Saturday, December 30, 2006

30 December 2006

Felton/Empire


Top of Felton-Empire
The skies were clear, which meant, without the moderating influence of cloud cover, colder mornings and warmer afternoons. It was near freezing cold when I started out, and the sun was too weak at the time to be warming. The club ride was starting from Capitola at 8:30, and would be heading up Felton-Empire, so this would be a chance to try and climb it in under 30 minutes.

At Capitola, I got signed in. There was a light turnout of seven other riders braving the cold, and it was still very cold. I'm pretty sure the Felton-Empire climb also helped scare off riders. The ride leader announced that Ice Cream Grade was closed, but that we could try riding it anyhow, and, if it really was unpassable, we could turn back and head up Empire Grade to Pine Flat.

At about a quarter to 9, we started off along the coast to Santa Cruz, heading around the yacht harbor, then taking the bike paths through town to Hwy 9. It had warmed up a little, but, once we were in the shaded part of Hwy 9, it was cold again. At Felton, we stopped at New Leaf to take a break and regroup. After the break, one guy headed back down Hwy 9. The remaining seven of us headed up Felton-Empire. For my attempt at cracking 30 minutes, I paced myself on the lower part, riding behind the two stronger riders. About half way, a little after Krazy Acre, one of them, who was climbing Felton-Empire for the first time and didn't know what to expect, fell back. Then, just after the final steep pitch, the other guy had to stop to take a leak, due to the coffee he got at New Leaf, so I continued by myself. A bit later, at a point with a little less than a mile to go, I passed a rider having an argument with a guy in a pickup. That rider had arrived at Capitola a few minutes after we had left, then had overtaken us without knowing it by taking a shorter route to Santa Cruz. I waved, then pressed onward, by the .42 mile marker, and finished strong. I did the climb in under 29 minutes, and in 30/19, a bit higher gear than the 30/23 that I usually use for this climb. I took a picture, then enjoyed the warmth of the sun.

During the regroup, another rider joined us, riding up Empire Grade. The sign on the southwest corner was rotated, labeling Ice Cream Grade as Empire Grade and vice-versa. It also had an arrow labeled Felton pointing towards Santa Cruz, and an arrow labeled Santa Cruz pointing along Ice Cream Grade towards Bonny Doon. Our ride leader fixed it. Two riders decided to head down Empire Grade. The remaining seven of us headed down Ice Cream Grade. There were still signs saying that Ice Cream Grade was closed, but, a little ways in, a cyclist headed in the opposite direction said that it was a mess, but it was passable. Right by Winter Creek Rd, we saw it. It was a downed power line and lots of tree debris. After a brief regroup at the end of Ice Cream Grade, it was a very short ride up Pine Flat before turning onto the upper end of Bonny Doon Rd, which started with a short climb, then long straight descents that were mostly in the sun. Then, there were a series of turns before we stopped in front of the Bonny Doon Winery for another brief regroup. We continued onto the fast descent down to the coast. Contributing to the speed was the lack of wind, which, in the summer, is pretty strong here. At Hwy 1, we turned right and headed to Davenport.

We had lunch at La Costa, the successor to La Cabaña Taquería at the same location and still featuring fish tacos. Some of the dishes had very large portions. During lunch, we were joined by another rider who had ridden up Hwy 1. After lunch, someone suggested doing the Swanton loop. Since it was only 12:30, and I was picking up my jerseys in Capitola after 2, I decided to do it, since I needed to fill the time. In the end, three decided to head straight back, two were going to eat, then do Swanton later. So I headed out to Swanton with two others, taking Cement Plant Rd, which I had never taken before. I was still digesting lunch, so the climb was mildly uncomfortable. We regrouped at the summit, and one guy was going to ride with the other two that were coming later, so I continued down to Hwy 1 and back with the other guy. Around Fambrini's, he started pulling away from me, and I didn't have the energy to keep up, and, before Dimeo Ln, he was completely out of sight.

