Chico Velo '06 Century Series

[Trekhawk]

Are you saying more civilized in terms of amenities and mileage/day or road quality?

Over on bikejournal, someone just posted a link to his write-up on last year's Tour (the 1-day spring version) and I'm not too inspired to ride. The gravel doesn't sound bad and packed dirt is OK, but it sounds like a huge amount of the ride is only really bad surfaces, even the pavement. Short stretches would be OK, but it sounds like most of the route is in bad shape.

If I want to get jarred to pieces, I'll go ride in the dirt. I supose I could take the cross bike or my softtail. But maybe we should just plan our own ride. I want to see these hills but not sure that a road bike sounds like the fun way to do it.

Ok you guys have lost me now (I know it doesnt take much) are we still talking about the Unknown Valley ride or are your comments about the road quality SadieKate about the Unknown Coast ride?

And if its about the Unknown Valley ride does that mean you have decided against riding it?

[SadieKate]

I was talking about the Unknown Valley one-day ride in March. The Unknown Coast Weekend is a different location though also organized by Chico Velo. There may be a one-day ride on the Unknown Coast which Wabisabi is confusing with the Unknown Valley???? As far as I know, they are two different rides and locations.

The ride report I referred to makes the Unknown Valley sound like a body bruising experience unless you're on mountain bikes. Yes, there may be a road race there, but they have a whole different motivation to be there.

I'm starting to think we should plan our own ride somewhere else with pavement.

[Trekhawk]

I was talking about the Unknown Valley one-day ride in March. The Unknown Coast Weekend is a different location though also organized by Chico Velo. There may be a one-day ride on the Unknown Coast which Wabisabi is confusing with the Unknown Valley???? As far as I know, they are two different rides and locations.

The ride report I referred to makes the Unknown Valley sound like a body bruising experience unless you're on mountain bikes. Yes, there may be a road race there, but they have a whole different motivation to be there.

I'm starting to think we should plan our own ride somewhere else with pavement.

Yikes that doesnt sound good. Doing a ride on better roads sounds like a great plan.

[wabisabi]

Oh, sorry Sadiekate, I was just commenting on the Unknown coast ride that is listed in your original post of the Chico Velo series, the second from the last in the list, listed as a two day ride. I thought that maybe folks didn't know much about it and wanted to fill them in.

So many "unknowns!"

[Bike Goddess]

I agree with Sadie Kate- Let's just organize our own ride. One of the reasons I've not done that ride is because of the road conditions. In that neck of the woods no one seems to mind if there are a bizillion potholes. Who knows what it will be like this year given all of the rain we've had so far!

[wabisabi]

After this most recent storm we have some potholes that small cars could disappear into!

One our ride last Sunday, on a road on the bluffs above the beach, which has a short steep down hill, then up hill, the road had dracked and dropped off a foot on both the down and the up hill parts, so that we had to get off and life our bikes over the cracks; fortunately, one of the people on the ride warned us about them.

Ok, enough bad road stories....

[jobob]

I just came across this ride report with fotos from the '04 ride

http://www.chainreaction.com/unknownvalley04.htm