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Team Higher Gear 2015 Flesche-SF Randonneurs Pre-Ride: Arcata To Garberville
When Max asked me to join his flesche team this year I had to accept. Although last year was brutal and we didn't finish the route, this year promised to be something even more special. Exploring the lost coast, that area of California coastline left in pristine state due to the difficulties of routing highway 1 through the rugged territory. I've heard a lot about this mythical land and now I had the chance to see it and feel it firsthand.
Max wanted to explore the land north of the flesche route so he proposed that we drive up on Thursday night and sleep, then return the rental car and ride from Eureka to Garberville, the beginning of the fleshe route. We would meet with the rest of the team Friday morning after a good nights sleep to do what turned out to be a grueling flesche route.
Max had planned his own route but we lost team member Brian Koss due to unavoidable circumstances on his part. Too bad because Brian is an awesome strong rider who would have loved this route. Luckily, fellow randonneur Andrea Achili offered a couple of spots on his Team Higher Gear.
The team was intimidating. Andrea and Max are super strong riders who have countless times beaten course records and can flat out fly for many hours. I was scared yet excited. A couple of Andrea's friends also joined who were super strong.
I get Friday off of work and on Thursday, after work, I ride my bike to the train station and buy a ticket and am on my way. Max said he would pick me up at the 22nd street station in San Francisco not too far from his house. I emerge from the train and carry my bike up the stairs with my backpack on with all the items I'll need to complete this adventure. Max calls my name and I put my bike in the back of his rental car and we go to Max's house, he gets his bike and we are off on a 5 hour drive to Andrea's house in Arcata. The drive is quite pretty and it seems 101 for the last 35 miles to Arcata is all downhill.
We get to Andrea's house we sleep. In the morning Andrea prepares an excellent breakfast and we are off taking the rental car back. We load up our gear and soon we are riding our bikes down highway 101. We have a pretty fast pace-line. Max wants to be in Garberville by 8pm to give us time for a meal, shower and a long night's sleep. We are riding down Eel RIver Road and we see a few riders ahead of us. One of them is riding a jacket that looks a lot like SF Randonneur logos. We catch up with them and it turns out it is Eric Larsen, Tim Mason and Andy Goodell, Team Flying Monkeys of Bull Creek Flat. They are on their way to Garberville also as Eric has planned a 200K permanent to get to Garberville. They hope to be meeting up with fellow randonneur Ryan.
We greet each other and marvel at the fact that we have somehow arrived at the same location at the same time. So we ride all together. We all take a stop in Ferndale for water and food. Eric realizes that he didn't bring his memory card for his camera. A real tragedy since the views were beyond spectacular. He manages to find something in a drug store and we are on our way again.
We climb up Wildcat Avenue, our first sustained climb. We all spend various time talking to each other and enjoying the beauty of the place. Soon we are on Mattole Road. We reach the top and come down. The road is intensely steep and potholed all over. Quite the challenge. The coast line is fantastic. Green everywhere, flowers and sweeping vistas. Really hard to believe. We stop for a picture break. The wind is blowing really hard. I am thankful for my disc brakes. The last hill looks pretty clear of potholes to I simply let go of the brakes. I reach a speed of 43.5 miles an hour without any effort. Wow! We ride along with the waves crashing to our left and virtually no traffic. So secluded and really untouched land. Such a relaxed and great feeling out here.
We stop at a store in Petrolia and get food. Amy's burritos, chips, water and juice. Very good stop. We eat, relax and enjoy the area. A woman is asking us about out journey. She mentions Wilder Ridge (upcoming dirt section) and uses the short vowel sound for the "i" in Wilder. Local pronunciation. Hmmm. Soon we continue on.
We are climbing again with some super steep hills. Eric mentions this section and says something to the effect of it being mostly flat. It is significantly steep. We joke around for a while about the flatness of the hills. The roads and scenery keeps getting more beautiful. It is so green out here. So many flowers and so remote. Such a great feeling being out in the middle of nowhere but really somewhere and something so different. After the climb, I am riding along and it feels like I am actually meditating. Such beauty all around me and such a great relaxed feeling to be flying on a bike way, far away from home on my day off. I couldn't ask for a better vacation.
Next stop for us is Honeydew. We get food, and ice cream. This is where we part ways and we say our goodbyes. Max and I head toward dirt and Eric, Tim and Andy take the opposite route. Wilder Ridge Road (pronounced with a short i) is a very nice dirt road with some steep pitches but all in all pretty reasonable. I'm able to keep up with Max pretty easily. By the time we emerge on Shelter Cove Road I have had enough of dirt for the day.
On Shelter Cove Road, there is another significant climb. My knee starts hurting at this point and I am afraid it might affect my riding tomorrow. Last week at the end of the Hopland 400K, my knee was very sore and slowed me down as every pedal stroke screamed pain (not out loud, never out loud). So I gutted it out. It wasn't that bad. If I stopped I had to kind of ease into it slowly.
We hit some fun downhills and Max gapped me a few times. Fast, fast. Knee. Fast. Keep up. We get to Redwood Drive and the road is closed. Construction work and danger of falling rocks, big ones. Rather than climb the detour, we go through the barrier and ride the closed section. A couple of bike walks where the road surface is a few inches lower for a while but pretty reasonable. As we emerge we see a Sheriff's Car. He takes off up the hill toward us and we think we may be busted. But no. He continues on at a pretty good clip. Someone else was in trouble.
We get to the Lone Pine Lodge to check-in to our room. The proprietor seems to have a difficult time finding our reservation for some reason. Finally we get squared away and bring our bikes and "luggage" into the room. Max seems to think the guy didn't want our business for some reason. Strange.
Max tries calling Tim since Tim, Eric and Andy were going to Garberville also. No answer. We go out, take a look around and decide on a restaurant down the street. Max and I both get Spaghetti, Minestrone Soup and a burger. Max mentions the need for a big meal before an epic ride. Who am I to disagree? As we buy our drinks we see the others have arrived. One big meal with a lot of friends. Ryan has arrived who will be riding the flesche with Eric's gourd.
Back to the motel, shower and sleep of the dead. We both slept well for the upcoming ride.
By: | plymmer |
Started in: | Eureka, CA, US |
Distance: | 104.1 mi |
Selected: | 104.1 mi |
Elevation: | + 11784 / - 11296 ft |
Moving Time: | 08:56:07 |
Gear: | 2010 Volagi Viaje |
Page Views: | 85 |
Departed: | Apr 3, 2015, 9:32 am |
Starts in: | Eureka, CA, US |
Distance: | 104.1 mi |
Selected distance: | 104.1 mi |
Elevation: | + 11784 / - 11296 ft |
Max Grade: | |
Avg Grade | |
Cat | |
FIETS | |
VAM | |
Ascent time | |
Descent time | |
Total Duration: | 12:26:35 |
Selection Duration: | 44795 |
Moving Time: | 08:56:07 |
Selection Moving Time: | 08:56:07 |
Stopped Time: | 03:30:28 |
Max Speed: | 75.5 mph |
Avg Speed: | 11.6 mph |
Pace: | 00:07:10 |
Moving Pace: | 00:05:09 |
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