Amgen of California Bike Race

Rob and I met in Sebastopol and rode down the Joe Rodota Trail to Santa Rosa to watch the bike race and enjoy all the festivities. It was a fun day and perfect ride....short and flat. The wind came up in the evening and it was a cold ride back to Sebastopol after the race.

Mine and Rob's bikes at the finish line!

court house square

the winners!

Cycling Hotties

Very cute but where's her helmet and just to be a party pooper the i-pod is probably not safe either!

I found this on an interesting website Eco Chick. I must say I think the little "hottie" from Connecticut may be a little bit of a eco-fashion snob! Hating " spandex, helments and stupid bootie-shoes" oh my, such hate talk.....can't we all just get along?

2.8.08
Written by: Starre
Keeping warm in colder weather without looking like a North Face refugee
We all know riding your bike instead of driving is not only eco-friendly, but good for our butts and legs (and hearts!) too! But to really make a dent in how many global warming gases you produce, you have to ride your bike for more than just recreation, and treat it as a vehicle, and integrate it into your life.
I ride my bike all over my seaside Connecticut town, as do plenty of other folks, the difference being that I don’t ever dress like a ‘biker’. I hate the spandex, helmets, and stupid bootie-shoes that Americans seem to think they need to ride a bike around town or on the streets. (Yeah, I know, helmets will save your skull, but you know what? I’m old enough that I don’t have to wear one, so I don’t. They’re ugly and mess up my hair. So sue me.)
A great example of a great warmer weather bike ensemble!
Turns out, I’m not as iconoclastic as I’d like to think I am. European ladies in cities like Amsterdam, Paris, and Copenhagen regularly ride their bikes, looking as chic as ever. Women wear whatever they would normally wear (read: really chic outfits and heels, jewelry, and even makeup!) to hop on their bikes to get around town. The site, Copenhagen Cycle Chic, documents this style phenomenon. Love it!
I ride in skirts and tights with knee-high boots in the winter to go to the library, sundresses with bare feet or flip flops in the summer to ride to my local beach, and my cute bags get thrown in the basket in front of me. Just make sure your bike has fenders so you don’t get dust and mud all over your adorable outfits!
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HC said:
Great post — more people should follow suit! In fact, encouraging folks to all band together to bike more would help the earth and our bodies to an even greater extent. Check out PledgeBank.com or similar sites to find ways to rally people together in a coordinated way…February 8th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Curtiss said:
Hawt.
I don’t normally ascribe or concede to having any hard and fast hang-ups or easily defined preferences for the opposite sex, but cycle chicks have a hot and heavy place in my heart. Major points. All the more so if you can pull off the whole shebang in a skirt w/o having to ride side-saddle.
Mercy.February 10th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
lynda said:
um, wearing a helmet *is* a good idea. look at what happened to the woman from stereolab- poor woman died when some mofo hit her while riding her bike.February 16th, 2008 at 8:11 am
rabbit said:
I’m a graduate student living in cambridge mass and I regularly ride my bike everywhere i need to go, including the grocery store and to work.
I wear a helmet under all circumstances, in all weather, regardless of my outfit (and i do where my little skirts and heels on the bike.)not wearing a helmet on a bike is like not wearing your seatbelt in the car, but the consequences can be much much worse. Its all good to ride to the beach around your connecticut seaside town,or copenhagen where bikers have their own lanes, but biking is dangerous, and accidents happen all the time. I have been hit, backed into, side swipped, doored, not to mention screamed at and pushed for biking down the street. and my helmet has saved my head from injury in all these occasions.it is irresponsible and stupid not to wear a helmet, and certainly very unsexy.February 16th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Katharine said:
I also bike in my cute skirts, but I do wear a helmet. My father, who is a serious cyclist who bikes about 20k (each way) to work most days throughout the non-snow season, has lived through accidents TWICE mostly because of his helmet. (The second accident involved a neck brace and the replacement of two lost teeth — but no actual skull damage — almost certainly thanks to the helmet.) This ain’t Europe, and neither our streets nor our drivers are, in general, cyclist-friendly or even cyclist-aware, most days.February 16th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Gail said:
I’m a “biker” ; ride for pleasure and have commuted to work 10 miles each way for some time. I love the idea of dressing fashionably but my goodness “hating spandex and stupid booties” I’m sure all Americans don’t think they need to dress that way. Some find the spandex thing comfortable and their own “fashion statement”…cycling hotties are very cute but I agree, helmets are a safety must at any age.February 16th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Jessica said:
I am a cyclist too, but after killing two pairs of my most prized pairs of jeans and a pair of linen trousers with a lot of sentimental value in a week’s time through my thighs rubbing up against the seat (I didn’t even go that fast, only 10-16mph), I regrettably had to go and buy a pair of spandex shorts to do my bike commutes to work and school. I do still bike in the few skirts that won’t get stuck in my gears when it’s warm, but I’m afraid to bike in regular jeans or capris anymore after seeing so much of my wardrobe staples bite the dust.February 18th, 2008 at 1:42 pm

Where did the Summer Go?

I just peeked at the blog and see that I haven't posted since March!!! Rob and I have gone on several short rides over the summer but certainly not as many rides as in past summers. This last Sunday we left from my house and rode to Graton for lunch then because we haven't visited in ages we took the trail to Forestville so we could talk and not worry about traffic. We checked out the Face to Face garden in Forestville and see that they haven't harvested the huge goards yet. My last post was titled "Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous", well it was gorgeous yester day too; 80 "cool" degrees with the smell of autumn in the air....wonderful!

Gorgeous, Gorgeous, Gorgeous day!!!!

Rob and I had a wonderful ride today down Chalkhill Road. We met at Esposti Park in Windsor and headed out Chalkhill to highway 128 and didn't stop til we turned around!! This is a big deal for me. We've taken this ride several times before and always stop to rest and "regroup" after the hills. Today, over hill and dale we kept on keeping on!!!!

The ride was only 20 miles round trip and took us 2hours. .....a great ride with a few hills......good work out.

