Cycling with Naked Women

The Cycling Escapes tour coordinator sent out a congradulatory email earlier today in which he thanked everyone for their participation and included everyone's contact information.

With their full names, I was able to look up some of these lady atheletes on Google.

Turns out several of the fast climbers are members of a team called the "Naked Women's Racing" team. Their name comes from their main sponsor "Naked Juice".

But, looking up names, you learn they are competitive cyclists who have reached the podium in a number of races, criteriums and time-trials.

I am wondering how our wives are going to feel knowing we have been cylcing with "Naked Women" racers all week? Well, if "with" means waving to them as they go by or cheering them on as the leave the SAG stop just after we arrive, then yes, we did in fact cycle "with" them.

Happy Birthday Steve

What a way to celebrate his 51rst birtday; another 53 miles and 6K climbing?

Well, maybe not. We're pooped! So, we are skipping the last day of the ride to rest up our fatigued bodies.

Happy Birthday, Bud. You've been "over the hill" for a while but after today, you can also say you are "over the mountains".

We went to a "Cinepolis" where you watch movies in reclining chairs and they provide full service meal menus. We watched "Monuments Men" and it was a pretty good movie.

Then we took a drive over the same roads we have been riding out to the coast.

Then, we stopped for some seafood tacos and paradise cove.

Day 4 is done!!! (93 miles + 11K)

Here's the route.

We actually finished around 5:15.  Today was the big Kahuna ride at 94 miles with 11,000 ft of climbing.  We did 4 major climbs with all 4 climbs starting at the Pacific Coast Highway and angling up To the top of the Santa Monica mountains:  Yuerba Buena, Mullholland Drive, Encinal Canyon, and Latigo.

After going yesterday without a flat for either Mark or I,  the flat gods were against as Mark got not one but two flats :(

Yeah, I rode over a rock on the descent down Mullholland and got a "pinch flat". Instead of being punctured by something going through the tire, a "pinch flat" is caused by some hard hitting debri (rock, pothole, curb, etc.) causing a complete compression of the tire against the wheel and the tube gets caught in the middle and gets "pinched" tearing a hole in the tube. After I "fixed" the first flat, I had to use tire irons to get the tire to re-seat onto the rim and I think I may have caught the new tube I had just put in under the tip of the tire iron ("pinching" the new tube) and caused a slow leak. So, I had to put yet another tube in and then use my fingers to re-seat the tire back onto the rim. That takes some finger strength.

You can't see my whole bike in these pictures but I am riding my Trek Pilot 2.1. The night before we did this ride, I took off the aero-bars, the under-seat bottle holders, my handlebar mounted flashlight and my helmet mounted light. I put the lights in the SAG van in the morning in case I needed them to complete the ride in the dark. But, we finished well before the sun went down. The bike was lighter by probably 5-7 pounds with all that extra stuff off of it and believe it or not, that can make a difference in a day with a lot of climbing like this one.

Here is picture on Mullholand drive

At the beginning of Yueba Buena you got a nice view if the ocean.

The weather could not have been nicer. Light winds and low 70's. But, the flats put Steve and me well behind the rest of the field. We slowly made time back up throughout the day.

Near the top Yuerba Buena we turned left onto Cotharin.  After a steep ascent with a short wall of 18-20%, the road clings along the ridge and provides a breath taking view of the ocean 2000 ft below you.  The road is very steep which made our hands very tired as we descended.

Here is a video of the top of Latigo with Kathy, Diane and Steve summitting.

Some Great Video from Day 3

I finally got my Droid phone video to start working. I attach it to the handle bars with a paper-clamp and let it hang there while I ride. So, I got several videos on the long Latigo climb today and on part of a descent with Steve. In the climbs, I am riding with Diane while we get passed by several faster women riders.

This video is two miles into the Latigo climb. Diane had just passed me and I am trying to catch back up to her.

This video is near the top of the Latigo climb and the 3 women from Boulder, CO. (on a racing team) come by chatting and making it look way too damn easy!

This video starts at the top of Latigo descending with Steve. It is quite windy!

Day 3 is a wrap (48 miles + 5K climb)

Here's the route

Today was supposed to be an easy day with 48 miles and 5000 ft if climbing.  There were some steep sections where the gradients were 16-18% (only for some short sections).  The second climb today was the hardest since it averaged 6-8% for about 8.5 miles.  Time to rest our legs in preparation for the big ride tomorrow.

The guy in the yellow jacket in the picture above is Stewart. He is in his late 60's and just recovered from a serious cycling accident while in Italy. He broke several ribs, his clavical, a bone in his arm and another in his hips. That was just 4 months ago!

The next two pictures show the view of the Pacific ocean from half-way up and the top of the Latigo road climb. You can see a substantial portion of the road we climbed. We started at ocean level. It is about an 8 mile climb.

The three pictures below are the SAG stop at the top of the Latigo climb. Just before leaving here for about a 14 mile ride back to the hotel, we learned that one of the riders in the other group that joined us yesterday and today had an accident. It was serious enough to call fire and ambulance because we past both in the way home heading up this road. I hope that rider is ok!!! I assume we'll learn more tomorrow.

In the last half mile to the hotel, one of the women we were riding with took a fairly large lead and Steve flew by me on his way to catching her. He was obviously feeling good! I took it very easy on the Latigo climb, climbing with Diane most of the way up. I learned she is not only a mother of 5 but also a grandmother of 6. She has another grandchild due next week. Her Iron-Man time is 11:39. Thats 11 hours and 39 minutes to finish a 2.5 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finally a marathon run!

Frozen Yogurt again

This is for Denise :)

Need those extra calories!

Dinner at Napa Tavern

Cycling group met for dinner tonight.