Tierra Bella April 9th in Gilroy?

[BikeMomma]

Hi Everyone -

I've signed up for the 100k route of the Tierra Bella, as well. I'm extremely partial to the gorgeous scenery around Gilroy, as it's on the way to one of my favorite places, Monterey/Pacific Grove. I'm secretly thinking of using this ride to sneak over to my fav restaurant in Pacific Grove (Vito's). We'll see how wiped out I am afterwards. I don't know if I can resist though...I highly recommend that place.

Any tips for a TB newbie? I read some of the riders' reviews from last year and it seems that this is a great, organized ride. Let's hope there are no hit-and-run/DUI incidents though - yikes!

I haven't decided if I'll stay the night in a hotel over there yet. The drive to Gilroy from here is probably just over an hour and a quarter, which isn't bad. However, I am NOT an early morning riser.....getting up for work m-f is bad enough!! I'm doing the Cinderella, as well, and that one is an over-nighter, for sure. What's the closest (and cheapest - I AM on a budget) hotel to the starting point? It would be nice if I can just ride over, rather than fight for a parking spot (read that too).

Thanks gals! See ya there, possibly (although out of 2000 riders...how do you weed out a few? ). I'll be the tall 30-ish ponytail gal on the white Cannondale and wearing a cranberry-color helmet....'course I may be meeting a few of you on the 2nd at the Cinderella....
- Kim

[jobob]

I haven't decided if I'll stay the night in a hotel over there yet. The drive to Gilroy from here is probably just over an hour and a quarter, which isn't bad. However, I am NOT an early morning riser.....getting up for work m-f is bad enough!! I'm doing the Cinderella, as well, and that one is an over-nighter, for sure. What's the closest (and cheapest - I AM on a budget) hotel to the starting point? It would be nice if I can just ride over, rather than fight for a parking spot (read that too).

Hi Kim, I kind of lost you here - are you asking about a hotel for the TB?

For the Tierra Bella, the website provides a bit of info at the bottom.
http://www.actc.org/tb/route.html

and the FAQ at http://www.actc.org/tb/faqs.html provides the following info:

Q - Are there campgrounds or motels nearby?
A - Check the following links:
www.usa-lodging.com/motels/califn/Gilroy.htm
www.gilroyvisitor.org/lodging.asp

Sorry I can't be more help than that, I don't know the area at all.

I won't be riding TB, I'll be working safety, so I'll probably be standing out at some intersection or corner trying to keep people from getting killed and/or going the wrong way

If I know where I'll be posted ahead of time I'll let y'all know.

- Jo.

[BikeMomma]

Hi there Jo -

Yea, sorry - I got a little long-winded there, didn't I? You interpreted my gibberish correctly - I was looking for hotel tips. Camping sounds fun, but a soft bed before a long ride sounds even better, especially since I"ll be on my own for this.

I checked out those links, but thought that one or two possibilities may have fallen through the cracks. That's me, checking all avenues before the decision is made. I'm sorta backwards that way....drives my hubby crazy.

By all means, let us know where your post might be! I'll stop and say hi!
- Kim

[slinkedog]

Hey BikeMomma! Also check out Morgan Hill and south San Jose as options if you don't want to stay right in Gilroy or they're all booked. There's a nice Holiday Inn (but may be more pricey) in south San Jose right near the freeway that will take you to Gilroy. (It's about a 20 minute drive from there or so.) I think it's called Holiday Inn Silicon Valley.

[BikeMomma]

Thanks, Slinkedog! I'll check it out!

[slinkedog]

for the TB?

[BikeMomma]

No, I haven't had a chance to get back to the hotel search. I need to! Only 4 weeks away now. Ideally, I'd like somewhere where I could just ride over to the starting point and not have to fight traffic in the car. Hope the hotels aren't filling up too fast.

Lately I've been concentrating on getting my taxes done so that I can get my new bike, hopefully by the Cinderella. I'm spoiling myself "big time" this year.