About pep

The Low-Key Hillclimb series concluded with the traditional Thanksgiving-morning climb to the top of Mount Hamilton. Snowfall would close a...

An historic day in the annals of Bay Area cycling: With permission, our Low-Key Hillclimbers finished at the highest accessible point on Mou...

Mount Hamilton on Thanksgiving Day. It is a tradition. Thanks, Mother Nature, for such a beautiful, warm day. Thanks, Lick Observatory...

What attire could be more fitting for the first Low-Key Hillclimb of the season than my newest jersey, Mont Ventoux ? The last time I set...

For the 10 days leading up to today, the forecast was dire. Would the Thanksgiving Day Low-Key Mt. Hamilton Hillclimb be canceled for the f...

There were some new faces at today's Low-Key Hillclimb . When I reached the top of Kings Mountain, I caught a snippet of conversation. I...

Would I be faster? The weather was dreary and cold; it seemed certain that we would ride into the cloud. Had I vanquished the virus that att...

Photo by Josh Hadley [Yes.] Slower than a guy on a mountain bike toting his daughter in a plastic seat mounted behind the handlebar? [Yes.] ...

Last year, I was a dedicated volunteer for the Low-Key Hillclimb series , having had the good sense to sit out. Consequently, it has been al...

Ah, the nuances of Bay Area micro-climates. The short drive to the start of today's Low-Key Hillclimb was dry ... mostly. The live rada...

Photo by Alison Chaiken Fall is here, and with it, the start of the Low-Key Hillclimb season. You have been training, right? Well, may...

As we battled challenging conditions on a ride a year or two ago, one of my cycling buddies asked: Do you have any children? No , I replied,...

Before the start of today's climb , a Low-Key regular from Team Spike asked what I thought my time would be. My guess? About 100 minut...

If you have watched any professional bike races, you have likely seen those dramatic mountain-top finishes where the cyclist is forced to ru...

When you reach the private gate marking the end of Soda Springs Road, you can only imagine the views hidden behind the trees at this altitud...

At the end of my first day of skiing, I wanted nothing more than to soak my cold, wet, tired, bruised, sore, unathletic, out-of-shape body i...

This graph expresses the highlight of my Low-Key day, setting a personal record on our renowned local benchmark climb, Old La Honda Road. ...

My top five reasons for bicycling up hills: The descent. The view. Chocolate. Fitness. The pain subsides at the top. Today was the opening o...