Bike Trip diary
By Julie Pryor

Wednesday, June 21

Signs like this were an encouraging surprise.

The ride from Bodega Bay to San Francisco was less demanding than yesterday, only around 70 miles. We know it's been hot in Sacramento, but it's been no different here on the inland roads. The riders were constantly reminded of the importance of hydrating in order to make the trek. Fortunately, there have been no more flat tires since Aaron had the first one on Day 2.

Two friends of Larry Somerton joined us for the day's ride ... Geoff Judy and John Anton, In addition to being excellent riders, they also donated to our cause. As we rode along, we kept seeing encouraging signs (shown) posted from Point Reyes to Sausalito, placed there by Dorothy Modglin of the Sierra Trading Post!

Also, she was joined by two co-workers in holding a large banner with a supportive message for the riders before they climbed up the hill to the Golden Gate Bridge. Additionally, Jim Pryor was surprised to see his daughter, Brooke, and his two grandchildren, Wil and Cate, as they greeted him upon his arrival at the Argonaut Hotel in San Francisco. He immediately forgot about his sore muscles as he engaged in a pillow fight with them in the room!

We had a great dinner at Kuletto's in Ghiradelli Square and retired early.


Thursday, June 22

Out in front, Mike Gates and Randy Jones.

We were all on the way out of San Francisco by 7 a.m., with the earliest riders an hour before. The 75-mile ride to Santa Cruz would be complicated by the closure of "Devils Slide" on Highway 1 resulting from the winter rain and subsequent mud. As an alternative, we chose to go 280 to Pacifica 1, meet the team and load them up for a detour to Hwy 92, where they would continue down to Half Moon Bay on their bikes.

Fortunately the traffic was heavy, meaning relatively slow speeds for the many trucks and cars taking this route. The climb for the first half was very daunting with little or no shoulder, but all riders made it safely. We have had only two small accidents so far, neither of which resulted in major injury. Gene had a run-in with a rock on Highway 92 which brought him down, and Larry was interrupted by a railroad track only two blocks from our S.F. hotel. Both are back in the saddle!

The photo shows Mike Gates and Randy Jones at our lunch stop at Bean Hollow State Beach. They are #1 and #2 riders respectively as far as speed. I think they just want to get in on the fresh food that Bev so proficiently provides at every rest stop, reasoning that the last in gets the dregs!

Within walking distance of our Coast Hotel in Santa Cruz, we had a fabulous dinner at Casablanca Restaurant. Joining us were Tom Landwehr and Rob Wallace, who will be just beginning their ride with us starting tomorrow. Also along for a couple of days were Aaron's wife, Alison, and daughter Sydney. Randy and Kathy Jones are en route to Orange County where their second grandson in a week will be delivered tomorrow! Randy will rejoin us for the big Big Sur ride on Saturday.

Friday, June 23

From left, Aaron Turner, Gil Moore, Roger Rudolph, Jim Pryor.

The ride started early (5:30 a.m.) for the Way Back Boys (A. Turner, G. Hume, G. Moore, J. Pryor, R. Wallace and T. Landwehr) We've designated the elite riders (M. Gates, L. Somerton, Roger Rudolph, C. Austin & K. Somerton) chase rabbits, and allow the Way Back Boys a one-hour lead before commencing the chase.

The predators eventually caught the prey at the Rio Dell Grille in Carmel and, after enjoying an excellent lunch, all riders successfully navigated Highway 1 along the Big Sur coastline and arrived at the Big Sur Lodge just prior to commencement of the martini hour hosted by Alison Turner, Bev Luman and Julie Pryor.

Not riding with us today was Randy Jones, who, along with wife Kathy, departed Santa Cruz the previous night and drove to Southern California to share in the birth of their new grandson. We now fear Randy's return, as he will be operating on fresh legs. Believe me, Randy is a handful even on tired legs!

Gil Moore had a local friend from Aptos, Chris Menes, join us for the Santa Cruz to Big Sur ride. Chris is a terrific rider and just a plain great guy. He is 50 years old, chiseled like a Marine Corps poster child, and hardcore to the bone when it comes to riding. Chris and his wife, Anna, surprisingly hosted our dinner at Nepenthe Friday night.

In the 2004 ride, Aaron Turner, aka "The Rock," was a riding monster, and some even suspected Aaron used anabolic steroids or even worse, HGH, human growth hormone, to enhance his riding ability. However, until today, The Rock's 2006 riding performance has been average at best, with some even intimating that he "got off the juice."

Well, The Rock is back, as he displayed a Herculean feat today that is reminiscent of Lance Armstrong's famous mountain attacks in the Alps and the Pyrenees in his past Tour De France victories. Aaron started his attack at the base of Hurricane Point in Big Sur, a vertical climb of 750 feet at a grade of 8 to 10 percent and he absolutely annihilated the peleton, with only Roger Rudolph having the stamina to stay with him, but only for a while, as Aaron, off the saddle, with quadriceps burning, continued to pull away from the pack.

