March 2, 2011 (Santa Rosa, CA) – The Cycling BC High Performance Team is still enjoying the sunny skies and beautiful roads of Santa Rosa, California as they log base miles and gain fitness and motivation for the quickly approaching racing season. Read on for a first-hand report by Jesse Reams.

Today I awoke to another day in paradise; the sun beaming through the massive windows of the master bedroom. Our ride started at the usual time of 10am, but not the usual route. We started off in a direction we had not gone yet this camp which was refreshing, and before I knew it we were an hour into the ride and at the start of the first climb, Cavedale Rd. The climb is about 10km long and 590 meters of elevation. It was a good test for the legs, even if the legs didn’t do so well in the test. This climb is one lane the entire length and while there are few houses along the climb no one would ever call it high population density. There are a total of two cars on entire climb, one of which was our follow vehicle.

We did have a minor mishap on the descent with Zak Taylor going down on some gravel that was right in the middle of a corner, but he is a tough Kiwi-bred guy and he got back in the saddle after some quick first aid. After continuing the descent, we ended up on a straight section of road with a ripping tail wind and a few not-so brilliant drivers.

The second climb, which is a local test for local legend Levi Leipheimer, began to take a toll on the legs with another 540 meters of elevation, and some fairly substantial grades. With the summit came a 20km decent which took us to within 10km of the home base. It was a great day for a bike ride though, blue skies and temperatures about 15-18 degrees C, which meant that the leg warmers were off and the white legs were out in full force. Owen Harrison and I decided to throw in one last climb today, which is only about 6km from the house but by the time I dragged myself to the top it was clear I was done. I could still appreciate the amazing view, though, and descending is always fun, so the day ended on a high note.

– Jesse Reams