Riding and Coffee

I think Aeropress ought to give me a kickback. I praised them to Thanksgiving Coffee and they now sell them. I've also told numerous riders about the Aeropress, so my guess is I won't be the only one with an Aeropress on the ride this year.

And speaking of riding, we got in two days of riding-- Friday and Saturday. Friday was a ride out of the parking lot at Golden Gate Bridge to the Tiburon Loop. Jerry and I rode pretty strong and we felt great. Our average speed was Cat2-3 and we climbed Camino Alto faster than I think we've ever climbed it.

After the ride was the usual stop at Comfort Food Cafe where I of course, ordered coffee. But it actually tasted kind of funny. I don't think it was the coffee, but residue from the washing-- maybe a little detergent or even bleach.

Saturday's ride was not as strong as Friday's, which is to be expected. It was our first back to back in some time. Also, it was colder and we did not escape the rain.
This ride was to Lagunitas, which meant a climb over White's Hill. I'm proud to say that we didn't stop on White's Hill, which is another first for the season. But it was about time for us to take it in a single ride. But it was slow. We're not kids and it was our first back to back, so I'll cut us a little slack.
We got to the Lagunitas Market and I had some tabouli and Jerry had a cup of chili. I had also brought some butterscotch bars to share, mostly so I could get them out of the house and not eat them all myself. They were appreciated. I also had a cup of their really good French roast coffee. It definitely helped warm me up for the cold ride ahead.

It started to rain while we were there, but just a little sprinkle. We thought we better head out before a downpour--after all, we were 20 miles or so from our starting point.

But the rain was faster than we were and we were pretty cold and wet by the time we got back to the car. It was great to get home and peel off the wet bike clothes.

On another topic, but definitely related, I got a wonderful present this week. It was a photo of my friend, Jimmy, who died from AIDS several years ago. Serendipitously, his sister is a friend of a friend on Facebook, so I sent her a message. I wasn't really sure how she would react, but it was extremely positive. I am so happy to have his photo. Jerry and I will carry it with us on the ride. I've written about Jimmy before. His birthday was February 29, so the joke was he only had to have a birthday every four years. If he had had only had the opportunity to grow old.

I have lost other friends to AIDS, but no one as close as Jimmy. Even though we only spoke every couple of years, I still miss him. He will be in my thoughts every day on the ride this year.