Mostly Montebello

I needed a short, but challenging, ride. [Though some would suggest that 35 miles does not constitute a "short" bike ride.]

I plotted out a nice loop, including a lunch stop at a local bakery (a slice of cake with every sandwich!). We followed the route-less-taken to reach Montebello: Mt. Eden and Pierce in reverse. There is a nasty little pitch when you head up Mt. Eden from the south; one rider came to an abrupt stop, and my co-leader remarked that he had not taken this approach in years. I concede that it is steep (but short); my heart rate spiked higher there than anywhere along Montebello.

After sweeping the slowest riders, I fell even further behind the rest of our group. A few friends lingered at the top of Montebello, and we were all impressed with the young dreadlocked guy doing hill repeats.

We were less impressed with the vehicular traffic. There was a big tasting event at Ridge Vineyards; I had never seen so many cars on Montebello. Passing below their upper parking lot, I overheard an attendant say that he needed to park another 100 cars up there. Note to self: in the future, check their event calendar.

Arriving late to the bakery, we were happy to discover a few cyclists from our group had stopped for lunch, as planned.

For the day, 37 miles and some 3,365 feet of climbing. A ride to remember over the coming weeks, as I will be off the bike for a while. A day of stunning views, perfect weather, good food, and great friends.