SV Commuter
06-10-07, 07:25 PM
My first century was a success! I don't think many of the Bay Area riders have done this event, here's a few notes on the ride.
First, the ride starts in Patterson. Patterson is in the middle of nowhere, specifically that part of nowhere known as the Central Valley along I-5. There were four routes,
quarter century on the valley floor
metric century (mostly an out-and-back excursion up Del Puerto Canyon)
century
Mt. Hamilton/Lick Observatory climb (out and back)
The full century is a loop route and the most interesting by far. The well-organized registration was at Creekside Middle School, and there were a variety of pre-ride breakfast items as well as Cytomax, water, fruit and snacks at the five rest stops. As you start the ride, you pass signs for the usual suburban shopping chains like Kohl's and Long's Drugs. Except these aren't stores they are distribution centers, you see Patterson is composed of
1. farms
2. townhouse complexes inexplicably built in the middle of said farms
3. warehouses
4. thousands semi-trucks gathered around said warehouses like pigs feeding at the trough.
If Patterson hasn't adopted an official insect, I would suggest this species of caterpillar which seems to be the most prevalent in the area:
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/bradmay_2007/Cat-Truck-Engine.gif
The ride crosses I-5 and proceeds up Del Puerto Canyon Road. The is an open canyon with grasslands, brush but not so many trees as the riders on the peninsula are used to. One thing there's more of than peninsula riders are used to is cattle guards, which seemed to be every quarter mile. The grade is very gentle to the first rest stop at Frank Raines park. Three routes go up the valley, and SAG support was excellent as I saw a SAG wagon every 10 minutes or so. SAG wagons were much more scarce on the route ridden only by the century riders.
Continuing up the valley, the grade continues gentle for four miles then picks up to a 8% average (peak grade ~14%) for a mile or so. Then it continues at maybe 5% average to the 2400' pass on the Santa Clara county line. This stretch was the most forested:
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/bradmay_2007/DelPuertoCanyonRoad.jpg
Dropping into a valley, the century route separates from the Mt. Hamilton climb, turning right onto san Antonio Valley Road for the gradual climb in still cool temperatures to the maximum elevation of 2915'. The view approaching the summit:
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/bradmay_2007/SanAntonioValleyRoad.jpg
From the profile I expected to glide into the Livermore valley, but was surprise by a strong wind coming up the canyon that made the upper part of the descent real work. Finally the canyon opened up and the route descended more steeply into the valley. I tagged on to a paceline to avoid the headwind for this part also.
Now west on Tesla Road and the lunch stop at Garré Vineyards (56.6mi). I had skipped the first three rest stops (I hate stop-and-start rides) so this was my stop and I at a big lunch and let it settle awhile before resuming. Now you pass more vineyards on Tesla Road before an easy 750' climb out of Livermore valley.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/bradmay_2007/Livermorevalley.jpg
The first part of the descent into the Central Valley is steep, with a couple sharp hairpins that tested my brakes as I had to slow from 47mph all the way to 22mph. Then everybody's favorite part, a long gentle descent where I pedalled between 23 and 27mph for about 10 miles. Crossing back over I-5 and reaching the valley floor, you were hit with two unpleasant facts: WIND, which that afternoon was 20mph (gusting to 23) and HEAT. By now the temperature was the day's maximum of 94°. That and only 15% humidity made it feel like you were riding in a dry sauna.
Unfortunately, the route went first crosswind then upwind until turning right at W. Linne Road where was a rest stop. The roads on this part (to nearly the end) are two-lane with no shoulders, and 55mph speed limits; the crosswind part was more annoying than the upwind because each gust threatened to blow you off the pavement and down a 3-4" drop to the gravel shoulder. That and guys in dual-wheel pickups and even semis who don't see the need to cross the centerline to pass you at 55mph didn't have me in a zen state of mind at this point!
Even though I skipped the rest stops in the hills, you can bet I was stopping at the last two so I could refill my water bottles which I drained between each stop and suck on some welcome crushed ice. I drank more than a gallon of water on these 25 miles and still felt like I was going to pass out from dehydration.
Scenery the rest of the way was non-existant.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/bradmay_2007/LinneRoad.jpg
The route finally turned downwind the rest of the way back to Patterson. At this point I just wanted to get to the end. Also, my butt was explaining to me that if you are training for a century, you should ride every day on the bike you are going to ride on the century not your commuter bike with the soft saddle. I was acutely aware this was not the saddle I'd commuted on the last two weeks. I was also aware the pavement on these roads was frickin rough, but I guess the semis don't mind...
Finally, the finish line! The volunteers had a nice post-ride meal ready including chicken and tri-tip steak to supply protein for recovery. Everybody got a goody bag including the AARP-sponsored water bottle (hey, not long until I get that membership application in the mail!). All the volunteers from the Modesto Rotary club were very friendly and cheerful and the ride, in it's 18th year, was well-organized.
My time for 106 miles was just under 7 hours (oops, I accidentally reset my computer at 50.5 miles, but I knew my average was 13.8mph to that point so I could estimate my total). Even though I didn't start until ~45 minutes after the route opened, at the last rest stop before the century merged with the other routes only 54/150 riders had passed through before me so I think maybe a lot of riders had trouble with the heat.
http://www.modestonorthrotary.org/bikeride.htm says the climb elevation is 10,797' but the real elevation is about half that, and the big climb is at the beginning. That and the flat downwind finish make this not a bad first century if you happen to have cool weather. Experienced century riders would probably find this a boring and unnattractive ride. But it's done and I expect I'll be thinking about what to do for my second century soon!
