This was another last minute decision. I originally had plans to ride with a buddy, but something came up and he was suddenly unavailable. I looked around on-line and found this century. The tough part was that it was sold out. This is a very popular ride. Registration opens in February and usually closes right after. Fortunately, they have a pretty simple transfer process and I was able to find someone on Craigslist who was suddenly unable to ride. A couple of text messages and paypal clicks, and the entry was mine.
There are lots of popular century routes that begin around Santa Rosa CA. This is one of many. Some of the same roads are used in Levi's Gran Fondo, the Tour de Fuzz, and probably dozens of others. Some of the intersections have so many route marking directions it's difficult to know what direction you are supposed to go.
The weather was unbelievably nice on this day. The coast was clear and beautiful. Things heated up as we moved back inland. Many riders were sagging out after the lunch stop. Sadly, one pour guy lost his life on this day. His heart gave out about 10 miles before the lunch stop. This hit me pretty hard as I witnessed the responders administering CPR on the roadside without success. News of riders death.
Here are a few pics from the day.
Early in the climb up Coleman Valley, looking east.
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Near the top of Coleman Valley Rd.
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Coleman Valley Rd., just as you drop down to the coast.
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Hwy 1 as you head north toward Jenner.
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Beginning the trek back inland along the Russian River / Hwy 116
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The many Russian River crossings
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Here are all the beautiful details from my GPS. Click on "view full route"
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