30 August 2008

Saturday harbor ride

I had gotten up late, so I had to hurry to eat breakfast and get out on the road. It was foggy and I had to stop at several lights that turned yellow just as I approached. I got to the start just before 8. There was a pretty big group at the start.

We headed out just after 8, and the pace, though still fairly easy within the pack, was much higher than usual. A top pro was in front warming up. At a stoplight at Aptos, she yelled back apologies. We were 6-9 minutes ahead of the usual time. The last part of Soquel right by Hwy 1 had been recently chip-sealed and had some loose gravel at the edges of the road.

Since it was a large group, I figured someone would really push the pace on San Andreas, but the pace was a little slower than it had been the last few times. Part of that was due to having to go around a slow tractor on the road. It was pretty foggy, especially around Buena Vista. I was at the back of the pack, so after the bridge near the end, the pack split and I was behind the gap.

A relatively big group, more than 20, chose to do Hazel Dell. I was at the back of the pack again. When the climb came, I went around some riders and found myself in a group gapped by the main group. After the first climb, I got on the wheels of some strong riders and stayed within sight of the main group until the climbing started again after Green Valley. On the climb, I slowly lost sight of the main group. Coming the opposite direction was the club ride that I decided to skip, as it started early at 8, and started further away. I hit the descent alone, and started down Browns Valley alone. Eventually, a train of 8 or so came through and I latched onto the end into Corralitos.

I continued over Hames. On Freedom, I was on the wheel of a strong guy. I took a couple of pulls, but it was obvious that he was a lot stronger than me. I stayed with him on Soquel through Aptos Village, but had to drop back by the time we got to Cabrillo, and I didn't see him after that. Heading back to town on Soquel, there were several occasions where the light turned yellow just as I entered an intersection, so at least the lights are sometimes favorable.

Highland from Mission to High had been closed for repaving the last few days. The repaving was finished, so I didn't have to take a detour to get to High. Finally, the last light at High and Moore gratuitously turned yellow just as I approached and I had to stop briefly before it changed green just in time for the car behind me to go through without stopping. I got home before 11 for the first time.