That's all for today. Tomorrow we'll ride the Big Sur coastline from Big Sur to Cambria, a total of approximately 80 mountainous road miles.

Saturday, June 24

From left, Roger Rudolph, Floyd Luman and Mike Gates salute the donors to the Sutter Cancer Center and the UC Davis Mind Institute.

Another 80 miles of agonizing difficulty, with two major climbs of 750 feet, and many lesser climbs of 300 to 400 feet, with a total climb profile of 5,000 feet, plus or minus.

Tom Landwehr was first out of the gate, but he was soon passed on the first hill by a gentleman in a wheelchair who was along to support our ride. The last we saw Tom, he was removing the wheels from the man's wheelchair as a specious form of retaliation.

Several riders suffered minor injuries from accidents along today's demanding Big Sur course. J. Pryor was the first to fall, taking a header into a pile of dirt along the road and suffering only minor abrasions and some road rash. Gene Hume was the second to crash, with bruised ribs and other minor scrapes and cuts. Gene is 68 years old, and we admiringly refer to him as Lean Gene, The Riding Machine. Although he fell today, Gene is one of our strongest riders.

We know the home area is hot now, with reported temperatures in the mid-100s, but along the California coast we are enjoying fog, cool air, and temperatures in the 50- to 70-degree range, almost perfect riding conditions.

Joining us for this upcoming week, we welcomed Richard Dubey and Spencer Malysiak to our ride group today. Also, we had a fun martini hour at our hotel, Moonstone Landing, and enjoyed a great dinner at Hoppe's Garden Bistro in Cayucas. On our day off tomorrow, some of us will visit the Hearst Castle in San Simeon and others will spend the day off shopping in Cambria. Even though they have another five days of cycling ahead of them, the riders are relieved that this difficult and most challenging part of the trip is over!

Monday, June 26

Jim Pryor and Gil Moore.

This day was perceived to be an easier ride day, preceding the "monster" climb day that we will encounter tomorrow, but for several of the riders it was not "a cup of tea."

The first 20 miles, from Cambria to Morro Bay, was easy, but several of the riders missed the breakfast rendezvous at Dorn's Breaker Cafe, a locally famous breakfast restaurant located at the Morro bay wharf, directly across from the majestic Morro Rock.

After departing Morro Bay, all riders were warned not to miss the Turri Road shortcut near Los Osos, but sure enough, half of the ride group missed the left turn and added several additional miles to the daily ride total. Note that specific ride maps were provided each rider, but possibly mental fatigue or just plain nonchalance contributed to the mistake.

Gene Hume, who crashed his bike on the Big Sur Coast and suffered a rib injury, continues to impress his fellow riders with his mental toughness as he pedals each mile in discomfort and pain. Members of the group are requesting that Gene have his rib cage x-rayed at a local Santa Maria hospital to determine the extent of the injury, but Gene is reluctant as of this writing.

Elite rider Larry Somerton made the final wrong turn today, as he was instructed that the Santa Maria Inn was located at 801 S. Broadway, whereas he choose to locate the Hotel at 809 N. Broadway, 16 blocks from his resting destination.

Today's ride totaled 79.3 miles, consisting of overcast skies, moderate and helping tail winds, and in general, the ride was successful for all, including original "Van to Cino" ride member, Richard Dubey, who was impressive in his initial outing. For those of you who know Richard, we only heard about his bad back, bad neck, and "too much red wine" several times; but, in fact, Richards presence was greatly appreciated by all riders, as his sense of humor continues to amaze all as he entertains the entire group with his comedy repertoire.

Also joining us today for the first time was original "Van to Cino" rider Spencer Malysiak, clearly an elite rider, but one of the kinder riders as he elected to ride with the "Way Back Boys" rather than arrive at the Historic Santa Maria Inn an hour earlier, which he could have, had he decided to go after Mike Gates and Randy Jones.

Jim Pryor had the first flat tire today, followed closely by Tom Landwehr who had his second flat tire since joining us in Santa Cruz.

We split up in groups tonight for dinner, but those of who chose the Far Western Tavern in Guadalupe were more than pleased, as it was even better than Ruth's Chris!

Big climb in the morning as we head to Santa Barbara...

Tuesday, June 27

Gene Hume watches as Tom Landwehr changes his tire.

Another 80-plus mile day, with favorable weather conditions, and two demanding climbs, the first an 800-foot climb up switchbacks on the Harris Grade Road leading from Orcutt into Lompoc, and the second a long but steady 1,000-foot climb from Lompoc to Highway 101 at Gaviota.