At Western, I continued to West Cliff at a slower pace. I really wanted a drink with sugar in it, and all I had was water. I rode to Capitola along the coast, and went to pick up my jerseys. I found the address at about 2:35. Less than a half minute later, the person handling the order arrived from her ride. Perfect timing! It turned out that she was riding up Eureka Canyon on Labor Day and had a flat, and I had lent her my pump. After collecting my jerseys, I headed back home at a pretty tired pace. I still really wanted something sugary to drink, which I would finally get once I got home.

Monday, December 25, 2006

25 December 2006


Mountains west of Boulder Creek
The forecast from a few days ago had rain for today, but more recent forecasts moved the rain to this evening, tomorrow, and into Wednesday. I had this week off, so if I didn't ride today, my next chance would be Wednesday or Thursday. I hadn't climbed Bear Creek Rd in over a year, and had tentatively planned on doing it on the 9th, which was rained out. I also hadn't climbed Jamison Creek Rd this month, so this would be my chance for that as well. I didn't want to start too early, because of the cold, and I didn't want to start too late, because the sun would set around 5. So, very roughly, I figured it would take an hour to get to Boulder Creek, two more hours to go up Bear Creek Rd and Skyline to the top of Hwy 9, another hour down to Big Basin, and two more hours to return home, for a total of about 6 hours. So I needed to start by 11, or earlier to give me some margin.

Starting out, it wasn't too cold. The first traffic light, by Westlake Elementary, turned red just as I approached. How annoying. It turned green for the nonexistent cross traffic. The second traffic light, at Encinal and River, went through a full cycle without green lighting the left turn as I waited, so I ran the light. The next light, at Graham Hill Rd, turned green just as I coasted in, which was unusually nice. The next light, by San Lorenzo High, was green as always. The final two lights of the ride, at the ends of Glen Arbor, were irrelevant, since I was turning right at both places. At Boulder Creek, I took a picture of the mountains to the west.


View from Bear Creek Rd
Bear Creek Rd started out relatively flat. When it started steepening, the road was wet. At one particularly smooth spot, my rear tire momentarily lost traction. I hate when that happens, which is why I don't like riding on dirt trails. From right around the David Bruce Winery to the summit, there were many good views of the bay, which wasn't totally covered in fog like it was in the summer. After a while, I finally decided to stop and take a picture. Unfortunately, the picture didn't capture the view.

On Skyline, there were some people taking walks. Between Gist and Black, a guy in a pickup pulled alongside me and said, "Merry Christmas." I replied, "Merry Christmas." At Black, I stopped to wait for a train of 5 cars coming up Black. Skyline continued to the highest point of the ride at over 3000ft, then back down, by Castle Rock, to the intersection with Hwy 9. I stopped for a snack. I considered continuing to the fire station for a sugary drink, but headed down Hwy 9 and Hwy 236 instead. In the last part of the descent to the park headquarters, the road was wet and there were lines of duff surrounding the tracks of the car traffic, so I was extra cautious.

At Big Basin, the store was closed, so I ate the last of the food I brought, and refilled my water bottle. The climb to Little Basin started cold and damp, and the road was wet. It dried out as it climbed out of the tree cover and into the sun. After the descent, going by the country club, the road was very wet, especially on the bridge just before Jamison Creek Rd. Since the last time I climbed Jamison Creek, almost two months earlier, there must have been some event, since there were new things painted the road in yellow. There were 1, 2, and 2 1/2 painted at points offset a few hundred feet from the points 1, 2, and 2 1/2 miles from the start of the road. The "IT ONLY GETS WORSE" at the 1.33 mile marker was painted over with a more encouraging "You're getting stronger. Go!" At the .15 mile marker, there was "Go Go Go", and, near the top, "Sprint!" I didn't have much of a sprint, but I picked up my pace a little, finishing the climb in 32-33 minutes.

I rested a little at the top, drinking some water, and trying to cool off a little, on the theory that being sweaty would make the descent cold. After a few minutes, though, I couldn't keep standing around and got going. A little after the Felton-Empire/Ice Cream Grade intersection, I started feeling hungry and low on energy. I must have been counting on getting some sugary drink at Big Basin like I usually do. Unfortunately, I was out of food. Fortunately, it was almost all downhill, though the little climb after the Smith Grade intersection was tougher than usual.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

23 December 2006

Kirby Park to Monterey


Elkhorn Slough
It had been cold all week, with freezing temperatures in the mornings, so I bought gloves for winter rides. The club ride this week would start from Kirby Park at 9:30. For some reason, I thought it would take over 2 hours to ride there, so I started around 7. It was cold, and, despite the gloves, my fingers were freezing. My toes also started to freeze. At a few places, patches of wetness from the rain earlier in the week that were in shade had a hint of frost. It was even colder up in the mountains, so it was a good thing that this ride was along the coast.

