We reach CP#2; Islay Park, mile 86.1 at 11:05 am. We're all wet and damp and just hoping that the rain will stop. We refill out bottles and grab a quick bite before taking off.
We continue on Orcutt to Johnson Ave and enter San Luis Obispo. We ride through the city streets on San Luis Dr, California and Foothill Blvds. We take Santa Rosa Rd onto Hwy 1 hading north. The rain is steadily coming down with no respite in view. We're on Hwy 1 for the next 10.3 miles on flat to rolling terrain. There are still riders who manage to squeeze through and pass on my right, it's getting very annoying!
I see a sign on the side of the road that reads California Men's Colony, isn't that just a pretty name for a state prison? We're rolling along and Michael starts to point out puddles to me and I just break out laughing. Mind you, I'm wet, he's wet, the road's wet and so is everything else. What does it matter now? There's water everywhere!
SLO is the turning point for this ride. We now head south on Hwy 1 towards San Luis Obispo Bay. We take Higuera Rd and cross under CA 101 to Ontario Rd which parallels 101. From there we continue on San Luis Bay Rd to Avila Beach Dr. The climb on San Luis is a steady 6%. Because of the rain, I haven't been able to get out of saddle much for fear of my rear wheel slipping. That only means more butt time ON the saddle which may not be that pleasant with wet tights on.
The climbs on Avila Beach and Shell Beach Rds range from 4-6%. We're now heading towards Pismo Beach. There's a lot of traffic around here for a rainy day. I smell BBQ while passing the reestaurants on this stretch of touristy road. On a nicer day, the views of the bay must be spectacular!
Michael calls out again, he has another flat; this time it's the rear tire. Again, a SAG vehicle passed us moments earlier. We stop and he goes through all the same motions, etc, etc. But this time, after pumping up the tire, we noticed that the tube was not seated correctly, so he goes about removing the tire and the next thing we hear is the "pop" of the tube. OMG! It's absolutely no fun changing out a tube while it's raining! GO Michael, he scores again! He's now 2 for 2.
We pick up where we left off and continue on Hwy 1/Mesa View Dr for the next 10.5 miles towards Guadalupe. The road is so muddy here, it's splashing everywhere; on our faces, the bikes, clothes, you name it, it's there!
We reach CP#4; Le Roy Park, mile 141.6 at 4:08 pm. I chomp down on a bag of mini Skittles and a mini Nestle Crunch bar. That combination actually didn't sit too well in my stomach. I'll know better next time.
The skies are still grey but as we look further ahead, we can see a bit of sun. Is it going to stop raining? We stay on Hwy1/Guadalupe St for the next 15 miles on flat roads. The scenery is gorgeous even under these conditions. The wild flowers are out in force, the ominous clouds serve as a great back drop to the green and brown fields. The farm equipment or truck tires makes an interesting track pattern atop of the mud.
To stay on Guadalupe St/Hwy 135, we have to cross over to the left of the Hwy or else we'll end up in Lompoc. This was the most dangerous part of the course, cars are passing us at a very high rate of speed! The rain is still pounding down on us and we just keep rolling. It's doesn't feel that cold as long as we keep moving forward.
As we're riding along, I end up being about 6-8 feet behind two other cyclists; a man and a woman. I can hear them talking and quickly take notice that the guy was slowing up, so I slow up too. He then abruptly stops and turns right in front of me without saying anything or making any motions. Lucky me, I didn't fall over when he touches my front wheel. I think he was able to clip out in time to save himself. The woman proceeds to yell at me for trying to pass on the right, OMG! Usually I don't say anthing but this time I had to correct her and she did apologize.
We reach CP#5; Collins Market, Los Alamos, mile 168.1 at 6:45 pm. It's been raining pretty much non-stop since mile 80. We now only have 30 more miles to go. Chicken cup o' noodles have got to be the best thing ever on these rides; it provides warmth and salt, very satisfying! I saw a few people huddled around two heaters so I inch my way in to get some of the heat. It probably wasn't a good idea, it gave me the false sense warmth.
