Tina and I did the Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge on the weekend. We were signed up for the 100 mile, but decided to do the 64 miles version instead, just so we could reach the end of the ride and not feel totally wiped out. We had not been riding much since the Death Ride at the beginning of July, so that was a wise choice.
The day’s main climb was the difficult Jamison Creek, which averges 12% for about 1.6 miles at the top. I rode with Tina so I felt pretty fresh when we reached it. She was also pretty fresh, and reached the top with plenty to spare. “That was fun. Let’s do it again,” was the first thing she said when she reached the top.
We saw our friend Kelly Rogers, who was with us on our France trip last year. He had been recovering from a knee issue, so it was good to see him out on the road.
Pictures from the ride are here