It's Thanksgiving weekend and I feel like everything BUT a Cyclist.
("I'm a Cyclist" is my favorite running joke btw). Last night we were in the Castro and about 200 people on bikes rolled by and I stood on the street calling out, 'I'm a Cyclist". My friends laughed. The cyclists didn't.
I feel, after the drive up here, I should spend every waking moment training for what will be an intense 7 days. "What am I thinking" kept running through my head.
I know that I will do it, but the reality of riding a bike from San Francisco to LA is starting to really sink in (especially after the 7 hour drive). I have a lot of work to do.
I would really like to bike over the Golden Gate Bridge this weekend. Just a nice little symbolic gesture that would be really cool, especially since I have never been over it to begin with.
When we pulled into SF, the exit we took to Tony and Cody's place had a sign that read, "Cow Palace" with an arrow pointing left. I believe that is where the ride begins. it was cool to be there by accident.
5 comments:
I discovered your blog from the ALC facebook page. Glad to see another ALC first-timer documenting their experience on the web. While I have been cycling for awhile now, right now as I look at how many days left we have before June 5 it is all starting to sink in and feel overwhelming to me.
Keep up the good work!
Samantha
www.samanthacycles.com
@Samantha: thats where the support of other cyclists like Mark (and his superspiffy and cute video) can really help. Do you facebook? I chat with other ALC'ers every day - talking training, ride fashion (red dress day!), and other topics.
I try to make weekly rides with the training group in my area as well. POWERS IN NUMBERS MA'DEAR!!
come find me if you'd like:
I'm on Facebook as "Bob McDiarmid"
and I'm online at http://www.robertmcdiarmid.com
I learned the true power in numbers while training for my first century this summer. There were 5 of us that did it together and it was an awesome experience.
Going to check out your site now. :-)
Hi Mark -
Congrats on the commitment. This year will be my third ALC and my single best bit of advice for training is this:
Don't ever think about riding from SF to LA.
The goal is so lofty and unimaginable that it is destined to demoralize you. As long as you work your butt off every time you get on the bike, you will be fine. I guarantee it. Email me if you need a training buddy in SF. fauxcyclist.com
P.S. (RE: Your GGB video) Yes, we stop on ALC. We stop a lot. :)
Thanks guys.
Love the support and community surrounding ALC.
I finally got accustomed to my new bike this weekend. (clips are great) and did 28 miles today. It felt great.
Dan- I love the advice about not focusing on the overall distance..it CAN be overwhelming to look at the whole pie instead of taking it slice by slice.
Glad to know there is stoppage on the ride. :)
Thanks guys!
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