Fall River Mills Century

 Saturday, July 19th 

At 6:30am, Miss P and I rode from our hotel in Fall River Mills to the fairgrounds, the starting location for the 20th anniversary of the Fall River Mills Century.  It was a four mile warm up.  Our early start was twofold:  first to beat the heat (the temperature in the area hovered close to 100 degrees later in the day) and to take advantage of the pancake and egg breakfast.  At the start of the ride, we were surprised and delighted by a hum of electrically driven paragliders. The best ever century ride send off.  Loved it.

Back track.  At our breakfast, we chatted with other riders.  Some came from Oregon.  Some from other parts of California.  Interesting mix of people.

The beginning of the ride took us through flat lands of farms.  Alfalfa.  Perhaps some rice fields, too.  Peaceful and sweet, as one imagines a small town.  And lots of flowers.

There were maybe 300 of us on this ride.  I loved the Ponderosa Pine, one of the many conifers in the state of California.  The fire in the Redding area meant that some of our views, particularly of Mt. Shasta were obscured but heck, it was still a beautiful ride.  It was only 3900 feet or so of climbing but you know what, in the heat we encountered, believe me, you would not want more.  As the day progressed, so did the heat.

This particular road was a fabulous nontechnical descent.  Loved it.

As the day wore on, so did the heat.  We certainly appreciated the rest stops and the volunteers. 

Another great view.  Around mile 70, it was probably close to 100 degrees.  And at about this time, as we were climbing a hill, Miss P. got a flat.  Lo and behold, a SAG truck appeared.  Yay!  We pulled into a rest stop that was, wait, wait for it, sponsored by the library!!  OMG.  And the guy who took care of Miss P. recognized us from when we biked along Hwy 299 to the start.  Loved it.  We didn't do the century but we came close.  Fabulous ride.  Good food, good people.   Support your local town.  Thank you.

Just the Stats:

88.29 miles
35.5 mph descent
12.2 avg mph
7 hr 15 min