Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge Gran Fondo
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Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge Gran FondoIt’s been way too long since I last posted and now that fall is here, I will probably only post once a week. My weekday rides have turned into spin rides at Lifetime Fitness and my weekend rides, assuming the weather is cooperative during the winter will be what I post about until next riding season. I’m several weeks behind with my posts: 1) Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge GranFondo, 2) the City Market ride and 3) Dunn’s Cider Mill ride. My goal is to get these posts out this week in an effort to be all caught up by my next outdoor ride. I also anticipate posting about how things are going at spin class and my adventure in selecting my winter gear; which by the way, I started researching and good winter gear is not cheap by any means. More to come on that topic.
Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge GranFondo
I’m not even sure where to begin about this event as there is so much to talk about and truth be told, I haven’t stopped talking about it since the ride ended. Everything surrounding this ride was exciting and in most cases a new learning experience that will surely make me a better cyclist. My post below will touch on info about how I got my bike to the ride, the ride itself and the additional outings that my wife and I did as part of the trip. Might want to grab a snack, as this is a long one.
I decided to rent my bike container for the trip from The Wheel Cyclery, which is the same bike shop Mike and I had rented from when we took our hybrids to San Francisco earlier in the year. The cost is about $35.00 a week, which is extremely reasonable and The Wheel has a couple of different styles to choose from. The container I rented for this trip was like a big piece of Samsonite luggage. It’s pretty easy to load the bike and only requires you to remove the wheels, pedals and handlebars. You don’t have to disconnect any of the cables and the frame sits between two thick pieces of protective foam. I tie the bike off in the container so it doesn’t shift around or rub against the container walls; basically the bike is positioned in the middle of the container and cannot move. Renting the container from The Wheel was a smart choice, as the owners of the shop were extremely accommodating and helpful. Specifically, understanding about the condition of the container when I returned it, as it was not in the same condition that it was in when I picked it up. Simply stated, Southwest and TSA beat the container up pretty badly. A lock was broken off on the trip out to San Fran and a wheel was broken off on the trip home. When I called The Wheel to let them know what happened to the container, the said this is pretty typical and didn’t anticipate there being any issue. Mike was gracious enough to return the box for me as The Wheel is close to his house and the container was accepted without even a blink of the eye. With that I say, thank you to The Wheel. On a side note, I did see a couple that stayed at the same hotel as us that had their bikes in some very cool containers manufactured by SCI-CON which made me think that maybe I should invest in one. I’m going to wait for now, but will definitely set up a search on eBay.
Unfortunately my wife and I had to fly on separate flights to San Francisco as I had to spend an extra day in PA for work. The good news is, we extended the trip a day on the back-end and made the most of it. We arrived Thursday the 7th of October and headed right to the hotel. We stayed at the St. Francis in downtown San Francisco for the front end and back-end of the trip. I put my bike together as soon as it got to the room and quickly inspected it for any damage. It looked perfect, but I still set up a pre-ride run with Sal for the next day to confirm all was good.
The morning of Friday the 8th was check in, which was located at the Finley Aquatic Center in Santa Rosa. Kim, my wife, signed up as a volunteer and was given the task of handing out pre-ordered jerseys. She said she had a blast and met a lot of interesting people. I thought it was pretty amazing that she took the time to pitch in when she could have headed to the spa for the day. Thank you Kimber! She also got a t-shirt that I’m sure I’ll be sporting more than she will. The check in didn’t take long at all, but most importantly, I was able to buy a Gran Fondo jersey and jacket; the jersey was more expensive than the jacket. I found that funny for some reason. Anyway, Sal and I were able to get our packet without issue and were soon heading down to Daly City to meet up with his staff for lunch. You would think getting the packet without issue would be expected, but both Sal and I purchased our tickets from other registrants that couldn’t attend the ride. We each paid a $25.00 transfer fee in addition to the registration fee, but were still concerned that there might be an issue. Again, we signed in without a hitch and we were now about twenty-four hours from tackling our first mountain.
That evening, just before dark, Sal and I took the bikes out for a ride to make sure everything was in order before lining up. Everything looked good and we made the last-minute adjustments and headed to our rooms. We stayed at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park; just south of Santa Rosa. All the rooms in Santa Rosa were sold out, but our hotel was absolutely beautiful and there were many other cyclists staying there.