Next week Robin is riding with the Petaluma Wheelman cycling club from Petaluma to Pt Reyes where she'll spend the night at a bed and breakfast then ride back the nextg day.

Foggy morning Ride ....Sebastopol to Graton

On foggy mornings Rob and I try to start out on the Joe Rodata Trail. This morning we met at Analy High and rode west on the trail to Graton then too Green Valley Road to Thomas Road; a favorite loop. There are a couple gentle hills and very little traffic. Robin spotted a huge mushroom on the side of the road and we stopped to take some pictures.........one picture is sometimes not enough.........

huge mushroom!!!! Thomas Road, west of Graton 

up close 

........... 

.... 

as big as my helmet!!! 

Women's Cycling Clinic....Bici Sports, Petaluma.....Brenda Lyons

Rob and I participated in a cycling clinic sponsored by Bici Sports in Petaluma. Brenda Lyons a professional cyclists for Team Lipton lead the ride and workshop afterwards. We were a group of women with varied experience. This was the first ride over 10 miles for one young woman, another was celebrating her 54th birthday, a couple of the women have riden centuries and I believe one said she'd like to ride a two hundred mile ride....and then there was Robin and I. Of course I was riding my rattely, heavy Trek and Rob was riding her new skinny tired bike. I was a little concerned about keeping up with the group....actually I wasn't concerned about keeping up.........I know my was around the roads outside of Petaluma........I didn't want to hold anyone up and wasn't sure that the clinic was appropriate for my style of pleasure riding. None of this was an issue. Luckily for me I had Ashleigh to ride with.....this was her first "long" ride on her new bike so I actually was in a position to support her. Brenda was great; she had something to teach us all. Right off the bat she pointed out that I was holding my hands on the top of my handle bars and suggested that I put my thumbs down under as a safety measure in case of a crash or fast stop I could hold on and not go flying over my bike. She also commented on my cadence; too slow, using too much muscle. She later explained that if you use too much muscle you tire out on a long ride. Brenda also made suggestions to me and others with regard to our bike set up.....adjust seat, change handle bars etc. My worry about holding anyone up was unfounded. Once we got out of Petaluma the group naturally split into appropriate levels and Brenda sprinted back an forth between us couching each of us with information suited to our skill level. While I'm not anxious to ride in a pack I learned so much on the 26 mile ride and will jump to do it again. (this ride has me thinking that maybe, just maybe I might consider a skinny tired bike)

I thank Bici Sports for the clinic and great food at the end of the ride and I thank Brenda for all her patience and sharing her knowledge.

This is a follow-up email Brenda sent to the group...........thanks again Brenda, the email is a terrific reminder of all we learned.

First of all, I really enjoyed riding with all of you! Thanks for coming out for the clinic. It was truly my pleasure to share some of my knowledge and insight with you, and all of you absolutely amazed me with your will, determination, strength and ability on the bike!Here are some of the things we dicussed during our day.On the Bike: 1.) Handlebars and hand placement. Our "on the bike" positioning component of the clinic.--handlebars have three places for hand placement :Tops/Hoods/Drops --on the Tops, always hook your thumbs underneath the handlebar for safety. --the Tops are for seated riding only.--the Hoods are generally where you will have the hands for climbing both in and out of the saddle, as well as seated riding. --the Hoods are generally considered a good all-around place for the hands because you have great control and are usually able to reach the shifters and the breaks easily--the Drops are for in the saddle riding, and can offer you great control for descending and sprinting. --the Drops are rarely used when climbing.2.) Our "on the bike" riding concept for the clinic was to learn about Cadence and Understanding Pedal Stroke. --cadence is measured in RPMs (reps per minute)--a rep is a full revolution of the pedal stroke--there are three levels that I use for cadence --Low/Mid/High--Low cadence (60-80rpms) is generally for building leg strength. typically the heart rate stays low and the muscles do the load of the work.--Mid cadence (80-100rpms) is generally for building endurance. usually the aerobic system and the muscles work together more equally in this range.--High cadence (100-120+rpms) is generally used for building aerobic adaptation and leg speed. in this rpm range, the heart rate is the area that you will feel the most and the legs will only fatigue due to speed (or rate) at which you are pedaling, rather than because you are using alot of muscle--to calculate your rpms without a cyclometer -- count your rpms for ten seconds and times by six. this will give you your rpms for a minute. it is a good way to gauge for starters.--Training Note: it is important to remember that all styles of cadence have a purpose. So practice in all of those ranges will help you become a more well-rounded cyclist.3.) Our "on the bike" group riding technique for the clinic was to learn and practice a Rotating Paceline.--we learned a "rotating paceline" as our group riding technique for the clinic.--a rotating paceline contains two lines of riders side by side, continuously in motion. one line goes slightly faster than the other does. let's say you're the lead rider in the faster line. you should cross over to the slow line after passing the front wheel of the rider beside you (the front rider in the slower line). then you drift back with the others in the slow line. when the final position is reached (back of the line), slide onto the back wheel of the last rider in the fast line. (i found this description on-line and couldn`t have written it better myself!)--we also learned what it was like to ride "double file" (or two abreast) versus riding single file. we practiced the concept of merging into single file, from double and then back again. this is helpful and important to know how to do, so that when the conditions change, you have the know how and the skill to change with them (examples of changing conditions: cars coming / road narrowing)4.) Our "on the bike" skill lesson for the clinic was to learn a little more about Climbing: I didn`t get the opportunity to climb with everyone (since we were in different groups by then), but these are the things that were covered.--climbing in the saddle can keep the heart rate a little lower.--when climbing out of the saddle make sure that the hands are on the hoods. (best position for good control).--if a climb seems to hard, try tacking back and forth and climbing in a zigzag fashion. BE AWARE of your surroundings (cars and other riders)--it`s good to practice both in and out of saddle climbing to become more versatile as a rider.--when climbing becomes somewhat labored (ore when you are riding along on the flats and it starts to get harder), pay attention to your breathing and your body tension. take a moment to relax the shoulders and focus on exhaling. it`s a good techinique to aid in handling some of the tougher moments while cycling.--optimal cadence for climbing is "generally" between 60-75rpms (unless your Lance or some other superstar that like to climb at 90rpms!!)Off The Bike:While enjoying some tasty focaccia(!) after the ride, we discussed:1.) Riding to Improve: The point is to develop your endurance over time and to build gradually. Without having to do a specific "training program" I suggested that...--you "sprinkle" in some interval efforts during your regular rides. maybe choose to add in some high cadence and or low cadence specific time on the bike. or perhaps pick a five minute strethc to really give it a go and ride a little harder than you normally would. --also practice with your riding partner taking turns pulling for a period of time. make your pull an effort, then switch with your partner and take their wheel whiole they do an effort (start off with 2-3minutes and build from there) this exercise will build your strength on the bike, as well as your confidence to ride on another riders wheel!--always rest completely after your efforts--as for increasing your time on the bike --look at how many days you typically ride. if you ride three days a week --howabout adding a fourth day once every three weeks --or if you want to be able to ride for a longer period of time try riding an extra half an hour on your weekend ride every other week. --Training Note: Rest weeks are just as important as active weeks! ALWAYS listen to your body. If you have been working on increasing your endurance, usually once about every four weeks or so, you will start to feel the effects of your efforts and become fatigued. Take a break and ride 30-40% less than your usual plan for a week (measured in time or distance or number of days) and also, do not do any efforts that particular week. You will feel refreshed from the rest!--as for some other notes: I am (obviously) a big advocate for practicing yoga. --I would suggest that you add in an off the bike routine, incorporating a stretching component, as well as a strength building (or weight bearing) element to your weekly regimen. It doesn`t take much to improve and gain benefits. pick up a book. look a few things up on-line. there is plenty of information readily available and I firmly believe that you will be happy to have added a few new activities to your regular routine!Best wishes to you all. Please keep in touch. And hopefully we will meet again at another BiciSport event!

