Good-bye 2009 - Hello Twenty-ten!

The past year was pretty good for the old bike rider! A wide variety of rides, sites, and experiences. Thought I share a highlight from each month on the blog. So here we go:

January

• With the dawn of the new year it is always fun to take that first ride. In this case it was on January 15 on the bike trail down to Pond Park. It was a beautiful day and as always invigorating to get out and ride.

February

• With the Tour of California in town and me working, I was unable to attend the stage in Sacramento. Instead, on February 17, I drove down to Modesto to be at the finish line. While there, in the rain most of the day, I reconnected with an old riding buddy from Orange County. Christopher Clinton now lives in Wisconsin and works for one of the Trek Companies. The finishing laps were eliminated due to weather but seeing the pros fly to the line was really exciting!

March

• On March 19 I completed my longest road ride of the year: forty-miles! Yippee!

April

• This is the month of the annual Party Pardee ride down in Ione. This year I signed up for the 65-mile option but realized that grandson Tanner had his first soccer game so I opted for the short route and hightailed it back to Roseville to see the match. Awesome!

May

• Some days you just feel so good on the bike and May 5 was one of those days. Everything was going perfectly. Yes, a great ride today ... until my chain broke! Luckily, one of my work mates drove down to rescue me and I got the chain replaced just before the bike shop closed.

June

• Most of the time when the really fast riders pass me I just let them go. On June 11 I was passed by a guy on a time trial bike and just couldn't resist. I was about half way back from Sac State and when he flew by and I just had to chase! Unbelievably, with an all out effort I caught him and held on at 28-MPH for a few seconds! Way to go dude!

July

• We had a fantastic family outing to a really cool cabin in Truckee. While I had a couple of great rides the most fun was riding with Mark and Tanner on the bike trail from Squaw Valley down towards Lake Tahoe. Upon our return Keri, Parker, and Carson greeted us and we had a nice break and enjoyed some refreshment. Days like this are unforgettable!

August

• The evening of August 16 I took off for a ride up to Beal's Point and then over the new Folsom Lake Crossing bridge. Great panoramic view of the lake.

September

• Meet a retired physician on the 8th while riding down to Watt Avenue. It gave me great hopes to continue riding as he just turned seventy and was in great shape.

October

• The end of last month I had some minor surgery so my cycling was limited in October. On the 22nd, I did surpass 3,000 miles for the year. This was the first time since about 1994 that I'd done so!

November

• On November 10 I took a ride after work down to Pond Park. My headlight/taillight set were installed and riding back on the bike trail in the dark of night was awesome. All I could see was the white spot on the pavement from my headlight.

December

• This was the first time I rode when the temperature was below forty! The good news is the water in my bottles stayed nice and cold!

Well, there are a few of my cycling adventures for 2009. Perhaps twenty-ten will provide some real excitement in the world of cycling!