I don’t often wake up at 4:45 in the morning, but Sunday was an exception. A gang of Mission riders hit the road early, heading down (by car) to Palo Alto for the Sequoia Century – or, to be more precise, the Sequoia Double-Metric.  After unpacking, suiting up, registering and topping off (Keith brought bagels!), we were ready to roll:

Mission Cycling represent!

The first ten miles melted away quickly, and before we knew it, we were making a left onto Redwood Gulch – and an agonizing stretch with grades up near (or above) 15%. Lesser mortals were walking their bikes up some sections, but not us. Mission Cycling powered to the top, where the road leveled off slightly and continued to climb up to the first rest stop.  3,100 feet of climbing in the first 20 miles? Not a bad way to start the day.

A view from the peloton approaching Redwood Gulch

Ride was very well supported and the rest stops were stocked with all of the long-ride staples: peanut butter and jelly, bagels, bananas, crackers, pretzels – and even some junk food.

Keith and Ben inspect the route sheet

After regrouping at the top, the gang bombed down a gorgeous, multi-minute descent at over 30 miles per hour, with Mike P. hammering at the front. What goes down, must go up: that descent turned into a long, uphill slog – about 5 miles at 5%. Peltier and I probably frustrated more than a few riders on the way up: we were cranking along at a conversational pace… but that pace had us passing cyclist after cyclist all the way to the top.

From there, we descended Alpine Road (Mike overtook a Corvette on the way down) and found a sunny spot in La Honda for lunch at mile 68. We even spotted a long lost Mission Cyclist!

Travis enjoying lunch in the sun

Then came the fun part: the 200K’ers split off from the main route to do an extra loop down the coastline to Pescadero and back. We fully expected Highway 1 to be cold and foggy… and to our surprise, it was the complete opposite. After that energizing lunch, motivated by the epic scenery and with the wind at our back, we cranked those miles out in no time.

Highway 1 was gorgeous (Click me!)

From Pescadero, Mike, Mike, Ben and I tackled Stage Road’s three super-rollers – each bigger and longer than Camino Alto – and then paused to mentally prepare ourselves for the day’s final climb: Tunitas Creek Road.

Combine Panoramic with the climb from Alpine Dam to the base of Seven Sisters and you’ve got Tunitas. Mike G. and I paced off each other for the first 80%, but he was feeling strong at the top and started hammering as soon as the grade started to even out. We were flying by riders on those last two miles of the climb – Mike was burning up the climb so fast, I’m surprised he didn’t leave a trail of fire in his wake!

From the sound of things, our other Mission participants felt similarly strong: Courtney made an impression on a few cyclists by shouting, “Andale, andale! Arriba, arriba!” as she and Keith overtook rider after rider on their way up.

Meanwhile, the Mikes and I took the descent back down into Palo Alto very quickly and hammered the whole way (15 miles) in – sprinting at town line and speed limit signs, blowing by dazed riders and generally finishing stronger than any of us thought possible. (For the record, it was Mike G. who took the final sprint in the VA Health Systems parking lot!)

Mike, Mike and I dominated the final 15 miles

Keith and Courtney rolled up as the Mikes and I enjoyed some post-ride snacks and ice cream. The mood was fantastic: everyone felt great, even after 120+ miles! It might have been the weather, but more likely it was the company – and the fitness earned after of those great rides we’ve been doing with our fellow Mission Cyclists.

It was all smiles at the finish.

On paper, this was the longest, most difficult ride I’d ever tackled, but it didn’t feel that way at the finish. Mission Cycling went down to Palo Alto, and we dominated. Sequoia Century status: owned.

Full data and results: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/6635618