Lexington Bike Ride

In our second large ride last summer, Kris, Rich, Takeo, and I rode from Willow Glen to Lexington Reservoir via the Los Gatos Creek Trail. Our route took us past the tree lined avenues, through Vasona Lake Park, up to the edge of the reservoir, and back.

We went out pretty strong, and it took it's toll on Kris and Takeo. I felt pretty good until we hit the hills. Somehow I managed to make it up the short, but extremely steep, dirt hill while still on my bike. Takeo, who had a slick back tire for road riding, repeatedly slipped attempting the same ascent. Almost immediately after that hill, we rode up the ramp to the reservoir. Though the ramp isn't as steep as the previous hill, it is much longer. I started out by attacking the grade, but quickly felt stinging pain in my shins. I forced my way up the hill far in front of my more sensible companions who were slowly, but steadily, making their way to the top.

The hills really expose my athletic boundaries. With my asthma, I simply cannot move as much oxygen to my muscles as normal people. So, I was really beat after the climb. Mercifully, we took a break to eat and recover alongside the reservoir. It took me almost twenty minutes for my breathing patterns to return to normal.

As we headed back, I started to feel considerably better. We descended quickly and sped through the park back to Willow Glen. We were flying. Although Kris and I were really moving, Rich had better gearing for the descent and blew by us. This caused Kris to utter the priceless remark, "Bastard has an extra gear". We reformed the peloton as Rich eased up a bit and we pushed hard to catch him. We rode the rest of the way back together.

The jerseys:
Although I led through Willow Glen on the way back, Rich nicked me at the line (Kris' driveway) for the stage win. Rich also takes the green Sprinter's jersey for flying across the flat sections. I earned the polka dotted King of the Mountains jersey for being first up the climbs.