The remainder of the route has us riding through a vineyard on a private road with potholes galore. The road drops us out on Alisos Canyon Rd which is very secluded with minimal traffic. This stretch of road is 6.6 miles long with a steady grade of 2-3%. It's getting dark, night fall is upon us. Some guy behind us lost his light and needed his friends to guide him back to the finish.
The next turn is on Foxen Cyn Rd. This is where the route overlaps for a bit. We were here earlier in the morning. Foxen Cyn from this direction is 6 miles, the gradient starts off gradually and increases to a steady 6-7% for about a mile or so. The road levels out out at the top all the way to Zaca Station Rd.
We're really close to finishing and it's still raining. Suddenly I hear a "pop" from behind, Michael has another rear flat! And again, a SAG car just drove past us less than a minute earlier. We stop, I shine my lights on Michael, I pull out another tube and cartridge while he is going through the whole routine again. Upon further evaluation, he not only has a flat but a tire blow out as well! There is a decent size tear on his tire. Meanwhile, I can't help but get colder while standing still so I begin to wave my arms and move my legs around to keep my blood circulating.
We're trying to decide what to do when, lo and behold a white van coming from the opposite direction stops and asks if we're okay. He's a volunteer for this event. He offered to help us out and took out his floor pump. He's out sweeping the course with his sister to check on everyone. The van is loaded with rest stop leftovers and supplies and is not designated to pick up riders.
Michael looks over to me, I have to make the decision; do we call it quits now? We're at mile 189.4 with only 10 miles left to the finish. We actually can still make it. We are very close to the intersection at SR 154 and from there it's 8/10th of an mile climb up Ballard Canyon. The gradient is around 9-11% and then it's a down hill with a few small rollers in between before the final steep descent back down to Hwy 246.
I love descending but is it worth doing it in the dark while it's raining? Call it what ever you want but, is the prize worth the risk? I don't think so. Michael's compromised tire is a real safety issue for us.
I believe the universe hears your call. We have put it out there that we don't ride in the rain but yet don't mind being caught in the rain for a short period of time. Looking back, we were given many signs but failed to get the message. A SAG vehicle would pass us by moments before Michael had his flats. I was able to avoid a fall when the guy abruptly stops and cut right in front of me. I've been having trouble shifting gears pretty much after mile 80. But we kept going.........the tire blow out was the final message and we got it! It is now time to stop. I don't like to quit but it's just the smart thing to do for both of us. We asked for a ride back to the finish.
Jon wasn't supposed to pick up riders and yet he was kind enough to move things around in the van to make room for us and the bikes. I was freezing cold by now in all my damp clothes. Jennifer gave me a blanket to help me keep warm. Michael is such a trooper, there was no complaining from him what so ever. We got back to the Marriott and checked in for out DNF's.
In the end, it all still worked out because we got back safely. Perhaps next time the weather will fare better for us.
Congrats to Rubin and Lauren Johnson from Whittier for completing their first double!
Congrats to everyone else who finished and kudos to all the others who took it to their limit!
Much thanks goes to Jon and Jennifer for their wonderful support and thanks to all the other SAG drivers and rest stop volunteers for being there for us!
VDO Stats:
Miles: 189.4
Elevation Gain: 7336'
Avg Speed: 14.5
Ride Time: 13:12:29
Weather: Starting temp of 44, daytime temps ranging from the low to mid 50's and dropping down to 40 in the evening. Cloudy skies with RAIN.
Nutrition: Maltodextrin mix, water, a banana, 11/4 PBJ sandwich, 1/3 turkey sandwich, a few salted peanuts, 3 oreos cookies, 1 mini Skittles and 1 mini Nestles Crunch bar and a Chicken cup o' noodles.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PUSH ON-KEEP MOVING!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
