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Pre-ride reading, coffee

Last-minute: meeting at Four Barrel at 9 tomorrow, rolling out at 9:15, a casual and short ride to the ocean and Trouble Coffee, then back to the Mission. Just a coffee & toast, see-the-ocean-and-park, and stretch-the-legs ride to start the day. Default route is up and over Corbett Ave and past the fancy houses near St Francis Wood (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/119172), but we could also do the hill-free and slightly shorter ride through Golden Gate Park (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/114957), depending what whoever shows up wants.

[ ignore this post if you only follow the blog for ride planning and photos– below’s just a rare bit of personal New Year’s self-indulgence ] I biked a fair amount a decade ago, fell off the wagon for a few years, then three years ago started organizing rides (on this blog and a separate mailing list): for fun, to catch up with friends and meet new people, to explore more of the greater Bay Area at the more observant pace a bike allows, to get in better shape (I’ve never enjoyed going to the gym), and because I knew scheduling rides with other people would put pressure on me to actually make them happen and get organized on the mapping/planning front. ...

I biked to Russian River Brewery. Somewhat impulsively, with two stronger-than-me riders (thanks for waiting a few times), and via a scenic but longer and hillier route past Mt Tam and Point Reyes. About 83 miles and 6000’ of elevation gain? Whew. ...

Bike carrying a pot of hot soup.

Made laminated spoke cards of three memorable 2011 group rides, just for fun: Montara lighthouse overnight, the Point Reyes camping & oyster trip, and 100 miles of loops around the park.

Looking ahead– biking to Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa (about 60-70 miles each way from SF, some hills) is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. And hey– they’re serving Pliny the Younger for 14 days in early February. The plan: ride up either Saturday Feb 4th or 11th [edit: we’re doing it the 11th], early, hang out at the brewery, get a hotel/motel/airbnb for the night, and bike back the next day. With stops for lunch and so on. ...

I joined the Holiday Lights Ride again– this year it was cool but dry, with a group of over 100 riders on a casual tour of holiday lights in the Pac Heights / Richmond / Seacliff / Inner Sunset neighborhoods. A whole group of bikeit regulars and first-timers were there– good to see you Elliot, Becky, Zachary, Dina, Ted, Monique, Dave, Iris, Stephanie, Carrie, & Morgan! And special thanks to Robin, Barbara, Paul, Carla, and Martha. ...

coffee

Beer Growlers by bike. Sure, it would be easy to just carry them in panniers or mesh bags… but for the heck of it, I made some minimal webbing-and-elastic structures custom fit to Speakeasy growlers, and which clip to a rack with three-point restraint so they don’t bounce around. Started a few weeks ago, but finally found time to finish (and test!) them. People at the brewery were amused. And the coffee porter made it to a friend’s party without getting too shaken up.