picked up and the group spread out. I rode the next 20 or so miles with a guy from Salt Lake City. He told me that last year he couldn't even see the ocean because the rain and fog were so bad. 

Still, the wind was picking up and we were 70 miles from the finish. I was starting to head for the back of the barn... the wind was relentless. Headwind, crosswind, gusts, sand and dust blowing horizontally across the road. I looked with longing at any road that gave any hope of heading down wind. But, noooooo.

At the last rest stop, around mile 140, the road finally turned inland so we had a crosswind as we headed for Foxen Canyon and Ballard roads to the finish.

My Garmin battery pooped out before I finished, so I just learned from an organizer e-mail that my time was 13:40 (with 40 minutes stopped). 

I didn't quite get my ass whooped by the ride. I really enjoyed riding in the Buellton / Solvang / Santa Maria / San Luis Obispo / Morro Bay / Pismo Beach area. It's a very beautiful part of our state!

I also got to eat dinner at the Mexican Place and Betty's (Training Camp favorites) for breakfast. What a way to work up an appetite.

Frank

training camp picture

fun in Buellton

Training camp photo

Most of the camp ground gang on 1st day.

 

The Ride Connection - information about a new web site

My name is Desi. I am a cyclist in Northern Virginia. I belong to several bike clubs, including the WABITS Tandem Club.

I realize that you are the contact for a Cycling Club. I am hoping that you will help me get the word out about "The Ride Connection" website. It just went live in November 2011.

The Ride Connection is located at http://www.therideconnection.com

So what does The Ride Connection offer you as a cyclist? Our mission is to match cyclists with other cyclists and riding opportunities. Although cycling is a great solitary sport we have a fundamental belief that cycling is more fun when enjoyed with others. We provide powerful search tools to connect you with other cyclists with similar goals and abilities.

Here are some of the website's cool features:
Automatic ride notifications by email based on your profile and preferences.
Sophisticated search for members, rides, ride groups and routes.
Google maps integration including feet of climbing.
Printable cue sheets in PDF, Word and Excel.
Anonymous email through the site until you get to know your future riding buddy.
Create favorite ride and favorite route lists. Be notified if your favorite rides change.
The ability to link your ride and route. Rides and routes can function separately as well.
Create and join ride groups. Just add a ride group to your favorites list. It's that simple.
Ride RSVP. Let the ride leader know if you will ride with them.
SSL encryption. Your connection is as secure as online banking.
These are just a few of The Ride Connection's many highlights. There will be many more features in the coming months and years.

What The Ride Connection is: The Ride Connection is about connecting cyclists with cycling resources. In particular other cyclists, rides and ride groups. Later versions of The Ride Connection will include a section for Bike Clubs, Bike Shops and Events. These sections are under development.

What The Ride Connection is not: Another "mapping" site like ridewithgps.com ormapmyride.com. Yes, there is mapping on The Ride Connection but mapping is only a piece of the pie.

Please check out the site and search for member "Milano". View profile by selecting the Detail link. This member gets the website's mission.

I encourage you to forward this email to all your cycling friends.

The website will not be useful unless people use it.

I hope the website enhances your cycling experience.

Have fun and ride safe.

Desi

FYI: The website is totally FREE!

PS: If you have any suggestions or questions, please let me know.

Jim Rogers 3rd Annual Memorial Ride - Empress Mine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVt6jrZS45U