CAT Series

Welcome to the Cat Series!

January 5, 2010 – 3:15 pm
Happy new year! I hope you're as excited as I am to start training for the 2009 AIDS/Lifecycle! The first training ride for the Sunday CAT2 series will be on Sunday, January 17. We're riding 22 miles to Mill Valley. This is a great training ride if you haven't ridden in a while. Some of the riders will have never ridden that far before and you should have no fear about attending this ride should you fall into that group. We're leaving from Sports Basement in the Presidio and we'll be heading over the Golden Gate Bridge through Sausalito and into Mill Valley where we'll stop for snack before heading back to the city. There's one good climb which is up to the bridge from Sausalito but it isn't that difficult and will soon become your favorite hill. You can always walk ...

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Apres le Deluge

May 3, 2009 – 7:45 pm
Well, that was wretched. And not in the good way! I haven't been so soaked on a bike since the day I got certified as a TRL four years ago, but at least that was only the soggiest Tib Loop ever. And then there was the morning in '07 we hit black ice in Sausalito, but we called it quits, stopped for hot chocolate, and took the ferry home. So I think I have to go all the way back to my self-supported bike tour of Alaska in '95, when all the locals along the way made sure to inform me it was the coldest and wettest summer any of them could remember. Yah, thanks, that really cheered me up...So I expected the torches and pitchforks to come out for me when everyone got back, but a very strange thing happened. The signout sheet was full of positive comments. What, ...

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Ride #14 Recap

April 30, 2009 – 3:42 pm
Congratulations to everybody who braved the Alpine Dam ride on Sunday.  That ride is much harder than any day on the Lifecycle and everybody who did it should be patting themselves on their backs right now.  We did great! The Lifecycle is only a month away!  You should be riding back to back rides on the weekend by now.  Remember that the Lifecycle is seven days and that more experience with multi day riding before the event means a better time on the ride. This weekend is the Jonathon Pon ride.  This ride is a two day up Russian River and back.  This ride is an excellent way to prepare yourself for the Lifecycle.  Follow this link for the details: http://www.tofighthiv.org/site/Calendar/1660387409?view=Detail&id=119121 If you aren't doing the Jonathon Pon ride then the CAT2 Sunday ride is going to Olema Valley this week.  This ride is very difficult with a lot of climbing but it ...

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The girl who climbed and climbed

April 30, 2009 – 3:39 pm
We only had a couple of people show up for our Alpine Dam and Mount Tam ride.  It was the day after Day on the Ride and I think a lot of people opted for the day off or an easier ride.  The group that showed up was all smiles.  Here we are in Mill Valley: Stefano kicked ass!  I hardly saw him all day!  Here he is in Fairfax: Buz gave me the best pic of the day: We climbed and climbed and climbed and then dropped into Alpine Dam Lake.  I loves it there.  So pretty.  Our riders were pretty proud of themselves.  As they should be: Then a lot more climbing.  First to the top of the valley and then rolling hills along the ridge of Mr. Tam.  So beautifu.  Here's the gang at the top: The fabulous view down to Bolinas Lagoon.  We'll be there next week: Me and my legs and ...

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The girl who roasted her ass off

April 30, 2009 – 3:22 pm
Petaluma!  One of my favorite rides!  But lordy was it ever hot.  I'm so impressed with everybody who completed that ride because it was sooooooo hot. All the hotties were all smiles at the Cheese Factory: I was pointing.  Again!  I know, who knew??  I was parked at the turn at the base of Wilson Hill.  It was so hot there.  No wind.  Nothing.  Yuck.  This is why I moved away from Louisiana, sugar.   Here's one of our riders comin' round the bend: Me.  There was a little toplessness.  Don't judge: Sooner or later the sweeps came by.  We were all hot and very uncomfortable.  Wilson hill is a veery long hill and the heat wasn't helping us at all.  Matthew and Beau look like they're about done near the top: Buz didn't seem as bothered by it: Me showing a little boobage: We limped into Petaluma and had our lunch.  We ate at this cute ...

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The girl whose husband fell over

April 30, 2009 – 3:01 pm
 Sunday rolled around and it was time to go the Cheese Factory.  We didn't have a huge turn out for our ride but that was OK.  There was still tons of sexy to go around.  Here's everybody waiting to go: I was on pointing duty again.  This time at Sir Francis Drake and Nicasio Valley Road.  Here I am there trying to look cool (fail): We made our way up to the Cheese Factory only to find that it was closed for Easter.  D'oh!  Then we made our way down to Point Reyes Station where we realized that one of the riders had lost his helmet (don't ask).  While we waited for ride leader directrix Julie Brown to bring him a spare I found out that my poor husband had fallen off the lawn chair he was standing on while watering plants and had to go to the emergency room.  I left ...

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Ride #12 Recap

April 7, 2009 – 9:48 am
We had a wonderful ride out to Point Reyes Station on Sunday.  I think just about everybody is coming along very well.  I was seeing good riding manners for the most part and we haven't gotten any tickets that anybody's fessed up about.  Let's try to keep that up! We're now at the point in the season where you should be thinking about doing back to back rides on Saturday and Sunday if you aren't doing them already.  I know it's not easy to commit an entire weekend to riding your bike, but you need to spend as much time in the saddle between now and the Lifecycle as you can.  The more time you spend training for the ride will translate to more comfortable days on the ride and you will definitely have more fun. This is also a good time in the season to give all of your equipment a ...

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The girl who ogled and ogled

April 7, 2009 – 9:47 am
We had a great sunny ride on Sunday and you should be kicking yourself if you missed it.  It was sunny, warm, and luscious.  So were the riders.  Each one an exquisite delight.  We headed off through Fairfax and into Lagunitas where I saw a carload of crabby dogs in an old timey car.  Their message:  "Stay outta my yard!": We made it into Point Reyes Station pretty early.  The hotness was everywhere: Bob is a paid soft drink spokesperson: We made it back in reasonably early.  I'm already looking forward to next week!

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Ride #11 Recap

March 30, 2009 – 11:34 am
Hi Everybody-- We had an extremely early start Sunday because they were closing the bridge bike lane for a race.  Nevertheless a bunch of people showed up at 5:45 to ride up to Lucas Valley.  The weather was cool and breezy but gorgeous.  Training this season has pretty much been a disaster because of all of the rain and the route was very challenging for a number of the riders.  If the ride just about killed you, don't panic.  There's still two months until the Lifecycle and you have a lot of time to train but you really need to be spending as much time on the bike as you can.  For the training rides, keep these things in mind:  Be Prepared for the weather.  A couple of our riders were cold pretty much all day.  That isn't fun.  Make sure that you are prepared for cool weather and rain if it's ...

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The girl who ogled the big banana

March 30, 2009 – 10:45 am
Oh Lordy did we ever have to get up early for this ride.  They were closing the bike lane on the Golden Gate Bridgefor a race so we had to get over the bridge by 7.  We met at 5:45 and left at 6:30.  Which is very early.  Here's the sun coming up over the east bay from Sausalito: We headed into San Rafael and stopped at a swanky grocery store for snacks.  Trevor really seems to be enjoying his banana.  A lot.  A whole lot. Then we went though gorgeous China Camp.  Which I love.  So pretty.  And such nice riding.  Then we headed over to Lucas Valley where I ran into my ex boyfriend Ben Armstrong.  Awkward!!!  Here he is heading up Lucas Valley Road: We stopped at Big Rocks Market for lunch.  Poor vegan Joseph never gets to eat the human food, but the people who got sandwiches there really ...

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