The First of June

Crazy to say, but it has been a dynamic day of weather from bright sunlight to short heavy downpours, hail, and tornado warnings just north of town.

The Sacramento Small Wheel Society rides again

Peter, along with fellow members from the Sacramento Small Wheel Society including yours truly, host a Moulton enthusiast from the UK and his two associates for a quick Sunday small wheel ride. With some exceptions, the principle mode of transportation was three Moultons from Peter's collection and three Bike Fridays from members of the Small Wheel Society. With great camaraderie and enthusiasm for the small wheel, we rode from downtown to breakfast at Bella Bru using the American River Parkway, one of the true gems of the Sacramento region. For the complete story, click on the picture below to link to Geno's blog.

Amgen Tour of California: Race Day at the State Capitol

It's race day at the State Capitol and the skies are threatening rain. Given that we've had a very wet winter, I'm not surprised! At the last minute, I decided to head downtown to see what I could see, rain or not. Perhaps it's the weather, but there appeared to be less attendees than previous years. Due to the late hour of my departure, I did not have to wait long before the peloton arrived to complete three laps around downtown and the State Capitol. I managed to get some pictures before Britain's Ben Swift of Team Sky Procycling won the shorten stage riding a Pinarello. Cervelo, where are you! It appears the bad weather in the mountains forced Amgen TOC officials to start Stage 2 from Nevada City rather than Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe. Click on the link below to view all the pictures in PICASA.

From Amgen TOC: Race Day

Tour of the Inland Passage

Another fun time had by all. Between the comings and goings of various people joining the bike tour in part at different places and those doing the entire tour, there was a total of 10 participants. The bike tour went for 10 days covering 457 miles with 12,362 feet of elevation gain all thanks to the organizational skills of Geno. With a rest day at the Pinnacles National Monument, the tour went south from Sacramento to San Luis Obispo by way of an inland route along the central valley and through the coastal ranges until we dropped down to the coast at Cayucos just north of Morro Bay. Our overnight places were Rio Vista, Tracy, Santa Nella, Mercy Hot Springs, Pinnacles National Monument, Fort Hunter Liggett, King City, and Paso Robles concluding in San Luis Obispo at Harvey's home. Thanks for putting us up Harvey. Also, thanks to Bob, we were able to return home via his truck and trailer. Logistically, everything worked like clockwork thanks to Geno's good planning. As for the tour, it was another great trip and in particular, it was wonderful to be able to do this with so many friends. For people who like cycling and traveling, bike touring is the perfect combination. You get to ride all day enjoying the changing landscape day after day and eat all you like. What's not to like about that! Yes, there's traffic, it can't be avoided. But there are miles and miles of quiet scenic roads, even in a populous state like California, if you choose your way carefully. For the complete story of our tour, go to Geno's blog and here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3. Click on the link below to view my pictures from the tour.

From Tour of the Inland Passage

Time to take this show on the road

Time to take this show on the road again! A group of friends and I will be headed to Los Osos along the Central Coast on a 10-day tour just as great spring weather is about to make a showing. After the wet winter, I've got my fingers crossed. As a member of the Sacramento Small Wheel Society, I've decided to ride my 20" wheeled bike. Compared to traditional sized bikes, using a small wheel bike like my Bike Friday for loaded self-contained touring does have its small benefits. For example, the small bike usually looks so overloaded with all the panniers that it invokes a response from people who see it. Thus, it's a great way to start interaction with locals along the way. In addition, the smallish bike is easier to store in crowded motel rooms, storage rooms, cellars, and trains; or in a vehicle should the unexpected occur. From past road experience, it's easier to get a great draft off another bike because the small front wheel allows you to get right up on their tail. Just hope they didn't have beans for lunch. The small wheel bike handles the weight of heavily packed panniers better due to its lower center-of-gravity. Also, with my Bike Friday, I can easily swing my leg over the top tube when mounting and dismounting; a real godsend after a long long day in the saddle. Finally and not the last, it's so cute and you look like a clown on a little bike.

What's New

It must have been a subconscious desire, my coveting a new carbon bike. As of late, I had been encouraging Geno to purchase one of these new high-tech carbon bikes with statements like; “Life is short”, “You deserve it”, “You’ll climb even better”, “You can afford it”, etc. while denying any personal interest. But, unbeknown to me or at least I’ll not admit it, deep inside I wanted and envisioned a new carbon bike in my future. So when the time finally came to start window shopping for carbon bikes, I didn’t hesitate for one moment to tag along. After all, I was just going to help Geno make the right choice. Yeah, that’s what I told myself. I’m sure my eyes were as big and wide opened as Geno’s and Mike’s when we finally walked into Davis Wheelworks which is known for their great selection of high-end carbon road bikes with names likes Felt, Pinarello, Scott, Cannondale, Look, Kestrel, Ridley, Seven, Colnago, etc. It is the dream shop for cyclist with numerous colorful, curvaceous and lustrously finished road bikes nicely displayed throughout the floor space. Image a car enthusiast walking into a showroom filled with Porsche’s, Ferrari’s, Jaguar’s, and Mercedes to name just a few. Fortunately and thanks to recent glowing reviews of the Cervelo bikes, we had a starting point in mind. We wanted to talk Cervelo and Tim at the shop did not disappoint nor did he dispute the reviews; they were “great bikes” where all others are “good”. And so our road toward the Cervelo’s began. To conclude and in the interest of brevity, after more research and reading as well as one awesome test ride in region of Cantelow Road, I offer the picture below of three new happy owners of Cervelo Bikes. For the complete story of our inaugural ride, go to Geno's blog by clicking on the image below.

Birds of the Neighborhood

This time of year as we begin the last month of winter, we usually encounter the greatest variety of birds in our neighborhood as migratory birds, those in transit or returning home, mingle with the wintering birds. The return of summer birds in our vicinity is the first sign that the great bird migration northward is under way, some from as far as the southern hemisphere. For now, I’ve still got birds in my head so I’ve been testing the capabilities of my Canon SX20is in regards to bird photography. With this camera, the key to good sharp photographs appears to be bright sunlight, getting as close as possible, a steady hand, and a cooperative bird. Click on the link below to view all the pictures in PICASA. My images only show a small fraction of the birds in the area.

From Birds of the Neighborhood