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Copperopolis

Copperopolis - (c) Ken Conley
Photo by Ken Conley

The roads of the Nor-Cal Paris Roubaix are known for taking their toll on riders and equipment. I would argue that Leesville Gap Road Race rivals Copperopolis in poor road quality because of a gravel section leading into the main climb. However, the descent from the second climb at Copperopolis can only be described as similar to holding onto the chrome bar in front of your seat on a 30-year-old wooden rollercoaster as you drop some 4 stories into the coasters twisting and turning track.
I love this race for just that.

And you don’t just get to experience it once but three to five times depending on your category. The last time around means that the finish is only a couple of miles away and by this time the adrenalin is rushing, the pack has surely separated and only you and perhaps a hand full of riders are on that same coaster heading for the final section of rollers. In any other circumstance thoughts of caution and self-preservation might get the best of you and force impulses in your brain to send signals to your hands to apply pressure to the brake levers.

Not this time. It’s all or nothing. Better to risk it and hold on for dear life as the potholes jar your vision than to sacrifice any of the speed gravity and your legs can muster. You catapult yourself through twists and turns envisioning the hills ahead. Which one to jump on? Who’s going to try and go first? In your mind you can already see the 1k sign, the 200m sign, the blue pop up tent on top of the hill where the ride comes to an end. But that is still a few minutes away. Right now you’re on the giant drop. You can hear the wheels vibrating the planks around you. It seems at any moment something could rattle loose and whole ride might come crashing down. You point yourself straight into the final long drop of road until it flattens out and little kid inside of you wants to take your hands off the chrome bar. You feel a moment of weightlessness. Your heart jumps into your throat and you smile with delight.

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