Ride Steve Ride!

New blog coming soon!

2010-04-01T01:25:00.000-07:00

ridesteveride will be on hiatus for the 2010 cycling season as I will be sharing all of my cycling activities on my new blog at onetoughride.blogspot.com . I have some crazy events coming up this year so follow me there as well as the new Twitter link and FaceBook Fan Page.
enjoy the ride...
-Steve

Less than a month to go till the first race!

2010-03-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

With less than a month to go till the till Stage 1 of the CTC Stage Race Series I wanted to see where I was at as of this same time last year. Even though I had now completed two double centuries by this time both my climbing and total training/riding time were well below where I am at this year. In addition, my AVG speed on a monthly basis was significantly below where I am at this year. While there are always good days and bad days on the actual day of the big event, I am feeling pretty good considering. Time to wrap things up and rest up for an 80 mile training ride in the morning.
-Steve

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for After work ride

2010-03-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

Good fast training ride after work today. Opted to get outdoors and enjoy the sun as opposed to hitting the gym. An excellent decision I'd say;) Garmin Connect - Activity Details for After work ride

One Tough Ride 2010...my big adventure comming soon!

2010-03-08T10:24:00.001-08:00

Sneak peek at my 2010 cycling season endeavor.
-Steve

One Tough Ride 2010 V3 0

View more presentations from Steve Bursley.

After work ride...Palomares Loop with a buddy from work

2009-08-28T10:17:00.001-07:00

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Palomares loop after work...

Shared via AddThis

My next event...I hope you can be a part of it!

2009-08-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

I feel extremely fortunate to be able to say I have ridden almost 3,000 miles with just under 190,000 ft of climbing since January 1st this year. I am also happy with the achievements that I have made in the 4 Double Centuries I completed (5 attempted but one DNF due to bronchitis...still did 110 miles and 10,000 ft), completing the Death Ride (knocking hours off of last years ride) and the number of 100 mile days that I racked up riding with friends. I also made a lot of new friends this year but this post really is focused on one who I rode my first three doubles this year with and his name is Jim.

Jim is a great guy and a strong cyclist and he's been asking if I'd do the MS ride in S. CA this fall with he and a few other friends we have ridden with this season. While I really planned on making the Death Ride (and then the Mt Tam Double) my last ride, I thought about how fortunate I am to not only have my health but also to have put in the miles that I have this year and the challenges that people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) struggle with every day just to accomplish the basic tasks that we all take for granted. So after a little more prodding from my wife and daughter (Jim, they closed the deal for you on this one) I thought it only appropriate to wrap up this cycling season completing this fund-raising event riding with friends and raising money for a cause that is very close to Jim. You see, Jim's wife suffers with this disease and has battled it for roughly 20 years now.

MS is a neuromuscular disease that is typically diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 50. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progression, severity, and symptoms in any one person cannot yet be predicted but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer toward a world that will one day be free of MS. However, today, MS impacts the lives of more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2,500,000 people worldwide.

I know it's a tough economy and I asked many of my friends last year to support me with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and American Lung Association events that I trained and fund-raised for but I am going to reach out to you one more time and ask for your support for this event. It's a great cause and as I found through with the fund-raising that I did last year for LLS and ALA, I am sure many of you will share your stories of friends or family that have been stricken by MS. I hope you can help and I promise to ride a hard 160 miles over this 2-day event in your honor for supporting me. To donate please click on the link RIDESTEVERIDE_MS_2009
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

PS: The picture at the top was the morning of a great 110 mile ride with 10,000 ft of climbing. Jim is the guy with the blue vest in the middle. You know which one is me...

One week till the Death Ride!

2009-07-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't updated this blog in sometime but have been doing a lot of riding as you may know if you have been watching me on Twitter or Facebook. Ride stats year to date (from Jan 1) are:

Distance:	2,243.21 mi
Elevation Gain:	133,961 ft
Avg Distance:	54.71 mi
Avg Speed:	14.5 mph
Calories:	136,363 C
Time:	154:20:02 hh:mm:ss
Avg Heart Rate:	121 bpm
Avg Bike Cadence:	72 rpm

Last weekend's ride was a scorcher (85 miles) with temps around 110 and at 5 PM as we descended into Livermore, it was still 103 degrees. Not only did we fight the heat but also the four flats that I had with the last while climbing Morgan Territory where a passerby mentioned that it showed 106 on her dashboard and we were actually in the shade.

This weekend is the last prior to the Death Ride so we'll turn some easy miles over the next few days tapering for the big event. I am really looking forward to this ride and will ride in memory of my mother-in-law Marguerite Meyer. Marguerite was one tough lady that touched so many with her kindness and generosity and is truly missed by many. She was also both a huge supporter of the L&L TNT events that I participated in the past two summers (including the ride with the Death Ride Team last year) and also someone that was very familiar with the cause in her fight with myeloma which she battled for many years.

Last, I'll be riding with friends and also meet up with other friends coaching and in mentoring roles for this year's Team in Training Death Ride team. My support team of my wife and children will also be there and it will also be great to have my mother and her husband join us with the newest member of the team Bruno, our new black lab. I'll post after the event in Markleeville and also try to get another post in before we head out!

Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Great ride today with friends as we taper for the Wild Sierra!

2009-06-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, what crazy weather and with a mere week left till the Wild Sierra the name of the event is more reflect of the weather that we have seen in that area over the past couple of days. Yesterday we heard that one of the mountain passes that is part of the course was closed due to snow and right now T-Storms as scheduled through Saturday. We'll watch the weather but I am bagging this one if there is a chance of snow on Saturday as the Madone is not outfitted with studs, and chains are not an option due to clearance:)

I did have a great ride today (52 miles) with about 14 of us riding from my house out to Sunol and through Palomares Canyon into Danville for coffee at Peet's and then almost a sprint back with an AVG speed of about 23 mph. The photo above is some of the pack climbing Palomares...good fun all!
Enjoy the ride!
Steve

Wild Sierra just two weeks away...

2009-05-29T23:28:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on Twitter you have seen my Tweet on Garmin finally updating their Connect site and correcting amongst a host of other things the ability to actually report on mileage above 1.000. So, I took the opportunity to see just what I have done since January 1st and was pleasantly surprised.

Count:	32 activities
Distance:	1,829.52 mi
Elevation Gain:	106,855 ft
Avg Distance:	57.17 mi
Avg Speed:	14.5 mph
Calories:	111,187 C
Time:	126:21:36 hh:mm:ss
Avg Heart Rate:	120 bpm
Avg Bike Cadence:	72 rpm

Planning on a short 30-40 mile ride in the morning and then mountain biking with my off road buddies on Sunday. Will taper over the next week and a half and then the big day on the 13th for the Wild Sierra. Still studying the cut-off times but if we can keep close to our pace of last weekend (115 miles and an AVG speed of 13.9) we should be able to complete it.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Support a great cause!

2009-05-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

Fund raising for the Spring 2009 TNT Death Ride Endurance Team is winding down. Please consider a generous donation to one or all of my friends listed below. Click on the name/link, break out the credit card and click away!

Please support my 2009 Death Ride Team friends
Jonathan Buckley
Andy Cooledge
Christopher Riedell
Peg Miller
Steve Asche

Lance doing some more great work off the bike!

2009-05-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

What an awesome athlete and inspiring person. Tweet from Lance visiting a cancer survivor in Italy.

Three doubles down and what have I been doing the last week...

