I've been doing this for years, after first being invited by a customer way back when. Ride up Mt. Hamilton on New Years Day. That way, no matter how the rest of the year goes, you know you at least accomplished *something* on a bike! People generally leave from the base of the climb (Alum Rock & Mt. Hamilton) about 8:45am. Some years you'll see a couple hundred people on the mountain, some years just a couple dozen. There is no support, no food or water anywhere but the top (and the only food is candy from vending machines in the observatory), nobody to haul up your cold-weather gear for the ride back down, no patches. Just you & the mountain and a bunch of other people enjoying themselves on a bike. And probably a bunch of photos on a web page late that night. --Mike Jacoubowsky Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReaction.com Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Last water, is a fountain at Grants ranch about 10 miles into the ride. With the cold weather 2 bottle should be plenty from Grants Ranch. It must be really cold on the way down! cel "Mike Jacoubowsky" <MikeJ@ChainReaction.com> wrote in message news:o6_kh.1007$ji1.498@newssvr12.news.prodigy.net... > I've been doing this for years, after first being invited by a customer way > back when. Ride up Mt. Hamilton on New Years Day. That way, no matter how > the rest of the year goes, you know you at least accomplished *something* on > a bike! > > People generally leave from the base of the climb (Alum Rock & Mt. Hamilton) > about 8:45am. Some years you'll see a couple hundred people on the mountain, > some years just a couple dozen. > > There is no support, no food or water anywhere but the top (and the only > food is candy from vending machines in the observatory), nobody to haul up > your cold-weather gear for the ride back down, no patches. Just you & the > mountain and a bunch of other people enjoying themselves on a bike. And > probably a bunch of photos on a web page late that night. > > --Mike Jacoubowsky > Chain Reaction Bicycles > www.ChainReaction.com > Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA > >

"cel" <cel@nospam.net> wrote in message news:1-ydnWoBtt9wTgjYnZ2dnUVZ_tadnZ2d@comcast.com... > Last water, is a fountain at Grants ranch about 10 miles into the ride. > With > the cold weather 2 bottle should be plenty from Grants Ranch. It must be > really cold on the way down! > > cel > > "Mike Jacoubowsky" <MikeJ@ChainReaction.com> wrote in message > news:o6_kh.1007$ji1.498@newssvr12.news.prodigy.net... >> I've been doing this for years, after first being invited by a customer > way >> back when. Ride up Mt. Hamilton on New Years Day. That way, no matter how >> the rest of the year goes, you know you at least accomplished *something* > on >> a bike! >> >> People generally leave from the base of the climb (Alum Rock & Mt. > Hamilton) >> about 8:45am. Some years you'll see a couple hundred people on the > mountain, >> some years just a couple dozen. >> >> There is no support, no food or water anywhere but the top (and the only >> food is candy from vending machines in the observatory), nobody to haul >> up >> your cold-weather gear for the ride back down, no patches. Just you & the >> mountain and a bunch of other people enjoying themselves on a bike. And >> probably a bunch of photos on a web page late that night. >> >> --Mike Jacoubowsky >> Chain Reaction Bicycles >> www.ChainReaction.com >> Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA >> >> > It is cold. At least this year, there is no snow or rain in the forecast. I rode behind Mike's group one year and got caught in a freezing rain.

cell phone writes: >> I've been doing this for years, after first being invited by a >> customer way back when. Ride up Mt. Hamilton on New Years Day. >> That way, no matter how the rest of the year goes, you know you at >> least accomplished *something* on a bike! >> People generally leave from the base of the climb (Alum Rock & >> Mt. Hamilton) about 8:45am. Some years you'll see a couple hundred >> people on the mountain, some years just a couple dozen. >> There is no support, no food or water anywhere but the top (and the >> only food is candy from vending machines in the observatory), >> nobody to haul up your cold-weather gear for the ride back down, no >> patches. Just you & the mountain and a bunch of other people >> enjoying themselves on a bike. And probably a bunch of photos on a >> web page late that night. > Last water, is a fountain at Grant ranch about 10 miles into the > ride. With the cold weather 2 bottle should be plenty from Grant > Ranch. It must be really cold on the way down! I can be colder: http://mthamilton.ucolick.org/public/pictures/snowpics/ I recall riding the Milpitas-Hamilton-Livermore-Sunol-Milpitas loop nonstop with no food or drink on an ideal 01 January day. It can't be all that hard. Jobst Brandt

In article <45969bd1$0$80073$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>, jobst.brandt@stanfordalumni.org wrote: > cell phone writes: > > >> I've been doing this for years, after first being invited by a > >> customer way back when. Ride up Mt. Hamilton on New Years Day. > >> That way, no matter how the rest of the year goes, you know you at > >> least accomplished *something* on a bike! > > >> People generally leave from the base of the climb (Alum Rock & Mt. > >> Hamilton) about 8:45am. Some years you'll see a couple hundred > >> people on the mountain, some years just a couple dozen. > > >> There is no support, no food or water anywhere but the top (and > >> the only food is candy from vending machines in the observatory), > >> nobody to haul up your cold-weather gear for the ride back down, > >> no patches. Just you & the mountain and a bunch of other people > >> enjoying themselves on a bike. And probably a bunch of photos on > >> a web page late that night. > > > Last water, is a fountain at Grant ranch about 10 miles into the > > ride. With the cold weather 2 bottle should be plenty from Grant > > Ranch. It must be really cold on the way down! > > I can be colder: > > http://mthamilton.ucolick.org/public/pictures/snowpics/ I gotta say that this is *not* my mental image of sunny California.

