Another day on the road and yes, more rain!

Shout out to Jeff Louder who was in the breakaway pack for the entire day! Jeff is the son of Carol Louder, owner of Macabi Skirt, one of our OutdoorMind clients. It was very exciting to follow him today, knowing how proud Carol must have been!!

Here is a short breakdown of our day viewing the Tour of California, we had 5 viewing spots today!

1. Caliveras Road climb (that’s Lance in the black/yellow helmet on the left front).

1. Viewing from the freeway at Sunol and 680
2. Patterson Pass and Midway Road

1. Highway 132 and some intersection in the middle of farmland

1. And, a chance viewing at Carpenter and Kansas Street while running down the street!…no time for photos there! 

All in all another awesome day J

OK, I can’t really use the same first sentence of yesterday so I’ll change it up a bit…. wet, wet and cold! How’s that?

I can’t believe those guys had to hit the road again today in this weather…starting with an 8:30 am crossing of the Golden Gate Bridge! We were on the freeway at the time and that was hard enough….

Today’s stage had 2 good climbs and since we had such a great time on a hill before, we thought we’d give it another try. The road this time was very narrow and in the redwoods…very misty, dark and cold…another perfect spot of our friend the easy up. This time the table was turned however as we asked a few guys who seemed to have a pretty good spot staked out if we could join them. First question they had was what did WE have to offer…well, we just pointed to the huge easy-up in the back of the truck and the rest is history!!!

We had timed our arrival a bit later today and only had to wait about 2 hours for the arrival of the group (yesterday was about 4 hours). Again, the parade of vehicles raced by with updates on the riders, leader and following Peleton. We found out later that Lance T-boned a downed motorcycle and about 15 others had crashed right before this climb. They were all fine and back in the group.

They riders wizzed by (looking very cold and tired), the awning came down and everyone ran off to the warmth of their cars! We sped off up the road to try and catch the finish in Santa Cruz (where the sun came out!).

I’ll add some pictures here then off to the wharf for some seafood, sleep and another day to follow the Tour of California!

Wet, wet, wet…. that’s all I can say for today. I know we need the rain and all (for California River rafting this summer), but it really stinks to sit out in it all day.

Off we went at 7 am to get an early start to the one of the climbs on today’s route, Pope Valley. It really is beautiful there this time of year. After 2 hours, we arrived at a spot we had scouted last month, great off road turnout, very steep slope, and perfect!

We were expecting a few other friends and at the last minute decided to make it a tail-gater. With the use of an ‘easy-up’ from our local Breathe California’ friends we started to set up. Another couple we did not know stopped and asked if they could join us so we said yes!

A few minutes later, the awning was up, water was boiling for hot chocolate and the fans all started arriving. Let’s just say that we were the favorites of the day and the crowd gathered in numbers under our tent! We had a Canadian couple that supplied the wine, cheese and crackers. Another group brought some rope for hanging our Adventure Sports Online banner…everyone had something to contribute to the party! It was also such a great location that the official photographers with the Tour set up shop there as well!

If you’ve never been to an event such as this, it is very hard to really describe the excitement that builds as you wait. There is quite an assembly of vehicles that precedes the arrival of the riders. Overhead a helicopter is tracking them, Highway Patrol and Road Marshals, motorcycles…it’s very much like a huge parade. Once the riders FINALLY get to where you have been patiently awaiting their arrival, it’s all over in about 15 seconds!!!!! Crazy…..

Here are more photos of today’s stage-

Hello to all from cold and cloudy Sacramento!

The weather did not keep the crowds, estimated at 70,000 – 75,000, away for Day 1 of the Tour of California and we were right there along with them. Of course the big news is the return of Lance Armstrong, but there are many others to watch.

We decided to play it safe and arrive several hours ahead of time and were surprised to find parking, a bonus. After a nice warm breakfast, it was back to our ‘secret’ parking space. Since the wind was blowing and the temperature a bit nippy, we read the newspaper from the cab of our S10 pickup!

The course in Sacramento was a 2.4-mile loop around the State Capitol. Many of the riders did some of their warm up practicing the course and we watched Lance and his Astana Team do a few laps.

After scouting the course we found the perfect spot to watch the riders coming off a nice turn and stood there for the duration of the race…about 3 ½ hours…man, you really have to be a fan of this sport!

Today’s stage winner was Fabian Cancellar with a time of 4:32, amazing…

Tomorrow we will be off early to catch a spot on the climb of Pope Valley. Weather calls for a new storm…lots more wind and rain showers. So much for riding in sunny California!

I’ll include a bunch of photos of the ride below J

Signing off for today…will add images as I get an Internet connection along the way!

Hi everyone!

