Cool Climbing and Warm Flat Fun!

The early morning air was freezing as Odessa, Leslie, Len, and I left Santa Rosa via Summerfield, Yulupa, and Bennett Valley Roads. Sporting arm/leg warmers, winter gloves, and weekend-warrior determination, our peloton climbed up Sonoma Mountain until Pressley Road. After a brief second climb, we plunged downhill for about three miles until reaching Petaluma Hill Road. Cows, turkeys, and road-kill flourished throughout. We cycled into downtown Cotati for a pit stop break, refreshments, and casual chitchat. The sun broke through the haze and our group continued on West Sierra, where we eventually removed our sweaty arm/leg warmers. The route took us onto Stony Point and both Leslie and I missed our turn onto Roblar Road. As a consequence, we headed off-route towards Petaluma. The morning sun painted the landscape a golden orange- it was now perfect cycling weather (see photo of Leslie cycling while sporting her new LAF jersey signed by Lance Armstrong and Jake Gyllenhaal). Once we discovered our off-course direction, we headed back towards Santa Rosa via Petaluma Hill Road, reaching cruising speeds of 30 MPH (some of the newly paved roads were level, even, and smooth; ideal for hi-velocity pedaling). Finally, we made our way home navigating behind the Sonoma County Fairgrounds towards downtown. Our early morning ride covered 43 miles and we were home before 11:00am. Wahoo!