After almost 10 months of great riding, I wanted to take a field trip – something simple, local, with a little bit of adventure.  Aptos was the perfect answer.  I have done this ride as a one day classic.  So why not do it as a two day getaway.

Saturday morning had the expected cold and wet start.  Nothing terrible, but you still got wet.  We made it to Stevens Canyon and had our FIRST flat of the day.  This was a great opportunity to work together and fix the flat quickly.  Saratoga would be our next flat tire – same wheel, same tire.  And yes, we did check the tire for the offending object. We continued into Los Gatos and started our gravel road section of the ride.  All was going well until the last flat of the day.  This time, we found the root of the problem and fixed it.  No more flats for the ride.

The weather was clearing up and we started climbing Old Santa Cruz highway, got to Summit road, and made our way to the Summit store for lunch.  It was good – especially the soup.  Highland road was closed so we decided to go down Sequel/San Jose road straight into Aptos.

Best Western Aptos was the perfect choice for this ride.  They had great rooms, a hot tub, and a complete breakfast for the next day.  Big thanks to Cindy for bringing our bags over the hill.

Sunday was the perfect day to ride.  Clear skies, a cold morning, and a really big breakfast at the hotel.  Scott and I talked about the route options.  We decide on E Zayante.  I use to hate this climb, maybe because of the Sheeper Epic, but it was pleasant on this day.  Once on Skyline, it was the familiar rollers to 84 and home.

Another big thanks to Xerxes for bringing our bags back to Menlo.  Always great to have the support of the community.

I was proud of the way we rode this tour.  The pace was social, we helped each other, and shared some great stories.  Expect to have more tour options in 2015.