AIDS Life Cycle - 2012: Part 3
Margaret-and-Steve.org Steve Benting -- Home Me, Myself, I, etc. Obligatory Links Page Pictures Ann's graduation |
Our adventure continues... June 6 - Paso Robles to Santa Maria Day four was long and tough. We rolled out at 6:45 or so from Paso Robles to an early rest stop again before we made the climb up the"Evil Twins" -- two climbs over 500 feet each. But, despite the name, these were only about 6% grade max. And at the top of the second Twin, we pulled into a turnout where they had signs showing that we were halfway to LA. So off course, everyone has to take their pictures there with the Pacific as a backdrop. Even better, this was followed by a nice, long, descent on smooth roads with wide shoulders. Then out was a long ride mostly down the coast with some stunning views along the way. There's quite a bit of wind, so the temperature kept shifting. If it was sheltered and in the sun, it was quite warm. If it was windy and shady, very cool. So we were forever adjusting clothes to get more or less air. But it was the crosswinds between the third and fourth rest stops that was the killer. (OK -- along with the sheer distance of a 97-mile day...) Much of our time was spent riding with a wind that kept trying to push us over. We eventually turned the corner into rest stop four directly into a headwind and I nearly stopped dead! But it also provided us with a nice tailwind for 10 miles or so. That made out a lot easier! And once again, Margaret's brother John picked us up and got us to the hotel - which has made this far more tolerable for us. Boy, do we owe him for letting us hijack his vacation! Now the route sheet tells us that we have done 65% of the total, or 354 miles. It's just 41 miles tomorrow, 85 on day 6, and finally 60 on day 7. That almost sounds easy now...  So of course, we had to get a picture -- and the peer pressure got to us:  And the profile: June 7 - Santa Maria to Lompoc Day five is a quieter recovery day. Only 42 miles and a couple sharp hills. We could easily have been done by 11, but we spent more time at the lunch stop while our ride was making its way South from Santa Maria to Lompoc. Today was also "Red Dress Day". It sounds like it may have started as "Dress Red Day" where everyone dresses in red gear so that it looks like the red AIDS ribbon when you see a line of riders. But not too surprisingly, it's been converted to an excuse for many, many riders to wear, well, red dresses. Aside from an annoying crosswind for a few miles, the weather was really good. We ran into a friend of Margaret's along the way and chatted for a while. There was also a school fundraiser at the second test stop, so we got some baked goods and a button that Margaret is displaying on the back of her bike. All that and some time to rest and do a load of laundry, too. So a very restful day after a few harder days in the saddle. They've done a very good job laying out the route overall, I have to say. Climbs tend to be early in the day with flatter riding later in the day when you're tired. There's a good mix of distances per day given the goal of riding from SF to LA. And the organization is extremely good. At any tricky navigation point, they have someone to make sure we get to the right place and there are plenty of service vehicles along the way as well. For those thinking of doing this ride, we'd definitely recommend it!    I forgot to mention that they're also pretty good about making shorter distances between rest stops later in the day as well. As ever, here's the profile. (But the bits after about mile 43 were in the car since I forgot that my new bike computer needs to be turned off at the end of the day...) So, we'd made it through the rough bits and felt a lot better for day 6. This page by , using KompoZer. Last updated on 23 June 2012. |