Ride Report - California Wine Country

Just spent a few days riding in the Healdsburg area, north of Sonoma.

It was well over 100 degrees every day, so I rode early - from about
6:30 to noon each day. So traffic that might have been a problem later
on wasn't an issue. The roads in Dry Creek Valley ( Dry Creek and West
Dry Creek) and Russian River Valley (Westside and Eastside) are the
main roads of the wine tasters, so there is a fair amount of traffic
later in the day, and with the exception of Dry Creek Rd there are no
shoulders.

On the other hand the roads are beautiful, bordering the grape farms,
and gently rolling so you can get up a pretty good pace on them.

When you want a different challenge there are some great roads that
lead into the hills surrounding the valleys. For example, Steamwood
Springs road climbs over the dry grass hills and descends into an
incredible Redwood forest. After a few miles along a creek in the
woods you climb a killer four or five miles with some 12% grades and
some great views at the top. The road has no shoulder, but also almost
no traffic - I think about ten cars passed me in two hours.

Another very nice climb is up Dry Creek Rd at the north end of the
valley to the Lake Sonoma overlook, and then beyond if you have the
time (which I had) and the legs (which I didn't have, as the temp
rose to 113 degrees that day. )

I rented a road Trek from WineCreek Bikes in Healdsburg.
www.winecountrybikes.com The owner, John Mastrianni is an ex-racer and
coach who is a great guy. He outlined routes for me all over the area.
I also did a guided winery tour on rented hybrids with my wife, with a
very knowledgeable guide (Gerard). Nice to do a tour with someone who
can explain the wine making business and process. Can't recommend this
shop any more highly - they are great people.

I'll be going back - Healdsburg is a riding mecca...