21 July 2012

Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge workers ride

The sun was glaring low on the horizon, since it was so early. Another reason I prefer to start later. I headed up Branciforte and Glen Canyon to Scotts Valley, to Green Hills by a new housing development and the new offices of the Sentinel, then So Navarra and Glenwood to Scotts Valley High where I signed in. There was a group of a dozen or so riders starting up Glenwood and Mtn Charlie. The groups broke up on the Mtn Charlie climbs. After the steep bit on Riva Ridge, I was alone. After that, I took it easy, but nobody caught up to me. I took Summit and Bear Creek and Skyline, then down Hwy 9 for the first time in a long time. Then, I headed up and down Hwy 236, which had a shiny new Big Basin sign near Hwy 9. The park headquarters had been renovated since I was last there, with a new drinking fountain and a new sidewalk. I got to the bottom of Jamison Creek at 10:56 after 3 hours of almost nonstop riding. On the lower part, I caught up to some riders who must have taken a shorter route from Scotts Valley High. I got to the top at 11:20, for an approximate time of 24:37. I continued on Empire Grade a little ways to a turnout where I caught up to a group that had started from Scotts Valley High an hour before I had at where there was a lunch table set up to support this ride. Since it was a fairly warm day, I had some gatorade and a bunch of orange slices. After the break, I continued with the group until Pine Flat, where the route turned. I continued on my own down Empire Grade. Later, a ways ahead of me, a car pulled out of Pineridge Rd and started down Empire Grade. In the curves of the road after Bonnywood, I started catching up to the car. The, a little before the sweeping left curve, the car bizarrely came to a complete stop, screeching its brakes. After almost stopping myself, I went around the car to the right. A little later, the car passed me and disappeared down the road. My bar tape kept coming loose throughout the ride, and on the final descent by UCSC, it totally came undone and started flapping in the wind.