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For the first time in a very long time, my "virtual" PMC was on the same day as the actual PMC. Things just worked out that way. But since that made my ride earlier in the year than usual, I only had about 1900 training miles in the bank, about 700 miles short of typical. We'll see how that goes. I wanted a challenging ride with some compromise to the shortened season, so I planned a course with about 8400' of climbing over 74 miles. Much of the route is familiar - it's bits and pieces of other rides, and shares a stretch with the 2012 ride, but some of it has never been part of a PMC-west. My friend Steve, who has ridden my PMC with me several times over the years, would join for part of it.
The ride was designed to be a mountain top finish. Beth would meet me at the end and drive home. The weather forecast was reasonable: lows in the 50s in the foggy valley, highs around 80 in the inland areas. The ride has 7 rated climbs, with the final climb - to the top of Mount Hamilton - being the most difficult. It's been 10 years since I rode Mount Hamilton.
As usual, most pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.
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The First Peak
I started from my fire station. The climbing began right away with a 500' climb up Skyline to the highest point in Santa Cruz County, around 3100', at Castle Rock State Park. The descent to Saratoga was really the only time I needed a jacket, as I transitioned into the fog. It was a fairly quiet descent; I don't think I was passed by a single car, which is rare. I met Steve at the Starbucks in Saratoga, and after a double espresso and a banana, we were on the way to Los Gatos and Shannon Road. Shannon parallels Kennedy Road, which was on the 2012 ride. It's a short climb on a quiet road. We went over the top and headed for the bottom, passing Kennedy and arriving at the intersection with Hicks Road. In 2012, we turned right for the Hicks climb, but not this time. Instead, we went the short way to the Calero reservoir.
It's always breezy by the reservoir, and this day was no exception. We had a bit of a headwind. In 2012 we continued past all 3 reservoirs, but today, we turned left on Bailey towards the east. I last rode this segment in the 2009 Livestrong ride. The climb up Bailey is so short it's not rated for difficulty, and it's followed by a nice descent to US101. At 101, the plan was to cross over and continue on roads until the first major challenge of the day: Metcalf Road. Steve suggested an alternate: the Coyote Creek trail, a bike path along the west side of 101 near the Metcalf power station. The path looks brand new, so sure, why not. It's a little reminiscent of the Cape Cod canal path, moving through some wetlands. It was all good, except somewhere along the way, I got a flat front tire. I changed the tube as fast as possible, and we continued to Metcalf Road.
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First peak - Castle Rock State Park
2.5 miles in, I've already climbed 500 feet!
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| Meeting Steve at Saratoga
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Drat! Flat!
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Metcalf to San Jose
Metcalf is a very challenging climb - the steepest one of the day. A color-coded elevation profile is shown below. The climb starts immediately after crossing 101, and after 1/2 mile of moderate climbing, it's 1.5 miles of steep! The grade ranges from 9%-13%, and the road is completely exposed -- no shade. The quarter mile 13% section starting at just about 1 mile in really burns. Still, I was feeling good, and I had a solid climb. I recalled the last time up Metcalf, at the 2009 Livestrong Challenge, riding alongside a cancer survivor. When I commented how tough it was, his reply was simply: "It's nothing like chemo." I'll never forget that.
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Metcalf grade: purple means PAIN!
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Steve hasn't ridden much this summer due to injuries, so he struggled a bit, but made it to the summit only a few minutes behind me. There was a bit of smoke in the air here from the Soberanes Fire in Monterey, but the air was clear enough that we could see the finishing peak in the distance: Mount Hamilton. In the photo below, it's those two little white specks where I'm pointing. After the summit of Metcalf, there's a saddle, so we had a short descent followed by a short climb. It's about 12 miles from here to the base of Mt. Hamilton. Initially, our route took us on a steady descent in the forested foothills of Hamilton, eventually leading to the city streets of East San Jose. We got to Alum Rock at the base of Mt. Hamilton road. This was the end of the ride for Steve. His wife Jane brought some water, so I filled the bottles, and started up Hamilton.
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| Steve cresting Metcalf
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| Hamilton visible from the top of Metcalf
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Andy and Steve
at Hamilton base
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Hamilton!
It's been 10 years since I climbed Hamilton. I was feeling good when I reached the start of the climb, and the weather was helping: it was about 80 degrees, not oppressively hot. The climb of Mt Hamilton, as you can see from the various maps, is actually 3 climbs. The road starts at about 150' elevation and ends near 4200', with two descents in between, so the total elevation gain is about 4500'. With fresh cold water, I made very good time on the first climb. At one point, I was going pretty fast, first thinking how I was making great time, then wondering if I was going to pay for it later. The first chance to find Beth was at Grant park. There was no sign of her, so I figured she was way ahead of me. I was able to send her a short text message, then headed off for the short middle climb. There's a Cal Fire station at the bottom of climb #2. I was surprised to find it staffed, and even more surprised that they had put a cooler of ice water out! I filled up, and thanked them for the cold water. I made a note of the time. So far, I was climbing faster than expected. I started up the final climb.
Beth had already been to the top and was on her way back down the mountain to get a few pictures along the final climb. All smiles here when I found her around an early corner. This is a very winding 6.5 mile category 1 climb, which goes back and forth in front of The Lick Observatory dome, which never seems to get any closer!
It's also totally exposed - no shade. With about 4 miles to go, there was a hint of a cramp starting in my left leg. I shook it off. But I could tell I was running out of gas. This does happen sometimes. You have a very strong ride, then all of a sudden, there's nothing left. On one of the corners with about 2 miles to go, Beth was taking pictures, I asked if she had brought any water, as I was running low after having filled only 4 miles back. I filled one bottle, and poured the rest over my head. Under the circumstances, reducing effort was best course of action to get to the finish. The last mile was pretty slow, but I did finish, reaching the second peak: the highest point in Santa Clara County. All I wanted was some shade, some Fritos, and a Coke.
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Final Climb
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All smiles, 4.5 miles to go
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| Lick observatory. Never seems to get closer
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| Working hard and sweatin'
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| Alternating in/out of the saddle
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| Closer
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| Trying to manage a wave
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| Done! Turning into the parking lot
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Post ride
We spent some time at the observatory while I recovered from the climb, looking at the displays and peeking at the telescopes.
Beth did a masterful job driving us back to civilization. We took the shortcut off the mountain from Grant Park into San Jose down a very steep and narrow road - longer and steeper than Metcalf. I was glad I left that off the route! We stopped in at Andale in Los Gatos for a post-ride dinner. Lots of food, lots of iced tea. I kinda wonder if I just needed some real food before the last climb.... (Note to self: next years ride, don't forget to eat!)
Steve committed to ride with me - for the 11th straight year - even with only a
few weeks of training. I was glad to have his company for 50 miles. We believe the ride should be a "Challenge" and it was. For us to experience a few hours of effort to honor those who have survived or are coping with cancer is itself an honor. After 26 years and 25 rides, I'm still as committed to the cause as ever. We are closer by the mile.
For myself and Steve, and for the 10000+ riders and volunteers for the PMC,
thanks for your support!
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