Day 2: Santa Maria to Paso Robles... the transition stage and a preview of Day 3

Today I had company. Mark Fillebrown joined me after Cody had food poisoning mid stage on day one. It wasn't pretty, but luckily Cody's Australian constitution is tough, so he's up for tomorrow's queen stage... but we'll get to that in a second.

Mark was my wingman on day 2. Pulled into the wind most of the day!

Today was the tale of two rides. The first part of the ride was a flat transition stage that took us through the scenic towns near Morro Bay. After our lunch stop, the second part of the ride continued with some incredible scenic climbs on some incredible lonely roads east of the highway 1. The weather on the coast was cool, and jackets and arm warmers were in order. By the time we hit the climbs east of Highway 1, the temp increased and the real work began. 

Peachy Canyon was incredible...

My Holland Jet. Another day of perfection.

By the time we hit Peachy Canyon, Mark and I were wondering where the big climb was going to be. But it just sort of builds with all the rollers along the route, with no huge HC climb along the way. It was the perfect transition day and kept the legs fresh for what will sure to be a thrashing tomorrow on the queen stage when we make our way to Carmel!

Day 3, Tuesday

October 8, Paso Robles to Carmel
130 miles and 12,000 feet climb
We've enjoyed some wine in Paso, but hopefully not too much, because day three is the Queen Stage. The warmup is nice as we cruise the river road north and then we begin the not well known, but special Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. We'll wend our way to the coast onward to Big Sur with sweeping views along sheer drops.

Highlights:

• Nice easy roll to start your day up River Road
• A challenging climb with a thrilling descent on the secret Nacimiento-Fergusson Road
• Roll north through the iconic central coast of Big Sur
• Finish the day off in Caramel to quaint surroundings and dining 

We are looking forward to getting this stage in the books. It's the longest stage of the trip, and it's the hardest in terms of climbing. I think we'll be pretty cooked for sure, but have to follow up with another 120 miles day on day 4.... but that's the subject of another blog post I'm sure..... stay tuned for more suffering.