CUF ride 2011

[Jarid in Cedar]

835 miles and we are finally home. I will get a report up tomorrow. Good times abound.

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[Bellavela]

Yeah, I noticed that too. It's either Bellavella for being too short or ER for being too tall.

Too short, huh? I didn't see you on the ride. lol You do know the camera makes you look shorter than you are right?

[Babs]

Too short, huh? I didn't see you on the ride. lol You do know the camera makes you look shorter than you are right?

And the moral of the story is, never stand near a Brobdingnagian when there's a camera nearby.

[il Padrino Ute]

Too short, huh? I didn't see you on the ride. lol You do know the camera makes you look shorter than you are right?

Yeah, I said it. Too short. But you were there and I wasn't. My loss.

[Jarid in Cedar]

You know that game they play on Sesame Street where they sing one of these things is not like the other . . . one of these things is not the same . . .?

I realize that I was the heaviest person there, but you didn't have to point it out.

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[old_gregg]

Bella rocks a pinarello? No wonder she's so fast.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Bella rocks a pinarello? No wonder she's so fast.

No kidding. Flying down the backside of the Brockway Summit at speeds in excess of 50 mph she looked like Ron Turcotte on Secretariat.

[ERCougar]

Best. Ride. Ever.
I'm new to road bikes, but that really was a fantastic ride. BG's right in that the pictures just don't do the scenery justice--nearly every mile is postcard-worthy. Some of my favorite moments:
-Watching PAC neurotically plan and replan the route in order to ensure the PERFECT ride for everyone
-Witnessing Mrs. PAC pull off dinner for 14+ with ease after a 60 mile bike ride. (yes, with most of us watching)
-BG's numerous brushes with 50 mph traffic in his continued delusion that he is a car
-Piney's, er BISHOP Piney's, flipping of the bird in response to one of said brushes
-Being nearly knocked off of the road by a blur of cycling speed that turned out to be bellavella at 50+ mph. To be soon followed by mtnbiker and JIC at the same. Fearless.
-Endless fantastic scenery. This will tough to match next year.
-After-ride dinner. Seriously, is there a better way to spend time with friends?
-My favorite moment may have been riding around Donner(was it?) lake in a line with BG and Piney. We had taken an extra loop and were trying to catch up to the group and we just got into a really nice groove at 25 mph. I rarely ride with anyone else so that was a really cool moment for me. Not doing any pulling helped too.

Anyway, many many thanks to PAC and Mrs PAC for being such great hosts and setting this whole thing up. Really fantastic weekend.

[bluegoose]

It was another highly successful weekend of cycling for the CUF peleton. This is long, so settle in for the duration.

We arrived at the rental condo in Tahoe City on Friday afternoon to meet JIC and family, who had arrived just moments before following their 10+ hour drive. We then hustled over to Rosie's cafe to meet the rest of the crew to break bread and share war stories of life both on and off the bike.

We commented on how the CUF contingent has changed over the past 3 years. At our first gathering in 2009, of the 12 people present there was exactly 1 non-CUF poster, Mrs. PAC, who has always been a wonderful sport to humor her husband in his virtual/real life encounters. Last year in Bend, piney and HFNW both brought their families, but there was still a number of singles. This year, it was mostly a family event, with nearly all of the riders being present with families in tow. This fact was especially evident to ERCougar, who, for childcare reasons, was unable to persuade his lovely wife that a trip 800 miles across the desert to watch him ride a bike was worth the hassle. Hopefully he wasn't too uncomfortable with this fact. While we would have loved to meet his wife, every party needs a bachelor to liven things up.

As PAC mentioned, the CUF Tour de France trophy ceremony was a most moving experience. My acceptance speech was truly Oscar-worthy. Not in a “Patton” speech sort of way, but more in a “Kings Speech” sort of way, as it was full of stuttering and stammering. Searching for the right words in a moment such as this brought more pressure than I was prepared to handle.

The bigpiney family got a late start for the trip due to some work obligations. They arrived at the condo like a thief in the night somewhere near midnight. They didn't make even a peep as they entered, as none of us had any idea that they had even arrived until they emerged from their room for some breakfast.

Saturday morning greeted us with brilliant blue skies and moderate temperatures in the mid 40s. Once again, PAC pulled out all of the stops for this trip. Anticipating the huge crowds that would surely assemble to catch a glimpse of our departing peleton, he arranged for no fewer than 10 port-a-potties to be arranged at the meeting place. Upon our return to the finish line several hours later, we were reminded of the growing popularity of our event. The parking lot was overflowing with adoring fans and their vehicles. To make more room for additional fans, crowd control diverted thousands of people into rafts in the Truckee River along the last 12 miles of our journey. The atmosphere was electric and extremely festive, as most of the fans brought libations along for their float down the river. It was not unlike a mountain-top finish in the French Alps, complete with grown men and women alongside the course wearing little more than bikini bottoms as we rushed past them.

