Biking biking biking

I've gotten a lot more into biking over the last couple weeks. I suppose you could say I'm quasi-officially training for the 9 day bike trip I'm going on in late August. Some of the days are 80+ miles of biking, so I better get in shape.

In the last week, I've done this Marin loop 3 times. I bike from my apartment through the presidio over the bridge and then the loop as shown below.


Click here for a bigger satellite image of the route. By mid-August I need to be doing this 5 days a week.

I even got myself a pair of those dippy biking shorts with the padding for your crotch. Clearly a case of function over fashion.

On Saturday, I rode halfway up Mt. Diablo with w/ Beatty, Scott and Paul. This ride completely kicked my ass. A 2000+ ft climb with temps hitting the 90s by the time we got there. I can't imagine ever being in shape enough to ride to the top, but who knows. There are some definitely insane bikers out there -- gives me a whole new appreciation for the Tour.

The ride down the other side was amazing. You are basically coasting (and braking) for about 10 minutes. Awesome.