2009-04-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that I completed the Devil Mountain Double which was my third Double Century in three months and now qualifies me for the California Triple Crown. This was one tough ride and the first 100 miles (which included significant climbs over Mt Diablo, Morgan Territory, and Patterson Pass) left me questioning what the heck I was doing. However, after meeting with my family (my daughter Rachel and son Nicholas are in the photo on the right) and having lunch at roughly 115 miles it was time to get back on the bike and put this one in the bag. I felt significantly better now and climbed Mt Hamilton (over 4K ft) and then Sierra Road (which by the way even Lance referred to this as "one tough climb" in the 2009 Amgen TOC) and then wrapped up the last 50 miles in the dark arriving at the finish just after midnight to be met by friends and other riders from our group. Officially on the site we were out for 19:43:00 and came in 132nd (out of the roughly 197 who registered). The Garmin battery gave it up at mile 179 (click the link for the details) at which time we had clocked 14:04:00 mins of riding time and an AVG speed of 12.7 MPH, 17,000 ft of climbing, and almost 11,000 calories burned. We had two fairly small climbs (relatively speaking for a total of about 3K ft) for the remainder of the 37 miles till the end through Palomares Canyon and up Norris Canyon. I ended up taking Monday through Friday off from riding since I was in TX on business but then rode a nice little 103 mile ride with my TNT friends and others on Saturday. Not planning big events for May as I need some time with the family but will be getting some training in before the next big event in early June which is the Wild Sierra .
Enjoy the ride...
-Steve

PS: I am not riding with Team In Training this year but I have a number of friends that are and if you are looking for a great cause to support please go to one or more of the links below to support the Death Ride 2009 Team. Thanks!

Please support my 2009 Death Ride Team friends
Jonathan Buckley
Andy Cooledge
Christopher Riedell
Peg Miller

Bonny Doon Ride with Cherry City Cyclists

2009-04-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

We had a great ride on Sunday with lots of climbing and big mileage. The Devil is now less than two weeks away...definitely will be a long day on the 18th.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;href&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/los-altos/869123907702498846"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Sunday ride Bonny &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Doon&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;href&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/ca/los-altos"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Los Altos, California&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Solvang Double Complete...One to go for the Triple Crown

2009-03-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

Had a great trip to Solvang this weekend for the Solvang Double Century. I arrived Solvang early Friday evening to sign in for the ride and enjoyed a great dinner with friends. I probably turned in a bit later than I should have for the evening and that coupled with the anticipation of the ride made for a relatively short night.

I arrived at the Marriott Hotel (no more than a quarter mile from the hotel I was staying at) about 4:30 AM and we signed in and left just a couple of minutes after 5AM (ugh! ...on the wake time that is). We rode out of Buelton and up through Solvang and started climbing. As the sun came up we were in a beautiful area surrounded by vineyards and lush farmland. Just after the first few climbs we were treated to a great descent with excellent road conditions and no cars.

About 34 miles in we hooked up with 3 other guys and rode their wheel into the first rest stop at about 38 miles. After a quick re-fuel and refill of the water bottles we headed out and rode with the same guys and about 12 miles before the next rest stop (roughly mile 78) one of the guys got a serious flat on the front right in the middle of a climb. He had done some serious damage to the tire but was able to use a tire boot to complete the repair and we all "loosely" rolled into the next rest stop at about mile 88. After a short break we headed out for Morro Bay and rolled in to the first check point with rough 106 miles behind us and it was only 11:30 AM.

At around mile 128 we hit the next stop which was lunch. The pain in the back that I woke up with seemed to be a bit more obvious now and I was ready for a break and about 800mg of Ibuprofen. Gil had hammered it on the flats just after Morro Bay to the lunch stop and probably had a good mile on me by the time he got in. Anyway, I grabbed a quick sandwich, Coke, Banana, and the Ibuprofen and was ready to hit to again. We synced up with the same guys that we rode into the first stop with and then at roughly 150 miles, another front flat just prior to a decent. I stayed back since the others were just ahead of us and as we were just getting ready to roll, two of the others from our group rolled up and we rode together into the next rest stop. At this point, we all decided to ride in together and arrived at the finish just after 6:00 PM.

After our whole group made it back in and we had a chance to shower and change we met at the micro-brewery for a great dinner and to share the stories of the ride. It was a great ride but I did find out that I did not have the Garmin properly set to auto-pause so my AVG Speed on Garmin Connect (which you can see on the training links) was incorrect. However, since Gil and I rode most of the ride together (as well as started and finished together) I took his recorded "ride time" and this is what the stats looked like -

Recorded mileage: 191.7
Riding time: 10:59:00
Start/Finish time: 05:01:00/18:17:00
Total climbing: 7,584
AVG speed (rolling): 17.4 mph
Max speed: 38.5

Not sure what the total number of actual riders turned out to be but there was close to 500 signed up when I checked just before the event. This was another great ride and a great group to have the opportunity to ride with and share some good meals together.

Two down and Double Number 3 just a few weeks away. This one is sure to be the toughest at about 206 miles and over 20,000 feet of climbing...it is sure to be one rough day!
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt;;a &amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&amp;amp;gt;href&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt;="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/-solvang,-ca/235123837663552014"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&amp;amp;gt;Solvang&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt; Double Century&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt;;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt;;&amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&amp;amp;gt;br&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt;/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt;;a &amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&amp;amp;gt;href&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt;="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/ca/-solvang,-ca"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in &amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&amp;amp;gt;Solvang&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt;, Ca, California&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"&amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt;;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Great ride on Pleasanton Ridge!

2009-03-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday (3/14) was a great day to ride the Ridge with friends that also included riding with one of my business partners who is relocating here from Australia. As you can see in the slide show (below), the hills were green and Sinbad Creek was running which always makes for a good and wet time. It was great riding weather and only a few spots where we hit some fairly strong winds. With now less than a week away from the Solvang Double, I probably won't have the opportunity to take my mountain bike out again till next month but DST and longer daylight hours there should be even more opportunity log some miles both on an off the road during the week.

Also logged some miles after work this week on the road and you can now check out my last five rides simply by going to the links on the right noting my last five workouts and rides. I am off to Solvang next weekend for my second Double Century this year working to qualify for the California Triple Crown. I hope to snap some photos to share as we ride some very scenic areas next weekend.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Cool new widget from anathleteintraining.com

2009-03-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

If you have been watching my blog in the last couple of days you have probably noticed a new widget on the upper right side of the page. This widget from the folks at anathleteintraining.com and allows me to upload from my Garmin Edge 705 to Garmin Connect and then auto-publish to my blog. The widget is free and can be configured by going to anathleteintraining.com and signing up for an account. You can also use this widget on your website to publish your last five rides. Gamin Connect is a rich site but if you are looking to do mashups and want to pull in data from Garmin Connect, this is definitely the way to go.

Thanks to Chris for the latest update ensuring compatibility with Garmin's latest release.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Saturday, March 7 - DMD pre-ride...110 miles and ove 9,000 feet of climbing!

2009-03-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

I have logged roughly 771 miles since January 1st and this weekend pre-rode the first 90 miles of the Devil Mountain Double that I am training for. For those of you that have ridden this area, you probably know the location of the photo on the right...not so bad though climbing in the sun listening to some good music!
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

DMD training pre-ride
Find more Bike Rides in San Ramon, California

28 February - Saturday afternoon ride....more hills!

2009-03-01T20:25:00.001-08:00

Steve Saturday Ride
Find more Bike Rides in Danville And Other Surrounding Cities, California

Camino Real Double Century...in the bag! Two to go for the CTC!

2009-02-23T21:58:00.000-08:00

On Saturday evening I completed the first of what I hope to be at least three Double Centuries for 2009 to earn the California Triple Crown http://www.caltriplecrown.com/schedule.htm . My official stats as recorded by the Garmin were:

Riding time: 12:48:21 (official recorded time was 15:54 - total time from departure to return)
Miles ridden: 194.5
AVG Speed: 15.18 mph
Max Speed: 38.13 mph
Elevation gain (according to Ca Triple Crown site): 8,800 ft

The Camino Real Double Century started in Irvine and traveled down the coast to San Diego and up through the hills and back. It was a great ride and I rode with five friends with one completing the entire ride on a "fixie"!