Brenda LyonsTeam Lipton Professional Women`s Cycling Teamwww.teamlipton.comBalanced Forces Yoga and Fitness Trainingemail:yoga_cycle@yahoo.commobile:707-322-0050

regrouping....... 

 

Brenda, a REAL pro and great teacher! 

heading back to Petaluma....somewhere past SpringHill 

yipeee!!!! Ashleigh's longest ride!!! 

hanging out after the ride 

our host at Bici Sports.......bike shop in Petaluma...Thanks!!! the clinic was great! 

Three Cheers for Gail

Gail,
You'll have to change the header on our blog. It has now been THREE years since we've been riding. I think we can agree that every ride has been great (and some even terrific!). We are soooo lucky to live in such a beautiful area in which to ride. Thanks Gail for chronicalizing the highlights of our 3 years of riding. Here's to many more years of fun riding and great company - clink!

Journal: 10/14/06 Roblar to Petaluma, out Cheleno Valley, up and over Spring Hill, Petaluma to Roblar...48miles

Great day! Rode into Petaluma for a woman's riding clinic. Learned a LOT!! Made it over Spring Hill without a stop thanks to my riding partner Ashley(?) and Brenda (the "teacher"). Rob and I agreed at the end of the day that the 48miles felt more like 60+ with the head winds all the way back to her house from Petaluma. We've been wanting to take a longer ride and this was a good one. I love Cheleno Valley and of course Spring Hill is always a nice challenge and surprise....it seems no matter how many time I ride it I forget how many climbs there are....good stuff ...I feel strong!

Finally an update!!!!

It's been a busy summer and I don't mean riding. My daughter Paige got married this summer and I haven't been on my bike as much as I would have liked. I noticed that the last post on this blog was in February 2006!!!!! Rob and I got some good rides in. We volunteered again as course "marshalls"(?) for the Wine Country Classic........that was fun. We took shorter rides from our homes and out. We volunteered for the Amalgen (?) tour of California when it came through Santa Rosa in February.....that was exciting. We rode in the Lung Association's Breathe Easy Ride in memory of our moms. We made our way up and over Graton Road to Occidental a couple times. Robin bought a "new" road bike (skinny tires) and has joined the Petaluma Wheelmen........great group of riders. I rode to work several times over the summer while Evan and I were sharing my car. I rode to work then into town to pick up my car from Evan at his work....it worked out just fine. I changed two flat tires this summer........too many for the few miles I rode!! Rob is now retired and riding more. The wedding is over (it was wonderful) and Rob and I are trying to get more riding in together. Rob and Barry are in the middle (nearing the end) of a big home improvement project so our rides are still short (less than 40 miles usually 20 or so). This recap of the summer is good, I'm ready for a longer ride and Rob and I agreed that we will do that as soon as their project is complete!!

Somewhere near Two Rock on the Breathe Easy Ride...cute couple 

Breathe Easy Ride 2006........Team Toby & LaVerne! 

John & Hahnah 

Wine Country Classic May 2006 

 

Vine Hill and Laguna......just like the signs say 

coming around the corner "watch out for the pot hole ahead!" 

 

mooooooooo 

found the tree!!! it's on San Antonio Road.....I took a picture of this tree a couple summers ago and called it Summer Fog....it was a fogging morning and the grass was brown (or is that golden?) I think this one should be called wintergreen.... 

shadow, tree......... 

San Antonio Road March 2006 

Rob heading out towards the freeway.........really! 

heading up and over Sonoma Mountain east of Rohnert Park 

shiny red trucks and a view of the Santa Rosa plain above Rohnert Park 

Matanzas Creek Winery........lavender clipped, trimmed, pruned....March 2006 

 

near Rohnert Park March 2006.......Roberts Road?? 

the Laguna in March......Occidental Road or High School Road... 

Laguna Road....Martini and Prati Winery??? March 2006 

overcast morning, happy cows, great riding weather 

Rob and I always have a laugh when we pass this dairy.........there's no ocean view to be seen!........beautiful but the ocean is 15-20 miles away 

same property, different barn.......Rob and Barry live just a distance behind this barn.....one mile?? 

