Northern California - weekend ride reports - where'd ya ride?

Benicia to Fairfield along hwy 680 on the frontage rd (Lopes). About 30 miles round trip with some rolling hills.
Nice ride, how windy was it?

I rode from home near Los Gatos/San Jose through Stevens Canyon out foothill to PageMill and up OLH then Skyline to HWY 9 and back home. 65 miles. Sunday a quick 1 hour recovery ride that my legs were really needing.

Nice ride, how windy was it?
You must know the route! It was pretty windy. At times, I was only doing 12 mph against the wind. Other spots I was leaning into the wind so I don't stray too far into the road.

had friday off so did my weekend ride early. 60 miles. starting from w.c. south to castro valley via danville/san ramon. up and down east on dublin canyon then back up north on redwood. up and down lower pinehurst then back to w.c. thru lamorinda.

first time going up redwood/pinehurst northbound. it ain't no joke.

[edit: speaking of danville, it'd been a couple years since i rode there last, when it was being re-paved, and it's a lot nicer nowadays.]

Rode from Folsom on the American River Bike Trail down to the site of the fire and back. It was a fun 50 miler.

Team ni Training ride - from the Lafayette-Moraga trailhead, along the trail to Canyon, follow to Pinehurst, ride up Pinehurst up and over to Skyline, then down Snake into Montclair. Ride over to Tunnel, back up to Skyline, then down Shepherd's Canyon, then back up Snake to Skyline. From there, south on Skyline to Redwood, then South to a summit above the San Leandro reservoir. Turn around and head back to Pinehurst - follow that back into Moraga and pick up the trail going back. 51 miles, 4,000 feet of climbing - nice ride.

JB

any contra costa county riders out there? where do you ride...

I went out for a 5.5 hour jaunt to the coast on Saturday. I followed the AV A ride route more or less. The ride itself was nice, but it was *freezing* out at the coast. This was the first time for me riding to the ocean, which was really a treat. I love the sea, and seeing it from my bike was really something else. The return trip up Tunitas Creek Road was really tough though. The middle third of that road is quite steep, and very badly maintained. I would have felt as though I was on one of the cobbled bergs in Flanders, if it weren't for the redwoods and banana slugs.

Sunday was a trip around the Portola Valley Loop, mostly an installation lap since I had changed out my bottom bracket and crankset and installed new brake pads on Sunday morning. With the Mulholland Challenge coming up in about 3 weeks, I'll want the low-low-low bailout gears as a just-in-case - and I never want to change my setup right before the event. Now all the guys at Copperopolis can laugh at me showing up with a triple. :D

any contra costa county riders out there? where do you ride...

Mostly the Diablo Valley - San Ramon, Danville, out to Livermore, Moraga/Lafeyette/Orinda, etc. Lots of nice 20 - 40 mile loops around here, just from my doorstep in San Ramon.

Mostly the Diablo Valley - San Ramon, Danville, out to Livermore, Moraga/Lafeyette/Orinda, etc. Lots of nice 20 - 40 mile loops around here, just from my doorstep in San Ramon.

I'm in San Ramon also. I'm in the team in training program for the Death Ride, so lots of climbing coming in the next few months. A good source for ride ideas is the Valley Spokesmen club website (www.valleyspokesmen.org) - they have a few routes posted.

One of my favorites is to ride down San Ramon Valley to Sunol (the street name changes a few times along the way), then pick up Calaveras and follow that up to the reservoir and over into Milpitas. Then we come back through Fremont and Niles Canyon. You can then either ride back up San Ramon Valley (it's called Foothill in Sunol) or if you feel like some more climbing you can take Palomares up and over into Castro Valley and then Crow Canyon or Norris Canyon back into San Ramon.

Today was a windy loop through Livermore (and a bit wet at the end too - the rain caught me just as I got back into San Ramon).

JB

I usually go north or east - I'm not a big fan of crossing over the 580/680 interchange on a bike, it's very busy.

