Archive for category video
Holstee Manifesto Lifecycle Film
The Holstee Manifesto Lifecycle Film purpose is to celebrate nyc cyclists through the lens of the Holstee manifesto. Here is a sneak peek at the film.
Am I the only one concerned it isn’t wearing a helmet?
Posted by Andrew Simone in safety, technology, video on October 26, 2011
Willow Creek Road
Posted by Michael in 2011, adventure, memory, recreational cycling, rides, road bikes, video on October 4, 2011
The dirt option. The gravel section. Stairway to heaven. Relentless.
If it had been paved the Willow Creek Road climb would be nothing spectacular. It would have been just another tree lined climb up yet another hill through yet another series of switchbacks. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it. But, it wasn’t paved and for those of us who quit mountain biking because we fell too often, riding an 11 mile dirt road on a road bike doesn’t seem very logical. Some of us did it anyway.
It took me a bit to get used to picking my lines up the climb. I couldn’t always just aim for the least steep path and head up-most of the time the outside of the switchbacks were littered with loose gravel…anyway, you guys are probably tired of me talking about Levi’s Gran Fondo, so here it is:
Levi’s King Ridge Gran Fondo, 2011
If you follow me on Twitter you might already know that trip didn’t go exactly as planned. Sam and I got to Santa Rosa on Friday night as planned check in and headed downtown to have some dinner and a couple of drinks. Everything was great and both of us were feeling quite keen for the ride. But shortly after we’d gone to bed Sam got ill and in the morning he was barely able to get out of bed. Riding the bike was out of the question.
So I ditched him. I did offer to drive him home and just skip the ride, but in the end his wife drove on down to get him and I went out to ride by myself. Or with 7500 strangers.
The conditions were a lot different than the previous two years. Most of King Ridge and the approach to the coast were socked in with fog. It was cold, the roads were wet and the wind was blowing, but it was a good day. Amazingly, when we got to the coast, the sun came out and it started to warm a bit.
I felt pretty good and just ground out a good rhythm most of the day. After crossing the Russian River near Jenner I opted to turn left on Willow Creek Road for the dirt option and, while it was hard work, I was glad I did. Willow Creek was probably about 10 miles of dirt and gravel roads, all of it gradual climbing with about 3 miles of proper climbing.
I’ll put together another video in the next few days with the footage of Willow Creek Road I have, but for now, this pretty much captures how the day went:
Countdown to #LeviGF, 1 day
It’s a long video, but I can’t think of a better way to close out the countdown. I particularly like the part where, I start picking my way through the other riders on King Ridge. Of course, that’s probably not going to happen this year.
Countdown to #LeviGF, 2 days
I actually got to ride my bike today. She’s quiet again and shifts like a dream. Glad I took her in.
The shoes. They fit well. A pair of Shimanos, because they were on sale and had my size (admittedly not the best way to choose cycling shoes, but it was the best way I had time and money for). In a perfect world I’d have at least a few days to get used to the fit and dial in the cleat placement but I don’t so, you know…
I don’t have much else to say right now. I’m ready for the workday to end and for the weekend to begin. Here’s a little pre-Fondo walk down memory lane:
Sera
Kurt
Michael
