I had, er, got to stay home from work today because an electrical contractor was coming to replace some ancient wiring in our house. He was nice enough to come early and prepared, so the job was done by 10:30, leaving me with the rest of the day to motivate for a ride on The Blade.

I should have gotten out as soon as the electrician left, before the wind came up, but I am physically unable to exercise before 2 PM unless so motivated by Bonzai or Romulus. So I didn't get out the door until about 2:30 and by that time a stiff, cool wind was kicking up off the ocean and pushing hard to the east across the coastal range. My failure to leave earlier and notice the direction of the wind would have major consequences for me later in the ride.

I cruised down the coastal bike path, across 1, and up Higgins-Purissima over The Grapevine, past the Purissima Redwoods trailhead, to Verde where I then took the Lobitos cut-off to Las Tunitas and started climbing. Up and up and up this narrow road climbs toward the acme of the coastal range, slicing through the beautiful steep-banked, redwood-lined watershed of Tunitas Creek. Far down the steep banks off the side of the road, I could hear the creek tinkling over rocks and under fallen logs. The dappled sunlight that barely poked its way through the towering trees added to the beauty of the moment.

In addition to its aesthetic wonderment, this road is a kick-ass training climb. The road oxbows and hairpins its way up Tunitas canyon for about four miles, sometimes steeply, sometimes just enough to let you know you're climbing but flat enough that you can gear up and accelerate. It if was a little closer to my house, I'd do this climb on every ride!

So I decided to go all the way to the top and take Skyline down to 92 and take 92 into HMB. I've seen other riders coming down 92 going eastbound, but I've only seen a couple heading westbound. Of course, I have always shaken my head in mild condemnation at these riders who must ride the sliver of shoulder on 92, slowing traffic and basically taking their life in their own hands. But now I had passed the point of no return and made the fateful decision to pursue the Skyline-92 route.

Las Tunitas connects to Skyline from the west at the same place that Kings Mountain road connects to it from the east. From there it is about seven miles of rolling downhill to 92. For the first five miles, everything was fine. Traffic was light and with my helmet-mounted mirror, I was able to safely keep track of cars coming up on me from behind. But after a few miles, the road starts to angle more steeply downhill and the trees give way, leaving the road very exposed to the stiff wind blowing across it from the west. Wind is my worst nemesis when I'm on two wheels. Whether I'm riding a motorcycle or a bicycle, I just can't seem to handle crosswinds at all. Today was no exception. The wind was gusting up to 30 mph, pushing me dangerously close to the edge of the pavement and several times almost blowing the bike out from underneath me. Combined with the speed of a downhill descent, the lack of a shoulder, and the increase in car traffic, I was starting to get pretty skittish. Several times, I was forced to slow to under 15 mph to get my balance back, and I was riding the brakes the entire way down to 92.

It seemed like I'd never get to 92 and when I did, my heart sank. Traffic was whizzing by and the wind was howling through the pass. I steeled myself in the parking lot at 92 and Skyline for a few minutes, then nosed The Blade down to the intersection and waited for my opportunity to plunge into the flow of traffic. After a couple of minutes I spied an opening and quickly crossed over to the shoulder, which is quite generous from the pass down to Pillarcitos Canyon road on the valley floor. The shoulder may have been ample, but it was also fully exposed to the brutal crosswind. As I crept down the hill, traffic continued to rush by at high speed, and the wind was now blowing me into traffic. By the time I hit the valley floor, my hands were so cramped around the brake hoods that I spent the entire next day trying to stretch out my hands to relieve the cramping.

My arrival at the valley floor marked the end of the wind, but introduced me to the next challenging stage of the ride: traffic. On most weekdays, traffic backs up from the stoplight in HMB at 92 and Main St. all the way to the bottom of the hill, and today was no exception. Making things more difficult is that there in only about a three-inch shoulder on which a road cyclist can ride. After the hill though, I had my sights set on home and rode the razor's edge between the edge of the shoulder and the side view mirrors of a long line of cars and trucks all the way down to HMB. When traffic did move, I'd slide out into the road and keep pace with the flow of traffic (20-25 mph), but when it backed up, I'd hug the shoulder and make up as much distance as I could on the field. Again, I'm really glad I had my mirror.

All in all it was a great ride, but I will not be making that descent down 92 on The Blade any time in the near future. The Blade felt great, and I continue to feel more and more comfortable with it on every ride.