Can’t say enough about the wonderfulness of the SRCC volunteers on the Terrible Two. You were the most helpful and accommodating group of people I have ever come across. Clearly, your day was long and demanding, but you managed it with great care, humor and enthusiasm.
— Brian Carroll, Santa Rosa

Well, it’s now an even dozen consecutive TT completions for me and I have watched the event get better and better (and unfortunately have also watched my times get worse and worse as I age).

I have to say the support has gotten better and better, mostly because of the spirit of the volunteers. In the old days, they’d stand behind well prepared tables of food and watch the riders take care of themselves. Now they are in front of the tables, taking bikes, filling bottles for the riders, and generally making rest stops a very pleasant place to be, while giving riders needed encouragement.

As far as results, I’ve experienced the lackadaisical approach to getting results posted at other events. Not so at the TT. I also participate in well organized USCF events. Results are always posted soon after the event. The TT always has results available in the next few days. I’ve contacted other event organizers of other doubles about results two weeks after the event. The reply is invariably, “we were tired after the event and needed to take a break.”

The event isn’t complete until the results are in and I applaud your diligence in getting them done (even though I am not terribly proud of mine). I always look forward to Bill’s write-up of the event. He always seems to capture the spirit of each event with great style.

On a side note, I got to ride with Brian Anderson from Calistoga to Geysers. I wasn’t terribly strong on Trinity, and even so, Brian was behind me. He was in a big group that caught up to my small group just before Calistoga. When I left Calistoga, his group of five or so caught me and I rode with him to Geysers at a very easy pace (for him). I was surprised at his patience, just cruising along comfortably. I asked him if he felt the pressure of finishing first, and he said yes. I asked him how he felt and he said, “I’m tired.” Then we got to Geysers and he floated away. Last I saw of him.

Thanks again to all for another great TT. This vet can honestly say it gets better and better. Cheers,
— Paul McKenzie, Berkeley

I’d like to take a moment to thank all the members of the SRCC and volunteers that made this year’s TT the great ride that it is. Aside from providing one of the most scenic and challenging courses around, those that give their time and energy to the event are what make it the ride that it is.Every person that I met at the rest stops and at the end of  the ride was more than helpful. I had people fill my water bottles, provide encouragement when I needed it most, and just generally treat me very well. This year was my second attempt, and without all the help I don’t know that I would have finished. You really do all you can to help us succeed. The sag support was second  to none with plenty of helpers along Skaggs  Spring Road.The food at the end of the ride was great, even for those finishing late in the evening.You are all very organized ,and it shows. Thanks for everything.
— Milt Rayford

Let me add to the chorus of Terrible Two riders to pass along a huge “Thank you” to Craig, Bill, Doug and each and every single volunteer who contributed to the event.

Since this was my first time riding the TT, I can now fully appreciate why people hold the course in such high regard and more importantly, rave about the volunteer staff. None of the five other doubles that I have attended come close to having the total package that we have with the TT.

At every rest stop were smiling faces with encouraging words and even cheering, ready to help and serve. At first it was a bit embarrassing, but I got over it and with your help, I can honestly say that, other than the temporary suffering on the Skaggs, Rancheria and Fort Ross climbs, I had so much fun on the ride! It was clearly the most memorable cycling event I have completed and all of you made it possible. YOU FOLKS ARE AWESOME!!!

While not every rider would say they had fun at the TT, they will say, to a person, that the ride and support are unparalleled on the doubles circuit. The organization and logistics alone are amazing. SAG vehicles were everywhere, and fortunately, I didn’t need them.

Thanks again everyone!
— Greg Durbin, Santa Rosa

You guys are simply amazing. I was totally 100% blown away by everything about the Terrible Two.  I’ve never seen such great Rest Stops, with Fresh Fruits, Awesome Cookies, and a full pharmacy of powders, drugs, and performance enhancements. So many SAG cars and motorcycles, I couldn’t believe!! Ice everywhere!! Everywhere. Ice makes a HUGE difference when it’s hot. HUGE!! Sodas. Cokes. There’s nothing better than a Coke at mile 180. It was just phenomenal … the whole deal. I’ve noticed a huge improvement everytime I ride the TT … from ’98 to ’00 to ’03 to ’07 … just huge improvements, and I tip my hat to your entire club.
— Chuck Bramwell, California Triple Crown Coordinator

Thank you for another great year, the course was again amazing and the volunteers were incredible.  I couldn’t have done as well as I did without them. Thanks again and see you guys soon hopefully.
— Brenda Phelps, SR

Congrats for another great TT.

