The Dreaded CthuLoop

Frenchie and I took what was intended to be the last big ride in preparation for Aids Lifecycle 2010 on Sunday. Ole Left-Handed Looney Lung was staying home to recuperate from a long week, so we took the road bikes and headed out for a climbing and distance plan of some ambition, somewhere between Alpine, Stinson, Pt. Reyes, Nicasio etc or some combination of those. However, Frenchie’s crew was a bit taxed so after meeting me in Mill Valley, we agreed to forgo the big stuff and aim for distance, targeting the San Geronimo Loop. Additionally, while the wind had already brutalized those guys the day before, it was supposed to get much worse, which doesn’t make for tantalizing riding out on the coast without shelter.

Unfortunately, Frenchie’s lady love was burning out and had to turn back. I found out just as I got to the bridge, about 100m or so from the top of the San Geronimo pass, which bridges Drake with the flat stretch beyond. I had bombed up the thing in order to get some needed work in my legs, and was waiting at a turn off for the others, with Bobby soon joining me, before we got the call. So we zipped back down the hill (yes, when actually on geared bikes those descents aren’t the dread courses they are on the fixed, at least for me) and collected the others to ride back to a familiar point along the route in San Anselmo so that our exhausted compatriot could head home. At that point, I wasn’t too thrilled about going back and hitting San Geronimo again (I hate backtracking) so we decided to head back south and do Mt. Tam… but then thought better of it as the tourists would have it packed with SUVs (you have to start early on Tam) so ultimately we elected to do a spirited Paradise/ Strawberry Loop, and man, it was FAST. I mean not just rollers and descents, but even some of the crests… we really pushed it and it was refreshing. I haven’t been on my road bike since my last Tam climb and certainly not with the frequency of previous years.

Of course, what’s a ride for me without a dubious mechanical problem? On the first pass up Chapman, a steep, switchbacky noodle up the back (south direction) side of Camino Alto, I waited too long to chain to my 39 and then sprung it on the steep starting section. Sorry, can’t do that. My Look basically groaned, so I chained a few cogs up the cassette to try to even out the chainline, but it was too late: my bike basically made the mechanical clacking equivalent of "DAIIIIIIIIIISYYYYYY" and then the drivetrain locked up. Of course, just as too much fixie riding got me in that mess int he first place (I neglected to consider shifting at the appropriate time) the lack of fixie business kept me upright, as a locked up chain on a fixed-gear would be an asphalt embrace. I was able to get the chain in place, and resume catching up and onward in no time… but later as Frenchie and I pushed through Strawberry I heard more and more noise and certainly felt friction in the derailleur, so I stopped to consult, and hoooo buddy, what a mess.

The derailleur had bent open, the chain jumped out of the housing, skipped over the pulley, and instead of rolling smoothly on the pulley as it should, it had been neatly grinding away on the top of the housing’s guard plate. Check out that groove in this pic. I nearly sawed through the metal with my chain. A testament to Dura Ace, and certainly chain strength, to be sure, But wow. So we basically beat the thing into submission, and once the pulley was functional again, completed the loop. So, after ALC I have to start hunting for 2003 Dura Ace parts. ha.

Anyway, a good ride nonetheless and I certainly got my workout in. It was only about 45 miles for me, but fast up the climbs, and fortunately, the wind really didn’t pick up until we were both home and comfy (he had some wind up the grade and over the bridge, but that’s normal this time of year) and it began blowing like stink. Solid!

Barring a few shorter runs between now and then, next stop: Lifecycle!

Ride map and profile:
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/44188

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