Day 4: Auburn to Truckee.

Time Zone : Pacific (GMT -8)
Todays Distance 73 miles
Cycling time 7hrs 39 mins

Today’s cumulative ascent 8330 ft

Average Heart rate 116 bpm
Distance so far: 262 miles

Ascent so far: 15880 ft

Todays Profile:

Todays Route: ( in yellow)

Dedication: Today is for the Abbey students as they sit in to the first exam (Lc and JC) especially those who may have felt the courses tough going. Like the climbing today, keep the head down and only compare with your own previous performance. Best of luck.

We were told that today would be the toughest climbing day of the cycle (not the toughest day). It turned out just like that, but it wasn't impossible. It was a matter of keeping your own pace and being consistent and persistent. 'Me versus the Mountain'. I'm told that so much of this cycle is all about attitude and working on short-term targets. The first 3 days was just an appetiser (understatement) and today was to be the main-course. It was. But the steak was tough; the potatoes were only half-done and it was a wobbly table. But our waiters (support staff) were first class.

Don't get me wrong...it wasn't a horror story. It was tough but very satisfying.

By 6am all the luggage was loaded and I just had the continental breakfast (I passed on the Grand Slam that was available in Dennys just across the road. I hit the road solo now that I was comfortable with the cue-sheet. Just distances and directions; no map. I enjoyed the camaraderie the other days but I decided to go to the first SAG stop on my own. The navigation work fine as I hit into the pine trees just above Auburn in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and the oldest gold-rush town in California. That was all in 1848 while the Famine was scourging Ireland. At 4.1 mile I hit the first climb ... something like going over the Vee above Clogheen, a long steady pull. Deb (from Illinois) caught up to me but was having a few problems with navigation. I called her back on two different occasions after she had taken a wrong turn and she appreciated it. (See Heard Today below).At this stage the route took us through plentiful stands of pine trees with the road undulating horizontally and vertically... in many ways it reminded me of the road from Nongpo up to Shillong (without the Sumos). At the 16 mile mark Deb went on and I fell in with Kip (Florida) till the first SAG stop. Together we faced the long climb up Norton Grade Road, a narrow road in total shade and a 15% section of climb near the end. At this stage we were above the 3000 feet altitude mark and I could feel it on that tough piece. I had never cycled before at such an altitude. Even the higher altitudes at the end of the day posed no problem except that my ears popped a few times. The air was getting thinner but the sunshine made it summer for me. The Americans were regarding it as very cold and Suresh from Trinidad didn't know what had hit him.

We reached the first SAG stop at 9 am after 26 miles and an aggregate 3000 feet climbed; and all that before breakfast ! Fruit, energy bars and water were taken and opinions swopped with the various riders coming in.
After SAG four of us formed another international group - Steve (Australia), Piet and Hetty (a couple from the Netherlands (a country not famous for its hills) and myself. We set out on Gold Run Road always rising with the occasional downhills. After a tough climb, it is natural to enjoy a downhill, but those feet lost have to be made up again. At 32 miles we moved out onto the hard-shoulder of Interstate-80 (previously arranged with CHIPS the Highway patrol). This was a noisy section beside the truck lane and involved 15 miles of a steady climb. There was a double relief to come off the I-80 in that Michelle had the second SAG stop just there. Now we were on the Donner Pass road. The Donner Party was a group moving out west in 1840's that were stuck at this Pass as they struggled to get their wagons over. (Look it up on the Internet) Half of them died and we paid a visit to the Donner Memorial museum down by Donner Lake. No charge for cyclists, $6 for everyone else. Absolutely stunning scenery all around with snow by the side of the road still. This is skiing country. We passed one hotel with its sign out 'Closed for the Summer' That's a new one. From the top of the Donner Pass we had a screaming 4 mile descent to the Lake. This was the reward for all the climbing we did....over 8000 feet in a littlE more than 7 hours.

After the museum we were on the outskirts of Truckee ( not great coverage for mobile phones up here) and at 4.30 our little group checked into Best Western Truckee Tahoe Inn and all our luggage waiting for us in the foyer.

A most satisfying day for all to judge from the comments at dinner time. Nobody regretting the day and all looking forward to another great day's cycling tomorrow. But a well-earned night's rest first

Heard today: 'I think I'll have to stick with you for the day' Deb after saving her from disastrous wrong navigation options.

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.

Day 3: Sacramento to Auburn.

Time Zone : Pacific (GMT -8)
Todays Distance: 51 miles
Cycling time: 4hrs 18 mins

Today’s cumulative ascent: 2763 ft

Average Heart Rate : 104 bpm

Distance so far: 191 miles

Ascent so far: 7550 ft.

Todays Profile:

Dedication: Today is for the teachers in Providence who labour there with total dedication to the children and their welfare...... for Varina, Saker, Bari, Christine, Marly, Sarahlinda, Sharon and Isa who was there the last time the Abbey students were in Shillong.

Today was another short day with a little shot of reality near the end... a taster for tomorrow. Bags were all loaded at 6am and breakfast in Lyons nearby. No need to rush the morning meal today. Just outside Sacramento we got on the American Riverbike Way which generally follows the course upstream of the Sacramento River. We followed it for 33 miles..an absolute pleasure to cycle on, no cars, plenty of other cyclists and interesting terrain. Today I cycled in an international group - New Zealand, Trinidad, Australia, and Ireland. We stuck together for the day and had an opportunity of

conversation on the bike path. The wind was generally in our favour and we tipped along at around 14 mph. There was no stress as is evidenced in the average heart beat (104 bpm). Temperatures were in the upper 20's although it was still an early hour but the breeze in our hair made it so exhilirating. I have to enjoy these days while they last. This is the calm before the storm. We passed by Folsom (Didn't Johnny Cash do a famous gig in Folsom Prison?) and made our only SAG stop in Beals Point park on the banks of Folsom Lake. It had been a stress-free 33 miles so far. Even the squirrels joined us for a reloading of carbohydrates by the wagons.

