Thursday, March 25, 2010

Fort Ross / Coleman Valley on a bum achilles

So I went to the doctor and yes, I managed to partially tear my achilles. Classic old guy injury. Having my foot immobilized in a ski boot all season and then coming off the couch to chase an elite pro triathlete for 100 miles in the hills is bound to leave a mark. Anyway, I took it easy for a week and stayed off the bike, then I did a solo ride of an abbreviated King Ridge loop last weekend. So abbreviated it was, that I never even rode King Ridge but instead cut across to the coast on Fort Ross Road. Weather was fantastic, and I finished with the classic climb up Coleman Valley Rd. Awesome day, but paid for it with more swelling in the Achilles.

A subsequent doctor visit confirms that I have a bum achilles and I need to cut the riding and start some physical therapy to rehab. I'm off to Singapore for a week, so that should help...

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Ski Season and the First Big Ride of 2010

Not much posting about cycling lately, as we're in full ski mode here. I've still been doing the work commute, but weekend rides have been relatively few since the fall. It has been an incredibly rainy winter here (i.e., snowy up in Tahoe) so riding has been kept to a minimum, while powder skiing has been the favored mode of smile generation.

A big group of us did a cat skiing trip up to Retallack in British Columbia. Ironically, the snow conditions up there were just OK, while back home in Tahoe we were hit with a massive storm. Oh well, we still managed to find some great powder turns under bluebird skies in some of the most incredible terrain I've ever skied.

Once back from BC -- with hardly any cycling miles under the belt since September -- I was seduced by a window of good weather and made the mistake of doing a 20 mile solo loop out to Muir Beach, and then chasing Meredith and Frankie for another fast 80 miles up to Marshall and back. A few days later, my right achilles is very swollen and painful. I'm thinking a doctor visit is in my future. Bummer.



Muir Beach. The best backyard ride anywhere.



Surveying the massive terrain at Retallack.