February, 2008 Tour De California
Fun with Ray and Jerry 2/19-25/08
US Airways did a good job on the whole trip and the flights went well. After sitting on the plane, however, it was great to ride my new Titus Modena bike that Ray built for me. I took it for about a ten mile walk.
Day two: It was raining and my new bike was going to get wet and muddy. I tried to talk Ray into using his red bike. It was a high performance bike but I called it a “junk bike.” He said, “NO WAY!”
The third day we rode 67 miles. On the way to Mother Hubbards in Buellton for breakfast there was this farm road with mud. I was able to get three handfuls of wet mud off my new bike. We rode the time trial course. It was about 15 miles and took me about an hour and a half. The racers did it in about 30 minutes. What fun! I found a half pound wheel weight.
Our next ride took us 27 miles out of Lompoc to and on Vandenberg AFB. We went down to the airport, 29 miles an hour. More fun! Going back it was 10 miles an hour because of a strong wind. We went down a steep grade and had to pedal.
We went to San Luis Obispo, CA where the International bike ride would end for the day. The riders were slow; it was about 45 degrees, raining and there was a 40 mile an hour wind. They spent about 6 hours, 56 minutes, 9 seconds traveling 135 miles. They started in Santa Cruz. It was a very hard day for them. Dominique Rollin came in first and George Hincapie second. We got there at 1:00 p.m. and left at 6. It rained the whole time - just like home. Went back to Ray’s to watch more of it on TV.
After the third day I was looking and the couch I slept on was a hide-a-bed. I really had better sleep on the couch than on the bed. Don’t ask me why.
Levi Leipheimer did the 15 mile time trials the fastest today. He is still first. I bought a bike for Vellen (son) today. I hope he pays me back. It is a very, very good mountain bike.
Saturday it was cloudy and in the 50’s – cold to start. We rode from Lompoc to the lighthouse. There was a fast ride to the guard station. Ray got us in at Vandenberg AFB and up a mile hill (what a great ride today), then to the beach. The wind came up and it was out of the southeast with 61-mile-an-hour wind gusts (They felt like 90 MPH>). The cross wind was something to take special note. It was very hard to go across the wind. Six miles an hour was top speed going down hill. Another part was a drain gully I rode in to keep out of the wind and when I came out of it, it stopped me and I almost fell over. On the way back you would be behind an embankment and then a valley where you just got hammered.
One place where we stopped and I got off to rest, the wind blew the bike. The tires slid side ways in the gravel. I had to hold onto the handle bars to keep it there. There was one road that went with the wind. On the way back you coasted up hill. I was riding along just coasting and then there was a turn. Ray said we should shift down. I was thinking it wasn’t that bad. Well, it was! I stopped! Back to be blown all over the road again. I stopped about every quarter mile to rest. One time I stopped behind a power pole and some farm workers drove out of a side rode and laughed at me. The power lines were bowed in a big “U” shape. What a sight to see.
It was a real workout but fun to be with Stephanie and Chuck, Jerry and Ray. We did 39.8 miles today and I was sore in the shoulders.
Sunday was a slow day. The weatherman said 90% chance of rain and wind. He was right on the wind. I went for a three mile ride just to say I went for a ride.
One thing you should never do is eat two big tubs of popcorn at the movies before dinner. I was full. The dinner and dessert were great but I just ate too much. We watched Leipheimer win the race on TV.
My new bike will be shipped to me next week. It is a Titus Modena. You can Google it if you want to look at it. There is no picture because some of my friends use dial-up and that is high Tec for them and me.
Byran got Raymonized.
Fun with Ray and Jerry 2/19-25/08
US Airways did a good job on the whole trip and the flights went well. After sitting on the plane, however, it was great to ride my new Titus Modena bike that Ray built for me. I took it for about a ten mile walk.
Day two: It was raining and my new bike was going to get wet and muddy. I tried to talk Ray into using his red bike. It was a high performance bike but I called it a “junk bike.” He said, “NO WAY!”
The third day we rode 67 miles. On the way to Mother Hubbards in Buellton for breakfast there was this farm road with mud. I was able to get three handfuls of wet mud off my new bike. We rode the time trial course. It was about 15 miles and took me about an hour and a half. The racers did it in about 30 minutes. What fun! I found a half pound wheel weight.
Our next ride took us 27 miles out of Lompoc to and on Vandenberg AFB. We went down to the airport, 29 miles an hour. More fun! Going back it was 10 miles an hour because of a strong wind. We went down a steep grade and had to pedal.
We went to San Luis Obispo, CA where the International bike ride would end for the day. The riders were slow; it was about 45 degrees, raining and there was a 40 mile an hour wind. They spent about 6 hours, 56 minutes, 9 seconds traveling 135 miles. They started in Santa Cruz. It was a very hard day for them. Dominique Rollin came in first and George Hincapie second. We got there at 1:00 p.m. and left at 6. It rained the whole time - just like home. Went back to Ray’s to watch more of it on TV.
After the third day I was looking and the couch I slept on was a hide-a-bed. I really had better sleep on the couch than on the bed. Don’t ask me why.
Levi Leipheimer did the 15 mile time trials the fastest today. He is still first. I bought a bike for Vellen (son) today. I hope he pays me back. It is a very, very good mountain bike.
Saturday it was cloudy and in the 50’s – cold to start. We rode from Lompoc to the lighthouse. There was a fast ride to the guard station. Ray got us in at Vandenberg AFB and up a mile hill (what a great ride today), then to the beach. The wind came up and it was out of the southeast with 61-mile-an-hour wind gusts (They felt like 90 MPH>). The cross wind was something to take special note. It was very hard to go across the wind. Six miles an hour was top speed going down hill. Another part was a drain gully I rode in to keep out of the wind and when I came out of it, it stopped me and I almost fell over. On the way back you would be behind an embankment and then a valley where you just got hammered.
One place where we stopped and I got off to rest, the wind blew the bike. The tires slid side ways in the gravel. I had to hold onto the handle bars to keep it there. There was one road that went with the wind. On the way back you coasted up hill. I was riding along just coasting and then there was a turn. Ray said we should shift down. I was thinking it wasn’t that bad. Well, it was! I stopped! Back to be blown all over the road again. I stopped about every quarter mile to rest. One time I stopped behind a power pole and some farm workers drove out of a side rode and laughed at me. The power lines were bowed in a big “U” shape. What a sight to see.
It was a real workout but fun to be with Stephanie and Chuck, Jerry and Ray. We did 39.8 miles today and I was sore in the shoulders.
Sunday was a slow day. The weatherman said 90% chance of rain and wind. He was right on the wind. I went for a three mile ride just to say I went for a ride.
One thing you should never do is eat two big tubs of popcorn at the movies before dinner. I was full. The dinner and dessert were great but I just ate too much. We watched Leipheimer win the race on TV.
My new bike will be shipped to me next week. It is a Titus Modena. You can Google it if you want to look at it. There is no picture because some of my friends use dial-up and that is high Tec for them and me.
Byran got Raymonized.
posted by Byran on the side at 11:35 AM
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