Quit Whining Just Pedal!TM 
The Official Newsletter Site For Golden Chain Cyclists
The Official Newsletter Site For Golden Chain Cyclists
www.getonyourmark.com
352 S. Main Street Angels Camp
(209) 736-0771
Up Coming Rides:
Golden Chain Cyclists Yahoo
Group Page Link:
09/27/2011- Gloryhole Time Trial put on by Golden Chain Cyclists. 6:00p.m. first rider off. 1 minute intervals thereafter.
Meet at the entrance to Gloryhole Campground at the Gloryhole Store at New Melones Lake. Highway 49 and Whittle Rd.
Come on out and ride against the clock for fun or competition!
Here is Golden Chain Flyer:
Here is a map my ride link to the Start Location:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/31001594
09/28/2011- Training Ride. Meet at 4:30 p.m. in Black Bart Playhouse Parking Lot in Murphys. 15-20 mile group training ride. Geared to intermediate to advanced riders. Climbs are long, steep, and steady. Minimal re-groups.
09/29/2011- Group Ride. Meet at 5:15 p.m. in Black Bart Playhouse Parking Lot in Murphys. 15-20 miles. All levels welcome. No drops.
Here is a link to a mapmyride version of this ride:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/30046136
Golden Chain Cyclists Yahoo
Group Page Link:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/goldenchain/
02/11/2012- Winter TT Series #4
Winter TT at Woodward Lake at 10:00 a.m. weather permitting. Right now the forecast is rain, but we'll see. We will start at the top of Eastman Rd. at the dam. I will also lead a ride after the TT either into Knights Ferry or out to Farmington. Ill post the ride details tonight.
Winter TT at Woodward Lake at 10:00 a.m. weather permitting. Right now the forecast is rain, but we'll see. We will start at the top of Eastman Rd. at the dam. I will also lead a ride after the TT either into Knights Ferry or out to Farmington. Ill post the ride details tonight.
We will be doing TT's every 2nd Saturday of the month and we will vary the location from Woodward to Willms road in Knights Ferry and we will have a ride scheduled after each one for those who would like to ride after the tt or those who would just like to ride.
Also I will have all of the gear that people ordered from me this Thursday and we also have socks in stock. Socks are $4.00 a pair and they come that price courtesy of Michelle Young Financial. They come in 2 sizes. s/m and l/xl and they are made by Sock Guy. Call me for questions about TT, ride, gear, or Socks. 209 484 3732. Ride on. Donnie.
Rides listed below are done for 2011. We will resume them Daylight Savings Time in 2012!
Rides listed below are done for 2011. We will resume them Daylight Savings Time in 2012!
09/27/2011- Gloryhole Time Trial put on by Golden Chain Cyclists. 6:00p.m. first rider off. 1 minute intervals thereafter.
Meet at the entrance to Gloryhole Campground at the Gloryhole Store at New Melones Lake. Highway 49 and Whittle Rd.
Come on out and ride against the clock for fun or competition!
Here is Golden Chain Flyer:
Here is a map my ride link to the Start Location:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/31001594
09/28/2011- Training Ride. Meet at 4:30 p.m. in Black Bart Playhouse Parking Lot in Murphys. 15-20 mile group training ride. Geared to intermediate to advanced riders. Climbs are long, steep, and steady. Minimal re-groups.
09/29/2011- Group Ride. Meet at 5:15 p.m. in Black Bart Playhouse Parking Lot in Murphys. 15-20 miles. All levels welcome. No drops.
Here is a link to a mapmyride version of this ride:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/30046136
Ride reports 05/10,11,12/2011-
Hey gang! We had an excellent ride on Wed. evening as Michelle, Todd, Paul and I headed straight up French Gulch, and on into Greenhorn. Michelle then led us through the gate onto Finnegan Lane which was an awesome little variation and up Gold Cliff Road which turned out to be a suprising test of a climb. We then hit Stanislaus Road out to 49 then on up the Grade Road. Everyone did awesome and Michelle rode very strong and gets stronger each week as does Todd and Paul. Well this is now my favorite loop so on Thursday Evening...... We did the same route! As I came into Black Bart only Steve and Todd were in the lot. I was kind of bummed but realized Bruce and Michelle's vehicles were in the park and Steve was just waiting for me as the others went out to Ironstone. He said there were quite a few riders and when he told me Louie was one of them, I was REALLY bummed! :-) ....I'm just kidding, c'mon I really love the guy! So we picked up Michelle, Louie, Lynette, Bruce, and Mark and as we came back into town ready to head up French Gulch who did we run into? Non other than SYDNEY!!!!! What a great turnout! And I've got to say as I laid back up the first part of French Gulch I became....(sniff)..... a little... (sniff)..... Verklempt! It was so cool seeing everyone pumping away, sitting, (sniff) standing and climbing and I felt so proud (sniffle). Wait a minute! Road bike guys don't cry! Well maybe they do when 'the Cannibal' shares a nod with Marcus at the end of the movie "American Flyers". Anyway, it is so enjoyable to ride in a group and this group did awesome the whole ride. Louie pointed out a few more options we could try and you should have seen Sydney go up Gold Cliff!! Lynette did 100% better than the last time she road. Steve did his usual roadside bike work and got his hands all greasy like he'd been working on an old Studebaker all day. All in all we had a great ride and thanks so much to everyone for coming out. And Bruce and Michelle even kept Debbie and Lawren's tradition of fish tacos at Firewood in their absence! Off to Tahoe to trudge through the snow! WTF! oh well. See you all next week come on out to ride ok. ! Here is a great pic of the group minus Mark as he peeled off for home at the top of the grade. Ride On...Donnie
Golden Chain TT report written by Kyle:
Ride report 05/05/2011- written by Debbie Grant:
TT recap 05/03/2011-
As I drove up for the TT last night there were only 5 of us and I figured it would be a small group. But one by one people started pulling in and we had a group of 17!! Wow! It was great to see some old faces from years back as well as some new ones. The Isaman family came and did excellent and it reminded me of years back when the whole Christensen clan use to show up and ride. Thanks for coming out. We hope you continue to ride with us. Paul and Mark did their 1 lap and gone and Mark better watch it cause Paul is on his heels. Jen and Cindy returned and shattered their split time and did a full 12 mile ride and did awesome despite Cindy losing a chain on her 2nd lap. Jen was just 5 seconds off a thirteen split. This was Lynette's 1st TT and she did well for 2 laps considering she lost a chain also. Steve and Jeff returned and set a base to build on and should get stronger week by week. And James put in a strong 12 miles in his debut. In a discussion on how we gauge ourselves by where we meet in the opposing direction on the course, Louie told me he could tell if I was going good by the amount of slobber drooling off my face and I told him the only thing he'll be seeing tonight will be my backside as I fly by. Everytime I say stuff like that carma gets the better of me and I fail. But it's just Louie, and our banter is all in fun....NOT!!! C'mon! We try to beat each other each week!!! Kyle and Mike were fast.....againnnnnnnnnn. Friggen broken record on that statement but really... Awesome riding guys. And Lisa is to the gals what Kyle and Mike are to the guys! Awesome riding Lisa! Heinie just keeps on keepin on. Getting better each week. Thanks to John for timing and to Bruce for helping John. No easy feat with 17 people!! And last night I made a split calculator on my iPhone so we can just punch the numbers in exactly how they read and we will get the true split which will be much easier! All in all a great night... Ride on...Donnie.
