I love, love, love riding with the Santa Rosa Cycling Club! The RBA, Bob Redmond, is a total sweetheart and runs really well-supported events — so chances are you’ll have a fantastic time!

About 100 of us showed up on this cool, foggy morning at Healdsburg City Hall for the flattish 200k brevet out to Napa and back; as always, it was wonderful to see so many friendly, familiar faces at the start. We set out at 8 o’clock sharp and the pack made quick work of the gentle rollers through wine country. I accidentally separated from my gal pals Ann, Denise and Libby, so I ended up riding with a handful of random folks throughout the day, including Lane, Franklyn, Deb and Steve — and later on, with Ken and Bonnie (her first brevet!) part of the way. After a delicious burrito lunch at the control in Napa (with some afternoon sunshine at long last), we motored back to the finish. Unbeknownst to us, Franklyn took a spill on the Silverado Trail (he ran over an errant PVC pipe) and dropped back, so we regrouped in Calistoga. Then the rest of the group pushed on, and I hung with Franklyn for the final 20+ miles to the finish. We rolled up to the Bear Republic Brewery just under 9 hours — a PR for him!

Thanks to Bob and all of the volunteers for a most fantastic day!