Day 14-

Mill Valley to Santa Cruz
93.2 miles
4,161 elevation gain
12 mph average speed

Today George joined us for our ride. The first challenge of the day was getting from Lisa's house up to the highway-the street was remarkably steep-probably 25% or more. I chose (wisely) to walk my bike the 50 yards or so, while Alan and George (foolishly) rode up the hill. A brisk downhill,a few miles and then breakfast a a little cafe in Sausalito with all our SAG support. After that, we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge.

Crossing the bridge was quite the experience-not so much because of the view (it was so foggy) but because of the hordes of pedestrian traffic. Imagine riding your bike through Disneyland,and you'll have a pretty good idea of what it was like negotiating through the crowds of camera-toting tourists. The ACA maps did a good job of routing us through the residential streets of San Francisco, avoiding downtown entirely. Then, to the beach and points south.

Heading south, the fog was so dense that at one point we missed a crucial turn, and continued on Hwy 1 until it became a freeway with the "no bicycles" warning. We turned around, doubling back a mile or so and having needlessly climbing a couple hundred vertical feet. Once back on track, we ran into a local cyclist that gave us some good info on the upcoming major climb of the day-the Devil's Slide. We stopped for coffee in Pacifica, then took off for our climb.

Devil's Slide is about a 700' climb, through an area of twisty, no-shoulder roadway, with lots of traffic. Gradient is 8 to 10% and no real resting spots. It was on this climb that George began thinking of how attractive a triple crankset can be. After a fast descent, we were into more gentle terrain, and soon were in Half Moon Bay. Here, Alan assigned me the task of finding a Jamba Juice. Within minutes, I said "there's your Jamba Juice, right there". Alan was quite amazed with my abilities. A smoothie and a quick break, and back on the road.

After Half Moon Bay, the miles started to fly by, but George was workin' hard. At mile 60 he was nearly fully bonked, so I gave him some Hammer Gel, some electrolyte capsules, and some ibuprofen. This revitalized him, and Alan and I took turns pulling up front at 18 to 22 mph, and George hung on the remaining 30 miles to Santa Cruz.

The day finished at 93 miles and around 4,100' feet of climbing. George did a great job on a strenuous day. He hadn't spent much time on his bike for months, and was able to complete the day. He should be quite proud of himself.