With one double under my belt, I now have my eyes set on the next event which will be the Solvang Spring Double on March 28th. After Solvang, I am seriously considering the Devil Mountain Double (April 18th) but also remember vividly how riding what our coaches called the "Taste of the Devil" kicked my butt last year at only 115 miles. It was a brutal day with the team leaving at approximately 6:30 AM in June as it had already heated up to 70 degrees and the day would only get worse as we climbed the East side of Hamilton and then the infamous Sierra Road.

Anyway, one down and two to go with plenty of riding still scheduled before the Death Ride in July.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

I am off to S CA for the Camino Real Double this weekend!

2009-02-18T23:10:00.000-08:00

Looks like mother nature is going to cooperate (at least for Saturday) and I'll be riding the Camino Real Double on Saturday. I am planning on driving down to S CA on Friday and checking in for the ride to be ready for the mass-start at 6:15 AM. While route sheets will be issued at the start, details of the ride on the web site note a total of 193 miles and 8,000 ft of climbing.

This will clearly be the longest single day ride that I have ever done and I am hoping it will be the first of "at least" THREE that I will complete this year in pursuit of the California Triple Crown.

After watching the Lance, Levi and the rest of the boys in the AToC this week, I am excited to hit the road this weekend. I caught Lance rounding the turn (above) during Stage 3 on Tuesday of the AToC as the guys blazed through Pleasanton after another stormy day of riding on the Tour.

I'll post on Twitter during and at the conclusion of the ride. Follow me on Twitter at ridesteveride or by watching the Twitter updates on the right side of the page. Wish me luck on Saturday as I am gonna need it!

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

Sold my Giant OCR1

2009-02-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

Well, this week I sold the bike that started all of my "road" bike antics. About two years ago, I thought I would get a road bike after a fairly wet January and February when I was literally spending 2 hrs after each ride cleaning my mountain bike. After getting the bike I thought I should maybe align my efforts with a good cause and decided to join Team in Training to fund-raise for a great cause that also affected our family (my mother-in-law battled myeloma for many years). After completing my first Century; the Marin Century (with my Giant OCR1) I thought about stepping up the challenge and joined TNT for a second season training and completing The Death Ride (completing another ride on the OCR1). With the loss of my brother-in-law in the fall of 2007 to Lung Cancer, I also decided to raise funds in his memory and complete a 1,000 mile ride with the American Lung Association of the Northwest. As those of you that have followed this blog know, I completed that ride in September of 2008.

Anyway, that's how it all started (almost 2 years ago now) and as I shared last year I decided to buy a new bike and now have sold the one that started it all. Though that Giant and I shared many miles together, I am happy to share that it has gone to a good home...to a UC Berkley student who I know will enjoy many more fond memories and miles.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Taper ride in prep for the BIG DOUBLE!

2009-02-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

Rode today for the first time this month and the first few miles were a bit tough but was then feeling strong. I have ridden just under 400 miles since the January 1st and have climbed a total of 21,160 ft over 11 rides. My longest ride this year was a couple of weeks ago on the 31st at 106 miles and about 6:45 mins ride time and a total elevation gain of 3,827 ft. Today's ride was relatively short and my pace was not that great due to some strong headwinds over most of the ride. The actual stats were:

Garmin connect link Home to Sunol then to San Ramon and back

Miles: 44.08
Ride time: 02:56:56
Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,667/2,686 ft
Calories Burned: 2.955

Next weekend (assuming the weather gods cooperate - rain cancels the ride for me) I'll ride my first double century which will be the CAMINO REAL DOUBLE CENTURY & POKER RUN (200 miles and about 8,500 ft of climbing) in Southern California. I'll post or provide a Twitter at "around" 100 miles and at the end of the ride.

Assuming a pace of 16 to 18 mph and 1 to 1.5 hrs for (lunch, rest stops, and traffic) I am hoping to cross the finish line between 9 to 9:15 PM...wish me luck!
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Ramping up for next month!

2009-01-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

Got some good riding in this week in spite of the rain but I need a couple of century days over the next couple of weeks if I am going to complete the Camino Real Double Century next month. During this last week I logged about 112 miles and about 6,200 feet of climbing with Saturday being the longest at 62 miles and just under 4,000 feet (details can be found at Calaveras and Palomares climbs). It was a great day of riding under somewhat threatening skies. The photo about is of the reservoir behind Mission Peak in Fremont and clearly shows that we are well below where we should be rain-wise.

For the month, I have logged 213 miles and just under 14,000 feet of climbing. Hoping for a dry day the 31st to get that first Century in for 2009!
Enjoy the ride,
Steve

Death Ride 2009...I am in!

2009-01-15T22:32:00.000-08:00

After what seemed like a few thousand tries I was able to register for Death Ride 2009. This was one tough ride last year and I do not expect this year to be any different with the exception that I have completed this ride once and have a better idea of what to expect.

If you read my final post on last years ride you'll know why I'll be sure to have a jacket before I head up Carson Pass this year:)

Let the training continue!
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

Well it's a new year and I kicked it off right with a great New Years Day ride with some of the folks from our TNT Death Ride Team. We rode from one of our head coaches home in Danville (CA for those of you from out of the area) to the top of Mount Diablo (photo above) and then a nice quick descent to her home for a pot luck. The weather could not have been better with clear skies at the top (which by the way is almost 4,000 feet) that provided views as far as the Sierras.

With a blanket of clouds below (at roughly 1,800 to 2,000 feet) only the peaks of the higher hills of the SF Bay Area could peek through. What a great day and awesome opportunity to spend some time with some very cool people. At the end of the ride we racked up about 30 miles and 3,600 ft of climbing.

I have some very ambitious goals this year and will share them as certain events get closer...I will mention that a few of them have the word "Double" in them. In the meantime, I am going to have to put some serious miles in and am looking forward to DST to provide some additional hours of daylight to get the job done!

I wish you health, happiness, peace and prosperity in this new year!

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

PS: The nice Calfee in the pic unfortunately is not mine but belongs to one of our coaches from the Death Ride.

It's still basically free to ride...

2008-12-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

30 November - It was great to have some time off for Thanksgiving and here in Northern California we are lucky to be enjoying a long fall season. While I had hoped to get more riding in than I did, I was able to enjoy a short 22 mile ride from my house down to the town of Sunol and back winding through some of the scenic areas of Pleasanton. For my friends reading this from other parts of the country, I'll gloat and just say that 70 degrees and sunny on November 30th ain't bad considering that I am not in Hawaii.

With all of the bad news we hear every day, it's great to get out and clear your mind and enjoy the changing colors, get a great workout and not even have to spend a penny on gas.

I plan to put in my bid for a spot in the Death Ride for 2009 and will let you know if I was successful in a couple of weeks.
Enjoy the ride,
Steve

PS: The photo above was taken just outside of Sunol (around 4 PM) and is a small family vineyard.

Seven City Ride...Sunday

2008-11-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 23 November - Seeing a forecast for sunny skies and it is almost Thanksgiving...I had no choice but to take advantage of another awesome riding day in California. I took off from the house (yep the Garmin seemed to be asleep for the first 10 miles and had an awakening in Fremont) and headed for Sunol, Fremont, Castro Valley, San Ramon, and then into Danville where I stopped for a quick bite to refuel at Panda Express. After that, I headed out toward Mt Diablo and then back into San Ramon and then Livermore and finally back through the vineyards and into Pleasanton. All together, I racked up another 64 miles bringing my weekend total to about 90 (I rode on Friday afternoon as well).

-Steve

Stats:
> 64 miles
> 6,513 feet of climbing (according to Garmin Training Center)
> 43.8 mph max speed
> 14.7 mph AVG speed

Shot from our ride on Sunday, October 19th...SWEET!

