Ride Report!
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Onno Kluyt
May 11, 2013, 7:10:54 PM5/11/13
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(you didn't really think you were rid of me, did you?)
I did the traditional Portola Valley loop today: http://app.strava.com/activities/53675891/embed/f539e4eb18194f3bcdb791d521dab2533a587f05.
On the way out on Foothill Expressway I caught up with Bruce at a traffic light and we rode up together for a while. At the next traffic light - there are a bunch here - he commented how nice the weather was. I agreed, shared that I just moved here from upstate New York where we didn't get much of a spring. Bruce explained that here the weather had been strange as well. Five weeks ago on a ride clouds were packing, he stopped for lunch, and it rained for about 15 minutes. Crazy stuff. Today it's around 80 degrees, he's riding with booties and I see several other cyclists with arm warmers. He hears my accent, guesses correctly that I'm from flatland. He lived in Munich and Switzerland for a while. At the end of Foothill he turns right to go counter clockwise around Portola, I turn left to go clockwise. I like the climb up Alpine Road. It averages between 3% and 4% so you can go up quite fast.
At the end of the climb there is the junction with Portola Valley Road. This stop sign is famous in that police is often hiding around the corner ticketing cyclists who don't make a full stop. The other side meanders down at the same average. Time for the big gear. A few miles further is the Woodside village with its grocery store. A mandatory stop for cyclists, around 20 or so mulling about inside and outside the store. Lost of gorgeous cycling gear on display. When I come out the store with the coffee and other yummy stuff I see Bruce sitting on the steps. I join him.
After the break I turn right on Whiskey Hill. On the descent a small group wearing Monta Vista Wheelers shirts pass me. I latch on on the Sand Hill climb but fall back on the downhill. At the beginning of Foothill I catch them again. Foothill is like Strong Rd. Some rollers and when you feel good you can go very fast. On one of the rollers I execute a well timed Fast Friends style attack pulling through on the other side of the roller. A mille or so further they catch back on and one of them places his attack. With Mark - we introduce ourselves at a traffic light down the road - I work together to get back on the rear wheel. The three of us tussle a little more and then a quick pace line establishes itself. At a traffic light Mark comments on my bike liking the Flandrien treatment of the Ridley. He is Belgian, born in Antwerp and went to school in Brussels. He's been here since 1992. I arrived here in 1997. We have a somewhat traditional chat among foreigners leaving aboard (what a strange sentence, don't foreigners always live aboard? it's what makes them foreign? anyways, where were we?). Do you think you'll go back? Maybe, just not yet though. Isn't it hard to speak our native tongue? Yes. Aren't the politics horrible in this country? Yes. Don't our home countries feel small? Yes.
I ask if he rides for a club. Yes, the Monta Vista Wheelers, he explains, pointing at his jersey. They ride every Saturday morning from the Starbucks store in Los Altos Hills and ride in the range of 70 to 100 miles. I say I like to ride along next Saturday. He smiles and says I must! Now then, a bike club that starts and ends its rides next to a Starbucks… My gold card shivers in delight.
He turns off, he lives in Los Altos. I carry on making a little side loop back to Homestead riding partway to Stevens Creek park. This is to add a few more miles (must make miles for Tour de Cure) but also for nostalgic reasons. This brings me along Blaney Avenue in Cupertino allowing me to wave at the apartment where my American adventure started. After 47 miles I turn back into the parking lot of my apartment complex. I carry the bike up the stairs and put it on the balcony. There is a storage locker on the balcony where the bike rests at night. Then I pour a large glass of water, sit down in rocking chair on the balcony. A moment later TickTock jumps on my lap. Together we watch the ducks and geese in the waterworks behind my apartment and the squirrels squirreling about. Life is good.
Onno.
From the Fast Friends West Coast office.
I did the traditional Portola Valley loop today: http://app.strava.com/activities/53675891/embed/f539e4eb18194f3bcdb791d521dab2533a587f05.
