Originally Posted by
Manny66
The start of Sundays Santa Lucia Route , Lots of happiness at the Start and the Finish,, but not so much during ,, Brutal Climbs , Scary descents and rough Terrain. But it's L'Eroica and its supposed to be tough that's what makes it Heroic.
The START !
The top of the first climb .
When You're climbing so slow and you reach down to unstrap ,,and fall over! I got a little rash , But hey , the bike didnt get a scratch !
When you're going 4.6 MPH on loose gravel , well it didnt go too well for me.
The Top !
Just under 7 hours with a few rest stops. Ill take it .
Originally Posted by
tmnguuyen
I did the Heroic route on Saturday and the baby route on Sunday with my wife on the Tandem. The weather was a blessing. People were pleasant and friendly. Bikes were cool. Medals have correct year on them this time. Participation is somewhat low particularly on the long route. Nice to see some of the people I met last year again (@Vitma, @
Brad_L, @
Thalia949, @
merziac) and some new ones this year. I think, there is less than 20 on the Nova and even less on the 'beauty of fatigue' long route on Sunday. The amenities were basic but adequate. No Halter Ranch stop, Olea farm was more of a delay than a refueling stop. I could do without. Lunch box at midpoint for the long route riders in Templeton. The wind was blowing like mad and the cloud was pulling in when we got to the top of the Cypress mountain.
One young lady kicked our butts on the first Santa Rosa Creek climb. Her name is Katrina, and she rode like a hurricane. She may be the only female on the Nova long route.
Another female rider completed the Heroic route on Sunday.
Access to the lighthouse is not allowed and it is unfortunate, but it guess we must protect our environment. The organization should think about how to open it up again since it is the main highlight of the CA event.
A huge thank you to all the volunteers.
Photos of the two ladies that completed the long route. Katrina is between me and my wife in the photo.
Last 2 riders (Thanh and Mike) to the top of Cypress. It was windy and cold. 4 others were SAGed back because they didn't make the cut off time.
Our group before we part ways at long/short
Manny and Than, congrats to both of you for
completing your rides, getting through the climbs, and repping the SoCal contingent. I hope to hear more stories from both of you at future VeloRetro rides.
Manny, I had the same problem with slow climbing speeds and almost falling over multiple times, saved only by a well placed foot and rubber soles. My saving grace was being better able to balance in 2022 using a 24F/34R granny cogs to keep spinning revs up even at 5 mph. That and I think my wider tires gave me a little more stability on the dirt climbs. I’m glad you made it with just a few scrapes. Did you fall on Santa Rita or Cypress climbs?
That damn Cypress descent is still darn scary to me and really tested my brakes and hand strength in 2019 and 2022. I thought for sure I’d crash at least 3 times due to excessive speed.