Maris Farms Cross

Last year the Maris Farms course had a pumpkin patch mud bog so deep that I could not steer the bike, so on the first lap I drove into the bog at speed and promptly fell over into the mud. This year, because of all the rain, the organizers changed the course, deleting the old bog but included two smaller ones that forced you off the bike and into running mode. The remaining course was slippery grass and steep unrideable hills.

Peanut butter mud with pumpkin patch behind.

Notice that I'm going around the outside of the turn to find better traction.

A run-up after the barriers.

The devil was making me do this....

To make the course even more fun, it started to rain.

The following pictures show Emily going through the mud pit on the other side of the course.

Other riders commented:

Brendan - "I loved that part compared to the sharp rocks 10 feet later that sliced my tubulars open! Nice suspense not knowing if your shoes would come up with your feet."

Sharon - "That last step on the last lap, I was beginning to feel like a mastodon in the tar pits!"

After all of this was over, I went to the board and found that I got third place. I was shocked! (third place is a very good result for me) I was working so hard that during the race, I did not have presents of mind to know how I was doing. A cross race can push you until all you see is your own tunnel of effort.

Muddy bike.

I did, however slip back to third place in the overall Seattle Cyclocross standings in the cat 4 55+ category because Steve B got second place in this race. He now has a 3 point advantage on me. We have two more races left in the season to determine the final standings.

Great weather

For the past three days the weather in Seattle has been cool but very sunny. It has been a delight for bike riding.

The fall season brings a burst of orange, yellow and brown colors throughout the neighborhood.

November sunshine

It is fantastic to have such a great day of riding in November. I took the rain bike down to Renton, out the Cedar River trail to the Hobart cut off, into Issaquah and then back to the house via Newport.

After the ride I went down the hill to see Tom Peterson's new bike shop. I did have a chance to talk to Tom and he said he initially got 27th at the Vuelta but two racers with faster times have been disqualified due to drugs so he is now sitting 25th. He also said that another 5 above him were probably on drugs as they were having crazy super human results during some of the stages. Sad to see that the world's elite peloton is still having drug problems.


On the good side, it is great to have such a good racer in our community. 

Fort Steilacoom Cyclocross

And off they go....

The first half of the race was on wet grass with lots of muddy turns. I fell once during one of these turns but snapped back up and continued. The back side of the course consisted of single track, climbing, loose gravel roads, hair pin turns around trees, and one stretch of pavement.

Around the barn and into the barriers.

More tight turns in the grass....

And the sprint for the finish. The fellow in front of me started in the 45+ group so I'm not racing against him.

The race was well organized, the course was well marked and it was a beautiful day for racing. My bike was a muddy mess after the race. After it rained most of the night, we were all were surprised to find the course in good condition.

Halloween Cross in Seattle

This morning at 9:15 AM the first Seattle CX race started at Steilacoom. Among the regular dressed participants were the following:

After raining most of the night, the morning sun pushed the clouds aside creating a cold but beautiful day.

Davis, CA

40 Years ago my wife and I graduated from UC Davis. At that time, the campus only had 8,000 students. Now it has 30,000+ students. On our way home from San Francisco we decided to stop and bicycle around Davis, CA and see what we could remember. After 40 years, there have been so many changes that there is not much to remember. The Quad is still there...

And Putah Creek.....(but largely expanded). There is a large new arboretum on the west side of the campus.

And several lecture buildings are still there but the dorms have all changed.

The city of Davis is flat with plenty of bike lanes and the car drivers are easy to deal with. Because the entire city is so flat, there are many cruiser and one speed bikes. We enjoyed seeing the campus but between our fading memories and the physical changes to the campus, we did not recognize very many things.

Burlingame trip

We drove down to Burlingame, CA to see Grandmother and while I was there I rode the foldie bike along San Francisco Bay. I started just south of the international airport and rode south until Foster City. They have completed the trail around Coyote Point so now the entire trail is protected from car traffic.....very nice.

I was poking along minding my own business when another rider passed me. Since I don't know the area, I decided to tag along hoping that he would show me the trail. But instead, he tried to rub me off his back wheel. The foldie bike does not look fast but it can move right along. Needless to say, he could not ride me off his wheel and I enjoyed the challenge.

The following picture is taken with the iphone so I could not zoom in to show you the pelican perched on the rail watching for fish. Except for a strong north wind, the weather was beautiful.

Try this on for road furniture. The following image shows the arch of a small suspension bridge which crosses one of the many canals. The supports are in the middle of the trail.

Burlingame is a nice area for shops and restaurants but the streets are busy and the drivers are not very friendly toward bikers.

Later that evening, it started to rain. The above image shows a rainy Burlingame train station. Just blocks from here are some of the best Italian restaurants anyone could hope for.