Levi's Gran Fondo tomorrow

[akelman]

If anyone is doing Levi's tomorrow and wants to ride with a slow group of middle-aged honkies, feel free to send me a PM. Despite a couple of injuries, I'll be there with my friends, who are faster and more fun than I am.

[akelman]

Also, for those of you who are going to ask, no, I'm not ready. At all. I did the gran route last year, and it was hard. This year will be harder, I'm afraid. I'm planning to SAG out after mile three or so.

[norcalbiker]

Ari,

You can do it!!! :bike:

[Elefantino]

Have a great time. Two of my teammates are there for the second go-round, after we all did it last year.

Enjoy!

[akelman]

You can do it!!!

Three miles? Probably. More than that? We'll see.

Enjoy!

I doubt it. I mean, the scenery is very pretty. So there's that.

[norcalbiker]

Go very slow, specially Kings Ridge. Save it on Coleman.

[wooly]

Ari! I want to hear how your ride went. I have a buddy who is doing the grand route today and is not prepared. Its his first century and the longest ride he's done was a 45 miler with me last weekend. OUCH.

Good luck to you bud

[pdmtong]

I have a buddy who is doing the grand route today and is not prepared. Its his first century and the longest ride he's done was a 45 miler with me last weekend. OUCH.


this is NOT a ride for the unprepared. the elevation is concentrated in two sections, not spread "evenly" throughout the 100 miles. If he can make it to the ocean, the views are as they say "unforgettable" - really hard to look and not crash on the high speed descent to the coast. BUT, then there is the last climb out from the coast back inland - a short wall that has some folks zig-zagging. It is a GREAT ride...but 45 miles longest ride? uh-oh

[wooly]

this is NOT a ride for the unprepared. the elevation is concentrated in two sections, not spread "evenly" throughout the 100 miles. If he can make it to the ocean, the views are as they say "unforgettable" - really hard to look and not crash on the high speed descent to the coast. BUT, then there is the last climb out from the coast back inland - a short wall that has some folks zig-zagging. It is a GREAT ride...but 45 miles longest ride? uh-oh

He's super strong but super strong on a 30 mile group ride is a whole different animal. I can't wait to hear how he does. And Ari too.

[akelman]

I did fine, thanks. Slow, but fine. I ate about a pound of ibuprofen and another pound of acetaminophen. Still, my shoulder and back hurt, but not so much that I had to quit. That said, the weather was absolutely atrocious, which sort of sucked. The rain, very hard and very cold rain, hit just as we began climbing up to King Ridge. Ouch. And then the fog rolled in a bit later. Ghost riders on the horizon! It was pretty nasty until we began descending to the coast, where it was warmer (which is weird, right?) and almost sunny in places. Unfortunately, the wind was coming from the southwest, so riding from Jenner to Bodega Bay on Hwy 1 was harder than it needed to be.

Speaking of riding downhill, a bunch of people took horrible spills on the descents, which, even when they're dry, are pretty technical in places and not well suited to weekend warriors who want to try to post an impressive time. The number of emergency vehicles on the course was a bummer.

Anyway, I'm glad I did it again. It's an incredible ride through some fantastic countryside. And one of these weekends, if the weather is supposed to be nice and the wind is supposed to come from the north, I'm planning to ride it again with my buddies. King Ridge, including the climb up, is absolutely beautiful. And the views while riding down to the coast are enough to make an old man like me forget my aches and pains.

[Louis]

Ari - Congratulations. Staving off Father Time for a bit more. :)

[pdmtong]

I did fine, thanks. Slow, but fine. I ate about a pound of ibuprofen and another pound of acetaminophen. Still, my shoulder and back hurt, but not so much that I had to quit. That said, the weather was absolutely atrocious, which sort of sucked. The rain, very hard and very cold rain, hit just as we began climbing up to King Ridge. Ouch. And then the fog rolled in a bit later. Ghost riders on the horizon! It was pretty nasty until we began descending to the coast, where it was warmer (which is weird, right?) and almost sunny in places. Unfortunately, the wind was coming from the southwest, so riding from Jenner to Bodega Bay on Hwy 1 was harder than it needed to be.

Speaking of riding downhill, a bunch of people took horrible spills on the descents, which, even when they're dry, are pretty technical in places and not well suited to weekend warriors who want to try to post an impressive time. The number of emergency vehicles on the course was a bummer.

Anyway, I'm glad I did it again. It's an incredible ride through some fantastic countryside. And one of these weekends, if the weather is supposed to be nice and the wind is supposed to come from the north, I'm planning to ride it again with my buddies. King Ridge, including the climb up, is absolutely beautiful. And the views while riding down to the coast are enough to make an old man like me forget my aches and pains.

I'd love to do it again too, but the taking a day off work, booking a motel, and driving home after the ride is a pita. I guess I shouldnt complain, since there are people who fly in for the ride or drive much further than I. That is a bummer there was rain and fog. I thought the temps and weather last year were perfect.

As for the crashing...I just dont get it. It's one thing to bomb those descents alone, but really, why do people feel a need to try and rail a very tech descent filled with people who may or may not have any idea how to ride? it's just not prudent.

well, you must be home now taking it easy. definitely congrats on the finish.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

Hi Ari, sorry I missed you. Man, the weather was bad. Cold and wet. I spent no more than five minutes at a rest stop as I had to keep moving. All I had was a pair of arm earners, which were soaked. Still, glad I did it.

