. . . three . . .

Three weeks until Boggs.

Last week was an OK training week: three trainer workouts (due to rain) and two long rides. Friday on the ride home from work I had race-winning legs. I really felt great. Yesterday I had DFL legs. I suffered during the whole ride. Not fun.

Today I'm hoping to feel better when I ride later. We'll see.

Random shots from yesterday's ride . . .

Lots of snow in the Sierras:



Yeah, the coyotes and rattlesnakes are bad . . .



. . . but it's the bullfrogs that'll get you every time.



Later.

Pro

Last week the weather was horrible, but I am kind of “training” for an upcoming event that is not entirely unlike what some people might call a “race.” These people, we’ll call them “racers,” call this event a race because they will actually be racing. However, I am what people call a “participant.” This is a nice way of saying “pack fodder” or “fat guy.”

Luckily, Arnold Schwarzenegger heard of my lack of fitness and declared, by executive order, that I shall have two extra days off per month to be used for training. Nice. Thanks, Arnie!

So Tuesday, my executively ordered training day, I rolled out of the house early to get some miles in. It was 37 degrees, and it’s not difficult to hit 40 miles per hour in a few places on the four-mile descent leading away from my house. I don’t know the equation for determining wind chill, but it was cold. Damn cold. I always have to tell myself, “It only gets warmer from here on out.”

After a couple hours I headed for home. The same four miles where I froze going down were now the last obstacle between myself and a hot shower. As I climbed I glanced down to see a small makeup bag in the road. It was dirty and smashed flat. I briefly thought about picking it up, but at that point I just wanted to get home.

On Wednesday, my regular day off, I went out for a similar ride. It was a little warmer and much more enjoyable. Going up the last climb I again saw the makeup bag, but this time I picked it up. It was too light to possibly contain anything. I tried the zipper, but it was pretty much welded shut from repeatedly being run over by cars. I looked around and found a sharp stone, which I used to cut the bag open. Inside was a dirty $20 bill. Hello, Mister Hamilton!

On Thursday, Lincoln’s birthday, I again prepared for a ride. The skies were dark and ominous, but the radar showed no precipitation on the way, so I took off. Within 10 minutes it was raining on me, and it continued off and on for the entire two hours I was out.

About halfway through the ride I saw something in the road ahead of me. As I rode closer it looked to be money. As I pulled to a stop, there was a soaking wet dollar bill plastered to the pavement. Hello, Mister Washington!

So even though the state took 9.2% of my pay, I still cleared a cool $21 for the week working a side job. Is it taxable income? Not sure. Just to be safe, don’t tell Arnie. He’s going to want some of it.

Later.

Three Kings

The holidays have their positives and negatives, of course. One of the good things is all the friends who have scattered over the years tend to migrate back to home base, giving us a chance to visit and catch up as another year draws to a close.

With Steve being in town, I had an opportunity to ride with two of the brothers Noble today. I think since we go back to sixth grade I am an honorary Noble at this point. I am a king.

We parked at Hazel and did a loop around Granite Bay on single speeds. We cranked out 41.5 miles and I am feeling it right now as I write. The burn from riding a single speed is just different.

Here I make a couple bad attempts at capturing Doug over my shoulder.

It's not easy. I'll keep working on it.

Post ride timer shot:

My arms belong on someone a foot taller. Or an orangutan. Good god.

Another good ride with good people. Each of these rides is always a time to reflect and be thankful for the times we've shared together. So many times we will round a corner or hit a jump and it will trigger a memory from decades past, and it's such a great feeling.

Merry Christmas.

Later.

Vuelta de las Colinas Doradas

Although the forecast called for rain, I awoke yesterday to clear skies. It was cold and breezy, but nothing a few layers of clothing couldn't fix.

I have been exploring the area around my home lately looking for trails. After over five years of living in Shingle Springs, I thought I had found everything. But a recent MTBR post tipped me off to a few new ribbons of dirt I didn't know about. After a few shorter scouting runs, I was ready to put together a big loop.

I like doing rides that combine the road and dirt. I don't know why, really. I guess mostly it's because I hate driving somewhere to ride, so a combo ride allows me to get my dirt jones right from the house.

First up was a gravel fitness path on the south side of Serrano:



Which drops down to a wider gravel road:



After that a short road connection to a bike trail, then to a piece of singletrack. It's really bumpy in spots and pocked by gophers/moles/squirrels—the only place on the entire ride that really hurt my wrist:



Towards the end:



After 150 yards of road, a double-track:



The double-track dumps you out on Silva Valley Parkway. Right across the road is another fitness trail:



After that a short climb up Serrano Parkway and a descent down the Most Dangerous Bike Trail in America:



Built by drunken Austrian mountain climbers, it features steep grades, smooth asphalt and off-camber turns. A coworker's husband once broke his clavicle and a few ribs crashing on it.



