Day 2 Kirkwood to Murphys = magic

Yesterday was day two. It was supposed to be our queen stage with Carson, Monitor, Ebbetts and Pacific Grade all on tap. We left a bit early to get the full 117 and 11,000 started. But soon we found out that Monitor Pass was closed because of a big rig overturning and spewing toxic waste resulting in a full closure for hazmat teams to clean things up. Bummer for us... ;-) we still managed an incredible 102 miles and 8,000 feet of climbing making this more of a princess stage.

This time of year, the trees are turning amazing colors. Because it was Monday morning, we had very little traffic and we made excellent time. Since the last time I rode these roads, they have repaved many of them, and the surface was like butter making the descents just awesome. It soon didn't matter what was coming, there was just a magic tempo of incredible scenery, perfect pavement, great people that made day two magic. Here's a little video that shows our course yesterday. https://www.relive.cc/view/740956377

Day 3 we ride from Murphys to Sutter Creek. The heart of Gold Country. No big named climbs, but short punch-you-in-the-guts kind of climbs, over pavement that might be as old as the 1800s. Stay tuned!

Some shots from the road yesterday....