From www.ChainReaction.com/diary.htm
[Background info- this entry refers to our regular Tuesday/Thursday morning ride, a 30-miler that
climbs up King's Mtn in Woodside, heads south on Skyline to 84, down 84 towards the coast a few
miles, then back up the west side of Old LaHonda, finally descending back into Woodside via the east
side of 84. About 3,300 feet of climbing on nice roads with very little traffic. Starts at 7:45am at
Olive Hill & Canada Road, with anywhere from 0-6 others joining me. Been doing it regularly, rain or
shine, for about 30 years...]
11/14/03- UEYN'S BACK! Strong group this morning, with Ueyn, Steve, Kevin & Jeffrey sharing the joy
with me up the hill. Kevin & Ueyn took honors on King's Mtn, probably mid-26 or so, while I
huffed & puffed in at 27:32. A bit cool but not cold, with that feeling in the air that we're
going to be dealing with rain soon. Kevin did a murderous pull on Skyline, with the rest of us
strung out behind his wheel (at least until the descent, where my superior mass and
aerodynamics come into play!).
On the west side of Old LaHonda, the deer carcass was still there, a grim reminder (or rather
warning) of what might happen if you're not feeling good and get dropped by the group! Just kidding;
we're actually a very friendly, even social group of cyclists... but sometimes that testosterone
thing gets going, and watch out. It emerged gradually today, with me being a bit worried about Steve
blasting off the front (which he usually does, ironically, right near that deer carcass), so I took
the initiative and gradually pushed the pace up to the point it would be difficult to accelerate off
the front. Unfortunately, the effect was to gradually shed members of the group, so eventually it
was just me & Kevin. It made for a very interesting high-speed run on the narrow top section, where
it twists through the trees and there's all sorts of wet muck on the ground! I say this and still
insist it's a friendly, social ride? What do people think when they read this stuff?
And yet it all could have been very different. I went to bed last night with a tweaked back, and
woke up feeling worse... one of those mornings where it's hard to throw a leg over the bed and stand
up. One of those mornings where your wife asks "Are you sure it's a good idea to ride when you feel
like that?" But also one of those mornings where you know, soon as you get on the bike, that you'll
start to feel better and better with each revolution of the pedals. One can only ask, "Is there
anything possibly better than being on a bike?"
--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles Redwood City & Los Altos, CA www.ChainReaction.com IMBA, Norba,
BikesBelong, , YaYa Bike, NBDA member