The club’s big event—the 2007 Wine Country Century—was held on a sunny and breezy Saturday, the fifth of May. According to our registrars, approximately 2400 riders were on the course somewhere that day, enjoying a wonderful exploration of the vineyards and forests and meadows of Sonoma County.
The WCC is proving to be one of the most popular events on the Northern California cycling calendar. There are many reasons why this is so: the route visits some really scenic regions; the terrain is not too difficult for most average riders; the date falls right at the peak of springtime perfection; and then there is the club, with support courtesy of hundreds of volunteers. It’s a winning formula.
So popular has the event become that we hit our 2500-rider limit in the first week of April, at least two weeks earlier than ever before. This caught many would-be entrants flat-footed, and there was widespread weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth among those left out (followed by a busy black market in traded entries). This may have also led to a substantial number of pirate riders doing the event unofficially. How many? We have no way of knowing for sure.
So the good news is that the event went very well. The weather was excellent. All of our logistical challenges were handled efficiently and there were no significant glitches in our operation. The bad news is that we experienced a higher-than-average number of accidents, some of which required emergency response. Fortunately, we are pleased to report that none of the riders involved in accidents was too badly banged up, and all were seen to be up and about and smiling later the same day.
Do we think this increase in accidents represents an ominous trend? Not neccesarily. We have seen bad accidents in other years and we have also had years with virtually no accidents. A half dozen tumbles this year is a bit above the norm, but averaged out over more than 200,000 miles of biking on the day, it’s well below the figures quoted for frequency of bike accidents in general. As for the number of 911 calls, some were probably legitimate, but some might be chalked up to quick trigger fingers on the part of those carrying cell phones.
Overall, after all the dust had settled, after all the bumps and bruises and ruffled feathers had been dealt with, we are left with this: the vast majority of riders had a great time, both on the bikes and in the assorted rest stops along the way. The vast majority of our SRCC workers also had a great time helping the riders. None of this would have been possible without the organizing energies of WCC Chair Doug Simon, his unoffical co-chair John Miklaucic, and dozens of committee chairs, most of whom poured countless hours into the project. To all of them, and to all of the hundreds of other club volunteers who pitched in so tirelessly on the event, we say, on behalf of all the happy riders: “Thank you! Well done!”
Just as we are standing down from our “all hands on deck” status for the Wine Country Century, we must now roust out the crew once again for the upcoming Terrible Two on Saturday, June 16. This is the other half of the Santa Rosa Cycling Club’s big one-two punch for this cycling season. In some ways, it’s an easier project than the WCC; in some ways, it’s harder. There are typically fewer than 300 participants, and the rate at which we are logging entries this year doesn’t appear to be changing that. So the crowd is much smaller. But the challenge is much greater: covering 200 miles of sometimes extremely remote roads, and keeping track of rideres who are sometimes pushed to their limits...it’s a tall order.
But the greater the challenge, the greater the reward, and this is true for workers and riders alike. We all take great pride and satisfaction in helping the riders tame the beast. We all triumph together.
Did you see the little write-up on the Terrible Two in the June issue of Bicycling magazine? It was a nice bit of ink. How did it come about that the TT was featured as the Ride of the Month in the biggest bike mag in the country? They came to us; we didn’t approach them. Word of this epic bike trek gets around. This is nothing new. In the media guide for the Tour of California stage race, for instance, it was noted that the pros would be climbing Trinity Grade, “featured in the Santa Rosa Cycling Club’s Terrible Two”...the only local bike club and the only non-pro bike event mentioned in the entire guide. Apparently the Terrible Two has serious street cred with the most elite racers in the land, or at least with the people who write their media guide.
That’s the reputation we have to uphold when the double-century diehards descend on Analy High School on June 16, all psyched up for their long day’s journey into night. All the usual jobs are there, needing your attention: rest stops, sags, clean-up, food prep, course marking, etc, etc. If you want to get in on the fun, talk to Craig Gaevert (545-4133, cgarch@sonic.net) or Bill Oetinger (823-9807, srccrides@srcc.com). See you out there on June 16.
You folks held an absolutely phenomenal Wine Country Century ride yesterday! The route was majestic, the road markings flawless, the rest stops extremely well-organized and well-stocked, and you even made sure the weather was perfect for riding 200 K. Bravo, Bravo to all of you!
