First Century for 2021, the Three River Ride.

 

Along the Feather River.

Time had arrived for me to attempt a Century ride. I've managed a few 100 kilometer rides recently and the weather was forecast to be favorable for an 8 hour jaunt with a high in the lower 90s, so I took the opportunity to go on my annual "3 River's Tour". The rivers being the Feather, the Sacramento and the American Rivers. Here's a screenshot of the actual route:

This year, I anticipated I'd have to add a little distance at the start of the ride to compensate for shortening the ride at the end due to recent road work on Auburn Folsom Road. In the event, the road work had been completed so my ride ended up being a little longer that usual! There was a detour off the Garden Highway which added a mile or two to the ride as well!

The extension I came up with at the start of the ride involved riding up to Sheridan then following Rioso Road and Bear River Drive to Pleasant Grove Road,  dropping down to Cornelius Road and entering East Nicolaus there. This had the added benefit of bypassing Nicolaus Road out of Lincoln, which is narrow and can have some traffic.

The ride was pretty uneventful except for the detour on the Garden Highway. After regaining my planned route I was on the American River Bikeway until reaching Beales Point on Folsom Lake. At that point I got on Auburn Folsom road and braced myself for whatever route change I would face. Happily, the work on A/F road is completed and I was able to follow my traditional route up to King Road then on King to home. Total mileage came to a little over 112 miles, so it was a good effort! 

The Mercian worked well, really no issues, not even any flats. I continue to appreciate the moustache handlebars for long distance riding.

Here are a few pictures of this year's ride:

Along McCourtney Road

On Rioso Road, looking southwest.

At sleepy little Nicolaus.

Looking out on the Feather River on the Garden Highway levee road

The old riverboat is still there, but the nearby RV Park has closed down.

My rest stop at the small park under the I-5 overpass.

Shortly past the rest stop, the Garden Highway is shut down for road work! The detour took me several miles out of my way!

Post-ride view of my Mercian. No mechanical issues at all this time, not even any flats!