Cali, part 2.

So yesterday was a lot of the same. Meetings, presentations, eating, and riding. The days have been flying by.

The ride yesterday was different however. Jen went on the women's ride and I went on the longer, more difficult ride. Both rides ended at a beach near Malibu where we had a BBQ waiting for us. Not a bad way to end a ride!

My ride went on parts from the Tour of California. The road at times reached a 20% grade...yep I was in my easiest gear. But I think climbing some of the hills in central MN in the thick humidity and heat are just as hard if not harder...sometimes, especially if Jimmy and Charlie are off the front setting the pace.

It would be pretty nice to have long climbs like this back home. I have not really every done a descent with switchbacks and tight corners with exposed dangers on either side (a wall or a cliff). It was pretty fun. I have no idea how fast we were going but it felt fast. I definitely need work on descending, I use the brakes too much!

I know I am at a Giant bike show so they are pumping up there products, etc. But riding their new road bikes felt pretty amazing. Combining super stiff yet pretty compliant is pretty difficult, but they appear to have nailed it. Their new wheel systems are also pretty sweet. They have gone to a wider rim profile, not a new idea but a good one, and had ours set up tubeless, a first for me. Running at a lower psi gave me better contact on the road, especially on the corners while descending. I could not really wrap my head around the idea of not running 120 psi for the lowest rolling resistance but once you ride it the light bulb goes off in your head: ah ha, I get it! Good stuff.
Below are some pictures from the ride. Not the best quality, I was riding up a pretty long, steep hill and breathing pretty damn hard. Gorgeous area. If I ever win the lottery I'm moving.

Waiting to get our bikes set up for us.

The new redesigned tri bikes, pretty nice.

Jen and I head home today. Not back in Minneapolis till 11:00 something, so I'm sure it will be early Friday morning before my head hits my pillow, ugh.

Later.