Panoramic Highway, overlooking Muir Woods State Park in Marin County		Training Diary: A Spin Around Marin April 25, 2001 It's Wednesday... perfect time to take time off work for a full day of training, no? I thought so. I really need to get back into the groove here. In the last two weeks, my training schedule took a few pitfalls due to work and travel. This week I vowed: 1) I'd begin joining the harder rides 2) I'd get a taste of back-to-back full-day riding; and 3) I'd condition my legs enough so they wouldn't have to wobble so bloody much after a long ride. Joining today's ride led by Dale Freeman was the first step. The ride calendar rated this training ride "Advanced" (the scale starts at Beginner, then Easy, Moderate, Difficult and Advanced). It took some pyschological bravery to commit to the ride, but soon enough I found that the ride itself was as much enjoyable as it was attainable. The advanced features of the ride were to take their toll on me simply because I hadn't been able to ride for more than an hour at a time for two weeks, with the exception of a solo ride I did between Davis and Lake Berryessa one weekend. Even so, today's ride around Marin is a respectable ride amongst experienced riders because of its distance, 70 miles (though I ended up logging 81 miles today) and some significant climbing up Mt. Tamalpais. Mt. "Tam" is the holy land to Northern Bay Area cyclists with thigh and calve muscles the size of Montana. The sight of the mountain amidst the foothills of the Marin Headlands is as much impressive as it is intimidating to a first timer. Today, eighteen of us conquered this mighty beast with a great deal of patience during the 45+ minute ascent. The reward was a decadent, supercharged descent from the Pan Toll Ranger station down to Stinson Beach on the ocean. The road surface was buttery smooth, free of gravel and debris and so steeply banked on the switchbacks that it bred plenty of confidence even amongst the newer riders. I was so enthralled with the speed and fun of the downhill that I never once entertained the thought of stopping to snap a picture of the breathtaking view: an idyllic blend of clear skies, blue ocean and green countryside slopes. The sun began to beat down pretty harshly about halfway through the ride, by the time we reached Olema, the northernmost point of the course today. Thankfully, we found relief in the tree cover of the Samuel P Taylor park trails and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The park was a new discovery for me today, an absolutely gorgeous and serene sight, especially since there seemed to be no one else in the park at all. It's as if the trails we rode were paved especially for us. Today's riding group was one of the most collected and enjoyable bunch that I've met on a training ride so far. All but one and myself had ridden at least one AIDSRide or Vaccine Ride before, so there was plenty of chatter in the pack about past experiences, mistakes and shared advice. The one most common piece of advice everybody agreed on? Don't forget the earplugs. Oh my... that makes me a tad nervous and embarrassed in advance about being the infamous snoring guy at the campsites. The group kind of fell apart by distance on the return trip, however, and it was difficult at first to choose which group I was going to stick with. I decided to play safe. By the time we reached the Swing Cafe in Fairfax, there were only four of us left in the training ride leader group, including myself. Some had decided to ride ahead in order to get back into San Francisco earlier; others needed a longer recovery from the deceivingly difficult climb out of the Olema valley as well as to save some energy for the forthcoming and famous White's Hill climb. Tom, our sweep (last) rider for the day must have had a very long day. [Tom, and all you designated sweep riders out there, know that I constantly brag about you guys as the true heroes of these training rides. THAT'S why your ears have been burning!] A brief note on the Swing Cafe mentioned above. The proprietor, Sinead, is an absolutely darling person. Next time you travel on Drake Blvd. through Marin, be sure to stop in for your snacks, lunch, sundries... whatever. And make it a point to tell Sinead how much you like her new store front sign. I felt good as we rolled back into Golden Gate Park, about seven hours after we set off from MacLaren Lodge this morning. Tomorrow, I'll return to this same starting point and will take on Skyline Boulevard Southbound to Woodside.
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