I woke up to a rainy morning which is what I didn’t want to see on the first day of my Lifecycle training rides.  I had Mr. Poe take me over to the start because I wasn’t sure that the weather was going to cooperate and I’d gotten wet enough the day before, thank you very much.  It was wet and gloomy at the Sports Basement, but the sun was starting to peek out and there was a rainbow:

Here we are at the Sports Basement:

We had a couple very new riders and we didn’t want their first experience crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to be when it was wet and slippery so we elected to ride around the city.  First we headed up to Lincoln and stopped for the pretty view of the Marin Headlands:

Then we headed up to the Palace of the Legion of Honor:

So cute!

From there, we headed down to the Great Highway and headed down the coast and then took Sloat to Clearfield to Ocean to San Leandro to Saint Francis to Santa Clara to Portola to Claremont to Dewey into Laguna Honda into 7th and into Golden Gate Park.  We headed over to the Music Concourse and then took 8th to Cabrillo to Arguello.  Most of the riders stopped for a snack there but I headed home.  I had to go to two places to find Daiya (soy cheese) that I wanted to put in my breakfast burritos for lunch.  I don’t recommend Daiya for dishes where cheese is the most important element– like pizza–  but for dishes where it’s more of a background flavor I like it quite a bit.  I had lunch and baked some cookies and then took the dogs over to Ben and Courtney’s to visit.  Elaine came over for dinner for her birthday with her boyfriend and her brother.  They left pretty early which was good because I was beat.  It was a fun day.

Bike Mileage:

Today 18.4 Week to date 187.0 Month to date 382.3 Year to date 382.3 To Goal 7,617.7 Over (Under) plan (275.2) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,833.6) Rolling Year 7,473.8 Since Inception 10/1/07 28,887.8

Saturday I led a Different Spokes ride out to Marshall.  It was the first in my Different Spokes Lifecycle training series.  It started out pretty badly.  I was running very late which didn’t bother me because nobody had RSVP’d when I got a call from somebody who was at the start waiting for me to show up.  Eek!  I hustled my ass and made it down to Peet’s about 15 minutes late and we got started.  We headed over the Golden Gate Bridge and then through Fairfax and Nicasio to the Cheese Factory.  This is the grounds of the Cheese Factory on a gloomy day with my super fantastic bike on the left:

We ran into my friend Ben and he rode with me up Marshall Wall.  And it started raining.  At first, I was hoping it was just drizzy fog but it kept getting thicker and thicker.  There wasn’t a view at the top of the hill because of it , which was a shame, but I got a couple of pics of the pretty country on the descent into Marshall:

Pretty 1915 Saint Helen’s in Marshall.  Crafstmanlicious:

Bolinas Bay from St Helen’s:

Is this Spanish Moss??  I think it is.  It’s EVERYWHERE in Marshall.  I don’t know that I’ve seen it anywhere else.  I wonder if somebody brought it in and it’s taken over:

Bolinas Bay:

We had lunch at Whale of a Deli in Point Reyes Station.  I like going there because it’s not so clogged with cyclists and there’s indoor seating which was really nice.  They also make burritos.  They’re good, not great but after riding sixty miles it’s more of a quantity than a quality that I was going for.  I noted while we were eating lunch that they even have their own branded wine and champagne.  Which is both random and hilarious.  The best part is that the name of the place is wrong on the label.  Whale of Deli.  I love it:

I made it home about 5:30 and Mr. Poe had already made me dinner.  Which I ate a lot of.  Then I got cleaned up and we went to bed.  It was a long day.

Bike Mileage:

Today 104.0 Week to date 168.6 Month to date 363.9 Year to date 363.9 To Goal 7,636.1 Over (Under) plan (271.7) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,772.4) Rolling Year 7,473.4 Since Inception 10/1/07 28,869.4

I didn’t do a lot of biking on Friday.  I just came down Market into work in the morning and then home the same way at the end of the day.  Over lunch, I went for a walk in Civic Center and Union Square.

They’ve built a cute little community garden on Larkin by the Asian Art Museum on the grounds of a power substation.  It was a very good idea:

Looking down Leavenworth from Golden Gate:

I don’t know if this mural is new or if I just haven’t seen it before:

Inside pretty Saint Boniface:

This is the 1909 David Hewes building.  And it’s in a sad, sad state.  I keep hoping that it’s going to get the same kind of glamorous remodel that the De Young building got a couple of years ago. 

Some murals on the Warfield building:

This is the inside of the Nikko hotel.  Lots and lots of marble.  It’s very dated looking but still kind of fabulous:

Mr. Poe went to a movie Friday night so I stayed home with the dogs and watched TV.

Tuesday I just came down Market into work and then home at the end of the day.  Wednesday I managed to get a little more riding in.  I came down Market in the morning and then went home for lunch.  I got some pics as I headed up Market.