Ride day was finally here. It seemed like I had been waiting forever for this day to come and was both eager and nervous to get started. There was still a lot to do though before we could line up: gather the gear, mix the ride drinks, ration the supplements, place the numbers on the bikes, get to the ride and line up. Of which, finding a parking spot at the ride was my personal concern, but Sal had a little trick up his sleeve. He had ridden the route the weekend before and had parked at a grocery store down the street from the ride. One of the owners saw Sal and asked him if he was going to be riding in the Gran Fondo. The gentleman proceeded to tell Sal about a parking lot in the back where he could park on ride day without issue. Sure enough, we arrived and were able to park and get ready for the ride. I’m not exactly sure where we would have parked if Sal hadn’t found out about this lot. It took us about thirty minutes to get ourselves and the bikes ready and once ready, we headed over to the staging area which was about a quarter of a mile away.
As we approached the starting line, we started to come upon more and more cyclists and eventually a sea of cyclists; over 6,000 to be exact. I’m not sure how long the line was, but it looked like it went on for about mile. The riders selected their place in line based on how long they anticipated the ride would take. Sal and I decided that 4.5 hours would be close and jumped in line. It’s pretty interesting how many cyclists you can get in a small area. It was pretty tight, but everyone was able to get started without issue. The ride began at 8:00 AM, but Sal and I probably didn’t start rolling until 8:15. We initially thought the ride organizers were starting a group of cyclists at a time, but the ride began as a rolling start and with so many people, it felt like you were starting and stopping. We didn’t really get rolling until we crossed the official start line, which is also the point that the ride organizers begin tracking your time via a computer chip attached to your seat post. We were then able to lock into both pedals and start our journey.
We were finally on our way. Cyclists in front of us, behind us and next to us. It was a little crazy, but fun and it wasn’t long before the line started to spread out a little. Once we left the Finley Center, we headed right through residential neighborhoods. People lined the streets and were waving flags, cheering and even had the cow bells out. It was pretty exciting to be part of the ride. It wasn’t too long into the ride that we came to our first bottle neck. The route took us from a four lane main road to a two lane side road that quickly became a climb. Not a significant climb, but enough where riders were slowing down creating the bottleneck. I noticed however, that if you allowed for some separation between you and the rider in front of you, you could pedal without issue and move at a decent pace. The road was pretty narrow for some time and took us further into neighborhoods and eventually some farms and vineyards. This part of the ride was beautiful and acted as a great warm up.
One vineyard in particular ran along the Russian River and was absolutely beautiful. In the distance, we could see a stream of cyclists going over the bridge as they turned into what appeared to be the woods. What I didn’t realize, was that on the other side of the bridge was the first real climb. Now, I’m not sure what most people thought about this mountain, but I was blown away. I had never done anything like this and was completely freaking out the entire time I climbed it. With every turn, seemed an eternity of more climbing. I didn’t want to slow down as I wanted to maintain my pace and get to the crest. Not once did I look behind me or stop and I worked as hard as I ever had. I was so proud of myself once I got to the top and I couldn’t help but think about how interesting the day had been to this point and started to wonder what other challenges were still ahead of us.
With every climb there is a descent and this descent was exceptional. I rode down the hill with a group of about five cyclists and was accompanied by two touring BMWs that stayed with the group the entire way. It was as if we had an escort as we weaved down the backside of the mountain. Definitely a highlight of the ride and a testament as to how well the ride was organized and managed.
At the bottom of the mountain was the first rest stop with about twenty port a potties; each with a line of about fifteen people in front of them. After going through the line, Sal and I headed to our bikes, but not before running into the Kansas City contingency. The guys seemed like they were having as much fun as Sal and I and we hung out for a few minutes and recapped the ride to this point. This stop was also the turn for the Medio. It was our time to head toward the ocean, while the riders riding the Gran headed for the mountains. I didn’t feel as if I was missing anything as the ride was challenging enough up this point for my skill level. I looked forward to getting to the ocean, but was a little anxious to find out what was in front of us and knew that at some point, not too far from where we were, was Coleman Valley Road; the apex of the route and the killer climb.
