If you ever go cycling in Murphys, CA...

...to ride your bike — have I got a ride for you! Last year, a group of CWC racers hung out in Murphys after the Copperopolis race and we rode Sunday with the S/O's. It was an epic day complete with sighting of the Easter Bunny. Read that blog here:

Beyond Copperopolis...Lies Murphys

As good as our post-Copper ride was last year, we didn't have any takers this year. So it was an opportunity for me to try to fashion the ultimate, killer, Murphys/Sheep Ranch ride on my own. And by golly, I think I've done it!

I poured over the maps and came up with a plan. Estimating the ride, or underestimating as it were, at around 60 miles and 7,000 feet, I hit the road in Murphys at 8:30 AM on Easter morning hoping for another Easter Bunny sighting. Sheep Ranch Road out of Murphys could easily be mistaken for a driveway. It's so narrow between the old town's buildings that it's one way at the bottom near the town. The cyclist begins climbing immediately and repeatedly as there are three stiff climbs before arriving in the lovely town of Sheep Ranch.



The town's gas station appeared to be closed for Easter. Probably since Easter in the 1940's!



After Sheep Ranch, I passed the site of last year's Easter Bunny encounter. Nothing happening. Either I was too early or it just didn't happen this year. Too bad. On to Railroad Flat road where a resident created what might be called "Little Africa."



Next to Jesus Maria Road, maybe one of the best cycling roads in Calaveras County. Tons of climbing, quiet, and lots of variety. Mostly wooded, the road then opens up on a huge descent heading toward Mokelumne Hill, a town with a surprisingly low population of just 328!



There are some steep climbing sections on Jesus Maria and one arrives in 'Mok Hill' with nearly 5,000' of climbing in just 33 miles or so. But then the rider gets a break. After Mok Hill, it's more or less a cruise to San Andreas. Riding smooth pavement with a nice shoulder, it's easy to cruise the mostly downhill at 25-30 mph, a welcome relief after all the climbing!

The rider then leaves Hwy 49 via Gold Strike Road, a back way to San Andreas. I took a brief break in San Andreas at a picnic area to study the map and get some nutrition.

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From San Andreas the cyclist then heads toward the little sleepy town of Calaveritas on a beautiful one lane road.



I saw this fixer-upper there...



Now on to Fricot City Road. This road traverses a ridge top and has splendid views. And tons of climbing. The easy middle part of the ride is over now, and it's hard all the way back to Murphys.



The road eventually turns to dirt, but very smooth dirt this time of year. The rains pack the clay soil in such a way that it's smoother than some of the rough pavement, and there is no dust due to the moisture. I can't speak to how it would be later in the season, but in April it's perfect. This dirt lasts for 5.5 miles.



Fricot City Road brings the rider back to Sheep Ranch. From there we trace our route back to Murphys. This, of course, means we have to do the three climbs in reverse, so we still have another 1500' more to climb.

The ride stats? 67 miles and 9,040'. Not bad for an after race day spin!

On the way home, in Lathrop, CA, we ran into Trent Stewart and his custom '57 Chevy bicycle. Nice work, Trent!

Nifty Ten Fifty 2008

The Nifty Ten Fifty is a difficult bike ride in the San Francisco East Bay Hills. The ride explores ten steep climbs, meandering back and forth, up and down, through neighborhoods and parks.

This was the fifth annual ride, which takes place on the first Sunday in April. About two dozen brave souls showed up for the ride this year. There was a "B" group that left at about 9 AM, and an "A" group that left at 10. The idea is that the faster "A" group will eventually catch the "B" group out on the course somewhere to share painful stories of grinding up the steep climbs.

A rest stop, consisting of a car parked strategically on the course, serves the riders with food and drink at the half way point.

This year's "B" group was led by Janet, as the planned leaders, Sid and Linda, were given the wrong start time. Oh well. It all worked out. Aside from the two main groups there were those who went out on their own to attack the course, including Bill, Mike, Brian, and some others. We had four women on the ride this year, which is a great turnout!

Also of interest is that we had five riders
from our new race team,
Cyclepaths/Wild Cherries Racing.
You can view our race blog here: www.cwcracing.org/blog

Deven brought a couple of his friends from the Dulce Vita Cycling team. Also showing up were two of my endurance cycling friends from Folsom area, Jim and Graham. Also, Europe riding buddies Kevin and Lesley were here. Needless to say, having the racers along made the "A" ride pretty darned fast. I struggled all day to keep up with the group I was supposed to be leading, but it's nice when they pretty much have to wait for you. With over 100 turns on the ride, it's much easier to follow someone who knows the route rather than trying to follow the route sheet.

Conrad grabbed the KOM title on Marin Ave, which is a .75 mile climb averaging 18% with an extended section of 22% average near the top. He nipped Justin at the top while another teammate Nate arrived at the top in third.

We ran into most of the "B" group at the rest stop and gathered for a quick photo. Near the end of the ride we had our mandatory stop at Peet's Coffee on Domingo St. in Oakland. Our stop this year seemed longer than usual as everyone enjoyed the sunlight, coffee, conversation, and bakery pastries. This again allowed some "B" group riders to catch up, making the Peet's group quite large.

After that we all headed up Claremont/Grizzly Peak/Vollmer peak for the last, and longest climb of the day, gaining 1500' and featuring a 28% kicker at the top. Just what the tired legs needed! We climbed 10,050' in just 54 miles. The descending was super fun on this day with our competent group. And the and food aprés ride at the Pyramid Brewery was a nice finish to a great day on the bike.

As is the custom, some riders did their own variation of the ride, or broke off early to get back home to take care of other commitments. We had a little mist and some wind, with cool temperatures, but all in all it was good ridin' weather and great company. See you next year!