On Wed, 20 Sep 2023 11:12:25 GMT, Roger Meriman <roger@sarlet.com>
wrote:

>Catrike Rider <soloman@drafting.not> wrote:
>> On Tue, 19 Sep 2023 17:10:26 GMT, Roger Meriman <roger@sarlet.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Tom Kunich <cyclintom@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> On Monday, September 18, 2023 at 4:10:54?PM UTC-7, Roger Meriman wrote:
>>>>> William Crowell <retrog...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> On Monday, September 18, 2023 at 9:23:30?AM UTC-7, Tom Kunich wrote:
>>>>>>> I went out and did the early 600 foot climb. My medication was hitting
>>>>>>> me about that time so I had to watch the road carefully. I was also
>>>>>>> riding the Land Shark which is the heaviest bike I have. After doing
>>>>>>> that climb I descended back almost to sea level and then did another 600
>>>>>>> feet though this wasn't as steep it felt long. This brought me to the
>>>>>>> western end of Proctor Rd.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I followed this to Redwood Rd. and followed that down (at 36 mph) to the
>>>>>>> road closure. Working my way around the closure I started up the closed
>>>>>>> off road. When I came to the total collapse of the road, you can work
>>>>>>> your way around it because the far right used to be a pull-off. When I
>>>>>>> got to Muriel Gate, the fence had been repaired so that passage was no
>>>>>>> longer possible. You could work your way around the fence on the
>>>>>>> downhill side but there was a lot of poison oak on that route. But there
>>>>>>> was also a lot of bicycle wheel prints.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Instead I retreated to the old chain fence that was originally used to
>>>>>>> demarcate the edge of the park. I reached up and hung my bike on the
>>>>>>> fencepost and then climbed up a nearly vertical face which crumbled away
>>>>>>> and caused me to fall back down a couple of times. But I finally made
>>>>>>> the 7 or so feet, lifted the bike up and took a walking trails
>>>>>>> bypassing the road fence.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I then road out of Mariel Gate and down Redwood road. There was a
>>>>>>> surprising amount of traffic on the road considering it dead-end in
>>>>>>> Mariel Park. At the bottom of the hill I had been planning on riding up
>>>>>>> Pinehurst to the top of the hill on the Southern end - "little
>>>>>>> Pinehurst" and then turning around and retracing my steps but since I
>>>>>>> have an appointment at 1 pm I decided instead to ride up Redwood road to
>>>>>>> Skyline and come down out of the hills. So I continued on Redwood Road
>>>>>>> which at this point is part of Oakland. There was heavy traffic on this
>>>>>>> road from, I suppose Walnut Creek taking this back road to Highway 34. I
>>>>>>> am completely out of shape and the climb up to Skyline on a busy narrow
>>>>>>> road being slowly destroyed by the heavy traffic was very tiresome. I
>>>>>>> had to stop twice to let 8 or more cars past since there are some
>>>>>>> cautious drivers that do not want to pass. By the time I had climbed the
>>>>>>> 500 feet to the top I was totally exhausted. Turning left on Skyline is
>>>>>>> a damned 10% climb for a quarter mile. I waited at the traffic light to
>>>>>>> rest and then had to dodge idiot drivers who were taking Redwood Rd to
>>>>>>> the Valley. In the best of times this is a dangerous road but with this
>>>>>>> sort of traffic I'm surprised that they don't have many more accidents
>>>>>>> as the play racers are doing 50+ mph on a road designed for 35.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Turning left and climbing up past Skyline High School which appears to
>>>>>>> have built a housing area behind it now, there is quite a bit of
>>>>>>> climbing but it is a wide road with a good sight line so it is a safe
>>>>>>> road. Then there is a fast descent and a short steep climb past some
>>>>>>> houses that used to be the only homes on Skyline, a descent and then a
>>>>>>> climb up a steep hill of 10 to 12%. i had to stop and rest about half
>>>>>>> way but I managed to clip in on the first attempt. Then the road was so
>>>>>>> bad that I ran out of energy about 20 feet from the top and again had to
>>>>>>> stop. There was a lot of cracks in the road here and I could not clip in
>>>>>>> again and a lot of traffic came by then so I walked the bike up the 20
