For the ride on Saturday we were considering doing the 77 mile Long Distance Training club ride but we were concerned about the traffic on that route.  So instead we went on another club ride, near the same area but on some back roads.  In the morning we checked the weather forecast and it looked like it would be cooler than it had been but still in the upper 50′s and low 60′s.  Never believe the weather forecast in this area with all it’s micro climates.

As we left our house at 8:30, the sun was just about to break through the overcast sky so it looked very promising for a nice sunny day.  We headed by car over Hecker Pass Highway toward the ocean.  As we neared the summit, we saw the thick fog and the temperatures were dropping.  As we descended down towards the coast, the fog became thicker.  The ride started in Corralitos.  About 6 other people were there but they had been smart enough to wear tights.  Ann had brought her jacket and arm warmers but Franz had only brought along a vest and arm warmers.  Neither of us had tights, knee warmers, long finger gloves or an ear band.  We could have used all of those.

We headed out with the group for the easy climb up and over Hazel Dell.  The temperature was about 51 but with some moderate climbing we seemed warm enough.  Then we made the tough climb up Mt. Madonna road, which climbs over 1,500 vertical feet.  The road was wet from the heavy fog and we knew the decent would be difficult and cold.  We were the first ones to the top but only waited a short while, figuring it would be warmer at the base so we headed down.

We stopped half way down to get a bit warmer.  You can see the fog was still thick.

At the base we stopped only briefly, then it was back over Hazel Dell.  Near the summit, one other rider had a flat tire so we stopped while he was doing the repair.  It was now 49 degrees and we started to get real chilled.  There must have been a slight wind because we were definitely colder than earlier.  Then we had to do the descent back down to Corralitos.  When we got there we felt cold, too cold to be having fun.  We went into the store and Anne bought a hot chocolate but Franz was so cold he went to the car to warm up.  It was probably 15 minutes before the rest of the riders showed up.

We got out of the car and headed back over to get on the bike to go up Eureka Canyon.  It was now past noon and the fog was still thick.  It was looking like it was not going to clear today.  We remembered how it was going to be sunny back home.  So we decided to go back home and bike there.

When we did return home we felt so tired.  It was coldest we had ever felt in late May.  After getting some recovery we decided to go out on a run instead.  But we vowed to get in a long bike Ride on Monday, Memorial Day.

Categories: Cycling
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