Day 5 on the Lifecycle is red dress day.  It's a short day, only about 40 miles, and many of the riders wear costumes.  I wear red shorts and a red jersey and leave it that.  I tried some glamorous gold makeup but although it would have looked fabulous in sunlight the fog precluded that so I just looked even tanner than I was already.  The route has a couple of nice climbs but is otherwise pretty easy.  I left early in the morning and there weren't a lot of riders on the road and I headed for Lompoc.  Outside of Casmalia I came across a rider who had collapsed on the side of the road.  He was barely conscious when I got to him and said he had blacked out and fallen over.  We were in the middle of nowhere and I couldn't get a cell phone signal to call 911 so I flagged over a car and asked them to go call an ambulance.  By that point other riders had shown up and thankfully one of them was a nurse because he started going into shock which looked to me like that scene from Alien.  We put my jacket and long sleeve jersey on top of him to keep him warm.  Finally, some Lifecycle people showed up and they had better communications than we did.  They got some better blankets on him and I got my clothes back and I figured I wasn't useful so I left.  I think he was having some kind of a diabetic thing.   I sure hope he was OK.  It was really, really scary but I didn't panic.  I continued on to Lompoc and hung out at Starbuck for a while before going and having lunch at Burrito Loco.  Their vegetarian burrito is really bean intensive with predictable, hilarious consequences but it was delicious and I will absolutely go back for more.  Lompoc is not my favorite campsite.  It's sandy, windy, cold and awash with red ants, gophers and even ducks that will go in your tent if you don't close it.  I'm definitely getting a hotel room next year.  I hung out at dinner as long as I could and then I went to bed.  I was beat.

Look how awesome Beau looked:

Eric and Elton:

Nothing but class at pit stop 1:

I hear that Ginger is retiring after this year which is a shame.  She's the most beautiful, most elegant girl I know in real life.  Here we are at the top of the big hill:

More class at pit 2:

My whole lotta bean burrito at Burrito Loco:

Bike parking:

JP in his tent:

Trevor and I:

The pos peds all lined up for their pic:

Bike Mileage:

Today 40.2 Week to date 310.7 Month to date 444.2 Year to date 3,845.8 To Goal 4,154.2 Over (Under) plan 339.0 YTD Mileage vs Last Year (435.2) Rolling Year 6,998.2 Since Inception 10/1/07 32,351.3

I felt a lot stronger on day 4 as I rode from Paso Robles to Santa Maria.  I got an early start and rode as hard as I could all day.  I felt stronger than on Tuesday which was nice.  We had cooler weather this year than last and the steep descent down to the 1 had very limited visibility which was kind of an eek.  The rollers between the water stop and pit 4 seemed a little longer than they did last year.  Ah, age.  But I managed to get along and made it into camp a little before 1PM.  After I got cleaned up I headed into town.  I ended up having lunch at Del Taco which probably should have come with an apology but at least they had fries.  I picked up some donuts on my way to camp which made me exceedingly popular.  I like the camp in Santa Maria and we had lots of fun but as always I was very happy to go to bed.  It had been a very long day.

Pics from the start:

There was a little bit of sun right at the top of the big climb in the morning and got a pic of it before I rode back into the fog:

The fog continued when I hit the coast but it was gorgeous nonetheless:

Pit 2.  Mary Kay!:

Morro Bay:

Pit 3:

Bike Parking:

Beau had fallen on Day 2 and I was worried he wouldn't see much riding but his hand held up and he was able to ride:

I hadn't seen Peter since last year it was a total treat:

Regan with her donuts:

Trevor:

Bike Mileage:

Today 97.7 Week to date 270.5 Month to date 404.0 Year to date 3,805.6 To Goal 4,194.4 Over (Under) plan 320.7 YTD Mileage vs Last Year (377.7) Rolling Year 7,024.7 Since Inception 10/1/07 32,311.1

Day 3 was a beautiful trip from King City to Paso Robles.  Day 3 has some of my most and least favorite parts.  I love the climb and the trip through Fort Hunter Liggett.  I hate the terrible pavement on the 101.  I got in at 10:30 and was happy with that.  We stayed in a hotel that night and I really liked that.  We stayed at the Adelaide and it's so very, very cute.  Ben and I hung out at the pool and then I visited with Larry and Lulu before heading back to the room and passing out.  I was feeling pretty worn out by the end of the day but it was a really, really good ride.

