Tour of the Unknown Coast 2006
May 13, 2006
Ferndale, CA – Over 1,100 bike riders met in the Victorian village for Ferndale, CA on the day before Mother’s Day for one of the toughest century rides in the country, the Tour of the Unknown Coast. There were also a number of shorter rides as well, including a metric Century, and 50, 20 and 10 milers.
Kinetic Koffee was the official coffee sponsor of the event, so Mark and Charlie were up at 4:30 am, brewing up pot after pot of Kinetic Koffee’s Morning Mayhem for the throngs of caffeine addicts at the start of the rides, along with some Dekaf Dekadence for the mellower folks.
If you’ve never been on this ride, make a point to try it next year. After a mellow start, riding though the flat dairy lands around Ferndale, you follow old Highway 101 through the Avenue of the Giants, where you ride inches from tall redwood trees that are hundreds of years old. Follow the winding road through the trees until you pass through Humboldt Redwoods State Park and climb over Panther Gap, a 2800 foot climb. Then down into picturesque Petrolia and out to Cape Mendocino, the westernmost point in the continental US. Then, after 80 miles, you see it – The Wall, a one mile climb at 18%. Following this grueling climb, you must endure almost 20 miles of The Endless Hills, until you finally descend directly back into Ferndale. An epic century!
Next stop – our company’s namesake – the Great Arcata to Ferndale World Championship Cross Country Kinetic Sculpture Race!
Mark & Charlie refueling riders after the century ride.