Bigger-er June Ride

I couldn't decide on a route (so many excellent possibilities!) so I wimped out and stole Anna's ride from earlier in the week. I made a few minor variations, but the biggest differences between are two rides were (a) Anna got stuck with a vicious headwind on the coastal portion, and I didn't; and (b) where Anna had a pleasantly warm and pretty day, I got a furnace.

All was well and enjoyable as far as Davenport, where I stopped for some of the best pastries to be found anywhere and a re-fill of the bottles. It was already a warm day, but the coastal fog had kept it reasonable up 'till then. South of Davenport, heading up the Bonny Doon climb, the heat turned oppressive. By the time I got to the top, my speed had dropped considerably, and I was starting to work out the water logistics in earnest! I simply couldn't carry enough water to keep myself hydrated.

I dropped down Jamison, and climbed 236 to Big Basin state park -- Anna took the shortcut up (very steep) China Grade on her ride, but I opted for the longer route through the park so I could fill bottles. Once I got to the park, I just had to sit for a while in the shade and try to rehydrate, but the damage had been done and I was not moving very quickly.

Climbing out of the park was tough -- there are some very sun-exposed parts of the road, before it eventually tops out and descends through the trees again. Once I got on to Hwy 9 for the last climb, I could feel the water I drank in the park starting to get into me, but it sure was a long, slow, hot climb to the top.

The guy with the hot-dog cart was, thankfully, set up at Hwy 9 - Skyline junction, so I could buy a can of soda. After zooming down the other side of 9 (there were unusually few motorcycles out -- too hot for leathers!) into Saratoga and Cupertino, I really entered the furnace; it was well into the 90's (95 on the computer) but all the absorbed heat was radiating from the pavement and right into my parched body. Stopping at traffic lights was painful, with no airflow I could just feel myself cooking.

As soon as I got home, Anna helped me get cooled off with several glasses of ice water -- rivers of sweat were pouring off me as the water got into my system. I chalked this ride up as one of my top-two sufferfests ever... it was a real doozy.

110 miles, ~10,000 feet of climbing, way too much heat.