The start-finish line loomed in front of the Finley Center early Saturday, corraling a few thousand brightly colored, bobbing helmets and splashes of color from the jersied riders.
And then, starting as if in slow motion, the peleton of 7,500 riders funneled down Stony Point Road with Levi Leipheimer, founder and namesake of the King Ridge GranFondo, somewhere up there in front.
Your world shrinks for the next six hours, the time it takes to do the medio fondo, a 60-mile ride through Occidental, to River Road, Highway 1 along the coast and then back to Occidental over Coleman Valley Road.
The riders surround you, often so close that near-misses are inevitable. Easy, chance conversations with strangers underline the camaraderie.
All share, to varying degrees, the same experience of bicycling through some of the most beautiful scenery Sonoma County has to offer.
Even though it was gray on the coast, it only made the crashing surf seem more dramatic. Riders stopped frequently for pictures.
"Beautiful," said the rider from Colorado, who was cycling in Sonoma County for the first time. About half the cyclists were from outside Northern California.
The array of multi-colored jerseys ranged from local autumn-colored Wine Country Century to last year's black-and-white GranFondo.
The Motley Crue team from San Clemente had red jerseys, with the women wearing leopard-spotted arm warmers.
Chard Lowden of Santa Rosa, whose vision is severely impaired and strides around the rest stops with a white cane, had a gray Blind Power jersey for his ride on the back of a tandem bicycle.
Michelle McAvoy of Oakland dressed in a grey skirt and coat and rode a modern-day version of a matron's bike, a pink model with high handlebars, in the 60-mile ride.
And as out of place as she looked among the sleek road racers, she out-paced and passed many on the flat and downhill sections.
"This is the recreation side," McAvoy said at the Occidental rest stop three fourths of the way through the ride.
Coleman Valley Road is the toughest part of the medio route, a climb of 1,600 feet over 10 miles with a grade of almost 17 percent. At one point, most are off their bikes and walking.
The climb turns north and opens up a spectacular view of the ocean and the top of Coleman Valley Road seems like the crown of the world, with a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains.
The weary end comes back at the Finley Center, riding into a throng that is clapping for everyone. And then it's time to stop and watch as Leipheimer and a couple dozen of other top riders — who had just completed a ride of 103 miles — arrive just behind you.
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