First, the ride starts in Patterson. Patterson is in the middle of nowhere, specifically that part of nowhere known as the Central Valley along I-5. There were four routes,
quarter century on the valley floor
metric century (mostly an out-and-back excursion up Del Puerto Canyon)
century
Mt. Hamilton/Lick Observatory climb (out and back)
The full century is a loop route and the most interesting by far. The well-organized registration was at Creekside Middle School, and there were a variety of pre-ride breakfast items as well as Cytomax, water, fruit and snacks at the five rest stops. As you start the ride, you pass signs for the usual suburban shopping chains like Kohl's and Long's Drugs. Except these aren't stores they are distribution centers, you see Patterson is composed of
1. farms
2. townhouse complexes inexplicably built in the middle of said farms
3. warehouses
4. thousands semi-trucks gathered around said warehouses like pigs feeding at the trough.
If Patterson hasn't adopted an official insect, I would suggest this species of caterpillar which seems to be the most prevalent in the area:
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/bradmay_2007/Cat-Truck-Engine.gif
The ride crosses I-5 and proceeds up Del Puerto Canyon Road. The is an open canyon with grasslands, brush but not so many trees as the riders on the peninsula are used to. One thing there's more of than peninsula riders are used to is cattle guards, which seemed to be every quarter mile. The grade is very gentle to the first rest stop at Frank Raines park. Three routes go up the valley, and SAG support was excellent as I saw a SAG wagon every 10 minutes or so. SAG wagons were much more scarce on the route ridden only by the century riders.
Continuing up the valley, the grade continues gentle for four miles then picks up to a 8% average (peak grade ~14%) for a mile or so. Then it continues at maybe 5% average to the 2400' pass on the Santa Clara county line. This stretch was the most forested:
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/bradmay_2007/DelPuertoCanyonRoad.jpg
Dropping into a valley, the century route separates from the Mt. Hamilton climb, turning right onto san Antonio Valley Road for the gradual climb in still cool temperatures to the maximum elevation of 2915'. The view approaching the summit:
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/bradmay_2007/SanAntonioValleyRoad.jpg
From the profile I expected to glide into the Livermore valley, but was surprise by a strong wind coming up the canyon that made the upper part of the descent real work. Finally the canyon opened up and the route descended more steeply into the valley. I tagged on to a paceline to avoid the headwind for this part also.
Now west on Tesla Road and the lunch stop at Garré Vineyards (56.6mi). I had skipped the first three rest stops (I hate stop-and-start rides) so this was my stop and I at a big lunch and let it settle awhile before resuming. Now you pass more vineyards on Tesla Road before an easy 750' climb out of Livermore valley.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/bradmay_2007/Livermorevalley.jpg
The first part of the descent into the Central Valley is steep, with a couple sharp hairpins that tested my brakes as I had to slow from 47mph all the way to 22mph. Then everybody's favorite part, a long gentle descent where I pedalled between 23 and 27mph for about 10 miles. Crossing back over I-5 and reaching the valley floor, you were hit with two unpleasant facts: WIND, which that afternoon was 20mph (gusting to 23) and HEAT. By now the temperature was the day's maximum of 94°. That and only 15% humidity made it feel like you were riding in a dry sauna.
Unfortunately, the route went first crosswind then upwind until turning right at W. Linne Road where was a rest stop. The roads on this part (to nearly the end) are two-lane with no shoulders, and 55mph speed limits; the crosswind part was more annoying than the upwind because each gust threatened to blow you off the pavement and down a 3-4" drop to the gravel shoulder. That and guys in dual-wheel pickups and even semis who don't see the need to cross the centerline to pass you at 55mph didn't have me in a zen state of mind at this point!
Even though I skipped the rest stops in the hills, you can bet I was stopping at the last two so I could refill my water bottles which I drained between each stop and suck on some welcome crushed ice. I drank more than a gallon of water on these 25 miles and still felt like I was going to pass out from dehydration.
Scenery the rest of the way was non-existant.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/bradmay_2007/LinneRoad.jpg
The route finally turned downwind the rest of the way back to Patterson. At this point I just wanted to get to the end. Also, my butt was explaining to me that if you are training for a century, you should ride every day on the bike you are going to ride on the century not your commuter bike with the soft saddle. I was acutely aware this was not the saddle I'd commuted on the last two weeks. I was also aware the pavement on these roads was frickin rough, but I guess the semis don't mind...
Finally, the finish line! The volunteers had a nice post-ride meal ready including chicken and tri-tip steak to supply protein for recovery. Everybody got a goody bag including the AARP-sponsored water bottle (hey, not long until I get that membership application in the mail!). All the volunteers from the Modesto Rotary club were very friendly and cheerful and the ride, in it's 18th year, was well-organized.
My time for 106 miles was just under 7 hours (oops, I accidentally reset my computer at 50.5 miles, but I knew my average was 13.8mph to that point so I could estimate my total). Even though I didn't start until ~45 minutes after the route opened, at the last rest stop before the century merged with the other routes only 54/150 riders had passed through before me so I think maybe a lot of riders had trouble with the heat.
http://www.modestonorthrotary.org/bikeride.htm says the climb elevation is 10,797' but the real elevation is about half that, and the big climb is at the beginning. That and the flat downwind finish make this not a bad first century if you happen to have cool weather. Experienced century riders would probably find this a boring and unnattractive ride. But it's done and I expect I'll be thinking about what to do for my second century soon!