Today, I was on my own. I have to ride 525 miles in October and I don’t want to get behind. I really want to stay on top of things. So I will ride with the Old Kranks every chance I can, but I will also ride by myself on the days that the Old Kranks don’t ride. Today, I woke up early and headed up to Chatsworth. One of the benefits of riding by myself is that I don’t have to meet up with anybody. I just take off from my house and ride around the San Fernando Valley. [...]
Today, I met with a few of the gals and we found a new route in Camarillo. I rode with Wendy and Sue and one of Wendy’s friends, Denise. We met at Pitts Ranch Park in Camarillo. We headed down Calle Brisas and then took a right onto Calleguas Creek bike path all the way to Pleasant Valley. We took a right on Pleasant Valley, left on Lewis, left on Camarillo and then we found ourselves at California State University Channel Islands campus, what used to be a mental institution. I had ridden the campus before and it is always [...]
Today, I drove to Santa Barbara to meet with Nate. Nate is a bike fitter. He fitted my bike to my body. The whole process took about an hour and half. He first had me get on my bike and pedal. Then he had an idea of my style. Next, he took a lot of measurements of my bike. He had me get on and off the bike several times and then he adjusted the seat and the handlebars. He was very conscientious about his work. We had great conversation too and he also gave me some riding tips. My [...]
Sam wanted to celebrate St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of Italy, so we all wore something Italian for the Old Krank’s ride today. I had a shirt with the colors of the Italian flag, but Sam brought an Italian jersey for me to wear. There were quite a few people today, about 25, so it was a good group. I got there early to do the warm-up. I really like doing the warm-up. Then we did the neighborhood ride. We went again by the memorial for the two little boys who were killed at Saddle Mountain and Triunfo [...]
Today, I did the Hidden Valley ride with the Hammerheads. They are pretty fast. It was hard to keep up, but it was a good challenge for me. I rode with Michael and Michael, Ron and another guy. I can’t remember his name. And then for the women, it was me and the two Mary Ann’s. One Mary Ann is really fast, but she waited for us so we wouldn’t get lost. Hidden Valley is a nice ride once you get past the hill by Sherwood Lake. After the fire station everything is pretty flat, but it is a beautiful [...]
Today, I rode with the Old Kranks. I got up early so I could do the warm-up and get in an extra 5 miles. And then I rode the neighborhood ride. It was a very good ride and then after I stayed and socialized. I told both Mary Ann’s, that I was planning on doing the Hidden Valley ride tomorrow. I need to do 525 miles in the month of October. Today, I did 21.71 miles with an elevation gain of 987.