 

Barn on Petersen Road......on my way to Robin's for a ride. I know there's a better picture of this barn but I always look at it and this is the best I've been able to do so far...........February 2006 

can you see the fox? I was watching the road just 10 feet ahead then looked up and saw a fox cross beyond! I stopped and got this picture of the fox running up the hill. 

What goes up must come down.......a stop at the top of Carmondy Road January 2006.......I think this is at the Sonoma/Marin county line....Petaluma 

church steeple peeking through the bare trees........Rob and I were sitting on a bench enjoying a cup of coffee and sharing a pastry from Henry's...January 2006 

outside of Occidental 

February in Madison

While we are enjoying riding in our 70degree weather there are some in Wisconsin who "enjoy" their bicycle commute in the snow!!! I often visit the blog of Nina Camic, a law proffesor at the University of Wisconsin, a bicyclist and foodie.........oh yea a writer too........interesting blog.....great photos. I copied the next two photos from her blog http://ninacamic.blogspot.com/

hardcore biking in Madison, Wisconsin 

some never give up the bike 

Great Map from the Bicycle Coalition

Robin and I both have the new Sonoma County bicycling map. It's great. It's allowed us to piece together new rides in areas we're familiar with but weren't sure how to link together. The most fun we're having is checking out posted grade 5%, 7%, 9%. We can decide if we want to take the >>>(9% grade) or >(5%) and it's fun to look back on rides we've done and see on paper our challenge/accomplishments.
I highly reccomend this map. Check out the Sonoma County Bicycling Coalition's website www.bikesonoma.org

Olivet to ChalkHill and back 38miles and no food!

Robin and I have been trying to make our rides start from our homes. That is, I drive to Robin's on Roblar Road or she rides to my house on Olivet Road then we get on our bikes and leave from there. Once we both left from home and met in Sebastopol. It was ok for me but Robin's ride was too much on Hwy 116 or it would have been at least twice as long as my ride if she rode the back roads.....
Last week we rode from my house through Windsor then up Chalkhill Road to the end (hwy 128) then turned around and came back. Beautiful ride; a few hills, some traffic (River Road), and no place to eat!!!! We pulled into the big shopping center off Faught Road in Windsor and found nothing but fast food places........hey, we're use to gourmet cafes in Healdsburg or the exquisite-funky bakery in Tomales or how 'bout the again, funky Willow Wood Market in Graton........I'm on a roll......the Naked Lady in Occidental (no longer there but something else will soon open), Zazzle in Petaluma......you get my point, we enjoy a special treat when we're on the road. Well we ended up at Quizno's with a salad which featured slimy black lettuce.........oh no, that's not a new gourmet "green" it's an old lettuce that's been left in its plastic container too long. The ride was great but we'll have to figure out a way to add a good food stop........maybe go down Pleasant Road into Windsor Town.

peaceful Buda on Chalk Hill Road 

Levi is that YOU?!

There were lots of riders on Chalk Hill Road today....it seems there always are! Many more bicycles than cars........hooray! We passed a group of riders from the Santa Rosa Cycling club who were getting ready to leave from Esposti Park in Windsor. By the time we were just a few miles up Chalk Hill the skinny wheeled riders from SRCC were passing us! It was a big group and we stopped a couple times for water and to catch our breath and I'd say every rider who passed us asked if everything was ok; did we need help? Shortly after we made the turn around at highway 28 (?) and headed back down Chalk Hill a huge group of riders came towards in the opposite direction. They were obviously a "team"; filling the entire oncoming lane. Right behind them was a van which appeared to be driving way too close!!! Of course the van was their support vehicle. As the riders approached Robin and I let out a greeting of "yipeee" or some sort of joyful acknowledgement. These riders answered back with their own cheer! Great fun, great cycling camaraderie. The cycling "team" was wearing turquoise jerseys........oh my gawd it was Levi and his gang!!!!

Exceeding the Posted Speed Limit

On our way back down Chalk Hill Road on our BEAUTIFUL out and back ride from my house to the end of Chalk Hill Road another land speed record was broken!!! There was open road ahead and a nice slope down hill. We let go and coasted FAST!, feeling confident and not too scared. I peeked down at my speedometer a couple times and saw 31--32mph.......weeeee! When we got to the flat Robin checked her much more sophisticated odometer and found that she had clocked a new fast.........35.1 mph........exceeding the posted 35mph!

... 

beautiful Cheleno Valley.....outside Petaluma 

California.........."happy cows" 

"down" Spring Hill Road 

part of the panoramic..... 

two girls walking through the green 

soft green 

barn with red cows 

..... 

....... 

heading home after our ride.....this photo was taken from Robin's driveway.....beautiful!! 

"winter green"......Roblar Road 

"our" oak tree....... 

think this was on Springhill???? 

back home just as the sun sets...... 

Back to Tomales...30+miles

Another great ride to Tomales. I think this may be our third trip out to Tomales and maybe a different route each time. This was definetly a different ride than before. Judy was our leader and what I call hills, she calls bleeps. So, on our way back when she give us some options and mentioned that one of them had a big hill we opted to go back the way we came........up Dillion to Whitaker Bluff, toGehreke, Two Rock, Roblar...........I don't know, I think we rode on all those roads today plus a few??? I plan to become an official member of the Petaluma Wheelers (?) or is that Wheelman?? At any rate I'm told they post the routes of each ride with a description. I love riding with Rob but it's fun to ride with people who have different skills and experiences. Robin and I are so well matched that we don't push or challenge each other so it will be fun to ride with the Wheelers from time to time. While we rode out to Tomales another group of Wheelers rode from Cazadero up and over the hill.....mountain!!! , I suppose to the coast...?? I'm anxious to read that ride description.

