Continuing our tour prep, this week we had a bit less mileage, but more climbing. We also carried a full touring load, so I could start to get used to how the bike handles when loaded down.
We have a draft of the pack list, but still need to buy a few items, and it isn’t all collected in one place. So we simulated the load. We packed all the rain gear, and the amount of clothing we’re planning to bring. But for some stuff, we just packed ballast. In one front bag, I packed a 6 liter water bladder (we’re planning to bring it, but only fill it on days we don’t expect to find water). On the other side, I had various tools and other things from the pack list. I needed six more pounds to balance the load. Naturally, I packed a textbook on Western civilization. Anne tells me that by carrying the textbook, I have absorbed its contained knowledge. I guess I was doing it wrong in college.
The day started a little cool, but sunny. Of course, what the sun giveth, the wind taketh away. Within an hour or so, all our jackets were put away, and it was close to 70. Really, the weather was just about perfect.
I was pretty nervous about climbing Palomares fully loaded. Between Ruth in the trailer and the luggage, I was pulling about 125 pounds more than my normal commuting load. Plus, the climb starts with a steep bit. I asked Ruth to give all she had, and we made it okay.
About halfway up, Anne had us stop for some food. Starting again was freaking me out. It’s always hard to start uphill, and I was still extra heavy. I shifted to my lowest gear (lifting the wheel to shift while stationary was a challenge on its own), and again had Ruth pedal furiously. We got going okay, after all.
The next bit was steeper, and I hadn’t been able to clip in yet. So I kept climbing in my lowest gear. It was painful, but I made it. Anne was behind me, also having a hard time. It leveled off before long, and things got better. I may have been pushing harder than I needed to remain upright. I’ll try to take it a little easier next time.
Eventually we made it to the top, and went down the other side. Both Ruth and Max (and Mommy and Daddy) made excited sounds on the way down. A little before the bottom, we stopped for lunch.
After lunch, we went up Dublin Canyon. I don’t especially like this climb. It’s pretty exposed, straight and steady (and boring), and it’s a frontage road for 680, so it’s pretty loud and busy. It’s not too long or steep, though, and the shoulder is pretty good. Overall, a reasonable price for the rest of the route.
The descent into Foothill is fairly nice, along with the whole road. The bike lane comes and goes, but it’s generally downhill with some short hills.
While we were riding along, we heard a roaring from the sky. Ruth spotted it first – an F-15 tearing it up. We stopped to watch while it did a couple of laps. It was probably patrolling for the Super Bowl, which was just getting started about 20 miles to the south. They’re pretty impressive machines, and sound quite different from airliners.
We climbed over into Sunol, then back down through Niles Canyon. We had a tailwind and a downslope, so we made good time back home.
A successful first loaded ride of the season. We still need to train, but we’re going to be ready for the coast.