Pope Valley Loop

Today we did one of our favorite rides out of St. Helena, the Pope Valley Loop. It is only 35 miles, but it has some great climbing on some very lightly traveled roads. The weather was perfect, short sleeves and shorts. There is only a couple of hairy places on the loop. Climbing up around Conn Dam on Hwy. 128 we had to pull over once to let a big old double trailer semi pass us. Claire and I road our Burley tandem while A1 and A2 were on single bikes. A1 was test riding the Cannondale Super Six, which he liked a lot, except for the fact it was one size too big for him. A2 was on his steel LeMond Sarthe which he is loving. The highlight of the ride was the climb up Ink Grade out of Pope Valley. A1 said that Ink Grade was now his favorite climb in Northern CA. One of the best things about this ride is that there seems to be more descending than ascending. A1 commented on this after coasting down White Cottage Road and Howell Mountain Road. After the ride, The Hub Cyclery bought us lunch at Taylor's Refresher in St. Helena.