107 miles of pure Sonoma County beauty

It starts at the Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa and 107 miles later it ends back at the Flamingo and Scott Nydam is not shy about admitting, ?This is a ride you just don?t show up to do.? King Ridge is not a ride for someone who is jacked because he just did five circuits around Spring Lake without stopping for a Snickers.

?One of my Swiss teammates said it reminds him of Luxembourg,? said Nydam, a pro cyclist who will be competing in the Tour of California with his BMC brothers.

It is 107 miles of up and down, flat and straight, forest and ocean views, city and wilderness, cars and no cars. It is the ride that Nydam, in his third year of living in Santa Rosa, likes to show off to any of the visiting Tour of California pros. This is why I live here, train here, love it here, said Nydam, a Denver native.

?It?s like an European fairyland,? is how Nydam describes the vistas on the King Ridge Ride. ?Team Bissell will take their training out there and I guarantee you Levi (Leipheimer) will be taking his Astana teammates out there as well. You don?t expect it to be that good so close to a city.?

So sit back, relax and enjoy the world-class route that takes six hours on a bicycle but will take you about three minutes from your recliner.

There is the Tour of California. This is the Tour of Sonoma County.

?We leave the Flamingo and head west up Third Street,? Nydam said. As scenery goes, it?s not yet Luxembourg. Third Street turns into Hall. Make a left at Sanford when Hall dead ends, then after a short distance a right on Occidental Road. Turn right on Bohemian Highway.

Nydam said there are faster ways to get to Cazadero Road, like go north to River Road. Ah, but the cars whizzing down on River Road, said Nydam, do not create the European fairyland atmosphere for a long-distance ride.

Going to the store for groceries is one thing. Going ?epic?, as Nydam said, is something quite different.

?Turn left from Bohemian Highway onto River Road,? said Nydam, 31. ?Go a short ways and then it?s a right on Cazadero Highway to Cazadero. This is the last place you?ll be able to buy a candy bar. And make sure you bring a pump and a spare tube.? Go through Cazadero and a quarter-mile later the road comes to a ?Y?.

Left is to Fort Ross. Go right. That?s King Ridge Road. Be alert. Be very alert.

?There?s no sign,? Nydam said.

And no sign of human existence, frankly.

?All of a sudden there are no cars,? he said.

But there are reminders.

?You?ll see a lot of broken glass on the pavement,? Nydam said. That?s from the narrow road, only a car?s width in some spots, that doesn?t allow a lot of maneuverability for cars popping a clutch around a corner.

King Ridge climbs, up to 3,000 feet in some places, said Nydam, with the feeling that the cyclists have left more than a city behind. ?Total wilderness everywhere,? he said. Mt. St. Helena can be seen in the distance and Highway 1 is 30 miles down the road.

King Ridge Road ends in a ?T.? That?s Hauser Bridge Road. Make a left.

That turns into Sea View, which now parallels Highway 1. The drops are extreme, the ascents taxing and, with the Pacific to the right, about a thousand feet below, it?s payoff time.

?The road rewards fitness,? said Nydam which is cycle-speak for pizza bellies to stay home. Sea View dumps the riders into Meyers Grade Road and then an 18-degree decline awaits at steaming speeds sure to evaporate the sweat from climbing. Meyer Grade ends at Highway 1 and, you would think, once the riders reach River Road at Jenner, it would be time to hang a left since flat land and recuperation beckons.

Nah. These are pros. They head south on Highway 1 to Coleman Valley Road, just north of Bodega Bay. They go east to climb Coleman Valley. For those who have never been on Coleman, try walking it first. It will take your breath away, for both the views and the effort expended. Go up Coleman and down Coleman to Bohemian Highway at Occidental. Retrace the route back to the Flamingo.

?Of course, you could just start at Cazadero Road,? Nydam said, ?if you didn?t want to do the whole loop.? Nydam frowned at the thought.

?That?s not pure,? he said. ?You need to take your last sip of coffee in your kitchen (in Santa Rosa) and then jump on your bike.?

So as long as you brought up his name, Scott, have you taken Levi out on the King Ridge ride?

?Let?s be clear about that,? Nydam said. ?I don?t take Levi out on a ride. He takes me on a ride.?

Nydam went on to talk about three other Sonoma County rides for very serious cyclists, the Skaggs Springs, the Terrible Two and the Grasshopper. Some cover 210 miles, some go over dirt, gravel and payment and some just wear you out.

I, of course, had to ask the question all pizza bellies must ask.

?Couldn?t you do all this on a treadmill??

Nydam looked at me like I had snakes coming out of my nose.

?It would kill your spirit,? he said. ?It would kill your mind.?

Yeah, but at least you wouldn?t have to worry about being eaten by a mountain lion.

For more on North Bay high school sports go to Bob Padecky's blog at padecky@pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Bob Padecky at 521-5490 or bob.padecky@pressdemocrat.com.