Leebob and I braved the traffic from the East Bay up to Santa Rosa on Friday afternoon and we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express just as Snap was checking in. Then after we checked in, we drove around to the rear lot of the hotel and there was Tracy waving at us (she recognized us from our photos). Tracy had arrived earlier and was just returning from a 20 mile ride, and her friend Nancie had just arrived from Klamath Falls, Or.

We freshened up and headed off for dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant Lee & I had previously discovered in downtown Santa Rosa. We had lots of good food and great conversation.

Santa Rosa (home of the late Charles Schultz) downtown has lots of statues of Charlie Brown & other Peanuts characters decorated by local artists. Here we are posed by one near the restaurant, which just happens to be located in Historic Railroad Square:


jobob, Charlie Brown, snap, tprevost, and Nancie

I was worried about the heat and wanted to get on the road as early as possible, so Lee and I arrived right when registration opened up a bit after 6, so check-in was an absolute breeze, and we were on the road by about 6:30. It was cold and foggy at the start, and my teeth were chattering for the first few miles. I wished I brought a vest along with my bolero, but I thawed out soon enough.

As it turned out, it never actually got hot, and I even kept my bolero on for the first 30 miles or so. Maybe the little spritzer bottle of water I carried in my jersey pocket is an anti-heat charm, as long as I carry it I won’t need it!

The other thing I was a little worried about (besides the heat that never materialized) was whether I’d have a repeat of what I guess was an asthma attack I had the last time I rode up in Wine Country. Lee & had gone on a ride with SK & Bubba and aka_kim a few weeks ago starting from St. Helena, and at the top of a climb I suddenly couldn’t breathe, it was as if my throat had closed up. Since nothing remotely like this had ever happened to me, I was terrified, which of course made it worse. I calmed down and started breathing OK after a bit, and best I could figure I had a reaction to some sort of pollen out there.

At any rate, early on in the ride this morning we were going up a small climb and I started to get that same tight feeling in the back of my throat and started wheezing a little bit. I slowed down, tried to relax, and concentrated on breathing evenly. It went away soon enough, and I was fine for the rest of the ride. There’s definitely something in the air up there this time of year (from June onward, at least) that gives me the wheezes.

This ride went over many of the same roads as the Wine Country metric back in early May, but by & large in the opposite direction. Great route. The roads got a bit bumpier and narrower once the 60 mile route split off from the 37 mile route and headed south of Healdsburg towards Windsor & Santa Rosa, but there was very little car traffic so it was fine. Much of the route was shaded, and there was a light breeze in the mid-to-late morning so the ride was very pleasant. There were lots of rollers but no big climbs. I didn't take any pictures this time around, but Tracy said she took some photos.

They did a great job of marking the route on the road. The markings for turns were placed well enough in advance so we never had to make a mad scramble for a left turn, and there were numerous “straight ahead” markings so I never wondered if I was off the route.

We all met up again after the ride was over, and Audrey from Placerville (live2bike on bikejournal), who rode the last five miles or so with me & Lee, also joined us. There was a delicous lunch after the ride, with genrous servings of a very tasty garlic pizza (yum) and a variety of salads, topped off with ice cream cups from Cloverdale Creamery. We had a great time hanging out on the lawn of Headsburg High School, chatting and scarfing up our well-earned lunch.

Lee and I headed home after that, but Tracy and nancie and Snap stayed another day in Santa Rosa so maybe we’ll hear about their further adventures when they return.

This was a great ride, well organized, excellent route, and we definitely plan to do it again next year. According to the route sheet, next year’s ride is scheduled for Saturday July 21 so mark your calendars!