The first 10 miles of the trip were fairly uneventful, as we were able to settle into a brisk paceline along the beautiful north shore of Lake Tahoe. It was through here that the bird's were aflyin', as ERC mentioned, thanks to several cars buzzing the tower. I wasn't terribly concerned, as I'm sure I had at least 2 whole inches between my left elbow and their rear view mirror.

The first descent into Kings Beach was fast, with top speeds approaching 43 mph. Porcupine hill, as we call it, did not have a porcupine this year, making it less precarious than in 2009.

We made it to the first rest stop at Kings Beach in good spirits and in good time. After a few obligatory photos, we then departed up the first major climb of the day to Brockmans Summit. The pace was brisk, but sustainable for the 4 mile climb up to nearly 7200 feet in elevation. Looking back to our left provided some fantastic views of Lake Tahoe as we left the Tahoe Basin and headed toward the Truckee-Donner area. ERC pipped both BG and BP by a half-wheel length for the top KOM points here.

After re-grouping at the top of the climb, we set off for the big descent into Truckee. The road was steep and smooth - fertile ground for record-setting speeds. The top third of the descent was especially fast, as mtnbiker and bellavella hit 52 mph. I personally hit 50.7, but it felt closer to 55, as I had a hint of speed wobbles start at one point. JIC exceeded his previous high speed by close to 10mph.

Once we passed Northstar ski resort, most of us were sitting up to slow down a bit when all of a sudden a red blur came flying by us. Once the dizziness subsided from our heads whipping around to see what it was, we realized that JIC was hammering on the pedals and pulling away with each pedal stroke. Once he finally decided to have mercy on us and slow down, his explanation for his burst of speed was that this was the only place that his body weight comes to his advantage, so he didn't want to waste the opportunity.

The next 15 or so miles were fairly uneventful, as it consisted mainly of riding flat roads through downtown Truckee and past Donner State Park. There was an advertisement for a Burning Man Garage Sale, which many of us were tempted to stop and investigate.

At the State Park, we were greeted by JIC's lovely wife and 3 kids, who shared fresh fruit and cold water with all of us. This was especially generous, considering that it was coming from a family of Ute fans. We did make sure to smell the water first to ensure that it wasn't spiked before partaking.

Following our brief rest stop by the lake, the next few minutes are clouded in mystery as to what happened. All I know is that Bellavella ended up with a faulty rear derailleur, which eventually snapped off, effectively ending her day on the bike. In retrospect, several of us discussed how we should have just bypassed the rear derailleur, making her bike into a single speed so that she could finish the ascent to the top of Donner Summit. Maybe next time.

We soldiered on up the mountain, enjoy some spectacular scenery along the way. The climb was steep and long, but manageable. There were dozens of cars parked along the road, most of which were rock climbers and rappellers. A few hundred feet from the top we regrouped at a vista point, at which time we shared a strange, yet surreal experience with the 92 year old Canadian physician and his brother, which PAC has already outlined.

ERC, bigpiney and I went ahead to crest the summit and drop down the other side toward Soda Springs and Sugar Bowl Ski resort. We hit it pretty hard coming coming back up the back side of Donner, picking up enough speed to really bomb down the descent toward Donner Lake. Bigpiney led the charge and we would have gone even faster were it not for the slow-moving cars that he was tailing most of the way. Its always fun to look down and see that you are exceeding the speed limit by 10 mph.

As ERC mentioned, once we reached the valley floor we blasted our way passed the lake and caught the rest of the group just before we headed toward the final stretch near Squaw Valley. This last 13 mile section contained some of the hardest miles that we covered all day. It is a slight uphill along Hwy 89 and there was a bit of a headwind and very little shade for most of the way. About 5 miles from the finish we hit the road traffic for the river rafters.

The river was completely packed with rafters and tubers. At times it looked like Spring Break at Lake Havasu. There were several digital signposts next to the river indicating “Watercraft Inspectors Ahead”. This sounded a bit shady to us, along the same lines of those shirts that you see for sale at the county fair, imprinted with “F.B.I. - Female Body Inspector”. I fully expect to see some “official” river footage on the next “Girls Gone Wild” episode.

Working our way through the heavy traffic got a little hairy in a couple of spots. I had one truck try the old “swoop and stop” technique on me, in which he angled into my riding line and then hit the brakes, hoping to make a rear door ornament out of me. I was able to swerve out into the other lane of traffic and zoom around him with only enough time for a stern look of consternation in his general direction. Bigpiney would have likely flipped him the bird and then keyed the side of his car.

