Sean’s Blog

Since I started school about a year ago, my mileage has been showing a pattern of dropping off significantly during the semester and rising significantly when on break. I decided I would try to squeeze in some bigger rides in the month of January, and yesterday I went on probably the coldest ride I have ever been on.

It was 28 degrees at 7AM when we set out on our ride. I wore more clothes than I have on any previous ride and almost decided against some of the articles of clothing thinking that I would be too warm on the ride. My feet were numb for the first couple hours of the ride, my hands cold throughout the ride (even with two pairs of gloves), and I had a couple of uncontrollable bouts of shivers.

Yet somehow even with 125 miles of frosty roads and over 11,000 feet of climbing, our band of six randonneurs managed to maintain smiles throughout the day and kept our curses (towards the jerks that thought this ride would be a good idea) to a minimum.

It’s funny the things you will put yourself through in order to forge an epic ride into your memory.

Strava Upload
Flickr Set

This month has been pretty exciting in terms of riding with randonneurs. Earlier in the month, I rode the Santa Cruz Randonneurs’ Dart. I did this ride with another team last year and it was a ton of fun. The format forces you to stay together as a team and use the full duration of time (in this case 13.5 hours for 200 kilometers). It’s much more social than other rides and the past two have ended at the Tied House Brewery which in my books is the ultimate way to end a ride.

On the ride, some of my friends had the idea to do a similar route, but on fixed gear bicycles. So we did. I unfortunately didn’t snap any photos on this ride, but the ride was equally awesome although a touch more challenging. To date, it’s the longest fixed gear ride I’ve been on by far.

Santa Cruz Randonneurs Dart: Strava Upload
Fixed 200k: Strava Upload

A little over a month ago, I met Mauricio Rebolledo when he and I were volunteering for the San Francisco Randonneurs Populaire. Mauricio won best track bike at this year’s North American Handmade Bicycle Show. I had a ton of questions to ask about what a framebuilding hobbyist needs to know and he was very open and eloquent with his answers.

I also mentioned to him that I had a frame that I built at UBI last summer that I was still finish filing when I could find the time. He invited me up to his shop last weekend and helped me make huge progress on the finish work. I probably did more work in one day than I did on the past few days of finish work.

Mauricio specializes in lugged steel bicycle frames and they truly are beautiful. I think you can tell a lot about a framebuilder by touring his/her shop and Mauricio’s shop is well stocked with machining tools, fixtures, and a huge collection of files. He keeps it incredibly organized and clean which I think reflects in his work. Mauricio also spent six years working for Sycip Bikes in Santa Rosa. It seems fairly uncommon for US framebuilders to spend a long duration of time under the supervision of an established framebuilder and I think this shows the level of Mauricio’s dedication to the craft.

Shout out to Rebolledo Cycles!

I never thought it would happen to me. Love at first sight is so cliché.

I have been back now for two weeks and I still can’t get France off of my mind. I’m beginning to feel like a bit of a jerk every time my face lights up and I describe how incredible the cycling was in the French Alps. Mt. Tam seems so vanilla now that I’ve tasted 4,000 foot climbs, glacial runoff more turquoise than turquoise, endless hairpins, and screaming descents.

The guys over at Mission Cycling had planted a seed in my head when they mentioned they were planning to go to France this year. One thing that I have been learning about the MC guys is that they execute: custom jerseys celebrating the town of Venosc, a professional photographer on our Alpe d’Huez day, stage 11 of the Tour de France, and an authentic French dining experience.

I just can’t get it out of my mind. 300 miles and 30,000 feet of climbing and the most memorable week of cycling I have ever experienced. I need to get back to France!

Day 1 – Strava Upload

Day 2 – Strava Upload

Day 3 – Strava Upload

Day 4 – Strava Upload

Day 5 – Strava Upload

Day 6 – Strava Upload

Day 7 – Strava Upload

Photos by Vianney Tisseau on Day 3

Flickr Set
Day 3 Photos by Vianney Tisseau