A ride out to Tomales wouldn't be complete without at visit to the bakery........Judy had a scone, I had a cinnamon-nut roll (not sticky bun), Rob had a slice of fruit bread and our other rider (sorry forgot her name) had a great looking pizza with carmelized onions finished off with a cinnamon roll..............yummmmmmm!

Marin County line.....top of Gehreke??  

Dillon Road near fire station 

heading into Tomales on Dillon Rd(?) 

fog lifting 

somewhere outside of Petaluma.......which ride, when????.. 

Tomales....speed record broken!! 33MPH

It was a last minute choice, we were going to ride from Windsor to Cloverdale and back but it was too HOT!!!.....over 100 in Cloverdale. We decided to save that ride for the fall when it cools off. So, we decided to ride from Robin's house out to Tomales. I always like riding to Tomales because there's a great little bakery with wonderful sweet and savory pastries. What I always seem to forget is there are a couple really "good" hills. Oh well, that's part of why we ride ; for the exercise. I found myself walking my bike up one of the hills..............I hate to do that and worse yet another cyclist saw me!!! He was coming down the hill very fast and kindly cheered me on saying it wasn't far to the top. Well, I was already walking and felt a little embaressed and like a "looser"......hmmmm Any how, once I got "busted" I got back on my bike and finished to the top of the hill. By the way, Robin rode the whole way.......hmmmmm What goes up must come down and we broke our speed record going 33miles and hour down hill..................yipeeee!!!! The reward of this ride is the stop in Tomales and a treat at the bakery and usually a visit with other cyclists. While we were in Tomales Robin saw a friend of her's who had ridden out with a group from Petaluma. Her friend, David joined us for the ride back. It was good and different riding with someone we're not use to. I felt a little pushed, like I should ride faster since I was in the lead but David was in no hurry and was actually nursing an injury so wanted to ride a little slower than usual. At one point he reminded us to "take the lane". Rob and I know this but tend to hug the side of the road giving space to the cars speeding by. It was good to be reminded and to ride with a bicylist that is a little mor agressive than us.

pond and dairy............ 

lovely......not a vineyard in sight....... 

roadside anise 

Rob's bike at the top of the hill....... 

Marin County......I always forget about these hills 

Tomales Bakery through the side window...... 

peeking in through the side door.. 

my lemon-blue berry tart......yummmmy...very buttery pastry....love it! 

heading back to Petaluma...red hot pokers! 

Rob and I heading back from Tomales. David, Robin's friend took the picture and taught a thing or two about "taking the lane" 

Lazy, lazy, lazy

whine, whine, whine..........I had a wonderful time in Seattle and Victoria......great bicycling but don't have time to write about it now..........here's a copy from my PlayDATE newsletter with a little description of the Seattle/Victoria trip and more whining!!

Oh My!!!
Where has the time gone?? I've totally "slacked" on the newsletter the last two months!! Here's what I've been doing:
Last month our oldest daughter Paige, graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison so the whole family went for the graduations ceremony. My husband, myself, daughter Lynly and son Evan all flew out and spent a long weekend in the Madison area. We went to the ceremony, drank beer, ate cheese, danced the polka and met my daughter's future inlaws. It was a great time. Paige's fiance, Justin's family is very nice and we were happy to meet them on their home turf.

Last week I went with my friend and bicycling partner, Robin to Seattle and Victoria, BC. We stayed with my sister, Teri in Seattle and spent one day bicycling the Burke Gilman Trail. The next day we all took the ferry to Victoria . The first day we went shopping, bought new shoes and the fixings for a hotel room picnic. The picnic is something my sister and I like to do at least one night when we're traveling. By shopping at the local grocery, wine store, cheese shop, bakery and deli we get a different view of a city than just the normal tourist shopping. The next morning rental bicycles were delivered to our hotel and we were off for an all day ride on the Galloping Goose trail. Half way into the ride we stopped at Sooke Basin where we had a wonderful lunch at a great little resturant. Our ride was approximately 50 miles. When we returned to Seattle we did a little sightseeing there and had a delicious bbq salmon dinner.

This weekend I'm going to my cousin's daughter's wedding in French Camp and then to Davis on Sunday for my daughter, Lynly's graduation from UC Davis.

In the meantime my son, Evan has been in Costa Rica and my house has been in complete uproar having the wood floors sanded and refinished and still in the process of painting.

This is why I haven't come up with a creative and informative newsletter for you....excuses, excuses..............

Photos in a Mess

I had some trouble posting the photos of our trip to Seattle and Victoria........they are in completely random order..........sorry........

here comes Gail...... 

more beautiful wild flowers..... 

perfect cup in Seattle (at Teri and Matt's neighborhood coffee house) 

Gail in the woods 

Robin in the woods 

Teri went for the soup and halibut "burger"....really a fillet of fish....broiled...fresh! 

Robin's salmon "burger"......yummmm 

on the deck at Sooke Bay 

little cabin on the lake.......can you see it? 

pretty lake....... 

natural rock garden..... 

resting in the sun....... 

Rob & Gail on the trail.... 

tree growing out of solid rock 

Rob & Teri 

wildflowers on the GG trail 

This is where we had lunch on the Galloping Goose.....Sooke Basin.  

Riding in Seattle and Victoria BC

We had a great time visiting my sister Teri, sight seeing in Seattle and Victoria and riding bikes! What could be better? The weather was perfect even though it was raining the evening we arrived. Over all we rode about 70miles over the weekend. ................much to report but I'll the pictures speak for now..............

ahhhhhhhh 

oooooh 

wow more shots...... 

heading to Seattle......Mt Shasta from the airplane (no duh) 

Gilman Trail fountain 

Burke Gilman Trail........ 

pretty "alter" 

Rob and I got up EARLY and took a power flow yoga class.......wow!.....kicked my a... 

Yoga at Maya....... 

natural rock garden....... 

ooooooo.......greeen 

GG 

Ter-Ter on the "Goose" 

GG.......... 

Galloping Goose 

yumm, yumm.. 

hotel picnic on our first night in Victoria 

wild rose on our Galloping Goose ride..... 

