Cycling Foodie

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Click here for information on these cool “Stashers”

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At the Champions Dinner - Go Red Riders!

Yesterday’s Napa Valley Tour de Cure was fantastic! The weather held out, the winds (for the most part) cooperated, and as always, the riders, volunteers, and staff were all awesome!

I’ll write a full post later about the weekend, but for now I’ve got to get ready for work. Must NOT miss work today … I would never live that down!

Happy Monday!

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The 2014 Napa Valley Tour de Cure is tomorrow!!!

Today is registration and then the Champions Dinner. Thank you to everyone who donated to my ride this year!

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48 hours from now I’ll be in the Napa Valley starting my Napa Valley Tour de Cure ride!

It is going to be a breezy day in the Napa Valley and all the way up to Healdsburg – 13 to 16 mph winds are predicted. I’ll be thankful for all those breezy rides I’ve had lately to help me prepare.

Here’s hoping I’m ready this year!

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It’s breezy out there this morning. Oh, well. This will be good practice for the Napa Valley Tour de Cure – it’s supposed to be breezy in Napa on Sunday.

The wind is an excellent training tool.
The wind is an excellent training tool.
The wind is an excellent training tool.

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The Napa Valley Tour de Cure is almost here! I was hoping for better weather this weekend so I could get in one last long ride before the big day, but it was breezy, breezy, breezy here in Davis. I got in a decent ride yesterday, 65.1 miles, but just 16.1 miles today. It never really rained today, but there were a few sprinkles on our ride so we cut it short.

Scenes from Saturday's ride

Scenes from Saturday's ride

Today was about resting up from a crazy busy couple of weeks. An easy ride was just right.

A day in the kitchen was productive and fun. I did a little baking to share. The cloudy weather had me in the mood to bake some bread and what could be better than some healthy, hearty homemade Multigrain Bread? Whole Wheat with Pumpernickel, Millet, & Oat …

Shaped, Proofed, Scored, and Ready to Bake

Just out of the oven ...

Cooled and sliced ...

I love this recipe. It’s based on the Tassajara Bread Book recipe. This was my first bread book and I highly recommend it for any level of baker. The level of detail in the instructions is terrific if you’re just learning how to make bread. For the more advanced baker, the variations provide loads of inspiration.

Dinner was a salad of greens, apple, goat cheese, toasted pecans, proscuitto, & honey mustard dressing (homemade, of course!), with grilled pork loin chops (marinated in a little olive oil, thyme, and rosemary), and roasted yams and potatoes. The pork was beautiful (some of the most perfect grill marks I have ever seen), but the photos did not turn out well.

Salad

Roasted Yams & Apples

There may have been a few cookies coming out of the oven yesterday, too, and they’ll all be going to good homes on today.

Dark Chocolate & Cherry

Lemon & White Chocolate

Well, it’s getting to be just light enough outside to grab a quick pre-work ride, so off I go.

Here’s wishing you a delicious day!

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Thanks Davis Bike Club for inviting me to join your ride on Road 29 today – and I didn’t even have my DBC jersey on! I was struggling in the wind and thinking of turning around to head home. I enjoyed the company and the draft and ended up with a total of 54 miles for the day.

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With just 2 weeks & 1 day to go, I must make use of every training moment before my 2014 Napa Valley  Tour de Cure.

In a few days I’ll start checking the 10-day weather forecast daily. Not so much because it’s accurate (it’s more often not, especially when it comes to wind mph), but because it gives me some sense of how to prepare. Each year I end up purchasing one new item (or maybe two …) just to make sure I have what I need for hot/cool, dry/wet, whatever the predicted conditions may be.

Morning Ride

The mornings have been perfect for cycling before work and some evenings after. I’ve been cycling almost every morning before work, and would like to ride more after, but too many things have been going wonky, so … whatever.

I’ve been cooking some really good, healthy stuff lately, but haven’t been getting many decent photos.

I have been experimenting with Chia Seed Pudding recipes, working on developing a healthy one that tastes as amazing as the one I had at True Food Kitchen in San Diego. It’s not quite there, yet, but I am hopeful.

Today’s ride was 65.1 miles … lots and lots of “Davis Hills” today. More of the same tomorrow. Makes for great training!

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The Napa Valley Tour de Cure is just 2 weeks and 2 days from today! It’s not too late to make a donation! Just click here.

I have been riding nearly every morning before work and longer rides on the weekends. Gearing up!