Moments to Remember Return to Main Page
Nolan Park (which in my mind was confounded with Colonel's Row), Governors Island. Don't remember the bike or circumstances of the outing. But it was a bike with one training wheel, and the brick path was bumpy, fortelling the cobblestone roads in my future, I suppose. My Dad was encouraging me to try two wheel balancing. He yanked the lone training wheel up, helped me feel the balance and build momentum, and then RELEASED!
That's how it all started.
And Diane and I did the same with Emma on the riverside road across the Lot from Estaing.
Photos to follow...
And with Olivia on the Aubrac plateau.
Photos to follow...
First Adventure Ride
One lovely hot summer day in 1976, we were back visiting La Seyne after moving to The Hague. On borrowed bikes, we rode from Angele's apartment in Le Meteore up to Quartier Rouquier, where we had lived in '73-'75, and then the glorious descent back to La Seyne. So great, we turned around and did it again, stopping for a another visit to the little lambs pressing against the roadside fences. We never figured out how to convince our parents to let us have sheep as pets. This was one of those days when I thought hard about an argument.
Off the topic of cycling, the photos above are for family who will remember our house on the lower right of the first photo. Our beloved La Vorangerie, with the Colonel L's house behind ours, and Balou's house to the left, lived in then by a family of Chinese immigrants who were very friendly and welcoming. They showed me their shrunken head collection and kept big, barking Balou at bay. The middle photo shows the route to school. Kate and Sue will recall the ride in Jean-Luc's mother's Deux Chevaux. Fine on the downhill to school. On the way back up the hill, we all had to get out and push. The photo on the right is Ecole des Plaines. (Photos: Google Maps)
First Long Ride
Huntington Beach to Long Beach Harbor/Queen Mary and back in 9th grade. 44 miles. No big deal, but the great feeling of freedom! That's what I remember. It's not impossible to get it on America's great, wide, smooth highways.
First Good Long Ride (about 100 miles in a day)
Huntington Beach to San Diego via Torrey Pines x 1 in 11th grade.
No photos in these days of 35mm film. No index shifting or carbon fiber either.
The first time was with family friend, Clint, riding his Trek semi-touring bike of unknown vintage and model, I on my SR Semi-Pro. I returned by Amtrak, he by bike, shooting his knees in the process. I promised myself then never to get old. So far, so good.
HB-SD via Torrey Pines x 2 (about 175 miles in 3 days)
The second time doing HB-SD, in the months after college graduation, so summer of 1989, was with Vince from Two Wheel Transit Authority. We had a blast on mountain bikes. We camped the first night in Oceanside. The next day, Vince led us to the San Diego boardwalk area and to his favorite beachside pizza joint. I remember flying up the Torrey Pines climb, mountain bike with fully packed touring bags before that, so the enormous slices of pizza were most welcome and well earned. We camped again at Coronado Island, as I recall. The next day, we parted ways. I still remember Vince waving as he headed down a steep hill at breakneck speed. I turned toward dry, scrubby hills of north San Diego. Why? Why not? Then to the Amtrak station and the stop in Santa Ana. The ride through Santa Ana was hailed by waving people. In Huntington Beach, we said bad things about people in Santa Ana. This ride proved all that wrong. People are people, and many of them are friendlier. And the familiar Santa Ana River bike trail got me back, into the usual afternoon salty headwind.
This was a shakedown trip for my Australia adventures.
===================
Australia 1989-1990 (milage unknown)
Took 8 rolls of 36 in 3 months and not a single one of my bike! What???
Made the mistake of taking a Trek 520 road touring bike rather than my proven Stumpjumper mountain bike. Northern Queensland, where I started, is a rugged place, and the roads are narrow, rutted, and broken, without benefit of shoulders. And no benefit of the doubt, either. The trucks are wide and long, and they are driven by folks who think differently about cyclists than cyclists do.
If you wind up in the ditch, it's your own bloody fault, mate.
Still, it was some stunning cycling along coastal Queensland. The intense November heat and unfamiliar look of everything from trees and fruit, to bats and birds, to Ford brand models, and soil so red it looked painted, there was so much to inspire awe.
At Brisbane, I experienced a minor accident (that is, a stupid accident, that due to my youth, I was able to recover from fairly soon) while hiking in Binna Burra rain forest, so traded in my bike, hobbled off to the bus station, and headed to the Outback. An Australian fellow was really happy with his new bike, and I had a fantastic time on an unplanned adventure.
My wheels were battered by the ride in the airplane. Good luck it was that a fellow resident at the Cairns YHA was an experienced long-distance tourer. He gave me the right pointers to get the rims true and keep the spoke tension right so that they wouldn't snap under load on the rough roads.
