Gold Country Challenge

Looking at the route for today's event, I realized that our inn was right on the route. Having picked up our registration materials yesterday, we could simply roll out in the morning. I love it when this works! The downside, of course, would be that we would need to return (uphill) to the inn after finishing at the fairgrounds (the ride's official start and finish location).

Having been humbled when I added more hillclimbing to my rides recently, I wasn't at all sure I could finish this ride. Looking at the route profile, I realized there was a reason for the word “Challenge” in the name.

I stopped only once to take pictures, on a bridge over the Yuba River.

The water was flowing fast (and cold, I would expect).

Just like last time, I did not stop for a photo when we crossed the river the first time. It's a scenic spot, but I was more keen to use my downhill momentum for a boost on the climb up the far side. [Maybe next time?]

My legs gave out on a steep pitch near the end, where they'd routed us through a residential neighborhood for a break from the main road. “We're almost done,” a passing rider encouraged me. “That's good,” I said, “because my legs are done!” I dismounted and walked up the last bit (over 10% grade). A postal service truck was stopped at the top, and when I got there the mail carrier cheered for me. Smiles do help soothe the pain.

We'd signed up for the “Milder Metric” route, which turned out to be 51 miles and some 5,000 feet of climbing. The full century route approached 9,000 feet of climbing, which accounted for the riders I saw sporting Death Ride jerseys: This would be a good training ride in preparation for mid-July.

We were lucky with the weather (not too hot). Although we could have followed the official route from the fairgrounds back to the inn, that would have entailed more time on a busy road than I'd like. (Not a problem for those who rode it first thing, in the early morning.) The route I mapped out included one steep bit (again, over 10% grade)—but a little downhill momentum helped there, too. [Made it!]