Although we did have a full moon today, that is the dome of Lick Observatory rising above lupines on the hillside. It was a lovely spring day to take the advice of Eddy Merckx to heart:Don't buy upgrades; ride up grades.I chose a new challenge: climb Mt. Hamilton twice in one day. I didn't run out of steam or willpower, but I did run out of time. I ascended the upper segment twice and the lower section just once, with barely enough time to dash home and get cleaned up before heading to San Francisco. There I witnessed athleticism of a more artistic sort, ballerina Tina Le Blanc's farewell performance.
The evening felt more like a private party for friends and family, which explained the puzzling number of people we saw on crutches or with a soft cast on a lower leg. Injured dancers. I am in awe of their artistry and fitness, and respect their sacrifice. What appears so graceful and effortless, leaves them breathless.
The night opened with Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux. Paired with Tina was Gonzalo Garcia, whose performance was extraordinary in a very demanding piece. I often marvel at what the human body is capable of: the way the dancers move, the cyclists who climb hills twice as fast as I can, even my own capacity for propelling myself one-and-a-half times up Mt. Hamilton by rotating the pedals round and round. It wouldn't surprise me if Gonzalo could out-sprint Mark Cavendish. Dancers pitted against athletes from Cal Berkeley have actually won two out of three annual competitions.
As for me, I averaged 9.5 mph over 61 miles with 7,930 feet of climbing, enjoyed the views and wildflowers, and was ready for more.
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All right, let me be the first to ask: why did you try to go up Ham twice in one day? Was it the Mt. Hamilton Challenge? If so, weren't you supposed to ride to Livermore?
ReplyDeleteThe link about the athletic competition involving the dancers reminds me of how, long ago, race car driver Jackie Stewart won a weird decathlon on _Wide World of Sports_ that featured athletes from NFL, NBA, NHL, etc.
I do wonder occasionally how I'd do now in a competition against the people I ran track and cross-country against in high school. I was totally in awe of some of those people, but I was 17 and it was a small town. Now I see Karen Brems and Christine Thorburn on the road all the time.