2008-10-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

Time to dust off the mountain bike!

2008-10-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

Well, my friend Gordon and I hit the trail this evening for a ride around Pleasanton Ridge! The weather was absolutely perfect and the trail just awesome with some great technical portions and nice long stretches to gain some speed. After almost 1100 miles on the road, this was my first time back on the trail in a little over a month.

The track below was captured on the Garmin and photos were sync'd via Abaqus!

View Larger Map

Big Ride - ride day 13 - CA

2008-09-27T20:31:00.001-07:00

Well, today was our final day of riding and we rode from Samuel P. Taylor Park to the South End of the Golden Gate Bridge. Our group took a bit of a detour (which I'll have to take significant responsibility for) but all in all it was a great finish to this event.

This ride was not without it's challenges at times but all in all it was a great experience for a very good cause.

Thanks to all of you that supported me, the new friends that I met and rode with, and a very special thanks to my supportive wife and children Rachel and Nicholas.

As I shared early on, my goal was to complete this event in honor of my wife's brother (and a loving uncle to our children Rachel and Nicholas) Fredrick G. Meyer who lost his brief but courageous battle with lung cancer last year. A brilliant person who had many interests that included technology and with that in mind I felt it was very cool to be able to team up with Abaqus to integrate the use of their GeoDiary GPS technology to share my story as I traveled down the Pacific Coast.

Final trip stats:

Miles ridden - 1,028.4

Max speed recorded - 43.6 mph

AVG speed (over entire ride) - 14.29 mph

Total riding time - 71:57:54

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

View Larger Map

For details go to Abaqus GeoDiary share page for this track.

Big Ride - ride day 12 - CA

2008-09-27T19:59:00.001-07:00

(No description entered)

View Larger Map

For details go to Abaqus GeoDiary share page for this track.

Big Ride - ride day 10 - CA

2008-09-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well, today was a long day and I racked up another 94 miles. With Wednesday being our last rest day it was also an opportunity to grab a hotel and clean some clothes.

Our ride on Tuesday was epic with some awesome descents (hitting speeds of up to 41 mph) and nice climbs. We had a great lunch in Legget, CA and then a great close with a ride down the coast.

It was truly a great day but we did encounter a poor example of humanity as we rode into the final SAG stop around mile 60 and we listened to a motorist complaining (for at least 10 mins before we left) to one of the ride staff about the riders that were ahead of us and how he had to slow down as a logging truck had to go around the cyclists (who were legally riding the edge of the road in single file). Well, this idiot decided to raise his status from ignorant to idiot by making the comment that if he would have had to make a choice between hitting the logging truck or the cyclist he "was taking out the cyclists"...nice to know that we are riding for people even like him:( Einstein really raised his status in the food chain in ending the conversation by handing his Safeway business card to our ride staff. I will be following up with the Safeway corporate offices in my home town of Pleasanton when I return to let them know the message that their local "ambassador of the roadways" is sharing in hopes that this *#0? #@?*! might get an attitude adjustment.

In closing, I have now logged about 844 miles and officially have 2.5 days of riding left and officially 187 miles to go. Please keep an eye out for cyclists and I'll post again soon.

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

Big Ride - Day 7

2008-09-24T14:13:00.003-07:00

Ride Day 7 took us from Brookings, OR to Trinidad, CA.

View Larger Map

For details go to Abaqus GeoDiary share page for this track.

Big Ride - ride day 6

2008-09-19T19:40:00.001-07:00

Todays ride took us from Florence to Bandon, OR. We added about 73 miles to the odometer today and have one more day in Oregon before hitting CA on Sunday which will be "officially" our longest ride day at 91 miles.

Current stats for the ride are:
Tot miles - 484
Max speed - 39 mph
Camp nites - 4

Till tommorrow, enjoy the ride...
-Steve

View Larger Map

For details go to Abaqus GeoDiary share page for this track.

Big Ride - Day 4 - Oregon

2008-09-16T22:02:00.001-07:00

Today we left Manzanita, OR and arrived in Lincoln City, OR this evening and added another 88 miles to the odometer. Todays ride took us over some interesting terrain and down the coast along the Pacific Coast.

Wednesday is a rest day off from the bike and an opportunity to do some laundry and dry out some wet camping equipment as I take refuge in the hotel tonite and tomorrow evening.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

View Larger Map

For details go to share page for this track.

Big Ride - Day 2 - Washington

2008-09-15T12:45:00.001-07:00

Day 2 - The Big Ride Pacific Coast

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For details go to share page for this track.

Big Ride - Day 1 - Washington

2008-09-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

Start of the Big Ride Pacific Coast - Seattle to San Francisco in 15 days!

View Larger Map

For details go to Abaqus GeoDiary share page for this track.

In Seattle and in the news too!

2008-09-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I flew into Seattle this afternoon and I am ecstatic to report that the bike arrived in great shape! For those of you that had heard about my situation with the bike shop 2 weeks prior to the Death Ride, you can surely understand my concern and for those who haven't we'll save the story to share over a beer sometime. I have some very exciting news to share in that I have gotten some worldwide attention with the press release for a company that I am working with to share the experience of this ride. Please check out the release at this link http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080910006263&newsLang=en .

As I shared in an earlier post, I will be blogging from the ride so please check back regularly. In addition, you can also catch a daily update via the link from the Abaqus site at http://sbursley.mygeodiary.com . I'll try to get a quick ride in tomorrow here in Seattle at lunch and enjoy some of this awesome weather that they are experiencing before we head out on Saturday morning.

Speak with you soon via my blog.
-Steve

Packed up and ready to go...

2008-09-10T00:49:00.000-07:00

In preparation for my flight to Seattle on Thursday afternoon it was time to disassemble the Madone and pack it up! My flight on Southwest is definitely going to be First Class compared to the tight squeeze of fitting the bike into the shipping crate.

I have my fingers crossed for a smooth ride and safe delivery on the other end. I should have some exciting news to share in my post tomorrow...or should I say later today.
-Steve

This is cool!

2008-09-06T23:43:00.000-07:00

The GPS data below and photos came from the mobile app that I mentioned below. This was just a quick 18 mile ride that I did today. Click the call-outs and photos at that location will appear...very cool!

We're still testing but stay tuned for more...
-Steve

View Larger Map

It's all good!

2008-09-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well, as you will note on the main page there is now less than a week till I take off on my 1,000 mile journey. The logistics for this ride are interesting considering that I have to ship my bike, we will camp, and last I'll need to blog from the road with no wi-fi connection.

The shipping and camping are pretty much covered and I am happy to announce that if all goes well you will also be able ride with me virtually with a very cool GPS-based app (running on a Blackberry Pearl) that I will be using from a company that I have partnered with by the name of Abaqus (www.abaq.us). We intend to send out a Press Release prior to the ride which will also drive the opportunity to additional donations...it's all good! The plan is for me to track each day's ride and then push the GPS data and a few photos that will be time/location sync'd overlaying Google Map data. I'll share more over the coming days prior to the ride and I will also try to post this same info (with dynamic map info) in a blog post each day so if you miss a day you can always see it on an earlier post.

I am completing this ride to honor my brother-in-law Frederik G. Meyer who lost his battle with Lung Cancer in October, 2007 and all of my friends, colleagues, and others that have shared their stories of friends and family they have lost to all cancers and those who continue their fight.

Thanks to all of you that have supported me on both this event as well as the previous event that I completed in July with the LLS Team in Training Spring Death Ride Team. For those of you would still like to donate, please click on the link of the right side of the page and it will take you right to the donation page.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Be the change that you want to see in the world. -Mahatma Gandhi

Bear Valley Metric Century...another one in the bag!

