# Anyone riding in the Sequoia Century?



## tmanley (Jul 31, 2005)

I wanted to see if anybody else is riding Sunday in the Sequoia Century (http://www.westernwheelers.org/main/sequoia/index.htm). I'll be there doing the 100 mile loop with a friend. If you see a thin 6'9" guy riding a white/blue Serotta come and say 'hi'.

-Thanks, Todd


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## bustamove (Aug 12, 2004)

I'll be out there with at least 8 other friends in a paceline. Look for the blue and red Tropa jerseys. I'm hoping the paceline will give me an opportunity to save my strength for all of the elevation gain in the double-metric century.

Sierra Century. Sequoia Century. Sheesh! Too many rides going on this weekend. I mistakenly posted I was going to ride the Sierra Century. Whoops.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

I'll be doing the 200k again. Hopefully it'll be wamer than last year!


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## tmanley (Jul 31, 2005)

*Route sheets in hand...*

The 100M and 200K routes don't look too bad. I've been on a majority of these climbs except for Zayante, but overall given the weather and the route it should be a great day. 

Interesting to note that the last section of the 200K is around the Portola Valley loop (Alpine Rd/Sand Hill Rd, etc.). I would have thought the organizers would have thrown in more climbing to get to the 200K mark. Oh well...


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Zayante breaks a lot of riders on the Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge. It's long and steep and often there is a slight tail wind so you get no breeze at all.

If you're still feeling good when you hit Portola you can ride up OLH and down 84!


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

tmanley said:


> The 100M and 200K routes don't look too bad. I've been on a majority of these climbs except for Zayante, but overall given the weather and the route it should be a great day.
> 
> Interesting to note that the last section of the 200K is around the Portola Valley loop (Alpine Rd/Sand Hill Rd, etc.). I would have thought the organizers would have thrown in more climbing to get to the 200K mark. Oh well...


Don't underestimate Zayante. Most of it is pretty tame, but there is about a mile of 10-15% grade, followed a few miles later by a short but even steeper section. It's likely to be hot so you might want to stop at the store at the bottom and get some ice cold water, because it's the only chance you'll have. If there is no breeze, the heat hangs in the air at the top, and it is just like riding in an oven. I've done it plenty of times, and it has kicked my ass more than once.


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## nerd (Apr 5, 2006)

Upper Zayante *was* brutal today. Almost no breeze and in the high 80's all the way up. At Bear Creek and Summit the temperature was 106 in the sun. It wasn't until you got rolling along Summit that the heat came down to a more manageable mid 70's range.

That said, Zayante was perfectly placed in the day for a challenging yet fun ride.


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## tmanley (Jul 31, 2005)

*my ride sucked...*

I wish I could have experienced Zayante, but I had a bit of bad luck w/ a taco'd wheel. The details are here: http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=62654


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## rollinrob (Dec 8, 2002)

nerd said:


> Upper Zayante *was* brutal today. Almost no breeze and in the high 80's all the way up. At Bear Creek and Summit the temperature was 106 in the sun. It wasn't until you got rolling along Summit that the heat came down to a more manageable mid 70's range.
> 
> That said, Zayante was perfectly placed in the day for a challenging yet fun ride.



You should have been on the Seirra Century. Mid 90's most of the day.


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## bustamove (Aug 12, 2004)

*1st time riding East Zayante*



mohair_chair said:


> Don't underestimate Zayante. Most of it is pretty tame, but there is about a mile of 10-15% grade, followed a few miles later by a short but even steeper section. It's likely to be hot so you might want to stop at the store at the bottom and get some ice cold water, because it's the only chance you'll have. If there is no breeze, the heat hangs in the air at the top, and it is just like riding in an oven. I've done it plenty of times, and it has kicked my ass more than once.


OMG! :cryin:
Upper East Zayante is a crusher! The steep sections of Zayante were brutal. The last couple of miles you clear a turn hoping the road is going to crest and flatten out. But nooo! It just keeps pointing up and continues on. Mentally I was sort of prepared, physically it was a real bruiser of a climb. I was so happy to reach Summit Road.

I was so focused on the climb out that I did not notice the heat. Maybe because most of the road was under the shade and it was late afternoon (around 5pm) by the time we reached Zayante Road. For me, heat was not a factor.


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## rensho (Aug 5, 2003)

Derek, you hit Zayante around 5pm? Why so late? I think we rolled through at 2pm. Never saw you again after the store. Bummer.


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## bustamove (Aug 12, 2004)

Sheesh! We had the bonus loop with the climb. Then we waited over an hour and a half at the lunch stop for the "B" group to arrive. Two blokes got lost and were on their way to Half Moon Bay before being put back on track. Two more missed the lunch stop entirely and ran out of water while climbing Zayante.

Add more wait time at the top of Zayante as our "A" riders struggled up hill and I didn't pull into the finish until after 6pm.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Here's an elevation profile I recorded with a Polar.
View attachment 55517


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## bustamove (Aug 12, 2004)

I added a few markers to make the profile a little more clear to those who did not ride the Sequoia Century. I followed the 200km route but passed on the Portola loop after Page Mill Road. My day was long enough and I did not need the extra mileage.


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## nerd (Apr 5, 2006)

rollinrob said:


> You should have been on the Seirra Century. Mid 90's most of the day.


Yeah, that kind of heat kills me. I can ride in it but my performance really decreases. My homeland is far northeast where winters are 6 months long. I do better in the California winter with temps in the 50-60's when I can really push myself on climbs like Zayante without overheating. If it wasn't for the heat I would probably have felt as good on Zayante as I did on Redwood Gulch.


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## nerd (Apr 5, 2006)

*Sequoia was my first...*

I did the 100 mile route and with the exception of a bit on Zayante (extensively discussed in this thread) I felt fantastic. What a great ride, even the vertical hot parts. The Western Wheelers deserve our thanks for putting on a fun event. 

Just curious, did anyone train for this ride? Other than a Mt. Hamilton climb (50 miles round trip from my front door) I really did nothing to prepare. I am wondering if I just got lucky and had a good day when I really deserved to get spanked.


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