>>>>>>> feet. The other side is a descent though some really broken up roadway
>>>>>>> but I know when to pull into the other lane to avoid some 6 inch high
>>>>>>> bumps (in 3 or 4 areas). Then a long slide down a fast broken up road
>>>>>>> where a lot of people park to go into Grass Valley Park. There is Grass
>>>>>>> Valley Road that descends sharply with a lot of old houses on either
>>>>>>> side and nut cases pulling out on the road from their driveways without
>>>>>>> looking. But just clear of there the road descends hard (39 mph) and
>>>>>>> turns onto Golf Links Rd. There is a large clear spot for over 1/2 miles
>>>>>>> where the locals dump trash on the side of the road and where Oakland
>>>>>>> has not repaired the damage from last winter's rain.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> This is a descent that turns into a downhill fast right turn and then a
>>>>>>> left ascent to a flat before another descent to a stop on Mountain Blvd.
>>>>>>> Under Highway 680 and then up a very busy climb to a side road where you
>>>>>>> have to cross this traffic that believes they are still on a Freeway.
>>>>>>> That side road still after 5 years has not repaired the ruptured sewer
>>>>>>> line and the acid from the urine has cut 5 inch groves in the asphalt as
>>>>>>> it crosses the road. You have to be extremely careful crossing these
>>>>>>> with a bike and then you have a terrible road the rest of the way down
>>>>>>> the hill to Foothill Blvd. At this place there is a Freeway exit so the
>>>>>>> traffic is again moving 50+ on the city street. But after crossing that
>>>>>>> you only go another couple of blocks to enter San Leandro where the
>>>>>>> street narrows enough that the traffic is forced to slow.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 3 miles and I was home with 28 miles and 2500 feet of climbing. If I had
>>>>>>> taken my original route it would have been safer and with another 400
>>>>>>> feet of climbing. but I have to gain my fitness back. Hopefully it will
>>>>>>> return even though I am getting close to 79. The 80 year old's I'm
>>>>>>> riding with on some rides are faster than me. So hopefully that's
>>>>>>> something to shoot for.
>>>>>> We're having perfect cycling weather here, and I am trying to convince
>>>>>> myself that tomorrow I'm going to do the Starkes Grade loop:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c03AeUshUZAzjdyi6Xvf7HLA0gxn0Qyd/view?usp=sharing
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We'll see if I really do it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> I was in Wales on the weekend and was far from ideal weather, ie mist with
>>>>> varying amounts of visibility from the hill your approaching can?t be seen
>>>>> to, can only just make out the old 2nd world war radar bunker 2 meters
>>>>> away!
>>>>>
>>>>> Very glad I knew the area as I could imagine folks who wandered off getting
>>>>> lost and possibly intt trouble as the temperatures dropped on the higher
>>>>> ground.
>>>>>
>>>>> My shoes are still slightly wet now!
>>>>>
>>>>> Roger Merriman
>>>> There is a local easy climbing ride that I intend to take today but make
>>>> it three times harder. Let's see if I have the strength to do that.
>>>>
>>>
>>> What gearing are using? In my experience now I?m not old but middle aged,
>>> but the first year after my brain injury I was weak and quite ill and
>>> lacking in power but using the old MTB with its 22/34 gearing would spin up
>>> if slowly even 25% grades.
>>>
>>> Roger Merriman
>>
>> When I was younger, a few days without a ride was not a big deal, but
>> today, I felt the 11 day lapse...or it might have been the six days of
>> 500/600/700 miles of driving.
>>
>I get stiff legs! If I don’t ride for a while though that’s partly that if
>I’m not riding it probably means I’m somewhere that I can’t move much
>either.
>
>Though fitness and health in general does decline quickly one of the
>reasons hospitals are so bad for folks is the immobile nature of it.
>
>Roger Merriman

Very little exorcize and lots of driving, partying, and eating for
eleven days. I paid dearly for that on my ride yesterday and I'm still
feeling it this morning.

The trip to Colorado was worth it though. Good friends and relations
out there and one in particular recovering from a serious medical
situation and a stay in the hospital. None of them and my wife and I
are getting any younger and we needed together time.