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April 21, 2001 Tour Eve OK, first of all, I should've been in bed at least an hour ago, but that's neither here nor there. I'll be up at 5:30 or so Sunday morning, and by 9 a.m. I will embark with 60 or so others on our lap around the Bay. It will cover close to 500 miles in seven days, with a total climb approaching 25,000 feet, assuming several of us nutballs add in a side trip up Mt. Diablo on Day 4. I've literally been waiting for this for 14 months, since I first read about Go Greenbelt! in a newspaper article. I couldn't do this last year because we were in L.A. to celebrate Passover and Gram's 95th birthday. Hi Gram! Anyway, I've been training like a maniac, for the last five weeks especially, which is how long I've had my new bike. Yes, I bought it partially because I planned to do this ride, and my old bike simply beat me up too much. The other reason is I will probably be on it for upwards of 6,000 miles this year; more than I'll put on my Jeep. So now I have a new Cannondale 3000, and it's beautiful and fast and light and I love it. (My new girlfriend, as it's known.) I've put 1,000 miles on it since March 16. I know I'm well conditioned for this ride. I've also gone on a bit of a shopping spree the last couple weeks, getting some stylin' new cycling gear, including fine Banesto and Colpack cycling team jerseys, for a mere $30 each off of the Internet. I also shaved my head today (just call me Marco!). Oh, I shaved my legs today, too. I haven't seen the skin on my legs for nigh on 25 years now. It feels really weird. I have really knobby knees. By the way, Garasky, I've got pictures of me shaving, which I will try to post on my website, if/when it's finished. If they don't scare the fur off your cat, nothing will. I've been thinking about my motivations for participating in this event. For certain, part of it is the personal achievement. I've never done a ride like this, and it will be a test, just getting on the bike every day. I know there will be days that my legs will simply be tired. I also know that once I get on and start pedaling and loosen up, the adrenaline will kick in and my legs will be fine and it will bring me to the second reason I'm riding. Which is this place which I've taken as my adoptive home. I liked this area even before I moved here. I have since come to love it. It retains a natural beauty and spirituality for me that I've never before experienced in a metropolitan area. And to have areas of such seeming remoteness and beauty so close is truly remarkable. So for the next week, I ride to help preserve this delicate balance of progress and pristine natural setting. I will see things - as I seem to do on every bike ride in the area - that I have never seen before, and that never fail to astound me with their beauty. Whether it's a patch of wild California poppies along the road, the remarkable views from Skyline on the Peninsula, or the deer I regularly encounter as I climb Snake Road up to Skyline, just a few miles up in the hills from my apartment. I will be introduced to new bike routes, and new natural wonders. And I will fall in love with this place even more. And I will know that I am doing something for the next week that will unite two passions: cycling and preserving the natural beauty of this area. Hopefully, I will be able to send you these entries regularly, maybe daily, depending on the availability of phone lines. And hopefully you will enjoy these dispatches. I will do my best to convey the experience. At the least, I know it will be a joy. Thanks for reading. Off to bed for me now. Tomorrow, 70 miles from San Francisco to Los Gatos. Go to Day 1: San Francisco to Los Gatos; 70 miles 
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