2008-08-16T21:57:00.000-07:00

Today I completed the Bear Valley Metric Century. It was another banner California day with temps in the 90's and the awesome scenery of the Sierra mountains. This was a nice ride that took us from Bear Valley Village down HWY 4 to the town of Dorrington (~20 miles) and the we turned back toward Bear Valley and then a right at Spicer Road to the reservoir (photo on the right). This was a great winding road climbing through granite hills and beautiful forest. Next, we turned around and headed back to HWY 4 and then returned to Bear Valley Village.

Quick facts on the ride:
Distance - 60 miles
Altitude at start - 7,000 ft
Elevation gain (climbing) - 6.500 ft
Ride time - 4:07:11
AVG speed - 14.7 mph

My fund-raising for the Big Ride Pacific Coast will end soon as we'll head off on our 1,000 mile journey from Seattle to San Francisco. If you or someone you know is interested in supporting me in this event, please direct them to the link on the right. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach me by email.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

What I'll be doing this weekend...

2008-08-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I'll be heading off to tackle some of the same mountain passes that I rode in the Death Ride as I ride the Bear Valley Metric Century. Oh yeah, I am expecting some heckling from my riding buddies of DR for not doing the full Century (yep, this ones only 60 miles and 6,500 ft of climbing...at altitude) but that's OK as I taper my training for the 1,000 mile ride from Seattle to San Francisco.

I'll share more over the weekend after completing the ride!
-Steve

Death Ride Tandem Skeleton

2008-08-15T19:49:00.001-07:00

I found this on YouTube and thought I would share. The Death Ride seems to also have a humorous side...probably to get the rest of us over the pain and strain of the ride:)
Enjoy,
Steve

Rolling Bones, Death Ride 2008

2008-08-15T19:38:00.001-07:00

While a serious ride, there was plenty of entertainment along the way and this was one of the guys that we rode by.
-Steve

Norwegian Tandem found in Wisconsin

2008-08-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I am in the Midwest this week (and next) and more specifically La Cresent, MN which is just across the river from the more well know La Crosse, WI. This is a great place to ride with long stretches of country roads and beautiful bluffs and scenery. While I had planned to ride while I am out here, I decided that I could not take the chance of packing the new Madone 5.5 up and putting it in the cargo bin. So with helmet, pedals, and gear with me I am here but have not been able to locate a shop that will rent a bike but with a week left, I'll stop into one of the nicer shops in town tomorrow and see if I can negotiate a deal...wish me luck:)

Anyway, while driving around this evening Paula noticed the Norwegian Tandem (above) and I could not pass up the opportunity to share it with my blog watchers.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Back on the road and training for the next Big Ride!

2008-07-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

It was great to be home this weekend after spending a few days in Tahoe following the Death Ride (a.k.a. DR) as we celebrated my daughter's 14th birthday with the family. I was back on the road this afternoon for a quick 30 mile spin from my home in Pleasanton to Danville and back. This was the first time back on the bike since DR.

Unlike the DR, most of the Big Ride Pacific Coast will be relatively flat (certainly by comparison anyway) climbing only 54,000 feet over 1,000 miles. My training for the next two weeks will also align perfectly for this event as I ride the flat lands of the Midwest in Minnesota and Wisconsin. While remote, I will try to blog with some interesting pics.

Stay tuned and as always...Enjoy the Ride!

-Steve

Final report from the Death Ride - Markleeville, CA...129 miles and 15,000 feet completed!

2008-07-13T08:28:00.001-07:00

Well, it was a tough ride but I made all 5 passes and 15,000 feet of climbing. Starting out at 4:30 AM, we headed for the first of the 5 mountain passes. On the third pass with 50+ miles behind us I was dying (questioning myself on whether I would/could finish) and also feeling a slight cramp in my right thigh. I managed to push through to the top of the third pass (Ebbetts) and met the rest of my team mates at the other side.

I regained my composure/strength and went back over the 4th pass strong. Heading into Markleeville I saw my family cheering me on and sat down for lunch. With 82 miles down, I headed out to complete the last pass (Carson) and at roughly 4:00 PM (that's me at the top in the photo) I was at the top and had completed all 5 passes. Well, I wish I could say that I raced down the hill to the finish but heading out it started to hail and then 2 miles down it was pouring rain and I thought I would pull over to wait it out as my brakes we're almost useless and I was soaked from head to toe. After about 20 minutes we ended up getting a ride down back. While I officially completed the event, I wasn't happy about having to bail on the last part of the hill (bad mistake stopping to wait for the rain to pass) so Paula drove me back up above where I pulled off and I rode the remaining miles back to the finish!

My goal was to complete this event in honor of my mother-in-law Marguerite L. Meyer who passed away on June 22nd and was my personal honoree for this event.

Thanks to all of you that supported me in this event. Together through your generous donations, we raised over $5,000 beating my personal goal! The team as a whole raised over $115,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

With the Death Ride behind me, I will now continue to train for the Big Ride in September...while significantly more miles (and days to ride them) it will total only 54,000 feet of climbing in the 12 days of riding.

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

Less than a week away to the Death Ride!

2008-07-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

It has been a turbulent month since my last post with a huge loss that is significant to the reason that I am completing this event. On the evening of June 22nd, I am very sad to report that my mother-in-law Marguerite L. Meyer passed away. As my personal honoree for this ride, I will now complete it in her memory. This was a lady that was larger than life and will be missed by not only her family and many friends, but all of those that she touched in her life.

Since my last post I completed two more rides with the team with the last being yesterday, July 5th. Details for each are noted below:

June 21 - Vertical challenge (believe me it lived up to it's name) - 110 miles, 11K feet of climbing (it was 70 degrees that day at 6:30 AM when we rolled out)

July 5 - House of Pain - 69 miles, 3K feet of climbing (taper ride as we get ready to complete the event)

Yesterdays ride (House of Pain, noted above) was going well with less than 10 miles left riding in a loose Pace Line we heard a loud metal thrashing sound that seemed to be coming from one of our team mates wheels. It turned out to be a 3.5 inch galvanized framing nail that had lodged itself in the tire and was "whacking" against the frame. I took the photo above as one of our "clever" team mates came up with the "Green" bike repair stand...completely organic and renewable, but not very mobile:)

With less than a week till the Death Ride, I have ridden close to 2,000 miles since I started training. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is going to be the toughest ride that I have ever completed.

As my last post before the Death Ride, I want to thank all of you that have donated (and hopefully shame the rest of you into making a donation) and report that through your generous contributions we have raised $4,815.00 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This money will be used to fund research and provide services to those battling the blood diseases that the Society supports so that one day we will be able to eliminate the statistics noted below:

- Approximately every 5 minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer

- Every 10 minutes another child or adult dies from a blood cancer

I will complete this ride with team mates that are also cancer survivors that have benefited from the fund-raising of others and the generosity of people like yourself...it's working but we are still have the alarming statistics noted above. Again, thanks to all of you and "we" can make a difference. Last, a very special thanks to my wife and children for supporting me with all of the missed weekends training and the support they will provide to me next weekend at the Death Ride.

Wish me luck and I'll file one last post for the Death Ride after the event!

Enjoy the ride....

-Steve

Altitude Camp...and how many miles has Steve ridden?

2008-06-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

Well, this weekend was the official Altitude (or some would say "Attitude") Camp. The objective was to pre-ride a lot of the course to be ready for the Death Ride www.deathride.com. We camped at Grover Hot Springs State Park which is at just under 6,000 ft. It was a nice campground and we had a great time but it was COLD at night with a low of 42 degrees on Friday night and 28 degrees on Saturday night.

The riding was great and we rode Ebbetts Pass (both sides) on Saturday and covered 55 miles and Monitor Pass on Sunday at 43 miles winding the weekend up at just shy of 100 miles. Everyone on the team did great and we covered a lot of miles and altitude without any crashes...always a good thing!

