Hopland 400k -- sundry questions

[Thomas Maslen]

1. The route back from Hopland to Petaluma looks as though it does a fine job of using roads that are more rural, less suburban.  Good.  But...  does this mean that between Hopland (I'm guessing 17h00 to 18h00 for me) and Petaluma (23h00 or later) there's not much in the way of places that are open late?  Or do we get some of that sort of thing (gas station mini-marts, 7-11, whatever) after we come off Chalk Hill, e.g. perhaps on Old Redwood?
2. At what fine hour of the morning does the GGB change back from "the west side is closed, thou shalt use the east side" to "the west side is open" (and, I'm assuming, "thou shalt use the west side, not the east")?
3. In the route archive, the text description says "About 10800 elevation gain" and the ridewithgps log ends up with about 15900' -- is there a ballpark consensus number for this route?  (Yes, I understand that elevation numbers can be pretty variable).

[Rob Hawks]

Hi,

Others will chime in as well, but here are some comments.

The route passes very near Cloverdale on the way back. Should you desperately need something, all you need to do is cross over the freeway to get to the 24 hour minimarts. Further on, there are at least two stores in Geyserville, and I've stopped there almost every time I've done the 400k. There is at least one store on Fulton that was open late, but there are likely several that are just off the route a short way.

The bridge is supposed to open the west side at 5am. Best to check the GGB website to confirm. I know that the west side was open on our Fleche when we came by at 6am, and closed when we came back on the 400 WR last week at 4am.

I would never trust elevation gains stated on ridewithgps. The "about 10800" figure comes from reports of riders having done the ride. That is a better ballpark number I would say, certainly between the two sources you name.

rob

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[Kevin Fitzpatrick]

On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 1:50 PM, Rob Hawks <rob....@gmail.com> wrote:

Further on, there are at least two stores in Geyserville, and I've stopped there almost every time I've done the 400k.

The "Geyserville Market & Deli" is 26 miles south of Hopland at the turn at mile 159.3 and is open until 11pm Saturday night. I just called and checked a few minutes ago to confirm with them. From there it is only about 44 miles to the Petaluma control.

Kevin

[Thomas Maslen]

Thank you both for the info.  (Also, thanks to the folks who did the workers ride and produced the detailed writeup of road conditions).

Knowing that the Geyserville Market & Deli is there and open until 11 is great --- thanks Kevin for checking.  Also good to hear that further on there's something directly on Fulton.

And 10800' (or so) is a whole lot nicer than the ridewithgps number.

[Rob Hawks]

On Fri, Apr 12, 2013 at 10:46 AM, Thomas Maslen <thomas.m...@gmail.com> wrote:

(Also, thanks to the folks who did the workers ride and produced the detailed writeup of road conditions).

That would be Tom Haggerty.

 

Knowing that the Geyserville Market & Deli is there and open until 11 is great --- thanks Kevin for checking.  Also good to hear that further on there's something directly on Fulton.

And 10800' (or so) is a whole lot nicer than the ridewithgps number.

If you've done our 200kms then you know certain hills and where they are. Here is a brief description of the other hills you'll face:

Wilson Hill: This is after you've left Point Reyes/Petaluma Road and have ridden a few miles. It is directly after a sharp right turn. Very Steep, but eases off. 

Carmody: This is where you cross from Marin into Sonoma. Not very steep, but abysmal road surface.

Rollers on Highway One, past Valley Ford: We did these in reverse on the 300km. 

Joy Road: Iconic feature of the Hopland 400km route. Double climb. First section is steeper, both are steep. Relative to this, you are coasting from the top all the way to Guerneville.

From Occidental to Dutcher Creek road (south of Cloverdale) there are no notorious hills, and there are frequent segments where riders can group up.

Dutcher Creek: Some nasty rollers but they are not the worst you face on this route.

Highway 128, just past Cloverdale: Switchback route at the start. Long climb. Short descent midway.

Mountain House: Begins with a fast descent. Gorgeous scenery. Group up here and chat with other riders and the passage will go very quickly.

From Hopland  to Petaluma, the only hill of note is Chalk Hill which is not that bad. Most riders will do Chalk Hill after dusk.

After Petaluma: 3 climbs on Petaluma/Point Reyes. First and third are easier.

After the above, you have the standard: Dixon Ridge (Nicasio Valley), White's Hill (prior to Fairfax), Corte Madera, and the climb up to the GGB.  

rob

[Greg Merritt]

I am certainly not the fastest out there, but am I the only one who
likes the climbs...? I love the variety, I love having something to
push against, and I love recovering on the descents. It's extended
flats that really wear me out!

-Greg

[Toshi Takeuchi]

I think the route is well designed.  All the big climbs were outbound, and then on the way back the climbing was not as taxing, so we had groups that formed and stuck together through most of the second half. 

 

I did like the variety and I thought the terrain was beautiful (I do tend to be a bit masochistic with regard to climbing), but last year was quite hot--especially on the 128/Mountain House climbs!

 

Toshi

 

[Gintautas Budvytis]

SFR 400k specifics.

 

When you've lost joy of riding, ride Joy Rd.

Smart move: Cloverdale was built for refuelling (e.g. before 128 climb, even if it is not an official control).

For first timers: get to Petaluma (with all you have left, if needed) from there you can see finish (almost).

Equipment: if you challenged by extended flats, use proven equipment (Greg?! ;^) Not many tire manufacturers beat "Handmade in Germany" (in my book).

Safety: after you finished and turned of your Xmas lights, take a nap before you drive. Catnap does wonders.

 

Good luck to all riders!

 

GB

[William A. Monsen]

That is very good advice, esp. about not driving home immediately after finishing. Be safe out there, both on the bike and in the car!

[Eric Walstad]

This got me thinking about my timing estimates.  I started by printing out the cue sheet and writing in my arrival-time estimates at key points.  Then I wanted to know other non-key points. So, I ended up editing the cue sheet spreadsheet to include arrival-time (what time to turn left, right, etc), rest-time and average speed for each leg.  This is my first 400km ride so my estimates could be off, but they seem reasonable-to-conservative to me.  If you want to play around with your own numbers I think you can "Save As" a copy of my spreadsheet on Google Drive:

http://goo.gl/L79Rl

See y'all in the morning.

EW

On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 1:43 PM, Thomas Maslen <thomas.m...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Richard McCaw]

For food/ drinks/  restrooms - as Rob mentioned - about 1/2 down Fulton you will get to an area with several businesses. A four way intersection with traffic lights - gas mini marts on the corners- usually stop at the one on the right past the traffic lights. None really anything after that area til Petaluma. Be careful on this section of road.

Richard.

On Thu, Apr 11, 2013 at 1:43 PM, Thomas Maslen <thomas.m...@gmail.com> wrote:

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Richard McCaw
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[Mick Jordan]

If you can get into paceline at Hopland, you can fly all the way to Chalk Hill. That's a big part of my fast time in 2010.