Ride reports: 04/26,27,28/2011
Thursday: The weather was just a bit cooler for tonights ride as I pulled into Black Bart. Mark, Debbie, Todd and Lynette were ready to go. Just before we left, new member Darcy drove up to introduce herself and to let us know she could'nt make the ride because of a head cold but plans on hooking up in the future. Get well Darcy and we hope you can join us next week. I was hoping Sydney would show up as I have her jacket from Tuesday nights's TT but she didnt so I'll hang onto i for another few days(wish it fit me...lol...JK). So off we went to Ironstone for a warm up and it was great having Todd again as he joined us for the first time the night before. He does very well on his touring bike and plans on making the TT's also. It was also great to have Lynette back after a long layoff. It will be nice when Steve can join us also. We also missed Lawren as he was busy with a prior commitment so the 2 gals went mate-less for the evening and did quite well I must say. We did our usual route up French Gulch into Greenhorn and back up the grade as Debbie pulled Todd the whole way home! WTG Debbie!!! Lynette was feeling the effects of her layoff and thanks so much to Mark for hanging with us on the way in up the grade. Still dont know how you ride so well in those running shoes my friend. We toasted the ride with a nice cold Corona as we got to know Todd better. Its great to have him in our group as it is to have everyone in our group. I'll be riding the Delta Century with Lisa on the back of the tandem on Sunday. Joe will be doing a ride out of Eugene out and beyond Knights Ferry, about 60 miles so hook up with him if youd like. I'll get the particulars and post it tomorrow. Oh yeah...as I was driving home on 26 mile road in the pitch dark, I came upon some reflectors and saw it was a cyclist as I passed. I stopped and asked him if he was all right and he said "Yes thank you". Well duh... what was I thinking, yes i should've just come out and said "Do you need a ride?" so I schucked all my gear to the back seat, loaded up his bike and gave him a ride to the general store at River Road and 120. His name was Barry and he got caught out in a fierce headwind coming west on Sonora road(if this has never happened to you on that road, hopefully it never will. The winds can get real brutal coming that direction). I gave him a QWJP card but it got soaked from my Corona cooler as I chucked it into the back seat so hopefully it is still legible and maybe someday we can ride together. So...thats all for now. Have a great weekend...Ride on...Donnie.
Wednesday: (written by Joe Percival) Thanks Donnie for another great ride!
Donnie, Michelle, Mike, and Joe met up in the Black Bart parking lot around 4PM and got started up toward Ironstone shortly thereafter. Michelle is just getting back into cycling but pulled a strong performance today!
After turning around at Ironstone, we made our way back to the Black Bart parking lot where we picked up Todd, who just happened to be in the right place at the right time. He hadn't known about the group ride in advance but decided to join us. Todd and I tied for having the heaviest bikes I think (around 30 lbs). Both of us riding touring bikes that don't even know what carbon means ;-)
We went up over French Gulch, down Murphys Grade, across 4 and into the Greenhorn Creek neighborhood. Donnie led us on a little tour of the subdivision but thankfully left out "The WALL".
On the way down Murphy's grade, Donnie was kind enough to give me some pointers about participating in a pace-line. I've never ridden in a group before so it was helpful information.
Mike had started his ride in Angels so he bid us adieu as we got back toward the junction with 49.
Donnie, Todd, Michelle, and I made our way back onto Murphys Grade and followed it back to Murphys and the conclusion of our ride.
The weather could not have been more perfect! It was sunny out, but not hot. Yet it was warm enough that the Murphys Grade canyon was not at all chilli.
Everyone had a great ride and a great time!
Again, Thanks Donnie!
Joe
Thanks Joe for the excellent ride report. And I want to thank you, Michelle, and Todd for coming out. I am doing the ride regardless, so I owe you all a thank you as it is so much more enjoyable to have company along for the ride. I also want to thank Mike Phelps for joining us. I actually met Mike in the mid 90's. I wanted to get into biking so i bought a Mtn bike and started racing. I raced because the courses were so fun and well laid out. I surely didnt race cause I was good. Usually the womens group would catch me and I would be battling with some gal in the back of the pack. I was pretty good at flying down single track so I'd gain on her but I couldn't climb a lick so she'd pass me back. So if the race ended in a downhill, I could take her but the opposite was true if it ended in an uphill. I decided I needed to step up my game and went out to the Stanco Bike Club TT at lake Woodward. That's where I met Mike and Heinie and Howard Painter and more wonderful people. I went off 1st that night and one by one everyone was passing me. Then on one of the rolling climbs on the back of the course as I was struggling up, vroom!!!!...... WTF was that!!!! Was that a bike rider that just went by me in a blur!!! Yup it was Mike. So that night I go home and dig through my shed and pull out my old Univega road bike I had as a teenager.( I still have this bike and someday I'll bring it to a ride and compete with Joe and Todd) And since I was a machinist, I made some TT bars and the next week I still stunk, but it took longer for people to pass me and this time when Mike passed me, I could see him. Well Mike has passed me a gazillion times on TT's over the years and he is the smoothest rider I have ever seen on a bike. Truly 1 with his machine. Some riders go fast but they are flailing away and Mike, for lack of a better word, just floats when he rides. Everytime I start to lose form I think of him and am able to pull it together. Last night was the first time I ever rode alongside Mike on a ride that I wasn't killing myself to get through and it was purely enjoyable. Thanks Mike. There are so many levels of riders and I'm not sure how you all are, but when I ride with people that are a stronger rider than I, I don't get bummed or discouraged. Rather I get motivated to do better and I may not, and I KNOW sometimes, ever get as good. But I am always better than the day before. And riding a bike is so much more enjoyable if you don't have to concentrate on the fitness end of it. And one last thing...for all of you that participate in our weekly, weekend, and TT rides, know this...you are in the top 30% of all cyclists! Good for you and keep up the good work!!!!! Ride on....Donnie.