My Garmin listed the ride at 66 miles and just over 4,000 feet of climbing. We averaged just north of 15mph on the day and everyone felt well at the finish. The pack rode well. You would have been proud.

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend. The ride was superb and the company was even better. Mrs. PAC made an excellent post ride dinner for all of us, which including an amazing dish of lasagna and her world famous chocolate chip cookies. And PAC, not unlike the master carpenter's basket of loaves and fishes, had a bowl full of Peanut M&Ms, which, despite ERC's and my best efforts to empty, always seemed to be topped off. We sat in the living room and talked for several hours about anything and everything. This was one of the highlights of the weekend for me, and it was a shame that bigpiney and his family couldn't have stuck around for the evening.

Hope to see everyone next year.

[Pheidippides]

I have already told my wife we are planning our vacation around CUF Ride 2012.

[ERCougar]

ERC, bigpiney and I went ahead to crest the summit and drop down the other side toward Soda Springs and Sugar Bowl Ski resort. We hit it pretty hard coming coming back up the back side of Donner, picking up enough speed to really bomb down the descent toward Donner Lake.

What BG fails to mention here is that this was the portion where his inner beast took over, shedding his kind sporting exterior, and put Piney and me in our place, dropping us like the dead weight we were and edging us out for the KOM by about 1438 wheel lengths.

[Bellavela]

And the moral of the story is, never stand near a Brobdingnagian when there's a camera nearby.

lol, lesson learned.

[Bellavela]

No kidding. Flying down the backside of the Brockway Summit at speeds in excess of 50 mph she looked like Ron Turcotte on Secretariat.

lol, well I thought I was more like "Il Falco". . .hmmm, actually maybe I should change my board name.
I want to add my thanks to you and Mrs. Pac for a wonderful tour and "dining" experiences. You are Fabulous hosts.

[Parrot Head]

I have already told my wife we are planning our vacation around CUF Ride 2012.

I'm thinking the same thing, but being in a land of mere rolling hills I'm not sure I yet have the "gears" for such speeds.

What's up for next year? Maybe one of those long stretches of empty Nevada where they constantly remind you not to pick up hitchhikers because there are prisons nearby?

[Jarid in Cedar]

So, coming home from a long drive and starting call the next day sucks.

The weekend was excellent from beginning to end. We arrived just prior to BG and were able to lay claim to the bigger bedroom. After meeting Goose, Mrs. Goose and the three gozzelings, we met the rest of the group at Rosie's. The food was ok, but the company was excellent. PAC successfully charmed my kids with his grandpa personna. Personally, I think he was trying to borrow one to help with yardwork next summer.

The ride started out well. A nice brisk 10 miles to King's Beach. The Northstar climb was a steady climb that was challenging to me, but well within the realm of what I had previously accomplished. After the brief photo-op at the summit, we began the descent. I got out to a slow start, but towards the bottom of the grade, I could feel the momentum, so I went for the only opportunity that I had to lead the group for the day. It was a tremendous feeling to be able to crank the gears while still feeling the momentum of the descent. As I told BG, this was the only time that being the heaviest rider was an advantage. The ride over to Donnor State park was a nice casual pace where we were able to casually chat.

Once in the park(and after helping Mrs. JiC overcome her directionally challenged soul), we had a quick break to refuel and reload. Unfortunately for Bellavella, her ride ended at that point. Her loss was my wife's gain as she was able to spend the rest of the ride in her company. The climb up Donnor's pass was more challenging, but I was able to channel Dori(just keep climbing....just keep climbing....pedalling....pedalling) at a 5.5 mph clip. The descent was more controlled due to the traffic and some of the turns, but I was still able to hit 45 for a very brief moment.

For me, the best part of the ride was at the beginning of the final 13 miles. The breakaway group rejoined us and we formed a line 7 riders strong. PAC led the way as we cranked out about 3 miles in formation at about 22 mph. Riding that hard only 1 ft off of ERC's back tire was exhilarating. However, as we hit each roller, I lost about 6-8". Eventually, I fell out of the draft and dropped off the pace significantly. Fighting the wind and the rollers finally got the best of me, and even after regrouping with about 6 miles to go, I was not able to hang with the group and had to grind through the last stretch solo. I was spent, but it was a great feeling to finish the ride.

The post race dinner was the highlight. My wife and kids had a great time, and throughly enjoyed Mrs. PAC's feast. The conversation was priceless and the time spent getting to know a few more CUFfers was worth the 1500 miles and 25 hours in the car that I took to attend. My wife is motivated to ride next year, and that makes me appreciate the trip even more.

As far as the tardy jersey(which arrived at my house 4 hours after we left) is concerned, here is the evidence that there is really a Ute cyclist on CUF:





Hopefully, it will not fit next year, and the replacement can be late arriving as well.