For today’s throw-back Thursday, I’m going back to 2011, when I’d just finished my first ever ride up to the Lick Observatory, from home – six months ahead of my goal for that year! I would go on to ride up Mount Hamilton eight more times that year. I’m looking forward to trying to get 10 rides up this awesome mountain this year.
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This was the first time I rode up Mount Hamilton.[/caption]
My goals for that year were simple. In other for me to justify spending $1500 on a bicycle, I decided that I was going to try and ride 800 miles for the year. By the time March rolled around, I’d just kicked over the 800 mile mark. Then I made a personal goal of completing a ride up Hamilton by the end of summer, which I’d achieved by the beginning of May. Finally, without realizing it, I’d achieved my goal of riding a century by riding to Santa Cruz and back on my own one sunny spring day.
I only have two goals this year: finish Climb to Kaiser, and finish the ride I’d stayed back in July of last year when I got sideswiped by the RV.
This year will mark my third attempt at the Climb to Kaiser. The first year, I made it to the top, but didn’t have the energy to make it back down. I was pretty beat when I got there. Last year, I didn’t even make it to Shaver lake. With 100-pluss degree weather, once I got to the top of Old Tollhouse Road, I was done. I crossed the 4-lane road and made my way to the rest stop on the other side. During the last stretch back to the school, my Garmin Edge 500 had a temperature reading of 119°.
The heat was BRUTAL.
This year, I’ll have better gearing, and hopefully I’ll be in much better shape. I really want that damn finisher’s jersey!
As far as the route for the 2nd Annual Bay Area Cogal is concerned … I need to finish that route. I feel like I’m missing something by not completing that ride. Some day in the summer, I’m going to give that a try – solo or in a group – and I’m going to persist until I’ve finished!
Did I mention I have a new bicycle? Yeah, she’s sexy. She doesn’t have a name, but boy is she a nice ride:
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Having just finished getting fitted, I decided I should get my photo taken with the new gal.[/caption]
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There she is, just after getting a V-cog sticker attached.[/caption]
Well … that’s all for me for today. Thanks for visiting and Keep Coming Back!!!]]>