Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Sal wanted me to write about being prepared for the Easter Hill Country Tour. Sal wants me to do a lot of things. Sal is a school teacher and a coach. He is idealistic and patient, both laudable traits. This is good because I have not been prepared for the EHCT in years. In fact, I have not been prepared for any ride in recent memory. If you are prepared where is the adventure? What’s the point?

I did do the EHCT. It was harder than I expected and a couple of rookies actually sagged part of the course. Sponge Bob crusted his gloves up with sweat salt, cramped like hell and whined. He finished with dignity. The tour organizers found a double dipper hill with 16 to 18 percent grades just before the finish. Miss Nellie did splendid and will be a real contender when she learns to descend. Myself? I rode all right, I was a little short on gas and felt I could have done better. I made a miscalculation and went to Harper. It was not on the course but I have a friend named Harper so I felt obligated to visit. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

The second weekend back from the Hill Country, the local bike club put on a charity ride. I try to avoid these rides, there is a mixed group of riders and I usually wind up in a “sweeper” position. That is a ride leader who brings home the stragglers. The ride is named “Karie’s Ride” after our friend Darlene’s daughter Karie. Karie died young of colon cancer. I did last year’s ride for Darlene. This year it was in honor of Hudler’s niece Shelby who died of Leukemia as a child. Once again I volunteered. I did lead out a ride and pulled the whole ride with Dr. Martin. I had nearly 100 miles when I got home. That meant two century rides in one month.

Then our renter in Chico went insane, even by California standards. I was planning on going out anyway to fix the fence but replacing a renter turns it into a long ordeal. The Chico Velo Wildflower Century happened to coincide with my visit so I decided to combine business and pleasure. The Wildflower is rated one of the top ten rides in the country and has been on my “to do” list for years. Remember Sal and being prepared? I foolishly thought that having done two centuries I would be ready for a third.

Wildflower sounds so bucolic, as does Honey Run. Paradise, Oroville, lunch stop, they all inspire a warm fuzzy feeling. Inspiration is a tricky thing. The Wildflower has 5000 feet of climbing all in the first 50 miles. Honey Run is a six mile climb the flat spots are 6% grade. That is just so wrong. Paradise is a throw back to the 50’s. The run out of Paradise is fast and steep, the locals buzz by you at 45 mph with no warning. You get a splendid rest stop and great cookies and juices then a pleasant little ride to Table Mountain road. No route with “mountain” in the name bodes well for a flatlander from South Texas. It was actually worse that Honey Run. The flat sections were 8% and the bumps 12 to 16%. If the numbers mean nothing to you, smash your fist into your thigh over and over until your hand hurts. Then there was the descent down Cherokee Road. Winding and tight, in and out of shadow and traffic. Think of the scariest roller-coaster you have ever been on and 23MM tires.

The Wildflower is one of the best Century rides I have every been on. The food was great, it was so well organized and mapped out only an idiot could get lost (several did). So, Mr. Sal, was I prepared for it? Not on your life. If I had known just how hard a ride it would be I might have demurred. I was at times terrified, exhilarated, blissed out and in pain. There was also the transcendental moment coming down Cherokee Road when I was doing 40 mph with my brakes on and starting to really nail the corners (no brakes in the corners of course but they were all blind). Then there was the best part. Going to all of the bike shops the day after wearing my ride T-shirt and getting a knowing smile. I would hear the same question, “Did you do the century?” then the nod and “Pretty cool heh?” Oh yeah, damn cool.

Special thanks to Windom Kimsey for letting my tag along while he did his second century, The Wildflower.