I was getting low on Chamois Butter, so while at Sports Basement the other day I thought I'd pick some up. There was the usual tube, but then I saw a container with a screw top lid and it was Chamois Butter, but said it was European style. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I really liked the idea of using a jar rather than a tube. I have two partial tubes of Chamois Butter right now but it's so darned hard to get the last bits out, I thought I'd try something new.
And try I did. Today was the AIDS Lifecycle kick-off ride and I was actually trying lots of new things. Today would be my first ride on my new saddle-- a Selle An Atomica. I was trying new bottoms-- Sugoi knickers in this case that came highly recommended. I initially thought that I shouldn't try out the new knickers and saddle together. After all, if I felt great, how would I know which was working.
But have no fear, it didn't matter. Had I read the label, I would have discovered that "European Style" Chamois Butter has menthol in it. Yes, MENTHOL. The first little rub brought back memories of using Dr. Bronner's soap in the 70s. It might be good for a lot of things, but not on private parts.
The same can be said for this Chamois Butter. That "cooling sensation" made the lips of my vagina feel as if they were on fire. And of course, I had spread some on my chamois as well, so it wasn't coming off easily. I rubbed and wiped, but to no avail.
So I spent today's ride from the Presidio and around Tiburon Loop feeling as if someone had decided to build a campfire in my crotch. Delightful, eh?
But in reality, I think the saddle helped. Since there is a large cut-out right below my private parts, the pressure was less than it would have been so the pain could have been even worse. This new saddle looks a whole lot like an old Brooks saddle with a big old slot in it. No padding, but I don't really think padding helps that much.
For much of the ride I did manage to keep my mind off the pain and enjoy the pedaling and scenery. It was a lovely day for a ride and though Jerry and I had not ridden in a couple of weeks, once we got warmed up we enjoyed ourselves and pedaled somewhat effortlessly.
Back at Sports Basement, there was an array of junk food, soda and beer. I'm not a real big soda fan and while I drink maybe three beers a year, it seemed more appealing than a sweet Coke. I popped the top off of a Sierra Nevada and I admit, it tasted pretty good. I accompanied it with a couple pieces of cheese and way too many potato chips. My standard joke is that I ride for potato chips, and today, it seemed to be true. But after a couple of handfuls in combination with the beer I felt bloated and overfull. Not sure which was to blame-- the beer or the chips-- but I think I'll lay off both for a while.
I chatted with my friend Beau, who is co-president of the Positive Pedalers. This is their 15th year and my hope is to get some really great press for them because they deserve it. I can confidently say that the Pos Peds have saved lives. Being diagnosed HIV positive is not only a physical challenge, but it can be devastating emotionally. The support and encouragement these men and women give each other cannot be overestimated. While they may not have saved my life, they have changed it dramatically. More people need to hear their message of hope and confidence. I will do whatever I can to help them do that.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Fault Lines and Smoked Salmon
I didn't actually ride fault lines this weekend, but 60 riders participated in Seismic Challenge, a ride that crosses four, I think, fault lines around the Bay area. The ride is a two-day 200 or so mile ride with some lovely vistas and challenging climbs.
Jerry and I joined the Positive Pedalers at the rest stop they were staffing-- Rest Stop 3, in Petaluma. The rest stop was in the yard of a tiny school that looked like something out of Little House on the Prairie. We set up, cut up oranges and bananas and arranged other snacks, including potato chips, Clif Bars and the ALC favorite, peanut butter and jelly on graham crackers. And we waited.
And we waited some more. Beau and I drove into downtown Petaluma and went to Peets to get some coffee and we ran into a couple more people we knew who were putting up road signs for the ride.
Beau bought us all coffee and we headed back to the rest stop, but even in the few minutes we had, Beau and I had a good talk. I feel he is one of my closest friends, even though I don't see him that often. But when I do, I can really tell him anything and he listens and always has a good response. It was wonderful to spend a little time with him today.
Bob, one of the other staffers, brought his dog, Brodie. a little Scottie. He had enough energy for all of us, chasing balls and playing a one-dog game of tether ball. He was adorable and Beau had such a good time playing with him. Beau's wonderful dog, Henry Earl, died a few months ago and he misses him terribly, but I understand he is not ready to get another dog. But I hope Beau decides, sometime, to bring another dog home because it would be a blessing for both of them.