Tuesday: Another great turnout for the TT last night!! 13 brave souls took on the fierce headwind to battle against the clock. I took a turn manning the stopwatch and as it turned out, I didn't pick a bad night to do it. Mark and Paul did the rockstar thing...rode up, did their lap, then rode home. As Kyle came around on his first lap I had to look at his time about 7 times to make sure I had the split right... A 9:58!!!!Flying!!!! Louie had a great 1st lap also then lost it on the 2nd, and cause I was cheering him on decided to do a third. When he came in he started doling out the excuses, " I ate a big Angus burger... I ran a gazillion miles earlier today.....I painted my house!" I'm like "Dude! You had me at the Angus burger!" Sheesh! Heinie did a great time and Mike was flying too as usual. Sydney came and put in 12 miles with good times despite the wind. Newcomers Jen and Cindy decided to try a lap against the clock and both finished under 15 minutes and within 6 seconds of each other! I'd say they are paired up pretty good. Dad and the fabulous Lisa came up from Escalon and established a time to work on for the year. My dad had a blast and it's great seeing Lisa back on the road bike after her back issues! Herman did quite well but he would do better if he didn't have so much upper body to fight the wind. Can't get him to lay off those weights...lol oh well. Lisa HS shows to the line, blasts through 2 laps, all in a days work. All in all another great night. Hope to see you next week. Donnie.
03/27/2011-Hey Gang! Well it happened!!!! The lousy weather took a break from hammering us all week( uh 3 weeks) so we could RIDE!!!! We had a great turn-out as Steve, Bruce, Dave, James, Ronnie, Don and myself, and Jennifer brought along Cindy as the 2 needed to get a ride in because next week is their Cinderella Ride! So that made 9 of us but man, there were bike riders out in droves! Everyone was itch-in to get a ride in! We saddled up and headed on in to Knights Ferry. The sun kept trying to peek through the clouds but to no avail. Didn't matter! We were having a blast! Something about the simple joy of pedaling a bicycle, going through the gears, feeling the breeze in your face just makes everything right with the world. I must commend Cindy; she has a top notch, real trick, Mountain Bike, but it is a Mountain Bike with true Mountain Bike tires and she did very well keeping up with the group! Her and Jen were in their high-vis yellow and at the beginning of the ride they were just high-vis yellow dots in the distance as they took off flying down Sonora road. Steve and Bruce were their usual strong selves as they flew to catch and pass the girls. Dave, James and I were in our new SCHOCKING hi-vis Solar Orange Jerseys. Lol you can't miss us! Dad and Ronnie were getting the kinks out as they hadn't rode since their Napa trip. After a short break in Knights Ferry we took off onto Cemetery Rd up the steep short climb that is truly a lung burner. Everyone did awesome and it was Dads first time and though he had a little weave going, he made it..Wooo! We got stares from the Camel at the top and the Zebra looked like it wanted to come along with us! We actually got sprinkled on on HorseShoe Rd. I thought it was a group of bugs at first but it only lasted about 5 seconds. We made our last pit stop at the Orange Blossom Rec. Area at the intersection of Rodden and Orange Blossom. We finished going around the back of Woodward Reservoir and came back on 26 mile Road to the cars. Awesome ride and the question of the day became,"What Bike will Cindy Ride on the Cinderella?" She will be fine on her Mtn Bike, but if she can score some slicks, it will help tremendoulsy and Jen will have noooooo problem as she is becoming quite good. Steve was off to do another 30 miles with another gang he rides with...no wonder he is so good in such a small amount of time. And the rest of us had a beer and toasted to a Wonderful Ride! Thanks so much for all who came out and as I was leaving I met Riders Rebecca and Marshall, and one of my past riding Buddies, Glenn with his wife on a tandem,(there were sooo many people out all along the ride) told em about our group, so along with others maybe we will get a few more next time. Until then...Ride On.....Donnie
Hey Gang! Check out this great pic/video. It was made by Kyle from Golden Chain and it's of him and his wonderful wife Lisa on a trip they took to Sedona Arizona. The pics are awesome and stunning but what's real cool is they took this trip in January!!! The weather looks perfect! Looks like a fabulous bicycle destination! Thanks Kyle!
Just click on this link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEVj3yf34u4
You can turn off my music playing on this page down at the bottom of this page near the hit counter. Just hit the pause button on the media player so you can enjoy Kyle's music set to his video....Enjoy!
Here are all the pics from Our Copper Ride on 02/20/2011.
Just click on the link below....Enjoy!
02/20/11 Copper Ride Pics
Hey gang! We had an excellent ride on Wed. evening as Michelle, Todd, Paul and I headed straight up French Gulch, and on into Greenhorn. Michelle then led us through the gate onto Finnegan Lane which was an awesome little variation and up Gold Cliff Road which turned out to be a suprising test of a climb. We then hit Stanislaus Road out to 49 then on up the Grade Road. Everyone did awesome and Michelle rode very strong and gets stronger each week as does Todd and Paul. Well this is now my favorite loop so on Thursday Evening...... We did the same route! As I came into Black Bart only Steve and Todd were in the lot. I was kind of bummed but realized Bruce and Michelle's vehicles were in the park and Steve was just waiting for me as the others went out to Ironstone. He said there were quite a few riders and when he told me Louie was one of them, I was REALLY bummed! :-) ....I'm just kidding, c'mon I really love the guy! So we picked up Michelle, Louie, Lynette, Bruce, and Mark and as we came back into town ready to head up French Gulch who did we run into? Non other than SYDNEY!!!!! What a great turnout! And I've got to say as I laid back up the first part of French Gulch I became....(sniff)..... a little... (sniff)..... Verklempt! It was so cool seeing everyone pumping away, sitting, (sniff) standing and climbing and I felt so proud (sniffle). Wait a minute! Road bike guys don't cry! Well maybe they do when 'the Cannibal' shares a nod with Marcus at the end of the movie "American Flyers". Anyway, it is so enjoyable to ride in a group and this group did awesome the whole ride. Louie pointed out a few more options we could try and you should have seen Sydney go up Gold Cliff!! Lynette did 100% better than the last time she road. Steve did his usual roadside bike work and got his hands all greasy like he'd been working on an old Studebaker all day. All in all we had a great ride and thanks so much to everyone for coming out. And Bruce and Michelle even kept Debbie and Lawren's tradition of fish tacos at Firewood in their absence! Off to Tahoe to trudge through the snow! WTF! oh well. See you all next week come on out to ride ok. ! Here is a great pic of the group minus Mark as he peeled off for home at the top of the grade. Ride On...Donnie
Golden Chain TT report written by Kyle:
Wow, what a night. The weather was perfect and the times were smokin' fast.
