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In 1988, I was traveling down Hwy 9 from Saratoga Gap toward the city of Saratoga, Ca. I was stuck in a long line of cars behind a driver going slowly down the twisty mountain road, when a bicycle zoomed pass all of us! As I watched him disappear down the mountain, I as impressed with the grace and speed that I saw. It was at that moment that I decided to take up bicycling.
I began to look for a bicycle to buy, but I knew next to nothing about bicycles. So, I decided to buy used and cheap. I found a Miyata 2-10 at a garage sale which I picked up for $75. It was red. I didn't know what I was buying, but the girl that sold it to me was emotionally attached to it and told me to take very good care of it. I began to ride it around town. And in doing so, I learned how to ride, and what to ride. I soon learned that clipless pedals were in, not rat trap. None the less, I rode every change I got. The Miyata served me well but I soon wanted a less "retro" ride.
My next bike was a pink and white Schwinn Super Sport equipped with Shimano 600 components. No, it didn't have clipless pedals, but it was much newer than the Miyata. I joined the Western Wheelers Bicycle Club, a wonderful group of people to ride with.
My first ride with the Wheelers taught me how much I could improve. The route had a small hill and I was not used to riding hills. I started off well enough; the beginning of the route was flat and I managed to keep up with them as we rode toward the first small hill. When we reached the foot of the hill, I looked up and saw that most of the other riders were already on the hill. I didn't want to be the last one up the hill, so I picked up the pace in order to catch up. This was a mistake! I guess I was out of breath because the hill seemed really steep. I struggled up and even managed to pass some of the slower club members. However, to do so, I went into oxygen debt. When I reached the top of the hill, it was all I could do to breath. I found a flat section of roadway and coasted along very slowly, just trying to catch my breath. I was not watching where I was going and rode the curb on the right side of the street. I and fell over on my left side and found myself on the ground but still cliped into my pedals, just like I was riding sideways! As I laid there, trying to unclip my feet, one of the riders that I had passed asked me if I was OK. I was so embarrassed, I could not bring myself to look up. I just laid there and answered "I'm OK".
That was not the first hill that I rode with The Western Wheelers. The club is based on the lower San Francisco peninsula, so they would often ride over to the coast. One of there routes was to take King's Mountain Road. Yes, I was the last one up this hill the first time I rode it. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I had to stop halfway up to recover. The second time I rode this hill, I was so proud of myself in that I did not have to stop, but in order to make it up, I did circle. Each time I rode this hill, I improved. I learned the value of riding hills. Hills are your friends.
In four years, put over 8000 miles on my pink Schwinn before I bought a 1995 Cannondale R500 in May of 1995. This time, I purchased a triple, the RSX group. At the time, it was the only Shimano road triple available. The frame was stiff and fast. In 1997, I completed my first double century, the Seattle to Portland Double Century. It was a long, wet ride, but I finished it.
Over the winter of 1997, I installed the Shimano 105 triple group. I am quite please with the results. The additional cog in the rear enables me to find just the right gear and the shift of the front derailleur is much improved. However, after 10,000 miles on the Shimano 105 group, I needed to upgrade again, so I choose the Shimano Ultagra groupo in the spring of 2000. It seems you can never spend too much money on your bicycle! Now, in addition to having nine cogs in the rear, I also have trim in the front derailleur. Very nice!
Well, after over 20,000 miles on my Cannondale 2.8 frame, a small crack was found on the right seat stay where it narrows to make room for the chain. Cannondale gladly replaced the frame under warranty. My new frame is a orange fade to yellow CAAD3. I did opt for the slice carbon fork. This leaves the handlebars and the seatpost as the only original items left from the bicycle I purchased in 1995.
In the fall of 2001, two weeks after completing the Death Valley
Double Century, I had my first serious fall. It was November and there
were leaves on the roadway. I never saw the rock. Without
warning, the handlebars violently jerked out of my hands. As I fell, I had
time for only one thought. "This is going to hurt". When I came
to rest, I had broken a bone in my left hand. I was in a cast to for
two and one half months. I could not ride for three months.
A good friend of my said that my injury would be the best thing that happen to me. He was right.
Once I healed, I renewed my cycling passion and went to to obtain many successes. As of the end of 2007, I have finished 16 Californa Double Centuries and won the California Triple Crown three times. But, my most rewarding experience is finishing the 2006 Furnance Creek 508.