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#1
09-16-2021, 07:33 PM
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Post ride report: Mendocino-Lake Tour Aug 15- Aug 20, 2021 - Santa Rosa Cycling Club
I did a tour with the Santa Rosa Cycling Club a month ago and had a great time and is just now posting a ride report. I am not much a writer like Velotel pal so expect to see more pics and videos rather than words.
This is the official handbook the organizers sent out to participants about the tour, it is very well-written and documented: https://www.srcc.com/resources/Docum...opy.2021.1.pdf I am an "outsider" meaning I don't live in Santa Rosa but they were very gracious to welcome me to their community and allow me to join them. This is what they called a "cooperative touring" meaning, everybody chip in financially, help with cooking and washing, loading and unloading, camping every day, set up your own tents etc which lower the costs a lot. To make life easier, they rented two delivery trucks to carry all our stuff, grocery, food and logistical equipment to our destinations. They also hire two food "wranglers" to help organize and provide guidance to cook/wash crews during meals. They have volunteers driving the sag vehicle and setting up an intermediate rest stop along the way. We ride on average 50-60 miles every day. It was supposed to be a 6-day tour but we cut short 2 days and did away with the first 2 days because of wildfire and hazy conditions in the affected areas. Nevertheless, even with 4 days of touring and riding, it was a lot of fun. Because of the extra time at the beginning, a few of the ride leaders added a "bonus" ride to King's Ridge that was not part of the original plan, that was awesome. I flew in from Austin Texas to San Francisco and then took a 2-hr Airport Express Bus to Santa Rosa where a local friend picked me up and put me up for a few nights. I took my S&S coupled Spectrum Ti bike and it performed flawlessly. One thing I am glad was the fatter tires (32mm) that I was able to mount on my Spectrum and it made a huge difference with the overall comfort and confidence in riding over some crappy roads and quite a few long mountain descent. I am glad I get to check out some of the best riding offered in North California and made many new friends along the way. Ok...let's get into some pictures and videos. Day 1: From Ukiah to Hendy Woods State Park The obligatory group picture taken at the start.   Gathering for a safety briefing before we set off.  This is Bill, the designer of our routes, regular contributor to a column at BikeCal.com   People are getting antsy, time to go!   Some of the "fast" guys in front.  After staying in front for a bit to capture some video footage, I fall back and ride with a group at an easier pace.  This dog got out of the fence and was trekking along with the group for several miles before a few of us stopped and called his owner to come get him. 
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#2
09-16-2021, 07:39 PM
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 The girls went in to a store and did some shopping when we stopped at a town to refuel.  See many vineyards along the way.   Finally got to our campgrounds at Hendy Woods State Park. Someone had mistakenly took my tent and set it up while I was in the shower. So when I got out, it was already set up and ready to go. All I need to do was move my stuff into the tent, set up my cot and lie down...so nice!  There was some strong winds that day and a couple of limbs fell close to our campsite, a bit of a scare.  Post ride socializing... 
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#4
09-16-2021, 07:53 PM
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Day 2: Hendy Woods to Russian Gulch State Park
There are few things in life that are absolutely certain. One of them is some people absolutely need their COFFEE early morning.  Ready to start riding day 2   My friend Douwe which I thought has a striking resemblance to this guy...  He has a bike that can put out more wattage than the Cannibal. We call that “Motor Doping”. Once you are above 70, I think it’s legal.  Bill giving us a lowdown of the route before we go...  “When you get close to the coastline, watch out for the Titans coming at you from the sea…”  We started climbing as soon as we left the gate of the park. What a great way to warm up…   
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#6
09-16-2021, 07:58 PM
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Got to Russian Gulch State Park by mid-day, set up tentage, took a shower and just laze around until dinner time.
Talk about dinner...we got some really awesome grillin' and BBQ.    The Grill Masters!   VeggieTales  Dinner is served!    End of Day 2 Video here:
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#7
09-16-2021, 08:00 PM
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Great post! Seems like a warm, welcoming bunch of people. Not to mention one of the best places in the world to cycle. Leave the Garmin at home and take in the surroundings. Pretty much the essence of cycling.
No way I'm doing anything without a really strong cup of coffee in the morning. Someone planned that right.
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#9
09-16-2021, 08:04 PM
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Quote:
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#10
09-16-2021, 08:10 PM
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This is the "bonus" ride to King's Ridge I was talking about. A smaller group came together and did the ride two days before the start of the tour.
    This is Peter, my kind host. As someone who came from out of town, Peter made sure I was taken care of, gave me a ride to the start and even dropped me off at my friend’s place after the ride. Peter is also one of the coordinators for the whole tour so he’s a very very busy man. Thank you Peter for all the extra care and help, you are much appreciated.  Nearing the top of King's Ridge. We ate a bunch of wild berries found everywhere.    The water fountain placed at the top by the buddhist retreat center was a God sent! Here's the King's Ridge video That's it! End of my ride report. Thanks for checking it out.
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