On the way out on Foothill Expressway I caught up with Bruce at a traffic light and we rode up together for a while. At the next traffic light - there are a bunch here - he commented how nice the weather was. I agreed, shared that I just moved here from upstate New York where we didn't get much of a spring. Bruce explained that here the weather had been strange as well. Five weeks ago on a ride clouds were packing, he stopped for lunch, and it rained for about 15 minutes. Crazy stuff. Today it's around 80 degrees, he's riding with booties and I see several other cyclists with arm warmers. He hears my accent, guesses correctly that I'm from flatland. He lived in Munich and Switzerland for a while. At the end of Foothill he turns right to go counter clockwise around Portola, I turn left to go clockwise. I like the climb up Alpine Road. It averages between 3% and 4% so you can go up quite fast.
At the end of the climb there is the junction with Portola Valley Road. This stop sign is famous in that police is often hiding around the corner ticketing cyclists who don't make a full stop. The other side meanders down at the same average. Time for the big gear. A few miles further is the Woodside village with its grocery store. A mandatory stop for cyclists, around 20 or so mulling about inside and outside the store. Lost of gorgeous cycling gear on display. When I come out the store with the coffee and other yummy stuff I see Bruce sitting on the steps. I join him.
After the break I turn right on Whiskey Hill. On the descent a small group wearing Monta Vista Wheelers shirts pass me. I latch on on the Sand Hill climb but fall back on the downhill. At the beginning of Foothill I catch them again. Foothill is like Strong Rd. Some rollers and when you feel good you can go very fast. On one of the rollers I execute a well timed Fast Friends style attack pulling through on the other side of the roller. A mille or so further they catch back on and one of them places his attack. With Mark - we introduce ourselves at a traffic light down the road - I work together to get back on the rear wheel. The three of us tussle a little more and then a quick pace line establishes itself. At a traffic light Mark comments on my bike liking the Flandrien treatment of the Ridley. He is Belgian, born in Antwerp and went to school in Brussels. He's been here since 1992. I arrived here in 1997. We have a somewhat traditional chat among foreigners leaving aboard (what a strange sentence, don't foreigners always live aboard? it's what makes them foreign? anyways, where were we?). Do you think you'll go back? Maybe, just not yet though. Isn't it hard to speak our native tongue? Yes. Aren't the politics horrible in this country? Yes. Don't our home countries feel small? Yes.
I ask if he rides for a club. Yes, the Monta Vista Wheelers, he explains, pointing at his jersey. They ride every Saturday morning from the Starbucks store in Los Altos Hills and ride in the range of 70 to 100 miles. I say I like to ride along next Saturday. He smiles and says I must! Now then, a bike club that starts and ends its rides next to a Starbucks… My gold card shivers in delight.
He turns off, he lives in Los Altos. I carry on making a little side loop back to Homestead riding partway to Stevens Creek park. This is to add a few more miles (must make miles for Tour de Cure) but also for nostalgic reasons. This brings me along Blaney Avenue in Cupertino allowing me to wave at the apartment where my American adventure started. After 47 miles I turn back into the parking lot of my apartment complex. I carry the bike up the stairs and put it on the balcony. There is a storage locker on the balcony where the bike rests at night. Then I pour a large glass of water, sit down in rocking chair on the balcony. A moment later TickTock jumps on my lap. Together we watch the ducks and geese in the waterworks behind my apartment and the squirrels squirreling about. Life is good.
Onno.
From the Fast Friends West Coast office.
Christopher Kvam
May 11, 2013, 8:44:53 PM5/11/13
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Great ride report!!
Today's Avon - Geneseo - Dansville ride paled in comparison - windy, 50 degrees, overcast. I was 15 minutes early to sign in riders, which was quite the accomplishment for me. We had a small group of hearty souls, debating over how many layers to add. Feeling as bad as the weather, I cut at the Groveland 4 corners, and got in about 40. Hope the rest of the group fared better!
