Pine Flat Summit

This morning Marc Truslow and I took off on a mission to conquer Pine Flat Road. This "level 5" climb ascends 3,150 feet and covers 12 miles (see link below). On our last attempt, Odessa, Peder, and I made it up 5 miles before the road got the best of us. Today would be different. http://www.srcc.com/profiles_html/pine_flat_rd.HTM

After riding from Santa Rosa, Marc and I zoomed up Chalk Hill Road to Alexander Valley Road and then on to Pine Flat. The scenery was beautiful, the weather was cool, and there was practically no traffic. The first 10 miles were tough, but manageable. After all that climbing Marc and I were DYING! Unfortunately, we had to stop and take a 10 minute rest (we were light headed, our hearts were pumping like crazy, and we were running low on water and Gu). With only 1.5 miles left and strong determination, we slowly climbed to the top. I've attached a picture of Marc at the very top. After a few "high fives" at the top, we raced down 12 miles for a well-deserved break. Finally, we cycled to Healdsburg and the Oakville Grocery for enormous cookies (another well-deserved treat)! We took Old Redwood Highway home making a total ride of 69 miles and 4,000 feet total climbs.

We missed our companions Odesssa and Leslie today. We could have used a bit of the "Estrogen Influence". In the meantime, we hope they are both recovering well.