Crispin at the start:

Miss Armstrong:

Pit 2:

Pit 3 run by my favorite Jim Rudoff:

The pretty country around Paso Robles:

This was my burrito at Tortilla Town.  They're food is pretty good.  I think they make all their tortilla's on the premises and they're awesome.  They're guacamole is good but not great and oddly enough, all of their employees have to scream "guacamole!" every time somebody orders it, a situation which made me order less guacamole than I would have otherwise.  They're hot salsa made me sweat but isn't so hot I couldn't eat it which equals awesome in my game.  Mmmmmm:

Ben at the pool at the pretty Adelaide Inn:

Pioneer Park in Paso Robles:

Beau and I at dinner:

This crazy woman had cats in camp and insisted I hold one of them.  She kept going on about how they were hypoallergenic yet she was covered with cat hair.

Bike Mileage:

Today 66.7 Week to date 172.8 Month to date 306.3 Year to date 3,707.9 To Goal 4,292.1 Over (Under) plan 244.9 YTD Mileage vs Last Year (408.7) Rolling Year 7,034.6 Since Inception 10/1/07 32,213.4

It rained Sunday night and was drizzly and cold when I got up.  Which made me appreciate that I was in a hotel room even more.  Thanks again, Ben!  We got to bike parking nice and early because I like to be one of the first riders on the road because I hate lines and also because whatever drama there's gonna be just gets worse as the day progresses.   And it's very fortunate that we did that because they released people pretty slowly to not piss off Santa Cruz CHP and apparently bike parking was a total shit show and people got very, very angry.  To make matters worse the whole thing was being overseen by ALC director Michael Barron and by all accounts he did nothing to help manage the crowds or release them in a fair, orderly manner which unless I'm completely mistaken is kind of his job.  It was a total fail on the part of the ALC and they need to be better.  It seems very obvious to me that whenever you have a controlled release of riders for one reason or another, there needs to be a plan and there just isn't any excuse for not having one.  I rode as hard as I could but it was a very hard day and it pretty much kicked my ass.  The route was very different from last year and I had a little trouble with the signage and ended up getting lost at the end and coming in on the rollers like we did last year instead of the path.  I got in a little after 1PM which was a really good time and I was happy with it.  There isn't really any place to go eat in King City so I got cleaned up and waited for dinner.   The King City camp site it pretty nice and I slept pretty well.

Bike parking in Santa Cruz:

Strawberry Fields outside of Elk Horn:

Salt marshes outside of Elk Horn:

Rest Stop 2:

The historic Sargent House in Salinas:

The Steinbeck House in Salinas:

Cute overload.  OMG!  And yes, it's called Destiny's Precious Gifts:

Rest stop 3 was completely different and in a pretty park in historic Gonazales instead of the vineyard it was in last year:

Pretty Gonzales:

A view over a vineyard in the Salinas Valley:

I hooked up with my friend Larry and his adorable dog Lulu.  I played with her while he took a shower.  She's so adorable!

Superheroes in camp:

Miss Armstrong:

John and Buz:

Bike Mileage:

Today 106.1 Week to date 106.1 Month to date 239.6 Year to date 3,641.2 To Goal 4,358.8 Over (Under) plan 200.1 YTD Mileage vs Last Year (367.8) Rolling Year 7,047.3 Since Inception 10/1/07 32,146.7

Day 1 went pretty well.  There was a lot of waiting around and then we finally rolled out a little before 7AM I was pretty crabby and definitely ready for riding.  Thankfully it was dry and we weren't riding in the rain.  Which made me very, very happy.  We had a bit of a headwind going south on the 1 and riding was a little harder than I wished it was but then again I'm not getting any younger.  I got in at 12:30 and I was pretty happy with that.  Ben and I headed out for food at Planet Fresh Burritos and I thought it was pretty awesome.  It's supposed to rain tonite and I'm super fortunate in that I'm in a hotel room with Ben and Courtney and Regan.  I think the whole town is sold out so I'm very, very pleased.