Fifteen riders came out and tested themselves, with many people PR'ing left and right. The 4-milers are getting fast, if they keep it up they'll finish before we can get everyone out there. Way to go. A couple of new faces out there
tonight we haven't seen in a while. Kudos to Derek and Reggie. The Isaman family came out again, and showed up even stronger than before. A big congrats
goes out to Heinie, Donnie and Todd - wow. Jeff, Bruce, Louie, and Mike held thier own, and kept things interesting. Overall, it was a fun night and we hope to see you out there again next week...but...we understand if you happen to skip it for the Amgen.
I've attached the Best Times from last year also. Some riders are very close to smashing there times. Now to those of you that have gotten a year older and as
of tonight are currently faster than last year Congrats to you, truely amazing. Ride into the sunset,
kyle
Ride report 05/05/2011- written by Debbie Grant:
Ride went great! There is no question in my mind that men who ride bikes are some of the most considerate people around. I was grossly outgunned in the fitness and speed arena, being that the ladys aren't joining me for the Thursday rides, but each of the guys took turns holding back or riding with me for several legs of the trip. We headed straight to French Gulch, a bit of a challenge without a warm up on the Ironstone loop. We all hit top speeds going down French Gulch to Murphy's Grade. Lawren and Mark both felt some speed wobbles and had a heart stopping moment when they got too close. The whole time Todd on his heavy touring bike is just eating up pavement and Ron on his first ride in 6 months, easily kept up with the guys as they sped along down Murphy's Grade to Angels Camp. C'mon guys 19 mph average, really!? I'm a 15 mph kinda gal. We tried a new route going through Greenhorn Creek, then at a dead end Mark went on a trail that turned into this great little road called Finnegan Lane. While passing a beautiful creek area with some people fishing, we were hit by a massive number of bugs. Protein shakes for everyone! When I caught up to the guys at 49, I was told we apparently "deliberately avoided" a challenging hill. Sounds like there's more than one "wall" in Angels Camp. The trip back up Murphy's Grade is always a great leg of this ride! Mark and Ron peeled off to head home and Lawren, Todd and I finished the trip in style with a beer and fish tacos. Perfect!
TT recap 05/03/2011-
As I drove up for the TT last night there were only 5 of us and I figured it would be a small group. But one by one people started pulling in and we had a group of 17!! Wow! It was great to see some old faces from years back as well as some new ones. The Isaman family came and did excellent and it reminded me of years back when the whole Christensen clan use to show up and ride. Thanks for coming out. We hope you continue to ride with us. Paul and Mark did their 1 lap and gone and Mark better watch it cause Paul is on his heels. Jen and Cindy returned and shattered their split time and did a full 12 mile ride and did awesome despite Cindy losing a chain on her 2nd lap. Jen was just 5 seconds off a thirteen split. This was Lynette's 1st TT and she did well for 2 laps considering she lost a chain also. Steve and Jeff returned and set a base to build on and should get stronger week by week. And James put in a strong 12 miles in his debut. In a discussion on how we gauge ourselves by where we meet in the opposing direction on the course, Louie told me he could tell if I was going good by the amount of slobber drooling off my face and I told him the only thing he'll be seeing tonight will be my backside as I fly by. Everytime I say stuff like that carma gets the better of me and I fail. But it's just Louie, and our banter is all in fun....NOT!!! C'mon! We try to beat each other each week!!! Kyle and Mike were fast.....againnnnnnnnnn. Friggen broken record on that statement but really... Awesome riding guys. And Lisa is to the gals what Kyle and Mike are to the guys! Awesome riding Lisa! Heinie just keeps on keepin on. Getting better each week. Thanks to John for timing and to Bruce for helping John. No easy feat with 17 people!! And last night I made a split calculator on my iPhone so we can just punch the numbers in exactly how they read and we will get the true split which will be much easier! All in all a great night... Ride on...Donnie.
Ride reports: 04/26,27,28/2011
Thursday: The weather was just a bit cooler for tonights ride as I pulled into Black Bart. Mark, Debbie, Todd and Lynette were ready to go. Just before we left, new member Darcy drove up to introduce herself and to let us know she could'nt make the ride because of a head cold but plans on hooking up in the future. Get well Darcy and we hope you can join us next week. I was hoping Sydney would show up as I have her jacket from Tuesday nights's TT but she didnt so I'll hang onto i for another few days(wish it fit me...lol...JK). So off we went to Ironstone for a warm up and it was great having Todd again as he joined us for the first time the night before. He does very well on his touring bike and plans on making the TT's also. It was also great to have Lynette back after a long layoff. It will be nice when Steve can join us also. We also missed Lawren as he was busy with a prior commitment so the 2 gals went mate-less for the evening and did quite well I must say. We did our usual route up French Gulch into Greenhorn and back up the grade as Debbie pulled Todd the whole way home! WTG Debbie!!! Lynette was feeling the effects of her layoff and thanks so much to Mark for hanging with us on the way in up the grade. Still dont know how you ride so well in those running shoes my friend. We toasted the ride with a nice cold Corona as we got to know Todd better. Its great to have him in our group as it is to have everyone in our group. I'll be riding the Delta Century with Lisa on the back of the tandem on Sunday. Joe will be doing a ride out of Eugene out and beyond Knights Ferry, about 60 miles so hook up with him if youd like. I'll get the particulars and post it tomorrow. Oh yeah...as I was driving home on 26 mile road in the pitch dark, I came upon some reflectors and saw it was a cyclist as I passed. I stopped and asked him if he was all right and he said "Yes thank you". Well duh... what was I thinking, yes i should've just come out and said "Do you need a ride?" so I schucked all my gear to the back seat, loaded up his bike and gave him a ride to the general store at River Road and 120. His name was Barry and he got caught out in a fierce headwind coming west on Sonora road(if this has never happened to you on that road, hopefully it never will. The winds can get real brutal coming that direction). I gave him a QWJP card but it got soaked from my Corona cooler as I chucked it into the back seat so hopefully it is still legible and maybe someday we can ride together. So...thats all for now. Have a great weekend...Ride on...Donnie.
Wednesday: (written by Joe Percival) Thanks Donnie for another great ride!
Donnie, Michelle, Mike, and Joe met up in the Black Bart parking lot around 4PM and got started up toward Ironstone shortly thereafter. Michelle is just getting back into cycling but pulled a strong performance today!
