Taking Baby Steps on the Road to Recovery

I got back on the bike today for the first time since January 23, when I was forced to make the difficult decision to take some time off due to achilles tendonitis and some knee issues. As previously reported, my physical therapy is going well, and the therapist told me I could get back on […]

Read More

First Week of Physical Therapy Completed

I completed my first week of physical therapy, and I am doing well. Although it seems that I will be unable to resume training at full capacity for some time, I will at least be able to ride my bike this weekend… with some limitations. I’ve been instructed to ride no more than about 30 […]

Read More

Injury Puts an End to Training (for Now)

I finally have accepted that I need to pause my training in order to recover from an injury I developed last month. Prior to Christmas, I had experienced a slight niggling in my achilles tendon, and then on Christmas, I attempted a 500km ride, but had to stop due to knee and achilles pain at […]

Read More

My Attempt to Ride 500km

On December 25, 2021, at 11:59 p.m., I set out with a group of friends in an attempt to complete the Rapha Festive 500 in a single ride. The chosen route started in Diamond Bar, California, heading southeast towards Hemet, up Highway 74 to Mountain Center, and then a long descent into Palm Desert. We […]

Read More

Mt. Wilson Mega Loop (219km)

I finally did it! For a long while now, I have been wanting to do a loop of Camp 9 and Mt Wilson, starting and ending in Santa Clarita–a route that I call the Mt. Wilson Mega Loop. The loop covers a distance of 219km, and over 4km of climbing. It features a short climb […]

Read More

Struggling to Stay Motivated

Following the Santa Barbara 100, I had planned a couple of weeks of low volume training, followed by the start of the first foundation training block for the 2022 season. Somewhere along the line, I became demotivated, and I did not feel like getting on the bike. In the process, I also lost a bit […]

Read More

Santa Barbara Century #ridesb100

On October 23, 2021, I completed the Ride Santa Barbara 100 (100-mile route). This was my first century since I got back into cycling nearly a year ago (but not my first century). I selected this event to mark the “anniversary” of the beginning of my weight-loss journey and my return to cycling. After being […]

Read More

Skyline-Stratus Circuit Climbing Repeats

This short (6.4km) circuit provides a good opportunity for short-interval climbing repeats.  Each lap of the circuit includes one small climb on Skyline of approximately 80m (average 7.5% gradient) and a slightly longer climb on Stratus of approximately 120m (average 7.7% gradient) The traffic in the area is fairly easy to deal with. Although Skyline […]

Read More