This just in from the Tour of California website:

“The eyes of the cycling world will be firmly focused upon Sacramento come Valentine’s Day when Lance Armstrong will start his first road race on American soil since he returned from retirement. And quite a scintillating show they shall be treated to at the 2009 Amgen Tour of California prologue on the streets of the Golden State’s capitol. Armstrong won seven Tours de France in part due to his extraordinary time trial abilities, but the fast and flat 2.4-mile/3.9 km course is perhaps better suited to a power rider like Olympic gold medalist Fabian Cancellara, who won last year’s prologue. The route passes Sacramento landmarks including the State Capitol, the Capitol Mall and the Tower Bridge and should take about five minutes to complete. With the start and finish lines only blocks apart, spectators will not only enjoy the rare opportunity to see their favorite cyclists ride one at a time against the clock, but they can watch them start and finish.”

Knowing that just a few miles away are some of most famous, fastest and most talented cyclists in the world, is making it hard to focus on my work today! Not all of you are as crazy as I am about cycling, but you will be if you have a chance to stand 2 feet away from one of the riders as they zoom past you at 35 miles per hour.

I plan on taking a road trip next week…..you guessed it! To follow the race for as many of the days as I can manage. Along the way I will be spreading the word about our own website BicycleTour.Com and AdventureSports.Com with psotcards to pass out to the crowds and a nifty banner I had made for our truck.

Each evening I hope to post images and a summary of the day, from my perspective…should be fun

Stay tuned

Dear all,

It seems official. The 2009 Tour of California, Stage 3, Monday, Feb 

16, will zoom by The Bike Hut.

I’ll invite Lance to stop and have a treat, but he’ll be a little 

busy. We have no definite plans, but we’ll keep you posted. Maybe 

we’ll just have a picnic and watch them zoom by. Any ideas?

In the meantime, The Bike Hut is on our web page now:

 http://potreronuevofarm.org/thebikehut.html

So, if not before, perhaps we’ll see you on Feb 16 to cheer on the 

riders.

Best,

Bill

Sometimes we get some really interesting information coming in on email though our http://www.Adventure Sports.com Sports.com website…I thought I would share this one since I love cycling and the Tour of California is coming soon….

Dear Adventure Sports,

I wanted to let you know of The Bike Hut which may be of value to you and your bicycling club members.

My wife, Christine, and I recently bought a farm on Tunitas Creek Road in Half

Moon Bay – http://potreronuevofarm.org/ – which we’re transforming into a non-profit

dedicated to the food justice movement. We’ll grow organic vegetables and offer

nutrition and cooking classes for local low-income families, provide environmental

education programs for all ages and more.

But we also have a one-car garage-sized building right on Tunitas Creek Road which is

now named The Bike Hut. Since this road is so popular for bicyclists, we wanted to

provide you a rest stop and homemade energy snacks and drinks. At the moment,

there’s just a small picnic area for your use and we’ll always have free water there for

you. It will probably take us a few months, but we’re working on recipes for

organic/vegan energy snacks and drinks which we’ll sell. For now, feel free to stop,

picnic, get some water, etc, and keep an eye out for more developments.

We’re one mile inland from Hwy 1. You can’t miss The Bike Hut – it’s bright red – and a

great place to take a pause before starting the ascent up Tunitas Creek Road to Skyline

Blvd.

Thanks,

Bill and Christine

thebikehut@potreronuevofarm.org

According to a blog post over on the California Mountain Report, the American Rivers are flowing well… there is still plenty of great whitewater rafting now through the end of October.

The Middle Fork American (Class IV) will have flows suitable for whitewater rafting through September 27, 2008. At that point no flows are guaranteed as the engineers will be do maintenance on the dam.  If you are interested in going rafting on the Middle Fork this is your last chance. To get you started, here is a list of Middle Fork American rafting outfitters.

The South Fork American on the other hand is expected to run through the to the end of October. The later you go the more peaceful the canyon will be. If you’re interested in going rafting on the South Fork here is a list of South Fork American rafting outfitters.

Hello fellow cyclists!

I just returned from my 15th year participating in this great, bicycle fundraising event! The ETBT is held every year the weekend after Labor Day and is a 3 day “bicycle vacation”.

We departed on Friday, September 5th to Sunday, September 7th, touring in the beautiful Napa Valley with 3 days cycling and 2 nights camping at the Napa County Fairgrounds which is located in Calistoga. This year the weather was a bit harsh, with temps in the 100 degree mark!

Friday’s ride took us north of town into the Alexander Valley which is quite beautiful. The day started out nice and cool, but by noon it was HOT! Fortunately, we rode at a good speed and were back to the fairgrounds by 1 pm. We showered and spent the rest of the day sitting in the shade, re hydrating, getting massages from the many volunteer massage therapists and sharing our tales from the ride.

