THE American River

There are two extremely nice advantages to the location of my office - 1) a mid-level racquet club & gym about 300 ft door to door and 2) the American River Bike Trail about a quarter mile from our parking lot. The American River Bike Trail offers a 31 mile (one-way) reprieve from auto-traffic which connects Discovery Park and Folsom Lake.
Having this picturesque trail so close allows me and some buddies the regular opportunity to squeeze in a "lunch ride."  Today I was rolling solo which gave me a chance to snap a few photos at my turnaround point about 20 miles from work.  There's a pretty good chance there will be more iPhone pics from this and similar routes along the trail.

Mile 20 - turnaround point at Sunrise Blvd.

Kids were out feeding the ducks... and the geese, and the seagulls, and the pigeons

After taking a closer look at the previous picture you'll see Salmon season is officially over

My view of the new cockpit at ride's end: now rocking the Garmin Edge 500 so I can track about everything on a ride

Saturday Davis Wheel Works Race Ride

For those of you that aren't avid cyclists and/or locals to the Davis/Sacramento Area - the Saturday, Davis Wheel Works Race Ride is one of the best "race-prep-workouts" around.  A 58 mile group ride with 2 marked sprints and 3 small climbs in-between, the group size can vary between 20-60 fine-tuned endurance athletes.  The group is diverse with a few continental pros, several local 2's and dozens of serious 3's, 4's and 5's trying to get ahead in their training.  Today's ride was a cold one with a 38 degree start and fog to add to the chill:

38 and fog feels about like 20

At base camp (Wheel Works), about to get whistled at by our ride captain Alan Rowland

Debut of my new Fizik Saddle with "versus" technology, helps save the boys on a long ride

I'm a huge believer in fatter/beefier tires for winter workouts - these 25mm wide Conti 4-Seasons do the trick nicely

Pre-Turkey Ride: the Napa Hills

There's no question that I love food...  Maintaining a 180lb frame while riding a bike 500-800 miles a month is not achieved easily.  It shouldn't surprise anyone then that my favorite holiday of the year is Thanksgiving and my goal is to consume ample quantities of every tasty dish available.  In order to build an appetite I decided to make the 61 mile trek from Woodland to Napa on my road bike.  It was a cloudy and chilly day but dry roads kept it safe and gave me enough daylight to snap a few photos before my iPhone battery zeroed out completely:

Putah Creek Road - looking out at the hills between Napa and myself

Putah Creek and the Lake Berryessa Dam

Putah Creek using a reflection edit

Lake Berryessa Dam - end of climb #1 of 3 on the day

Vineyards of Wooden Valley

Sunday Funday... or Not

Most of my buddies still organize a "Sunday Funday" which typically consists of cruisers, mimosas and more mimosas to round out the weekend.  My idea of "Sunday Funday" - a filling and tasteful breakfast, a couple cups of hot coffee, and a brisk solo (or small group) ride on various Northern California country roads.  Today was a great one:

Houndstooth Panache Kit - Photogene2, B&W, no flash

My Specialized Tarmac, 2009 - Hipstamatic, John S lens, Kodot XGrizzled film, no flash

Best "post ride bar" in the area, Buckhorn Steakhouse - Photogene2, 70's, edited with center focus, no flash

Winters Bike Bridge - Hipstamatic, John S lens, Kodot XGrizzled film, no flash

With CX on the brain decided for a little gravel, County Rd 101 - Hipstamatic, Jimmy lens, Kodo XGrizzled film, no flash

Folsom Rodeo Cross

I find it odd that my first post is about Cyclocross when today was the first CX race of my career...

My Surly Crosscheck Single Speed - Hipstamatic, John S lens, Blanko film, no flash

Crosscheck - movie fx cam, red focus lens

Official heckling corner handing up beers, cookies, red vines and beads - movie fx cam, night vision

Key elements to racing on a winter night - Hipstamatic, John S lens, Ina's 1969 film, no flash, edited by iQuickDoF