umd

I didn't actually "do" it but I was out there along a lot of the route, my usual stomping grounds. I saw Big John and Mkadam68 at the top of Casitas Pass. Lots of riders going the opposite direction, and a few going the same way.

It was nice weather, no smell of smoke and no ash in the air

GP

I rode with Mary and Herb. We saw your group but I'm not sure where we were.

mkadam68

Sorry we didn't stay and chat: we were just pulling out after regrouping when we saw you.

urbanknight

I saw you and said hi too, but you didn't seem to notice me. Understandable, since our group had something like 20 people. That was a really nice ride!

Cleave

Hi umd,

I thought I saw you at the back of a large group of your teammates heading south (east) along Via Real.

I saw and spoke with ME and Herb. I regrettably didn't talk to Grumpy Pig (Frank). I got to meet urbanknight (Brian) and spoke briefly with Big John.

Sounds like a number of you did the double metric. I just did the century. Generally had a good time.

umd

Cleave, I remember seeing you at one point, but I don't remember where. I waved but it didn't look like you saw me. You may have seen a group of my teammates that I wasn't in, we split up and took different routes after the top of Casitas.

Rick@OCRR

I saw Frank (Grumpy Pig) right before the ride started, then I saw Big John after it was over. I saw Kathy (valleygirl) at the last (pop-sickle) checkpoint, but didn't see Mary and Herb . . . or Urban Knight Brian.

I rode the double metric with Terri, plus we hooked up with Lisa and Mike from Las Vegas (they were in matching Hoodoo jerseys) for most of the ride. My wife (Jackie) rode the Century and finished just 5 min. before Terri and I finished the double metric; so it worked out good!

Great weather, great organization, great food and excellent riders, no hassle from motorists; all good. Okay, some of the road surfaces were a bit bumpy, but overall quite acceptable.

Rick / OCRR

herbm

We saw you on Cathedral Oaks as we headed out of the lunch stop!!

Nachoman

Don't you just hate people that don't wave back.

Rick@OCRR

Were you coming out of lunch as I was heading in? Someone said "Hi Rick," but I looked and couldn't see who; must have been you and/or Mary.

Between the Rebels, bikeforums.net and my double century riding friends, I saw lots of riders I knew on the Cool Breeze; so great fun, but not long enough to talk to anyone very long.

Did you ride the century or the double-metric? There were some folks who I knew were out there, but I didn't see all day, just because of the timing differences between the century and double-metric routes.

Rick / OCRR

big john

I saw Rick 3 times, twice on the road and at the end.
Cleave, sorry about the tease about your hat, I couldn't resist.
We did a modified version of the double metric.

Cleave

Somebody yelled at me as they were near the top of Bates Rd (1st hill of the century). I looked around but didn't see anyone that I immediately recognized and I was already a bit behind the folks with whom I was riding. So that was another point where I didn't wave back.

I can be so elitist sometimes.

herbm

That was Mary and I!!

herbm

No this was a bit further down Cathedral Oaks....we saw you but it was too late to call out to you!

We were on the century route

herbm

I think we saw you in the pack just after we turned from Nidever onto Via Real, as we headed to Summerland...

Slushman

I rode the metric yesterday. This was my first 'official' organized ride. Very fun! Beautiful weather, no smoke from the fires, and a very nice route despite the time spent on the 101 - which was beautiful but there was some speedy traffic! I hope to do this ride again.

I know some struggled with the wind and the climb near Ortega Hill road. The wind was very tame IMO, but I have trained in the Palmdale/Lancaster area so it didn't seem that bad. Per Garmin 305 I ended up climbing over 2100 feet (took a wrong turn and had to re-trace, road was labeled wrong near Bates Road) - so I was quite happy I've trained with extra climb.

I plan to vacation in the Carpinteria area again. I am already looking forward to riding there! Perhaps I'll latch onto a local group ride.

Scubachisteve

Excellent ride! Perfect weather, perfect scenery (crappy hotel room, but I won't get into that). That was my first Century and I was really impressed with the organization and amenities.

sm-rider

It was my first century as well. I was pretty wiped out, but in better shape than I thought I would be.

The climb was more like 4600 ft for the century though (as opposed to the advertised 3500 ft). Regardless, I was surprised to have completed the century in 5 hrs 30 min when I was shooting for 6 hrs.

Also, my Garmin said it was 98 miles. Anyone have different numbers for the century?

umd

the rote crosses the county line several times and the roads change names. Bates road for example is rincon road at the top. I've never been able to figure out exactly where it changes...

