This was my first time riding the Santa Rosa Cycling Club’s Annual Wine Country Century! There’s a variety of routes to choose from, and Ann, Bonnie, Karen (with special piggy guest, “Pudu’s Progeny”, hitching a ride on her handlebars), Jambi, Pudu and I opted for the 200k. Since Jambi hails from Berlin and rides in the flatlands of northern Germany, the chilly, foggy climbs in the first 50-60 miles or so took its toll on his right knee (which includes Coleman Valley and some bumps between Guerneville and Graton. This section was new to me, so I really enjoyed the change of scenery from the usual roads I pedal on during brevets.)

So we cut the ride short and finished early with 90 miles under our belts — just in time to get some delicious lunch, a pint of Lagunitas beer (thanks, Murph!) and relax in the sunshine. I saw two other SFR randos Todd T. and Barb M.; Paul M., Sarah S. and Bob R. at the finish (thanks for volunteering!); several SF2G folks (Peter, Christine and Dan), Greg S. and lots of other friendly faces along the way. Kudos to SRCC for running a stellar event for 2500 cyclists — the course was marked clearly and the rest stops were well-stocked with tasty snacks and managed by awesome volunteers. (And I’m glad I was able to do the ride at all — I’d foolishly left my helmet and shoes back in Oakland, but TBO was a hero and met me halfway in Novato with my equipment.) This will probably be my last big ride until the 1200k in Florida…going to rest the legs for my Key West adventure!