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.

25 December 2006

Mountains west of Boulder Creek The forecast from a few days ago had rain for today, but more recent forecasts moved the rain to this evening, tomorrow, and into Wednesday. I had this week off, so if I didn't ride today, my next chance would be Wednesday or Thursday. I hadn't climbed Bear Creek Rd in over a year, and had tentatively planned on doing it on the 9th, which was rained out. I also hadn't climbed Jamison Creek Rd this month, so this would be my chance for that as well. I didn't want to start too early, because of the cold, and I didn't want to start too late, because the sun would set around 5. So, very roughly, I figured it would take an hour to get to Boulder Creek, two more hours to go up Bear Creek Rd and Skyline to the top of Hwy 9, another hour down to Big Basin, and two more hours to return home, for a total of about 6 hours. So I needed to start by 11, or earlier to give me some margin.

Starting out, it wasn't too cold. The first traffic light, by Westlake Elementary, turned red just as I approached. How annoying. It turned green for the nonexistent cross traffic. The second traffic light, at Encinal and River, went through a full cycle without green lighting the left turn as I waited, so I ran the light. The next light, at Graham Hill Rd, turned green just as I coasted in, which was unusually nice. The next light, by San Lorenzo High, was green as always. The final two lights of the ride, at the ends of Glen Arbor, were irrelevant, since I was turning right at both places. At Boulder Creek, I took a picture of the mountains to the west.


View from Bear Creek Rd Bear Creek Rd started out relatively flat. When it started steepening, the road was wet. At one particularly smooth spot, my rear tire momentarily lost traction. I hate when that happens, which is why I don't like riding on dirt trails. From right around the David Bruce Winery to the summit, there were many good views of the bay, which wasn't totally covered in fog like it was in the summer. After a while, I finally decided to stop and take a picture. Unfortunately, the picture didn't capture the view.

On Skyline, there were some people taking walks. Between Gist and Black, a guy in a pickup pulled alongside me and said, "Merry Christmas." I replied, "Merry Christmas." At Black, I stopped to wait for a train of 5 cars coming up Black. Skyline continued to the highest point of the ride at over 3000ft, then back down, by Castle Rock, to the intersection with Hwy 9. I stopped for a snack. I considered continuing to the fire station for a sugary drink, but headed down Hwy 9 and Hwy 236 instead. In the last part of the descent to the park headquarters, the road was wet and there were lines of duff surrounding the tracks of the car traffic, so I was extra cautious.

At Big Basin, the store was closed, so I ate the last of the food I brought, and refilled my water bottle. The climb to Little Basin started cold and damp, and the road was wet. It dried out as it climbed out of the tree cover and into the sun. After the descent, going by the country club, the road was very wet, especially on the bridge just before Jamison Creek Rd. Since the last time I climbed Jamison Creek, almost two months earlier, there must have been some event, since there were new things painted the road in yellow. There were 1, 2, and 2 1/2 painted at points offset a few hundred feet from the points 1, 2, and 2 1/2 miles from the start of the road. The "IT ONLY GETS WORSE" at the 1.33 mile marker was painted over with a more encouraging "You're getting stronger. Go!" At the .15 mile marker, there was "Go Go Go", and, near the top, "Sprint!" I didn't have much of a sprint, but I picked up my pace a little, finishing the climb in 32-33 minutes.

I rested a little at the top, drinking some water, and trying to cool off a little, on the theory that being sweaty would make the descent cold. After a few minutes, though, I couldn't keep standing around and got going. A little after the Felton-Empire/Ice Cream Grade intersection, I started feeling hungry and low on energy. I must have been counting on getting some sugary drink at Big Basin like I usually do. Unfortunately, I was out of food. Fortunately, it was almost all downhill, though the little climb after the Smith Grade intersection was tougher than usual.

23 December 2006

Kirby Park to Monterey

Elkhorn Slough It had been cold all week, with freezing temperatures in the mornings, so I bought gloves for winter rides. The club ride this week would start from Kirby Park at 9:30. For some reason, I thought it would take over 2 hours to ride there, so I started around 7. It was cold, and, despite the gloves, my fingers were freezing. My toes also started to freeze. At a few places, patches of wetness from the rain earlier in the week that were in shade had a hint of frost. It was even colder up in the mountains, so it was a good thing that this ride was along the coast.

Along Water and on Soquel up to 41st St, numerous lights turned red just as I would have arrived at the intersection, had I not slowed when they turned yellow. The one at Harbor High was especially galling, as there was no traffic, yet the cross street got a green. Beyond downtown Soquel, the lights were no longer out to get me. However, as I approached Cabrillo, the sun, low in the sky, was shining directly in my face, which was blinding. I would be plagued by the sun in my eyes on stretches of Soquel and San Andreas. I hoped it wouldn't be a problem on the return trip, but, to a lesser degree, it would be, as the afternoon sun would be to the west, and this would be an out-and-back route. When I was in the shade, the sun would be blocked, but the flip side was that it was colder. From San Andreas, I took Thurwachter, McGowan, and Trafton, and the sun would be mostly to my right. After that it was Salinas, Hall, and Elkhorn to Kirby Park.

I arrived at Kirby Park at around 8:40, about 50 minutes early. I should have started around 7:45, and it would have been a bit warmer as well. So I waited. I took a picture of Elkhorn Slough. At least the sun was warm and there was no wind. Eventually, the other riders arrived and I got signed in. There were eight riders when we started, including two on a tandem, and a new guy who had also done the Page Mill Low-Key Hillclimb five weeks earlier. We took Elkhorn and Castroville Blvd, then Hwy 156 through Castroville to Nashua, where we stopped at Pezzini's, and we were joined by 4 or 5 more riders.


Turtle Bay Taqueria We continued along the Monterey County bike path all the way to Monterey. The group I was in missed the turn onto Figueroa at the Municipal Wharf, and, not knowing where it was, continued to the Fisherman's Wharf, where we found a map on a wall that pointed us in the right direction. We headed to the Turtle Bay Taqueria for lunch, and I took a picture. One guy didn't want to eat and took off.

After lunch, we returned the same way we came, reversing the route, with another stop a Pezzini's. At the entrance to Kirby Park, I continued along Elkhorn, riding the final 27 miles of this 100+ mile ride solo. I was starting to feel low on energy, so my pace slowed along Hall, Salinas, and Trafton to the long stretch of San Andreas. I decided to stop at Hernandez Market in Soquel for a coke. As I approached Seascape Blvd, I considered getting something at the Seascape shopping center at the other end of the road, but decided not to. Back on Soquel Dr, the afternoon sun, low in the sky, shone directly at my face at times, just as it did in the morning. At the Hernandez Market, I got a Sprite and took a break, becoming aware of the lactic acid burning in my legs for the first time. After getting back on my bike and pedaling, however, I was no longer aware of the burning in my legs. At Ocean and Water, the light was green, and I didn't have to stop. Whee! That almost never happens.