🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2ulprl$77g@gw.home.vix.com> shedevil@vix.com (Anne P. Mitchell Esq.) writes:

>   Primarily I am concerned with what "moderately hilly" means.

Eureka Canyon, and some of the hills around Mt. Madonna Rd .... I
don't have a map in front of me but a road with a name like "Brown
(something)" comes to mind. No terrible hills. :-)

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In article <2ulprl$77g@gw.home.vix.com> shedevil@vix.com (Anne P. Mitchell Esq.) writes:
> 
>Is anyone familiar with the routes which will be followed for
>the Pajaro Valley Century sponsored by the Santa Cruz County
>Cycling Club?
>
>The description of the 90/100 mile option reads:
>
>"These rides start off through the redwood frests, then follow the
>coastal bluffs through Santa Cruz.  The rides then pass rolling
>farmland, the Elkhorn Slough and the oak-studded hills of northern
>Monterey County.  The 90 mile skirts the edge of Pajaro Valley to the
>finish, while the 100 mile makes one more climb into the redwoods.
>Moderately hilly; 4 rest stops."
>
>--------------------
>
>Primarily I am concerned with what "moderately hilly" means.
>

That sounds like the same route as last year. Assuming that is the
case, the following is a description of the ride. The numbers are
from the route sheet, I believe they are max elevations in feet,
but I can't find any confermation on that.

Start at Soquel High School, approximately at sea level.

The first leg is probably the most hilly. For the 100k, I think you
skip this part.  Heads north on San Jose-Soquel Road. Go up up Laurel
Glen (630') and down Mountain View, and Branciforte (170'), and up
again on Granite Creek (760'). Now you are in Scott's Valley. Rest stop
at Delaveaga School, then back to Soquel.

The second leg follows the coast from Soquel to Watsonville. It is mostly
open country and mostly rollers. The rest stop is a McGowan Bridge, which
is near Beach Road in Watsonville.

The third leg takes you to Aromas. Jog inland to Elkhorn Road. Elkhorn Road
starts out flat, following Elkhorn Slough, but towards the end there
is more up and down. Turn inland at Del Monte Farms Road, then take Paradise,
Maher, and San Juan Road. Somewhere along this leg, perhaps at the beginning
of Maher, is a short, steep hill which crests and then brings you into the
valley. People without low gears sometimes stop on this hill, but it is 
short enough that even walking it will only take a minute or two. There's
a rest stop at Aromas school.

The fourth leg takes you from Aromas to near Corralitos. The steel bridge
that leads out of Aromas to Highway 129 has unfortunately been superceded
since last year. Head northwest on Highway 129 and other roads to Green
Valley Road (413'). The countryside changes from open rural to wooded
hillsides. Climb Hazel Dell (813'). These two roads have a fair amount
of elevation gain, but the climbing is steady, so the grade is not
steep. Down Brown's Valley Road to the rest stop.

The last leg takes you back via Freedom, Day Valley (478'), Valencia and
Soquel Road.

So, in summary, there are lots and lots of hills in this ride, but none are
very tall (all below 1000' climb) and with I think one (short) exception, no
grade is steep enough to be a problem for the average century rider. I would
guess that the total elevation gain is between 3000 and 4000 feet.

Michael.