Leaf Peeping...

Sometimes...when the conditions are just right...we get some fall color here in Berkeley.

Jackass Justice

First, on an unrelated topic, I apologize for my lack of blogyness over the last...well since school started back before Labor Day weekend. I have been sucked into teacher-world and haven't posted on our blog or commented on your blogs since. But I'm back!

This afternoon, while riding San Pablo 'Dammit there's a lot of crazy traffic' Road, I almost had an encounter with one of those jackass drivers. This road has plenty of them as the map to your right is entitled, "I-80 alternative route" and displays my biking road in bright yellow.

I was making a U turn to begin an interval and as I turned, the car coming towards me revved it's engine and came flying by...basically being a total prick.

Moments later, a cop flew past me and pulled him over for speeding. I waved as I rode by.

I can ride for miles and miles...

and the last one on a Clif Bar wrapper.

While the Teach was rubbin elbows with other passionate mathies I got out for a long ride on Saturday. Started off through the rarefied neighborhoods of 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach and Carmel. I've flogged a few golf balls in my day and while I can think of a better way to spend five hours, riding between a hand manicured fairway and the crashing surf has to be pretty close to the perfect ride. After that little slice of paradise I turned inland and rode a few clicks into the Carmel Valley. When the shoulder started to shrink and the traffic began to surge I turned up and hopped over to the Salinas Valley. An hour or so through the lettuce fields and back along the beach path and I'd put in a sweet 70.

Sunday we met with two other bike bloggers and did a 55 mile spin around Gilroy. Despite some threatening weather and a couple of crazy drivers we had a wonderful ride.

After 125 miles I was dreaming of chips and beer. While we made our plan to head to some 'Fresh Mex' I managed to find a gargantuan piece of glass that sliced my rear tired to the bone (no easy feat considering I was riding tough winter tires). We managed to reinforce the tire with my empty Clif Bar wrapper and make it back for some much needed Suds and Salsa.

Maybe this is it...

Something seems really stale around here. I thought it was the piles of laundry we keep stepping over but that wasn't it. Then I found a bag of persimmons I'd left in the car but that wasn't it. The garden needs some work but that'll have to wait for another day. Then I noticed our last post date...maybe a new post will do the trick.

So, if you haven't figured it out by now we're still here. In addition to logging big miles on the bike we've been hosting TurkeyDay and trying to stay on top of the nuptual party planning. All's going well but blogging has slid to the bottom of the priority list.

We've been riding...a bunch. It's that time of year when we log long miles on short days, in the dark, in the rain, in the cold. Can't let a little weather stop you, just get out and ride.

We did sneak in a session at the track. We spent a Sunday gettin schooled on the ins and outs of the intermediate training sessions. A patient group of folks tolerated our rookie maneuvers. Hopefully we won't be quite as spazzy next time.

We hosted our first Thanksgiving. I've read that some of you out there don't like to cook. That's not the case around this house. We did all the usual stuff but each with a little twist. Given it was Ms. A's first Thanksgiving away from the Windy City clan (ever) we had to do it up right. I think we got a big thumbs up.

For this coming weekend it turns out there's a gathering of math geeks in Asilomar...and, while I'm qualified to attend (on the geek front anyway) I'm going to tag along but spend my days riding and taking pictures. So, if you see a guy in dots riding hard while doing his darndest to make it look effortless be sure to wave and I'll wave back.

Just a little distracted...

We're already working on the grand puzzle of next summer's calendar. When you've got a lot of pieces to fit together you gotta start early.

A couple of weeks ago Ali went to the track. She hasn't told you about it but she NARROWLY missed a unfortunate pile up at the end of the session. She managed to keep it together (yay!) but lost a spoke in the process. That's a tad too close for comfort.

We're hoping to spend some time at the track the next few weekends so I've got to get working on some wheels.

(and keep you eyes peeled cuz the fem-dots might be mixin it up at the track next season...ya baby!).

I wonder...

if Lance's Blackberry is burning up?

This is some funny stuff.

OTB at the OTC

The Gman and I took a little road trip this weekend. Our road trips typically go search of battles of brains and brawn on the bicycle but this time we went in search of (wait for it) ... knowledge. We drove (and drove and drove) to Chula Vista for a weekend book leanin' session on bicycles, sarcoplasmic reticuli, periodization and assorted thresholds. I haven't spent that much time in a classroom in almost twenty years. We learned some good stuff but it's going to take some time (and review) for it all to stick.

We brought the bikes with hopes of getting some saddle time. Unfortunately, the saddle time was just sad...daylight hours were spent mostly indoors relegating ride time to the early dawn and at dusk. Oh well, live and learn.

The highlight was getting to stay at the Olympic Training Center. We received temporary credentials and got the run of the place. We used the athlete entrance, ate with the Olympic hopefuls and even got out for a few laps on the OTC Crit Course. We learned there are many rattlesnakes on the grounds and the local rabbit population loves the grass soccer fields (maybe that has something to do with the snake population). We also learned that some humans can do box jumps onto a 4 foot tall box...that's some Olympic size plyo.