You can be sure I will be back next year and the year after and the year after that. This ride will become an integral part of my spring training. My sincere thanks to the entire club for making this ride possible! All the very best,
—Perry Karsen
Thank you for a beautiful and well organized event. The #1 best thing you had which no other century ride I’ve done has had is HOT COFFEE!!!!! This was my first actual 100-mile ride, and one of my main concerns was that it would sure be easier if I could get a cup of coffee at some point in the ride. Other very good things you had: bike racks, large road signs warning cyclists of dangerous intersections, and delicious, made-to-order sandwiches at lunch. I will always remember what a great day I had.
Sincerely,
—Laurie Kunit, Oakland Yellowjackets
As a long -time rider, racer, and race promoter, I just wanted you to know that this was THE BEST supported ride I have ever done. The great route, great food (and COFFEE!), friendly volunteers, and lots of SAG support (thankfully didn’t need them) made it much easier for my 53-year old sister to complete her first 100-mile ride. Thank you so much for making this such a great experience for her (and me too)!
Thanks again,
—Meredith Nielsen, Left Coast Racing Team, Berkeley Bike Club
Good day to you. Our group of riders from the Sacramento area very much enjoyed the Century ride on Saturday. It was very well supported. Lunch and dinner were great. And the food and beverages at the rest stops were at least as good if not better than at other Century rides I have participated in. All the volunteers were friendly and courteous. And the sag support was the best I have seen at a century ride. We intend to return next year but will likely be back in greater numbers as we cannot wait to tell our fellow riders how much we enjoyed this year’s Wine Country Century.
P.S. The magnet with the WCC logo is a nice item - have not seen a club give this kind of an item out before. Thank you.
—Rick Kozlowski, Gold River, California
Had a great time on the 100-K ride! You guys do an amazing job of producing that event. The course layout, support at the rest stops, and the organization of your event was great. I see why the ride sells out so quickly. See you next year.
—Howard Jones
Thanks to the SRCC for organizing an awesome 200-K ride, California’s most beautiful 200-K! I enjoyed the 2007 ride: great weather, well organized, friendly people.
—Roger Lynn, Turlock
Thank you for another well-organized, well-managed and well-executed Wine Coutnry Century.
—John Kozero
That thing called the Wine Country Century, a spectacle of cycling enjoyed by 2500 paying participants. A record number of volunteers put on another great event. One person does make a difference, you made a difference. Whether you answered the call in January, just dropped by the finish area at the last minute to lend a hand, or something in-between, you helped spread the load of the task your club takes on on the first Saturday of May every year. You all do your task with a great amount of pride and it really shows. The riders are raving all day long about the wonderful support you provide to them.
Unfortunately another record was the number of “bootleggers” that also attended our event. It is another case of one person does make a difference; soon it is the 300+ we estimate it was this year. I think the increase in bike accidents and running low on supplies a few times can be attributed to these freeloaders. I have yet to hear why someone thinks it is OK to attend our ride for free. Let us hope it is only a matter of education. But even given those problems the SRCC volunteers shined through and made it a wonderful experience for the riders.
Thanks to the efforts of 240+ volunteers giving anywhere from four hours to multiple days of their time to put on the WCC, the club can now look forward to another financially secure year, full of giving to charities, picnics, holiday dinner, club jersey availability, riding, eating, socializing, being part of our community, then riding some more. Doing what we do best.
Thank You One and All… You Did An Awesome Job… You Truly Are The Best !!
—Doug Simon, 2007 WCC Chair
Questions about the appropriate pace on club rides are as old as bike clubs, and may be as old as the day the second bike rolled out onto the road, some way behind the first bike. Most clubs have some sort of specifications for classifying rides by their probable speed and level of challenge, so that prospective participants can more easily find a congenial peer group for riding together. It’s a good theory, and the better the specs, the more likely it will be that they will accurately reflect what goes on in the real world of everyday bike rides.
However, for better or worse, the real world of everyday rides and riders is much more various and complex and messy than can be easily codified in any set of specs. We use our system as best we can, with the understanding that no set of specs with only four categories is going to be a perfect fit for all occasions. As someone said, “We need a system with 50 categories!”
If you have been around this club long enough, you will have heard many, many discussions about pace, or tempo. We have been tinkering with our ratings and working on rider education for all of the 20 years I’ve been in the club. The problems are not new; the anecdotes are not new; the assorted levels of frustration and confusion are not new. Trying to get it right, so we please all of the people all of the time, is an impossible task. But we do keep trying.
In August of 2000, we introduced the rating system we use now. It was developed after much discussion and even some semi-scientific research. (I am referring to our Graton Road time trial, which you can read about on page 4.) Although it’s not a perfect system, it is the best we have come up with, and we think it works pretty well, as long as the riders are honest with themselves about their time trial results and how that data is used to help in choosing appropriate rides.
