Tierra Bella Redux

It is almost that time again: the annual Tierra Bella bike ride is a week away, and today was the day to pre-ride the course (for fun, and to take note of any problems along the way).

With my normal ride routine disrupted by illness and bad weather, I seriously doubted whether I could complete the 100k route. My usual ride buddy has similarly suffered, and I was relieved when he suggested that we should pause after the first loop to assess whether we should tackle the second.

Under the watchful eyes of the sheriff's department, a community service crew was hacking at weeds in the parking area at Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park. The porta-potty was evidently in need of some serious whacking. While I was in it. Whatever their particular crimes, they were quite the motley crew. It seemed prudent to look the other way; they, however, stared at us without compunction. Hmm, any bike thieves among them?

At our rest stop near Gilroy Hot Springs, how could I not think of Paul? I can still see him there, last year, feeding us cookies and puns. Memories can be sticky, that way.

I trailed my ride buddy for most of the morning, but as we headed down a long straight toward our decision point, he became a distant speck. [Uh-oh. Running out of steam.] He was done; I was determined. He turned left; I turned right. Another 25 miles, or so? The pedals on the bike go round and round ...

In the last stretch, I passed a woman like she was standing still. Not bad, she had been ahead of me all day. Soon some century riders whizzed past, inviting me to hop on their train. With traffic lights ahead, I calculated that I could conserve my energy and still catch them, at my own pace. The payoff was a nice draft, for a mile or two.

My longest ride of 2012, to date: 64.7 miles, with a mere 2,230 feet of climbing. I hope the weather will be as lovely for our guests, next Saturday!