Morning Ride 2

6:30am ride loop. Finished at 7:45am. Downtown, Fisherman's Warf, Presidio loop.

This is actually an overpass on 101 just before the Golden Gate and doubles as the old entrance to Fort Winfield Scott. Turns out Win Davis (Top Cat Alum) is a direct descendant of the general for whom this fort is named.

While riding down Market street this morning I was reminded of how unique this city is. It was 6:30am and the city's main thouroughfare was almost empty. Take a city like New York: the streets of the financial district would be flooded at that hour. I rode through San Francisco's financial district and saw only a handful of people.

At the end of Market street is the Ferry Building, where ferries servicing the East Bay, North Bay and other points arrive and depart still. The ferry business was quite necessary before the completion of the Golden Gate(1937) and the Bay bridge (). The building is essentially a basillica with a clock tower situated at its center. The Embarcadero, a large road that runs along most of the eastern edge of the city, is peppered with joggers around this time in the morning.

I headed North on the Embarcadero with all intentions of doubling back when I reached the Northeastern most point, where the the road turns into two smaller ones, and where the picturesque palms cease their procession along the center divider. Instead, I cut into the city and made my way toward Fisherman's Warf. Arriving on Jefferson, caught the early moring deliver trucks parked with four-ways on and their drivers darting in and out for the trailers. I passed that most touristed marine strip and entered into a park that lies between the Warf area and the Marina.

Crissy field is part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area and has a well-used bike path that traces the north end of the city. On a clear day you can look north to Alcetraz, Angel Island and Sausalito--nessled in the rolling Marin hills. Today is it's foggy and I see none of what I've described. But, as the sun turned the world a light grey, I was able to see the Golden Gate's towers protruding from the dawn moisture. I ride west parallel with the shore to the Presidio. On a map the Presidio (an old army base) looks like a European city, with streets that wind around randomly. That is the case on the ground, but there are also many hills involved. They gave me a good early morning ass-wooping.

Good 12miles in 1:15 minutes... I'm beginning to feel strong again.

I knew it.

Yeah!

I've seen people riding road bikes since I got out here, and I wanted one from the first. Now I finally got one and I love it. I knew it.

Like I've said before, I've never been an athletic person, mostly because most of the athletics I was introduced to were competitive. Soccer, Football, baseball... I hate competition.

Cycling is different, you can be alone, competing with only with time, wind and gravity. Toiling for hours and getting as far as you might in a car. Suddenly 30 miles becomes an hour an a half ride. That's amazing... and you propelled your bulk the entire way with out any poison fossil fuels.

I though of putting a sticker that said "Zero Emissions Vehicle" on my bike, but the scientist in me wagged a finger at me, "You emit CO2, remember?". Oh, yeah. My catabolism is more efficient at least and is based on renewable energy sources, at least.

With my first training ride down, I feel positive about this endeavor. People participating in the Life Cycle met at the MaClauren lodge in Golden Gate Park last Saturday. Surprisingly, most of the people--there were about 40--were older, mean age probably in the early 40's. I was one of 3 people under 30. We set out in single file north through the city toward the Golden Gate bridge. There I was, clipped in to my petals, stopping and going and almost running a red light in front of 15 people.

We crossed the bridge on the west side, the side dedicated to cyclists (and tourists with bikes who stop to take pictures). More power to them, the tourist that is, for the Vista is second to none in beauty.

5am comes soon

My morning ride to on the Embarcadero