Mount Tam knocked the wind out of us		Training Diary: SF-Stinson-Fairfax Loop May 16, 2001 After a full week off from riding, having been sick with fever and allergies, I was eager to get back on my bike. The choices for mid-week group training rides are limited, but the one I spotted led by Dale Freeman looked ideal. It seemed to have the same outbound route as the Olema rides I've done before, but not as long (60 or so miles). I can handle this today, I thought. By mid-afternoon, however, I quickly learned that the ride covered less distance for a good reason -- a lot more climbing. With Dale at the head of the group, I should have known this. Every other ride I've done with him pushed the difficulty envelope for me and has seriously made me a stronger rider as a result. While I didn't necessarily feel like a ball of rubber riding today in spite of a full week off, I definitely suffered on the route's second ascent on the roads of Mount Tamalpais. More specifically, the climb from Stinson Beach on Fairfax-Bolinas Road to the Ridgecrest junction just about knocked the wind out of me. Many of the 15 or so other riders felt the exact same way as stopped and caught our breath at the top of the second climb. Essentially, we climbed the roads of Mount Tam twice today. It was another psychological victory for me and other riders who may have feared this mountain once upon a time. This ride saw the biggest turnout for a weekday ride I've seen in a while. Since California AIDSRide is just over two weeks away, perhaps some were feeling extra pressure to rack up some miles. Today's was certainly a strong and determined group of riders. As usual, I've met some wonderful people on today's ride feel all the more at home with the Bay Area AIDSRider community. With each group training ride I join, I feel sorry for not being able to join the San Francisco-LA AIDSRide event myself, but somehow take comfort in having made some great new friends.
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