Davenport Landing

There is a high-surf advisory this weekend, but the Pacific appeared no rougher than usual today. I paused to enjoy my lunch in the quirky enclave of Davenport. I had been on the fence about venturing farther north with the group; I was unsure about adding more miles and climbing given that the toughest climb of the day was still ahead.

Headwind clinched the deal. I would have taken the position of la lanterne rouge without the wind penalty. Davenport would be my turnaround point.

“The flower helps!” a rider called out as he passed me. (A rocket booster would help more, I thought.) Some racers appeared to be doing hill repeats on Bonny Doon. They thanked me as I edged right to help them pass, and virtually every one of them praised my flower. Keeping it on my saddlebag today was a tough call, but I had decided my neon-yellow cycling jacket would be visible enough in the redwood forest without adding a blinking taillight.

A stone's throw from Quail Drive [I kid you not], look who posed on a post for me! He eyed me warily as I stopped and pulled out my camera, but did not budge until I was done.

As I dawdled through the fire zone on Martin Road, another rider from our group caught up. A much stronger rider than I am, he relaxed his pace to chat. Our meeting was an uncanny coincidence—he had just read my blog a few days earlier. He is planning to do the five-pass Alta Alpina Challenge this year, and one of my ride buddies had pointed him at Five.

My route covered 30 miles with 4,560 feet of climbing. When you consider that this was a loop, and what goes up must come down ... well, you do the math. I like to ride my bicycle up steep hills, it's true—but I like riding downhill even more.