Slushman

I did wonder about the Bates/Rincon connection, but that's not what I was talking about. Near the last rest stop (which i skipped), there was a small sign that said "Return to Ventura" pointing to the 101S on-ramp with no real indication it was for Cool Breeze. The road however had a metric marker painted on it to continue on up the hill as opposed to getting on the freeway. After thinking about my post last night I now realize the marker was for after rest stop #1 (d'oh!). There however was no road marking indicating metric to enter the freeway (probably not to confuse people at the beginning of the ride)...so that's where my confusion started. At the top of that little climb I decided to pull out the route slip and re-trace. Oh well - it gave me a chance to get a little more climb into the ride!

Xyrlicious

Great turn out on this one. Lot's of nice peeps.

Got there a bit later than I'd hoped and had to park a block or two off Olive next to a taco stand. Was a good place to park as folks were eating on the patio all day. I dunno know about you, but I get a bit sketchy leaving our wallets and and other goodies behind in neighborhoods that I don't know too well. It's not like you can't figure out that most of these vehicles with bike racks on them are gonna be unattended in the same time frame and with similar content.

My riding partner, a co-worker and I got rolling about 7:20 and attached ourselves to a big fast group at the begining of the parkway just after Emma Wood SB. Those that were pulling took us all the way to Summerland at 23-24mph. Thanks! Skipped that first rest stop to hang with this group but it would be a big mistake for me to keep their pace on the ascent with much of a century ahead, so I was dropped and scattered with several others.

We watered at rest stop #2. Looks like they learned from last year. I remember having to stand in line to have someone pump water. This time they had several jugs spread out on the picnic tables and serve yourself. I have to remember to stay off the grass in my shoes. I don't like wet feet. Had the helpful Wrench tighten my pedal springs to silence the squeaks. He mentioned my chain and said it should be looking clean as new or I 'need a different lube for my lifestyle'. Ehem. OK. My silver KMC was running black using Dumond Lite so I'll give the Boshield T9 he recommends a try.

Onward and upward to the lunch stop. Lot's of company spread over the route. My right pedal was still squeaking and I had a sound in my BB. I just love a silent bike. There's something special about only hearing the rubber thrumming along the road. Oh well, not this ride.

We opted out of eating at the stop, decided on the Natural Cafe over at Fairview and Hollister. After a lazy lunch and couple coffees we road south on Hollister and met the route at Turnpike. With lunch sitting heavy in me, I told my wingman he could go chase people down if he wants, but I have to work the eats off first. So he barrelled away.

On Sea Ledge / Cliff at the curve in the descent after where they put up the caution sign there was a just downed rider. It looked pretty bad as she was laying on the other side of the guard rail. There were already a dozen people there and a few with cell phones so I didn't think it necessary to assist, but as I stepped up my pace, passing quite a few peeps and not seeing my partner anywhere ahead I started thinking he better be at the next rest stop or I F'd up. Well, he wasn't there, and he didn't answer his phone. No one answered his phone (a good sign). A few minutes later he rang back. It turns out just like a lot of others, he passed turn to back to that park for the stop.

OK. No more worries. I found him waiting near the Summerland stop and we caught a great pull from a couple across the freeway section and onto the parkway. Love that heavy road vibe along the parkway. Thank you, Zerts and Koobi saddles.

The cheering at the finish was embarassingly 'cute'.

It's a great event which I'll highly recommend to everyone.

Scubachisteve

I decided to stop as I didn't see much first aid equipment and only one person with her on that side of the guardrail. There were one or two guys keeping the woman calm/stable and asking here questions (basic first aid stuff about pain from what I heard). She was pretty hysterical and crying which is better than quiet and unconscious. Here legs were pretty torn up but that's about all I saw.

The rest of the dozen or so there were her riding partners who were hysterical themselves; crying and calling other people on their cell phones. I had to pull one or two of them out of the road as they were trying to flag down other people they knew. Me and this other guy Ani(?) spent the next 20 minutes farther up the hill signaling bikes and traffic to trim their speed as they descended. The corner was getting crowded and when the ambulance and fire rescue arrived they were parked across the descenders' lane-- safe to protect the scene from cars, but perfect pancake-makers for cyclists who couldn't slow in time.

I hope she's doing alright. There was a wall of big boulders on the other side of the guardrail. Any which way you take it, it had to be a pretty rough landing.

umd

Is this exiting Hope Ranch?

Scubachisteve

Yep, happened right at Arroyo Burro Beach coming down Cliff. There was a manhole cover with really torn up pavement around the edges. Not sure if it contributed to the accident or not, but I remember swerving around it just as I realized that there was a crash dead ahead. At first I was pissed when I saw the crowd because I thought 'What a stupid place for people to stop and regroup, what if someone crashes into them!?' Then it clicked as I rolled by...

umd

That hill has always been sketchy. People have crashed there before, so they added a sign with a picture of a person on a bike falling with debris...