King Ridge!

Finally got to do this fantastic ride yesterday! Oh my, it did not disappoint. This route has it all: deserted roads along meandering streams, redwood groves, steep climbing, ridgetop views to forever, the occasional vineyard, cows, llamas, raccoons and possibly a seal or two, screaming descents sweeping down switchbacks to the ocean, a fast run down a rugged coastline marked by huge rocky sentinels, capped off by a stiff climb up yet another untrafficked road to a hanging valley above the ocean. Incredible!

We started in Occidental with a quick breakfast at Howards, then headed north along Bohemian Highway. The first 20 miles are a perfect warmup -- downhill to the Russian River, then an easy spin downstream. We turned up Austin Creek towards Cazadero and immediately left the world behind. Tiny roads with no cars to speak of, and towering redwoods all around. At Cazadero, the climbing began quickly on King Ridge Road. A few initial rollers to get the blood flowing, and then a painful series of escalating stairsteps with grades up to 18% or so. The reward was topping out on the ridge and taking in the panoramas over the entire Sonoma coast and mountain regions.

A series of rolling hills and more ridges on a perfectly carved one lane road -- consisting of more ups than downs -- brought us to the intersection of Hauser Bridge and Tin Barn roads. We turned left here and plunged a couple of miles down to the South Fork of the Gualala River, where we crossed an improbable old bridge in the middle of nowhere and then began the long climb back up the Seaview Ridge (now referred to by some of the more tired of the crew as the "27 Sisters"). It was near the Fort Ross School when Mark admitted his early attacks on King Ridge were causing "the onset of a nice slow bonk", and asking optimistically "where are all of these bakeries you keep talking about?". Ultimately the Seaview Ridge ends and we enjoyed an absolutely blasting descent down Meyers Grade to Highway 1, where the fun did not end. Several more miles of downhill to the beach at Russian Gulch still awaited us. This is epic scenery, no doubt about it. Lots of smiles were plastered on our faces as we pedaled our way south towards the mouth of the Russian River at Jenner.

There's not much in Jenner, except it is only "town" along the route past Cazadero so we stopped in (at the bizarrely named "Jenner 'C' Store") for an assortment of absolutely horrible foods. David went for the devilled eggs. Matt and I went the Payday candybar route. I think I saw Gavin or Mark noshing a Raisenette, while Steve preferred a canned espresso and a couple of fresh apricots personally transported by bicycle from Occidental. The top culinary prize went to Danielle for the XL sized, pre-packaged Kelloggs Rice Krispie bar.

We would need those empty calories for our last 20 miles that took us down the coast towards Bodega Bay, and then up the steep but gorgeous Coleman Valley Road back to Occidental. Those who had charged early in the day ended up paying for their exuberance. The wise old men of the group had sufficient gas left in the tank to actually enjoy (dare I say, relish?) the climb out of Coleman Valley. There are old cyclists and there are bold cyclists, but there are no old bold cyclists.

Some photos below from this magical day. Ride profile and map here.

Marshall Wall and More

Another great weekend of cycling in Marin. JG and I rode Marshall Wall with a return through Olema on Saturday with Matt and the PurplePatch crew. Unfortunately time was tight so we didn't stop at the Bovine for my beloved Pain d'Amande. Instead I had a Payday bar and cup of coffee at the Marshall Store. Good, but not even close to the Bovine.

I did bring out the new clown shoes for their inaugural appearance, which prompted JG to comment that in the sunlight they looked like the cover of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". Nice.

On Sunday we spent the day out at Stinson Beach with friends, so I rode with a friend out to the beach the long way: Pantoll - Seven Sisters - Fairfax - Pt. Reyes - down the coast. And yes, this time I did stop at the Bovine and got my Pain d'Amande. It was worth the wait.

Antlerman at the Giro!

I've been having a great time getting up early to watch the live feed of the Giro d'Italia on the Universal Sports website. I saw during today's video the infamous "Antlerman" pacing the peloton up one of the climbs. Love him or hate him, you gotta admit that Antlerman is one passionate dude. He is at every major race around the world. Does this guy work?

Last Year's Tour of California. Leading the peleton up Sierra Road.

Last week, somewhere in the Dolomites.

Pacing the Maglia Rosa group up the Sestriere just yesterday. This guy gets around!

Chileno Valley / Petaluma

Several of the usual suspects were out yesterday for a brisk 85 mile ride from the Depot up to Chileno Valley and then across into Petaluma and back. (Route map). No pictures today, just pushing the pedals and keeping the pace. Recap and some observations:

1. Fun paceline effort with Matt, Danielle and a random guy from the top of Golf Course Hill into Nicasio. Flying!

2. The Cheese Factory Hill is the worst in the county. Steep, with lots of buzzing cars and slow AIDS ride people to pass.

3. Chileno Valley rules. Its like the Marshall road, only better. The view from the top of Wilson Hill out to Sonoma is gorgeous. And the descent of the top is straight and fast.

4. Spring Hill Road does NOT rule. Lots of trucks and the worst pavement around. A necessary evil.

5. The hill from Petaluma back to the Cheese Factory should not be underestimated. It goes on twice as long as you remember.

6. Whites Hill from the west should be done very fast in the big ring. Perfect grade to fly up, and a good leg tester at the end of a long ride.

7. I was messing around and racing Matt at the top of Camino Alto and pushed him into the ditch. Oops! Sorry Matt. This poor woman coming up the other side saw the whole thing and I thought she was going to make a citizens arrest on me.

After Work Ride

The days are longer now, so getting a quick loop in after work out to the beach is not out of the question. Matt, David and Steve (a/k/a Clooney) were up for it, so we met in Mill Valley and made a run of it. Perfect afternoon to be out on the bike.