Looping around Woodside

I took a windy, backtracking loop through Woodside today. I went with my friend Yaron who hadn't biked in a month, so we took it a little easy.

The route.

The 'calories burned' was pretty low for a 35 mile ride, I can't tell if that's because I was riding a little slower, or because I updated the settings with my latest improved resting heart rate. Either way, I think the calories burned is kinda bullshit :) Still worth tracking I suppose. I think my brother is right in suggesting the measurement is, "ordinal, not cardinal" (at least I think, after looking up both words :)

The stats:

Distance: 35 miles
Ride time: 2:17
Speed: 15.5 mph avg, 34.4 mph max
Heart Rate: 141 bpm avg, 183 max
Calories burned: 1590

Moody Road Loop

I took mid-day loop that included a 2.5 mile long 180m climb up Moody rd. I decided to standardize the climb as being from Altamount Rd so I can track my progress. This time I did it in 16 minutes. I also did it on Saturday, but didn't keep track of that part of the climb as I continued up Page Mill. This time I went down Page Mill to Arastradero which at which point I joined up with a loop I did a couple weeks ago.

The route.

I went the wrong way on Alpine for about a mile before realizing and turning around.

The stats:

Distance: 26 miles
Ride time: 1:35
Speed: 16.1 mph avg, 31.5 mph max
Heart Rate: 154 bpm avg, 182 max
Calories burned: 1338

Up Page Mill

Yesterday I climbed Page Mill Road for the first time. Going from Foothill up Moody Rd to the base of the climb was a mini-challenge in itself, with about 190m of elevation change. But man, Page Mill just keeps going! It took about 45 minutes to make it through the 6 miles, going up about 400m. Though gentler slope overall than the 4 mile, 500m climb up Kings Mountain Last weekend, parts of Page Mill are really steep, particularly the first couple of miles. It featured less shade than Kings Mountain too, so while I was limping along at 5 miles an hour, there was no breeze to cool me off. The views were stunning though, opening up to the bay at parts.

The reward of the climb was getting up to Skyline and taking it northwest to La Honda. It was a clear day, and at times I could look to my left and see the Pacific ocean, and to my right and see the bay. A gentle downhill most of the way too. I liked it even more than coming the other way from Kings Mountain last weekend.

After descending La Honda, I finished the ride by going through Woodside and coming back to Foothill via Sandhill.

The route.

I wasn't as wiped this time. After last weekends ride I ended up with a headache that lasted on and off through mid-week. I was careful to drink a lot of water throughout the rest of the day, which probably made the difference.

The stats:

Distance: 42 miles
Ride time: 2:50
Speed: 14.6 mph avg, 33.1 mph max
Heart Rate: 157 bpm avg, 183 max
Calories burned: 2504

Sandhill > Portola > Arastradaro Loop

Today I took a similar loop as last Thursday's, but in reverse, and up Sandhill instead of Alpine. Taking Sandhill ended up being a mistake since there was road construction for the first couple of miles. I had to stop after the construction to pick tar off my tires. Yuck!

The route (as usual, excluding some details of to and from my apt).

I got lost for a bit by making a right on Portola instead of realizing that Sandhill turns into it. Once I hit La Honda, I realized what happened. I considered climbing La Honda, but thought better of it given it was in the middle of a work day, so I turned around.

I really like the Woodside / Portola Valley area, there are so many variations. I think the best part today was the stretch on Arastradero between Alpine and 280 through the preserve.

The stats:

Distance: 26 miles
Ride time: 1:41
Speed: 15.4 mph avg, 36 mph max
Heart Rate: 150 bpm avg, 175 max
Calories burned: 1442

Climbing Kings Mountain Road

Today was my first climb up Kings Mountain Road, a beautiful but ball busting 4 mile climb from Woodside rd to Skyline blvd. I was happy to have made it the whole way without stopping, even though I had to resort to the granny gear for the last mile. I made it up in 37 minutes. It was quite challenging, but so beautiful. In a couple of places the view opens up to the entire valley, where I could see Shoreline Amphitheater and Stanford. Otherwise, it was a windy road through towering redwoods. It was 95 degrees at the beginning of the climb, but thankfully cooled to 85 by the top.

The route.

One thing I noticed today is that I'm not a big fan of steep downhills. I don't feel very comfortable going any faster than 30mph on downhills, especially when there are cars trying to pass. So the down hill following the climb was a nice break in some ways, but also a little frustrating in that I wasn't pedaling at all (my legs not staying warmed up), while my hands got tired from clenching the breaks.

It was my longest ride yet. It dawned on me that in terms of physical excertion, cycling has a lot in common with back packing; arduous and plodding, yet not so intense that you can't do it for over three hours without destroying your body (I can't imagine going for a 3 hour run for instance).

The hill climb reminded me of running though. My heart rate spiked from 155 to 175 for the length of the climb; about what it is when I run. So it seemed like stopping for a 4-5 mile run in the middle of a usual long ride. Needless to say, I'm exhausted, but in kind of a good way. I feel a lot like I do when I'm on backpacking trips after a long day.

The Stats:

Distance: 48 miles
Ride time: 3:24
Speed: 14.1 mph avg, 33.5 mph max
Heart Rate: 153 bpm avg, 182 max
Calories burned: 2763

Midweek Arastradero loop

Yesterday I rode up Arastradero, and took Alpine road back down to foothill.

the route (again, excluding some boring details of getting to/fro my apt).

I've taken this route before in the reverse direction, and it seemed harder this time. I think that's because the climb up Arastradero is steeper than Alpine, and closer to the beginning of the ride. When going the reverse route, it is a longer, gentler climb up Alpine, followed by a steeper downhill on Arastradero. I also think I prefer to have a warm up on a flatter road like foothill to get started.

The Stats:

Distance: 19 miles
Ride time: 1:15
Speed: 15.2 mph avg, 30.3 mph max
Heart Rate: 146 bpm avg, 175 max
Calories burned: 1065

Interesting that my heart rate average and max is exactly the same from last Saturday's ride... if that happens again, I'm going to start wondering about my heart rate monitor :)

First day with new bike

Over the past few months I've been learning more about cycling, and going on progressively longer and cooler rides with a mountain bike fitted with semi road tires and some plastic foot straps (both make a huge difference). My friend Matt, who's been cycling for years, has been kind enough to take me under his wing and show me a lot of great rides in the Silicon Valley peninsula area, as well as a lot of information about bicycle maintenance and cycling techniques.

This past week I got my first real road bike, a 2007 Trek Madone SL 5.2 (I know, a bit overkill, but I got a great deal since the 2008 models were redesigned), and thought it would be fun to start keeping track of my rides. Here we go!

Today Matt lead us on a nice loop through Portola Valley, including a beautiful side track down Olive Lane. Previously I had taken Whiskey Hill Rd directly to Portola, but this time we road up Cañada, made a left on Olive Hill as a way to meander back to Portola; a beautiful detour! As usual, the weather was great (80 degrees and sunny), and the air filled with the aroma of eucalyptus trees.

Here's the route (excluding some details of getting to and from house).

The new bike was incredible: I was coasting at 30 mph down hills, and gliding at 20mph on the flats without a ton of effort (both incomprehensible on my mountain bike). Having real pedals that clip directly into my shoes makes a huge difference too. I no longer fear my feet flailing off my pedals when hitting a bump on downhills, and can get a lot more out of each pedal stroke by pulling upward and pushing backwards with my feet.

The Stats:

Distance: 36 miles
Ride time: 2:28
Speed: 14.8 mph avg, 33.8 mph max
Heart Rate: 146 bpm avg, 175 max
Calories burned (according to my heart rate monitor): 2011