==========
Southern England, Summer 1998 (mileage unknown)
Diane and I rode out of London Paddington train station, spotted the cycling path along the Thames, and were soon well south of urban insanity. We pedaled and pedaled until we reach the sea at Portsmouth. The ferry to the Isle of Wight, and three days to ride around. The coast is all climbs and descents, but it was the winds that battered us. Back to the mainland, heading west, as the hills became steeper and longer, so we fled to the north. After Cheddar Gorge, we sailed across Salisbury Plain to Stonehenge, Old Sarum, and Salisbury Cathedral....and the only days of rain in three weeks...so we stayed for 4 days, rested and hiked. Then back down to the coast and eastward through Bristol and Hastings and back up to Crowborough, home of Conan Doyle (who did not warn us of the hills there, either) and back to London. No better way to travel. Everything is the right pace and perspective, all the food you can eat, and you finish your holiday in fantastic physical and moral form.
PHOTOS TO BE ADDED.
Tiz'n Tichka, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco November 2001
Tiz'n Test, Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco April 2003
Puy de Dome, Auvergne, France July 2007
Puy Marie, Cantal, France July 2007
Hills that Might as Well be Mountains:
Le Nayrac, Aveyron, France (not a mountain but might as well be) July 2007
La Redoute, Belgium (a bitter introduction to the hills of Liege) April 2014
Classics
Tour of Flanders April 2013/2014/2015/2017
Paris Roubaix April 2013/2015/2017
Liege Bastogne Liege April 2014
Tour de Briek (Schotte) March 2015
Leuven March 2016
Fleche Brabanconne March 2017???
Classic Moments
-La Redoute
-Roche au Falcons
-Oude Kwaremont
-Kruisberg
-Paterberg
-Muur de Grammont
-Carrefour des Arbres
-Boucles de Lasne, Belgium 2015
-Leuven La Hulpe Leuven, Belgium 2016
 |
| Puy de Dome, Auvergne's majestic volcanic dome, setting of the unforgettable elbow-to-elbow duel between Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor in 1964. Poulidor ground ahead and gained 42 seconds; Anquetil kept the Yellow Jersey for 14 slim seconds that day and 55 seconds by the end of the last stage in Paris. Francois and I tackled this climb in 2007, and it was much the same tale all over again. I won't say which of us was Anquetil and which was Poulidor. Click here for: More about Anquetil-Poulidor 1964 |
First Impressions and Milestones
First RideNolan Park (which in my mind was confounded with Colonel's Row), Governors Island. Don't remember the bike or circumstances of the outing. But it was a bike with one training wheel, and the brick path was bumpy, fortelling the cobblestone roads in my future, I suppose. My Dad was encouraging me to try two wheel balancing. He yanked the lone training wheel up, helped me feel the balance and build momentum, and then RELEASED!
 |
| Nolan Park, site of my first time balancing on two wheels. And still loving it. (Photo thanks to Google Maps.) |
That's how it all started.
And Diane and I did the same with Emma on the riverside road across the Lot from Estaing.
Photos to follow...
And with Olivia on the Aubrac plateau.
Photos to follow...
First Adventure Ride
One lovely hot summer day in 1976, we were back visiting La Seyne after moving to The Hague. On borrowed bikes, we rode from Angele's apartment in Le Meteore up to Quartier Rouquier, where we had lived in '73-'75, and then the glorious descent back to La Seyne. So great, we turned around and did it again, stopping for a another visit to the little lambs pressing against the roadside fences. We never figured out how to convince our parents to let us have sheep as pets. This was one of those days when I thought hard about an argument.
 |
| Our street from 1973-1975. |
Photos are courtesy of Google Maps.
 |
| La Vorangerie, our house. |
 |
| Chemin de Bremond, from La Seyne, past Lycée Beaussier, past the cemetery, to Quartier Rouquier, where we lived. |
 |
| Despite my best efforts studying Google Maps, it is hard to know for certain which road we took that memorable day. I recall countryside, trees, fields with sheep at the fence, farm houses. But that all was either my little kid perspective or all of that is gone now, overtaken by development....or both. It was the Glory of Two Wheel Motion that I remember most. That part was real and there's no forgetting it. |
 | |
|
Click on the photos to see them in large format.
Off the topic of cycling, the photos above are for family who will remember our house on the lower right of the first photo. Our beloved La Vorangerie, with the Colonel L's house behind ours, and Balou's house to the left, lived in then by a family of Chinese immigrants who were very friendly and welcoming. They showed me their shrunken head collection and kept big, barking Balou at bay. The middle photo shows the route to school. Kate and Sue will recall the ride in Jean-Luc's mother's Deux Chevaux. Fine on the downhill to school. On the way back up the hill, we all had to get out and push. The photo on the right is Ecole des Plaines. (Photos: Google Maps)
First Long Ride
Huntington Beach to Long Beach Harbor/Queen Mary and back in 9th grade. 44 miles. No big deal, but the great feeling of freedom! That's what I remember. It's not impossible to get it on America's great, wide, smooth highways.
First Good Long Ride (about 100 miles in a day)
Huntington Beach to San Diego via Torrey Pines x 1 in 11th grade.
No photos in these days of 35mm film. No index shifting or carbon fiber either.
