TOUR OF THE UNKNOWN COAST

The hardest ride in Humboldt County's famous TUC used to be the 100 mile, which took you over the coastal mountains, down to the beach and back over the coastal mountains. Climbing "the wall" on the way back over the mountains often involved beating yourself forward against terrific winds during a near vertical climb. Every year riders are blown into each other and off the road.

This year, in a nod to masochists, the TUC added a "double century." Yes, twice over the coastal range in both directions. Four people signed up.

Somebody had to do something on behalf of cycling as a relaxed leisure time activity. So I volunteered to cut my usual 100K (K) down to a mere 25 miles. It turned out to be a delightful ride that took us up a verdant river valley that's I'd never seen. Some of the riders looked distinctly out of shape--just happy to be out there rolling along, not trying to prove anything. And this was a ride that attracted a bunch of kids on kid sized bikes.

"Hydration Station" AKA "Drinks."

The ride begins in the Victorian village of Ferndale, a picturesque place that's build over the intersection of three major earthquake faults.

Why are the most beautiful places in the world the most geologically unstable?

The TUC set up a rest stop with snacks and drinks at the halfway point. Kids and bikes go together. And for those of us for whom childhood is a distant memory, bikes bring out the inner ten year old.