Saturday’s club ride was another delightful romp in the hills, from Ione to Volcano and up the fearsome sounding Ram’s Horn Grade, whose slopes, while significant, are far from fearful. Then down Shake Ridge Road, an easy descent make difficult by irritated pickup drivers irked that cyclists are allowed to use their roads and delay [...]
There were a couple of Diablo neophytes making their first attempt at riding up the mountain, and I am happy to report that they both make it without having to stop and walk. Both of these riders are long time Stockton Bicycle Club members, and I was surprised to learn that neither had done the [...]
If you live in San Joaquin County, you have seen Mount Diablo towering over our valley. On Saturday’s club ride a small group of Stockton Bicycle Club riders got to see it up close and personal. Most of our club rides are in the rolling hills east of Stockton, or on flat roads north of [...]
I’ve got a few nice random pictures from our Belize trip involving bicycles. Everyone on the island seems to get around by bicycle. Since the distances are short, and the island is completely flat and pavement almost non existent, this is a very practical and inexpensive means of transportation. And fun, at least for Diane and [...]
I called the balloon tire single speed bike I rented in Belize my ‘donkey’ because I used it to carry stuff all over the place. Bottled water, take out fish tacos, tortilla chips and salsa, snorkeling gear, and of course Belikan Beer all transported to our hotel with my beast of burden. But the biggest [...]
Anyone who does Stockton Bicycle Club rides knows that there are occasional regrouping issues. Where to regroup, how long to wait for riders who are behind, impromptu route changes during the ride and the like have all been topics for discussion and occasional irritation. This experience, along with the Living Word Church marital counseling sermon, [...]
Diane and I have done some ambitious, high mileage bicycle trips on our tandem, from Death Valley to the Canadian Rockies. I’ve ridden my single bike up mountains from Oregon to Colorado, and made pilgrimages to the French Alps and the Dolomites in Italy to ride some of the classic climbs of professional cycling. But [...]
After staying out later than usual Saturday night enjoying Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers at the Fox Theater, Diane and I decided that the 9 am start to the club ride on Sunday was too early. No problem; we decided to ride a 55 mile loop from our house out to Thornton on [...]
The male driver in the western hat probably had something else in mind. Stoker and I were riding our tandem UP the hill to Plymouth yesterday, when a driver in an SUV headed DOWN the hill flashed us the very special ‘we’re #1’ gesture. Since we were going in the opposite direction and not impeding his progress [...]
Many of the riders in the Stockton Bicycle Club have distinctive nicknames. You have already met ‘Stoker’ my spouse and tandem partner Diane. Other examples are ‘BMW Gary’, ’Woodbridge Gary’, ‘The Editor’, ‘NLE’, ‘Leadbutt’, ‘Captain Hawk’, ‘Sherpa’ and many more. For a while we even had a spreadsheet with the various nicknames and their real [...]