[wooly]

Sounds like a great event. My buddy finished in under 8 hours. He was extremely happy to finish and had some great stories. He also committed me to do it with him next year. So I'm in.

[whforrest]

I'd love to do it again too, but the taking a day off work, booking a motel, and driving home after the ride is a pita. I guess I shouldnt complain, since there are people who fly in for the ride or drive much further than I. That is a bummer there was rain and fog. I thought the temps and weather last year were perfect.

As for the crashing...I just dont get it. It's one thing to bomb those descents alone, but really, why do people feel a need to try and rail a very tech descent filled with people who may or may not have any idea how to ride? it's just not prudent.

well, you must be home now taking it easy. definitely congrats on the finish.

Descending King Ridge is the location of the 3 nasty crashes. I was a part of the rescue. Here's what happened. At the rest stop it was raining. Many riders had mud/debris on their tires and brake pad areas. As I was descending I stopped to make sure all debris was cleared from brake pad area. Further down the road there were two riders who fell into a 20 ft deep ditch. Two Canadians, and I'm sure both were good riders. A lady was descending down the climb and her brakes were not stopping........she ran into her boyfriend taking them both out. (she landed head first into a major rock)I stopped to help the first responders for over an hour. Many riders during that stretch were having similar problems. It was a scary sight as both riders were not moving. They were both sent out via ambulance/helicopter.

I wouldn't label the riders as careless. Perhaps not great technical downhillers. It was the perfect storm. (mud, debris from rest stop, extreme down hill, technical corners, etc., wet roads)

Just a little perspective.

bill

[northbend]

I had the pleasure of meeting and riding with Robert (Uncle Jams Army) for the Gran Fondo. So what if the weather wasn’t perfect, it kinda made me feel at home (I drove down from Washington State). We met up at the Russian River Brewery.
Great beer!
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj140/northbend/P1030208.jpg
I was able to snap a few photos after the riders strung out a bit. Here’s Robert on the way up to Occidental riding on an absolutely stunning Crumpton.
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj140/northbend/P1030225.jpg
You pass by some really cool funky little communities. I whish I ad pulled out the camera for one sight in particular. There was this old trailer set back in the woods – somebody’s home obviously. Yard was pretty much non existent and parked out from was this old dusty, oxidized blue…Bentley. I did find the jeep collection at the Occidental rest stop interesting
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj140/northbend/P1030228.jpg
Kings Ridge was fantastic! Stiff climbs though Oak forests until you reach the ridge.
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj140/northbend/P1030235.jpg
The roller coaster ride along the ridgeline I’ll never forget. Here this cow was running along side as if it was a fan shouting “Allez! Allez!”
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj140/northbend/P1030233.jpg
Amazing descent from the fog and cold rain on the mountaintop down to the ocean where it was relatively warm and dry. Hwy 1 has this really cool flow to it – seemed like every other corner was approached on a downhill and banked so you could carve out of it and carry your momentum up the other side. The last real climb of the day was up to Coleman Valley from the coast. Here is the beginning of the climb.
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj140/northbend/P1030239.jpg
And a self portrait about mid way up the where I was trying to capture the road in the background.
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj140/northbend/P1030240.jpg
I need to come back sometime and ride these roads when there aren’t so many people. Seems like everywhere you look there is another narrow winding road going off into the boonies Wow!

[Uncle Jam's Army]

Matt (northbend) is a very strong rider and an all-around good guy. It was a pleasure to meet you, Matt. Look forward to riding with you again.

[pdmtong]

Descending King Ridge is the location of the 3 nasty crashes. I was a part of the rescue. Here's what happened. At the rest stop it was raining. Many riders had mud/debris on their tires and brake pad areas. As I was descending I stopped to make sure all debris was cleared from brake pad area. Further down the road there were two riders who fell into a 20 ft deep ditch. Two Canadians, and I'm sure both were good riders. A lady was descending down the climb and her brakes were not stopping........she ran into her boyfriend taking them both out. (she landed head first into a major rock)I stopped to help the first responders for over an hour. Many riders during that stretch were having similar problems. It was a scary sight as both riders were not moving. They were both sent out via ambulance/helicopter.

I wouldn't label the riders as careless. Perhaps not great technical downhillers. It was the perfect storm. (mud, debris from rest stop, extreme down hill, technical corners, etc., wet roads)

Just a little perspective.

bill

thanks for the insight. there were helicopters and emergency vehicles last year too, but it was warm and dry. In fact I have never seen so many emergency vehicles on an organized ride as on the gran fondo.

[texbike]

Congrats on the ride Ari! Even with the weather, the pics make it look like an incredible ride. Congrats to the other forumites that did the ride as well.

I love Austin, but man California riding is calling me.... :)

Texbike

[akelman]

You're always welcome, Tex, as you know. Also, I didn't mean to imply that any of the riders who crashed had been reckless. My point was just that the descents are tricky enough that they're tough sledding for people who haven't ridden them a bunch of times. For my part, I rode the brakes pretty much any time I was going downhill. But then again, that's what I always do, because I'm a coward.