A Day with the WnD

Yesterday, the Whine and Dine Group was supposed to start at 9am for a 100 mile ride along the backroads of Morgan Hill and Gilroy but we have a reputation to uphold. So, we didn't start on time, we changed the route several times, and we didn't do 100 miles. Plenty of whining and dining was had by all. And too much fun. But no wine tasting as we arrived too early at the winery. :) I'm sure The Boyfriend regrets that he did not join us. Not.

7 of us attempted the 1oo mile while 3 others did a 100K. The headwinds weren't as bad as we expected though we did get blown sideways on one stretch. We managed to do 87 miles and arrive before dark despite our whining and dining.

Just the stats:

87 miles

6.29 hours

13.4 avg. mph

28 mph max

Hammering up Harwood

Okay, so I didn't exactly nail it nor did I hammer up Harwood and I suppose I sputtered out at the last bit of the climb but in my mind, I was and am Mighty Ma'am.




Mighty Ma'am poses for P who shot the photo above. Dr. G. was also on this short ACTC ride that included Camden, Shannon, Kennedy and the flat part of Hicks. Mighty M was our ride leader and she truly was worthy of mightiness, along with P and Dr. G. In total, there were 17 of us doing the ride.





Another shot of Harwood, a short steep climb that eventually leads to a short but steepish descent down Santa Rosa. The Mighty Boyfriend did an 85 mile loop to Boulder Creek that included many mighty climbs. He was too mighty for us. I wonder if he is going to get mightily annoyed with me.

Sizzling Weekend

Above, a section of Zayante Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Boyfriend and I spent the weekend in Boulder Creek, sizzling along with everyone else in the Bay Area. No escaping the heat.



The only cool relief was when we biked into downtown Santa Cruz from Highway 9 and going along Highway 1. We stopped at some farm on Highway 1. I wanted to pose behind the strawberry but the sign was too tall for me. Can you tell that my nail color coordinated with my gloves and jersey? Caught up with some other cyclists and chatted a bit at the Beauregard Vineyards wine tasting room on Boony Doon.



Other roads we biked included Quail Hollow, Pine Flats, Empire Grade and Jamison Creek (okay I walked most of it). I only managed to do 35 miles a day. I overheated and my blood sugar fell. This really hot cyclist, pictured above, got his car and fetched me not once but twice, plus he bought me my very first iced Mocha with whipped cream. He's also known as The Boyfriend.

At Last

At last, the aliens (aka the common cold) that hijacked my body returned to the mothership without me. I decided to do a moderately challenging but short bike ride as I wasn't sure if the aliens would return for a surprise attack.




The route: Piedmont --> Calaveras --> Felter and down Sierra. I was rewarded by fine weather and an assortment of livestock.






A shot of the reservoir. The hills are still green and flowers remain in bloom.








Boy did I sweat but no sign of the aliens.






I managed to do 16 miles in 1 hr 20 min. and apparently at some point, 32 mph.

Getting out again, at last!