Teri with the flowers she bought...... 

pretty flowers 

Rob with the flowers she bought for Teri 

this is where we bought the fix'ns for dinner 

heck, photo out of order.....Seattle after Victoria.......Pikes Market....had to take a picture of this guy.......not only a big beautiful boutque but he was totally color coordinated...orange sunglasses, shirt and flipflops...very cute! 

harbor with tourist tugs.......cute.... 

totem pole..... 

inside the "big hotel" 

Teri hamming it up through a shop window.. 

Rob and Gail in front of the ......big hotel???? 

night view from our hotel...... 

public building in Victoria.....parliment?? 

Rob and Teri taking a walk..... 

$2,000 (Canadian) fine for passing bicyclists on the bridge....... 

blue bridge with right away to bicyclists..... 

interesting signage to a cyclist!!! 

rowing in Victoria 

troll under the bridge.....see the volkswagen in his left hand?........ 

nuff said....... 

talking to the rock.... 

.... 

this is the rock man at work.....sometimes he's not at work.....Rob figured when he's not balancing rocks he's taking a break; lunch, dinner, nap.... 

quite a balancing act! 

quite a balancing act! 

grassy bicycle in Madison, Wisconsin 

Santa Rosa Cycling Club WCC

Rob and I volunteered to "work" the Wine Country Classic........this is a wonderful ride and perfectly run! Since we have ridden many of the roads on the WCC we decided to save our $50 and just hang out on the side of the road helping out. We took a thermos of coffee a newspaper, some snacks, a couple folding chairs and enjoyed a beautiful day watching the riders go by. I would reccommend this ride to anyone who hasn't spent a lot of time on Sonoma County roads. The 200K goes out to the coast via Occidental and Coleman Valley Road and up the coast to Jenner , through Guerneville snaking it's way back to Santa Rosa.........when I went up to the road this morning (about 7:30am there were riders passing on Olivet Road heading out to the coast on the 200K). Another of the rides goes down one mine and Rob's favorite roads, West Dry Creek and another goes out Chalk Hill Road.........all beautful!!!

Rob at our spot on Vine Hill Road just before it intersects Laguna Road....dangerous intersection "cross traffic does not stop"....watch out for cars!!!! 

here they come.... 

there he goes...... 

vineyard back drop on Vine Hill Road 

down the hill 

Chico's Wildflower Ride 65 FLAT miles!!!!

Check out the pictures...........I'll fill you in on the details later....

creekside barn........ 

... 

rocky foot hills 

... 

... 

first stop.....Team PlayDATE 

first stop breakfast.......check out all the bright jerseys...where's Robin? 

Hahnah and Kristen coming over the bridge 

here they come....... 

big valley country side 

... 

... 

she's going so fast it's a blurr!!!! 

Rob and Hahnah 

Team PlayDATE at the lunch stop 

Thinking of Paige and Justin...Wisconsin Avenue 

What way do we go???? 

riding in the rain........ 

side road........ 

there she goes......... 

Kristen over the bridge 

they went that-a-way 

Almond trees with their pretty grass skirts 

little horse "ranch" along the Sacramento River... 

closer look 

riding past fragrant orange trees........yummy smells!!! 

walnut trees 

walnut orchard near the end of the ride...... 

Rob resting on Hahnah's fron porch 

Gail's feeling strong........silly at the end of the ride 

dinner's over......... 

road side blurr.......pretty blurr......... 

self portrait with side lit hills....... 

rolling hills south of Chico 

end of the day.......Vallejo 

Hopland to Ukiah (Talmadge) 30 + miles.......

I love this ride. We did the same ride last fall when the vineyards were in color...beautiful shades of red and orange. This spring everything is green and blue with spots of golden poppies.
We stopped at Fetzer Winery to check out the gardens. The vegetable garden is still in its winter mode with some spinach and lettuce and maybe beets?? The rest of the garden has been nicely groomed. How nice to have a staff of full time gardeners.
We continued our ride north to Ukiah and stopped at the Buddhist University. We went inside and checked out the gift shop and bathrooms. It's interesting; absolutely nothing fancy. Actually a little rough. Robin and I were speculating about what the building or compound of buildings was before. We assume the buildings were built and use for other purposes and then taken over for the Buddhist University. Once you pass through the ornate gate the buildings are probably late 50's/60's vintage??? From the postcards offered for sale I take it there is a collection of 1,000 Buddahs somewhere on the property. Dressed in our riding shorts and bright yellow jackets we were dressed appropriately to visit the shrine.
We ended our ride in Hopland and shared a sandwich and salad at the Bluebird Cafe.

blue field.........little blue flowers 

little blue flowers....... 

poppies, lupin field......... 

wild oats....... 

.... 

creek and lupin....... 

peek through the branches....... 

........... 

horse heading to water.... 

peacock at the Buddist University.......

pie "safe" at the Bluebird........we didn't have any!

lunch at the Bluebird Cafe, Hopland......... 

Petaluma, Chileno Valley, Tomales and back....30 + miles

I always like riding in Marin county..........I always like going to Tomales....GREAT bakery! I had a mushroom-leek pizza and a piece of rubarb-boysenberry pie!!!! Rob had a calzone! yumm, yumm, yumm!!!! Ok the truth is the ride was great but I do like my pie!
When we headed out we hadn't intended to go to Tomales but when we got to the crossroads and the sign said "Tomales 5 miles" I thought let's do it....5 miles is nothing!.........well, 5 flat miles is nothing but there were a few meaty hills before we made it to Tomales.............all worth it!
We tend to do most of our riding in the vineyards so it's fun to see a little different countryside.........it's all beautiful just different.
There were "tons" of riders out on this ride. There was a big group from the Leukemia Team in Training; they went on and on. It appeared to be a diverse group with people who looked as though they were new to cycling and some well seasoned riders. They travel with trainers and a sag wagon. One of the trainers commented that my seat looked a little low and wondered it my knees hurt.....interesting.
Anyhow, I love this ride. It's challenging but we survived and the rest in Tomales was worth the extra 10miles.

cows, cows, more cows..........no vineyards!!!! 

a few of the MANY riders out this day........ 