The riders finally arrived looking like they'd been through a war. The day was kind of chilly, they had already ridden quite a few miles with lots of them into a headwind. They snacked, they stretched and some hung out for a while, not looking forward to the climb out of the rest stop. But with any luck, they would be getting some tail winds down the road.
The Seismic Challenge is another fundraiser for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, but in reality, I doubt it raised much money. In its second year, it actually had fewer riders than in its first year. Perhaps it's the economy, but I'm not sure how they went about recruiting riders. I was disappointed that they hadn't tried to tie it into the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake. I wonder if they will do another Seismic Challenge. The AIDS ride is really the best known AIDS-related event, and I do believe they are diluting the brand by doing another cycling event. They have also added at least one marathon, and I think a triathalon, but I think they are viewing fundraising events like these too narrowly. Time to think outside the serious athletic realm and get creative. By doing these athletic events all they are doing is drawing people away from the premiere event and I think it's a mistake. But that's just my opinion and if I'm wrong and they are raising a ton of money through these events I'm thrilled. There is no better cause.
After we broke down the rest stop, Jerry and I didn't really feel like going home, so we stopped in at Rest Stop 4 in San Anselmo. They were grooving to an 80s theme, and Annette, one of the staffers, looked like she stepped right out of Flashdance. We hung out a little then headed to downtown San Anselmo.
After strolling a bit, we stopped in at a cafe we frequently cycle by. Usually, there are a gaggle of cyclists out front, drinking coffee, but this being around 4:30, there were only two bikes in the rack.
We hadn't eaten much lunch, so we wanted a bite, and I wanted more coffee. Jerry got a bowl of clam chowder and I got a bagel with lox and cream cheese. Jerry's soup was full of clams and he enjoyed it. My bagel and lox came with capers, thin sliced red onion and tomato. I hadn't had that treat in quite some time and it tasted great. And the coffee was good too.
We're home now and I'm sorry to say we did not ride at all this weekend. Next weekend is the ALC kickoff ride, and I'm looking forward to getting on the tandem and trying new shorts and a new saddle.
Jerry and I joined the Positive Pedalers at the rest stop they were staffing-- Rest Stop 3, in Petaluma. The rest stop was in the yard of a tiny school that looked like something out of Little House on the Prairie. We set up, cut up oranges and bananas and arranged other snacks, including potato chips, Clif Bars and the ALC favorite, peanut butter and jelly on graham crackers. And we waited.
And we waited some more. Beau and I drove into downtown Petaluma and went to Peets to get some coffee and we ran into a couple more people we knew who were putting up road signs for the ride.
Beau bought us all coffee and we headed back to the rest stop, but even in the few minutes we had, Beau and I had a good talk. I feel he is one of my closest friends, even though I don't see him that often. But when I do, I can really tell him anything and he listens and always has a good response. It was wonderful to spend a little time with him today.
Bob, one of the other staffers, brought his dog, Brodie. a little Scottie. He had enough energy for all of us, chasing balls and playing a one-dog game of tether ball. He was adorable and Beau had such a good time playing with him. Beau's wonderful dog, Henry Earl, died a few months ago and he misses him terribly, but I understand he is not ready to get another dog. But I hope Beau decides, sometime, to bring another dog home because it would be a blessing for both of them.
The riders finally arrived looking like they'd been through a war. The day was kind of chilly, they had already ridden quite a few miles with lots of them into a headwind. They snacked, they stretched and some hung out for a while, not looking forward to the climb out of the rest stop. But with any luck, they would be getting some tail winds down the road.
The Seismic Challenge is another fundraiser for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, but in reality, I doubt it raised much money. In its second year, it actually had fewer riders than in its first year. Perhaps it's the economy, but I'm not sure how they went about recruiting riders. I was disappointed that they hadn't tried to tie it into the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake. I wonder if they will do another Seismic Challenge. The AIDS ride is really the best known AIDS-related event, and I do believe they are diluting the brand by doing another cycling event. They have also added at least one marathon, and I think a triathalon, but I think they are viewing fundraising events like these too narrowly. Time to think outside the serious athletic realm and get creative. By doing these athletic events all they are doing is drawing people away from the premiere event and I think it's a mistake. But that's just my opinion and if I'm wrong and they are raising a ton of money through these events I'm thrilled. There is no better cause.
