CCD E-Mails

Send us Feedback about the ride and get your letter posted here.

Here are some e-mail we received from riders. Some lines containing personal e-mail addresses and orders for CCD T-shirts were edited out. All other information is "as-is" unless the sender notifies us to edit it as we see fit for this page. We hope you will enjoy them as much as we did.

MessageType: Praise
Username: donna stidolph
UserEmail:
Subject: Web Site
SubjectOther:
Date: 10/15/98
Time: 1:24:37 PM

Comments:

Hey Brian and company,

I just found your web site and (a) it's fun and (b) wanted to tell you how much I "enjoy" the ride. As one of the consistently last finishers, I really appreciate the patience and energy required to stay interested in us slow pokes. Thanks for continuing your effort.

BTW,I've written ride reports on the CCD for the Women's Cycling mailing list for the last three years. If you're interested in another perspective on the ride, I would be glad to unearth the reports and send them along.

Thanks again, looking forward to May,

Donna Stidolph

MessageType: Praise
Username: Jim Frink
UserEmail:
Subject: Ride Route
SubjectOther:
ContactRequested:
Date: 5/20/98
Time: 6:04:24 PM

Comments:

Brian -

Thanks for putting on such a great ride in 1998! Everything was wonderful. You are to be commended for coming up with such a great alternative route due to the poor winter weather. Also, although the Estrella loop was a bummer, at least you were able to come up with a route that got us back into town. I do like the coast route best, as it adds one more type of experience (cool ocean mist, breeze) to the ride. Hopefully we'll be able to go that way next year!

I thought the food and support was very good, and the volunteers were extremely helpful. Especially good was the apple sauce at Bradley, and the Cytomax at every rest stop.

Lastly, I like the way you order the rider numbers based on the previous year's results. Getting to wear "numero uno" was very special.

Thanks again for a great ride!

Sincerely,

Jim Frink
Davis Bike Club

MessageType: Suggestion
Username: Chuck Bramwell
UserEmail:
Subject: Web Site
SubjectOther: and Ride
ContactRequested: ContactRequested
Date: 5/21/98
Time: 6:03:03 AM

Comments:

Hi Brian and Larry ...

Suggest that the folks at the registration desk should not have told riders that there were an estimated 12,000 Feet of Climbing on this new course. My Avocet 50 registered 8,890 Feet of Climbing before Lunch and 5,130 Feet after Lunch for a total of 14,020 Feet of Climbing. Lots of folks I was riding with as well as myself were syched for 12,000 Feet but not for 14,000 Feet. I know you didn't know how many feet of climbing there was on the new course -- but now you do if you ever have to rerun this course.

(Note from CCD officials: Due to the closing of highway 1, the route had to be changed from the original course to prevent the nullification of the 1998 ride. The 1999 Central Coast Double will be along the Central Coast on Highway 1 as they have in the 1995 -1997 rides, unless there is another closure of the highway.)

The course was very well marked with the orange arrows. Thanks -- great job on that.

All in all, I loved your ride this year. It was brutally tough -- but spectacularly beautiful. Going down Nacimiento-Ferguson Road to the Highway 1 made me appreciate the stunning beauty of this climb -- as I was smoking my brakes!! Your support and food was really good. The huge variety of fresh baked cookies at Lunch was awesome. The Apple Sauce tasted good at Bradley. The extra Water Stops were appreciated very much so we didn't have to haul extra water up those climbs!!

Keep up the good work -- your ride and Web Site are setting a good standard for other ride organizers to strive towards!!!

Chuck Bramwell
California Triple Crown Guy

MessageType: Praise
Username: Jim Frink
UserEmail:
Subject: Ride Route
SubjectOther:
Date: 5/20/98
Time: 6:04:24 PM

Comments:

Brian -

Thanks for putting on such a great ride in 1998! Everything was wonderful. You are to be commended for coming up with such a great alternative route due to the poor winter weather. Also, although the Estrella loop was a bummer, at least you were able to come up with a route that got us back into town. I do like the coast route best, as it adds one more type of experience (cool ocean mist, breeze) to the ride. Hopefully we'll be able to go that way next year!

I thought the food and support was very good, and the  volunteers were extremely helpful. Especially good was the apple sauce at Bradley, and the Cytomax at every rest stop.