It was my third. And again I finished past sunset. I believe there is a problem with your aid stations that creates my tardiness. THE AID & SUPPORT PEOPLE ARE TOO NICE AND TOO SUPPORTIVE. It is too difficult to leave the comfort of your gracious and kind rest stops you have created over the past years. Two solutions: 1. Hire my former DI (Drill Instructor) and his buds from Camp Pendleton to hustle slackers like me out of the aid stations, and 2. place tip jars on the tables to further insult and motivate me back onto the bike. (However, your crew deserves the tips).

Seriously, as a former race director of an endurance run, I believe you have the best supported event of all centuries and double centuries. Many of us return , not only for the competitive spirit and beautiful course, but for great support and courteous care you maintain consistently each year.

I’ll be back next year in better shape and with money for the tip jars.
— Bill Beadle, Weimar, CA

The route changes every year. I won’t include every single road we did, as there were many, but will cover the main ones and the highlights. We started the day going up Page Mill to Skyline. This is a really nice climb. There is nothing too steep, so it’s a good one to warm up on. From Skyline, we descended Alpine Road. This is an awesome ascent, and an equally challenging descent, especially on tandem! The pavement is fairly rough, but not too bad. I think the hardest part for the captain is keeping your eyes on the road and not the scenery.

Once at the bottom we worked our way to Hwy 1 on Pescadero Road, the Butano Cutoff, Cloverdale Road, and Gazos Creek Road. These roads in combination were a very spectacular way to get out to the coast. Along this section we noticed a higher than usual number of cyclists coming the other way with light touring bags.  We thought is odd until we noticed one of them wearing a previous PBP jersey. We then realized that we were crossing paths with Day 2 of the Santa Cruz 600-k brevet! From that point on we cheered for each randonneur we passed! They were nearing the end of this 600-km ride, and the cheering brought smiles to their weary faces!

Once on Hwy 1 we had a really nice cruise down the coast to Santa Cruz. We had a slightly crossing tailwind, so were able to make up a little time. Once on Hwy 1 we were also mixed in with cyclists from the first day of the AIDS ride. They had rest stops about every 3 miles, each one with a different theme. At one everyone was dressed in Wizard of Oz costumes!

Once we got to Santa Cruz, we started the serious climbing of the day. The real highlight was a road called Mountain Charlie Road.  This is a very narrow mountain road that basically parallels Hwy 17. It has very steep though fortunately stepped pitches pretty much all the way up. The road is a jewel and a must-do for anyone who likes to climb.  At the top we turned onto Summit Road and continued to climb as we worked our way to Skyline, where we continued to climb some more!  We finally got some sweet descending and very tandem-friendly rollers to our turn onto Hwy 9. This descent is great on the tandem. So good, we over ran the turn off onto Pierce Road and had to backtrack a little. The final climbs included Mt Eden, which was a really nice climb, taking us to Stevens Canyon Road and eventually back to the start.

Overall, the “century” ended up being 112 miles and a little over 9000' in climbing.  It took us all day but we felt pretty good at the end.

The support on this ride is good. The rest stops were well stocked though only one stop had sodas. The finish is stocked pretty much like the other rest stops, with the addition of ice cream. I think what would propel this event into a great one would be more sodas and a post-ride meal.