Along Water and on Soquel up to 41st St, numerous lights turned red just as I would have arrived at the intersection, had I not slowed when they turned yellow. The one at Harbor High was especially galling, as there was no traffic, yet the cross street got a green. Beyond downtown Soquel, the lights were no longer out to get me. However, as I approached Cabrillo, the sun, low in the sky, was shining directly in my face, which was blinding. I would be plagued by the sun in my eyes on stretches of Soquel and San Andreas. I hoped it wouldn't be a problem on the return trip, but, to a lesser degree, it would be, as the afternoon sun would be to the west, and this would be an out-and-back route. When I was in the shade, the sun would be blocked, but the flip side was that it was colder. From San Andreas, I took Thurwachter, McGowan, and Trafton, and the sun would be mostly to my right. After that it was Salinas, Hall, and Elkhorn to Kirby Park.

I arrived at Kirby Park at around 8:40, about 50 minutes early. I should have started around 7:45, and it would have been a bit warmer as well. So I waited. I took a picture of Elkhorn Slough. At least the sun was warm and there was no wind. Eventually, the other riders arrived and I got signed in. There were eight riders when we started, including two on a tandem, and a new guy who had also done the Page Mill Low-Key Hillclimb five weeks earlier. We took Elkhorn and Castroville Blvd, then Hwy 156 through Castroville to Nashua, where we stopped at Pezzini's, and we were joined by 4 or 5 more riders.


Turtle Bay Taqueria
We continued along the Monterey County bike path all the way to Monterey. The group I was in missed the turn onto Figueroa at the Municipal Wharf, and, not knowing where it was, continued to the Fisherman's Wharf, where we found a map on a wall that pointed us in the right direction. We headed to the Turtle Bay Taqueria for lunch, and I took a picture. One guy didn't want to eat and took off.

After lunch, we returned the same way we came, reversing the route, with another stop a Pezzini's. At the entrance to Kirby Park, I continued along Elkhorn, riding the final 27 miles of this 100+ mile ride solo. I was starting to feel low on energy, so my pace slowed along Hall, Salinas, and Trafton to the long stretch of San Andreas. I decided to stop at Hernandez Market in Soquel for a coke. As I approached Seascape Blvd, I considered getting something at the Seascape shopping center at the other end of the road, but decided not to. Back on Soquel Dr, the afternoon sun, low in the sky, shone directly at my face at times, just as it did in the morning. At the Hernandez Market, I got a Sprite and took a break, becoming aware of the lactic acid burning in my legs for the first time. After getting back on my bike and pedaling, however, I was no longer aware of the burning in my legs. At Ocean and Water, the light was green, and I didn't have to stop. Whee! That almost never happens.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

16 December 2006

Davenport, Swanton, and Smith


Davenport
It was a cold, cloudy day, with rain forecast to start in the afternoon to evening, so it was a chance to get in a ride before the rain arrived. The rainy season has arrived. I didn't ride last weekend due to heavy rain. The club ride was scheduled to start at 8:30, 8 or 9 from Capitola, which caused some confusion. I decided to show up between 8:30 and 9, and arrived at around 8:45 and got signed in. Some who arrived earlier had already started off, since it was cold, though not freezing. One guy, arriving later, when unloading his bike, had a spoke in his front wheel caught in his pedal. It took some time to get that untangled.

And then we were off, getting warmed up along Brommer, around the yacht harbor, by the boardwalk, along West Cliff, to Natural Bridges, where some of those who had started earlier were waiting. After a little more waiting, we headed for Davenport, first taking the bike path paralleling Hwy 1, which was being cleared by mostly Harbor High students on their mountain bike team. After going through Wilder Ranch, we turn onto Hwy 1, forming a train being pulled by a tandem, whose riders had earlier this year ridden across the country, so they were pretty strong.

