Southern California - Monterey Ride: Dec. 31 - Jan 1

I'll get around to writing about it soon. It was pretty incredible. If any of you ever have the chance to ride through the 80 mile stretch of coast leading to Big Sur at night, you should. I've never experienced something so amazing on my bike before. Epic climbs with the ocean waves crashing hundreds of feet below, no cars and no city lights. The sky was so clear that the stars ended at the horizon where the ocean started, and there was a warm wind howling through the huge trees on the cliffs above us. Pretyy epic. It was almost magical, for a lack of better words.

The ride was 305 miles. Ride time was close to 21 hours, and the total time was almost 25. We had a Garmin, but saved the battery for the last part of the ride. Miles 220-305 had 7,500 feet of ascent. To me, 85 miles with 7,500 feet of climbing is a ride in itself... but doing that with over 200 miles in my legs was something out of the ordinary.

I only a took a few pictures, my friends took some pictures, too. Here are some of the ones I have... I'll put more up when my buddies send them to me.

Ride Route
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/6616/map2pa2.jpg

Meeting before the ride:
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/4395/mont1eh6.jpg

Somewhere on the cliffs, around mile 225:
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/2973/mont2iv5.jpg
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4342/mont3cl1.jpg

John, after blowing up his right knee:
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/1414/mont4dr6.jpg

Nearing the top of a big climb around mile 260:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/8206/mont5qt4.jpg
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/7390/mont6tc3.jpg

Hey, glad you made it safely! Looking forward to more of the story...

dude, great job. i've always wanted to ride that stretch of road. sounds like it was a total blast.

Wow...rest up a little then tell us all about it!!

The ride was interesting, I really wouldn't know where to start.

I feel fine today.... we checked in to the hotel at 6:30am New Years day, and woke up at 11:00am for the 12:00pm checkout. So, 4 hours of sleep before the drive home was rough, but at that point, I felt like I could deal with anything. I slept for about an hour in the car, and fell asleep at about 11:00pm last night. After 12 hours of sleep, I feel great. My legs aren't any type of sore that is out of the ordinary, and I don't have any knee pain, either. I am just feeling an overall fatigue that is more than I'm used to. I'm gonna go ride for a few easy hours tomorrow to loosen my legs up.

As for out limits, I don't think any of us really pushed ourselves that far. That might sound like some sort of attempt at male bravado, but I'm being honest. Yes, it was incredibly hard and there were some dark moments where I wondered what the hell I was doing, but I never felt like I reached the end of what I could give. But, if there was one spot that stood out in my mind as being really bad, it was mile 295-300. We didn't eat at all for the last 25 miles, because we figured the ride would be reasonably easy from there on out (we apparantly forogt about some pretty incredible climbs that somehow slipped our attention, look up Bixby Creek on google images and you'll see what part of the coast I'm talking about) We finished that long section and headed through a bunch of rollers through Carmel. We got to a liquor store and bought some hot pockets to warm up when we got to the Hotel, assuming the hotel was only a few, flat and easy, blocks away.

Wrong, it was about 2.5 miles of climbing with 500 feet of ascent. It doesn't sound long, but a little ways up it, I broke the 300mile mark on a completely empty stomach, so it felt really bad. I remember looking down at my top tube watching my feet going around, telling myself to stay upright and keep moving. I think the climb took me a good 30 minutes to finish, and it really was miserable.

I'm gonna hit the sack right now, but I'll make sure to write more tomorrow. I'm sure I can think of plenty more epic moments of pain and suffering :)

Excellent! Glad you made it! :beer:

Yay, you did it!

Been wondering how it turned out for you guys.

Lots of questions:

Did you have sag support?

Anything you might do differently next time?

Any pics other than those of fit males in lycra? Perhaps some pics of flubbery elephant seals, stinky kelp, and what have you?

Great job Enzo!!

bravo zulu!

Excellent, Enzo! :beer: I didn't doubt you boys could do it. Now, once you've rested....pics! :D

Hooray!!!

awesome....just plain awesome.....

Awesome!

Was this a Team Bearclaw training ride?

Way to go Enzo...it's a fantastic ride and the section through Big Sur is simply the best cycling on earth if the traffic and weather cooperate with you. I rode from Watsonville to Cambria one day a few years back. It was on the 4th of July and I thought I would be riding in tourist/RV hell, but surprisingly, there was no one on the road and I lucked out with perfect weather. It will be a day I will remember for the rest of my life.

Again...creds and props dude

Pat

Thanks for all the comments everyone :)


Yay, you did it!

Been wondering how it turned out for you guys.

Lots of questions:

Did you have sag support?

