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.