I had this feeling today would be a good day for the “reverse” version of the Pescadero loop, and I wasn’t wrong. It’s often the case that, when a bit breezy on the bay side of the hills, you’ll either be battling fierce headwinds if you do a “normal” clockwise ride, or a good tailwind if you go counterclockwise. That’s how it worked out.
Kevin was initially on fire on Old LaHonda; I told him about a third of the way up to keep going, don’t worry about me. He finished almost two minutes ahead, and I was fine with that because I had this feeling he’d be reaching his limits later in the ride. And once again, I wasn’t wrong.
It was pretty nice heading out to the coast, enjoying a slight tailwind. Funny how 230 watts at 25mph feels so much better than the same power at 15mph. I got thinking about the pros, and how, if they’re in a breakaway, they prefer headwinds because it’s somehow easier to stay ahead of the pack. I’m not sure how that works. I definitely prefer tailwinds. Then again, I was never paid big bucks to perform for an audience on a bike either.
Pescadero was pretty busy; not surprising since it was such a nice day. The normal stop at Arcangeli’s Bakery was out of the question, with a long line streaming out the door. Which meant- taco time at the gas station! Technically it’s Mercado & Taqueria De Amigos (Market & Taqueria of Friends) but there’s no signage to speak of, just a gas station with what appears to be a mini-mart. Definitely worth the visit but make sure you bring cash; they don’t take credit cards.
The ride home involved Haskins in the “wrong” direction. Never a fun hill to climb, as you can’t get into any sort of rhythm on it. Hate that. Usually it’s not the star attraction though, as we’d be climbing West Alpine afterward. Not today; that would have been too many miles for Kevin and even Haskins was getting to him. By the time we got to West Old LaHonda he was pretty beat, but not so bad he couldn’t enjoy more of the beautiful views. I took a video of the “scenic” part of the climb, which if I do it right, will embed here.
Oh, almost forgot, on the way out, when we descended West Old LaHonda, we stopped at the picture point and had a bit of fun with Kevin mimicking William Shatner saying “Beautiful Day!” in Star Trek Generations. A couple minutes later, I reminded Kevin he can say “I’m a nerd, like my father before me.” Star Wars and Star Trek homages in one ride, a definite win!
As we approached home, it looked like we were going to come in just half a mile short, maybe less, of 100km (62.1 miles). So two quick trips around the block to make sure we got Kevin’s first metric century under his belt.
