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From the start, I planned to do my 18th PMC as a purely virtual ride - a
ride that does not coincide with the actual August PMC. Getting to Massachusetts
was impossible this year - Beth and I were still
working on our home remodel,
and it has been a record year for our fire company, running
nearly 50% above average call volume. Finding time to train was even more
difficult than last year, and I was probably in the poorest condition
since 1998. Although any ride would be a challenge, I wanted to target at
least as much time as I would ride on the first day of the actual PMC:
5 1/2 hours. With the help of long-time sponsors Steve and Bill,
the route was selected. Steve would be riding his
third v-PMC, and Bill, his 2nd.
We planned 72 miles in the Santa Cruz mountains, starting
at my fire station, going to Scotts Valley, Felton,
Big Basin Redwoods State park, and
back to the station. Most of the 6000' of climbing is in the last third of the ride,
as the profile below shows (note: click on any image to enlarge). The Big Basin loop is one of my favorite rides, and
I was excited to finally integrate it into my PMC.
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The route, from KLIMB. Las Cumbres is
at the G/E sign, node 672
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| The route profile
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The view from the house early Sunday 9/14 over part of the course was very foggy.
However, at 2700', it was oddly warm. We started around 9AM at the
fire station, skipping along Skyline
towards Loma Prieta. This part of the ride rolls over numerous small hills and
descents for about 15 miles until the Summit Store. There, we turn right on
San Jose / Soquel Road for 7 miles of descent. It's a smooth road and
a very fun descent. At Laurel Glen, we turn right to begin the first sustained
climb of the day. It's short but a good warmup. The next 4 miles is mostly flat
to the Granite Creek climb. This peaks at about 8%, and takes us back over
highway 17 to Scotts Valley, land of strip malls. Mt Herman road is a two-step
descent down to the rustic town of
Felton. There, we stopped for lunch at the New Leaf Market. This
is the midpoint of the ride in mileage, but we have only done 1/4 of the climbing.
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| Fog over the San Lorenzo valley
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| Ready to go from the fire station
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| New Leaf Market in Felton.
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From Felton, we turned north through the San Lorenzo Valley to Boulder Creek where
we picked up Highway 236 - the road to Big Basin. As you can see in the profile,
starting around mile 42,
the Big Basin loop looks like an M tilted on its side.
Up, down, up, down. The climb into Big Basin totals
about 1000'. After cresting the hill, it's 3 miles to the park headquarters, mostly
downhill or flat. This is the most scenic part of the ride, as it's a
cathedral of redwoods. We stopped at the park for a stretch and some water.
To me, the exit of Big Basin is the scenic highlght, with several very stately
groups of redwoods towering over the road. It's another 1000' climb to the next
peak at China Grade, followed by 4 miles of mildly technical descent. After 2000'
of climbing in 18 miles, we took a short break before the big climb of the day:
highway 9 and Skyline.
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| Bill and Andy at Big Basin
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| Steve and Andy at Big Basin
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It's 6 miles to Skyline, and then 3 miles to the peak at Castle Rock State Park.
With the exception of two flat sections on 9 and two on Skyline, this is all up.
Nearly 2000'. It's never very steep. But this was the warmest part of the day.
At times we were able to get into a groove, but Bill was pretty wiped out.
It was a grind. Beth was able
to get some pictures of us within sight of Skyline, but we were not done yet. We still had 5+ miles and 500' to go.
After the Castle Rock peak, we descended for 2 miles to Las Cumbres, where we
turn right to return to the fire station via the bonus climb. This is about
100 yds at perhaps 12%. Last year's story has some pictures of this climb.
We powered up this climb and finished the ride in about 5:20 riding time.
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| Climbing Highway 9
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| Steve and Bill nearly at the top of 9
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After the ride, Bill and Steve joined us for a late lunch and a quick tour
of the remodel. It was a tough ride, but fun. Good company, and great weather.
In the morning I was worried about knee issues which never materialized. Whew.
It was a tough year for training, but by taking the ride a bit slower,
it was not so bad. As you all know, it's also been a tough year for the economy
so it's not surprising that fundraising is off. At this writing, I'm
about 60% of the way to my $10k goal. The PMC is looking for $35M. Stay tuned
to see how it all turns out!
It's been a mixed year in the cancer world. A good friend is doing well
after fighting breast cancer for 2 years now, and my dad (who turned 80
in August) is cancer free for 19 years. My uncle is coping with bone
cancer. One of Beth's colleagues
has just begun a fight with pancreatic cancer. We even lost one of
our cats, Mr. Mocha, to cancer earlier this year. Even with major
advances in research and treatment, the search continues for cures
for many forms of cancer. Which is why the PMC is so important.
Thank you for continuing to support the PMC!
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