With roughly a month before the Death Ride, I have trained hard with just over 1,700 miles ridden since I started in late January. And while the training has been challenging, it is still nothing compared to what those with cancer deal with every day. During the short time that I have trained, my mother-in-law has vigilantly continued her battle with myelome, my manager's father was diagnosed and lost his battle with cancer, and a classmate of one of my children was diagnosed and is now being treated for Leukemia. Cancer by any label is a horrible disease and we must continue to drive toward a cure.

As I train for my last few weeks before the first of these two events (oh the training for this summer is not even close to being over), I want to thank all of you that have generously supported me for these very worthy causes. For those of you that have been on the fence, the fundraising deadline for for the Death Ride is June 26th and is it as easy as clicking the link on the right to make that donation...move the mouse, click, and get out the credit card:)

I'll keep pedaling and together we will continue to make a difference!
Thanks,
Steve

PS: The slide show on the right includes photos that I had taken of the team this weekend.

Death Ride 2007 - Tour of the CA Alps

2008-06-06T00:54:00.001-07:00

With just a little over a month before the ride, we head out this weekend to pre-ride most of the course. The video above is something that I found on YouTube but gives a good overview of the ride. This is sure to be the toughest ride I have ever done, but that would be appropriate considering that I am riding in honor of one of the toughest people that I have ever known...my mother-in-law, Mrs. Marguerite Meyer.
Best,
Steve

PS: To my wife and kids, please ignore the helecopter at the top of Monitor:)

Please...Share the Road!

2008-06-05T23:27:00.001-07:00

I am proud to be out training and putting in the miles for some great causes to save lives but please be aware of cyclists on the road!

Big miles and big altitude, back in the saddle...

2008-06-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

After a Memorial Day weekend that was someone short of the illustrative start of Summer here in California, I pushed some big miles and altitude this week wrapping it up with a total of 199 miles and a little shy of 18,000 feet.

We started out the week on Monday with an assault on the Taste of the Devil but decided to head back to Danville after descending Morgan Territory. On Tuesday, I took a quick trip from the house around Palomares Loop and then on Saturday rode with some of the team for a Mt Hamilton loop. This was a tough ride at 107 miles and almost 9,300 feet of climbing. The wind was fierce toward the end and I could barely keep a 14 mph pace for the last 5-6 miles one the way home.

All in all, Saturday was a great ride and everyone did great. Thanks to our SAG captain (also the wife of one of our team mates that organized the ride), we were well taken care of on this Buddy Ride...thanks Sherri, you are awesome!

Next week is Altitude Camp or what I think some of us will refer to as "Attitude Camp" as we train in Markleeville riding much of the course that we will see in just over a month. Keep good thoughts for the weather gods as this time of the year can be questionable as some of our team mates found out of Memorial Day weekend when they saw that Mother Nature was not finished dumping snow!

I have included some shots of the ride this weekend below.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Back from a one week hiatus...Time to Ride!

2008-05-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

24 May - I have been off the bike for just about a week as I was off to Portugal on business for the BMC Software, UserWorld event in Lisbon. The prior weekend (5/10) I had joined a number of team mates for a buddy ride that started in Orinda (95 miles, 9,700 ft of climbing). For those of you in the area, you know that the following week warmed up and I wanted to get a ride in before jumping on a plane to Europe so one of my colleagues and I rode Pleasanton Ridge (MTB) Thursday morning (5/15) at 6:30 AM. We found some nice new Single Track (which by the way I am sure was legal riding) and did a quick 10-12 miles before heading back into the office.

We had planned a ride today and actually headed out of Danville and up Diablo but once we hit the ranger station at roughly 2,000 ft the rain really started to come down so we headed back and ended up only logging 18 miles and a couple of thousand feet vs. our planned 110 miles and 10,000 ft. Hopefully the weather will improve on Monday and we'll take another run at the "Taste of the Devil" route.

While I had intended to ride in Portugal a forecasted thunderstorm derailed our plans. However, I was able to pick up some "Big Ride" size Red Bull as is noted in the photo!
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

I didn't look quite like the guys in the video (bottom)...but it was the same road!

2008-05-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

Week ending 4 May 2008 - Got a little training in the week but am thinking not enough and probably paid for it on the "Taste of the Devil" ride on Saturday with the team. This was a tough ride logging 110 miles with a ride time of 7:52:38 or an AVG SPD of 14 MPH. We started the ride with a climb to the summit of Mt Diablo (a.k.a. Devil Mountain) then descended and climbed Morgan Territory for a well deserved SAG (mile 46). Still feeling pretty strong (with the exception of a "numb" set of toes on my right foot) we headed down the "Plunge" which was a set of quick tight steep turns down into Livermore. I would say that around mile 66 after chasing coach Sascha and team mate Robert for the previous 5-6 miles, I was feeling the pain and it was about to get tougher as we headed up Patterson Pass. Ten miles later after having several moments of thinking "Steve, what the h%!@ are you doing!" we hit SAG stop #3 and man was that a sight for sore eyes! The last 34 miles were grueling and the thought of a left turn (toward Pleasanton) was very tempting but as we rolled into the last SAG at mile 93 we were almost there! After fueling up, I cruised the last 17 miles with one of my team mates who had done the ride on a recumbent bike.

All in all, it was a tough ride but I think it could have been a bit easier if I had chosen a better pace for myself. Not having ridden most of the course also probably didn't help either. At the end of the day, it was a great ride and everyone on the team was awesome. Unfortunately we found out at the last SAG another team mate had crashed resulting in a bit of a pile up descending the "Plunge" but was able to walk away with a crushed helmet and a bad case of road rash. We did receive an email today though and it sounds like she'll be back in the saddle for the next ride.

Until next time...Ride Hard, Fast, Strong, and Safe!
Steve

PS: BTW, I ended the week logging just under 131 miles!

Wear a helmet...

2008-04-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

Week ending 27 April - Wow, what a week. Unfortunately I fell a bit short of meeting my personal goal of at least 100 miles per week but did manage to get some great riding in with the team on Saturday. We headed out from the Crissy Field area of San Francisco which is basically at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge and rode up into the Marin Headlands and then down into Sausalito and up through Fairfax and out to the coast. After heading out through the small town of Olena we climbed the Seven Sisters which are basically a good portion of the way up Mt Tam. Running a bit behind on time (and having already done some serious miles and climbing in the heat) we decided head back to San Francisco. Unfortunately as we descended into Mill Valley another one of our team mates crashed and according to the paramedics on scene dislocated her left shoulder. Unfortunately, this is now the fourth serious injury since we started riding as a team at the beginning of February.

After emergency services had arrived and our team mate was in an ambulance to the hospital we headed back and as we ascended from Ft Baker up under the Golden Gate Bridge another cyclist took a serious spill flying over the handle bars and flipping mid-air landing on her back and head. Emergency Services were called again and this time the rider had been without a helmet and suffered some head injuries with a severe wound to the back of the head.

Within the course of a hour we witnessed two serious cycling accidents and it was crystal clear that you should not be on the road without a helmet. Accidents will happen and no matter how experienced you are, it could happen to you. If you are going to ride, WEAR A HELMET!

Total miles this week are estimated at 93 as my Polar computer seemed to get confused as we placed multiple bikes beside each other as we scrambled to the scene of the first accident and all of a sudden I had an extra 100 miles on my bike when we took off.

Ride hard, ride fast, but most importantly ride safe!

Steve

Primavera, and we ain't talk'n pasta baby!

2008-04-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I completed the first of a series of Century rides that I will do as a part of my training for the Death Ride and Big Ride Pacific Coast! Today's ride was the Primavera 2008 and this was the 36th annual running of the event. I thought this might be a tough ride as I had been out of town on business all week and was not able to get any training in. For those of you familiar with the area, this ride started out heading south toward Milpitas with the first climb being up Calaveras to the backside of Mission Peak. From there we traveled to Sunol and then through Pleasanton toward the Altamont Pass. We continued to climb up Patterson Pass and then had a nice descent into Livermore. Next, we headed back toward Pleasanton and then north on Foothill and then west for another climb up Eden Canyon. Our last climb would be through Palomares Canyon and then another fast descent into Fremont and back to the start, ending with just over 103 miles.