After we broke down the rest stop, Jerry and I didn't really feel like going home, so we stopped in at Rest Stop 4 in San Anselmo. They were grooving to an 80s theme, and Annette, one of the staffers, looked like she stepped right out of Flashdance. We hung out a little then headed to downtown San Anselmo.
After strolling a bit, we stopped in at a cafe we frequently cycle by. Usually, there are a gaggle of cyclists out front, drinking coffee, but this being around 4:30, there were only two bikes in the rack.
We hadn't eaten much lunch, so we wanted a bite, and I wanted more coffee. Jerry got a bowl of clam chowder and I got a bagel with lox and cream cheese. Jerry's soup was full of clams and he enjoyed it. My bagel and lox came with capers, thin sliced red onion and tomato. I hadn't had that treat in quite some time and it tasted great. And the coffee was good too.
We're home now and I'm sorry to say we did not ride at all this weekend. Next weekend is the ALC kickoff ride, and I'm looking forward to getting on the tandem and trying new shorts and a new saddle.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Biketoberfest and French Fries
Today was Biketoberfest in Fairfax, and a good excuse to take a short ride and look at what the vendors had to offer.
It's so hard for me to get motivated when I'm not riding an organized ride, and Jerry and I dragged our feet getting out of the house this morning. We mostly rode the usual route through downtown San Rafael, then San Anselmo to Fairfax, although at one point we did take a little detour to ride some new back roads. Nice to look at different houses for a change.
When we rode out it was quite chilly so we had on our caps, jackets, long sleeve jerseys and pants, but it didn't take long for the sun to break through and make us wish we weren't quite so bundled up. I did take my cap off at a red light and the ventilation definitely helped.
We rode to Fairfax and the Marin Bike Coalition had bike parking, so we left our tandem in their capable hands and headed across the street.
By far, for me, the most interesting booth was Calfee. First of all, they had a tandem that weighed in at 24 pounds. A real beauty, but at $18,000 we'll stick with our CoMotion and lose weight to make up for the extra poundage.
In addition to that beauty of a tandem, they had Selle Anatomica saddles, which are basically Brooks saddles with a large slot cut into them. The guy at the booth said it's the most comfortable saddle he's ever used. It's definitely on my wish list, and we might see if we can find one used. I am still on that endless quest for the perfect saddle. They all seem to work for the first 40 miles or so, but shortly thereafter the ride turns uncomfortable, and then painful. There's got to be a fix.
We entered Sports Basement's drawing for a gift certificate, and then headed out to our favorite lunch spot-- Theresa and Johnny's Comfort Food Cafe in downtown San Rafael.
We availed ourselves of the bike rack at Mike's Bikes across the street, though we did ask permission first.
While earlier in this post I talked about losing weight, I'm sure not doing anything about it. For lunch I had scrambled eggs and French fries. Yes, French fries. At least I didn't eat the toast. The short ride we took today by no means made up for what I ate for lunch, or for the huge number of tortilla chips I ate yesterday.
You'd think admitting this on the Internet would help me change my ways, but so far, it's not working. I think other things in my life need to change before my eating habits improve, and I'll leave it at that.
It's so hard for me to get motivated when I'm not riding an organized ride, and Jerry and I dragged our feet getting out of the house this morning. We mostly rode the usual route through downtown San Rafael, then San Anselmo to Fairfax, although at one point we did take a little detour to ride some new back roads. Nice to look at different houses for a change.
When we rode out it was quite chilly so we had on our caps, jackets, long sleeve jerseys and pants, but it didn't take long for the sun to break through and make us wish we weren't quite so bundled up. I did take my cap off at a red light and the ventilation definitely helped.
We rode to Fairfax and the Marin Bike Coalition had bike parking, so we left our tandem in their capable hands and headed across the street.
By far, for me, the most interesting booth was Calfee. First of all, they had a tandem that weighed in at 24 pounds. A real beauty, but at $18,000 we'll stick with our CoMotion and lose weight to make up for the extra poundage.
In addition to that beauty of a tandem, they had Selle Anatomica saddles, which are basically Brooks saddles with a large slot cut into them. The guy at the booth said it's the most comfortable saddle he's ever used. It's definitely on my wish list, and we might see if we can find one used. I am still on that endless quest for the perfect saddle. They all seem to work for the first 40 miles or so, but shortly thereafter the ride turns uncomfortable, and then painful. There's got to be a fix.
We entered Sports Basement's drawing for a gift certificate, and then headed out to our favorite lunch spot-- Theresa and Johnny's Comfort Food Cafe in downtown San Rafael.
