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.

7 July 2012

Solo ride

It was warm and sunny. There were lots of cyclists and motorcyclists on the roads. There was a sporadic tailwind as I headed up Hwy 9, Glen Arbor, and Hwy 9 to Boulder Creek. Then, I headed out on Hwy 236 and started up Jamison Creek at 12:23. Although it was mostly in the shade, the heat from the sun still sapped my energy. There were two descending cyclists somewhere between the 1.33 marker and the 1.02 marker. Just before the top, I overtook another climbing cyclist. I got to the top at 12:48, for an estimated time of 24:42. I headed down Empire Grade, coasting a good amount of the way. There was a headwind for the lower part of the descent. At least the light at Heller stayed green.

4 July 2012

Solo ride

It was overcast and cool all morning, so I delayed until early afternoon, when it was still overcast and cool. I headed up Hwy 9 to Felton, where it was warm and sunny. I took Graham Hill and Zayante, and headed over Quail Hollow and down Glen Arbor to Ben Lomond, and started up Alba at 1:33. There were a bunch of cars parked around Alba School, and it looked like there was a picnic or something there. On the other side of the road, there was a sign on a steep driveway for brass band parking. I got to the top at 2:06, doing the climb in an estimated 33:15. I started down Empire Grade. At one point, a bug flew at my right eye, going over my glasses, then right down at my eye. I blinked a bunch of times and wiped at my eye, but kept seeing a dark blob at the bottom of my field of vision, so I thought the bug was sitting on the inside of my glasses lens. After shaking my head a bunch of times, I stopped and took off my glasses and there was nothing on it. I wiped my eye a couple of times, then got back on my bike. Finally, I wiped my eye again and the bug came off on my finger from under my eye. The light at Heller was red when I first saw it, but it turned green before I got there, which was the reverse of what usually happens. I faced a headwind for the lower part of Empire Grade.