We start in Santa Rosa. The first sign of something not being good was that everyone was walking around without leg or arm warmers on at 5AM. It should have been about 45 or 50 degrees out. So, at 5:30AM, all 256 of us riders went out together. The second sign of things maybe not going to schedule was about 5 miles into the ride, some knuckle head dressed as Jesus was standing in the middle of the road, facing all the oncoming bicycles saying something like "You Can Not Hurt Me". I never heard the ambulances coming after we were all by him, so I'm guessing he was right.
The first 100 miles were actually very fun. It was still relatively cool and I was in the middle of the group so it was a perfect place to make good time. I covered that distance in a little over 6 hours averaging about 18 MPH. (very fast for me). The next 100 miles would be a completely different story. Right after lunch, we starting ascending a climb called Skaggs. It's about 4000 feet of climbing in not much more than 10 miles. It seems like you are going either straight up, or straight down the entire time. I have a great low gear on my bike, but my portable air condition mal functioned. The temperature varied between 112 and 115 for almost the entire time. One older man who I had passed on the Geysor climb (this was his 70th double century ride) told me that it was really important to never over heat because once that happened, the ride would be over. I followed his advice, but the problem was that at times, I had to go so slow not to over heat, I was almost not moving.
After Skaggs finally ended we got to go up a hill called the wall. (Just what I needed) Shortly after that, one of my pedals self destructed, leaving me riding with one foot attached, and the other only good for pressing straight down only . Luckily, 25 miles later at the Fort Ross Rest Stop, a nice man lent me a pedal so I could finish the ride two legged. (I don't recommend one legged drills after riding 13 hours. My butt still hurts).
From Fort Ross to Monte Rio (miles 160 to 180) I rode with two Bull Shifters. We all were keeping a close eye on the clock because we know we were close on the 10PM cutoff. At Monte Rio, the lead Bull Shifter announced that they were not going for the cutoff because the other Bull Shifter was too tired. Quickly, I jumped on my bike looking for someone else to ride with. Two other guys were just taking off so I joined their team. On the way to the finish, there was one more gratuitous 5 mile climb along the coast. Rider #10 (I forget his name) kept cussing every time we'd sprint up another hill and see yet another one coming. Where is the ... Top! He kept saying. Well, we finally found it, rode as hard as we could, and pulled into the finish 5 seconds before the 10PM deadline. We must have passed 20 people in the last 3 miles. (all of them must have missed the cutoff)
Well, that's about it. After the ride, I swore I'd never do it again but somehow; we are all now talking about training rides for next year to be better prepared.
Weather conditions were brutally hot ... Temperatures on Skaggs Spring Road hit 118 degrees for at least 30 minutes. This was according to the Ciclosport HAC4 Computer on my handlebar. I will publish the Temperature Graph but it shows 110 - 118 Degrees for two hours ... it was truly TERRIBLE.
A big thanks to the many Santa Rosa Cycling Club's great volunteers for soaking us down and keeping us as cool as possible in the horrific conditions.
The Terrible Two has the reputation of being the toughest Double in the United States. After ten years of comparatively cool weather, the Terrible Two showed how tough it can really be on Saturday. I know I saw the vulture shown in the graphic on the Terrible Two Web Page at http://www.srcc.com/tt.html flying all around me on Saturday.
Congratulations to everyone who started this ride, a big congrats to those who made it 109 miles to lunch, and a huge congrats who ventured out into the blast furnace on Skaggs Spring Road. From there to the finish, it all depended upon how well your body could handle the 110+ Degree heat while climbing those 15+% roads and still stay upright!!
I tip my hat to all who rode the historic 2003 Terrible Two.
Chuck Bramwell
California Triple Crown Guy
Terrible Two 2003