We availed ourselves of the bike rack at Mike's Bikes across the street, though we did ask permission first.
While earlier in this post I talked about losing weight, I'm sure not doing anything about it. For lunch I had scrambled eggs and French fries. Yes, French fries. At least I didn't eat the toast. The short ride we took today by no means made up for what I ate for lunch, or for the huge number of tortilla chips I ate yesterday.
You'd think admitting this on the Internet would help me change my ways, but so far, it's not working. I think other things in my life need to change before my eating habits improve, and I'll leave it at that.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Tailwinds, Levi and Paella
Up before the crack of dawn yesterday to head to Santa Rosa for the Gran Fondo, a ride sponsored by Levi Leipheimer, which raised funds for a couple of groups, including animal rescue.
We had signed up for this ride months ago, and at times it almost became an afterthought, but our Road IDs arrived this week and the ride became more real. I hadn't realized there would be 3500 riders, so we drove to Santa Rosa with at least a bit of trepidation, wondering what a mass start of that size would look like.
We arrived early enough for me to exchange the meal tickets-- they gave us the wrong ones-- and wander around a bit. Ran into some friends, and the next thing you know, it was time to climb on the bike.
And wait. And wait some more. They released the riders slowly, which certainly was a good idea. Although I think perhaps they did it backwards. They had the self-identified slow riders in the back. I know at least one person who had to be swept because he lost time waiting to be released. But I kind of get why they had to do that. The fast riders would have steamrollered over the slow ones. There's probably a solution, but since this was the first year of this ride, there's time to work out the kinks.
Jerry and I pushed off about 45 minutes or so after the "start," but we were not doing the 100 mile ride, just the 62 mile ride, so we knew we'd be fine.
It did seem kind of funny having lots of folks lining the first couple miles of the route to cheer us on. After all, it was just a day's ride, not a week long ride to LA, and while we were raising money, there didn't seem to be anything monumental about the whole thing. But I suppose it's good that the Santa Rosa folks were excited by the ride. I'm sure we caused much havoc on plenty of people's Saturday routines, since there were road closures and cops stationed along the route waving us through stop signs and red lights.
It was a sunny, chilly day in Sonoma, and Jerry and I wore our ALC jackets and we were glad to have them. There was also quite a bit of wind, sometimes making the pedaling difficult.
But the most difficult pedaling came at Coleman Valley Road. We had never ridden that particular stretch of Hell, and until I'm strong and am not coming off of being sick, I don't want to ride it again too soon.I neglected to mention I was pretty sick on Friday and had gotten dehydrated. I decided I would see how I felt Saturday morning. If I still felt crummy, I was going to send Jerry to Santa Rosa on his Bianchi. In many ways it was good that I went. His Bianchi does not have the gears to climb the worst hill we've ever rode. Or walked part of.
Yes, for the first time ever, we walked part of a hill. Never on White's Hill. Never on Quadbuster. But we walked perhaps a couple hundred yards of Coleman Valley. It was just too steep for the tandem. And we certainly weren't alone. There were some riders who appeared to walk the entire hill.
Occasionally, a tail wind would appear and give us a little boost. That was a godsend and we only hoped for more. They were few and far between but oh so welcome when they arrived.
After the worst part of the climb there was still some more climbing, and by then the winds had shifted and we had more cross wind than we would have liked, But we persevered and kept riding while others walked.
Once that was over it was smooth sailing until we hit a gravel path. I figure they took us off roads because the good citizens of Santa Rosa could only take a morning of bicycles taking over their town, but the gravel path was hideous. By then our butts were incredibly sore and the bouncing on the gravel surface made those few miles unbearable. So glad when we got back on pavement.
Shortly after, we arrived at the finish line and could dismount. There was a long line at bike parking, so we decided to risk leaving our bike unattended with no ill consequences.
Then, meal tickets in hand, we headed over to the supper tent. We had three choices: Mexican, Italian and Paella. The Italian seemed too generic, Mexican risky on a recently ravaged gastro system, so we went with the paella. Definitely a good choice. It was fairly bland, which normally I'd complain about, but it was like a big plate of comfort food. There was no sausage, which was fine with me, and the rice was incredibly comforting and filling. We had a coupon for a free beer, which I gladly handed over to a tablemate. We had sparkling lemonade to complete the meal. Just fine by me.
