Eagle Eyes

The crisp morning air suggested this would be a lovely fall day ... except that we are really nearing the end of the month of May. The outside temperature was less than 43F when I started getting ready for today's biking adventure. I dug out my wool jersey and some full-length tights, and never regretted my choice.

Our route passed the base of Sierra Road ... that was so three days ago. Today we tackled Old Calaveras Road on the way to Calaveras Road proper. After the brutal start of Old Calaveras, the vaunted Calaveras "wall" was a piece of cake.

Much to our surprise, we rolled onto the course of a bike race as we neared Sunol. This brought to mind a comical video from a few years back, in which a bunch of racers rolled out of a rental truck onto a bike path. They would charge down the path at full speed to stage a finish just behind some innocent (and confused) recreational rider who would be hailed as the race winner.

Today we encountered the Calaveras Individual Time Trial, and it was a humbling experience to be out there with the athletes in full time trial regalia—aero helmets, skinsuits, full disc wheels. No surprises about being overtaken with the trademark sound of those machines at full power (whomp whomp whomp). I spotted three racers I knew and had a chance to chat while our group took a break in Sunol.

On our return trip, we had some good luck and found one of the resident bald eagles perched on the tower above its nest. I was not hauling five pounds of camera gear on my back today, but the nest is clearly visible in the photo above. And if you look closely, you will find one distinctive white-headed bird, too.