After turning around at Ironstone, we made our way back to the Black Bart parking lot where we picked up Todd, who just happened to be in the right place at the right time. He hadn't known about the group ride in advance but decided to join us. Todd and I tied for having the heaviest bikes I think (around 30 lbs). Both of us riding touring bikes that don't even know what carbon means ;-)
We went up over French Gulch, down Murphys Grade, across 4 and into the Greenhorn Creek neighborhood. Donnie led us on a little tour of the subdivision but thankfully left out "The WALL".
On the way down Murphy's grade, Donnie was kind enough to give me some pointers about participating in a pace-line. I've never ridden in a group before so it was helpful information.
Mike had started his ride in Angels so he bid us adieu as we got back toward the junction with 49.
Donnie, Todd, Michelle, and I made our way back onto Murphys Grade and followed it back to Murphys and the conclusion of our ride.
The weather could not have been more perfect! It was sunny out, but not hot. Yet it was warm enough that the Murphys Grade canyon was not at all chilli.
Everyone had a great ride and a great time!
Again, Thanks Donnie!
Joe
Thanks Joe for the excellent ride report. And I want to thank you, Michelle, and Todd for coming out. I am doing the ride regardless, so I owe you all a thank you as it is so much more enjoyable to have company along for the ride. I also want to thank Mike Phelps for joining us. I actually met Mike in the mid 90's. I wanted to get into biking so i bought a Mtn bike and started racing. I raced because the courses were so fun and well laid out. I surely didnt race cause I was good. Usually the womens group would catch me and I would be battling with some gal in the back of the pack. I was pretty good at flying down single track so I'd gain on her but I couldn't climb a lick so she'd pass me back. So if the race ended in a downhill, I could take her but the opposite was true if it ended in an uphill. I decided I needed to step up my game and went out to the Stanco Bike Club TT at lake Woodward. That's where I met Mike and Heinie and Howard Painter and more wonderful people. I went off 1st that night and one by one everyone was passing me. Then on one of the rolling climbs on the back of the course as I was struggling up, vroom!!!!...... WTF was that!!!! Was that a bike rider that just went by me in a blur!!! Yup it was Mike. So that night I go home and dig through my shed and pull out my old Univega road bike I had as a teenager.( I still have this bike and someday I'll bring it to a ride and compete with Joe and Todd) And since I was a machinist, I made some TT bars and the next week I still stunk, but it took longer for people to pass me and this time when Mike passed me, I could see him. Well Mike has passed me a gazillion times on TT's over the years and he is the smoothest rider I have ever seen on a bike. Truly 1 with his machine. Some riders go fast but they are flailing away and Mike, for lack of a better word, just floats when he rides. Everytime I start to lose form I think of him and am able to pull it together. Last night was the first time I ever rode alongside Mike on a ride that I wasn't killing myself to get through and it was purely enjoyable. Thanks Mike. There are so many levels of riders and I'm not sure how you all are, but when I ride with people that are a stronger rider than I, I don't get bummed or discouraged. Rather I get motivated to do better and I may not, and I KNOW sometimes, ever get as good. But I am always better than the day before. And riding a bike is so much more enjoyable if you don't have to concentrate on the fitness end of it. And one last thing...for all of you that participate in our weekly, weekend, and TT rides, know this...you are in the top 30% of all cyclists! Good for you and keep up the good work!!!!! Ride on....Donnie.
Tuesday: Another great turnout for the TT last night!! 13 brave souls took on the fierce headwind to battle against the clock. I took a turn manning the stopwatch and as it turned out, I didn't pick a bad night to do it. Mark and Paul did the rockstar thing...rode up, did their lap, then rode home. As Kyle came around on his first lap I had to look at his time about 7 times to make sure I had the split right... A 9:58!!!!Flying!!!! Louie had a great 1st lap also then lost it on the 2nd, and cause I was cheering him on decided to do a third. When he came in he started doling out the excuses, " I ate a big Angus burger... I ran a gazillion miles earlier today.....I painted my house!" I'm like "Dude! You had me at the Angus burger!" Sheesh! Heinie did a great time and Mike was flying too as usual. Sydney came and put in 12 miles with good times despite the wind. Newcomers Jen and Cindy decided to try a lap against the clock and both finished under 15 minutes and within 6 seconds of each other! I'd say they are paired up pretty good. Dad and the fabulous Lisa came up from Escalon and established a time to work on for the year. My dad had a blast and it's great seeing Lisa back on the road bike after her back issues! Herman did quite well but he would do better if he didn't have so much upper body to fight the wind. Can't get him to lay off those weights...lol oh well. Lisa HS shows to the line, blasts through 2 laps, all in a days work. All in all another great night. Hope to see you next week. Donnie.
04/19,20,21/2011- Ride Reports
Tuesday: We had a nice turnout for the time trial tonight but the weather is still playing havoc with us. It was sunny most of the day with hardly any wind and as soon as I headed to Gloryhole, the clouds came in and it was quite breezy. But not as bad as last week as everyone did their best time for the year. Um except for me. I thought I came in 5 seconds off my best time and I was ok with that. Then when I learned the official time, I was only 3 seconds off. Then I was pissed!!!! :-). My only saving grace was that I still beat Louie. But only by 10 seconds so he is catching me. He wanted an age handicap. What!!! C'mon!!! Phelps doesnt ask for no stinkin age handicap. Nor does Heinie! Sheesh! Speaking of Heine, what an inspiration. In his 70's and riding like the wind!!! Awesome. Sydney came out and established a good base as did Lawren and Debbie beat her time by 22 seconds. WTg! I knew she would cause as I seen her going in the opposite direction, she was down in the drops and movin!! Barry came out on his tt bike and did well and Lisa is coming into form. Mike is fast. That's all I have to say about that. I'll be timing next week so Kyle can give Mike a carrot. All in all another great night see you all next week!!! Donnie.
We do rides every wednesday at 4:00 p m and Thursday at 5:15 p m leaving from Black Bart playhouse parking lot in Murphys. Come and join us. Here is past rides recap:
Wednesday: Well this unpredictable weather is getting to be a drag as I am sure it is keeping people from riding during the week. I've just decided to pretend I live in Oregon and deal with it otherwise I will be using the beginning of summer to get in shape instead of enjoying what cycling has to offer on those beautiful days. Bruce, Shelly and I met at Black Bart and did our warm up out to Ironstone gates and as no one was in the lot on our return, we headed up French Gulch. Shelleys knee seems to be doing fine as she led me and Bruce on up the hill. When we got back to the grade road we ran into the nastiest headwind I have experienced to date on that stretch of road. But as they say " what doesn't kill you will make you stronger" or "pain is weakness leaving the body". Yeah ok, how about "pedaling into a direct headwind is friggen hard!!!" We went on into greenhorn, did the wall, and at the top I tried to yell at Hermans house to tell him to get his butt out here and ride. But alas, the wall always leaves me breathless. So we tagteamed up the grade and had an awesome 24 mile ride.
