TNT Death Ride SF team ride - one climb down, waaay more to go!

 Today was our first long-ish training ride on the TNT Death Ride team.  For the early training rides we're split up into 2 groups, the SF/East bay group and the Redwood Wine Country(RWC)/Marin group.  Last year I rode with RWC but this year I'm sticking closer to home.  So today's ride was with the SF/East bay group, headed up by Mistress Karen and her crew.

It wasn't wasn't  much compared to what we'll be doing in the upcoming weeks, but hey, it's a start!    I was really happy with how I did, after 50 miles I wasn't whupped.  Yeah,  the bar is set kind of low... :D

The climb up Palomares road was kind of ugly, and I was having one of my "who am I kidding" episodes.  As evidenced by the fact that I yelled out WHO AM I KIDDING at least once.  And by at least once I mean at least five or six times.  But Coach Peg stayed with me and gave me encouragement and advice (and none of it was along the lines of "give up now and spare us").

So I finally made it over Palomares -- the Hard Way, mind you! -- and the rest of the ride went really well.  Communist Captain Amy quipped, "Well, that's one climb down.  Wonder how many more climbs we'll do before the Death Ride?" 

I'm proud to say I resisted the urge to tip her bike over.

We had a time trial up Calaveras Road to determine what groups we'll be placed in.  I told Coach Karen that we could skip with the formalities and just put me in the slowest group, but she wouldn't go for that.  

On Calaveras Road we passed a big group of Solvang Team TNT riders -- so nice to see them!  They were looking great.   The Solvang Century is only a few weeks away, booyah!

After the ride up Calaveras we turned around at the false summit and headed back to Welch Creek SAG stop where we entered our times.  Then we headed back to Sunol and on to Castro Valley via Dublin Canyon.

All told it was 50 miles and about 3400 ft of climbing.  So far, so good...