Breakdowns & Riding

The morning low was 39 with an expected high of 75 degrees,  I wanted to get started at 9:00 but it was still kind of cool so waited until 10:00am.  About 3 miles into the ride I noticed my handlebars were in the 2:00 position while the wheel was at the 12:00 position...not good so I turned around and headed to Dr. J's, the local bike shop for a quick fix.  Headed out Santa Rosa Road and cruised past several wineries including Sanford.  A couple of decent climbs along the route and then reached highway 101 that permits cyclists so I turned south and after 3 miles, reached Jalama Road.  This is a classic 14 mile route out to Jalama Beach and has some great climbs.  Above is an image of one of many white oaks with Spanish moss that dot the landscape.

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After 14 miles from 101 and very tough climbing, I reached an overlook that showed the remote Jalama Beach, a refuge for surfers and old Hippies. Very remote but the site is famous for the Jalama Burger, which I ate while looking out over the Pacific Ocean.  Very nice!  Headed back but while bouncing over one of the hundreds of road pot holes, my seat suddenly droped to the rear.  This sucked and I could not fix, causing me to accomodate which put a strain on other body parts.  Ended up with 81 miles and 5100' of climbing.  I was pooped and felt just like after finishing that Bladensburg ride of a couple of weeks ago.  I'm tired but will go back out tomorrow to ride with a local group of cyclists for a recovery ride.  Much more cycling with massive climbs to come!

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