Chris
Today's Avon - Geneseo - Dansville ride paled in comparison - windy, 50 degrees, overcast. I was 15 minutes early to sign in riders, which was quite the accomplishment for me. We had a small group of hearty souls, debating over how many layers to add. Feeling as bad as the weather, I cut at the Groveland 4 corners, and got in about 40. Hope the rest of the group fared better!
Chris
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Robert Cooper
May 11, 2013, 9:04:16 PM5/11/13
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My Day: 58 miles, my house to Geneseo and back. Bob C.
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Someone showed me a picture and I just laughed
Dignity never been photographed
Dignity never been photographed
tomste...@frontiernet.net
May 12, 2013, 7:45:10 AM5/12/13
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Outstanding Onno! Great to hear from you!
From: Onno Kluyt <on...@onno.com>
To: fast-f...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2013 7:10 PM
Subject: Ride Report!
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Cindy Fleischer
May 12, 2013, 12:42:59 PM5/12/13
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As usual my finger hovers over the send button. But I'll wait since it's only 6 AM there. What a wonderful ride report for so many reasons, it's breadth and depth, but mostly because you are now in a club! Good writing, good feeling, and a smile.
Cindy
From (one of) the east coast offices, Where life is also good! Sorry you missed the glorious spring which has finally arrived.
PS Please pat the extraordinary Tick Tock for me.
Please excuse spelling errors - I like to use talk-to-text & sometimes I don't catch the flubs. :-)
Please excuse spelling errors - I like to use talk-to-text & sometimes I don't catch the flubs. :-)
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Otto Muller-Girard
May 12, 2013, 6:00:12 PM5/12/13
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Onno,
Here is a picture to share with your new Cali bike friends when they wear
booties at 80 degrees. Good the hear from you!
bike club that starts and ends its rides next to a Starbucks. My gold card
Here is a picture to share with your new Cali bike friends when they wear
booties at 80 degrees. Good the hear from you!
shivers in delight.
He turns off, he lives in Los Altos. I carry on making a little side loop
back to Homestead riding partway to Stevens Creek park. This is to add a few
more miles (must make miles for Tour de Cure) but also for nostalgic
reasons. This brings me along Blaney Avenue in Cupertino allowing me to wave
at the apartment where my American adventure started. After 47 miles I turn
back into the parking lot of my apartment complex. I carry the bike up the
stairs and put it on the balcony. There is a storage locker on the balcony
where the bike rests at night. Then I pour a large glass of water, sit down
in rocking chair on the balcony. A moment later TickTock jumps on my lap.
Together we watch the ducks and geese in the waterworks behind my apartment
and the squirrels squirreling about. Life is good.
Onno.
From the Fast Friends West Coast office.
He turns off, he lives in Los Altos. I carry on making a little side loop
back to Homestead riding partway to Stevens Creek park. This is to add a few
more miles (must make miles for Tour de Cure) but also for nostalgic
reasons. This brings me along Blaney Avenue in Cupertino allowing me to wave
at the apartment where my American adventure started. After 47 miles I turn
back into the parking lot of my apartment complex. I carry the bike up the
stairs and put it on the balcony. There is a storage locker on the balcony
where the bike rests at night. Then I pour a large glass of water, sit down
in rocking chair on the balcony. A moment later TickTock jumps on my lap.
Together we watch the ducks and geese in the waterworks behind my apartment
and the squirrels squirreling about. Life is good.
Onno.
From the Fast Friends West Coast office.
Onno Kluyt
May 12, 2013, 7:20:49 PM5/12/13
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Hard to believe that's only a month ago.
> <IMG_20130406_141430_846.jpg>
Robert Thornburg
May 13, 2013, 1:07:39 PM5/13/13
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Where was that picture taken?
Sent from my iPad
> <IMG_20130406_141430_846.jpg>
Sent from my iPad
OttoMG
May 13, 2013, 3:01:27 PM5/13/13
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Harriette Hollister April 6, 2013. There was still snow on the ground in shaded areas above 2000 ft. elevation.
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