17 November 2007

Saturday harbor ride

Foggy yacht harbor from Lake The morning started with thick fog. It was hard to see some of the time on my way to the yacht harbor. I got there about 7:57. A handful of riders were there, and another handful arrived over the next few minutes, including a faired recumbent. We started off around 8:02 for the slow ride through Capitola and Aptos, picking up riders along the way.

The pace picked up a bit on Bonita, about the same as the last time I did this ride, so I felt fine. Once we hit San Andreas, though, the pace jumped and I was working hard. Last time, the first 3 and half miles from Bonita to Buena Vista, the average speed was 22mph, and I had no problems sitting in. This time, it was over 24mph. On the little climb after Buena Vista, I found myself moving backwards, unable to keep up, and soon, I was off the back. A little later, the recumbent, also dropped on the climb, went screaming by once the road flattened out. By Sunset Beach, I had caught up to another guy and we worked together on the rest of San Andreas and Beach. By the time we got to Lee, two others had caught up to us. We rejoined the main pack for the slow procession through Watsonville.

Those doing the long ride split off at Main St. Later, those doing the short ride split off at Holohan. The group I was with turned left at Casserly and I was hanging on to the tail end of the group as the pace went up again. At Mt Madonna, those skipping Hazel Dell split off, turning left. I continued with the group going up Mt Madonna. At the left curving bit marking the start of the steep little climb to the start of Hazel Dell, I fell off the back immediately. By the top of the little climb, I had made it back to the wheel of another guy who had been dropped. I stayed on his wheel until the climbing started again after Green Valley, and then gradually fell behind. I could still see the main pack ahead for a while, though. By the summit, I got to within 10 yards or so of another guy, but gradually fell behind again on the ensuing descent. I lost sight of him on the initial twists of Browns Valley.

I settled into a maintainable pace to Corralitos, then up and over Hames to Freedom. I turned right at Day Valley and saw several bunches of the SCCCC Saturday ride going the opposite way. I continued on Valencia and Trout Gulch, then took Soquel back to town and then headed back home.