Just a casual morning scurry...the only difference was it was a little later than usual due to the shortish mileage.  No one was really in a hurry this morning since we only had 49 miles to ride...but there were lots to see and do on the way and it looked like we were going to have a great day...and we did.

The departure out of Petaluma was pretty easy and we rode right through old downtown which was a treat.  From there it didn't take long for us to get out into the country and to start climbing.  The first 10 miles were pretty much downhill which gave everyone a chance to get the blood flowing in the legs before the terrain started to rise significantly at about mile 11.  About the time the riders approached the bottom of the climb, they were getting the feeling back in their legs from all the climbing over the last couple of days.  I heard several of them say, "These are some steep hills."  And they were right.

The route was pretty tame from there until we climbed in Sausalito to get to the Golden Gate Bridge.  The last 20 miles or so was through urban areas with plenty of places to stop to either warm up or treat yourself to an espresso or latte.  I stopped to check out 5 big bike shops through town...there's an abundance of shops all sporting large inventories of clothing and accessories...bike shop shopping heaven if you ask me.

All in all it was a pretty lazy day for me.  I was in the van early and Karen rode to the SAG where we switched.  I think I rolled in at 3:15...just too many places to stop and too many places to take photos.  It doesn't matter how many times I come through here I still have to stop to admire the Golden Gate Bridge (GGB).  It's just awesome and always seems to be a little different depending the weather.  Today, it was fully visible but the overcast cloudy day gave it an eerie appearance above the bay.  After climbing out of Sausalito, our route took us through Ft Baker and under the GGB which I thought was pretty cool...even the climb up to the bridge was neat albeit 10%.  The climb back up to enter the bridge looks daunting, but the views of the city and bridge just made the climb seem relatively easy compared to some we've had over the last few days. 

The crossing on the bridge is really beyond words.  We were on the bay side this year and we shared the bridge with a thousand tourist pedestrians and every imaginable bike rider.  When we got close to the end of the bridge the people traffic got so thick we were riding at walk speed in a sea of people.  But even with the congestion, it's always a treat to ride across the bridge...even at the height we are above the water.   Now don't get me wrong, I have a healthy fear of heights so I didn't stand around long in one place, but while riding, the height of the bridge didn't seem to even be noticed; however, when you stopped you could feel the bridge bouncing as trucks drove by and the look straight down was something else.  I can't imagine anyone jumping off that thing, but many have done it in the past.  I can't even stand close to the edge of the bridge.  One thing for sure in my mind, if one did jump, he'd have a long time on the way down to think about how stupid a move that was. 

I was glad to finally get to the other end where we could get on the roadway again.  In spite of all the obstacles, everyone negotiated the maze and finally got to the motel.  Several riders took the opportunity to take a side trip and ride up Lombard Street...a 25% slope that's only for non sissies.  Last year I climbed that hill.  I was standing over my bike at the foot of the climb with no excuses...I had to do it.  I turned left up the slope and found the bottom to be fairly easy...only 10-15% in places but then it crossed another street and the slope rose significantly.  There was a line of cars about half way up waiting for a light at the top.  Every time the light would change, the cars would roll backwards and then tires would squeal getting started up...what was I thinking?  As I approached the line of cars, I tried to slow down to a crawl to time their movement so I wouldn't have to stop.  If I did stop, there would be no way I could get going again on that slope...I slowed so much at one point, I started to roll backwards and had to scramble to regain my forward momentum...not good.  As I approached the car at the end of the line, I had to bail out of the road and take the sidewalk.  Luckily there was a driveway with a smooth entrance so I turned onto the sidewalk and continued the climb to the top just about track standing at every pedal stroke...wow!  What a view at the top!  Now I had to go back down!  Actually, that was more daunting than the climb.  I crossed the street and started back down inching my way to the bottom riding the brakes all the way to hold walking speed all the way down.  If I would have let go of the brakes at any point, I'm sure my speed would have become uncontrollable and I'd have been unable to stop at the two stop signs on the way down.  It would have been a blast to have just let it go had the road been straight and level and no traffic.  But as it were, I'm sure if I'd survived running the stop sign at the cross street I would have become airborne after crossing the intersection...that would have been a hoot...at least until I landed.  While airborne I probably would have had the same thoughts as the bridge jumper...just before impact I would have been contemplating how stupid that move was.  I know Boaz, Rachel, Bob, and Team Flamingo all ventured to the top and all said it was great...and they agreed with my assessment, the trip back down was more daunting than the climb.

Finally, everyone got in safely.  We spent the late afternoon assisting riders who are leaving, we finally finished around 5:00 and was finally able to take a deep breath and go to dinner.  We don't pick up any new riders so we'll have a real day to relax tomorrow...nice for a change.  Everyone is looking forward to a day off Sunday in the city.  We're staying right on Lombard Street within walking distance to Fisherman's Wharf and many other attractions so I'm sure everyone will take some time to tour the sights...and do laundry...and rest hopefully.  I'm thinking with all there is to do there will be some tired folks when we get ready to pull out on Sunday...we'll see.

It's finally time to sign off.  There won't be an entry for Saturday...the next entry will be for our day into Santa Cruz on Sunday.  We'll be riding south...hope you'll tune in.