Rattlesnakes, Mexicans, Bridges - Oh My!

Leslie, Scott, Rich, Odessa, Len and I departed San Miguel School for a hot wine country ride. We left at 7am just in time to catch the last of the cool morning air. Our six member peloton cycled up Faught Road, making our way onto Chalk Hill to enjoy our first climb of the day. The group stayed together as we continued into Alexander Valley, stopping at the Jimtown Store for some goodies (their spiced nuts are the BEST). Leslie, Scott, and Odessa split off to take on the challenge of Pine Flat Road, one of Sonoma County’s toughest climbs (congratulations, kids). Rich, Len, and I proceeded on to Geyserville via 128 to cycle some of the Healdsburg Harvest Ride back roads. As we approached the closed Geyserville Bridge, Len figured that he would just bypass the construction workers—that was definitely a “no-go” (as the workers made that quite clear) . So, without a detour alternative, we made our way back towards Healdsburg via Alexander Valley Road turning onto Geysers Road, Red Winery Road, and back to Jimtown. Our re-route took us another 13 miles off-course. The weather began to heat up, so we refilled our water, restocked on spiced nuts and began our second ride via Healdsburg Avenue through downtown and onto Limerick Lane. This great road parallels Old Redwood Highway and has some moderate climbs. We continued on towards Windsor via Arata and Hembree Lanes. After another few miles on Old Red, we returned to San Miguel School via Faught Road. During our ride, Rich “flipped off” some Mexicans in a car for swerving into our lane. When they turned around to confront Rich, I thought we were toast. Luckily, they were all talk and no action. Despite the closed bridge, rattlesnake warnings, and angry drivers, we cycled over 45 miles today and had a blast. Wahoo!

Healdsburg Harvest Ride

Leslie, Rich, Len, Marc, and I met at Healdsburg High School to check in for the annual Harvest Ride. The place was packed with cyclists picking up their free schwag and nibbling on pre-ride snacks. We began the route on Healdsburg Avenue headed towards Geyserville via Lytton Station and Lytton Springs Roads. The road was crammed with cyclists as we carefully navigated away from the slower riders. We made our way to Geyserville Elementary School for the first rest stop. After refueling at the well stocked station (Odwalla Bars, Banana Bread, Fruit, Cookies, and drinks), we were ready to climb. The route continued on Geyserville Avenue and dumped us on Canyon Road. This moderate two mile climb was exhausting as I tried (unsuccessfully) to pass Marc. The descents were windy and the scenery was beautiful as we picked up our group speed on Dry Creek Road, passing hordes of cyclists. We made our way back towards Healdsburg via Chiquita and Grove. The weather began to warm up as we arrived at Healdsburg High School for our final destination. To our surprise the place was overflowing with food (pasta salad, gourmet pizza, fruit, and more). It was a lovely ride; lots of cyclists, lots of support, lots of fun! Wahoo!

Check out the elevation map for Canyon Road

The Tomales Bakery

Today was a blast! Leslie, Len and I drove into Petaluma, finding a space by the park off of Main Street. Len took us out on Western Avenue, with lots of little descents and plenty of rollers, then onto Chileno Valley -- THAT was a great road, with some nice descents, plenty of rollers, and a smooth, paved asphalt! We loved it. Onto Tomales-Petaluma Rd, the main road that dumps you right into downtown Tomales, and yes, the bakery was open! The weather was quite brisk with a slight drizzle most of the time out there, so we were ready for some fresh baked good I had a sticky, gooey pecan bun and Len and Leslie had the less ostentatious scone -- quite good! We met a friendly border collie named Aldo, and he hung out with us while his owner went in for coffee. Alas, it was time to venture on home, and we went back out on Tomales-Petaluma to Twin Bridge, and Leslie got a flat tire right on the 1st part of that road. We got the tire changed, and got back on the road! We headed back on Fallon to Petaluma-Valley Ford, then instead of following that back in, we turned right on a lovely little road called Spring Hill, which Len had warned us was "hilly-er" than Chileno Valley, and boy was that an understatement. There were quite a few nasty little climbs, and we huffed and puffed our way up them all, all three of us staying in our middle ring Spring Hill had a FABULOUS, long descent down where it turned into Western again, and back to the truck. A good 41 miles and over 2,000 feet of climbs. Wahoo!

