Lane’s Notes and Snaps

Twelve of us decided to brave the high temperatures by riding a century from Los Gatos out to the coast and back.  When we rolled at 7:30AM it was 75F so we knew we were in for a hot day on the bike.  Fortunately, there’s a lot of shade on this route since it travels through some well forested areas, mostly Redwoods.

Due to the immediate climb up Old Santa Cruz, Mountain Charlie, Summit, Bear Creek, and Skyline we split up quite a bit.  By the time we made it to the Skyline peak there were four of us out front with Richard leading the way.    After San Gregorio I didn’t see any of the group I was supposed to be leading and I found out later that we used four different routes back to Los Gatos.  Only one person, John P, rode the 110-mile route with 9,000 feet of climbing.

It was really cool out at the coast so the ride through Pescadero and San Gregorio was a lot more enjoyable than when I made it to the top of the Tunitas Creek climb.  Descending Kings Mountain, the temperature was at least 100F with massive heat radiating off the pavement.  It was then that I decided to take the easy way back and skip Mt Eden, Pierce, and Highway 9 on the way back.

It was great to be back at my car with a cold chocolate milk and water waiting for me.  But it wasn’t fun riding up the 2 miles of unpaved Los Gatos Creek Trail to get there.

Check here for photos or click on the map above.

This was my 14th century (90+ miles) of the year.  I’ve done 1810 miles on the road counting the shorter rides along with the centuries.

• » Comments (0)

Bill F and I drove out to Patterson with Bill’s wife, Cheryl, on Friday, the 13th (!) so we could start out with the riders on the Canyon Classic the next day at the crack of dawn. 

I was glad to get the opportunity to ride Del Puerto Canyon Rd since I had passed it so many times on my Mt Hamilton rides.  It was great to have someone to ride with, I do too many of the organized rides on my own.  There are hundreds of riders but I’m riding on my own which is not much fun.

Instead of heading back to Patterson after getting to the top of Mt Hamilton, Bill and I took off for my house then I rode with him part of the way to Los Gatos, his final destination.  They even gave us a pin at the top of Mt Hamilton with the caption “I licked Lick” referring to the Lick Observatory at the top of Mt Hamilton.

See the photos here or click on the map above.

• » Comments (0)

Started off on this one on my own but ran into Laura J from work and a couple of her friends at the second rest stop.  It was a good ride but I’m not a big fan of spending much time on Highway 1, the cars drive by too fast and dangerously.

• » Comments (0)

In 2005 this was my first century ride and this was my third time riding it.  I did this one on my own since I couldn’t talk anyone into joining me again.  It was a good one following the iCare Classic the day before.

• » Comments (0)

Rode this one on my own and was originally hoping to knock out two centuries in a row but it didn’t pan out since it was so hot on the southern end of the ride near Hollister.  It was close to home and over terrain that I ride frequently.  Good to be in familiar territory.

• » Comments (0)

I led this ACTC ride but only a few folks showed up since Donnie had a big crew with him heading up to the Lick Observatory for lunch.  Mike and I ran into Patrice on Highway 9 and joined her for a snack at Big Basin Park before trudging back to the coffee shop.

• » Comments (0)

I chased Dave Z on the North Loop from and back to Campolindo High School.  With the wind, cold, and lost energy chasing Dave I decided to ditch the South Loop and only put in 73 miles on this one.  Disappointing but I didn’t have another 40 miles in my legs and especially not in my head.  I was done when we returned back to the school. 

• » Comments (0)

Russ of Russ & Sheila S decided I hadn’t suffered enough the previous week so he scheduled a return trip to the backside of Mt Hamilton.

I chased Russ and a couple of other guys all the way to the Junction then they all slipped away from me as we approached the big climb.

That was a good ride when it was over.

• » Comments (0)

It was my turn to lead a ride so I chose to inflict some pain with 113.5 miles and 9,200 feet of climbing.  Unfortunately, I felt way too much of that pain myself.

Our intrepid crew of 15 started out at the Target in Milpitas and were later joined by two late risers but long riders.  Three or four bailed out early for dubious reasons but the rest of us trudged onward, northward, upward, and southward.

The first pain came with the infamous Sierra Road climb, 4.5 miles of serious elevation gain (2,000 feet!).  Then it was smooth sailing up to Sunol, Pleasanton, and Livermore.  On Calaveras ’til the Mines climb I was in the good company of Guy, Dave, and Greg to paceline and snack at the Lucky store in Livermore.

An unexpected benefit of today’s ride was the Cinderella Century which covered some of the same roads we were riding.  This all-girl ride made for some interesting conversations between the inimitable Guy and the participants.  I’m not sure how many phone numbers he gathered but he was in rare form as he harassed er…joked with numerous ladies, many wearing tutus or boas or lots of pink or all three.  As we turned toward the Junction at the Mines Road red light one of the unsuspecting Cinderellas was informed that we were “Headin’ to the Junction, the Petticoat Junction.”  She graciously declined Guy’s generous offer to join us.

By the time we reached the Junction Cafe our numbers swelled to eight with Brian, Barry, Spencer, and Clyde catching us moments after we arrived.  Ravi was in hot pursuit but arrived as we were leaving.

The climb up San Antonio Valley Road and Mt Hamilton were not welcome experiences since we were already at mile 70++ but we soldiered on to regroup at the top.  All but Spencer who must have had an ice cold beer waiting for him at home since he skipped the scenic view from the observatory.

Dave B and I descended much too fast but we survived the twists and turns of Mt Hamilton Road, Crothers, and the Alum Rock Trail.  By the time we had loaded our cars, sipped ice cold chocolate milk, phoned home with the good news of our survival, and pulled out of the parking lot, our fellow riders had found their way back to Milpitas in one piece, too.

This was my eighth century of the year.  Photos and GPS output are here.

• » Comments (0)