04/06/2011- Hey Gang, we had a great ride tonight! Myself and Herman rode into the lot from work to find Bruce, Joe, and newcomer Mark listening to the Giants game on the radio. Was great to finally meet Joe although he informed us his bike was in Mtn. Pedaler getting repairs so the chain mishap he had on the Gloryhole Hill won't happen again. So it was just 4 of us off to Ironstone to warm up. I actually met Mark just the night before at the time trial so it was great to have him along. We made a check back in the lot and as it was void of any other bikers raring to go, off we went up French Gulch. And Herman did his turbo blast up the first leg and left us in the dust but as this is his first ride this year in the hills, needless to say the turbo tank ran out at the top. Still, he is the fastest rider I have ever seen climb that section of the hill. Bruce rode strong up and Mark did a fantastic job considering he has standard pedals with running shoes. I sure couldnt do that hill as good under those conditions. We went on down the hill and into Greenhorn clockwise direction so we could do "the WALL". Those who have done it, know it, but Bruce hasn't done it to this point and we all know how it starts so gentle and he says, "This is the wall???" And as I pedal by him I say "Yup!". So he got on my wheel and then I hear "Oh, ok, uh...'huff,huff,huff'...yeah....'huff,huff'...this is steep." I love that stuff!! That's what getting together and riding is all about, stuff like that! So we all busted a lung after "the wall" then headed on up the grade road with a strong finish to an excellent ride. Me and Herman joined Bruce in Firewood for some fish tacos my treat as Herman turns the big 40 on Sunday! Happy Birthday Herman! Next week we will move the ride to Thursday at 5:15. As for the weekend, I am not sure of my schedule so I'll post something tomorrow. Stanislaus Bike club will be doing a ride from Eugene to Pardee on Saturday. Check out their website. Most Likely I'll be doing a ride Sunday Morning so there's some options for you. Stay tuned.....Donnie.
04/05/2011- A funny thing happened to the weather as I pulled up to Gloryhole for the start of the 1st TT of the season. It became very windy and it sure looked like it was going to rain! James was there checking out the course and John from our weekend rides came along with my work buddy Danny, Mark riding Mountain Pedaler's Eric's past mount. (Thought I recognized that rear cassette) and regulars Louie, and Heinie. The TT course is really fun to do as the wind at your back on the start helped push you up the first hill to the turn-around point. Then you head downhill into the wind and at the 3 mile mark back up a slight incline to the turn-around at the finish line. So with that you have the option to do 4 miles(1 lap),8 miles(2 laps),or 12 miles(3 laps), and along with your warm-up, a good mid-week 20 mile ride is possible with 12 going all out! A total blast! Thanks to Mike Phelps for timing and setting the markers on the course and a nice turnout for the first weekday TT of the year. So come on out next week and ride. You'll have a great workout!....Donnie.
Tuesday: We had a nice turnout for the time trial tonight but the weather is still playing havoc with us. It was sunny most of the day with hardly any wind and as soon as I headed to Gloryhole, the clouds came in and it was quite breezy. But not as bad as last week as everyone did their best time for the year. Um except for me. I thought I came in 5 seconds off my best time and I was ok with that. Then when I learned the official time, I was only 3 seconds off. Then I was pissed!!!! :-). My only saving grace was that I still beat Louie. But only by 10 seconds so he is catching me. He wanted an age handicap. What!!! C'mon!!! Phelps doesnt ask for no stinkin age handicap. Nor does Heinie! Sheesh! Speaking of Heine, what an inspiration. In his 70's and riding like the wind!!! Awesome. Sydney came out and established a good base as did Lawren and Debbie beat her time by 22 seconds. WTg! I knew she would cause as I seen her going in the opposite direction, she was down in the drops and movin!! Barry came out on his tt bike and did well and Lisa is coming into form. Mike is fast. That's all I have to say about that. I'll be timing next week so Kyle can give Mike a carrot. All in all another great night see you all next week!!! Donnie.
We do rides every wednesday at 4:00 p m and Thursday at 5:15 p m leaving from Black Bart playhouse parking lot in Murphys. Come and join us. Here is past rides recap:
Wednesday: Well this unpredictable weather is getting to be a drag as I am sure it is keeping people from riding during the week. I've just decided to pretend I live in Oregon and deal with it otherwise I will be using the beginning of summer to get in shape instead of enjoying what cycling has to offer on those beautiful days. Bruce, Shelly and I met at Black Bart and did our warm up out to Ironstone gates and as no one was in the lot on our return, we headed up French Gulch. Shelleys knee seems to be doing fine as she led me and Bruce on up the hill. When we got back to the grade road we ran into the nastiest headwind I have experienced to date on that stretch of road. But as they say " what doesn't kill you will make you stronger" or "pain is weakness leaving the body". Yeah ok, how about "pedaling into a direct headwind is friggen hard!!!" We went on into greenhorn, did the wall, and at the top I tried to yell at Hermans house to tell him to get his butt out here and ride. But alas, the wall always leaves me breathless. So we tagteamed up the grade and had an awesome 24 mile ride.
Thursday: Sydney and George were getting ready as I pulled into Black Bart on Thursday. All 3 of us were sporting our Golden Chain gear and we went on out to Ironstone to warm up and since it was just us 3 as we returned to the lot I asked them if they would like to try a different ride tonight. They said sure so I took them on a ride I call "LeTour de Cul de Sacs" ( you must say it with the heaviest of French/Parisian accent). It involves hitting every single Cul de sac and dead end road in Murphys. There are many slight inclines that let you get some good interval work in, plus if your riding partners are at different levels, you can circle around in the Cul de sacs till everyone catches up. The whole ride is right at 20 miles and just under 2 hours. The only problem was Sydney and George knows every single person in Murphys and the first time someone honked at us it scared me! "Just friends of ours" George says. Whew!! And of course George was riding up all the driveways of his buddies so me and Sydney just rode on and George would catch up. We had a great ride and it was a nice change to ride and enjoy the scenery so to speak but still get a nice workout in. Hope to see you all next week as the weather is supposed to improve. Yeah I'll believe it when I see it!!! Donnie.