It was confirmed last night that Gene Hume broke one or more ribs, as it was necessary for him to go to the emergency room at the Santa Maria Hospital due to labored breathing. Gene was escorted to the hospital by fellow riders Tom Landwehr and Roger Rudolph.

In "Van to Cino" riding annals, today takes the cake in terms of dominant performances. It is generally considered by all members of the group that Mike Gates is unbeatable and a superior rider, and Mike has proven his mettle each day by defeating all challengers, regardless of the terrain. However today, Aaron Turner aka "The Rock," dealt Mike Gates his first loss in a most convincing fashion as the two dueled into Santa Barbara on Highway 101.

At the press conference after the race, Mike Gates was somewhat contrite, but still combative and unwilling to give Aaron his due. Mike's statement to the Reuters News Agency was, "I'm still the sheriff in town, but it looks like Aaron is my first deputy. Let's see if he can replicate that performance tomorrow. I've had to withstand new challengers daily. Let's see if Aaron can take the pressure of being the top dog." Story developing.

Gil Moore is back in good form after missing a riding day along the Big Sur coastline due to a faulty starter on his Hummer. Gil had the Hummer towed into Carmel for repairs and then he and family returned to Cambria in a rental car to resume the ride.

Gil has the sweetest disposition, never unhappy or stressed, and is a pure pleasure to ride with.

After many verbal warnings about where to turn onto Harris Grade Road, riders Roger Rudolph and Randy Jones again missed the turn and added eight miles to the already demanding 80-mile day. After determining their mistake, they reversed course, found the turn, and lo and behold, Roger found $21 lying in the middle of the road and thought that he had hit the California State Lottery, only to find later that his wife Connie was missing $21 (it must have fallen out of her riding jersey). What are the chances of that happening, or was Connie just opportunistic?

Tomorrow we chronicle the story from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica.

Wednesday, June 28

From left, Spencer, Richard, Connie and Gene check the map before taking
off.

Cool fog enveloped the riders as they left together this morning around 6:15 from Santa Barbara's Harbor View Inn. They followed city streets and county roads south through Summerland and Carpenteria, picking up Highway 1 into Ventura, then Harbor Boulevard through Oxnard and Port Hueneme to Point Mugu.

Once they dropped down within sight of the Pacific Ocean, Highway 1 provided a spectacular view of the beach all the way through Malibu to our end destination
in Santa Monica. The weather couldn't have been better ... a light tail wind and sunny skies appearing late morning.

Gene Hume has his broken rib condition under control ... he's doing as well as can be expected but is disappointed not to be able to ride ... maybe on our last day! Richard Dubey took the day off to keep Gene company as they drove down the coast in the Rudolph's van.

Floyd and Bev Luman continue to be the best support that anyone could ask for. They always find the perfect spot to park our RV so that the riders can take a break and enjoy iced drinks and food replenishment before moving on. Bev never fails to consider the needs of each rider. Floyd is the guru when it comes to paying the tab at dinner each night. He has this secret formula which precisely determines everyone's share ... even when we have outside guests! I know that I speak for all in saying that we couldn't have done this trip without assistance!

After arriving at the Le Merigot Beach Hotel in Santa Monica, we enjoyed margaritas and appetizers together on the veranda, with some people choosing to spend the afternoon by the pool and others catching some zzz's in their rooms. We expect 25 people for dinner tonight at Il Fornaio, the large number due to friends who live in the area who come to join us.

Thursday, June 29

Larry and Kathy enjoy a rest stop at the Newport Beach yacht harbor.

A beautiful day in Southern California brought our riders through the cities of Marina Del Rey, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes, Long Beach, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Capistrano Beach ... and finally to San Clemente. What do these places have in common? Beaches!

The ride was sometimes complicated by heavy traffic in the tourist areas, prompting Larry to come up with a statement about SoCal drivers: "Ignorant, arrogant, inconsiderate ... a social trifecta!" Both he and Mike fell hard today -- Larry on his already sore shoulder and Mike ending up with a broken finger along with cuts on his legs and arm. However, neither guy says the injuries will deter him from completing the mission. After all, we have only one more day!

We had some drop-ins along the route: Connie's Uncle Bill and cousin Lisa Taylor met her and Roger for photo ops and Dave Mileski's son-in-law, Jack Vincent, rode with us for the day. Also, Betty and Jennifer Landwehr, Pat Dubey, and Alison and Sydney Turner flew in just in time to join us for dinner at the Beachfire Bar & Grill in downtown San Clemente. We had another fantastic dining experience while also celebrating Mike Gates' 48th birthday.

Our trip will end tomorrow at the U.S/Mexico border south of Coronado -- we won't be in Tijuana after all! This will be a big day, as we are also being hosted by Gil Moore on his yacht for a celebratory party in San Diego before dinner.

