Velodiva and I decided to ride to the coast this weekend over Skyline Ridge on our tandem. It is one of the epic rides on the Peninsula and is highly recommend for cyclists that visit the San Francisco Bay area. It features two major climbs that wind through the redwoods and a minor climb as you approach the coast. After the first climb we were treated to a long curvy descent through the trees that flattens out on rolling hills with headwinds off the Pacific Ocean. It was a perfect fall day in the San Francisco Bay area, sunny with the highs around 70 degrees, although it gets chilly riding through the shady redwoods.
Here are the summary metrics from Motion Based : 46.5 miles, 7800 feet of climbing, average speed 13.1 mph and the max speed 40 mph (not 61 mph).
Below is the elevation profile of the ride. The first climb is Old La Honda which is the benchmark climb of the area. The second smaller climb is right before we reached Pacific Coast Highway. The third and final climb back up to Skyline is Tunitas Creek. It is tough and comes at the end of the ride. The climb is beautiful with very little traffic but the road is rough in spots. The Tunitas Creek climb takes about an hour.
Here we are getting ready at the car. We started about 4 miles from the first climb to warm up.
Here is Skyline in the backdrop; the Pacific Ocean lies beyond the ridge.
Below is the first stop after climbing Old La Honda. This area is populated by LOTS of motorcyclists.
Our underpowered hardware among the beasts.
Here is the area after the descent.
Here is a landmark stop, San Gregorio General Store, right before we began the climb up Stage Road to the ocean.