No system is perfect, and every ride presents us with a new set of variables: how long and hilly and hard the ride is; who has shown up, and how fit or frisky they feel today; and of course, how it’s rated in the ride list. Knowing that no set of four letters from the alphabet is going to cover all of those variables, it then is up to the riders and ride leaders to make the ride happen in a way that is fair and beneficial —and fun!—for the largest number of riders. The Golden Rule applied to bike rides. When I wrote about the new ratings in 2000, I concluded with the following paragraph. I don’t think I can improve on this with any newer insights today. It summed it up just about right eight years ago, and it still seems about right today.
“While we hope these new, simplified ratings will be easier to understand, ultimately, the responsibility for accurate, functional ratings lies with the individual ride leaders, who must honestly assess their own speed and their agenda on a given ride, list their rides accordingly, and then stick to their advertised tempo, regardless of who else shows up or how fast some riders may wish to go. Some responsibility also lies with the riders who participate in the rides. Learn your own relative speed—by doing our Graton Road time trial—and then attend appropriate rides. If you choose to participate in rides that are faster than your own rating, be prepared to be dropped; know the route; be self-sufficient; and bring friends along to keep you company. If you do a ride rated slower than your own rating, adjust your pace accordingly. But above all, have fun out there, and don’t take any of this too seriously.”
—Bill Oetinger, SRCC Ride Director
If the cycling year has a “prime time,” like 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm on television, then that prime time is probably from late April to late June around here. And we’re in the thick of it right now. I suppose this is a, “Well, duh!” observation, but I hope I can be forgiven for stating the obvious: it just doesn’t get any better than the combination of lovely spring weather and frisky spring spirits. The threat of rain is gone but the fields are still green and the wildflowers are still popping out all over and it isn’t too infernally hot yet. And most riders, if they are typical, have emerged from winter’s hibernation and are fully launched on whatever passes for their agenda for the year; as fit as they’re going to get and full of eager ambition.
It’s no accident that the club’s big event comes right on the cutting edge of this best of all possible seasons. But more about the WCC later, or elsewhere. For now, let’s zero in on club rides and other fun spring adventures. Now, having painted this pretty picture of lovely weather and whatnot, I have to start with a report on what we can only hope was the last rain-out of the season: Rich Fuglewicz’ Clear Lake Double Metric on April 21. This ride has a history of getting nailed by the last big gully washer of the spring cycle. The overnight forecast was dire, so most folks stayed home. But a few did show up, hoping wishful thinking would trump the predictions and the radar. So much for wishful thinking. The forecast was spot on: the riders got to the top of Ida Clayton (from a start in Healdsburg) and at that point the drizzle was setting in. Wise folks turned tail and made it back to the start without getting more than damp. A few stubborn souls carried on and plowed into solid rain as soon as they were over into Lake County. End of story, pretty much. Rich is considering relisting in the Fall, but it’s too hot up in Lake County to do it sooner. (We did a CLDM rain-check ride in August one year, and we got baked.)
The next day, the weather improved from a dead certainty of rain to a slight possibility of rain, and that’s how things stood for Randall Ray’s Sweetwater ride out of Healdsburg. Randall reports: “We had 14 riders, all club members, with one tandem. Sweetwater was remarkably free of debris and gravel considering the amount of rain we got the day before and overnight. I believe we only had one flat on the whole ride! In Guerneville, we lost a couple of riders to the comparative flatness of River Road, and we also picked up a couple. We stayed mostly together for the bulk of the ride, with regroups at the summit of Sweetwater in both directions, and again at Westside. Four of us took the option out Mill Creek. On the return trip, we were doused with a pretty good little downpour. It was more refreshing than anything, and a poignant reminder of how fortunate we were to have dodged the raindrops for most of the day. Another good day in (and out of) the saddle!” In case you didn’t check out the route in the newsletter—or do the ride—let me note that this was a serious April Alpina altitude accumulater, with two trips back and forth over the wicked-sick pitches on Sweetwater and then the infamous walls on Mill Creek for a chaser. A short ride, but an intense one.
It was made a bit more intense for Alfred Mascy when he was confronted by a crazy lady on Sweetwater. This nasty piece of work is well known to cyclists. She has a few slates loose and vents her incoherent rage at anyone who comes near her, including cyclists. She probably needs some psychiatric help, but has fallen through the cracks of our mental health system. Alfred reported it to the local sheriff’s station, and while they said there was little they could do as long as she hadn’t actually assaulted anyone, I believe they did eventually send a deputy out to talk with her, for whatever good that might do. Strange as it may seem, there appear to be two woman on Sweetwater who hassle cyclists: this one and another one who is more of a menace, as she swerves at riders in her pick-up. She too has been reported to the police. We at first assumed it must be the same person, but some riders insist it’s two people. Maybe they’re twin sisters. Twisted sisters.
