Ride Report, Highway 1 CA

 

Last weekend I took a long weekend trip to Cambria, CA along the central coast. Needless to say it was a fantastic weekend of riding and having fun with my fellow women riders. I also got to ride the infamous Rossi's Driveway.

My 2 girlfriends and I rode down Highway 1 at a leisurely pace on Thursday and then we took some sweet roads Friday and Saturday.

Friday - Rossi's Driveway

From Cambria, we took the following route: http://goo.gl/maps/m6sz9

It was a hair under 130 miles all together and took us about 6 hours to complete the whole loop. We had a couple of pitstops and took our time on the Driveway, riding it back and forth a couple times because it's a short Highway.

If you look at the map, point F to H is Highway 229 aka Rossi's Driveway. Why do they call it this you ask? Well, I think this pic pretty much sums it up:

Imagine a road, so perfectly paved (just like a track) with barely any traffic. Short, tight twisties and no dirt, potholes, rocks, or gravel ahead of you. No hairpins/switchbacks, just beautiful twisties.

I must admit, however, the 2-way traffic was a little worrysome at times so I didn't get to fully enjoy this road the way I wanted to. But it was beautifully paved and allowed for some really nice lines when I could see the next 2-3 twisties ahead.

But it was smooth and my tires responded well to the warm pavement. (best tires ever, btw)

Sadly it was almost 100 degrees while we were out there, but I was extremely comfortable under my leathers, thanks to 2 important accessories:

1. Icebreaker merino baselayers - written review coming. You can also listen to my review on Episode 20 of Moterrific.com 

2. Revit Challenger cooling vest insert

I never would've made it without these two. I feel like I have the perfect riding outfit for summer and look forward to a couple more rides before Fall!

Saturday - Nacimiento-Fergusson Road

I tried to find other pics of this road, but I think this one really shows the main reason why you want to ride up it and over the mountain.

This was a much shorter, simpler route. We went north on Highway 1 from Cambria and turned right at Nacimiento Fergusson Road in Big Sur. It's right before the Kirk Creek Campground.

The road takes you from sea level all the way up to the top of the mountain, towards Fort Liggett.  It's not a long ride, but great for some sight seeing or just a quick detour to extend the ride home up or down Hwy 1.

http://goo.gl/BBNfvj

Once you ride through the clearing, there's a large paved space on the right before heading further east to Jolon Road which eventually takes you Highway 101.

After we took some group pics we went right back the way we came, west to Highway 1 and then south back to Cambria. It was a beautiful, HOT afternoon but somehow we had a really great time.

Let's Go Riding.

Join me on Meetup.com/Gearchic for 3 upcoming rides/events over the next month. The last Sunday of every month will be a breakfast and (optional) ride as well as two other rides North to Tomales (Nov 11) and South to Alice's (Dec 1).

To see more details, visit Meetup.com/GearChic 

Ducati North America reports increase in sales for Q3

Ducati just announced a 24% increase in quarterly sales for Q3 2012. 

If you don't ride a Ducati, have you ever considered owning one? Why or why not? 

If you currently have one, what would you tell someone who's considering one? 

*****

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

DUCATI NORTH AMERICA REPORTS NINE CONSECUTIVE QUARTERS OF RETAIL SALES GROWTH

• Q3 Retail sales increase by 24 percent 

• Nine consecutive quarters of retail sales growth

• The Diavel sets strongest product family growth in September

Cupertino, Calif. (October 24, 2012) – Ducati North America reported a 24 percent retail sales increase in Q3 compared to the same period in 2011, earning the company its ninth-straight quarter of retail sales growth. The month of September was especially positive with a 40 percent increase versus 2011.      

“We have paid very close attention to the desires of our customers in North America and believe that we have successfully developed the most appealing product offering in the brand’s history,” said Cristiano Silei, CEO of Ducati North America. “With this consistent, positive momentum in retail sales, we are confident that 2012 will finish as a record year for Ducati. And, we look forward to a great start for 2013, with the recent announcement of several new models.” 

Ducati credits its growth to the strong customer demand of several new products, including the brand’s newly released Superbike, the 1199 Panigale. Ducati’s flagship motorcycle, characterized by its revolutionary design, state of the art technology and extraordinary performance, has achieved unprecedented sales records across North America.

Significant growth is also attributed to the innovative Diavel, which recently received the prestigious Cycle World Magazine “10 Best” award in the cruiser category for the second year in a row. The Diavel is gaining a tremendous following: in the month of September it was the company’s highest growing product with a 66 percent increase compared to the same period in 2011. 

For more information about Ducati North America and Ducati’s line of performance motorcycles, please visit the new www.ducatiusa.com or your local Ducati dealer.

### 

Tim Collins

Public Relations Manager

Ducati North America, Inc.

10443 Bandley Drive
Cupertino, CA 95014
off. +1 408 343 4414
cell. +1 408 326 9957
efax +1 408 877 1539
tim.collins@ducati.com
www.ducatiusa.com

Funny convo with a customer today.

Me and my SV on my first track day back in 2011, sans mirrors and headlights.

A funny convo I had at Scuderia West when someone saw me with my bike. 

Him: What do you ride? 

Me: an SV650s

Him: Oh cool, that was my first bike

Me: Yeah, it's my 3rd

Him: It was a good little bike

Me: I love it, it's taught me so much and is the best bike I've had so far. I've learned body positioning on it. 

Him: What's that? 

Me: Guess you still need to figure that out!