Ride stats:

Ride time: 7:02:16
Calories burned: 4,003
Distance: 103.1 miles
Average speed: 14.6 mph
Max speed: 35.1 mph
Climb/Elevation: 6,000 feet

Best,
Steve

100 miles or more per week...delivering for the fourth time in a row!

2008-04-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

Week ending April 13th - This week marks the fourth week in a row that I have I achieved my goal of 100 mile plus weeks. We had an awesome team ride on Saturday departing Los Altos and riding to the coast (and back) racking up 77 miles and 8,000 feet of climbing. The weather could not have been better with temps in the mid-eighties and even fantastic weather out at the ocean.

Being a little short of my 100-mile weekly goal I headed out to complete the Palomares loop on Sunday and added another 34 miles putting me at 111 miles for the week and adding roughly 10,000 feet of elevation.

Next Sunday, April 20th I will ride the Primavera Century.

Best,

Steve

Week ending April 6, 2008...another 100 miler!

2008-04-07T20:12:00.001-07:00

Well as I closed on another week of training, I am now only 95 days away from the Death Ride! The training continues to get tougher as we prepare for the 129 miles and 15K feet of climbing at an altitude of over 8K ft. This past weekends buddy ride totaled 83 miles and 9.3K ft of climbing. On top of it all, we hit some fierce headwinds as we headed to the coast. However, the first part of the ride we enjoyed some beautiful California weather as we scaled Mt. Tam.

While I did not get in as much training as I would have liked, I did cover my 100 mile quota with only two rides as is noted in the log below. The photo on the right was taken on Saturday's buddy ride with the team as we ascended up toward Mt. Tam. and crossed what is known as the 7 Sisters (there is also another name but I am keeping it clean for this audience).

Ride log for the week ending April 6th:
Home to Sunol (OTB) quick spin - 19 miles
Buddy Ride from Fairfax to the coast and back - 83 miles
Total: 102 miles

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

Week ending 30 March 2008 - Barely made my limit...

2008-03-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

Well, first off I have to congratulate my wonderful daughter and her friend Elsa for raising $105 for LLS this week. These two enterprising young ladies (13 and 14 respectively) sought donations throughout the neighborhood with a creative twist of offering a hand crafted flower pot with floral pens (a very unique multi-pen holder) for anyone offering a donation of $15 or more. You are both awesome and I really appreciate your support!

With regards to riding it was an interesting week. I started the week with a ride out to Palomares Canyon on Monday. With a serious wind blowingk I decided to turn back at the foot of the canyon and headed home. On Wednesday night after work, I thought I would take advantage of DST and climb Mt Diablo. While it ended up being a great ride I failed to consider the temperature difference at 3,849 ft and after roughly 1:20 mins when I reached the summit at 7:00 PM, I quickly realized that I was really not dressed for 37 degree weather with gusts of up to 34 mph (see photo above...notice the lack of a smile on my face)!

As we headed into the weekend, I rode with the team on Saturday for what ended up being a very wet ride called 18 hills (there is a reason for that name). At roughly mile 40 I noticed what I thought could be serious mechanical issues with a new bike that I had just picked up the night before so I decided to head back to the car and call it an early day. I later found out that one of our team mates crashed shortly after I had left the team and suffered four broken ribs and a clavicle. Unfortunately, after receiving an email from him today it appears that he is out for the season.

Having only completed 46.3 miles of the planned 70 for Saturday, I headed off for a quick ride down to Sunol and back to ensure that I made the committed 100 mile limit for the week.

I closing, it was an interesting week and I am hoping for a smoother week this week and a team ride on Saturday without any crashes. I have listed the rides and miles completed this week below.

Ride log, week ending 30 March:

Monday - Palomares Canyon (OTB) - 19.4 miles
Wednesday - Mt Diablo (Summit and back) - 20 miles
Saturday - 18 Hills Ride/TNT - 46.3 miles
Sunday - Sunol (OTB) - 19 miles
This weeks total - 104.7 miles

To all of you that have continued to support me through your generous donations to these causes, thank you! If you wish to make a donation, please use either or both of the links to the right of this page. Remember, I am committed to riding a mile for every dollar that is donated...so go ahead and make me ride more!
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Some serious miles this week ending 23 March 2008...

2008-03-24T23:05:00.000-07:00

This week I did some serious training and am ramping it up to shoot for an average of 100 miles per week. I started the week with a mountain bike ride with the boys from BMC on Tuesday and then took Wednesday off and did another 24 miles on Thursday (home to Palomares and then up the canyon and back). Next, Saturday I rode with the team and completed another 52 miles up riding up and down the Oakland hills. And then on Easter Sunday (prior to the big feast at Mom's) I completed another 34 miles completing the Palomares loop from my house.
Ride log for week ending 23 March

Mountain biking Pleasanton Ridge - 10 miles (slide show on right side of blog)
Palomares Canyon OTB - 24 miles
TNT Team Ride #5, Pinehurst Loop - 52 miles
Palomares Loop - 34 miles
Total = 120 miles

I have had some very generous donations lately and I want to thank all of you that have supported me. However, with that said I still have a ways to go and I know some of you have just been holding out for the right time to donate so I am raising the stakes and committing to riding a mile for every dollar that I collect...SO GO AHEAD AND MAKE ME RIDE!

I will add a running total of miles ridden on this blog this week and include mileage against donations received as well as my remaining obligation.
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

16 March, 2008 - Training ride | Palomares and Mission Peak Loop

2008-03-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

I missed the team ride this weekend due to obligations at home so it was time for the make-up ride on Sunday. While the weather looked decent when I left, little did I know that I would run into wind that would make it a challenge just to keep the bike upright. I headed toward Castro Valley and then up through Palomares Canyon and down through Fremont to Milpitas. Climbing Calaveras I would hit "the wall" with a direct headwind which I am guessing had gusts of 20 - 30 mph. The wind continued with fierce gusts as I rounded the backside of Mission Peak (hitting a max altitude of almost 1400 ft.) till heading down into the canyon in Sunol. My ride route is included in the map on the right which was captured by my Garmin GPS (click on image to view at a larger size).

Ride stats:

Total miles: 62
AVG speed: 14 mph
Max speed: 33.2 mph
Total elevation: 4,538 ft.

Next week it is back with the team for a Saturday ride. This week, the training agenda is Mountain Biking Tuesday evening with the BMC group and then at least another 25 - 35 miles of training this week which should put me over my 100 mile weekly goal!

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

12 March, 2008 - Update

2008-03-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

I added another 55 miles to the odometer on Saturday and 5K ft of climbing as we completed our 4th team ride. Heading for the N. Gate of Mount Diablo (the top is 3,950 ft) we climbed to mid mountain at 2K ft and then descended through the park and out through the S. Gate. The ride was not too tough but having traveled to the East Coast the past two weeks (for business) with no training in between and fighting off a cold, I was clearly not at my peak. Needless to say I managed to keep up with the group and weather turned out to be awesome. The rest of the team did great and it was great to ride with one of our team mates who as he said "touched the floor" (or "crashed" in layman's terms) a couple of weeks earlier which included 10 stitches to the head and a trip to the hospital.

On Tuesday evening with DST now here (excellent!), I was able to get a nice 27 mile ride in from the house up to the peak of Palomares Canyon (out and back). Still recovering from the cold, I felt strong and kept a decent time with an AVG speed of 14.6 mph (MAX of 36.4 mph) and AVG cadence of 77. I had a strong climb back up Eden Canyon Road with a fairly consistent pace of just under 15 mph.

