A New Climb

The plan was to bike with fellow ACTCers to Capitola but I was not feeling the love this morning (or as The Boyfriend interprets this to mean: No flirting fizzled you out). But I had a fabulous time biking with my friend P as we did a new climb for me: Mt. Bache and Loma Prieta off Higland Way in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

According to the Stanford Cycling page: 3.3 miles, 1520 ft, 8.7% with a few 15% pitches. The Strava site has an aerial map profile with some numbers, too. We could see Monterey Bay once we arrived at the summit. And remains from the Loma Prieta fires. Remote probably best describes the climb.

My favorite road to ride when in this area is Morrell, a quiet and pretty stretch, near the Summit Store and Wrights Station.

Just the Stats:

25 miles

9 mph avg

29 mph descending

2 hr 45 m

Into the Woods

It was 57 degrees and overcast when I awoke this morning. The cat whined nonstop until I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for today's ride. She ranks up there with The Boyfriend in being a thorn in my beauty sleep regimen.





15 ACTC cyclists met at Lexington School for a 34 mile ride that included Old Santa Cruz Hwy, Wrights Station, Summit and Morrill.





We encountered fog, some wind, a few rain drops from the mist, and eventually a warm sun.




And we had spectacular views.





Most everyone was faster than me. Geez, what a surprise, eh.... I sometimes wonder what people think about while they're biking. Me, I was thinking about how I told my manager the other day that I wanted a raise because I am a shoeaholic and I need to finance my habit. I'm afraid to count how many I own.






We came to a washed out road. I shrieked looking over the edge. After a lunch break at a nice market, we made our way back to the school. KC (and the Sunshine Band) told me he was my Boogie Man. Oh yeah! Brings back memories of roller skating rinks and strobe lights in the late 1970s. The ride ended with Beethoven's Piano Sonata #8 in C minor. A pleasant time with strangers and my friend P.