Last water, is a fountain at Grants ranch about 10 miles into the ride. With > the cold weather 2 bottle should be plenty from Grants Ranch. It must be > really cold on the way down! Several years it has been not just cold, but that sort of cold that goes right through your gloves, a sort of cold that seems made worse by a fog that somehow penetrates through whatever warm stuff you're wearing. On such days you're really looking forward to that first climb on the way back. --Mike Jacoubowsky Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReaction.com Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA "cel" <cel@nospam.net> wrote in message news:1-ydnWoBtt9wTgjYnZ2dnUVZ_tadnZ2d@comcast.com... > Last water, is a fountain at Grants ranch about 10 miles into the ride. > With > the cold weather 2 bottle should be plenty from Grants Ranch. It must be > really cold on the way down! > > cel > > "Mike Jacoubowsky" <MikeJ@ChainReaction.com> wrote in message > news:o6_kh.1007$ji1.498@newssvr12.news.prodigy.net... >> I've been doing this for years, after first being invited by a customer > way >> back when. Ride up Mt. Hamilton on New Years Day. That way, no matter how >> the rest of the year goes, you know you at least accomplished *something* > on >> a bike! >> >> People generally leave from the base of the climb (Alum Rock & Mt. > Hamilton) >> about 8:45am. Some years you'll see a couple hundred people on the > mountain, >> some years just a couple dozen. >> >> There is no support, no food or water anywhere but the top (and the only >> food is candy from vending machines in the observatory), nobody to haul >> up >> your cold-weather gear for the ride back down, no patches. Just you & the >> mountain and a bunch of other people enjoying themselves on a bike. And >> probably a bunch of photos on a web page late that night. >> >> --Mike Jacoubowsky >> Chain Reaction Bicycles >> www.ChainReaction.com >> Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA >> >> > >

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <MikeJ@ChainReaction.com> wrote: > Several years it has been not just cold, but that sort of cold that goes > right through your gloves, a sort of cold that seems made worse by a fog > that somehow penetrates through whatever warm stuff you're wearing. On such > days you're really looking forward to that first climb on the way back. Well, I rode up Mt. Hamilton today (Saturday, 12/30), at around 11 AM. It was beautiful, cool but not cold, cloudless sky, very little wind. The observatory thermometer said 49F, but my bike computer read 60-63F most of the ride. It was colder in the valley than on the summit. Descending was too warm, so I took my beanie off after the first descent. I hope it's the same weather on Jan. 1. -- terry morse - Undiscovered Country Tours - http://www.udctours.com/

In article <sZudnVl7baEWSQXYnZ2dnUVZ_qyjnZ2d@comcast.com>, "cel" <cel@nospam.net> wrote: > I remember doing this ride on a hot summer day at 113F and seeing the > buzzards overhead. I thought if I was riding along and ran out of > water I would just be buzzard bait! Heh. I used to live in southeastern Minnesota, in the bluff country along the Mississippi. On many rides I'd be cruising along with turkey vultures floating overhead. It always made me wonder of they knew something I didn't.

John Michaels writes: > Think about it. There was a reason the Clif Bar was inspired by a > ride up the backside of Hamilton. Read the book Raising the Bar, > the story of Clif Bar. I recommend that as required reading for people in small businesses. Gary Erickson went though it as did Tom Ritchey. Wheelsmith got eaten by the syndrome and Gallo Wines did not survive as a family owned company and is publicly owned today for the same reason. Besides, it is an interesting story. http://www.clifbar.com/ourstory/document.cfm?location=history http://tinyurl.com/yxrqka Jobst Brandt

"cel" <cel@nospam.net> wrote in news:sZudnVl7baEWSQXYnZ2dnUVZ_qyjnZ2d@comcast.com: > I would agree 100% with Mike J. I think less than 5% of active bike > riders could do the Milpitas-Hamilton-Livermore-Sunol-Milpitas loop > without any food, or water without ill effects. Most wouldn't make it, > others would be ill! Jobst, what was/is the point of doing a ride like this without food and water? -- Mike DeMicco <blaster186@comcast.net>

Mike DeMicco writes: >> I would agree 100% with Mike J. I think less than 5% of active bike >> riders could do the Milpitas-Hamilton-Livermore-Sunol-Milpitas loop >> without any food, or water without ill effects. Most wouldn't make >> it, others would be ill! > Jobst, what was/is the point of doing a ride like this without food > and water? When I don't feel a need to stop for something I don't stop. Why do you ride ten miles and not stop several times to eat and drink. It was a cool clear day with no wind and I didn't feel like stopping at the Junction, or Liv'mo. In warm weather I generally stop at the Junction and at the Dairy store across from the old Pleasanton SP station. If it's hot, I also stop at Fosters Freeze in Liv'mo. I've been riding over Mt Hamilton for 50 years now and pretty well know what I need. Jobst Brandt