Howlin’ Coyote

The Wife and I decided to head north on Sunday, to Coyote Point for the 5th race of the Bay Area Super Prestige Series, as our weekly long ride together. It is a bit of a boring trip, 10 towns in 26 miles of flatland riding, and the first 21 miles is the same as the first 21 miles of my daily commute. Since it was certain that we would be going home in the dark, at least in part, we prepped the touring bikes for the trip. To make mine heavier I added the large saddle bag that I filled with extra water bottles, lunch, jackets, tools, and a lock (in case we decided to stop someplace). The ride north was, as expected, a bit of suburban drudgery. For me the question revolved around whether I could make it or not; in a fit of klutziness, I tripped on Saturday and bruised my right knee. The pain had kept me up a lot on Saturday night, and as we started I felt the pain on each stroke. But the constant, low intensity spinning was good for it and by the end of the day it was feeling much, much better. Without much of interest on the route we used the time to practice our paceline skills.

We arrived at Coyote Point as the Men’s B race was starting. We had hoped to cheer on Jenny in the Women’s C, but then we found it started at 9:30 AM and decided our cheering would be in spirit, not in person. As soon as we arrived at ‘the point’ we grabbed a place to sit and ate our lunch while watching the happenings around us, our attempt to refuel and lighten my load. It was then time to move around and to say howdy to a few friends. We checked in with Mason, Kim (aka Kimmy Gibbler), Jen, Yvonne, and a few others as the Women’s A, B, and Master’s groups were gathering. And then Michiko rolled up, looking remarkably refreshed for someone who rode La Ruta not that long ago. We said a few howdies, then rolled down to a good vantage point to cheer and watch as the women started doing battle on the course. Lots of cheering in what seemed like an all too short race (easy for me to say from the sideline). A few goodbyes, then another suburban roll as we tried to race the setting sun on our trip home. The sun won, but we had our (generator powered) lights to help us find the way … and keep the drivers informed of our presence.

I was a bit lax on the camera thing, but there are a few pictures here; Michiko, of Team Unattached (yeah, TU!) seems to be the most common subject and she groaned when she learned these would be on-line. At least she got a buck for her efforts on Sunday!