Davenport was a stop for coffee and snacks. I took a picture, which I'll add to this post once I'm able to access it. While we were there, a big tourist bus pulled in. Eventually, I went with a group headed off to Swanton. Somewhere along the way, I remember hitting a rock on the road that I didn't see. After the descent into the valley, the two fast guys went off ahead, and I went with them. Near the top of the climb, I felt my rear tire going soft. It must have been the rock I hit earlier causing a slow leak. I replaced the tube and pumped it up. It took a lot of strokes to inflate the tire to a reasonable pressure. I was stopped for about ten minutes, most of which was pumping up the tire. I continued up and over the summit, and back down to Hwy 1, then headed back to Davenport.

At Davenport, those that I was riding with earlier that were going to climb Bonny Doon had already left or were about to leave. I stopped and had lunch with a few others that did a shortened out-and-back along Swanton. After lunch, I headed off solo to climb Bonny Doon, about a half hour after the others climbing it. After working up a sweat on the climb, the initial steep descents of Smith Grade chilled me. The road was also lined with duff, so I had to be careful. The last part of Smith Grade climbed steeply to Empire Grade, so I was again working up a sweat, only to be chilled on the Empire Grade descent.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

2 December 2006

Tour de Santa Cruz

The club ride was scheduled to start at 8:30 from Capitola, so I got started at 8. It was close to freezing in the morning, and the ride to Capitola was very cold. It was a sunny day, so it was warmer the rest of the day, though it was still cold in some of the shaded areas. At Capitola, I signed in and got a route sheet. Unlike last week's turnout of 8, there was a large group on this ride.


Natural Bridges
We started off on Jade and Brommer at a relaxed, social pace in a large, strung out group. Intersections split up the group a little by the time we headed through the yacht harbor. At East Cliff, we headed over the trestle bridge, by the beach boardwalk, and along West Cliff to Natural Bridges, where we stopped for a regroup. I took a picture. A few riders who only had time for a short ride would head back to Capitola, including one who had to run a bike shop. We were also joined by a couple of riders who didn't want to get up early enough to go to Capitola.

We headed out of Natural Bridges at an easy pace in a few big bunches, riding through the westside neighborhoods, passing by Mission Hills Jr High, crossing the High St pedestrian bridge over Hwy 1, and heading down to the river path. From the path, we took Water. The route sheet had us turning up Market to Branciforte, but, since the underpass to Hwy 1 was still closed for improvements, we continued up to Branciforte, then took Goss to Branciforte. Around this time, the two hammerheads started upping their pace, so I went with them. The longer route headed up Glen Canyon to Scotts Valley, then back down Granite Creek to rejoin Branciforte, while the shorter route continued straight up Branciforte. The three of us took the longer route. The sunny upper part of Glen Canyon even had a warm breeze. We continued on Green Hills, passing by the old Borland buildings, which were no longer occupied by tech companies. The one formerly occupied by e-Mu was occupied by some health care company. The ones formerly occupied by Starfish and Rainmaker were vacant.

We continued on Granite Creek, Branciforte, and Mountain View to the next regroup point at the top of Mountain View. We caught up to a small group that took the shorter route just as we were reaching the top. During the regroup, some riders in the club on a ride of their own stopped by. In continuing, some decided to head down Laurel Glen to avoid the steep ups and downs of Rodeo Gulch. We then headed up Rodeo Gulch, and the two hammerheads and I went ahead of the rest on the climb. Then, after the steep descent, it flattened out a little, and they took off, so I had to work really hard to stay with them. We then took Soquel past Cabrillo College before looping back to Soquel for the lunch stop at Gayle's Bakery.


Rodeo Gulch
The remaining route was just a short trip back to Capitola, so I was planning on heading straight home after lunch. However, one guy said that he'd go back and climb Rodeo Gulch, and since it was only 1 and the day was warming up, I decided to chase after him up Rodeo Gulch. I never did catch up to him. I stopped to take a picture right where Rodeo Gulch starts climbing steeply.

