www.bonfanteride.com...anyone doin it?

[CarreraGT612hp]

please talk to me if you are doing the bonfante century ride on October 21, 06. thanx

[pokalex92]

i am doing it

[bigbossman]

I did it last year, and will skip it this year. Frankly, I just didn't enjoy it that much. Compared to the multitude of other rides in Northern California, the course was, well...... "blah" .........

[pokalex92]

was there any serious climbs? well, i mean was it a decent ride at all? because i dont want to have wasted my non refundable registration money on a my century.

[bigbossman]

Nothing too serious - about 3,000' or so of climbing all told. Basically, the 100 mile ride is a big quasi-figure eight (assuming they use the same course).

You start at Bonfante Gardens, ride across the valley, and climb up to the hot spirings. Then you backtrack some, turn and climb some more, and then descend and loop back to the valley floor. You cross over the valley, turn north and go that way for a good while , stopping at the Pearl Izumi outlet and then ending up at the Specialized offices. Then it's more flat ground, up into the hills, loop around and back to Specialized. Then you go back south to the beginning.

Too much crossing back and forth/looping around for my tastes, and last year the course was poorly marked with tiny little arrows that were right on top of where you needed to turn. A lot of folks went astray.

But then again, it is probably the last organized ride left this year hereabouts, save maybe Solvang.

Here's a link to last year's discussion:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...light=bonfante

[pokalex92]

sweet. i guess ill this one and ill look into solvang as my next century in march. the day after the bonfante im doing the bay area super prestige series cyclocross race at candlestick park. i hope i can hold.

[Maxfield]

I did it