—Bill Ellis, Novato

What a great ride! This could be my favorite century! Six of us from my work bike club (the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory Cycletrons) met at the VA Med Center in Palo Alto for a 114 mile, 9000' ride through the Santa Cruz Mountains, down the coast highway to Santa Cruz, and return through the mountains again. There were some fantastic back roads (Page Mill, Alpine, and Mountain Charlie Road to name a few). These were narrow back roads, sometimes steep and windy, with with twisty descents and almost no traffic. The coast was fogged in, but with a tailwind, we cranked the 24-mile leg of Hwy 1 down to Santa Cruz in a little over an hour. My only complaint is that it would have been even nicer if the coast weren’t fogged in. Other than that, the temperature was about perfect for riding. We rode through dense redwood forests, over roads with less dense tree cover and open vistas, wide open roads like Cloverdale Road, and down fast descents like Hwy. 9. The food was pretty good (but not excellent) and the rest stops were well spaced about 20 miles apart. The Western Wheelers put on this ride and they vary it so the same route is not done every year; and they do an excellent job of it. There are shorter options like a metric century too. The excellent mountain roads, Hwy 1 with a wide shoulder, and mild temperature conditions, put most of the other centuries I’ve ridden around the Bay Area to shame. I will probably do this ride again next year.

—Mike DeMicco, Antioch

First off, let’s catch up on those double century results from way back...the ones that weren’t available last month. Looks like only three local boys went to the Central Coast Double this year (Mothers Day weekend), but they did a good job. Robert Choi finished first overall in a time of 11:58; Craig Robertson was 10th at 13:08; Bill Ellis was 14th at 13:27. Next—the following weekend—was Davis. They don’t rank the finishers at Davis, so this list is simply in alpha order: Randy Becker, Ken Cabeen, Bill Carroll, Barley Forsman, Joe Gorin, Mark Gunther, Mike McGuire, Joe Morgan, Peter Potrebic, Denise Prue, Craig Robertson, Charlie Rowell, and Adrienne Ruggles. 13 finishers...not bad! Finally, Scott McEldowney appears to be the only clubster who did the Eastern Sierra this year. His time of 11:47 was good for a tie for 10th. (If four people tie for tenth, can they all say they made the top ten?)

As for the Terrible Two, I count nearly 40 finishers who are either SRCC members or local to Sonoma County. TT results were in last month’s newsletter and now reside in all their fancy-pants splendor on our club website.

Our reporting period for club rides ended last month with the TT, so the first ride we have to report on this month was one that happened the day after the TT, on June 17. That was Janice Oakley’s Way Out West, a BC ride which started at Piner High School and went as far afield as the unpaved Willow Creek, near the mouth of the Russian River. Janice reports: “We started out with 19 riders, including Joyce, who came down from Healdsburg while her family was out of town. It had been some time since I led a ride. When I got pushed out front, I stayed there for a while and we lost a couple of riders. Other than that, the group stayed together through the meandering route toward the coast. On Willow Creek, the group split up and was further separated when Robert Hall got a blow out. Those of us in the back group enjoyed the beauty of the landscape and the adventure of the unpaved road.”

On the same day, Ken Russeff listed a ride that wandered around the Windsor plain. Ken checks in with this report: “The ride on Father’s Day was kept brief for those who intended to spend the afternoon with their dads and/or family members. What was submitted as an A ride turned into an AB ride which had superb results. We had about 10 A riders and 12 B riders, which included a mix of seven visiting riders who are not club members; even a rider from Oregon visiting his brother here. Good weather, no incidents, and good coffee at Café Noto in Windsor. Greg Conklin even dusted off the cobwebs from his homebuilt recumbent for the ride.”

There was another Windsor area wander on the following Saturday, this one led out by Jim Draeger. Jim’s comments: “Despite a forecast that called for cloudy, cool and windy conditions, we had 30 riders show up at Piner High School on a beautiful sunny morning with a light breeze. Of the 30 riders, nine of them where non-club members. The course followed the WCC 35-mile route for the most part, with some extra miles at the front and back because we started at Piner, not the Wells Fargo Center. We were not alone out there. We were sharing the road with other cycling groups, one being the Diabetes Ride. They had a rest stop in Graton.

