Chico Wildflower Century Eve

We left Nevada today and headed to Chico, California for tomorrow's ride, the Chico Wildflower Century. We made it over Donner Pass before noon, just as it started to rain. It may be snowing up there now, so we're glad to have made it! I forgot the chains for the car.

It's been raining non stop since we arrived in Chico. It didn't slow us down though. We went to the pre-registration for the ride and got all checked in. Kristy found the Wildflower Jersey she wanted, and we got the standard issue goodies as well. The course map is beautifully printed on a bandanna, and the water bottles are printed with the Wildflower emblem on one side, and the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. emblem on the other.

After checking into our hotel and unloading our soggy bikes, we headed for the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Their Pale Ale has always been a favorite of mine, and I was excited to check the place out. We took a small self guided tour, and spent plenty of money in the gift shop (pint glasses, cycling jerseys, t-shirts, a banner...nothing too extravagant!). The smell of fresh hops in the brewery was heaven! We ended our visit with a wonderful dinner in the tap room. I tried the Scotch Ale and Brown Ale. Kristy had the Draft Style Pale Ale (a slight variation from their most famous beer, and also our favorite of the night), and a Blonde Ale. Kristy had a Mediterranean Pizza, and I had veggie fajitas. Both were excellent, but we realized too late that we should've shared a meal.

It's still raining right now, and is expected to throughout the night. They want us to start the ride between 06:00 and 08:00 tomorrow. This is when the heaviest rain is supposed to be, but it is supposed to fizzle out by noon. Thankfully we got some new rain gear. Wish us luck!

We'll be posting pictures HERE throughout the weekend.