We did a little walking around the festival, visiting with one dog up for adoption and a bunch of bike-related booths. But after just a little while we knew it was time to head home.
Back at the house, we forced ourselves to stay up until almost 9 pm, but justified the early to bed time by remembering we had been up at 5:30 am and had ridden the hardest hill we had ever ridden. Next year on the AIDS ride, Quadbuster will look like a piece of cake. With no chocolate frosting.
We had signed up for this ride months ago, and at times it almost became an afterthought, but our Road IDs arrived this week and the ride became more real. I hadn't realized there would be 3500 riders, so we drove to Santa Rosa with at least a bit of trepidation, wondering what a mass start of that size would look like.
We arrived early enough for me to exchange the meal tickets-- they gave us the wrong ones-- and wander around a bit. Ran into some friends, and the next thing you know, it was time to climb on the bike.
And wait. And wait some more. They released the riders slowly, which certainly was a good idea. Although I think perhaps they did it backwards. They had the self-identified slow riders in the back. I know at least one person who had to be swept because he lost time waiting to be released. But I kind of get why they had to do that. The fast riders would have steamrollered over the slow ones. There's probably a solution, but since this was the first year of this ride, there's time to work out the kinks.
Jerry and I pushed off about 45 minutes or so after the "start," but we were not doing the 100 mile ride, just the 62 mile ride, so we knew we'd be fine.
It did seem kind of funny having lots of folks lining the first couple miles of the route to cheer us on. After all, it was just a day's ride, not a week long ride to LA, and while we were raising money, there didn't seem to be anything monumental about the whole thing. But I suppose it's good that the Santa Rosa folks were excited by the ride. I'm sure we caused much havoc on plenty of people's Saturday routines, since there were road closures and cops stationed along the route waving us through stop signs and red lights.
It was a sunny, chilly day in Sonoma, and Jerry and I wore our ALC jackets and we were glad to have them. There was also quite a bit of wind, sometimes making the pedaling difficult.
But the most difficult pedaling came at Coleman Valley Road. We had never ridden that particular stretch of Hell, and until I'm strong and am not coming off of being sick, I don't want to ride it again too soon.I neglected to mention I was pretty sick on Friday and had gotten dehydrated. I decided I would see how I felt Saturday morning. If I still felt crummy, I was going to send Jerry to Santa Rosa on his Bianchi. In many ways it was good that I went. His Bianchi does not have the gears to climb the worst hill we've ever rode. Or walked part of.
Yes, for the first time ever, we walked part of a hill. Never on White's Hill. Never on Quadbuster. But we walked perhaps a couple hundred yards of Coleman Valley. It was just too steep for the tandem. And we certainly weren't alone. There were some riders who appeared to walk the entire hill.
Occasionally, a tail wind would appear and give us a little boost. That was a godsend and we only hoped for more. They were few and far between but oh so welcome when they arrived.
After the worst part of the climb there was still some more climbing, and by then the winds had shifted and we had more cross wind than we would have liked, But we persevered and kept riding while others walked.
Once that was over it was smooth sailing until we hit a gravel path. I figure they took us off roads because the good citizens of Santa Rosa could only take a morning of bicycles taking over their town, but the gravel path was hideous. By then our butts were incredibly sore and the bouncing on the gravel surface made those few miles unbearable. So glad when we got back on pavement.
Shortly after, we arrived at the finish line and could dismount. There was a long line at bike parking, so we decided to risk leaving our bike unattended with no ill consequences.
Then, meal tickets in hand, we headed over to the supper tent. We had three choices: Mexican, Italian and Paella. The Italian seemed too generic, Mexican risky on a recently ravaged gastro system, so we went with the paella. Definitely a good choice. It was fairly bland, which normally I'd complain about, but it was like a big plate of comfort food. There was no sausage, which was fine with me, and the rice was incredibly comforting and filling. We had a coupon for a free beer, which I gladly handed over to a tablemate. We had sparkling lemonade to complete the meal. Just fine by me.
We did a little walking around the festival, visiting with one dog up for adoption and a bunch of bike-related booths. But after just a little while we knew it was time to head home.
Back at the house, we forced ourselves to stay up until almost 9 pm, but justified the early to bed time by remembering we had been up at 5:30 am and had ridden the hardest hill we had ever ridden. Next year on the AIDS ride, Quadbuster will look like a piece of cake. With no chocolate frosting.
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