# Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge 7/31



## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

This century and metric is meant for those that love climbing. It has good food and support (hey, I'm the pub director for this). Check it out http://santacruzcycling.org/scmc/.

This thread can be a spot for RBRers to announce their intentions for the ride and maybe get together with others.

(I probably won't be riding it on the official day, but will be doing some kind of support - like sag driving.)


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

sometimerider said:


> This century and metric is meant for those that love climbing. It has good food and support (hey, I'm the pub director for this). Check it out http://santacruzcycling.org/scmc/.
> 
> This thread can be a spot for RBRers to announce their intentions for the ride and maybe get together with others.
> 
> (I probably won't be riding it on the official day, but will be doing some kind of support - like sag driving.)


There's a pub?


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## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

robwh9 said:


> There's a pub?


Well, that would be nice, but it's not part of the ride.

I however might be checking one out after it's over. (I'm infamous in my group for beer guzzling at every oppurtunity on lunch stops.)


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## ratpick (Jul 31, 2008)

I'm signed up.. going to do the longest ride they offer (100 miles, I think). 

I've been pre-riding a lot of the climbs, since I don't get down that way very often. Looking forward to joining them all together! Jamison Creek will be fun with lots of other cyclists struggling up at the same time (and timed)! Mountain Charlie should be much easier since it comes very early in the ride (when I did it last weekend, I had already clocked up 105 miles before I got to it).

Looking forward to this one!


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## poff (Jul 21, 2007)

I did it last year. It offers some fun climbing on Jameeson Creek Rd. I just did Climb to Kaiser. Shame to say, I could not finish. 1st time it happened to me. The temperature gradient got to me. Coming down from the top the temperature gone up from 60's in the Sierras to 95 in the valley. Even going DH I felt very bad - could not eat or even drink. So 9 miles from the finish I just collapsed on the side of the road from heat exhaust and had to be sagged. What a disaster. I'll be back next year. The Tallhouse Rd climd to Shaver lake was a beast > than 5,000ft (or at least it felt like it) of nonstop climbing.


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

*The ride's the thing...*



poff said:


> I did it last year. It offers some fun climbing on Jameeson Creek Rd. I just did Climb to Kaiser. Shame to say, I could not finish. 1st time it happened to me. The temperature gradient got to me. Coming down from the top the temperature gone up from 60's in the Sierras to 95 in the valley. Even going DH I felt very bad - could not eat or even drink. So 9 miles from the finish I just collapsed on the side of the road from heat exhaust and had to be sagged. What a disaster. I'll be back next year. The Tallhouse Rd climd to Shaver lake was a beast > than 5,000ft (or at least it felt like it) of nonstop climbing.


Finishing is overrated. Good effort!


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## parity (Feb 28, 2006)

poff said:


> I did it last year. It offers some fun climbing on Jameeson Creek Rd. I just did Climb to Kaiser. Shame to say, I could not finish. 1st time it happened to me. The temperature gradient got to me. Coming down from the top the temperature gone up from 60's in the Sierras to 95 in the valley. Even going DH I felt very bad - could not eat or even drink. So 9 miles from the finish I just collapsed on the side of the road from heat exhaust and had to be sagged. What a disaster. I'll be back next year. The Tallhouse Rd climd to Shaver lake was a beast > than 5,000ft (or at least it felt like it) of nonstop climbing.


I almost had a similar experience last year. I did it for the first time and the last ~15 miles killed me. No power in my legs and barely moving forward. I should have taken more water with me at the last rest stop just to pour it on me to try to keep "cool". Fortunately I finished under my own power but there were times I thought I couldn't make it. And there were riders just sitting at the side of the road in any shade they could find so its not just you. By far the hardest ride I have done, the Death Ride is a walk in the park in comparison.


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## poff (Jul 21, 2007)

All right, I have registered for SCMC. Yeah, CtoK was the toughest ride I've done in my life. It has way too many extras. I am amazed how strong some riders are - the first 3 finishers did it in less than 9hrs.


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