Mulholland Challenge

On Saturday, April 9, 2022, I completed the Mulholland Challenge, a 170-kilometer (106-mile) event that started in Agoura Hills, California, and traversed many of the iconic climbs of the Santa Monica Mountains, with over 3,700 meters (12,100+ feet) of climbing. This was my first “event” following my recovery from the Achilles tendonitis that I had […]

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Hills for Brunch: The Day After the Mulholland Challenge

On Saturday, April 9th, I completed the Mulholland Challenge, which is Stage #1 of Planet Ultra’s “King of the Mountains Century Challenge.” However, I am not writing about that. Instead, I am writing about the next day, April 10th. Because the official results of the event have not yet been posted, I have decided to […]

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Everesting Camp 9 (Part 1)

I signed up for Planet Ultra’s Everesting Challenge, which is running from April 2nd through April 29th this year. That’s 29 days to see how far I can climb. My (challenging, but highly unrealistic) goal for the month is to complete at least 29,035 meters (a metric Everest??), or 95,035 feet, during the month, excluding […]

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March Recap

March was a great month, all things considered: It was a month of recovery and progress. At the beginning of the month, I was struggling with recovery from Achilles tendonitis, although I was hopeful that I would be able to return to training. I was unable to ride in the Solvang Spring Double Century, on […]

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Gleason, Wilson, and Disappointment

My plan for Saturday was to ride out to Mt. Gleason, Mt. Wilson, and Mt. Disappointment. Since I am still in the process of gradually ramping up my weekly mileage, the only way I could do this ride was to start from the other side of the mountain, in La Crescenta. Starting from Santa Clarita […]

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What Is My “Why”?

I was recently invited to provide my thoughts regarding the 500km ride that I attempted at the end of last year for a short documentary film, 500km, which will be released on YouTube in the near future. In preparation for the interview, I spent some time thinking about why I enjoy riding long distances, and […]

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100 Miles* of Howling Wind and Pure Joy!

It was another great weekend of riding, despite the savage wind conditions. After a tough, stressful week at work, I found it difficult to wake up early on Saturday morning, even though I was excited to get out on the road. Then, I had to do my home exercise program and pre-ride warmup. I was […]

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Return to Camp 9

From my living room window, I can see the radio towers at the top of Mt. Pinetos, where the Camp 9 Fire Suppression Camp is located. Mt. Pinetos sits on the southern edge of the Santa Clarita Valley, along the Bear Divide, and it is part of the San Gabriel Mountain Range. The mountain beckons […]

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Turning the Corner?

It’s time for another update regarding my progress in physical therapy. As mentioned in my last post, my recovery from Achilles tendonitis and knee pain has been frustrating. Sometimes it seemed I was taking two steps forward and one step back. Sometimes, I wondered if I would ever fully recover. So, when I say that […]

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Assessing the Damage, Picking Up the Pieces, and Making a Plan

Physical therapy is going well, but it has been a rough week. Along the way, I felt like I had taken two steps forward and one step back. On Presidents’ Day weekend, I was able to ride two days. On Saturday, February 19, I rode 87km (as previously reported), and on Monday, February 21, I […]

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