After a week of driving all over the southwest, Gabe and I are back on the road out to the Modesto area for the Turlock road race. It’s a beautiful day, a great course, and a small field, so Gabe is hoping for a good placing. It’s a 2 lap route for a total of 53 miles, and there are a couple of other fields out at the same time. ...
This morning’s plan was to ride up Mingus Mountain through Jerome, after first doing a recon of the route with everyone in the car. We decided to bail once we saw how narrow and busy the road was, and it didn’t help that it was starting to rain as well. We had to make do with some huge views and a very nice lunch in busy downtown Jerome. Then it’s a nice stop at Tuzigoot National Monument to burn off some of that no-ride energy. Gabe is quite the goofball. ...
Gabe and I are off riding this morning down through beautiful Red Rock Canyon, Oak Creek, and Cornville. Meanwhile the girls are off enjoying some fabulous hiking in Sedona over at Jordan Park. Then it’s over to Walnut Canyon to check out the ruins. And because you can never get enough ancient ruins, it’s over to Wupatki National Monument.
After spending last night in Flagstaff, we’re off to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We had planned to ride our bikes along the south rim out to Cameron, but it’s really cold and we’re both a bit tired from yesterday. Good thing we decided on some sightseeing as I think I’ve spotted a great red Gabe creature off in those rocks. A few dramatic poses that left Gabe holding on to Charlotte pretty tight. ...
Our road trip continues as we head out of California through Lake Havasu as our first hotel stay last night. It’s quite a busy little spot with the lake, parks, sunshine, and of course the London Bridge. We head back west a little bit to the town of Topock as our starting point for today’s ride up through Oatman and on to Kingman. It’s another hot day in the desert, and there’s plenty of good climbing ahead. ...
Monica and Gabe have a week off from school, so we’re heading south in search of dry, warm weather for hiking and cycling. First stop is the mighty Mojave. Last time we came through here was two years ago in an RV for one night, and some hiking in the dunes the next day. It’s been a long drive, so Gabe and I get changed and ready to roll. ...
We’re in the Sacramento area for another day of racing at the Bariani road race. The weather is still threatening, but I think the rain is finally over. Of course the roads are still pretty wet and the pavement is pretty chewed up. Ethan gets a nice break early in the Cat 5 race of three laps with a ton of wind on the course. Charlotte is enjoying the fields and olive trees on our walk along the course. ...
We’re up in Sacramento for a weekend of racing, and today is the Land Park Criterium. We left a gigantic storm back in Santa Cruz, and the raining starting coming down pretty hard once the race started here also. Today’s race is an open junior’s field, so there are quite a few very fast guys out there. Dylan takes an early break, but is later joined by Alex. Gabe hangs in there for most of the race, but the accelerations take their toll towards the end. Tim did a nice job hanging in there especially considering that he raced Cat 5 first thing in the morning. ...
Gabe raced at the Central Coast Circuit race again yesterday, and we lucked out with a break in the weather. It looks like the luck continues today at the Salinas Criterium. Gabe is very excited about today’s race as he’s finally wearing his super cool SJBC kit. Gabe leads everyone around on the way out, but Dylan and the Tieni Duro guys quickly blow things wide open. It’s great to see Gabe working his butt off to catch the break. A few guys try to hang on his wheel, but they fall off pretty quickly. ...
This weekend we’re off to Fort Ord for the Central Coast Circuit race. There’s no junior category, but Gabe is hopeful that this will be a good race to try out riding with the Elite 5 men. Simon, Joe, and a turkey are there to welcome Gabe to the race. There are a few fellow SJBC riders joining Gabe, though unfortunately his new kit didn’t make it in time for the race. Here are a few shots from around the course. Gabe is doing very well staying at the front along with Tim. ...