Lastly, I like the way you order the rider numbers based on the previous year's results. Getting to wear "numero uno" was very special.

Thanks again for a great ride!

Sincerely,

Jim Frink
Davis Bike Club

MessageType: Suggestion
Username: Ken Bartholic
UserEmail:
Subject: (Other)
SubjectOther: Route sheet - mileage data
Date: 5/12/98
Time: 4:14:07 PM

Comments:

Brian, the route sheet was very accurate and complete. You and your support staff are to be complimented on putting on a good ride. I would suggest that you consider a slightly different format for the route sheet mileages (see typical entry below):

TURN  AT          ONTO                   NEXT TURN
L        138.2       Nacimiento Rd.     21.2
R        159.4       Main St.              10.5

The above examples are of course fictitious. It's a subtle change from your method, but the advantage is that the rider can see immediately what his computer should read at the turn, and then the distance to the next turn. Again, this didn't detract from a good ride. The course was very scenic and well marked. Your support staff was very helpful and friendly.

Thanks, Ken Bartholic

MessageType: Complaint
Username: Dennis Allard
UserEmail:
Subject: (Other)
SubjectOther: Front Page and Web site
Date: 5/12/98
Time: 5:57:28 PM

Comments:

Overall site has lots of information and fairly easy to find what one is looking for.

The letters section should contain a link or instructions for sending feedback. It is unclear which of the several links should be used to send comments about the ride itself.

I see, you are using Front Page (ouch). I got some kind of 'Frontpage error' when I hit the submit button. Have no idea if this will get through. Hope so.

A bit less Las Vegas-like lighting would be perhaps nice.

The graphic on missing children is a bit much.

MessageType: Praise
Username: Sam Beal
Subject: Ride Route
Date: 5/16/98
Time: 6:54:10 AM

Comments:

I've tried it both ways and I think this year's course was better - Hwy 1 is great to look at, but typical wind, traffic and road conditions are a bigger strain than the nice climb up the frontside of Nacemiento-Fergason (even everyone believed it increased the total vertical.

Support was Fantastic! The additional water stop is a great idea, even though the cool weather made it less critical this year.

Subj: Great job on Central Coast DC!
Date: 96-05-15 01:07:46 EDT
From: ben@///////////////// (Benjamin Miller)
To: madcyclist@aol.com

To Brian Stark and the Central Coast DC Crew,
I want to thank you and all your staff for hosting what was, in my humble experience, THE BEST DOUBLE CENTURY that I have ever ridden. You are blessed with some really spectacular country and roads for riding and you constructed an excellent route to show it all off. Your staff/volunteers were wonderful and helpful. I was met at rest stops by staffers that would help hold my bike while others filled my water bottles. The goodies at the rest stops were great. I was surprised that you bought cans of Cytomax for the riders to use, what a treat. The fresh breads were excellent. When the day turned hotter, your people anticipated the rider's needs and supplied additional water stops and roving water vans. The orange markers on the road really helped me to relax knowing that I was going the right way. The route slip was concise and clear. I really wanted to do my best on this ride and your preparations allowed me to just concentrate on turning the cranks over all the way to the end. I hope you all will return next year to host another Central Coast Double. If you do, I'll be there!

Sincerely,
Ben Miller
La Jolla, California

Subj: Central Coast DC '96
Date: 96-09-24 16:34:45 EDT
From: ben@//////////////// (Benjamin Miller)
To: madcyclist@aol.com

Hi Brian,
I was most glad to see that Central Coast will be run again next year. As it one of my favorite doubles, I will especially look forward to being in Paso Robles next May. As I've said before, I thought you did a fantastic job of running the event and gave this rider a splendid cycling experience. Perfection! Will you be at the reins again in '97? I will be most fortunate if you are again directing this event.

