3 PM: Sunday the forth.

This was an even earlier start than the day before... my alarm went of at 7 and I reluctantly got up and splashed some cold water in my face in order to wake up... it always works, I tell ya, cold water is the shock to the system. It has been a while since I made my Chai Tea in the morning, but Tom requested it and so I figured it is a good thing to make. After all he is picking me up to go for our first bike-ride this year. On the way to the Richmond Bridge we picked-up John in El Cerrito and then went to Tennessee Valley to Dennis's house. It was pretty cold this morning, frost everywhere where the sun has not gotten to it yet, the puddles had a thin layer of ice as we're biking up t the parking lot of the Tennessee Valley. As always there are already lots of people moving about, mostly hikers and dog walkers but also a few other bikers getting their bikes ready for a ride. We climbed up the Coastal Trail, when finally on the top, Tom and I where waiting for John and Dennis until we finally realized that these two must have taken the trail to Muir Beach. So off we went to tackle the first single track section... it was awesome, I'm so glad that I finally changed my tires back to the knobby ones, because I have not mountain-biked since Cycle Zydeco in April, that when I changed to slick tires on my mountain-bike.

I didn't keep track of the time when we finally got back to Dennis's house, covert in mud and a big grin in our face. Hosing off our bikes and listen to John and Dennis's story made our move to the Buckeye a must. A hefty breakfast for champions with a Guinness for some of us, that does not include me...