The first time was with family friend, Clint, riding his Trek semi-touring bike of unknown vintage and model, I on my SR Semi-Pro. I returned by Amtrak, he by bike, shooting his knees in the process. I promised myself then never to get old. So far, so good.
Multi-Day Rides
HB-SD via Torrey Pines x 2 (about 175 miles in 3 days)
The second time doing HB-SD, in the months after college graduation, so summer of 1989, was with Vince from Two Wheel Transit Authority. We had a blast on mountain bikes. We camped the first night in Oceanside. The next day, Vince led us to the San Diego boardwalk area and to his favorite beachside pizza joint. I remember flying up the Torrey Pines climb, mountain bike with fully packed touring bags before that, so the enormous slices of pizza were most welcome and well earned. We camped again at Coronado Island, as I recall. The next day, we parted ways. I still remember Vince waving as he headed down a steep hill at breakneck speed. I turned toward dry, scrubby hills of north San Diego. Why? Why not? Then to the Amtrak station and the stop in Santa Ana. The ride through Santa Ana was hailed by waving people. In Huntington Beach, we said bad things about people in Santa Ana. This ride proved all that wrong. People are people, and many of them are friendlier. And the familiar Santa Ana River bike trail got me back, into the usual afternoon salty headwind.
This was a shakedown trip for my Australia adventures.
===================
Australia 1989-1990 (milage unknown)
Took 8 rolls of 36 in 3 months and not a single one of my bike! What???
Made the mistake of taking a Trek 520 road touring bike rather than my proven Stumpjumper mountain bike. Northern Queensland, where I started, is a rugged place, and the roads are narrow, rutted, and broken, without benefit of shoulders. And no benefit of the doubt, either. The trucks are wide and long, and they are driven by folks who think differently about cyclists than cyclists do.
If you wind up in the ditch, it's your own bloody fault, mate.
Still, it was some stunning cycling along coastal Queensland. The intense November heat and unfamiliar look of everything from trees and fruit, to bats and birds, to Ford brand models, and soil so red it looked painted, there was so much to inspire awe.
At Brisbane, I experienced a minor accident (that is, a stupid accident, that due to my youth, I was able to recover from fairly soon) while hiking in Binna Burra rain forest, so traded in my bike, hobbled off to the bus station, and headed to the Outback. An Australian fellow was really happy with his new bike, and I had a fantastic time on an unplanned adventure.
 |
| This is the Port Douglas to Cairns highway, known as Tribulation Road. It was a stunning ride, fueled by mangoes picked at roadside trees. Packing plenty of water is a must. Photo from: http://www.cairnspost.com.au |
 |
| This is where I rested after a very long flight from Los Angeles and got my bike and gear into good order. The park across the road overlooks Trinity Bay, with mango trees full of enormous flying foxes at night! They pick a mango, have a couple bights, then drop it. You have to be careful Photo: YHA Australia |
==========
Southern England, Summer 1998 (mileage unknown)
Diane and I rode out of London Paddington train station, spotted the cycling path along the Thames, and were soon well south of urban insanity. We pedaled and pedaled until we reach the sea at Portsmouth. The ferry to the Isle of Wight, and three days to ride around. The coast is all climbs and descents, but it was the winds that battered us. Back to the mainland, heading west, as the hills became steeper and longer, so we fled to the north. After Cheddar Gorge, we sailed across Salisbury Plain to Stonehenge, Old Sarum, and Salisbury Cathedral....and the only days of rain in three weeks...so we stayed for 4 days, rested and hiked. Then back down to the coast and eastward through Bristol and Hastings and back up to Crowborough, home of Conan Doyle (who did not warn us of the hills there, either) and back to London. No better way to travel. Everything is the right pace and perspective, all the food you can eat, and you finish your holiday in fantastic physical and moral form.
PHOTOS TO BE ADDED.
Mountains and Hills
Big Mountains..........INFO AND PHOTOS TO BE ADDED.Tiz'n Tichka, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco November 2001
Tiz'n Test, Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco April 2003
Puy de Dome, Auvergne, France July 2007
Puy Marie, Cantal, France July 2007
Hills that Might as Well be Mountains:
Le Nayrac, Aveyron, France (not a mountain but might as well be) July 2007
La Redoute, Belgium (a bitter introduction to the hills of Liege) April 2014
Classics
Tour of Flanders April 2013/2014/2015/2017
Paris Roubaix April 2013/2015/2017
Liege Bastogne Liege April 2014
Tour de Briek (Schotte) March 2015
Leuven March 2016
Fleche Brabanconne March 2017???
Classic Moments
-La Redoute
-Roche au Falcons
-Oude Kwaremont
-Kruisberg
-Paterberg
-Muur de Grammont
-Carrefour des Arbres
Earth, Wind, Water, Fire and Wheels (the 5th Element)
-Boucles de Lasne, Belgium 2015
-Leuven La Hulpe Leuven, Belgium 2016
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