Mount Hamilton 2002

A notable absence from the list of riders was Marcin, who sustained a training injury preparing for the ride and was unable to join us on his bike. However, since we could not have Marcin's Birthday Ride without the honorary participant, Marcin decided to drive his car up to the summit of Mount Hamilton to pose with us for the group picture. This also had an added advantage that he could bring snacks with him.

So, on a fine Saturday morning we again loaded the car with as many bikes as it could take (4) and headed to the intersection of Alum Rock Avenue and Mount Hamilton Road in San Jose.	Kwun met us at the start.
Aydin is looking resplendent in his USPS outfit.	"The mountain is up there"
Beautiful wildflowers at Joe Grant Park, the customary stopping point of this ride.	Natasha's helmet matches the flowers.
Group picture before leaving Joe Grant. Everyone is still in good spirits.	Looking back at Joe Grant Park.
The final stretch of road to the summit is rather steep and windy.	Kostadis looks tired but determined arriving at the top.
Aydin relaxing at the top. "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger."	Kwun, Aydin and Ed are busily consuming calories.
Ballet?	Yoga?
Mandatory group picture. James still does not approve of this.	After a nice break at the top the group is ready to head down. But where's Marcin? And more importantly where are the snacks?
Turns out Marcin got stuck in traffic in San Jose. We finally met up with him before the first climb of the return trip.	Post ride dinner at Tomatina Restaurant in Sunnyvale.

Not captured in the photos is Aydin's spectacular crash about 8 miles from the end of the ride. He gets the dubious honor of being the first person to crash on this ride in its three years of operation.

The ride was declared a great success by all participants. After three years, we are well on our way of creating a good tradition.

2001 version, Y2K version

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Last modified: Wed Jan 28 14:45:26 Pacific Standard Time 2003