Livermore - Buddy Ride

Rolling down the road on a beautiful autumn day.











Some of our group checking out the Winery.




It was a gorgeous cold, crisp morning in the Livermore wine country. Tracy (my mentor) arranged for our group to all meet up at the Steven Kent Winery. It was a very central location for all of us to meet at and easy location to find.

We all started out on the ride and to my legs surprise, we came upon our first incline about a half mile out. Since at this point, I was still trying to adjust my connection on my ride computer and figure out what just flew off my bike (handlebar cap)...I can't be sure of the exact distance but it came up quick.

At about mile 7, we started to notice the wind picking up...this was a new element to experience while cycling. As we pushed up a couple more moderate hills and out of the valley, we came upon a larger hill and began to feel the full force of the wind. FYI...if you combine me, my equipment and B (aka, the bike), all soaking wet...we might hit about 150 lbs total (not good)...so you can image how much I was loving riding through the wind gusts.

As I rode up the hill, I made a rookie mistake and didn't gear down until about halfway up the hill. I think I was to busy concentrating on trying to stay upright with the wind. While I was trying to find the right combination, my front gear got stuck and in the process of trying to free it up, a huge gust hit me head-on and I lost all momentum...crap! This is where I tell you, how much I love my new clips & cleats because it enable me to get my foot down in time...something I couldn't have done with my previous set up. At this point I had no choice but to step off my bike and take the "walk of shame" up the last few hundred feet, to the top of the hill. The wind was relentless and I still was between gears but I jumped on B and rolled down a very steep grade (getting my bike back into a gear in the process) to meet up with my group. I know what your thinking...another gear and hill problem, didn't she learn from last week...oh well, another lesson learned.

We continued to ride into some crazy ass wind (meteorologist term...haha). This added a completely new difficulty level to the ride, since the wind would suddenly come from different directions. I wish I had the ability to take pictures while riding, because the sight of us dodging tumble weeds and debris was very photo worthy.

At the turn around spot, we decided to change the route a little to avoid riding directly into the wind. This gave me another first time opportunity...crossing over an off-ramp, with a big rig exiting...creating a very uncomfortable moment for many people in our group...yikes!

When we got back to the parking lot, after a 20 mile loop...Tracy brought us inside the winery to check it out. It is a beautiful facility that I will definitely go back to in the future. Other highlights for me in Livermore, The Dancing Pickle and seeing the Ghost Rider...that's a story for another time...haha!