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Hotsheet
July 30, 2009
by Tim Sheeper
In this edition:

Santa Cruz Triathlon

The Santa Cruz Triathlon (formerly the Sentinel) is offering Team Sheeper members $15 off registration.  Email Tim or Mike to get the discount code.

There is a large contingent from the team racing this event, so sign up and be a part of the festivities.  The race will sell out very soon.

Click here to register at active:
http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1690344&assetId=30cc35e3-51d7-41f8-a5dc-5ab7300e803f

The Santa Cruz Triathlon is also offering a club competition purse with $1,000 going to the 1st place USAT Division 1 Team (largest size) ad $500 going to 1st place Division 2 (second largest by size).

To be eligible, members must affiliate themselves with their teams when they register with active.com.


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Santa Cruz Roughwater Swim and Training Run

This Saturday August 1, at 11:00am the team will be competing in the 36th Annual Roughwater Swim around the Santa Cruz Pier.

The water temperature is 58 degrees and you are allowed to swim with a wetsuit if you choose.  This race is perennial favorite and it is the same course that is used for the Santa Cruz Triathlon(Sentinel) and the Big Kahuna Half Ironman.

At the completion of the swim the team will do a trial run of the Santa Cruz Triathlon and Big Kahuna Run course.  The run heads north along East Cliff Drive towards Natural Bridges State Park and then onto the trails near Wilder Ranch. 

The run start will be at the foot of the Pier at 12:15pm and no later than 12:30pm.

Due to the special event, our team bike ride will happen on Sunday August 2,  leaving from Woodside Elementary and going to San Gregorio and then up Tunitas.

Information about the swim and registration can be found at:
http://www.pacificmasters.org/comp/09cruzroughwater.pdfhttp://www.pacificmasters.org/comp/09cruzroughwater.pdf


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Grinder #1 - Gazos Creek

The second annual Grinder Series kicks off next weekend, Saturday August 8 with the Gazos Creek climb.

The Grinder Series is a gathering of four challenging bike rides, and each "Grinder" includes at least one "knarly-ugly-grunt" of a climb that will remain etched in your mind long after the completion of the ride.

The hills/climbs have one thing in common this year.  They are all in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This mountain range is known for it's diversity and intensely steep climbs, although not very long.  Most of the climbs will take well under 30 minutes for most of the team riders (on a good day of course)

The first ride is the little known and often by passed Gazos Creek Road.  Most team members may know this road as we ride on it during our trek to the coast highway during the Epic ride.  What few may know is that there is a turn that we can make that will connect us to highway 9 from Cloverdale/Gazos Creek.  Although there is about 15 miles of dirt road/trails and mountain range between these two points.

I have never been on it, and that is why I am excited to go. 

Here are the ride specifics:
Date:  Saturday August 8, 2009
Start Point:  Big Basin Redwood State Park (about an hour drive from the pool)
Start Time: 9:00am
Distance:  Road and Dirt-50 miles (15-20 miles of dirt)  Alternative-All Road-90 miles

Three Options:

1. Ride Mountain Bike the entire way

2. Ride Road Bike the entire way and stay on the pavement, and ride the loop, which is: Higway 236-Highway 9-Skyline Blvd-West Alpine-Haskins Hill-Pescadero Road-Cloverdale-Gazos Creek-Highway 1-Bonny Doon-Empire Grade-Highway 236.  Awesome road loop that will challenge every rider on the team.

3. Ride Road Bike and have a pair of walking shoes handy to navigate Gazos Creek Road while walking if you are uncomfortable handling your road bike on dirt.

Description of the Course:
Gazos Creek Road  (Part of the Spec Ops Weekend)
distance: 11.9 miles (Cloverdale-Big Basin-this is the dirt section)
climbing: 1740 feet. 

Like Old La Honda, Gazos Creek Road provides a convenient connection between the Butano State Park region and Big Basin. From the south, it begins at Highway 1 for approximately 2 miles. From the point where Cloverdale Road turns off to the north, it becomes a dead-end to auto traffic and cars are a rare sight.

It continues in a well-paved, gentle fashion until the pavement ends and one is faced with a virtual wall of dirt. During the summer the surface here can be quite loose and thus traction for a road bike is challenging.  The grade lessens in places, but there are more steep sections, and thus 28mm or wider tires and a low-gear of 39/28 (700c) or lower will be appreciated here. Once one reaches the junction at the top, however, the surface becomes firmer, and what remains is a rolling, mostly downhill, washboard-in places, dirt road. Finally, one emerges at the Big Basin Park headquarters, where water is available.

As a descent, the poor traction and extreme grade mean that road-bikers descending Gazos may well find themselves soon sampling the culinary qualities of the fine Northern California topsoil. It's good for working on bike handling skills, though.


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Special Ops Weekend

The information surrounding the Special Ops Weekend of training and has been scarce and under wraps for a long time.  Some information is finally beginning to "leak" out.  Before reading on, be aware that this weekend is not designed to be a fancy, frilly, feel good spa weekend.  This is meant to be basic, rustic, and raw two days of activity based around nature and "dirt."

When:  Saturday and Sunday August 8 and 9.
Where:  In and around Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Cost: None
Meals Provided:  None
T-Shirts-Schwag: None
Can I come one day or two?  Sure, if you can find us.

What we are going to do:

1. Saturday-Start at 9:00am from Big Basin Redwoods State Park Parking lot at Park Headquarters.  Ride 50 mile or 90 mile loop Road or Mountain (see description in Grinder details)

2. Complete ride at your car, stow your bike in your car,  grab your camping gear, back pack, food, fluids and essentials.  The campsite is 6 miles up the trail away from the car at a trail camp with no amenities, water etc.  You have to pack in what you will eat, drink and sleep in.

3. We will make camp at "Lane Trail Campground" which is at about 2,000 foot elevation. 

4. In the morning we will hike back to the car via a secondary trail.

5. At the car we will stow our camp gear and get our mountain bikes out for a final fire road trail ride towards Butano State Park.  The ride will be about 2.5 hours.  The Sunday camp will break before noon.

Trail Maps, logistics, camping essentials, clothing needs, will be distributed to the individual(s) who make a commitment to the Special Ops Weekend mission.

To make a commitment to the Special Ops Weekend, and reserve your spot all you need to do is send me a confirmation email saying you are "IN."    If you dare.


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