Rob making the turn........maybe stopping in the turn?? 

sun peeking in and out of the clouds........ 

...... 

...the cows were in the meadow, eating buttercups.... 

checking the map......an excuse to stop and rest.... 

from the top of Spring Hill.......taking a rest.... 

little wild flower...... 

Rob headed towards Petaluma on Spring Hill Road 

Windsor - Healdsburg and back 40miles

Another great ride. Robin and I met at Esposti Park in Windsor and headed east making our way down (and up) Chalk Hill Road. Robin noted that there were more bicyclist on Chalk Hill than there were cars!!! yipee!!! We stopped and spoke with several people as we headed towards Alexander Valley and Jim Town. Jim Town is a sweet little country store with interesting gift and antique items and good food. It was too early for lunch but we did share a grapefruit soda, did a little shopping and then back on our bikes out Alexander Valley Road , west on Lytton Springs, under the freeway, up a hill then north on Chiquita Road with her collection of hills. It seems the more we ride these roads the easier the hills are. I'm not sure if it's because we're in better shape or if it's just knowing that we've done it before and can do it again. We zig-zagged our way to Healdsburg and had lunch at the El Sombraro, our favorite little taqueria near the square. While in Healdsburg we went into a furniture/design store and of course the bike shop. We were only half way through our ride when we left. We headed west to Westside Road, Eastside Road, Trenton-Healdsburg, Windsor, Shiloh.....probably left some roads out but it was beautiful all the way. We crossed over Wohler Bridge and noted that the road work which started last spring is finally complete...no more pot holes and dusty unpaved surface. Forty miles with several hills is a "good" ride. I was exhausted when I got home. I took a shower, Brad and I went out for a quick and easy dinner and I was in bed by 9pm.

Chalk Hill Road........ 

Chalk Hill Road 

Chiquita Road.....a few "fun" hills 

Lytton Springs Road, east of 101

Table Mountain

Cycling Sonoma, Marin, Napa counties

My daughter, Hahna and I went on a challenging and beautiful ride to Table Mountain in Oroville, California. Hahna chose the route because she had heard the wild flowers atop Table Mountain were in bloom - we were not disappointed. Little did we know, however, when we set off around noon, that we'd be climbing 1050 feet along a 5.5 mile stretch up the mountain. The ride was a 25 mile loop from and for the most part was flat - except for the challenging and long section from the base to the top of the Mountain. I've attached a few pictures that were taken the following day , but I must say that the pictures do not do it justice- the wild flowers were breathtaking. By the way, the loop that we did happens to be a section of the 100 mile Wildflower Century Ride coming up on April 24th. Gail, Hahna & I will be participating again this year as we did last year. More about that to come........

Robin's Table Mountain wild flower ride

Cows on Table Mountain

Barrell Tasting Dry Creek Valley

Wonderful, wonderful day!!!! This is the third year that Robin and I have riden down West Dry Creek the first weekend in March. I remember the date because every year I say, "I wish my sister was here to celbrate her birthday" (March 1st). Well, this year she came to town and joined us on our bicycling ride of the Dry Creek Barrell Tasting. It was truly a glorious day. I heard one of the pourers say it was a "golden day" and indeed it was.
I must say I'm very impressed with my sister Teri. She hasn't ridden in some time and has done nothing to prepare for this ride. She did great! She kept up with us the whole time and passed us right off the bat just to let us know what was what! She even finished the last five miles or so with a flat tire!
I love this event, it's like a traveling party. Many if not most of the wineries serve food, some have music, they are all happy to have you there and very generous. There seemed to be more people and cars than in the past years. While it seemed a little too crowded at times, we had a great time and were able to "share the road" with all the drivers.

Teri and Rob, we're on our way! 

West Dry Creek Road..... 

...... 

Teri and Rob heading to the barrell room.... 

Shamb winery 

court yard at 

Robin & Gail....... 

Paella!! oh my gawd it was delicious! 

making paella..... 

lovely grounds....... 

such a beautiful day! 

after lunch at Passalaque Winery 

Heading back.......ouch my booty hurts! 

woooo, wooo!!!!!!! we made it, 22miles!!!..even with a flat tire! 

Teri talking to Matt after a long ride.....

Champagne at the end of a great day!!! 

Welcome Robin to the Flat Tire Club!!!

During our ride yesterday Robin and I stopped in Graton for lunch at the Willow Wood Cafe....yummm!!! Robin had the grilled mozzarella sandwich with artichoke hearts, peppers and grilled onions and I had the tarragon chicken salad sandwich with pecans and apples, both sandwiches were served with a cabbage salad we loved....no mayo (is it still called cole slaw??)
We hoped on our bikes to head out and Robin discovered she had a flat tire.....her first on the road. I'm very proud to report that Robin changed her tire herself with ease!!! After changing many tubes myself with much struggling I was a little jealous at how easy it was for Rob..........bravo!!!

My Odometer rolled over to 800 miles!!!

Despite some COLD and foggy mornings, Robin and I have been riding. We probably missed two or three weekends in December/January but have been riding regularly since. Early in January my odometer rolled over to 800 miles! That's from early last July.
On the foggiest mornings we cycle from Sebastopol to Santa Rosa via the Joe Rodata trail. This keeps us off the road where we feel safer. Several times we rode to Aroma Roasters for coffee and by the time we've finished the fog has lifted and we head back to Sebastopol and out through Graton and beyond. One morning when we wanted a quick ride we met at "PlayDATE" and rode through Howarth Park and Spring Lake to Oakmont and back. Boy, by the time we headed back the trails at Spring Lake were like a freeway during commute hours...........lots of people!!!
Yesterday we rode with our friend Susan from Sebastopol down the trail but only made it to Fulton Road before turning back. Susan hasn't been on her bike for a while and had a recent ankle injury so she had enough. We rode back to Sebastopol with her with promises of another ride. Robin and I continued on down High School Road to Occidental Road, through Graton to Green Valley Road. We thought we'd head towards Occidental the "back way". We took a detour on a wonderful road...Thomas Road. We'll ride there again; several hills, none killers but still a workout and no cars!!!! We ended up back in Graton for lunch at the Willow Wood Cafe and then back to my house where Robin started helping me organize my office (it's a mess!!!) We also spent some time planning our bicycling trip to Seattle and Victoria.