Buz at the start:

Some photos from the opening:

An extra cute pic of Courtney:

Bike parking:

The start:

Peter:

Me at the start:

I skipped rest stop 1 but I stopped at rest stop 2 where they had a comic book theme:

San Gregorio Beach:

More pics on my way down the 1:

Rest stop 3 had a Christmas theme:

Rob with his dogs:

Food porn from Planter Fresh Burrito.  Nom nom nom:

We waited around for Courtney, Regan, Nick and Monica.  They ordered Thai food.  No complaints here.

Bike Mileage:

Today 82.5 Week to date 140.5 Month to date 133.5 Year to date 3,535.1 To Goal 4,464.9 Over (Under) plan 115.9 YTD Mileage vs Last Year (394.5) Rolling Year 6,947.7 Since Inception 10/1/07 32,040.6

Saturday was Day 0 for the Lifecycle which was, as usual, a humongous pain the ass.  Lots of lines, waiting, and back patting all of which I find very tiresome.  I got a lift from Beau which was very nice of him as it was pouring down rain.  He picked me up before 8AM and I was home about five hours later with three new jerseys and a lot of packing to do.  The dogs were off being groomed and I dislike an empty house but they were done by late afternoon and we went to pick them up.  They were exhausted when we picked them up but they looked terrific:

This is the super fantastic Hello Kitty pedi I got for the ride.  Thanks again to David at Diva Nails on Market for his fabulous, fabulous work.  I figured that every queen was gonna get a pedi so I needed to step up my game.  Stay off of my street corner, bitches:

 
Here are Jenn and Alvin at the Cow Palace on Day 0.  Jenn ran the sweep vehicle every week on my Cat2 rides this year and we would have been lost without her:

John Hershey and Beao at Day 0.  If only Buz had been there then all of my favorite people would have been assembled:

I went home and packed and packed.  Almost there:

Fingers crossed for dry weather tomorrow!

I got up early on Friday because I had a lot to do.  I was a little hung over which didn't help.  I started off cooking.   I made a banana upside-down cake which looked good and smelled fantastic while it was cooking.  Then I washed my bike for the Lifecycle and got it ready to go.  I can't wait!:

I got a pic of Ashley Jr. lounging in the dining room.  He's Poodle the Great!:

I got cleaned up and headed over to Diva Nail Lounge.  My friend Elaine recommended them and the salon is super, super fantastic.  They have a super cute boy named David there who is very talented and does really good work.  Highly recommended.  Here's a pic of me behind the wall of pretty:

Pics of the beautiful salon:

Me in process:

Jim met me at Diva's and we headed over to the Sunset.  We had lunch at Park Chow and it was pretty good.  It would have been great if they had bloody mary's.  Then it was over to Golden Gate Park to go to the De Young and the Balenciaga exhibit.  I absolutely loved the dresses.  The workmanship!  The detail!  The glamour!  I got a pic of the Music Concourse as we headed home:

We picked up a couple of bottles of wine and headed home.  I made a couple more things for Day 0:  banana bread with walnuts and coffee cake with chocolate and butterscotch chips with a sugared almond topping.  Everything turned out pretty well.  Then we headed over to the Parker Guest House where Jim was staying for their cocktail party which was fun.  That guest house is super fantastic and highly recommended.  After we headed to Osaka Sushi for yet more eatin' and drinkin' and then Harvey's for more of the same where I ran into my friends Larry and Trevor AND we saw "film" star Brad McGuire-- and he was eatin'.  Food.  I made it home a little after 9PM and fed the dogs dinner and then we all waited for Mr. Poe to get home.  We went to bed as soon as he got home.  It had been a long, fun day.

