I had no idea they had a cycle race anywhere near me. I took off on my motorcycle to go by my ranch which is on a very little used road... it's a great ride because of the wildflowers... in season.
So on the way I cross I5 on Hwy 33 headed to Coalinga, Ca. and I pass about 5 cyclists, in full gear.... and I'm surprised because I've never seen any cyclists on that road in all my years of driving... which are many.
About a half mile later I pass a group of maybe 15 cyclists, all in gear, numbers on the chest. "Wow... that's really odd".
Another half mile and I'm passing dozens upon dozens of them. Incredible intellect that I am I figured it out "Hey, they're having a race".
So the road skirts the foothills of the Coast Range Mtn's for several miles and I'm passing a solid line of cyclists... I turn into the foothills and the cyclists continue until I come very near where Hwy 33 hits 145 and now it's solid rows of motorhomes, trailers, and TV satellite trucks... taco stands, tri-tip stands, souvenir stands. All this on a road only a handful of people drive in any give year. Now I'm immersed in cyclists and have slowed down to like 20mph and thinking... "I didn't see any signs to stay off the road. No barricades." Yet here I was on my motorcycle surrounded by cyclists. And I'm talking hundreds, maybe thousands.
I had to look it up when I got home. It's called "The Cantua Creek Road Race". I was shocked, I had never heard of it. It was like this.. you walk out your front door and suddenly 10 F1 race cars streak by you. You would, naturally, and instinctively, IMHO, think "What the hell?"
