The Noble Century

Our Saturday adventure began with an early AM rendezvous at Pete’s Coffee in Santa Rosa. It was a cool morning and perfect weather for another century challenge. Susan Noble, Paul, and I headed out West Third Street towards Graton via the usual route (Hall, Sanford, and Occidental). At downtown Graton, we took the west county leg of the Joe Rodota Trail to Forestville and exited on Covey. The morning dew glistened off the numerous, well pruned vineyards along the roadside. Our little peloton kept a strong and speedy pace as we made our way to Lake Sonoma by way of River Road, Wohler, Westside, and West Dry Creek. The sprint up Dry Creek Road was exhilarating and the morning sun began to peek over the horizon. Simply Magnificent. We filled up our water bottles at the Warm Springs Dam Visitors Center and proceeded up Skaggs Springs toward Rockpile Road. This ascent is beautifully engineered over a perfectly paved road with no traffic. The moderate grade made for enjoyable climbing as we were treated with stunning views of Lake Sonoma and the coastal foothills. Paul was a monster climber, far outpacing the group. After 11 miles (and 2,000 feet of elevation) we reached the top of Rockpile, and turned back for some screaming descents. The cool breeze on the rollercoaster downhill felt great against the warming sun. We reached speeds of 45+ mph on our final descent back to the visitor’s center. After refilling our water bottles (see photo of Susan doing some wicked multi-tasking; stretching, hydrating, and making client real-estate calls all at once), we cycled to Geyserville on Highway 128 through Geysers, Red Winery, and Pine Flat Roads. The vineyards were gorgeous with multicolored ripe fruit. We stopped at the Jimtown Store for some eats, running into the Santa Rosa Cycling Club gang. After some brief visiting (and a bag of spiced nuts), we cycled towards Chalk Hill via 128 through the Alexander Valley. We climbed up Chalk Hill Road exiting on Pleasant/Faught and made our way to Old Redwood Highway towards downtown Santa Rosa. After cycling 100 miles, Susan led the pack, keeping a rapid pace to the very end. We finished our jaunt in Santa Rosa with a visit to the Russian River Brewing Company for some real hydration and celebratory toast (see photo). Today’s journey covered 104 miles and 6,930 feet of climbing. Another picture perfect summer day with friends in Sonoma County! Ahhh, life is good.

Climbing to Bodega Bay

It was so thrilling to start today’s ride with Leslie, my charter riding partner from the Summer of 2005. The weather was picture perfect as we headed toward the west county via, Steele, Guerneville, Fulton, Hall, Willowside, Piner, River, Trenton getting us to our first climb up Vine Hill . We were shocked to encounter three young cows standing right in the middle of the road, apparently escapees from the neighboring farm. After exchanging the requisite MOOs, we proceeded onto and up Graton Road at a steady pace allowing us to chat, laugh, and catch-up. Leslie has become such a strong climber and we hardly felt the clamber uphill as our legs warmed up. We stopped in Occidental for brief nature break and water bottle refill. Then shifted into our “Granny Gears” and continued to spend the next 10 intense miles on Coleman Valley Road. This costal climb contains several challenging grades and rewards you with Spectacular Ocean views (see photo). At Highway 1, we cycled south along the Pacific Ocean, watching a myriad of surfers and weekenders enjoy Sonoma Coast State Beach. As we approached Bodega Bay, we made a left on Bay Hill Road. The cool seaside breeze was refreshing as we ascended. The tough climb rewarded us with a windy downhill dropping us back on Pacific Coast Highway. We kept on our course towards the town of Bodega via Bodega Highway. We made our way further inland and the sun warmed our bodies as we passed the historic church (see photo) used in Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller, “The Birds”. We sped along the highway making our way through Bodega en route for Freestone. Of course, we stopped at the Wildflour Organic Bakery and indulged on fresh baked goodies. The Spicy Lemon and Peach/White Chocolate Scones were delicious. With our new carbohydrate recharge, we raced back up into the town of Occidental, climbing Bohemian Highway. Taking a final water refill stop, we headed up Graton to Facedini and enjoyed the beautiful cool resulting decent. We made our way back via Mueller and Vine Hill Roads returning home on the same outbound route. To avoid afternoon traffic, we diverted to the Santa Rosa Creek Trail which dropped us into Railroad Square. It was a another picture perfect day in paradise for cycling and we climbed a total of 5,533 feet during our 73 mile jaunt. Leslie, you’re a rock star!

View today’s GPS statistics, ride elevation chart, and satellite map.