Saturday started with another hearty breakfast provided by the catering staff and an eartlier ride time to get out and beat the heat! (I have to say that my new bike was making the work so much easier this year!). Today’s route included a stay on the Napa Valley floor for minimal climbing or choosing to ride up to Pope Valley. We had lunch at Conn Dam (short and middle routes) or at Damonte Hubcap Ranch. Well, we didn’t really have lunch, as my cycling buddie and I got to the lunch stop by 10:15 am and it wasn’t even set up yet! So…we just got back on the bike and off we went! We returned to camp and decided to have iced coffee instead back in downtown Calistoga…a great decision Saturday nights festivities also include a dance…let me just say that all ‘trekkers’ look forward to this night of the event and go ALL out with costumes, blinking lights, outrageous props…well, you get the picture. I really never understood how all these crazy trekkers can get up and ride again after Saturday night!

Sunday, we had the option to again stay on the Napa Valley floor (minimal climbing which we were all for!), take a challenging climb up towards Angwin, or a major climb (experienced cyclists only, this includes a 16% grade) to the Petrified Forest area. The ride was pretty straight forward and we pushed along, back in camp in 2 1/2 hours. There was a BBQ finale in camp at the fairgrounds and much to our delight the shower trucks were still onsite, yeah!

 Anyway, another successful year and many thanks to those of you who have continued to support me each year…I couldn’t do it without your sponsorship

East Truckee CA to West Lovelock, NV

We did our staging and rearranging of the van at my friends Mike and Sandy Horn’s in Truckee. We also found a great eatery for pasta and pizza (Pizzeria Classico) that filled us to overflowing with plenty of complex carbs for our nights ride. We made our way to the hand-off point just east of Town under the Hiway 267 over crossing on Glennshire Road. We made ready and after a phone call from Team Two saying they were running late Jon, Greg and Allan took the first leg our through the Glennshire subdivision. Allan had forgotten the difficulty of some of the hills and also that he was at 6,000’ + in altitude, and soon found himself back in the van. Jon and Greg forged on towards our route joining Interstate 80 where we descended into the Truckee River Gorge and began the two thousand foot drop to Reno.

Allan rejoined them in Verdi and the three of them rode on into town through the Casino area and east into Sparks. About a half mile before rejoining I-80 Allan rejoined me in the van to gas up and get ready to ride with me for the final 30+ miles. We escorted Jon and Greg until we were somewhere east of Fernley where Allan & I took over in the very dark desert with the cold surrounding us like a cloak. We made our way east on the shoulder of the Interstate over one rise then another as we passed the end of the 40 mile desert and the junction of US 95 where it joined the Interstate. I was feeling the altitude and the miles as we passed 30 miles of riding, but I knew we were getting close. Allan had insisted on riding to my right the entire time when I had hoped that we could do some drafting along the way, but in the dark that was probably not the best of ideas even though he and I had the best head lights and blinking rear lights of the team. Quietly we rode on East until we arrived at the appointed mile marker along the freeway.

Where was Team One, they should have been there to meet us. A phone call let us know that they were riding the 5 miles west from Lovelock to cross the highway then begin their 120+ mile ride East. I thought this pretty crazy but as I was to find out through out the ride, they didn’t mind putting in mega miles and also rode mostly as a group of 6 not in smaller groups for faster shorter legs per person. Who knows?

We made our way towards Winnemucca in the dark where we arrived just after sunrise and about 25 minutes before the Griddle opened. The Griddle in Central Winnemucca is a tradition in my travels through Northern Nevada, and I looked forward to a good breakfast there. I had arranged for Jim Hansen a long time close friend who had moved to Winnemucca a couple of years earlier to join us for breakfast and it was not surprise when he arrived with his wife Debbi. We had a better than Denny’s breakfast before we headed out to Battle Mountain where Allan had booked us into a Super 8 Motel for the day time. Jim invited me to go on over to their place to spend the day and then drive me over to Battle Mountain, but I figured this was a team effort and I should stay with my mates.

We arrived in Battle Mountain somewhere around 8:00 and went straight away to the rooms which the management said we had to be out of before 1:00 because her “UNION” help would stay past 2:00 and she needed to the rooms ready. We were out of the rooms but the funny thing is the staff didn’t even get near our rooms and they were still there at 3:45 when we headed east for our next night time riding.

11:00 meet with Teams Two and Three the Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento

We joined up with Team One when they arrived and with a Sacramento City Police Motorcycle escort we made our way to Capital Mall then East to the Capitol for our send off ceremony.  After several speakers and a prayer by Pastor Bud Locke of River Life Covenant Church we mounted our bicycles for the remainder of our escorted ride out to Will Keifer’s grave, all of us had carried a rose from the Capitol and we gathered around the grave where we individually placed our roses on the grave and were led in prayer by Mike the Team One driver. We then made our way back to Folsom Boulevard and east to the parking lot at the corner of Folsom Blvd and Power Inn Road. From here Team Two riders had left at Noon headed for Truckee. The Team Two riders who were with us were to meet them along the route to reinforce them for their climb up and over the Sierra’s Donner Pass.  Our team placed our bikes on the van and began the drive to Truckee.