Since my office move from Menlo Park to Santa Clara I intended a weekly bike ride over the Santa Cruz mountains to work. That plan fell victim to my sloth, until today.

Coastal fog encroached a little further than usual up into the mountains. I didn’t rise above the heavy mist until I reached the highpoint of Mountain Charlie Road nearly 2,000 feet (600 meters) above sea level.

Mountain Charlie Road rises from 800 feet (245 meters) elevation to 1979 feet (600 meters) in the space of five miles, with a number of very steep pitches ranging from 12% to 17% along the way. I planned to power up at 10 MPH, but like Alberto Contador on Galibier today, I just wasn’t feeling it and slogged up at my usual 8 MPH pace.

Still, a bad morning in the Santa Cruz redwood forest beats any day in traffic on Highway 17. I definitely must do this again.


Bicycle news.

The weather in California is marvelous. I hear it’s not so great in the rest of the USA. Cute Twitpic from Linda in Seattle.

US Weather Map

TdF Stage 18: Andy Schleck’s most beautiful win

Pistolero dropped like a bad habit in the Alps.

New Los Angeles law allows cyclists to take civil action against motorists who threaten them. More at Streetsblog LA.

Cyclelicious Pal Kelly no longer a volunteer virgin.

I was waiting for this to happen: Dahon files suit against Tern. It’s too bad, IMO, that David Hon decided to go this route.

VA Bikes asks why are bikes on Amtrak such an ordeal?

Kent Peterson has his fixed gear winter bike for sale.

Biking boom in the Big Easy.

Baked goods delivery by bike in New Orleans from the Bikery.

Vietnamese pop up cafe Rock Paper Scissors in San Francisco offers bike delivery.

San Jose Merc News Mr Roadshow and San Jose Bike Party.

Caltrans and Coast Highway Sharrows in Newport Beach.

No under 23 development teams in the Colorado Pro Cycling Challenge. Too bad for Trek-Livestrong & Chipotle; happy for Rabobank and the two Columbian invites, EPM-UNE and Gobernacion De Atioquia-Indeportes Antiqula.

Sue has a few moments of nice weather during her Illinois bike commute.

How’s your riding this week?

2 Comments

  1. It was 105 on the commute home here. Not the kind of 105 you regularly see in the SW, but a humid 105 that’s rare even for the northeast. I just went slowly compared to my normal pace until I got up the hill. Then it actually felt better to go about 18mph and have the air passing by than to pedal at 12mph and just be sweaty without the cooling effect. That image sums it up pretty well though!

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