04/13/2011-Hey gang, sorry for the delay on ride reports but hey, Ive been busy RIDING!!! On Saturday me, Don, Ronnie, James and Joe took off from Knights Ferry out on Willms Road to Turlock Lake to catch some of the Turlock Road Race. It was great to have Joe as it was his first ride with our group after so much correspondence. He pretty much was through with letting the bad weather dictate his riding time and loaded the bike and drove on down the hill to join us. As we rode out it was apparent the wind wasnt going to do us any favors as it hit us hard all the way out to Hwy 132 to our rest stop at the Nut Store. After a short break we were off to Turlock Lake. After crossing Roberts Ferry Bridge, we came to Lake road where a course marshall informed us there had been a serious crash in the race and it was neutralized. We rode into the pits and met up with Dave as his son was racing and wow, so many high end bikes and riders were in the lot warming up getting ready to start their turn. They all looked so professional and these were the cat 4 and 5's. We waited around at the finish line for a while and decided to head on back and as soon as we hit Lake Road the race was back on. We saw a three man breakaway coming up the hill followed by the peleton. It was the first time my brother had seen a pro peleton in person and he was amazed at the sheer power of the group as it went by. Shortly after, Dave's son Chris Phipps came by and won his sprint to finish 6th in his group. Chris is very good and his expertise comes on courses that are more hilly so 6th is real good for him on a flat course such as this. Plus one of his team members won the race so all went well. He races for Iron Data out of San Francisco.
04/13/2011-Hey gang, sorry for the delay on ride reports but hey, Ive been busy RIDING!!! On Saturday me, Don, Ronnie, James and Joe took off from Knights Ferry out on Willms Road to Turlock Lake to catch some of the Turlock Road Race. It was great to have Joe as it was his first ride with our group after so much correspondence. He pretty much was through with letting the bad weather dictate his riding time and loaded the bike and drove on down the hill to join us. As we rode out it was apparent the wind wasnt going to do us any favors as it hit us hard all the way out to Hwy 132 to our rest stop at the Nut Store. After a short break we were off to Turlock Lake. After crossing Roberts Ferry Bridge, we came to Lake road where a course marshall informed us there had been a serious crash in the race and it was neutralized. We rode into the pits and met up with Dave as his son was racing and wow, so many high end bikes and riders were in the lot warming up getting ready to start their turn. They all looked so professional and these were the cat 4 and 5's. We waited around at the finish line for a while and decided to head on back and as soon as we hit Lake Road the race was back on. We saw a three man breakaway coming up the hill followed by the peleton. It was the first time my brother had seen a pro peleton in person and he was amazed at the sheer power of the group as it went by. Shortly after, Dave's son Chris Phipps came by and won his sprint to finish 6th in his group. Chris is very good and his expertise comes on courses that are more hilly so 6th is real good for him on a flat course such as this. Plus one of his team members won the race so all went well. He races for Iron Data out of San Francisco.
So we rode on back to Knights Ferry and dang if the wind didnt shift on us and we had to fight it on the way back too....Sheesh. Well as a treat for a ride well done, me and Joe rode across the covered bridge and officially made it a Covered Bridge to Covered Bridge ride.
On Sunday me Ronnie, and Don met Dave at New Hogan for a Mtn Bike ride. Dave lives a few blocks away so he is always up for a ride when we go to New Hogan. We took off on the road base gravel road and for you beginner mountain Bikers this is a great path to start on. The total ride out and back is 11 miles and it has a couple of small hillclimbs to test you a bit but nothing real difficult. Me and Ronnie hooked up to the single track starting at campsite #17 in Oak Knoll campground and headed up the upper lake trail. Let me tell you this is a really fun and challenging trail and is not for the meek. It is very challenging and has some tough climbs, tight 180 degree switchbacks and some very technical decents. We didnt hit the whole trail and we still did 20 miles of sheer Mtn Bike Fun. We met up with some guys from the group TROGS on the trail and they pointed out some good directions to go and it didnt disappoint! Truly a fun riding day and when we got back to the truck, Dad and Dave had already broke into the beer as we did the same and toasted an excellent ride.
On Tuesday I did the Golden Chain Time trial. We had a great turnout! Heinnie, Louie, Bruce, Mike P, Danny, Barry, Herman, Lisa and Kyle fresh off their vacation and DEBBIE. When she drove up I didnt realize it was her becauseeeee...she got a new bike! She rode 8 miles and had a blast and set a good time so she can improve on it each and every week. The wind and air was a little different this week and I'm sure thats why I was a little slower...or maybe my brake was rubbing, or I know... the jersey I was wearing wasnt aero enough, or ummmmm....well how about the standard elite rider answer..."I just did'nt have the legs today!" Danny shattered his time on his Mtn Bike and Bruce did a very respectable time on his CROSS bike. Herman laid down a good base to build on. Louie did enough to beat my butt for 8 miles then called that good for the day....WHAT????!!!!!! c'mon!!!! Barry did the full 16 mile TT. And Mike...well he's in another stratosphere really and it doesnt even look like he was trying. Like I've said...When I grow up, I want to ride just like him. And it was awesome seeing Kyle and Lisa again. I missed you 2 too!!!! All in all it was a great night of riding and comraderie. Hope to see more of you next week! Come on out!
After our ride on Wednesday, Herman told a joke...."What has 4 wheels and goes 'OW..OW..OWOW...OW..OW'"........anyone?????? How about Donnie and Herman riding down French Gulch at 30 mph in a hailstorm!!!!..hahahahaha. Woo we were cracking up!!!!! Greg drove all the way from Brentwood to ride and as we came into the parking lot it started to rain! Enough Already!!!! Greg had to give Shelley a rider packet for the M360 ride so the drive up was not a total waste, but he decided not to forgo further. So Herman gave me his best Bill Murray caddyshack imitation telling me the the hard stuffs not gonna even hit Murphys. Well....WRONG!! Right up French Gulch it starts to hail which wasnt too bad cause it just bounced off but then the downpour came. Just enough to soak us as we got to the summit then as we went down, hail again...OUCH! When that hits you in your lips at 30 mph...Ouch! But as soon as we hit the grade road, sunshine. We hit the wall in Greenhorn, then came up 4, did Red Hill to Carson Road(a total blast) and then back up 4 into Murphys. Went to dinner and laughed and recollected our adventure! And that my friends is what it's all about! Ride on....Donnie.
