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Everyday is a milestone, and I’m SOO proud of myself, those are what I learned this past week.
It has been almost a month now since I bought my bike, and so far I’ve put on 263 miles on it. On Monday (2/20) I joined an ALC group ride called “Pasadena Home Envy Tour” leaded by Tommy & Pedro. On this 13 miles ride, we started from the Rose Bowl and went through the Linda Vista area. It was a nice and easy ride; the best thing was I don’t have to drive long to get to the meeting point. Not forget to thank both ride leaders, who were very nice and helpful.
I did spinning class on Wednesday (2/22) and Friday (2/24). Oh yeah, also did the Rose Bowl loops on Thursday (2/23) afternoon, about 19 miles. There were a lot of people that day, I supposed everyone enjoyed the sunny day after a raining weekend.
OK, now come the FUN part. For those of you who know La Tuna Canyon and Lida Street in Pasadena, yes, I climbed up both of them in one day. For those who don’t know where they are, let me tell you, La Tuna Canyon is a 4.5 miles steady climb, the top is just after the 210 underpass. Lida Street starts from Linda Vista and it is a more than 2 miles climb. This ride started from the beautiful Griffith Park, and the whole trip was 45.3 miles. It was the longest distance single ride I ever did. Of course, the record won’t be held for long, I’ve to do a lot more than just 45 miles.
There were around 50 riders turn out for this ride, so you can imagine how popular it is and how they loved the hills! The ride went through several cities, including some I’ve never been to, and in some cases, I didn’t even know where I was. The areas were nice.
I was very tired and sore after the ride. Didn’t get home till 3pm, after finish doing some writing, I went for a nap. Later on, called one of the rider friends, Dionne, she wants to does the Sunday’s “Tom’s Star Map Tour” and see if I would like to go too. I wasn’t sure at the beginning, but then I think I have to do it, I need the training.
Sunday (2/26) turned out to be a wonderful day. On this 33 miles ride, we started from the West Hollywood Park, went through Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Bel Air etc. It certainly was an easier ride compare to what I did the day before, however, it was not easy at all, especially climbing up Bundy Drive. I used the experience and strength I gained from the previous ride and it helps a lot. What I like about this ride is not only the nice communities, but also wonderful ride leaders and gets to know some other ALC 5 riders, including Kenny whom I first met from chatroom, Juan who is a second time rider.
Because of work, because of rain, I didn't do much out door riding this weekend.
First of all, I had a very busy working week. Had to finish a special report about adult day health care centers (ADHC) which was over-due. This is a project for my healthcare journalism fellowship program. I'm glad and reliefs when this report is finally done!
I planned to do some riding for Saturday and Sunday, however, was upset when the weather guy said we were expecting raining weekend. The rain spoiled my plan, but I did get the extra sleep that I desperately needed. Also attend a function on Sunday evening, where with the help from friends, I manage to raise a good amount of money for ALC 5.
Now put the clock backward a little more...... on Monday-Wednesday (2/13-15), three days in a row, I did the spinning class at the Y. On Thursday (2/16) evening, I took my bike to the Rose Bowl and did 5 loops (15miles). It was so cold! There were many riders, some of them really kick ass! (opss...)
Looking forward to the coming week, looking forward to more training rides.
First picture of me and my new jersey, new bike = a new me.
As planned, I went out riding with Connie and Steve from Different Spokes. It was a 35 miles ride, starting from the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. We went up Nichols Canyon, Woodrow Wilson, Mulholland, then passed through the VA Center and headed to Santa Monica beach.
The weather was great (hot in fact) but I really enjoyed this whole different ride, a lot on climbing and going down hills, big challenge for me. I did well on the climbing part, but go very slow while we went down the hills.
While we were up there, one part of the road is under construction, and the road pathment is totally uneven, basically we had to carefully zip through the road (as you know road bike's tires are small). At one of the traffic stops, guess what, we ran into Jay Leno in his antique car! I waved at him, and when he responded with a "Beebeep" (honk) of his car.
While travelling on Wilshire, we had to use the sidewalk for safety reason, and there's where I dropped my water bottle and had my FIRST FLAT! I changed my first flat tire by myself (well, the first part of it) and later on with helping hands from Connie and Steve. I got back to the road again!
On the way back to Pacific Design Center, we went through Beverly Hills, one of the road had so many up and down hills (short but had to shift gears very fast). It was fun to think about it, but was really tough when I did it. Looking forward to more training rides in the coming weeks.
It has been a month since I signed up for AIDS/LifeCycle 5. Many thanks to all of you for your generous support. I got my first road on Chinese New Year eve (1/28); it's a goldish-brown Cannondale R700. I love it and enjoy riding every time. In these past 2 weeks, I've put on 100 miles on it, woohoooo... a century, a milestone!Due to my so called flexible but actually crazy working hours, it's very hard for me to do consistence group/road training during the week. As a result, I go to the gym and do the spinning class plus weight lifting (which I've been doing for the past 2 years, I'm at the Gold level now). At the meantime, I try to find time and do some road riding, either with friends or just the loop at the Rose Bowl. During my first ride on 1/31 at the Rose Bowl, I fell from my bike, because I was not used to the new clips on my shoes. Yes, I had a minor injury on my left knee, bleeding to be specific (ouch...ewe...) but I'm doing OK now. With the help from Dionne, a friend and a newbie like me with the ALC 5, I learned some cycling tips and played with the gears.Sometime it's so hard to wake up early and ride under the cold weather in the early morning. But when I think about the up coming ride in June, and all your support, I manage to kick myself out of the bed and get ready for some training before work. You all are my momentum to keep moving forward which I truly appreciate.On 2/4, I rode with my friend David, an ex-AIDS Ride rider. It was my first ride on actual busy road. We road from Pasadena to Sierra Madre, a total of 24 miles. It wasn't too bad for a newbie; just have to watch out for traffic. I realized how important it is to share a road with the cyclists when you're driving. When you drive, you have the car to protect you, but when you ride, that's not a lot of protection. On 2/5, I went to a Bike Workshop in Santa Monica. Learned how to change a flat tire! Woohoo, I did it, but I'm so not looking forward to put my knowledge into action.... hahaha.... well, if it happens, at least I know how to fix it and no need to call AAA. It was nice to ride for 10 miles with other newbie in Santa Monica, a bike-friendly city.Today (2/11) I joined the Long Beach team for a 30miles ride from LB to Newport Beach. It was great! (But I'm tired, so I took a nap in the evening....). Learning how to ride in a group is very important, as you not only take care of each other, but also motivate each other. Riding on the PCH is kind of dangerous at certain points, but overall I had great time. If you have never been to that part of town, you should, nice beach nice city, but watch out for all the cyclists, man, they are fast! I'm planning to do a ride in the West Hollywood area on Sunday (2/12). Will share the experience in my blog.
I've always wanted to create a personal website/blog, but get caught up with many other things in life. Finally, after I signed up for AIDS/LifeCycle 5, I've no excuse for delaying this project. By creating this I hope everyone can share my story, or even join me in this historic journey in my life.
As a journalist, writing has always been part of my life. Sometime I do get tired for writing too much. I've a passion for writing, that's for sure. I will try my best, work to the hardest to keep this page fresh and new all the time.
Welcome. Huan-Ying. Selamat Datang.