There was a Eunice Welcome Wagon ride on this day as well, but I don’t know if it happened, what with the dodgy weather.
The next weekend—the last in April—featured, among other rides, our 400-K Brevet. Donn King checks in: “There was a light turnout again, relative to the signups: 50 riders were enrolled, but just over 30 started. There were a lot of Bobator jerseys in the morning and Briant Smith and Kevin Hodge from that club again finished with the best times: 15:15. Dennis Forer, Mike McGuire, and I finished for SRCC. My time was 20:50. The slowest rider required 26:20 of the maximum 27:00 hours. The weather got pretty warm in Clear Lake in the afternoon, near 90°, but the wind was mild and offered neither advantage nor disadvantage as the ride moved through the compass points. I did the ride on my one-speed Richard Sachs and think I discovered my limits of practicality for that type of setup. The course was overall without a lot of elevation gain, but the climbing that there was was steep and with the heat and distance, I had severe cramping that forced me to get off and walk several of the climbs on the way back. There was a fixed gear rider in the field who did just fine however. I think I will be forced reevaluate my idea of doing PBP on a one-speed.
“Donna and Sharon checked in registered riders in the morning and Craig Johnson and Tom Kuhn checked in finished riders at the end. Kathy-&-Richard’s office and production facility in Windsor served beautifully as the Start/Finish. Craig arranged for pizza to be delivered during the night and there was a cornucopia of pizza at the Finish. PhD’s in rumble strips were granted to all riders who came down the 9-mile section of 101, between Hopland and the Geyser’s Road exit. In the dark, it’s impossible to stay out of those damned strips, and they are cut deep into the pavement along there. Talk about a wakeup call when you hit that thing in the dark...”
Saturday featured two slightly more conventional rides. Ken Russeff had an A ride out of Ragle: “Our Apple Blossom Time ride on April 28th coincided with the Apple Blossom Parade and Festival in Sebastopol. We rode out of Ragle Park with 16 riders, picked up one more enroute and experienced perfect weather, one flat, and another superb rest stop at the Wildflour Bakery in Freestone. As usual, we lost a handful of riders at the tricky Canfield/ Blank road interchange. Fortunately, they always come back. I figured it was a nice turn out since there was a large contingent of A riders in San Luis Obispo for the Wildflower Rides.” (How about a report from those A riders who went to SLO?)
On the same day, Linda and Sid Fluhrer offered folks a shot at an assortment of gnarly climbs in the hills around the town of Sonoma. This is the one I chose to do, and I can tell you it was a tough row to hoe. The climbs on Lovall Valley and Ghericke were not too severe—to get us started—but then we hit Norbom and Highland...owww! Highland in particular was a brutal wall in the high teens or worse, plus a descent just as steep. After that, Moon Mountain and Cavedale kept folks pushed to their limits. Finally, after a break in Glen Ellen, the group decision was to skip the ultra-ugly (steep & long) Grove and substitute the much kinder and gentler Orchard (out of Eldridge) as the final ascent of the day. This ended up giving us around 8000' of climb in around 60+ miles. That is a serious piece of work. I don’t know about the other dozen or so people who were there, but I was toast at the end. I can’t recall the last time a ride of less than 100-K was so hard. On the other hand, the scenery was wonderful all day. We should list more rides in the Sonoma area. There is great riding down there, and it doesn’t have to be as hard as this ride was.
There was one ride the next day, and that was Maury’s Memorable Metric Plus. Ride leader Maury Cohen reports: “The group of six met at Piner. We were joined for a time by Larry W. and Janice O. and proceeded safely to a nice bakery break in Tomales. There was some cheerful whining about the hilliness of my route (just as was desired by me). We came up with approximately 4400' of elevation gain on two independent Garmin GPS units. It was especially enjoyable from Walker Hill on as I don’t recall a recent ride passing through the ‘Roblar Territory’. Charlie Rowell led a merry pace up Occidental Road appreciated by all.”
April 28 was also the date of the Devil Mountain Double Century, one of the hardest doubles around. This one was made especially hard by virtue of hot weather. Most veterans of past DMD’s said it took at least an hour longer than usual. Our club and/or region was well represented in the results. Robert Choi of Santa Rosa finished first, Marc Moons of Sebastopol finished third, and Tony Lee of Petaluma finished fourth. Craig Robertson finished 11th on a tandem with Jenny Phillips, and Georg Ockefuss finished 19th. Scott McEldowny was further back in the pack but a long way from the back of the pack...and anyway, any finish at all is a victory on this course.
