This race started at the Bay Meadows Race Course in San Mateo, Ca, and it wound through San Mateo, and out Crystal Springs Rd to Canada Rd, around the Alpine Rd/Portola Valley Loop, up Old La Honda Rd for the first major climb, down Hwy 84 to the Pacific Coast Highway, the back up Tunitas Creek Rd (2nd long climb!), and back down into Woodside and Portola Valley. After a break in PV, the ride continued down through the Los Altos Hills, and returned on Foothill Blvd to Palo Alto where we began to backtrack the same way we originally came; back through Canada and Crystal Springs Rds.

The great thing about this ride is that there were numerous bathrooms - not just bathrooms provided by event organizers, but bathrooms were available along the route at various Open Space Preserves on the Peninsula. As a result, I hydrated considerably more as a result since I knew bathrooms were abundant.

Overall, the weather temps were higher than what I normally ride in, so by mile 80 I was really feeling it, and the ride sometimes felt like a bit of a slog - the slog feeling ebbed and flowed, though. Unlike the Sequoia Century a few weeks ago where I encounted the likeness of steep grades, this century had two long climbs to contend with, and many shorter climbs were scattered throughout the entire course. Although I climbed less elevation today than I did in the Sequioa on 6/4, I feel that the way the elevation was spread so evenly throughout the entire course made it a difficult century - definately different than the one I rode on 6/4.

On the descent on Highway 84 we were riding in the opposite direction of the several pelotons from the Pescadero Road Race, so it was really exciting to see so many cyclists out today, so much variety out there.



I still haven't figured out the bowel movement on-command and prior to the start of the event. Gross, I know....Any ideas?