“Unfortunately, I must report some bad behavior on the part of some riders. When we were on Sanford Road, we had cars both up and back. Many of the riders were not moving over to the right in a reasonable and timely fashion, causing auto traffic to come to a halt to accommodate some self-important cyclists. It looked to me as if some of the drivers were unhappy with us, and in my opinion, rightfully so. Also, when we were on Hembree Lane, I saw large groups of riders blowing through the stop signs when there where cars in the intersections. Some had club jerseys on. How’s that for spreading good will for the club? Other than that, it was a great ride on a picture perfect day. I would also like to give special thanks to Jose Mundo and Steve Drucker, for organizing a re-group at Mill Station Road.”

On the same day, Charles Beck listed a ride out in the west county hills...a very hilly CD ride of 67 miles. “This was one perfect bike riding day. The weather fabulous, car traffic minimal, a great group out the gate and no flats. I left my place on Joy Road about 8:50 and took Bittner to Occidental, arriving at 9:00. Perhaps a dozen riders were in front of the Union getting ready and a few more showed before takeoff at 9:10. Rolling down Boho, then Moscow was smooth—quick without hammering—and pleasant. A left on Austin Creek then another left into the narrow lane that parallels Austin Creek and empties out at the store. Three more riders show there, and then the long but shaded climb up Fort Ross. Regroup at the top. The whole group is still together and off to a fine, quite speedy descent on Timber Cove Road to be met with a blue, blue ocean with 15 to 20-mph of tailwind behind it. In no time we are at the base of Fort Ross Road again and begin to climb. What a difference for me from last Saturday’s ascent (the TT). Another regroup at the top and off to Meyers and Russian Gulch for the longest descent of the day...wind whipping through wheels and the curves begging to be sped through.

“We sit for a few at Jenner and take a vote, so instead of Coleman, Willow Creek is chosen. It is around 1:30 and traffic from Goat Rock to Bodega Bay is bad this time of day. Willow Creek, mostly shaded with great stumps here and there left from when the virgin timber was cut, is downright pleasant, and we meander upward to the last gate then the stop at the top of Coleman Valley. Despite my offer of ice cold beer, three peeled off down Coleman, needing to get home. The rest of us pedaled half a mile and rolled down the driveway to the ice chest at my house. Fat Tire and Widmer and Cokes. What’s better than sitting on the drive in the sun, sipping brews and BS-ing with friends after a cruise like today? Oh, we looked at art in the studio but I couldn’t get them drunk enough to buy anything.”

The next day Greg and Jan Conklin had a ride out of Finely Park that rolled up along the river...30 AB miles with a lunch at Stony Point Grill afterward. Sorry, no report on how it went.

The next weekend offered something a bit different. Tom Helm had a paceline clinic on the list. Tom is a long-time club member with a vast store of bike skills and lore to share. He’s a good teacher too. He sent in this note about the first clinic: “I think it should be made clear that these classes are for inexperienced paceline riders. I had a good time. The objective was to get people more comfortable in pacelines. It worked well because everyone quickly felt comfortable with each other. There weren’t any hot shot, experienced liners. I found that introducing more advanced techniques early helped show the important parts of the basics: that riding a revolving paceline pointed out how important staying close, being steady, and communicating is in even the single-line riding. And the double paceline got people relaxed by chatting with a partner instead of being obsessed and tense by yourself in a line of others. I will do more as long as people keep coming. There were 12 of us the first time, and six the second time.”

That finished off the month of June. First up on July 1 was a BC ride led by Richard Stone, heading from Analy HS out to Occidental and Tomales. Once again, I never got a report on how this ride played out. (If you want us to report on your ride, you have to report on it to us first so we can pass the info along.)

Next up were the rides associated with the SCBC Bicycle Santa Rosa festivities at Julliard Park on the Fourth of July. There was the City Council Ride, led by Martin Clinton, which gathers together as many local politicians as we can lure onto bikes and takes them on a ride around Santa Rosa, with the goal of demonstrating that bikes can be a viable and enjoyable form of urban transport. Then Rose Mello led a two-wheeled quest in search of as many Snoopy statues as could be found around town. Finally I led a longer ride out into the countryside, featuring climbs on Adobe Canyon, Orchard, and Sonoma Mountain, plus the downhill transit of Sonoma Valley Regional Park on a pleasant new bike trail. There were many, many cyclists milling about at the start, and it wasn’t easy to figure out who was going on which ride, but eventually we got ourselves sorted out. After the ride, most of the participants hung around the park to check out the music and games and food and bike-related activities at the festival. I think this may have been the hottest day of the year so far, at least when we’ve been out riding. It was in the high 90’s on the long climbs on Sonoma Mountain, so cool drinks and ice cream at the festival were much in demand after the ride. Hats off to SCBC and all the SRCC/SCBC members who worked hard to make the day a success.

