The High Road...: Rapha Festive 500: Day 4 Tribute to Rapha Continental

Todays route was inspired by and is a tribute to the Rapha Continental Cycling Squad. When I began cycling back in 2009, I was completely new to the sport and lifestyle on the bike. I was fortunate to be introduced to Rapha by a friend which opened up the whole world and culture of cycling to me. One of the many things Rapha showed me was the Rapha Continental, it's rides, and beautiful video and photography. Initially, it was something I did not understand.. Was it touring? Was it training? Was it group riding or racing? The continentals purpose was something I couldn't wrap my mind around. Still, it was inspiring, watching "average" dudes like me kill it on bikes, out in the cuts. Some of the things that I distinctly remember inspiring me were the dirt and gravel rides, playing in the mud, and taking roads that the average cyclist would not. At the time the continental planted the seed in my mind that you don't have to go to Europe to do insane rides, that you can do them anywhere, even right in your back yard.

Pre-ride Fueling

Three years later I find myself a significantly more mature cyclist in a place where I embrace all that the Continental stands for. Continental is a mindset where racing, group riding, touring, and adventure riding converge. It really is a throwback to the soul of cycling and what cycling is all about.. YOU AND THE BIKE. It wasn't until I matured in to this mindset that I could truly appreciate the difficulty, beauty and glory of this type of riding, and now that I've found it, I'm hook. Don't get me wrong I still race and love it, but there is something to be said for big deep burley rides, thats where its at! Please enjoy todays route and the tribute to the Rapha Continental, it was a fun one.

Route Map

The route above consists of two loop sections. The first portion is the upper loop called Garden Bar/Big Hill, 35km (21.7miles) with 835m (2740ft) of climbing. This loop has a nice 5.8km (3.6mile) section of dirt with 283m (928ft) of climbing to the top. The dirt condition varies throughout the year from very loose gavel to nicely packed dirt as seen in the photos here. The second sections is a series of backroads in the Newcastcle and Penryn areas creating a beautiful rolling loop back home. This area is a staple to our riding and race training roads in the area, with nice climbs, rollers, and kickers that all make you work for it. The area sits right on the foothills where you can meander back and forth climbing and descending 800ft at a time. It's proximity to town makes it good even on bad weather days because you will not get stranded and there are plenty of houses sprinkled throughout the region to get help if you're in a bad situation. The second loop ended up being 51.3km (31.9miles) with 905m (2969ft) of climbing.

Roller Section at the Base of Garden Bar

Here is the roller section at the base of Garden Bar. You can get an idea of the type of terrain in the area. Today was the first sunny say in two weeks, it was beautiful. This area is incredible to ride in year around, but especially in the spring and fall.