Thursday was a little drizzly in the morning but it cleared up a little by afternoon.  I needed to leave workj early so got into the office around 7AM.  Coming down Market is so much less drama at that hour.  Less traffic, less bikes, less pedestrians, less crackheads.  Bliss!  My concern for weather for the first couple of days of the Lifecycle has advanced to panic and I've taken to having to breath into a paper bag for five minutes every time I look at the forecast.  But Thursday was OK so I managed to get in a little ride after work.  I headed off Sutter to Scott and stopped for a pic of this gorgeous Victorian at California:

I continued on Scott to Sacramento and stopped for a pic of the recently renovated Presidio branch of the library:

I continued on Sacramento and stopped at Presidio for a pic of this pretty building:

I continued on Sacramento to Laurel to Clay to Spruce to Washington and stopped for a pic for my favorite view of the bay:

I continued on Washington to Arguello to 8th and into Golden Gate Park I swung past the Music Concourse to MLK and left the park at 9th.  I took 9th to Judah to 7th into Laguna Honda to Dewey to Claremont to Portola to Santa Clara.  I stopped for a pic looking up Yerba Buena from Santa Clara.  I love all the homes in Saint Francis Wood, but I think my favorite part of this neighborhood is the trees:

I continued on Santa Clara into Monterey to San Jose to Duncan to Valencia to 18th to Sanchez to Market to 17th where I ran into my good friend Richard who was all gussied up and off for a night of glamour:

I continued on 17th to Ord and home.  I got cleaned up and headed out to meet my friend Jim who was in town visiting from Rochester.  I haven't seen him in quite a while and it was super fun.  We were met by Nathan for dinner and Jim got a nice pic of the two of us at Castro and Market.  We're smizing:

We had dinner at Thailand Restaurant on 18th St and then went to the Mix and 440 before I headed home and went to bed and Jim headed off for God knows what.  I was totally beat when I got home.  It was an incredibly long day!

I've been been pretty unproductive on my bike all week.  I had posted a ride for Different Spokes on Monday but nobody RSVP'd and since the memory of how miserable I'd been in the rain on Saturday was still fresh in my mind, I elected to stay in bed.  Tuesday we got a bunch of rain.  Seriously, more rain.  I'm starting to panic that it's gonna rain on the Lifecycle and have been very crabby all week as a result.  I came down Market in the rain on my bike in the morning and went home the same way after work.

Mr. Poe's garden is one of the few Bay Area residents that isn't complaining about the weather.  It looks fabulous and is fully in bloom:

Wednesday the weather was looking up.  I managed to make it home for lunch on my bike and then I went for a nice ride after work.  I headed off up Columbus to Stockton stopping for a pic at Sts. Peter and Paul's:

I continued on Stockton to North Point to Van Ness to Francisco to Octavia to Chestnut to Lyon and into the Presidio at the Lombard Gate.  I headed down to Crissy Field which is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its refurbishment.  It looks fantastic:

I made my way up to Lincoln and stopped a little west of the Golden Gate Bridge for pics of Land's End:

I continued on Lincoln and stopped for another pic of Land's End:

I continued on Lincoln into Camino Del Mar to 27th to Balboa and down to the Coast.  I stopped at Ocean Beach for pics.  There was surprisingly not a lot of wind and the beach was gorgeous:

I headed down the Great Highway and went into Golden Gate Park at JFK.  I stopped at Spreckels Lake for a pic:

I continued on JFK to the Panhandle to Stanyan to Page to Lyon to Haight to Buena Vista East.  This is the view looking down Duboce from Buena Vista East:

I continued on Buena Vista East to Upper Terrace.  This is the view looking north down Buena Vista West from Upper Terrace:

I took Upper Terrace to Loma Vista to Roosevelt to 17th to Mars to Corbett to Ord and home for dinner.  Mr. Poe had to work late so I had dinner with the dogs and then we went for a walk and waited for him to get home.  I went to bed as soon as he got home.  I didn't even make it until 9PM.

Bike Mileage:

Today 25.9 Week to date 32.9 Month to date 25.9 Year to date 3,427.5 To Goal 4,572.5 Over (Under) plan 96.0 YTD Mileage vs Last Year (426.9) Rolling Year 28,078.6 Since Inception 10/1/07 31,933.0