Check out the elevation map for Chileno Valley Road
http://www.srcc.com/profiles_html/chileno_valley_rd.HTM

Check out the elevation map for Spring Hill Road
http://www.srcc.com/profiles_html/spring_hill_rd.HTM

Perfect Peloton, Perfect Route, Perfect Day!

It doesn’t get any better than this! Today Twyla, Len, Marc, and I departed on a cool summer morning for a ride covering two major climbs and spectacular views. We began our ride going through Howarth Park to Oakmont. The weather was perfect as we made our way up Sonoma Highway to Kenwood on the approach to Adobe Canyon Road. This 1,000 foot climb is the beginning of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. We gradually made our way up this mountain stopping at the Ranger station (pictured above). We then sprinted down the 3 mile descent at high-speeds ending with a long stretch of Highway 12 and making our way onto Arnold Drive. We stopped at the Glen Ellen Market to refuel on croissants, cookies, and quiche. As we enjoyed our goodies, we observed a parade of antique cars including old Model-T’s, Thunderbirds, and Mustangs. We continued our trip via Warm Springs Road to Sonoma Mountain. Once again, we were faced with a big climb. Our group heroically cycled to the 1,100 foot peak, bypassing a washed-out, closed road. An amazing Sonoma County view appeared as we reached the summit; the sky was bright blue, the mountains were deep green, and you could see for miles! The weather began to heat up just in time for nature’s “air conditioned” swift descent down the mountain. We then jammed back towards Santa Rosa via Petaluma Hill Road reaching speeds of nearly 30 MPH. It was a glorious day to be cycling with friends in Sonoma County. We traveled 45 miles, climbing over 2,000 feet. Wahoo!

Check out the elevation map for Sonoma Mountain Road (reverse direction)

Len Smokes the Mayor

This morning Len Allaire and I joined the Sonoma County Bike Coalition for their annual July 4th Mayors’ Ride. We met at Julliard Park alongside Santa Rosa Mayor Jane Bender (pictured), Rohnert Park Mayor Tim Smith , and Sebastopol Mayor Sarah Gurney. Our ride began with a construction detour through the Prince Memorial Greenway, connecting to the Joe Rodota Trail led by Mayor Gurney into her town of Sebastopol. The weather was beautiful and with our 50 member peloton, we careful navigated the trail as if we were all participating in a race. As we approached Sebastopol, Len and I broke off from the group for refreshments at Coffee Katz. We continued on via High School and Occidental Roads at a brisk 17 - 18 MPH pace. The sky was blue and the weather warmed up as we sped along Sanford/Hall Roads and on to the Santa Rosa Creek Bike Path. We zoomed along, maintaining our accelerated pace, as we smoked past Mayor Bender and her husband. She gave us the “high-five” on our approach back onto the Prince Memorial Greenway. Len and I forgot about the construction, lost our way and found ourselves under tons of concrete and rebar. Finally, we back tracked, taking a detour to the 4th of July festivities at Julliard Park, where we visited with cyclists from the Santa Rosa Cycling Club, the Sonoma County Bike Coalition, and the Sonoma County Trails Council. What a great morning and perfect way to kick off Independence Day. Wahoo!

Wine Country Recovery Ride

Leslie, Odessa, and I met at 7:30am to enjoy a leisurely ride through the Sonoma County wine country. Our route took us out via Old Redwood Highway to Faught Road for a modest climb up Chalk Hill. The air was crisp as we effortlessly made our way up the road observing the beautiful sprouting vineyards on both sides. We stopped briefly at the Jimtown Store for spiced nuts, sour candies, and drinks- yummy! We proceeded via Healdsburg Road, taking a short rest at the Simi Winery, and then into town for some more goodies at the Oakville Grocery. The weather began to warm up as we cycled home through Arata/Hembree Lane and making our way back via Old Redwood Highway. There were tons of cyclists out enjoying this picture perfect day and we rode nearly 44 miles. Wahoo!