2016 Seattle To Portland Ride Report

While I’ve talked a lot about the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride in the past, I unfortunately wasn’t able to make it this year. Luckily David Bussey did – and completed it in one day. David is a long time friend of JustAnotherCyclist.com, and was also one of the core members of the VeloReviews online cycling community. I’m excited that David agreed to share his experiences from the 2016 STP.

STP where virtual meets reality

By David Bussey

The decision

I ride with a group of guys with an interactive online cycling “game” called Zwift, where you ride your bike in the game, and as you pedal faster thru ant+ speed or power meter and cadence your in game rider rides faster.  This game launched beta in late 2014, I got an invite approval in April 2015, still early in the process. This group of riders races together, does 62 mile weekly endurance rides, and we use an audio app that lets us in essence have “race radio”.  We have gotten to know each other but not IRL (in real life).  Well, late in 2015 we began talking about getting this group to meet up for a ride, maybe STP [Seattle to Portland]. Some had done it in prior years some (myself) had not. We decided to give it a go, and to do the 205 mile ride in one day. What? Keep reading →

Nifty Ten Fifty ride

What’s a 50 mile ride if it doesn’t also have 10,000 feet of climbing? Called the Nifty Ten Fifty, this East Bay, California ride has strung together some of the steepest, longest, and most grinding climbs to pack mountain-like levels of climbing into a short 50 miles. The pitches – some of which are over 22% – dwarf even the famous Death Ride in intensity.

The very thought says ouch…

Chris Horner on diet, cafes and California

[singlepic id=57 w=320 h=240 float=right]I found it particularly rewarding to watch Chris Horner win the 2011 Amgen Tour of California.  Horner is one of my favorite riders in the peloton.  As anyone that has been reading my posts will have noticed, I’m primarily a Leopard-Trek fan.  Or, more precisely, I’m a Voigt, Schleck, Schleck and Cancellara fan, and they just happen to still be riding on the same team.

While my Leopard Trek fandom comes form watching the guys race, my appreciation of Chris Horner is much more personal.  I had the opportunity to both meet and ride with Chris Horner at last years Clark’s Corner Cycling Challenge.  That’s where I learned that, well, Chris is just a really cool guy.  There are few folks as down to earth, approachable and humble.  Oh – and the guy seems to have a perpetual smile on his face.

Keep reading →

Benefit ride to assist family of local cyclist

Family man, Sacramento area cyclist and friend, Matthew Wietrick, was seriously injured while riding his road bike in the early morning of February 5th, 2011.

His friends and fellow cyclists are putting together a charity ride on June 12, 2011 to help Matthew both emotionally and financially.

Keep reading →

80 miles on a damp Sat morning

Yet another great ride with the Cycle Folsom Peloton group today.  80 miles didn’t discourage me, but cleaning the bike from all the damned road grime and debris is discouraging.  Nothing like getting home, still cold and wet, only to look at your frame and know you need to turn on the hose.  By the end of the ride what I thought was a well-oiled chain sounded more like a cheese grater on a chalkboard.  Still, I never walk away from a Peloton ride with anything but positive thoughts.

You can read the full details of the ride at the Cycle Folsom Ride Leaders blog.

Levi’s GranFondo causes crashes … of servers.

Levi’s GranFondo spawned a significant crash before the riders even made it to the start line.  This wasn’t bicycles piling up, however.  Instead, the popularity of the ride apparently resulted in a significant outage on the first day of registration as folks rushed to ensure a place in the hugely successful event.  Despite having reportedly “planned for several times the traffic from 2010’s registration opening day” folks were unable to register, and the registration system was taken offline and postponed.

Keep reading →

Folsom Area Sprint and KOM points

Part of the lure of the group ride is the friendly (or sometimes not so friendly) competition.  Many groups have taken on the racing convention of having marked places along the route for sprint or KOM (King of the Mountain) points.

KOMs are, by definition, at the top of significant climbs.  Generally points are awarded for the “category” of the climb, which is determined not only by the steepness and length of the climb, but also where in the route the climb falls.  For example, if two climbs follow one right after the other, but are otherwise identical, it may be that the second climb is of a higher category, and thus worth more points.

Sprint points are a little easier to deal with.  There’s a line, and the first person to cross it takes the point.  Sprint points can also be a little more dynamic and exciting – at least in my opinion.  As the group approaches a sprint point, folks will begin to jockey for position within the group, trying to place themselves best.  The idea here is to hold of on starting the sprint until just the right time – optimizing the potential to get out in front before your fellow competitors can answer your challenge.

Keep reading →

UPDATE: Seattle To Portland 2011 Registration

Based on the number of folks that are reading my previous STP 2011 story, a lot of folks are already interested in the 2011 ride.  And with the amount of interest, it looks like we’ll all need to stay on top of this to ensure we can register.

Cascade Bicycle Club has changed the dates slightly from their original announcement:

Online only event registration opens at noon on Monday, Jan. 10 exclusively for Cascade Bicycle Club members. Event registration opens at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 1 to the general public.

It is interesting to note, however, that their website still doesn’t seem to list the STP ride on applicable calendarsLast time was a blast – can’t wait for this year.

A cold, wet start to the cycling year

Yesterday I kicked off the year with Cycle Folsom and the “Chickens and a Bridge” ride.  As advertised, there were in fact chickens.  Many chickens in and around Fair Oaks.  And after the chickens?  Yup – a bridge.

It was great to get out with the club and thumb our collective noses at the weather.  Low 40’s and raining didn’t thwart the group here.  The group did get broken up due to a couple of flats though.  First one was me, at just a mile or two in, where a piece of green grass managed to work its way into my Continental Gatorskins.

Keep reading →

Riding with Chris Horner at Clark’s Corner Cycling Challenge

I talked about it in the previous post titled “Chris Horner to ride the Sacramento Area.”  Well, I was finally able to spend a big part of my weekend at the festivities at Clark’s Corner.  It was a great experience to ride along with Chris Horner of Team Radio Shack, who was out to support the event before heading off to the US Pro National Road Race Championships.

The VIP dinner was fantastic – great food and a small group made for a very friendly evening.  I’ve actually got audio of a question and answer session with Chris Horner after dinner that is both humerus and informative.  Of everything about my experiences with Chris Horner, I walked away first and foremost with the impression of Chris Horner as a kind, friendly and approachable fellow.  Very down to earth and easy to talk to.  He also seems to have a great sense of humor.

Keep reading →