 A
cold morning would later turn into a bright and sunny day (and then back
to a somewhat cold night) on the January 2005 edition of the Winter
Solstice Double Century. This very nice ride has historically
been an "invitation only" event, but look for it to show up on
the California Triple Crown
calendar next time around. The scenic and challenging course (click
here for a route sheet in Word format) leads from San Jose,
California, through Gilroy on the way to the Pinnacles National Monument
and then back. Parts of the course are included in the SoCal
Epic, an unsupported "fast tour" from Davis to Southern
California--click here to see
photos from last year's "Epic" adventure.
 For
2005, Campy Only's Eric Norris was joined by Michael "Mojo"
Cosgrove for a fixed-gear ride. Yes, that's 200 miles (actually
more; we got lost at the end) in one gear with no
coasting. Not that bad, really, but definitely a bit harder than
on a "regular" bike. (BTW, Campy Only's fixed
gear Soma is geared with a 50/20 combination, for about 68 gear
inches.)
To see a record of our exploits on
another fixed-gear DC, click here.
And now, the photos ...
Signing in at Ken's kitchen table |
 |
Yeah, it was dark at the
5 a.m. start |
Checking out Todd
Teachout's very nice Campy- equipped Rivendell |
Mojo enjoys a donut in
Gilroy |
Gratuitous shot of Campy
Only's Eric Norris at the Gilroy rest stop. About 30
degrees here ... brrr! |
The Campy Only fixie |
Annie found a donut to
match her gorgeous tandem |
Following Mojo |
|
Video!
Campy Only Ride Cam video of Mojo |
We decided not to take a
108-mile detour to see the New Idria Mine |
Downtown Paicines
Where
is Paicines? |
Annie shared her tandem
with Ed, her captain-for-a-day |
Hwy 25 south of Paicines |
Video!
Campy Only Ride Cam video of Mojo, Ed and Annie |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Turnaround at the
Pinnacles store.
More info on the Pinnacles
National Monument |
Wearing the yellow
T-shirt is Reid Walden, a great DC rider |
Sag vehicle splashes
through a puddle, a reminder of the rains that pounded the state |
 |
Annie's tights |
Read this important
warning about wild pigs! |
Pinnacles store |
On the way home! |
 |
 |
South of Hollister |
 |
View of Hollister and the
mountains beyond |
Another gratuitous shot
of Campy Only's Eric Norris |
We outfitted our fixie in
"randonneur" style, with a big seat bag |
Mojo grooves on a
filet-o-fish at McDonald's in Hollister. 33
grams of fat! Yum! |
|
The sun sets through a
thick bank of clouds. Getting cold again |
Campy Only's dashboard |
Self-portrait, near
Gilroy |
Last photo of the day |
|
A few notes about the finish
... Mojo and I (unwisely) decided to diverge from the route sheet with
about ten miles to go, and promptly got lost in Silicon Valley.
While we were lost, Mojo's bike suffered a double flat (both front and
rear wheels) crossing a set of railroad tracks--he tried to ride on the
flats, gave that up, and ended up waiting about 5 miles from the finish
while we fetched a sag wagon (Thanks, Graham, for driving!) Total
time for Campy Only's fixed WSDC was 16.5 hours--not bad, figuring that it
included several ad hoc rest stops (like a stop for Starbucks with about
20 miles to go).
More
Ride Photos | Previous WSDC
| The One Before That | Campy Only Home
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Us
|
A
cold morning would later turn into a bright and sunny day (and then back
to a somewhat cold night) on the January 2005 edition of the Winter
Solstice Double Century. This very nice ride has historically
been an "invitation only" event, but look for it to show up on
the California Triple Crown
calendar next time around. The scenic and challenging course (click
here for a route sheet in Word format) leads from San Jose,
California, through Gilroy on the way to the Pinnacles National Monument
and then back. Parts of the course are included in the SoCal
Epic, an unsupported "fast tour" from Davis to Southern
California--click here to see
photos from last year's "Epic" adventure.
