06/14/06

Go to DAVIS DOUBLE Official Website

Hey, hey, boys & girls.           

I have returned from Davis, California. This is a very cool Northern California college town (UC Davis). Lot's of bikes roam the streets. It is so bike friendly, the intersections even have the big buttons near the curb/bike lane for cyclists to press so the signal lights change (similar to pedestrian buttons).

The COURSE: The ride was again jam-packed with +1,000 riders. Here is a quote from the Davis Bike Club web-site: "The Davis Double is the most popular Double in California and takes you through beautiful country by Lakes, Rivers, and lots of Wild Flowers. The terrain is fairly flat with only three moderate hills. This Double was started way back in 1969 and sets the standard for enthusiastic support!!"

The WEATHER: It was as perfect a day as one could ask for. Not too cold at 5am, warmed up during mid-day. But it never got too hot and it was not too humid either.

The RIDER:  I felt good for this ride even though I had just completed the Central Coast Double Century 7 days ago.

The BIKE: The De ROSA KING is taking a breather and getting prepped for the Eastern Sierra Double. So, I used the MERCKX Team SC for this ride. It rode absolutely wonderful and I had no mechanical issues.

The CONTRACT:  My short-term contract <LOL!!> with Jeff Jonas was to be his domestique and make sure I was there for him after the Resurrection climb and ensure his finish. In return, I got to fly in style from Las Vegas to Davis and back, in his private jet, with some of his close friends and family. It was an AWESOME experience.

The CESSNA CITATION X BUSINESS JET:  The highlight of this trip was the chance for me to fly in the fastest business jet in the world, the Cessna Citation X, courtesy of Jeff Jonas and Jonas Air. This jet can cruise at 600 mph and an altitude of 51,000 ft. (air traffic is non-existent at that altitude). It will cover the mile in 6 seconds and swiftly do LA-to-NY in under 4 hours. The only jet(s) that can fly faster and higher than this is the Supersonic Concorde and military jets. It is like riding a Rolls Royce on steroids. That may not be too far from the truth as it has twin Rolls Royce jet engines (click on hyperlink above for full specs).

The FATIGUE INDEX: Average HR for the ride was 142bpm.

The  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Cessna Citation X pics courtesy of the Cessna web-site,  http://citationx.cessna.com/home.chtml