Next up was a quarter-mile ride up El Dorado Hills Boulevard to Saratoga, which dead ends at a short double-track:



Another quick ride through an El Dorado Hills neighborhood to the recreation trail over Empire Ranch.



It's about two miles in length with rolling terrain:



After a short transition on Sophia Parkway, it's on to the trail to Brown's Ravine:



Right across the street from the Brown's Ravine entrance is the trail to Wild Oak Park. I have ridden past it HUNDREDS of times without seeing it. What a cool little trail this is:



Flowy and fun:



Nice:



Stairs:



After a short transition on Francisco Drive, the New York Creek trail. I took a crappy picture. This is really a cool little trail, about a mile long, very much similar to something from Salmon Falls/Sweetwater/Brown's Ravine:



Another short transition to the fitness trail through the north side of Serrano. It's about 1.5 miles long. Yeah, it's a gravel road, but if you use your imagination, it's JUST LIKE singletrack:



After that, about an eight-mile ride home. Final stats: 36 miles (about 16 on dirt); 3:04 ride time; 3:18 total time.

Later.

Slacker

Since Monday was a holiday and Wednesday is my regular day off, I took Tuesday off. It would be stupid not to, right?

I took the opportunity to ride out to Granite Bay again. After five days of winds, it was dead calm and cool. I got out early and had the trails to myself for the first two-thirds of the ride. I love the feeling of being out early on a weekday and feasting on all the morning has to offer. It feels like freedom, like sticking it to the man, a little bit like stealing. There are times when I like sharing a ride like this with a friend, and times like yesterday when I dig the solitude.

I tapped out a nice 33-mile ride on the single speed. It was pretty much the same ride I did Friday, but with enough variations in the route to keep it fresh. I'm loving all the single speed rides I have been doing lately.

My wrist felt pretty good. Although I have been riding on the road all spring and summer, I only began riding off-road at the end of July. It seems every MTB ride in the last couple weeks I see progress in strength and flexibility. Since The Crash, I have only been able to climb with bar ends. I simply haven't had the range of motion necessary to climb holding the grip. Yesterday I was able to do a couple short climbs without moving to the bar ends, albeit with a little pain, but still it was a small victory. It's nice to see progress once in a while.

Unfortunately, the new position and stress I put on the joint led to stiffness and a little swelling today. That's pretty much how rehab works--with forward progress comes a backslide. I'm used to it.

A much calmer Lake Natoma:



I actually took another properly framed picture, but I like this one better:



On the parts front, I ordered one of these today:



It's the '09 Reba SL, only $413 and free shipping from Speedgoat. I can't wait to see how the increased offset (46mm) makes my Waltworks hardtail handle. I was never really happy with the slow steering with the old Reba at 38mm of offset.

Later.

Cheapo

I have to build a retaining wall on my property. I have built a couple small ones, but to this point I have left the bigger ones to the contractors. This new one is not contractor worthy, but still a bit more involved than anything I have done before. To do it right, I needed a tool called a tamper, which is used to pack whatever base layer (gravel, sand, road base) you are going to use under the blocks.

It looks like this:



Home Depot wanted $40 for one. Yep, forty bucks for a stick and a metal plate. Well, I just couldn't pull the trigger on that one.

Enter . . . do-it-yourself guy.

First I built a cement form out of scrap wood (any excuse to use the nail gun). Then I found a handle from an old, broken-down hoe (ha!). I drove two bolts through it so it wouldn't pull out or twist.

Secured the handle perpendicular to the ground:

And poured the cement. This is what I got:

It ain't pretty, but it will do the job, and the cost was absolutely nothing. Everything I used was left over from other home and yard projects.

I know, I know. My talent makes you feel inadequate. Super sorry.

Later.

Fifteen

On the rear end of my single speeds, I am a fan of V-brakes, horizontal dropouts and solid axles with 15mm nuts. Set it and forget it. No creaking EBB, so slipping sliding dropouts, no fussing with disc brake adjustments. Simple and effective, if not a bit crude.

Consequently, this requires that one carry a 15mm wrench. There are a few made by single speed companies, like Surly, but they are short and too damn expensive. Really, $30 for a wrench? So I can open a beer with it?

I prefer a nice Craftsman wrench. Nice and long for leverage, six-point to keep your nuts from rounding, and at a cost of eight bucks from your local Sears. Throw it in the Camelbak and forget it.

Oh, and with practice you can still open a beer with it and show your single speed attitude.