My friend George put together a three day bike ride that started in Watsonville, headed down to Carmel, then over the mountains to King City, and then finally back through Hollister returning home. Tony and Jeff made up the rest of our tiny peloton, with Erik saving the day with ride support. Our first day was a beautiful ride along the coast and then out to Carmel Village.

The next morning was a bit wet and windy, but it calmed down quite a bit by the time we got rolling. The hot tub last night really helped prepare everyone for another long day of riding.

The ride over Carmel Valley Ranch road out to Greenfield was just spectacular. By the time we reached the final summit, it was clear we would have great weather the rest of the way.

We loaded up on the food in Greenfield, and then hammered the final miles out to King City. A nice flat road with a good tailwind made for loads of speed and fun.

Some more food to make up for those calories (and then some) before giving those legs another well earned rest.

Our last leg headed up past Pinnacles and really a magnificent stretch of road. Unfortunately we're short on photos, but we did run into a group heading south to Big Sur when we got to Hollister. We then loaded up at Togos before heading out for the final push back to Watsonville.

Erik's house is up an even longer and steeper climb then my house, which of course is quite a treat after more than 200 miles of riding. A really great ride that I'll be more than happy to do again with these guys. Thanks to Erik for all the photos.