Gallery - Central Coast Double
05/08/10
the route: 215 miles, 15,000' of climbing, great scenery
5:30 start in City Park, Paso Robles - 43 degrees
rambling along in the early morning light
a serious grade leads to the first checkpoint
on to Cambria and the sea
pacing along Route 1 - the views are amazing
Piedras Blancas lighthouse
(the lighthouse in the Lighthouse Century)
beautiful seasite vistas - but a stiff headwind
more climbing than you might think along Route 1
checkpoint 2 - Ragged Point
at Ragged Point...
on and on and on up the coast into that headwind we go
a slice of Americana - Gorda general store
the gulls have laid claim to this rock
amazing wildflowers
checkpoint 3 - Mill Creek
time for a little climb - 7 miles at 7%
looking down you can assess your progress
paced the climb with guys - a fellow Kestrel rider
yay made it! to the summit, onward...
... a nice long descent into Hunter Liggett army base
beautiful meadows (and a tank!)
two pacelines pass each other :)
entering the base proper
checkpoint 4 - lunch at Mission San Antonio
toughest descent of the day
blasting through vineyards with a nice tailwind
(self-portrait)
meadows filled with wildflowers line the road
rollers between the lakes ... and then a steep climb up to a ridge
... yielding an amazing view of San Antonio Lake ...
... and Nacimiento Lake
power descent back down into the valley
over the river again
and then finally many miles in the twilight before reaching the finish