Leslie Returns Climbing

On Saturday, we were honored to have Leslie return to the Peloton after a nine week absence! Like a real trouper, Leslie agreed to cycle Pine Flat Road for her homecoming climb. In the interest of time, we packed up the truck with our bikes and drove to Red Winery Road. It felt strange beginning our ride with a big climb, but we only had a few hours to cycle due to the Calendar Kickoff party setup/rehersal. As we began our freezing ascent, we passed the first beautiful vista and could see the orange sun break through the clouds- it was beautiful (no cars or bicycles on the road). With relative ease we passed the first Pipeline station, the purple fire hydrant, the Mayacamas Mountain Bird Sanctuary, and made it to the flats (which we dubbed "the Enchanted Forest"). It was quiet, sunny, and beautiful. We continued on and Leslie climbed up over 10 miles. Odessa and I struggled to the top, eventually making it to the peak, with a few mandatory rests and a brief quarter mile walk up the toughest 21% grade. Wahoo! We all caught up on the flying descent back down, encountering only two cars as we passed through the multiple climates of this monster hill. On the way home, we passed Levi Leipheimer and Odessa Gunn cycling on their way to ride Pine Flat. At the Calendar Kickoff party that evening, I mentioned to Levi that we had cycled to the top of Pine Flat in 2-1/2 hours; he responded that it took him only 40 minutes! Unbelievable!

We are so happy to have Leslie back and quite impressed that she climbed higher on Pine Flat than any of us on our very first attempt. Way to go, Gregori! Today's ride covered 22.6 miles and 3,150 feet of climbing. Wahoo!