Anything you might do differently next time?

Any pics other than those of fit males in lycra? Perhaps some pics of flubbery elephant seals, stinky kelp, and what have you?

We had support from around mile 200 onward. On the flat section leading up to the climbing section, they would leapfrog us every 20 miles, and we'd stop and refill on water and food (at this point in the ride, there weren't really any more gas stations or stores) When we hit the climbs, they waited for us every 10 miles, since our speed slowed down considerably. There was no way, at all, that we could have made it without support on that stretch of coast. If we had our bikes loaded up with huge bags, it would have been possible, but it probably would have killed us having all that weight (especialy me, not having a compact gear up front)

As far as doing things differently, probably not too much. Our only real mistakes were because our lack of knowledge about what the terrain was like ahead (which also made it that much more exciting, so I don't regret it) There were parts we should have taken it easier on, because we didn't know there was a 15 mile section of climbing ahead of us, haha. I might choose a different saddle. I love my unpadded SLR, but it got a little rough after a while. We're thinking about possibly adding another 100 miles next time (if there ever is a next time, haha)?

I don't have too many pictures, but some of my friends do. By the time we hit the really beautiful section of coast, it was already dark out. There are some good pictures and some video we'll get up soon. We tried to limit the stops to eating and drinking, so I didn't bother unpacking my camera often (espcialy since it was buried in my jersey pocket underneath jackets, leg warmers, gels, etc.)

One of my favorite parts of the ride (and possibly one of the most epic parts) was nearing the base of the major climbs. A horrible wind started blowing in every different direction, and it made working together impossible. Some of the gusts were so strong it took a lot of effort to stay upright. We were pedaling hard into the wind moving at, maybe, 10 or 12 mph. All of us kind of seperated, knowing how hard the coming section was going to be, and thinking there was a big possibility of the wind not letting up. None of us were talking, but all of us knew exactly what the other was thinking. It was a pretty awesome experience at that point because I think thats when, in my mind, I resolved I was going to make it, even if the last 100 miles took me 15 hours. Kind of one of those awesome moments that doesn't happen too often.

Team Bearclaw training ride? Hahaha, more like Team Bearclaw's Really Bad Idea :D I guess it was a good way to toughen us up, though ;)

Way to go Enzo...it's a fantastic ride and the section through Big Sur is simply the best cycling on earth if the traffic and weather cooperate with you. I rode from Watsonville to Cambria one day a few years back. It was on the 4th of July and I thought I would be riding in tourist/RV hell, but surprisingly, there was no one on the road and I lucked out with perfect weather. It will be a day I will remember for the rest of my life.

Again...creds and props dude

Pat

Watsonville to Cambria must have been awesome. That is the section of coast that I was looking foward to the most. The part before Cambria, to me, was more of a chance to ride with my buddies rather than be in complete awe of my surroundings. Big Sur at night was something incredible, though. I've driven it during the day, but night was almost like a strange dream.

I might see you at Montrose Saturday... I'll see if I can muster up going long, but probably not. I gave your contact info to my buddy, but I guess he felt better by the next day.

Wow, congratulations. Ended 07 and started 08 off with an epic ride.

Here's my buddies Garmin of the last 87 miles...

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/8847/mont8dj8.jpg

Burly

Where was Cole?

Burly

Where was Cole?

He wasn't able to make it due to a pretty bad knee problem he's been dealing with for a while. It was a bummer, having him there would have been great.

...our lack of knowledge about what the terrain was like ahead (which also made it that much more exciting, so I don't regret it).

And therein lies the adventure.

With the amount of data we have at our fingertips nowadays, it's possible to pre-experience a trip. We can Google photos of what we are about to see, download route maps, pinpoint every rest stop along the way, plug things into the bike computer...

And that is a double-edged sword.

Leaving parts of a trip unresearched and just feeling your way through is a beautiful thing.

Thanks for the trip report. Very inspiring.

And therein lies the adventure.

With the amount of data we have at our fingertips nowadays, it's possible to pre-experience a trip. We can Google photos of what we are about to see, download route maps, pinpoint every rest stop along the way, plug things into the bike computer...

And that is a double-edged sword.

Leaving parts of a trip unresearched and just feeling your way through is a beautiful thing.

Thanks for the trip report. Very inspiring.

No problem, I'll write more and get more information up when I can. I rode around for a few hours today and got about 40 miles in, and I feel fine. My legs are good, but I'm still just tired.

We used Google to map the ride, but you really can't know what to expect from that alone. You never really know whats up ahead.

