107 miles. >10000 ft climbing. 6 hours and 43 minutes of true time. 90 miles of it solo, and I must admit, other than a strange knee pain that started about 40 miles into the ride, it wasn’t too bad. It was my fault that I rolled it solo, I didn’t follow through in checking to see what time the guys that i wanted to ride with were going to start, I showed up around 6:30 and didn’t see the usual suspects, I did see a friend Raul, who was waiting on a fast guy named Freddy. When Freddy (pro caliber roadie) showed, we rolled out. An inopportune roadside pit stop for me and I was facing the headwind alone. When the climbing started, I pulled in my riding partners (catching up with Freddy much higher in the mountains), but I was feeling really good, and just climbed through. Throughout the descent, I was hoping that someone would catch me (or I’d catch someone near the bottom), so that I would have a wheel to suck through the headwinds of the last 25 miles. No such luck..
It was a beautiful morning (would’ve been nicer without the wind), temperatures were 20 degrees cooler than last week..
The road up..
Of course there were flowers..
It was cold enough that the poppies had not opened..
Some sunflowers were enjoying a ptch of sun
Looking back and enjoying the view..
Near the summit, there was still snow I could’ve used more than armwarmers and a vest when descending off the top
Having ridden the 100km route, Chela was still waiting at the finish..
Calorie replenishment came in the form of tri-tips at the post-ride bbq, followed by a burrito from Chipotle. Recovery will come in the form of an early morning easy spin, followed by a day of winery hopping 
Only California can dish out seriously painful and challenging road routes continuously. I get sick of the road bike farily quickly and then I read about some Ca challenge and then I’m back on the roadie. Well not this year, unfortunately…but I’ll be back! Damn that sounds like fun and you hooked up a strong time amigo. Good job!
mmmm tri tip.
Hey Matt.. the climbs here can get pretty brutal. Going compact was a great idea last year. 4 or 5 more centuries (at least two of them upcoming on fat tires) and I’ll feel okay about the Creampuff…
h.. mmmm tofu…..
I love the contrast on the scenery! You got flowers, road, even snow. Great pictures! You sound like you had a good time. ! Maybe another time you will find someone to ride with! It must had been a good one since you had a smile when you got done!!!! Good ride, good times!!!!
I love CA road riding! Looks like it was a fun one.
Mmmmm….tri-tip…..
You know, you’d climb faster if you weren’t takin’ pics!
Good Job Scott. You’re gonna rock Creampuff!