That brings us round to the Month of May, and you know what that means: the first Saturday in May is always the Wine Country Century. You can read all about the big show elsewhere in this issue. We won’t squander our few precious column inches here being redundant. There were club rides the day after the WCC though. Two of them. And there was racing downtown as well. A busy weekend.
As for the races, this was what used to be called the Wine Country Classic or Wine Country Crit. Now sponsored by Clover, it is called the Clo-terium. Whatever it’s called, it’s on the same very nice five-corner crit course around City Hall, with the finishing line on Sonoma Avenue and the long, sloping lawn down the whole block being perfect for spectator viewing. Having the race meet the day after the WCC and the same day as an open house at SRJC didn’t help attendance. Crowds were small, but the racing was as intense as ever, at all levels from kids up to pros. Brian Carroll and Mark Sedgwick put together a club ride that beavered around in the Trinity Grade, Mt Veeder region before returning to downtown SR in time to watch the races in the afternoon. Brian tells me attendance was low for their ride too. Maybe everyone was just all tuckered out from the WCC the day before.
Then again, maybe not. Robin Abramson also had a ride listed on the day, and from the sound of her report, it was a busy, energetic day for her crew. The pace was AB, but the hills were of the sort more typically found on C or D rides: Coleman Valley, for instance. “The ride went great! I decided to ride the route in reverse which gave us a tail wind a great deal of the way. The weather was beautiful, warm and clear. Not a lot of traffic. We saw a turkey with its feathers out and a blue heron on Coleman Valley Road. We also got buzzed by a hawk. Some folks wanted a more challenging ride so they went over Bay Hill and met up with us on Hwy 1 where we rode to the Tomales Bakery for some goodies. Unfortunately, one of our female riders got ‘spanked’ on Hwy 1: some youngsters drove by and one of them stuck his hand out and whacked her on the bum. Fortunately, she did not crash. Aside from that, great ride, great company, and great weather. Life does not get any better than that.”
One week later and we were back around to the Second Saturday format again, but, as was the case last month—with the Spring Fling picnic—this SS event was special. It was the WCC Workers’ Ride and Picnic. Look for a report below on this wonderful day.
Rose Mello had one of her old favorite rides listed on the following day, and in spite of sharing the weekend with another big club event, she still managed to lure 14 riders out for this classic trek from Willowside up to Windsor. Rose sent in a quick note to say that all went well, and in particular she mentioned that she is pleased to see new A riders showing up on her rides , and looks forward to seeing more of them on future rides. Her supply line of A newbies springs directly from the Janice-&-Mike Eunice college of bicycle prep, otherwise known as the Welcome Wagon rides. They had yet another of these most accessible rides on the same Sunday. No report from Janice, but the fact that the newly fledged A riders are venturing out onto Rose’s rides means The Welcome Wagon rides are doing their job.
Wine Country Century Workers’ Ride
One week after the official Wine Country Century, the club members who had worked on the event were afforded an opportunity to ride the course on our annual workers’ ride. This celebration of closure has become an integral part of the WCC experience. We now have four fully staffed rest stops for those doing the various WCC distances, and to wrap it up, we have a snazzy catered picnic after the ride(s).
We estimate that nearly 100 club members rode one of the WCC routes on this day and that another 30 or so showed up just for the picnic. This year we tried Shiloh Park on Faught Road for the picnic. It proved to be a very nice venue for such an event, with plenty of room for the catered buffet and barbecue. The picnic was organized by Susan Noble, who hired caterer Sally Tomato to lay on a great spread. Tons of barbecue, all sorts of mouth-watering munchies, fruit smoothies, beer, wine, chili, cornbread, brownies, ice cream, on and on... No one went home hungry. And there were even door prizes. Such a deal!
The rest stop crews were coordinated by René Goncalves and Sharron Bates, and as usual, we were treated to René’s famous chocolate-covered strawberries. (The WCC participants didn’t get those!) Someone complained that they ate so much at the rest stops working their way around the course that they weren’t hungry enough to do justice to the buffet at the picnic. As Lou Salz observed: “I think the support for this workers’ ride is better than any normal century I’ve ever done. It truly is worth working on the WCC just to get this reward.”
The weather was slightly cooler than on the previous Saturday (when it had been borderline hot). This day was just about perfect for cycle-touring. Cool enough to warrant an undershirt, maybe, but not so nippy as to be painful. Taken together with the great support on the course and the awesome picnic afterward, it added up to a superb reward for all of our hard-working WCC staff.
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