Our journey continued west through some small towns such as Duncan Mills, a redwood forest, more rolling hills and some smaller mountains than what we had previously conquered. I believe it was about this point that I tagged along with five other riders and did a little pace lining. Not sure if they even noticed that I was tagging along, but I benefited from the drafting. I was able to stay with the group for about three miles followed them into the mountains. It wasn’t much later that we reached the peak of the mountain and were looking right at the Pacific. I noticed a few riders up ahead, off to the side of the road and decided to join them. I took a few pictures and was asked by about three other riders to take some pictures of them with their cameras. I didn’t mind, but what I didn’t know was that the real scenery was up ahead. Sal got my attention and told me to get back on the bike and to follow him; sure enough there were several amazing photo opportunities. The weather that day was absolutely perfect; no wind, no fog, no rain, sunny – just perfect. The ocean was calm and crystal clear. It reminded me of when I was growing up. I used to swim in the Atlantic almost every day in the summer and countless times throughout the year with my family and as I got older with my friends. I’ve always loved the ocean and this moment brought back a lot of memories of my childhood and the amazing times I had with my father fishing. Cycling has given me the opportunity to reflect on everything in my life and this is probably one of the greatest gifts the sport has given me. I’ve heard the same thing from a lot of other cyclists and many also say it’s a great stress reliever and we all know it’s a great way to get in an amazing cardio workout.
Not too much further along was another SAG; a big SAG and it looked like they were serving lunch. Sal and I decided to forgo stopping as we just finished taking a break just a few minutes before when we stopped to take some pictures. We also knew that just up ahead was the dreaded Coleman Valley Road. We pedaled by the SAG and just across the road were a few beautiful homes that overlooked the ocean. There were also quite a few people along the roadside cheering us on and we even came upon a group of ladies probably in their sixties waving a sign that said something like, “Fit men in tight shorts” or something like that. Sal and I got a kick out of it and knew that that would be the last time we would be smiling for a while as we had now arrived at Coleman Valley Rd.
The entrance coming from the west (ocean side) was very narrow and a little concealed by some overgrown trees that lined both sides of the road; it resembled more of an entrance to a trail than an actual road. The road itself was also extremely narrow. There was barely enough room for two bikes and single file was a requirement if a car or truck was driving by; which of course a few drove down the mountain as Sal and I were navigating our way up the mountain. There were also a lot of switchbacks or turns to accommodate for the steepness of the mountain. I knew it was going to be an extremely difficult climb as I passed a group of riders off their bikes catching their breath at the first turn. I thought to myself there was no way I was going to stop and I needed to keep pushing until I couldn’t pedal anymore. I had no idea how steep the road was in front of me or how long a ride it would be before I got to the top, but I wasn’t going to give up and wanted more than anything to make it all the way. After about four or five turns I reached the midpoint of the hill which was marked by a van with a rainbow wind sock flapping in the ocean breeze. There was no one around me at this moment and I felt somewhat isolated from the rest of the riders. I continued to pedal, but the mountain was either getting steeper or I was running out of power or both. I decided I better rest for a few minutes and wait for the other riders. I rested for about five minutes and when I went to put my foot back in the pedals, it just wasn’t happening; the grade was too steep and I was concerned that I might not be able to get my other foot in the pedal and fall. The crest of the mountain was just ahead so I decided to walk it the rest of the way to be safe. I can now say that I rode Coleman Valley Road, but next year and yes, I will be back next year; I am not stopping until I get to the top of that mountain. Sal and I met up at the top and continued together to the next SAG.
I believe this was the third SAG, but not a hundred percent sure. I know we stopped at the port a potty stop and then there was the lunch SAG at the ocean and now this SAG, but can’t help think that there was a SAG along the ride somewhere in between the port a potty stop and the ocean SAG . Sal and I were doing fine and at this point completed about 40 miles of the ride. We took our time at this stop and took in some of the scenery and talked about what a killer the mountain was. We also reloaded our water bottles at this SAG and began our journey home. Although Coleman Valley (the climb portion) was technically the turn back east, this SAG signified the home stretch. I was excited to have reached this point, but was also a little bummed that we were heading back. Simply stated, I didn’t want the ride to end.
I began to wonder as we made our way to our bikes, if the rest of the ride would be downhill all the way back or would we encounter any more killer climbs. Not that I had a choice, but I didn’t know if I had enough juice in my batteries to take on another climb like the one we just did. I asked Sal what he recalled from the previous week and he said there was at least one more climb of about 1,500 feet.
