CCC - Day 2 // Santa Cruz to Monterey

Stats - 53 miles, 2000 feet of climbing

Team Also Touch Day -  we lined to get a photo of the team before we cruised out I camp.  We have 8 official members and tons of unofficial ones ;-). Welcome to the team 

So today we were cruising back to the lighthouse (as we normally do for a little off-touring) but there was a triathlon going on by the boardwalk.  Now those are amazing arhletes!!  The boardwalk is so peaceful in the morning and has a different view whine it is empty!

More beautiful coastline and the start of strawberry and lettuce fields. What a beautiful smell! 

So in this route you cannot go by Moss landing without stopping at Phil's Seafiod and having a  lunch!  Nice!

The best part of today was turning the corner on the Monterey Recreation Trail and see the sand dunes, the ocean and Monterey in the background - SPECTACULAR!!!  Maria and I took a lot of pictures at this spot.

One last note - we had a pleasant surprise from Jerry and Diane Hall who came up the steep hill to visit us!  We reminisced about the Hancock neighborhood - block parties, the hike, taking pictures of the kids on the 1st day if school, etc.  Great times but even better people!

One More Day! Tomorrow we begin again!

I can't believe it's been a whole year since we were on this ride.  Time flies so quickly  and we wonder where it goes! 

It was wonderful to see old faces from over the 7 years that we have been doing the ride and newbies - the first year riders.  It is different when you talk to each group, but there are 2 things that are the same - excitement for the ride down the coast and anticipation for what is coming.  Now the anticipation is different for both.  The newbies do not know what lies ahead and what to expect, while those who have done the ride are also wondering if things have changed.  One thing is for sure, we all will ride tomorrow and we all will ride for a cure for arthritis!  Good night and enjoy the view of the Golden Gate Bridge at night... 

CCC 2013 Promotional Video - < 1 week to go!!

1 week to go! 1 week to go!!!

1 week to go!  1 week to go!  I can't believe it is here already!  Next Saturday we start our ride from SF to LA!  We have one more long ride (about 65-70 miles on Saturday) and then next week is a tapering week!

The picture above is the route we take from San Francisco all the way to LA (Santa Monica to be exact).  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers!  If you would like to donate, please visit the following sites for Maria and myself:

For Maria - www.afcabikeclassic.kintera.org/Heaven
For Dwight - www.afcabikeclassic.kintera.org/Spongebob

CCC 2013 Promotional Video - < 1 week to go!!

Two Weeks Away

It is only 2 weeks away and we're training hard to get ready.  Even though we have done this before, there is still the excitement of what to expect and also looking forward to seeing old friends again.

Last weekend we rode 60 miles from Saratoga to Boulder Creek and up through Big Basin.  What a tough, but beautiful ride!   Only 2 more weeks!

LA Here We Come .... Team Also Touch is on it's way!

Welcome to our blog for the California Coast Classic. This Dwight's 7th year and Maria's 5th year in riding down the coast in memory of Christiana.

Here's where you can find the updates on our rides and even comment!

We currently have about 8 weeks until we leave San Francisco for our bike ride to Los Angeles. We leave from San Francisco on September 28th and arrive in Los Angeles on the October 5th. It is a total of 525 miles over 8 days (but we do a little more as we do some site seeing :-). The team (Also Touch) will be 10 people (so far) this year.

Over the past 6 years, we have been able to donate $220,000 to the Arthritis Foundation because of your generous donations. Thank you all so much!

If you are able to contribute please click on the following links below for Maria or Dwight. If you notice that one of us has already reached our minimum of $3000, please donate to the other.

For Maria - www.afcabikeclassic.kintera.org/Heaven
For Dwight - www.afcabikeclassic.kintera.org/Spongebob

Also, continue to keep us in prayer as we continue our training for the ride.