Crocker Galleria at Market and Montgomery:

A beautiful building at Laguna and Market:

The view looking down Guerrero from Laguna and Market:

I went for a ride at the end of the day as well.  This is the view looking up Market from 2nd:

Me:

2nd and Mission:

I took 2nd to Howard.  This is the beautiful Eng Skell building:

I continued on Howard to 11th to Harrison to 21st.  This is the sunset as seen from 21st and Mission:

Looking up Mission from 21st:

I continued on 21st to Valencia to Tiffany to 29th to San Jose to Wilder to Diamond to Monterey to Ridgewood to Flood to Hazelwood to Greenwood to Plymouth to Wildwood to Faxon to De Montefort to Ashton to Pico to Moncada to Cerritos where I stopped for a pic of the last bit of the sun setting:

I took Cerritos to Mercedes to Paloma to Ocean to Santa Ana into 14th to Taravel to Dewey to Laguna Honda into 7th to Hugo to 3rd to Frederick to Stanyan to Waller to Masonic to Haight to Scott to Duboce to Castro to 17th to Ord and home for dinner.  Nice ride!

Bike Mileage:

Today 25.1 Week to date 57.6 Month to date 252.9 Year to date 252.9 To Goal 7,747.1 Over (Under) plan (317.0) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,826.2) Rolling Year 7,401.6 Since Inception 10/1/07 28,758.4

I sat around all weekend and the weather was beautiful.  I don’t get it. But thankfully, Lifecycle training starts this weekend so I’m going to have to get moving whether I like it or not.  I surprised myself by managing to get some riding in on Monday if you can believe it.  I came down Market into work in the morning and then made it home for lunch.  After work I headed off Sutter to Fillmore to Clay to Spruce to Washington to Arguello to Lake to 23rd to Cabrillo to La Playa to Fulton to the Great Highway and then down the coast to Taravel to Merced to Hernandez to Laguna Honda to Portola to Corbett to Ord and home for dinner. 

Bike Mileage:

Today 25.5 Week to date 25.5 Month to date 220.8 Year to date 220.8 To Goal 7,779.2 Over (Under) plan (305.2) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,858.3) Rolling Year 7,417.7 Since Inception 10/1/07 28,726.3

I’ve been super lazy for two weeks now.  I’ve been just coming down Market into work in the morning and home the same way at the end of the day.  I haven’t even been going home for lunch!  Which is a shame because the weather has been lovely.  Here’s hoping I get it together soon.

Bike Mileage:

Today 7.0 Week to date 21.0 Month to date 188.3 Year to date 188.3 To Goal 7,811.7 Over (Under) plan (250.1) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,764.0) Rolling Year 7,463.8 Since Inception 10/1/07 28,693.8

I was supposed to go biking on Sunday but it was so cold and miserable and my one RSVP had canceled so I stayed in my warm snuggly bed.  I ventured out mid day with Rufus for a long walk that he was very, very excited to go on.  Mr. Poe dropped us off by Stonestown and we walked home from there through Ingleside to Saint Francis Wood and then down Forest Hill Extension where I stopped for pics on Vasquez:

Rufus loves to go!

The view looking up Pacheco at Forest Hill:

The view looking down from the same steps:

Groovy houses on Forest Hill:

It got clean enough to see the Farallones in the afternoon:

I stopped at Tank Hill on my way back home:

Rufus and I didn’t do much for the rest of the day.

Saturday was our monthly club ride and I was kind of surprised that anybody showed up because it was cold!  I tried to show up at the last minute so I wouldn’t be hanging around but that wasn’t a good idea because I decided immediately I’d have to go home for more layers.  I left ahead of the main group and joined them in Golden Gate Park.  I got some pics of the gang on the way:

We had a nice ride into Tiburon.  I stopped at a tower to get some pics:

Plus a tell you about stuff sign that identifies this as Dr. Lyford’s 1889 Stone Tower:

We had lunch at Cafe Acri and then headed over to Belvedere where the pics were underwhelming:

I headed home, ran some errands, got cleaned up and went to bed early.  It was a fun day.

Bike Mileage:

Today 48.4 Week to date 146.3 Month to date 146.3 Year to date 146.3 To Goal 7,853.7 Over (Under) plan (29.0) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,782.9) Rolling Year 7,444.9 Since Inception 10/1/07 28,651.8

It got colder as the day progressed.  I ended up just coming up Market after work and didn’t regret it.  Too cold!  Here’s a pic from Market and Octavia on my way home:

Bike Mileage:

Today 15.5 Week to date 97.9 Month to date 97.9 Year to date 97.9 To Goal 7,902.1 Over (Under) plan (33.6) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,831.3) Rolling Year 7,396.5 Since Inception 10/1/07 28,603.4

It was very cold and damp this morning.  I thought it was supposed to get warmer as the week progressed but that hasn’t happened.  I didn’t go straight into work but I kept my ride short because of it.  I headed of 17th to Eureka to 18th to Sanchez to 17th to Kansas to Townsend to 2nd.  I got a few pics at 2nd and Howard:

I continued on 2nd to Market and into work.