We continued our outdoor exercise activities with this ride. This one took us through Niles Canyon again, but this time turning off at Palomares for a loop to the northwest.

Anne took Max in the trailer (along with Ruth on the tandem) for the first section through town, then I took him just before Niles Canyon.

The first part of Palomares is quite steep, but I was pleased we all made it up without stopping. We continued along up the hill, but after a while I started dragging. We stopped for a snack, and again for a breather. Eventually Anne stopped and told me she would take Max again for a while. I knew it was probably the right call, but it still made me angry, though I tried not to show it.

Eventually we made it to the top, then came down the other side. We stopped for lunch before getting all the way to 680, since 1) it was time and 2) we knew that the 680 frontage road had no shade and was not a great place to stop. I took Max again before we started moving.

The exposed climb up into Dublin went by fairly quickly, then we were onto the rolling hills on Foothill. I started dragging again on the uphills, to the point where I called for Anne to stop, with the intent to switch Max over again. But she was too far ahead already and didn’t hear me. At the top of that hill she stopped and announced it was her turn for Max again, so I got my wish after all.

Coming back through Niles Canyon had more traffic that we’ve seen the last few times. Cutting back through town, we got home and treated ourselves to ice cream before dinner.

I generally felt much weaker on this ride than I felt I should. Fortunately Anne was up to picking up my slack. The lack of bike commuting is definitely showing. I’m going to do some moderate weekday solo rides to get stronger again.