Another part of the ride that really stands out in my mind was the last climb, nearing our destination. My buddy who was ahead of me was riding with a power tap and keeping track of the miles. He stopped exactly at mile 300 to wait for me and clapped as I went by, telling me I was at the 300 mile mark. At the time, I didn't give a sh*t, I just wanted to finish... but looking back, it was really cool. The personal satisfaction I felt, along with him there kinda "cheering" me on, was awesome. You don't need big crowds of people to help you feel some sort of vindication at times like that; it's more of a feeling of personal significance that is hard to explain.

Next year, possibly, we may do the same ride, but finish at El Granada, another 100 miles up the coast. I think with the right pace and the proper nutrition, I may have had another 100 miles in me after the first 300. I guess with another season of riding ahead of me, 400 miles wouldn't be out of the question. We'll see :)

Leaving parts of a trip unresearched and just feeling your way through is a beautiful thing.

Almost as beautiful as a weekend of riding around Anza Borrego instead of Santa Monica.

dude 7 hrs to ride 80 miles, are you a wuss or something?

eighty-SEVEN miles, actualy. Those extra 7 miles added about 2 hours. We were sitting around waiting for you to come pick us up, but you never showed:(

eighty-SEVEN miles, actualy. Those extra 7 miles added about 2 hours. We were sitting around waiting for you to come pick us up, but you never showed:(

I got tired hauling you 200miles and just went to the finish line to enjoy some food. Waiting? More like you blew up and couldnt even walk that 7 miles. I am dissapointed in you...

PS: I still expect to get paid

I got tired hauling you 200miles and just went to the finish line to enjoy some food. Waiting? More like you blew up and couldnt even walk that 7 miles. I am dissapointed in you...

PS: I still expect to get paid

Any chance of giving me some sort of payment plan option? Maybe a 3 year with low interest rate? I spent most of my money on food trying to support my eating problem.

PS: I saw the SD ride you guys did, it looked fun.

well considering how much work i did I can only offer a 6 month repayment plan with a 43.25% interest rate(MPR). Your first payment is already late, its the 4th and I gave you a 3 day grace period from the first of the year...So late payment+first payment is still due.

Especially considering I took those before and after ride pictures, didnt include any of the mid ride pictures(or actual ride pictures) where I was towing you and your posse around. Jeez you should be thankful and repay much faster.

THnx it was a fun ride

Enzo - didn't see Cole in the pics (or are we speaking of different Coles)...

Did he opt out? I haven't seen him in the hood recently either, so I haven't had the opportunity to talk to him about the ride (if he did it, of course).

And is Team Bearclaw representing at the Tandem race?

Almost as beautiful as a weekend of riding around Anza Borrego instead of Santa Monica.

No argument here. A-B is aces.

You do some adventurin' there recently?

Enzo - didn't see Cole in the pics (or are we speaking of different Coles)...

Did he opt out? I haven't seen him in the hood recently either, so I haven't had the opportunity to talk to him about the ride (if he did it, of course).

And is Team Bearclaw representing at the Tandem race?

Nope, same Cole... he's been having some pretty serious knee problems, so he decided to play it smart and not to do the ride. We're glad he was smart about it and didn't try it, because it would have been a bad idea on a blown up knee.

Yeah, we should all be there at the Tandem race :)

yo dude btw nice ride and gj

yo dude btw nice ride and gj

Thanks dude. :)

No argument here. A-B is aces.

You do some adventurin' there recently?

I have not been there since I was a kid with my grandparents. I hope to get out there when it's blooming this year.

I have not been there since I was a kid with my grandparents. I hope to get out there when it's blooming this year.




I like Anza OK, but my heart still belongs to Joshua Tree ( despite it being "invaded" over the last 20 years...ah well...gotta share a good thing I guess)

Now Death Valley...ever ride there Crit? That's a road trip I would be up for.

I like Anza OK, but my heart still belongs to Joshua Tree ( despite it being "invaded" over the last 20 years...ah well...gotta share a good thing I guess)

Now Death Valley...ever ride there Crit? That's a road trip I would be up for.

I haven't been there in ages either. I was on the fence to head out there solo last Sunday, but decided to save it for later.

Best of all worlds: J-Tree through the Mojave to Death Valley.

That stretch of lonesome road through the Mojave preserve is heaven on a stick.

This guy gets it:

http://www.priss.org/99/

You in? I'll drive sag.


(Apologies for the thread-jack, Enzo.)

I've always wanted to explore that area...:D

'Splorin' there sounds fun. I heard a rumor there is going to be a poker run out there onea these days.

http://www.geocities.com/alicestrong@sbcglobal.net/Absolutely_nothing.jpg