I continued backtracking the route I had ridden earlier in the day down Mountain View and Branciforte. Since Granite Creek was the most significant leg in which my personal best was still from 2005, I headed up it, trying for a good time, and got a new best by almost a minute and a half, thanks to the cooperation of the stoplight at the Hwy 17 north entrance. I continued through Scotts Valley down to Felton.


Felton Quarry
From Hwy 9, I turned right onto San Lorenzo by the Bigfoot Museum, since Google Maps showed that it climbed up to Felton Quarry Rd, which led to Empire Grade. I figured I'd try and see if I could make it to Empire Grade, and, if I couldn't, I'd just turn around. It started as a steep, straight climb, with grades up to 15% according to the signs for descending trucks. After the steep climb by a residential area, it became a more gentle climb through the mountains. The quiet reminded me of the upper part of East Zayante. The climb started becoming steeper when I came upon a closed gate to the Felton Quarry. I took a picture of it. The right sign on the gate was a long-winded no trespassing sign. The left sign on the gate warned of cancer causing substances in the area. I turned around and headed back down to Hwy 9, which I took back to Santa Cruz and home.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

25 November 2006

Palo Alto to the Sea and Back

The club ride was to start at 9 from the Page Mill Park and Ride in Palo Alto, so I started early using the same route to get there that I used last week.


Lights in Boulder Creek
It was so dark and cold on Hwy 9 that I decided that I wouldn't start riding until after sunrise in the future. I was blinded by the headlights of cars, and, in the early going, I was going at a slower pace than last week. At Felton, the big tree on the left had lights on it, so I took a picture of it, but it was too dark for the picture to be even passable. It finally lightened up by the time I reached Glen Arbor, but the sky was still fogged over. There were also lights at Boulder Creek, so I took a picture there too.

Up to Boulder Creek, I was about 10 minutes slower than my usual pace. Continuing up Hwy 9, though, I set a new personal best to the top by a minute or two. Right around the upper Hwy 236 intersection, direct sunlight finally started trickling through the trees. Heading down Hwy 9 towards Saratoga, there was much less traffic than last week. I only saw one cyclist, between Sanborn and Redwood Gulch, climbing Hwy 9. I turned off at Pierce, and took Mt Eden and Stevens Canyon to Foothill. On Foothill, there were lots of cyclists. There was one big group in red jerseys headed the opposite direction. Perhaps they were with Stanford, in which case the red would be cardinal. I turned left at Arastradero and headed for the Page Mill Park and Ride.

I arrived just as the group was getting ready to go at about 9:06. I signed in and got a route sheet, and would be the eighth person in the group. I was happy to follow at a leisurely pace as everyone else was getting warmed up on the early part of Page Mill. We stopped at the Palo Alto Foothills Park for a regroup, and I refilled my bottle. Above Moody, the group split apart, but we regrouped at the top. From there, the route sheet had us going down Alpine, then Pescadero to Hwy 84, but the ride leader took us along Skyline, with its panoramic views of the bay, to Old La Honda. The sky was clear and cloudless up in the mountains. The stop lights for road work that were there the last time I rode this leg were no longer there. After regrouping at the Old La Honda intersection, we headed down to La Honda, where we stopped at the store to get sandwiches, since there wasn't much in terms of food in San Gregorio. The frog croaking sensor by the door was still operating. Ribbet ribbet.


San Gregorio General Store
From La Honda, we continued down Hwy 84 to San Gregorio. The latter half was into a headwind from the coast. We ate lunch outside the San Gregorio General Store, and I took a picture. The route would continue up Stage to Hwy 1, then up Tunitas Creek and down Kings Mountain before returning to the Page Mill Park and Ride. I and another guy, who had gotten a ride to the start, would continue on Hwy 84, then take Hwy 1 back to Santa Cruz.

Along the coast, it was cold and sunny. There were scattered clouds, getting denser over the ocean. On the descent to Scott Creek, I would only manage to get up to 46 mph. My riding partner stopped at Davenport, so I continued by myself. Just after the entrance to Wilder, the tailwind shifted to a headwind, so I struggled the rest of the way into Santa Cruz. I had planned to head up Western, but it was closed for road work, so I continued to Bay.