As we head toward spring I should have no problem of getting 100 miles per week on the odometer and getting the climbing in that is going to be required to complete the Death Ride.

Thank you to all have sent in recent donations, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT!
Best,
Steve

PS: Many of you may have heard about the horrible accident last Sunday that took the lives of two Bay Area cyclists and left one seriously injured in critical condition. PLEASE, KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR CYCLISTS AND REMEMBER TO SHARE THE ROAD. THE FEW EXTRA SECONDS THAT YOU MAY BE TRYING TO SAVE COULD RESULT IN A LIFETIME OF REGRET AND THE LOSS OF A LIFE. THANKS.

What I have I been up to?

2008-03-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

I apologise for the lack of recent posts but moving forward I will try to update you weekly. So, what has been going on you might ask? Well, in the first four weeks of training with TNT, I have ridden 191 miles with a total of 11,500 feet of climbing. Yesterday (officially our 5th week of training) we were on our own and one of my teammates and I decided to ride from Portola Valley to San Gregorio beach and then back. Total miles for this ride was 49 with a total elevation gain of just under 6,800 feet taking my total miles ridden with the team to 240 and 18,400 feet of climbing. I have included the route on the right.

I want to thank all of you that have contributed as I am well on my way to reaching my fund raising goals for these two very significant events. For those of you who have still not made your donation, the good news is that there is still time and it is as easy as breaking out your credit card and clicking one of the links on the right side of this page.

Next weekend will be our 5th ride with the team and we'll add another 52 miles and 4,000 feet of climbing to the tab!
Best,
Steve

Team Ride #2 - House of Pain

2008-02-11T21:12:00.000-08:00

Wow, it is great to live in California with more great weather in the forecast for this weekend. Our second ride with the team (Team in Training) was great and this weeks ride recognized my mother-in-law Ms. Marguerite Meyer as our ride honoree. The photo on the right is the poster that was signed by the riders and was sent to her to remind her that she is not alone in this fight!

The ride was great and total mileage acrued was 52 miles with a personal average speed of 16.3 mph. We are stepping it up each weekend with increased elevation in preparation for the "big event". We received the following note from one of the head coaches "Just to let you know, as a “rough estimate”, assuming you make it to all the Team and Buddy rides, and complete all 5 passes, we’ll ride over 1800 miles and climb 156,500 feet as a TEAM! This does not include your own personal mid-week, weekend and Yo-Yo riding. Wow!!".

Last, I want to thank EVERY ONE OF MY AWESOME SUPPORTERS for your contributions! Both of these events are a team effort. While I may be the athlete for these events, I am counting on everyone's support to meet our ultimate goal which is improving the lives of those living with these horrible diseases and ultimately finding cures!

Wish me luck as we hit it hard tomorrow for team ride 3 (54 miles, 3500 ft of climbing)!

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

Racing the sunset...

2008-02-06T22:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I had thought I would limit my posts to once a week but this evenings training warranted a special post. With an early start to my day at work and late evening at the office the night before, I needed to add some miles. I took off for a short 30 mile ride on what is know locally as the Palomares Loop. Leaving at approximately 4:15 PM from my home, I knew I would be racing the fading daylight and wanted to hammer the first 13-15 miles to get through the white knuckle portion of this ride which is a 2-4 mile ride on a very narrow 2 lane road (HWY 84 for the locals) before I hit the canyon area which would get very dark and fairly fast at this point. Keeping a pace of roughly 20 mph things were looking good until I started to hear a "whooosh" with a gradual skwishy feeling on the rear of the bike. Yep, it was a flat and on one of the worst parts of the road. Fortunately, I did have a spare tube and after pulling the old one and airing up with the C02 I was good to go but had now lost 5-10 minutes of daylight and was still not yet in the canyon which would be another 10-12 mile ride to get back to HWY 580.

I made it back and racked up 32 miles at a AVG speed of 15 MPH with zero stops...not even for water (I am finishing off the bottle now as I write this). I think I cut this one a little tight so I won't be attempting this ride again this late in the evening until DST starts:)
-Steve

WK of 1/28/08

2008-02-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

In spite of all the rain here in N. CA last week I still managed to get some decent training in with spin classes (2x - wow was that fun, NOT!) and a short ride Friday afternoon (19 miles) and then a ride in with TNT (29 miles) on Saturday. Great to meet the new team and the ride was nice with the exception of the light rain which could have been much worse. Talk about a small world, I even rode the last couple of miles to the top with a team member who used to work at BMC Software!

Last, picked up some new wheels and tires and shaved 3 lbs off the bike so I am hoping that this pays dividends on the Death Ride. I'll try to get some photos on next weeks ride to post. For those of you that are shy, now is a good time to hit the donation links on the right:)
-Steve

The training begins...

2008-01-12T17:30:00.001-08:00

Well, the rain finally subsided and it was time to get down to some serious training. I rode from my home in Pleasanton up to Danville and then up Mt Diablo. Unfortunately with a late start, the best I could do was to climb 2000 feet or about halfway up. The total ride was 44 miles with a total ride time of 3:50:00. The photo is me at the 2000 ft mark on Mt. Diablo.

Last, the Team in Training donor site is up and ready and can be accessed using the link to the right hand side of this page. Please give generously and remember that all donations are tax deductible. Also, please pass the info in this site along to friends, family members, and business associates that may be interested in supporting these great causes!
Thanks for your support!
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

It's official, I have signed to ride with TNT for The Death Ride!

2008-01-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

Saturday, January 5, 2008 - Yep, as of this morning I have signed to ride with TNT for The Death Ride (a.k.a. Tour of the California Alps). This ride is sure to be a challenge but with a great cause behind it, failure is NOT an option. As some of you know from my participation with Team in Training last summer, the causes that the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society address have a personal connection with our family as my mother-in-law continues her 12-year long battle with Myeloma. I will ride in her honor as well as for the others that are fighting the blood diseases.

The head coach today mentioned that we will rack up approximately 2,000 miles throughout the training and actual event (the event is 129 miles). I hope you will give generously and support my efforts and in return, I will commit to spinning some serious miles for you!

As soon as the current monsoon stops here in Northern California, I'll be hitting the streets to start the training. In the meantime, it's off to the gym for me!

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

Training weblog added!

2007-12-31T00:22:00.001-08:00

I have added a link on the right side of the page that takes you to my weblog and will include training ride data, comments and actual GPS data from the ride...it's just like being there without the sweat or sore legs:)

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

Team in Training - Death Ride - Commitment planned for January 7th!

2007-12-27T00:41:00.000-08:00

I will be attending the January 7th meeting (2008) with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and will confirm my commitment that evening. If you are considering supporting me in this event, I should have a link up shortly thereafter. Stay tuned!

Enjoy the ride...

Steve

I'll be blogging from the ride!

2007-12-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

After some quick research this evening I have figured out how I will be able to provide daily updates from the Big Ride. I'll be able to update this blog via my BlackBerry...should be very cool!
Enjoy the ride...
Steve

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Big Ride Pacific Coast - The route

2007-12-23T21:46:00.001-08:00

Here is the route (and mile markers) that we will be riding. Click on map to view in a new window.

Big Ride Pacific Coast

2007-12-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 17, 2007 - Today I confirmed my commitment to complete The Big Ride Pacific Coast. This will be a 960 mile ride leaving Seattle on Saturday, September 14, 2008 and arriving in San Francisco on Saturday, September 27th. I will be completing this ride in honor of my brother-in-law who passed away on October 25, 2007 after a valiant but brief battle with lung cancer. The fundraising efforts of this event support the American Lung Association of the Northwest. Contributions (Tax Deductible) can be made by clicking on the Big Ride Pacific Coast link on the right side of this page. Thanks in advance for your support.