Northern California Bicycle Racing Community

Bad Little Brother 2013, 'Ride?'

Not five miles into a 130 mile, 15K+ day, I rolled up next to Jaydy Palko, the SRJC tri-monster, who looked over at me and gave the challenge, 'Hey bitch, sit up or ride?' Crap, I hadn't even warmed up. Wryly, I responded 'ride'.

Quickly Jaydy and I pulled away from the other 30 or so other SRJC riders heading out Dutcher Creek Rd. from Lake Sonoma, en route to Anderson Valley, Ponit Arena and back home over Skaggs. Jeff, the 'kid, an upcoming young club rider, latched on as we motored on toward Cloverdale. Built for speed, Jaydy set a blistering pace on the first set of rollers as the three of us exchanged extended pulls.

Up the first climb on HWY 128, Jeff pulled hard. Jaydy and I stepped it up. He mashed incredible big gears. I churned butter. Jeff fell by the wayside. Into a strong coastal headwind up Anderson Valley, it was left to a Jaydy and I to exchange leads into Boontville for the first Aid Stop.

That tri-lizard hadn't even eaten or had a drop to drink! I need to re-fill my two bottles which were nearly dry. This Aid Stop was for my benefit, not his.

As strong as he was on the flats and rollers, with his aero tri-bike, Jaydy slowly fell off my pace up the second big climb of the day over Mountain View Road. This was my terrain; long, steep relentless ascents into the deepest realms of mental grit. Heart rate and speed were the only two outputs on my Garmin I monitored; keeping the former under threshold and later steady. The tree cover and mild temps were ideal for this game of one on one out toward the coast.

A screaming descent and gusty crosswind kept things lively, if not a bit sketchy, into the second Aid Stop at Point Arena. First in and alone, I quickly topped off my bottles, gobbled some grub and jumped back on the bike just as Jaydy rolled in.

With the stiff NW wind now on my back, I motored solo down HWY 1, easily holding a 25+ MPH pace into Annapolis. I knew this was Jaydy's terrain and expected he might overrun me at any moment. A left off HWY 1, heading back up and inland, Jaydy was nowhere in sight.

I was back in my realm; steady climbing and fast, bumpy descents. The next Aid Station was supposed to be along the Gualala River, near mile 109 just before the final series of six punishing grinders back to Lake Sonoma. Figuring I might be ahead of the SAG and Aid Station set-up, I opted to top off my bottles at a known water faucet available at Camp Gualala. Here I found a Team in Training Aid Station, that graciously offered up their water, food and a cold Coke! Done socializing, amped on sugar and caffeine, I hit the grade with a burst of renewed, if not short-term energy.

Moderating my water intake over the unforgiving and exposed climbs, I was ever grateful for the cool temps and steady tailwind. Still, I kept looking over my shoulder, wondering if my gradually slowing pace would allow Jaydy to catch up. At the top of each climb, a glance back revealed only long empty strips of pavement. I was holding the lead position without immediate threat.

For as many times as I have rolled over Skaggs, heading both west and now east, I can never seem to remember just how many bumps it takes to finish what seems like a maddeningly endless series of climbs straight up one ridge, down the backside, then back up another. Steady on.

With a gulp of water still left, I crested the final, final bump, confident I had a strong lead down the last descent toward the start with a total elapsed time of 7:48, my under 8 hr objective achieved. Not more than than 10 minutes later, Jaydy rolled in and shortly after him the 'kid' Jeff, completing his longest ride to date.

A good day of honest fun. An ideal primer for the Terrible Two in three weeks.