After SAG we were back on the open road linking Folsom and Auburn. Now we were getting into rolling terrain but nothing too severe. After 2 days of total horizontal cycling it was a change. temperatures were by now approaching a pleasant 30. Just before we came to Auburn City Limits we faced into a 1.5 mile steady climb. Each of us took it at our own pace and arranged to regroup at the top. All made the top with a smile (right) and shortly afterwards almost all the group met for lunch at Pine Cafe just before High Street. It was a relaxing break with no urgency to restart .... by now we had 48 miles under our our belts and over 2000 feet of climbing. No wonder all had a great appetite.

After lunch it was a short ride through downtown Auburn and our group pulled in at Comfort Inn at 1.15 pm. and got a pleasant courteous welcome.

I have noticed that through California people couldn't have been more pleasant and helpful. And that's not just to me (obviously a tourist) but even to the other Americans; they are so efficiently laid-back and genuinely helpful.

And cycling is a major recreational activity with excellent infrastructure. So far we have been on many Bike Paths with today's being the daddy of them all. I believe we'll be on many more along this adventure. And along the major roads and streets there is a marked bike lane. Is this just in California ?...I'll see as we pass from state to state.

Another great day's cycling and the group is really bonding and getting to know each other. Last night I had a great chat with two of the lads from Las Vegas. All part of the experience.

Tomorrow ? We'll let tomorrow take care of itself. All we got to do is to rest up tonight and keep turning the pedals...one more time, then one more time etc etc.

Heard today: "I've never met a hill yet that I couldn't walk"

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.

Day 2: Fairfield to Sacramento.

Time Zone : Pacific (GMT -8)
Todays Distance 57 miles
Cycling time 4hrs 04 mins

Today’s cumulative ascent 758 ft
Average Heart rate 104 bpm

Distance so far: 141 miles

Ascent so far: 4787 ft.

Today's profile

Dedication: Today is for all the Abbey students preparing for Junior and Leaving Cert, particularly my own Maths and Irish students. Lads, give your very best shot.

Today was an easy one with a short distance and no climbing of note. Strange to think that we have climbed almost 5000 feet and are still only 30 feet above sea-level.

Breakfast (Grand Slam) at 6.30 in Denny's nearby and with the luggage loaded at 8 am we all moved off in small groups of various sizes. I started out with Jeff, an American now living in New Zealand. ( He had been a Maths teacher earlier in life). We dealt admirably with the navigation while discussing the intricacies of trigonometry and cubic equations !! We had today's 'major' climb shortly after starting - a short one of about 150 feet. We knew today was not going to be great for scenery but it was of interest. Fertile ground with irrigation channels growing a variety of produce. I saw fields of barley being harvested and I wallowed on the smell of new-mown hay as we passed along Walters Road just east of Fairfield.

The navigation was predictable - like horizontal steps of stairs, right, left, right, left etc. And the wind was in our favour especially in the early hours and we tipped along at almost 20 mph across the landscape. Utter bliss. We ccriss-crossed railway lines many times and such crossings can be dangerous should the wheel drop down by the rail on the level-crossings (much more dangerous than at home). One train that passed by us at the 31 mile mark was at least half-a-mile long (no exageration) and only one engine at the front. Wouldn't having that engine when we hit the Sierras and the Rockies. Our one and only SAG stop today was at the 32 mile mark and it was still only 10.30. By lunchtime we had pulled into Davis through its University campus; it seemed to be an excellent location for us to stop for a sit-down lunch. Our group had now grown to 8. A quick visit to one of the many bike shops in town and then a beautiful bagel and fruit juice to top up the energy tanks.

Out of Davis we had a long spin on a bike path right beside Interstate-80. The constant noise was deafening and prevented any conversation. We had the 5 mile of bike path to ourselves as we powered along in 30 degrees of heat but a beautiful breeze made it so enjoyable and relaxing. Within a short time we passed over the Tower Bridge facing up the main thoroughfare of Sacramento looking at the State Capitol. That would be for later in the afternoon.

A quick left turn brought us into Old Sacramento, looking as it did in thr days of the Gold Rush with cobblestone streets (not nice to cycle on) and wooden sidewalks. Sacramento was the western terminus of the Pony Express( the 1966 mile mail run from Missouri) as there was a railroad from there right down to San Francisco. We could come back to this area later in the afternoon.

At 2.15 our group pulled into the Best Western Sandman Motel still feeling fresh but keen to freshen up with a shower and a change.

Anxious to make the best of our time here a group of us (Martin, John, Amy, Sue , Jeff and self) headed back on foot to investigate the Old town. Martin ( from Germany) and I walked on to the State Capitol to meet Governor Arnold. we got to the door of his suite of offices to be told that he was not in town today. That was his loss. So Martin and I had an interesting 5 mile walk before Route Rap (the details of tomorrow's itinerary). I had a quick relaxing swim before dinner in the adjacent Mexican Restaurant with the full group.

So many of the group are asking me about Providence and the reason I'm doing the cycle. I'm thrilled to explain all the good work being done there. The shirt has created an awareness. Just today one cyclist caught up from behind wanting to know if I got a shot of Providence Road just back the way. I couldn't be doing the cycle for a better cause.

Not a great scenery day, but a great day of pleasant cycling. No one in the group has hit a 'Should-I-give-it-up-now' patch yet. It's early days yet. It will happen to us all at one stage or other but hopefully the group dynamic will pull us through.

Thank God for the health and the energy.