After our ride on Wednesday, Herman told a joke...."What has 4 wheels and goes 'OW..OW..OWOW...OW..OW'"........anyone?????? How about Donnie and Herman riding down French Gulch at 30 mph in a hailstorm!!!!..hahahahaha. Woo we were cracking up!!!!! Greg drove all the way from Brentwood to ride and as we came into the parking lot it started to rain! Enough Already!!!! Greg had to give Shelley a rider packet for the M360 ride so the drive up was not a total waste, but he decided not to forgo further. So Herman gave me his best Bill Murray caddyshack imitation telling me the the hard stuffs not gonna even hit Murphys. Well....WRONG!! Right up French Gulch it starts to hail which wasnt too bad cause it just bounced off but then the downpour came. Just enough to soak us as we got to the summit then as we went down, hail again...OUCH! When that hits you in your lips at 30 mph...Ouch! But as soon as we hit the grade road, sunshine. We hit the wall in Greenhorn, then came up 4, did Red Hill to Carson Road(a total blast) and then back up 4 into Murphys. Went to dinner and laughed and recollected our adventure! And that my friends is what it's all about! Ride on....Donnie.
04/06/2011- Hey Gang, we had a great ride tonight! Myself and Herman rode into the lot from work to find Bruce, Joe, and newcomer Mark listening to the Giants game on the radio. Was great to finally meet Joe although he informed us his bike was in Mtn. Pedaler getting repairs so the chain mishap he had on the Gloryhole Hill won't happen again. So it was just 4 of us off to Ironstone to warm up. I actually met Mark just the night before at the time trial so it was great to have him along. We made a check back in the lot and as it was void of any other bikers raring to go, off we went up French Gulch. And Herman did his turbo blast up the first leg and left us in the dust but as this is his first ride this year in the hills, needless to say the turbo tank ran out at the top. Still, he is the fastest rider I have ever seen climb that section of the hill. Bruce rode strong up and Mark did a fantastic job considering he has standard pedals with running shoes. I sure couldnt do that hill as good under those conditions. We went on down the hill and into Greenhorn clockwise direction so we could do "the WALL". Those who have done it, know it, but Bruce hasn't done it to this point and we all know how it starts so gentle and he says, "This is the wall???" And as I pedal by him I say "Yup!". So he got on my wheel and then I hear "Oh, ok, uh...'huff,huff,huff'...yeah....'huff,huff'...this is steep." I love that stuff!! That's what getting together and riding is all about, stuff like that! So we all busted a lung after "the wall" then headed on up the grade road with a strong finish to an excellent ride. Me and Herman joined Bruce in Firewood for some fish tacos my treat as Herman turns the big 40 on Sunday! Happy Birthday Herman! Next week we will move the ride to Thursday at 5:15. As for the weekend, I am not sure of my schedule so I'll post something tomorrow. Stanislaus Bike club will be doing a ride from Eugene to Pardee on Saturday. Check out their website. Most Likely I'll be doing a ride Sunday Morning so there's some options for you. Stay tuned.....Donnie.
04/05/2011- A funny thing happened to the weather as I pulled up to Gloryhole for the start of the 1st TT of the season. It became very windy and it sure looked like it was going to rain! James was there checking out the course and John from our weekend rides came along with my work buddy Danny, Mark riding Mountain Pedaler's Eric's past mount. (Thought I recognized that rear cassette) and regulars Louie, and Heinie. The TT course is really fun to do as the wind at your back on the start helped push you up the first hill to the turn-around point. Then you head downhill into the wind and at the 3 mile mark back up a slight incline to the turn-around at the finish line. So with that you have the option to do 4 miles(1 lap),8 miles(2 laps),or 12 miles(3 laps), and along with your warm-up, a good mid-week 20 mile ride is possible with 12 going all out! A total blast! Thanks to Mike Phelps for timing and setting the markers on the course and a nice turnout for the first weekday TT of the year. So come on out next week and ride. You'll have a great workout!....Donnie.
Here is a link to the results...
03/27/2011-Hey Gang! Well it happened!!!! The lousy weather took a break from hammering us all week( uh 3 weeks) so we could RIDE!!!! We had a great turn-out as Steve, Bruce, Dave, James, Ronnie, Don and myself, and Jennifer brought along Cindy as the 2 needed to get a ride in because next week is their Cinderella Ride! So that made 9 of us but man, there were bike riders out in droves! Everyone was itch-in to get a ride in! We saddled up and headed on in to Knights Ferry. The sun kept trying to peek through the clouds but to no avail. Didn't matter! We were having a blast! Something about the simple joy of pedaling a bicycle, going through the gears, feeling the breeze in your face just makes everything right with the world. I must commend Cindy; she has a top notch, real trick, Mountain Bike, but it is a Mountain Bike with true Mountain Bike tires and she did very well keeping up with the group! Her and Jen were in their high-vis yellow and at the beginning of the ride they were just high-vis yellow dots in the distance as they took off flying down Sonora road. Steve and Bruce were their usual strong selves as they flew to catch and pass the girls. Dave, James and I were in our new SCHOCKING hi-vis Solar Orange Jerseys. Lol you can't miss us! Dad and Ronnie were getting the kinks out as they hadn't rode since their Napa trip. After a short break in Knights Ferry we took off onto Cemetery Rd up the steep short climb that is truly a lung burner. Everyone did awesome and it was Dads first time and though he had a little weave going, he made it..Wooo! We got stares from the Camel at the top and the Zebra looked like it wanted to come along with us! We actually got sprinkled on on HorseShoe Rd. I thought it was a group of bugs at first but it only lasted about 5 seconds. We made our last pit stop at the Orange Blossom Rec. Area at the intersection of Rodden and Orange Blossom. We finished going around the back of Woodward Reservoir and came back on 26 mile Road to the cars. Awesome ride and the question of the day became,"What Bike will Cindy Ride on the Cinderella?" She will be fine on her Mtn Bike, but if she can score some slicks, it will help tremendoulsy and Jen will have noooooo problem as she is becoming quite good. Steve was off to do another 30 miles with another gang he rides with...no wonder he is so good in such a small amount of time. And the rest of us had a beer and toasted to a Wonderful Ride! Thanks so much for all who came out and as I was leaving I met Riders Rebecca and Marshall, and one of my past riding Buddies, Glenn with his wife on a tandem,(there were sooo many people out all along the ride) told em about our group, so along with others maybe we will get a few more next time. Until then...Ride On.....Donnie
Hey Gang! Check out this great pic/video. It was made by Kyle from Golden Chain and it's of him and his wonderful wife Lisa on a trip they took to Sedona Arizona. The pics are awesome and stunning but what's real cool is they took this trip in January!!! The weather looks perfect! Looks like a fabulous bicycle destination! Thanks Kyle!
Just click on this link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEVj3yf34u4
You can turn off my music playing on this page down at the bottom of this page near the hit counter. Just hit the pause button on the media player so you can enjoy Kyle's music set to his video....Enjoy!
Here are all the pics from Our Copper Ride on 02/20/2011.
Just click on the link below....Enjoy!
02/20/11 Copper Ride Pics
