Sea To Sierra

The Sea to Sierra (S2S) is a bicycle tour from Sonoma County to the Edge of Lake Tahoe. The tour stretches over 300 miles three days, with over three vertical miles of climbing reaching approximately 7,000 feet elevation at the peak of the ride. In 2006, 7 riders did a successful trial run for the first annual S2S. The event was so successful that WRS has made this an official annual fundraiser. In 2007, 8 riders successfully completed the challenge, supported by staff and friends of Women's Recovery Services. The S2S is now our main annual fundraising event with all proceeds benefiting the women and children at WRS.

Please consider supporting this event by sponsoring our riders! The riders pay their own costs, so 100% of all sponsorships go directly to Women's Recovery Services: And because of this, all sponsorships are 100% tax deductible. For more information on the Sea to Sierra bike ride, please contact Women’s Recovery Services by phone at (707) 527-0412, or by E-mail at wrs@womensrecoveryservices.org.

Sea to Sierra 2007

September 14, 2007

Our second annual Sea-to-Sierra bicycle ride was a success …. on all fronts!
8 riders and 2 SAG vehicles w/ exceptional SAG drivers and support!
No one injured (other than sore and tired muscles), and only 1 flat tire total!
The weather was *perfect* and the route was nearly “traffic-free”, given the post-Labor Day timing
All riders and SAG drivers had a wonderful time over this 3-day event! 267 miles and 18,000 feet of climbing!
We raised close to $15,000 for WRS! Thanks so much for your support!

Summary

Day 0 – Thursday Sept 13: A catered Pasta Feed dinner at Doyle Park in Santa Rosa for friends/family/supporters. Nearly 50 attendees, great meal, fund-raising raffle, a few short speeches and then riders home early to prep/pack and SLEEP! Full of anticipation for the adventure to unfold over the next three days!

Day 1 – Friday Sept 14: Santa Rosa to Yuba City. We met at the Calistoga Road Safeway parking lot at 6:30AM. A clear and beautiful morning for our 7AM start! Friends and family were cheering us on as we pedaled off! Today was the longest riding day—123 miles--from Santa Rosa over Trinity Grade, around the bottom of Lake Hennessy and Lake Berryessa to our lunch stop in Winters. Never thought a turkey sandwich could taste so good! But, then back on the bikes for the remaining 60 miles to Yuba City! At least the “hilly” miles were the first 65! After that, the flat and not too windy central valley….and to our delight, we were blessed with a wonderful tailwind most of the afternoon! Cindy G gets the award for conquering Trinity Grade for the first time ever, and Bob S gets the award for first (and only!) flat tire of the trip (one mile from our hotel!). We arrived in Yuba City at 6:15PM; about 11 hours in the saddle, what with SAG breaks and lunch. After showering, we all walked down the street to a great Mexican restaurant for a fabulous dinner….and then BED!

Day 2 – Saturday Sept 15: Yuba City to Sierra City. After a hearty breakfast, headed out at 7:30, east on Highway 20 and then north on Marysville Road. Gorgeous riding and the start of a lot of climbing! We circled Collins Lake and Dobbins, christened by John H as “Mount Dobbins” because of the 2.2 mile, 10% grade that climbs from Dobbins to Bullard’s Bar Reservoir! Lunch (sandwiches delivered by our intrepid SAG support) was welcomed at the reservoir, then we continued northeast and connected with Highway 49. From there, a swift and welcome descent into the valley, then slowly following (and climbing!) the north fork of the Yuba River into Downieville. After a brief respite over a cold soda, we climbed the final 12 miles to Sierra City. Our day totaled 82 miles, and 90% of them were uphill; we climbed a cumulative 7100 feet! We had a terrific dinner at The Mountain Creek Restaurant. A few of us headed to the local watering hole to “replenish our fluids”. Cheryle S and Pam C get the award for “best undiscovered pool sharks”. Everyone was sound asleep by 10:00PM!

Day 3 – Sunday Sept 16: Sierra City to Tahoe City. After a delicious buffet breakfast prepared especially for us by Joanne, the owner of The Mountain Creek Restaurant, we departed Sierra City in two waves – 7:30 and 8:15 AM. This allowed slower climbers to get a head start on the first 12 miles of today’s ride up and over Yuba Pass (from 4100 elevation to 6701 summit). Glorious weather – a little brisk but clear. Once over Yuba Pass, you are rewarded with the finest descent in the Sierras into Sierraville! Approximately 6 miles of perfect road, no traffic and breathtaking views! From Sierraville, we had to climb back out of the valley and follow Hwy 89 all the way to Truckee. Again, in large part due to post-summer-vacation timing, there was almost no traffic (a delightful change from last year when we did this ride in May and were dodging fully-loaded logging trucks for 25 miles!). We all reconvened in Truckee around noon and following lunch, rode as a group into Tahoe City, arriving at our destination (the family condo of one of our riders) at 3:00PM. Only 62 miles total today and every one of them delightful!

The evening meal Sunday was at the local Bridgetender Restaurant and was accompanied by various well-deserved beverages.

Some riders left on Sunday night while others stayed the night in Tahoe City at John P’s condo and were driven home on Monday by our wonderful SAG support.

Altogether a grand time! Thanks again for your support. It was felt every inch of the ride!