Every year my bike membership, Almaden Cycle Touring Membership, places on the Tierra Bella Bicycle Tour, yesterday being the forty fifth annual model. The climate round right here has been excellent recently, springlike and sunny. Till yesterday, when Mom Nature determined to have chilly rain all day. I used to be volunteering on the Gilroy Scorching Springs relaxation cease, which CalFire lets us placed on at their hearth station means up on Gilroy Scorching Springs Highway. This distant cease is reached solely by riders who do both the 74 mile (120 km) or 100 mile (161 km) routes. As we have been establishing within the rain within the early morning, I believed to myself this was an train in futility as we’d most likely don’t have any prospects! I couldn’t have been extra incorrect, as at the least 50 intrepid souls fought their means out our means within the pouring rain. Fortuitously we had propane heaters and sizzling drinks, they usually might heat themselves for some time earlier than having to return out into it. We gave out numerous plastic gloves as a result of their bicycling rain gloves have been no match for this climate. I used to be impressed by the show of toughness by all these women and men, and delighted to have the ability to assist out somewhat.
Riders on the Tierra Bella journey final 12 months, having fun with rather more typical climate
That is our relaxation cease. The image doesn’t do justice to how onerous the rain was. The open hearth truck bay supplied a heat refuge to take a seat down and eat. The screened in tent to the proper was for meals prep.
Our first prospects arriving. The propane heater within the foreground was the primary one they might see, and was very talked-about
This was most likely at our peak. We additionally had a motorcycle restore arrange within the again. Largely it was altering punctured tubes, though our volunteer mechanic Tony additionally tuned someones gears for a few riders- your don’t wish to be pedalling within the rain in these steep hills along with your gears not working correctly.Extra riders exterior arriving, taking a look at bit depressing
These guys had on shorts and no rain jackets. My good friend Linda noticed them shivering and made them these makeshift ponchos.
We had radio communication arrange at varied locations alongside the route (there was no cell protection at our cease and another distant factors). The 2 radio guys at our cease are speaking to a motorcyclist volunteer who patrolled the course on the lookout for individuals who wanted assist. We additionally had automobiles circulating as “sag wagons” for individuals who wanted them. One of many sag volunteers got here by our cease just a few occasions, and we’d shout out asking if anybody wished to be pushed out. Surprisingly I solely keep in mind one individual taking him up on the provide all day.
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Revealed by BionicOldGuy
I’m a Mechanical Engineer born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I’ve been lively within the mechanical CAE subject for many years. I even have a lifelong curiosity in out of doors actions and health. I’ve had each hips changed and a coronary heart valve substitute because of a genetic situation. This weblog chronicles my adventures in staying lively regardless of these bumps within the highway.
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