The next ride up was a package of rides. It was the month’s Second Saturday format, only it was on the first Saturday. This was the day of the workers appreciation picnic for all those who has done a tour of duty on either the Terrible Two or the club’s brevet series this spring. As is our custom, the picnic was preceded by rides at A, B, and C tempo. The picnic was in Spring Lake Park and the rides started and ended next door in Howarth Park, where the parking lot was choked with riders in the morning. There might have been as many as 100 on hand for one of the three rides. (Not all of those folks ended up at the picnic, but others who had not been able to make the rides did show up for the food, so in the end, there were probably close to 100 at the Oak Knolls Group Site as well.) Kimberly took the lead with the A train; Jim Draeger was in charge of the Killer B’s, and I attempted to herd the C group along. We began with such nice roads as Enterprise and the bottom half of Sonoma Mtn, then the big climb on Cavedale, the big descent on Trinity, and lots of nice Valley of the Moon back roads to finish it off...Warm Springs, Lawndale, and a first look at the newly paved East Pythian, heading up to the new trailhead into Hood Mtn State Park. We all managed to find our way back to the picnic in time to plow a big furrow through a marvelous buffet laid on by caterer Matt Parks (the food coordinator on our club tours). There was even a raffle of some swell bike swag while we were eating and yakking. Thanks to Greg Durbin and his crew of Terrible Two riders and randonneurs for turning things around and supporting the workers who had supported them.

One week later and Mark Sedgwick and Brian Carroll put together a C ride of 65 miles out through the steeply folded ridgelines of western Sonoma County and northwestern Marin County. I never got an exact head count, but there were at least 30 riders there. The listed pace of C might be a bit inadequate to describe the actual ride—what’s new?—as there were folks riding at anything from B+ to D+. No surprise then that the group ended up strung out over several miles of country lanes. But we had very leisurely regroups in Occidental and Tomales, so the whole affair felt more like a social promenade than a hammer fest. There were just brief bursts of hammering now and then to keep folks awake and entertained. Up the club time trap on Graton, then up Bittner and dowwwwn Joy; up the big wall on Franklin School, past the stone city down in the canyon, all wreathed in tendrils of fog. Up and over the ridges on Hwy 1 and Ghericke, north of Tomales, and finally up and over the top of English Hill on Burnside and then down the rabbit hole on Barnett Valley...a typical west county hills ride: never a flat road and never a dull moment.

The same day, Ken Russeff had an A ride up around the Windsor plain. “The road to Café Noto from Piner Youth Park: 18 riders at the peak with two visiting members and about five B riders...at least they left the rest of us in the dust. Looking at the fog in the west brought two points to ponder: #1. Was it going to be cold for our ride? (not!) and, #2. As we were expecting to see balloons, was the Windsor Balloon event going to be cancelled? Well, the fog lifted quickly; however, apparently the balloon take off never materialized. Final analysis, our ride was superb! It’s rewarding when an A route attracts B riders. Their presence is appreciated and hopefully, their pace is an inspiration to the A riders.”

Rose Mello had the last ride of this period on July 15...a classic Russian River Valley loop from Esposti Park up the west side of the river to a rest stop at the Oakville Grocery on the plaza in Healdsburg, then the return trip down the east side of the valley. Rose reports 27 riders on hand for this one, including four newbies. The only blemish on a beautiful day was a mechanical for Al Bloom that cut his ride short. Otherwise a good time was had by all.

One last item: check out the August ride list. Five of the eight weekend rides for the month are slight variations on the same Wine Country theme...riding out of and around Healdsburg. How does this happen? Some group telepathy? They’re all good rides, but a little more variety would be nice. How about next month we give Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys a rest and take our club rides elsewhere?