dreadedmonkeygod . net

If you followed this year's Tour of California, this loop should look familiar. I got off work early yesterday and took my bike out for a spin around the loop used for Stage 8, a circuit race around Thousand Oaks, Agoura, and Westlake Village.

This is a fantastic loop. The "Rock Store" climb is a local classic, and a fast time to the top confers big time bragging rights. (I do not have a fast time to the top, hence no bragging.)

And the descent down Decker Cyn. is fantastic fun. I kept my speed above 25mph, and never saw a car the whole way down from Mulholland.

On the second climb, up Mulholland, another cyclist caught up to me. "How's it going?" he asked. "Y'know," I replied between panting, "I have felt stronger." He laughed, and left me in the dust. I caught sight of him two or three more times, each at a greater distance, and finally I lost him entirely.

At 5 PM on a Friday evening, Westlake Blvd. and Agoura Rd. are both crowded with cars and boring to ride. So despite legs that were already pretty tired, I took a detour up Ridgeford Dr., a short, very steep local climb. By the time I got to the top, my legs were well and truly cooked, and it was time to head for home.

My final time for this loop was north of 1:45 (I trimmed a little bit off the map to avoid posting a GPS map to my apartment), which puts me more than an hour behind the pace of the Tour of California riders. And I just did one lap. They did four. I can't even imagine.

I was fantastic to get out for a real ride after so many months of only riding on my lunch break. I'd love to make this loop a part of my regular routine. We shall see...

(Map: "Rock Store Loop")