Miles today = 35, Elevation gain = 2,787. Total miles = 1,009, Tot Elevation gain = 58,726
So, only two summit photographs? I thought 
there were three summits today! Well there were but I didn’t make it to the third. In fact I only rode half of today’s distance. Not only was today the toughest ride of the tour but we also had 20 mph headwind for much of the day. Based on the first part of the ride I estimate my arrival time at 5:00 pm. Actually it would have been worse because the wind was picking up and you’d be riding directly into it the last 30 or 40 miles. So I made a mental decision to get a ride sometime during the day; then the van appears at the second summit (the half-way point) so I jump in. I’m not alone. The day is not over yet but almost everyone took a ride today. It will be interesting to see if those few still on the road make it. As far as I can remember, this is the first time I’ve taken a ride in the van in 40 years of cycling. But if stronger riders like Carol Nacon and Diane Sanchez Castello get in the van, I guess there’s not too much humility for me to do it. HERE IS THE PART I DID.
WHO’S RIDING? (BRENDA’S BIOS)
DIANE SANCHEZ COSTELLO (San Jose, Ca) Dianne has been married for 22 years and they have 2 sons, one of which was just married and this delayed her joining us on this trip; she started in Hood River. Although she recently retired, for many years she taught grades 6 & 7 in Language Arts and History. For more than 25 years she also taught strength training, pilates, yoga and spin classes. This explains why she is first up all the climbs! In addition to biking Dianne is also a gardener, does needlepoint, is a voracious reader and loves to travel and ski. She is planning her first BAC trip as a leader (be on the lookout for the announcement this Fall for a September 2014 trip in California) and she also leads tours and daily rides for the Almaden Cycle Club. She is looking forward to welcoming a yellow lab puppy into their home in the next few months.
PATTI AND STEVE SUNDERMAN (Glenwood Springs, CO) Patti and Steve have been married for 35 years in October. That’s quite an accomplishment! They grew up in Carroll, Iowa and raised 2 sons, Carl and Eric. Carl is married and has 4-year-old twin boys. He lives in Iowa and works in IT. Eric lives in NYC and is a writer. Steve was a volunteer fire fighter for 35 years and an EMT during 10 of those years. Since 1982 Patti has worked a fitness instructor but her primary job was raising the 2 boys. In 1993 they began working full-time at their photography studio where Steve was the photographer and Patti kept the place running. They sold this business January 2013 and soon moved to Glenwood Springs, CO. Patti’s hobbies include yoga, pilates, reading and biking. Steve says he has been too busy with work for hobbies but I’m betting he will find some volunteer activities to fill in the gaps when they are not riding their bikes. They have participated in RAGBRAI many times. This is their second BAC tour.
We navigate each day’s route with a “route sheet” like this. Typically, there is one page of instructions with around 20 points of interest or turns. In addition, I have a Garmin bike computer with point-by-point navigation. The Garmin beeps at me before each turn and the screen displays the roads with an arrow showing you how to turn.
Well tomorrow to South Lake Tahoe is going to be different. There are two pages with more than 40 instructions. And my Garmin GPS doesn’t show the many bike paths we’ll be on. I’m not very good at reading the instructions while keeping the bike on the road. Maybe Brenda will slow down and ride with me; she’s good at navigation.
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