As luck would have it though, we did begin to descend at a pretty good pace. It was obvious that we were coming down the backside of the mountain, but it didn’t seem to be as steep as the ocean side of it. Most importantly, everyone was great about keeping some space, as there were quite a few sharp turns and the slightest wrong move would have resulted in a serious crash. It’s a little difficult describing these descents, but imagine leaning forward and dropping low on the bicycle and allowing gravity to take over as you weave your way down the hill at speeds in many cases greater than forty miles an hour. One wrong turn, a hole, animal or rock and you can be planted face first into the pavement. A steep windy decent in my opinion, is the most dangerous part of cycling.
We weren’t at the bottom of the mountain for very long, when we came upon the last real climb. It wasn’t too big of a climb, but the setting was incredible. The road ahead seemed to disappear into towering redwoods that created a canopy that allowed just enough sunlight to see the road. It was a spectacular sight. I wasn’t able to take any pictures as I was climbing and I needed to keep both hands on the handlebars. The road continued upward for some time, leveled off and then continued upward again. It did this a few times before coming to one of the most amazing descents I have taken since my cycling journey began. This descent seemed to go on forever and it was just as exciting to watch the cyclists in front of me as it was riding down the mountain. The slower cyclists stayed to the right, while many of us cruised by at about 40-45 miles per hour. As I leaned into every turn, I couldn’t help but think how dangerous this part of the ride was and how careful I had to be; even more careful than the descents of Coleman Valley Road. Like all good things, this part of the ride had to come to an end. When we reached the bottom, we saw there was a life flight helicopter just to our left in a vineyard. The paramedics were loading someone onto the helicopter that was strapped to a stretcher. I assumed that the rider had crashed coming down the mountain and probably overshot one of the turns. We found out later, that there were two serious accidents during the ride; one caused by a rider not managing the descent well and the other a hit and run by a vehicle that has still yet to be identified.
After passing the vineyard, we then continued our way through Occidental and began our approach to Santa Rosa. By now I was pretty tired and hungry and wanted to get back to pig out and spend time with Kim. We were now in the final leg of the ride and I was excited to get to the finish line. Interestingly enough, the main road back to the ride was closed off and everyone was being directed to take a bike path back to finish the ride. This was the only part of the ride I was not too fondo of. I thought that was funny. Anyway, the trail looked and felt like it was just paved, but it was way too narrow and definitely not the same as the road. After all, we are referred to as “roadies” and we need to be true to our name. The path ended just outside the Finley Aquatic Center and brought us about a quarter-mile from the finish line. I took my time and pedaled slowly so I could take in every single sight and snap a few last pictures.
Although crossing the finish line was a significant sense of accomplishment, I was bummed that the ride had come to an end. Sal and I then parked our bikes and made way to the concession area. Lunch was included and Sal and I were ready to chow down. There was one other criticism I did have about the ride and that had to do with the length of the food lines. There were some waits that were as long as an hour. That’s a long time to be standing when you just rode for four hours. Sal and I waited about forty minutes before getting our food, but did wait in line for about ten minutes in another line that was twice as long as the line we switched to. However, the food was off the hook incredible. I had a pork sandwich, but not just any pork sandwich. Instead of bread, the pork was on a corn meal pancake similar to an arepa and along with the pork there was some avocado. Absolutely outstanding and would have gone back for a second if the line wasn’t so long.
I’m sure I left out a lot of details, but in the interest of keeping this post to 4,000 words, I’ll try to wrap it up here. I’ve also posted the pictures as a slideshow so please enjoy them and feel free to leave comments. I also included pictures of the trip to San Francisco, Napa and the air show over the Bay. My wife and I did get to visit some vineyards and had quite a bit of our favorite wines shipped home. We also discovered a new vineyard called Bella Vineyards located just north of West Dry Creek Road which is right near the dam of Sonoma Lake (see slide show).
To summarize, I had an amazing trip and I owe a big thank you to John Cappuccino for telling me about the ride and pointing me in the right direction as to how to get tickets to the ride. I owe a big thank you to my wife Kimberly for being incredibly supportive of me. I also owe a big thank you to Sal for putting up with me about riding all the time and being a great Gran Fondo compadre. And last but not least, to the ride organizers who have made my appreciation for riding even stronger.
N.B. Looks like the date has been set already for October 1st 2011. Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge Gran Fondo
Route Name: Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge Gran Fondo
Ride Stats: I used Sal’s stats as I did not have a computer for this ride.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/56587688?sms_ss=email&at_xt=4cdf34
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