Sunday morning rides in Petaluma

I ran into my friend Dusty a few weeks ago. As an avid biker himself, he noticed my well-used bike rack and "Share the Road" bumper sticker on my car. We started talking and he mentioned that he and a group of friends from Petaluma have been meeting for quite some time every Sunday morning at 8:30 AM for a weekly bike ride. It is a relatively small group with no more than 6 riding any one weekend . He assured me that riding abilities were varied and they ride for pleasure only at a modest speed. In Dusty's words "No rider left behind"...
He invited Gail & I to join them any Sunday so I took him up on his offer the next Sunday morning. It was VERY cold that morning - I started out with 4 layers of tops, 2 layers of gloves, & woolen socks. I had stripped down to only 2 layers by the end of the ride, however.
They took me on a very nice ride, which I had heard other bikers talk about, but never had the opportunity to ride before. Gail had other plans that morning so I look forward to taking her on that ride again this Winter.
The round trip route is approx. 15 miles starting and ending at Aram's Cafe in downtown Petaluma. It goes South on Kentucky Street to I Street.
Right on I Street and follow I St. for several miles to San Antonio Road. Right on San Antonio for a few miles to D Street. Right on D Street which brings you back into town. Since Gail wasn't with me, and she has the digital camera, I have no pix to share, however take my word for it, the scenery is lovely and there are plenty of neat shops in Petaluma to wittle away the rest of the afternoon (or morning).

Winter riding

Rob and I have gone a couple rides which I haven't posted. A couple rides out of Sebastopol. One ride was particularly productive. We started in Sebastopol, rode down the Joe Rodota Trail to downtown Santa Rosa. In Santa Rosa we stopped so I could talk to my hair dresser, then rode over to the bike shop where Robin bought her husband Barry a jacket as his Chanaka gift, then on our return we stopped at the Waldorf School on Willowside Road where they were having their Winter Fair, I bought some earrings which I intended as a gift but decided to keep as a gift. From there we headed down Guerneville Road and had lunch in Graton at the Willow wood Cafe (delicious) and then back to Sebastopol where we shopped at the house wares store and Whole Foods........we had a fun ride and accomplished something!!!

Another recent ride also started in Sebastopol. We took the Rodota Trail in the opposite direction picking it up across from Analy High and heading towards Gravenstein Hwy to Occidental Road, through Graton and then to the little town of Occidental. We've done this ride a month or so ago........Morelli Road is no less steep!!!!! We stopped briefly in Occidental then headed back to Sebastopol where we did some shopping and had lunch at the Whole Foods deli..........yummy soup!

Robin and I had plans to ride today but the wind kept us in and a good thing because we would have been caught in the rain had we gone out...........maybe next week!!

Hopland to Ukiah...aprox 30miles round trip

I believe this is one of our most beautiful rides. That's saying a lot!!!! We started our ride in Hopland. Went to a wonderful little cafe for breakfast...The Bluebird Cafe. It's a perfect, classic cafe, freshly painted, clean, inviting. The first thing you see when you enter (the first thing I saw) is a glass case with home made pastries......these are not Marie Callendar pies these are real!!! (not that I don't like Marie's pies) I had a great breakfast. On weekends they serve you a basket of pastries instead of toast.......yummmmm!!

Okay, after breakfast we headed east out of town and then north at Fetzer Winery. The road we took runs parrell to hwy 101. I loved this ride.....it was beautiful!!! In addition to the familar (and beloved) vineyards there were pear orchards and "wild" land. There was very little traffic.......there was no traffic, a few cars and trucks passed us. The ride was fairly flat and straight but again beautiful!! We made our way to Ukiah and rode through the Buddist University (don't recall the name). We didn't feel any need to stop so we turned around and headed back down the same road. I don't remember the name or number of the road but I do recall that there was some concern because there were no road signs to speak of. We continued south and stopped at Fetzers for a walk around the grounds. The gardens were pretty much dormant yet still lovely. I would like to go back in the spring and again in the summer or fall when the vegetable garden is producing.

If the ride is one of the most beautiful the food was some of the best too. I had the great breakfast at the Blue Bird Cafe (I think worth the drive just for breakfast and the scenery). Then, after our ride we went into the Pheonix Bakery. We went in out of curiousity.......it looked interesting; right across the street from the Blue Bird it was rustic........kind of a "hippie" place. Robin and I both bought Lemon chicken and roasted garlic turnovers to take home................oh my gawd!!!!!!! They were the most delicious things. After Brad and I ate the turnovers I got on the telephone to try to tell the folks at the bakery how much we enjoyed their goods and hoped maybe I'd get the inside scoop on how to duplicate the turnovers. I was never able to get through. I tried again but still no good.........the bakery has moved to Willits I believe..............darn

........ 

on our way to Ukiah out of Hopland... 

pear orchard 

yellow vineyard...... 

heading north to Ukiah 

Wine country fall color...... 

shades of red........ 

more fall color!! 

Robin riding through the gate at the Buddist University in Ukiah........who'd a known??? 

Fetzer Winery 

beautiful country side 

Fetzer Winery 

Fun ride on Angle Island

Robin's nephew, Joseph had the day off from school so we took a drive to Tiburon with our bikes and ferried over to Angle Island. It was a fun ride; short but sweet with a few little hills and constant views of the bay,
San Francisco, Alcatraz, all the bridges, etc, etc,.......gorgeous! We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed it on the island before heading back to Tiburon. I must say that Joseph was a good sport. He rode hard and never complained..........he kept up with us and even passed us a few times!!!