By the way, despite what some have said regarding the length (e.g. B. Oetinger email), I personally think it was a good thing that CCDC was 214 miles. Each double has its own character and I think it would be a shame if the routes were changed just to "standardize" all the double centuries. Example: H. Murphy's DVDC is only ~197 miles. Do I feel deprived that I didn't get the remaining 3 miles? No. If I'd finished (my tandem DNF'd) I'd have felt like I'd ridden a double. The character of DVDC to me is a shorter double with lots of wind and sand on some desolate roads. Cool. Take TTDC: when someone thinks back about TT, they think "Yeah, that's a lot of climbing and some beautiful scenery". When I think about CCDC, I think "That is a long double with lots of climbs and fantastic ocean views, steep dark forest roads and some hot dry stretches". Thus each ride has it own character, and I appreciate that.

Question: At CC, there was a guy video taping the event. Did he ever put together a version for sale?

Take best care,
Ben Miller
La Jolla, CA

Subj: i feel like i got run over by a tandem...
Date: 97-05-13 00:30:44 EDT
From: lkatano@///////////
To: madcyclist@aol.com

but i lived to tell about it!!

hi brian!

just wanted to congratulate you on sponsoring a terrific ride! being one of the last, therefore longest, riders on the course i had plenty of opportunity to appreciate every nuance of the event. For the most part, the scenery and weather both were wonderful (honestly, Fort Hunter Ligget was marginal?!) and helped distract me from the pain of 13,400 feet of elevation gain! The early morning cloud bank as we headed toward Cambria, views looking back toward Ragged Point from Hiway 1 and Ferguson Road, and the clarity of the stars in the extreme darkness climbing Hare Canyon. Perhaps next year I'll actually get to see Lakes Nacimiento and San Antonio!?

The volunteers at the rest stops and additional well-placed water stops were extremely friendly and supportive...truely appreciated at the later hours of the ride. And it's always a pleasure seeing great kids like Sophia with her popscicles and Daniel at the water stop encouraging the riders. Perhaps they too will be out riding with us one day!

"Why are we doing this?" came up frequently in the last 20 miles. So, besides the self satisfaction and sense of accomplishment one gains completing these rides, it's always a treat to receive a patch and t-shirt which are well designed. Definitely my favorite of all the event shirts I've collected this year!

Anyways, Brian, I just wanted to say "Thanks!" for the challenge and helping me do the thing I thought I could not do.

Lynn "slow-but-determined" Katano

Subj: ccd 97 thanx
Date: 97-05-11 21:55:01 EDT
From: wayne@/////////////////// (Wayne Tikkanen)
To: madcyclist@aol.com

Kudos to your club in putting on an excellent ride. I enjoyed every bit of it (well except maybe the last bit of some of the hills). Good weather, great food and great support. Not to mention outstanding scenery. What more could you ask?

Perhaps potatoes (boiled or roasted red oness) at the last few stops. The hot dogs at Bradley were a godsend!

When will results be available (on line at your web site?)? And is it possible to get a teeshirt at this late time?

Thanks again to all in your club and everyone else that made this ride possible!

WayneTikkanen, Professor
Los Angeles, CA

Subj: CCD
Date: 96-05-14 15:52:44 EDT
From: prescott@//////////////////////// (Doug Prescott)
To: madcyclist@aol.com

Thanks for putting on a great ride. I hope you get to ride it next year. All the volunteers did a great job, and they really stepped up in the middle part of the ride when it got hot - going to the store to get extra water and ice, and "sagging" spent riders "in". Anyway, I hope there is a 3rd Annual CCD.

I'm interested in getting race results when they become available. If they can be sent via e-mail, that would be great. Otherwise, I'd be happy to send a SASE to return a copy via snail mail. Let me know.

Thanks, Doug.

Subj: Re: CCD
Date: 96-05-14 20:42:29 EDT
From: goetzel@///////////////// (George Oetzel)
To: madcyclist@aol.com

Brian,

The five of us from SRI International who rode the CCD Saturday want to thank and congratulate you and your team for a splendid job of supporting the ride. The support crew must have been as tired as the riders at the end of the day. We saw the same people repeatedly, so we know that everyone put in a very long day.

We especially appreciated the extra effort to supply water in some critical locations during the hot afternoon.

Two of our SRI crew are in the over-50 age bracket, and we finished with renewed respect for the penalty age extracts in attempting such events. We are curious to know how many others there were in this age bracket, out of how many total, if you have the stats readily available.

Thanks again,

George Oetzel
Chris Gellrich
Bill Nowlin
Erik Simpson
Greg Toth