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| Ponderosa Big at the North Fork of the American River |
Today's ride was originally themed "Road Bikes on Dirt". It was the intended to be the sequel to yesterday's ride, yet bigger, with more dirt, more mud, and more adventure. The ride was intended to highlight my growth as a cyclist, from road rider, to cross rider, to road rider who rides his bike on cross conditioned roads. In the midst of today's ride I really felt like it was a big continuation of yesterdays tribute to the Rapha Continental and that it would only be appropriate to title it as so; Tribute to Rapha Continental "Es Wieder Tun", which is German for "Do It Again." The German in the title is in addition a tribute to one of my dear girlfriends, a German woman named Julia who is the greatest woman I have ever met!
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| Massive Loop With Multiple Dirt Sections |
Here is the route map for the day, 80.1km (49.7miles) with 1964m (6443ft) of climbing. The intent of the ride was to link as many big dirt sections as possible while still making it home in one piece. I had planned the night before to ride two massive dirt sections (PonderosaWay and Yankee Jims Road) in a sort of lollipop shape to get back home. Unfortunately I slept in, got a late start, and it was cold, so I had to improvise. The resulting route included a poached canal section, one massive dirt section (Ponderosa Way), and a dirt climb out of the canyon for kicks. I also added the short Shirland Track loop to get some extra miles in the dark. All in all it was a killer ride featuring some serious climbing!
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| Canal Dirt Section |
This is the first dirt section of my ride, an irrigation canal I found back in the Fall when I was looking for new loops and backroads to ride on. This section features decent dirt conditions, nearly no grade, and wonderful peace and serenity under it's trees. Canals are very common in this area, I'm learning they provide new, interesting and often challenging sections for riding. Looking at the map, you can see where I diverged from the road and linked up on the other side. The dirt portion is 1.6km (1mile), which links up to a series of short steep paved climbs for a total of 4.3km (2.7miles) with131m (430ft).
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| Canal Dirt at Ground Level |
Shot from the canal trail. Beautiful dirt section here with some sweet puddles to splash through.
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| Topo Map of Ponderosa Dirt Section, Descent On Top, Climb On Bottom |
Here is a topographical view of the big dirt section of the ride, the Ponderosa Way descent and climb from Weimar to Foresthill. This section is 9.6km (5.9miles) long and features 435m (1427ft) of climbing, all of which is earned on the assent. The dirt conditions vary from near silk, to hard pack, to gravel, to deep ruts, making it fun and interesting. The climb out is rated as a category 2 climb, but considering it's dirt and mud this time of year, I'd rate it higher.. Of all the routes in the area, I'd have to say this section is one of my vary favorites!
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| Descent Section of Ponderosa Way, Winding Back and Forth |
Panoramic view of the descent down Ponderosa, which you can see on the topo map. I'm looking forward to the day I climb this section, the switchbacks looks rad to go up!
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| I Guess This Will Work For a Boot.. |
I took the descent a bit hard and tore my tire. I did not have a boot or even a dollar bill.. Debated on using a banana peel to boot the tire, then decided to peel the wrapper off my CO2 Cylinder instead.. Fortunately a driver came by and gave me a dollar bill! I was very grateful to receive this bill.
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| Poderosa Bridge |
The American River and bridge on Ponderosa Way. This is a fantastic swim spot in the sumer time. As a teenager I'd jump off that bridge, throwing various aerials. Great memories here!
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| Ponderosa Climb, Nice Patch of Dirt |
Beautiful section of dirt at the base of the Ponderosa climb, smooth as silk.
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| Stagecoach Topo Map, River to The Top |
After hitting the top of Ponderosa Way, I rode back to Auburn and descended in to the canyon to add this sweet climb, Stagecoach. This is the third dirt section of the ride and the second big climb. This section is 3.5km (2.2miles) with 228m (748ft) of climbing. This is rated as a Category 3 climb, but similarly to Ponderosa Way, it's dirt and gravel increasing the difficulty level significantly.
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| Base of Stagecoach |
You can see the famous Foresthill Bridge (feature in the movie XXX with Vin Diesel) in the background. This also gives perspective when you compare it with the topo map.
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| From Stagecoach Looking at The River |
Top of Stagecoach looking back at the American River and Foresthill Bridge.
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| Route Profile |
Here is the route profile for the day.
Thank you for reading today's blog, please join me on day 6 of the Rapha Festive 500!
Happy Riding!
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