Paso Robles to Santa Maria
Distance - 95.20
Time - 6.50.42
Avg Speed - 13.9mph
Max Speed - 39.5mph
Woke up around 4pm in the KOA after a very solid hard sleep. Bozo said she took Blue out twice during the night and I didn't stir at all. After the massage and chiropractor yesterday then a good sleep, I was feeling ready for this long day! We headed back to ALC Camp in Paso Robles where I went directly to breakfast and had a feast of eggs, oatmeal, potatoes, and yogurt. I love eating a big breakfast and this is a perfect reason to do so!
On the road today... The Evil Twins! Or, "The Evil Bitches" as they are affectionately called. Evil Twin #1 begins at mile 9.9, which is just the right amount of time for a warm up. The incline starts pretty gradually and remains pretty gradual throughout. There is at least one false summit on Evil Twin #1 and I could hear people around me saying, "This is it, we're at the top" know that we were not actually at the top. It can be disheartening to think you are at the top only to begin climbing again so I think it's best for people to keep their mouths. It did affect me at one point when someone said we'd reached the top of ET1 but I could see that after a small descent we would climb a little more. That's when I decided to stop listening to people who say, "We're almost there!" When I'm there... I'm there!
Then came Evil Twin #2. This climb is steeper and longer. But at the top is the Halfway to LA point, which is always very exciting! I spent way too much time at the Halfway point. I had my photo taken with Team Misfit, then solo, then just as I was thinking about leaving, some of Team Sacramento showed up and got in line. So I waited with them for about 30 minutes and got my photo take with them and then alone again. Just took way too long! After all that climbing comes the reward... the lonnnnnng descent. I can't remember how long it was but it was long enough that I was actually getting tired of descending by the end!
Kenny had left the 2nd rest stop by the time I got there so I met up with him at lunch. The rest of the route was mainly rollers, which can also get very tiring. Toward the end of the day, we passed an ambulance that was loading up 1 female ALC rider who'd had an accident. Then a quick turn and a short steep uphill kept us on our toes. I went through some more rollers to the next turn where I stopped to wait for Kenny. Turned out his blood sugar was very low and we were trying to find some Gu or other sugar when Khoa and Aaron rode by as well as some of Team Sacramento. After some Gu, Kenny felt better but after about a mile decided to stop at a convenient store to pick up some sweet tea. Good ol' Texas boy! At the convenient store, we got to talk with some locals about the ride and why we were doing it. That was good! They were very impressed and encouraging!
Rest Stop 4 was Octoberfest, which is always a good time! This is especially true after a head and side wind that threatened to throw us off our bikes! But afterwards, it was a strong tailwind that added much speed to the ride. Another accident along the way and Kenny stopped... he's a nurse. I kept going since they were trying to keep people from stopping and getting in the way. I don't think a nurse can get in the way! (= This stretch took no time at all. But once in Santa Maria, we take another turn into the wind. So... a head wind and a bunch of stop signs. Arrgh! It's tolerable only because we are so close to home. And I was able to get in with a fast group of guys. At the last corner, Bozo was sitting there waiting patiently for me. Blue was back in the car out of the heat and wind. It's such a great feeling to see her when I am finishing! I suppose most people continue and finish the ride before saying hi but I have a habit of stopping right when I get to her or them. lol
Finished the last few yards and checked my bike in. Kenny came in not long after me. Apparently there was a physician at the crash scene so he was able to leave. This would be his night to sleep indoors at Aaron's mother's house while I was on my way to pet friendly Motel 6 for the night. I kinda like this Princess Plan! Bozo already had my bag so all I had to do was grab some food and we were gone!
No comments:
Post a Comment