Jim Ruggiero's AIDS/LifeCycle Blog

Mt Tam, here we come...

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:11:00 PST

Heading up to the summit of Mount Tam this weekend. If you don't hear from me, look north toward the circling vultures...

Biker in tree

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:04:00 PST

Help! I'm writing this posting from the top a tree in Daly City, after my bike and I were blown skyward while attempting to get home on Skyline. I have never faced so much wind before. I've renamed Piglet to "Bob 'Piglet' Seger" in honor of her heavyweight against-the-wind abilities.

That sucked, so I'm going to take a weekend off and go to Palm Springs to recuperate at the Coachella Music Festival. Next stop: two-day ride to Guerneville and back on May 2nd/3rd.

Tomales x 2

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:13:00 PST

Had a Tomales double header over the last few weeks, with the Happy Cows ride going one way over Wilson Hill and Lisa Sterman's Tomales Ride going the other way the next week. Cows cows cows. We kept the pace mooooooovin pretty fast, but I was able to sneak in a stop at the oyster shack for six delicious raw ones. Not sure what's next, but really hoping to do the Mount Tam summit via Alpine Dam sometime soon.

Getting faster...

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:00:00 PST

Last weekend I did a ride that I used to do many years ago - up from Mill Valley, over Mt. Tam to Stinson Beach, and then back up Rt. 1. It's not that long but it's pretty hilly. The point here is that I did not die, and actually kind of enjoyed it. This means, after much ado, I'm finally getting in shape. This weekend we're doing the 75-mile Nicasio Loop, so we'll see if the good times hold up.

Mountain biking is harder than road biking

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:39:00 PST

Tamarancho Boy Scout Camp in Marin has some fantastic single-track mountain biking. I took my new yellow bike up there and immediately tipped over into a pool of mud on the first switchback. Then I fell onto a pile of rocks on another switchback. Hit a tree midway through. This is called "cross training".

Mileage is stepping up. I've been on a few 50-mile rides over the last few weeks, and have finally adjusted my bike so my ass doesn't hurt.

Piglet climbs the headlands

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:27:00 PST

Not sure what happened, but was able to complete two Headlands loops this weekend, and extended Sunday's ride out to Tiburon for lunch. I even arrived back in the city during daylight hours. My trusty 10-year-old steel bike - a.k.a 'piglet' - continues to be the butt of jokes because of its old-school weight, but piglet has made it through seven LifeCycle rides and will hopefully make it through eight.

Crikey

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:03:00 PST

My first training ride of the season was a disaster. I rode the 50-mile Paradise Loop after many months of sloth, and ended up returning over the Golden Gate in the dark, navigating by moonlight and powered by nothing but grouchiness. But the year is young and, thankfully, the days are getting longer.