Hopefully, everyone will still be in one piece!

Friday, June 30

Tom Landwehr and Jim Pryor at U.S/Mexico "Border Field State Park."

Today completed a culmination of a dream! The "Van to Cino" Ride Group, over a two-year period, rode bicycles 1,865 miles from Vancouver, B.C., to the Mexican border, in tribute to fellow rider Kathy Somerton, a breast cancer survivor. Along the way we raised in excess of $230,000 for the Sutter Cancer Center and for the UC Davis MIND Institute.

The 2006 ride was very difficult, with total mileage of 850 miles and 37,000-plus feet of vertical climbing. The average daily mileage was 85 miles, but Day 1 from Mendocino to Bodega Bay equaled 103 miles, and was the most difficult ride day of the adventure!

During the 10 riding days, the group sustained an equal number of flat tires and accidental falls, most of which consisted primarily of "road rash" and minor abrasions. Unfortunately, two of the falls were more serious, one impacting Gene Hume, who broke a rib while en route to Cambria, and the other involving Mike Gates, who may have broken several fingers in Laguna Beach. Both riders continued the ride irrespective of their injuries and displayed enormous levels of personal courage.

On the morning of the final day, the riders awoke at the usual 5:30 a.m. wake-up time. The departure time this morning was 7 a.m., but much work must be accomplished before they hit the road, such as luggage being assembled and moved to the SAG vehicle, bikes being tuned, tires being inflated, and riders preparing for the rigors of the course by stocking up with fluids and energy bars. Prior to debarkation, Floyd and Bev Luman served up the typical morning repast of muffins, bananas, grapes, as "Mother Hen" Bev gave each rider a hug and an encouragement to be safe just prior to departure. Bev is a saint, and Floyd isn't far behind.

The final ride day was a perfect 85-miler, with generally flat and easy ride miles from San Clemente through San Onofre State Park, Camp Pendleton and south through cities such as Oceanside, Carlsbad, Cardiff at the Sea and then Del Mar (where the "Surf Meets The Turf"), and where the ride group met up again with Floyd and Bev at the 40-mile mark.

After a brief rest period at Del Mar, the riders climbed a serious hill into Torrey Pines, zig-zagged on residential streets through La Jolla, and then dropped into Mission Bay and navigated on Harbor Boulevard to the ferry that connected downtown San Diego to Coronado Island. After surviving the 15-minute ferry ride, the group rode 17 miles, in peloton formation, to Border Field State Park at the western-most part of the California/Mexico border.

After exchanging a few congratulatory tears and sharing several bottles of champagne, we retired to San Diego, where we had a pre-party hosted by Gil on his yacht and then dinner at the Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island. We were joined by family members of the riders, and our dinner reservation swelled to 35! It was a great way to end our adventure.

At that time, the following riders were noted for their contributions to "the cause":

Kathy Somerton: The reason for the existence of our ride group
Gene Hume: Most courageous rider
Mike Gates: The Lance Armstrong "MVP" Award
Aaron Turner: King of The Hills
Richard Dubey: The Comedy King, a "breath of fresh air," and a very
strong rider
Tom Landwehr: Most Improved Rider
Spencer Malysiak: Steady, Strong and a "Pro's Pro"
Gil Moore: An excellent rider -- the most generous person we've ever known!
Floyd Luman: A 100-percent problem solver, and the organizational
glue of the group
Bev Luman: The "Mother Hen" kept us together emotionally
Rob Wallace: Rookie of the Year and Marine Corps Poster Child
Randy Jones: Most Competitive Rider and Second-Most Improved
Connie Austin: Most Complete Rider, and serious candidate for MVP.
Larry Somerton: An elite rider, with the most powerful legs
Roger Rudolph: Pound for pound, an excellent tri-athlete and serious "spinner"
Jim Pryor: The man with the dream and the "Bag Balm King"

Thank you, friends and family for your interest, for your contributions, and for your support and love!

P.S. High-fives to Deborah Dunham of the Sutter Cancer Center for her support. It was greatly appreciated!

We want to thank the following "ride friends" who supported us at various levels along the actual trip, and whose names went unmentioned in the diary.

Ralph and Shelley Neate
Doug Winnette
Steve Lopes
Brandy
Don and Lorraine Chargin
Kathy Jones
Karen, Teresa, Diana and Kelly Malysiak
Marites, Marina, Brandon, Caitlyn
Gary and Peggy Finefrock
Gordon Mace
Dave and Terri Mileski
Christie Vincent
Sally Hume
Suzanne and Nick Eloditz
Tom Walsh
Bill Hart
Betty Whitsen
Deborah Modglin

All of us at the ride's end.