I've ridden with the Valley Spokesmen, and used them extensively to learn new routes close to home. In fact, I'll be SAG'ing on The Cinderella this weekend (SAG #8), while my wife and daughter ride.

I've been through Sunol, up to Calaveras Reservoir, into Niles and over Palomares a few times, but still prefer going north to going south.

Saturday was up Kings Mountain from Los Altos via Portola Valley (the tail end of our group getting caught by the Spectrum Ride on the Arastradero bumps made for an interesting sight with around 100 riders between the two groups) , north on Skyline, descend 92E, hang a right a right on Canada, Whiskey Hill, obligatory sprint on Sand Hill, and back to Peet's. (60 miles)

Sunday I did the AV A-Ride for the first time in about 11 months or so. I was not among the leaders (no shi!t!) and managed to exhale the denture, about 1/2 way up Old La Honda, I acquired after my bike-pickup truck altercation last April. Three guys helped rummage around to find the dental bridge for 5-10 minutes. (Thanks, Don A.!) When I got to Skylonda, the pack was headed out. Ed & I waited for the the other two (Don & Greg). Greg bailed, so Ed, Don, and I continued along the route. With 3 chasing 20+ we were resolved to the idea that we would never catch back on. Ed & I climbed together with Don holding up the rear. Ed & I regrouped at the Old Woodside Store and waited for Don who went blasting by. I jumped on my bike, put my head down, and managed to get within shouting distance of Don at Robert's Market in Woodside and got him to wait for Ed. We rode together back to Peet's and ended up only 10-15 minutes behind the "real" ride. (72 miles)

Rode with my wife, daughter and friend by Mariners Point. I'm trying to condition them for longer rides and the I Care Classic in May. :)

Saturday morning six of us left Alameda headed for Mt. Diablo. We took Snake Rd. over the Oakland hills, down Pinehurst and Canyon through Moraga. Ascended the south side of the mountain. The weather couldn't have been better on the mountain. This was my first climb up the devil mountain and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was feeling strong so I thought I'd attempt to stay in my middle chain ring as long as I could. I made it up the whole mountain in my 39x27 that is until I got to the last 100 yards up to the parking lot and couldn't cut it had to drop down and visit granny (30t). Boy that last part is steep. ride stats: Mileage: 85, Alt gain: 7500, time: about 6:45. A good ride.

jw

On Saturday I did two-thirds of the Davis 300K brevet. Started in Davis, headed west to Winters, over Cardiac Hill to Moscowite Corner, on to Pope Valley, then out to Middletown up Cobb Mtn, and back again. Once I got close to the return checkpoint in Pope Valley, I just couldn't fathom being on my bike another 5-6 hours (yep I'm slow), so I stopped there. Slacker
I got in about 123 miles and 6000 ft of climbing, at any rate.

I made it up the whole mountain in my 39x27 that is until I got to the last 100 yards up to the parking lot and couldn't cut it had to drop down and visit granny (30t). Boy that last part is steep. Oh, yeah. And before it was repaved a few months ago it was even worse; steep and gravelly with lots of cracks & ruts in the pavement.

Any BF riders this weekend in Wine Country?

Drove out to Angels Camp (2 hr drive), parked, and prepared for a great ride on a beautiful day. Left my leg and arm warmers in the car, since it appeared so nice; but... after 0.2 miles into the ride, I realized that it really was quite chilly - returned and obtained the warmer gear. Rode up Murphys Grade to Murphys, left on Sheep Ranch Road. Missed a turn, wound up going 7 miles too far (to Avery), which turned out to be 14 miles out of my way, round trip. Rode through the small hamlet of Sheepranch (population 32), then to Mountain House. Right on Mountain House Road, stopped at the convenience store to replenish, then on to Jesus Maria Road. Little did I know that that after the long descent there would be another climb, but I percevered, and pedaled on to Mokelumne Hill. Left on 49, and back to Angels Camp. I don't recommend 49 between San Andreas and Angels Camp, as there is no shoulder, and too many cars whipping by at 60+. I did take Gold Strike Road from shortly after Moke Hill to San Andreas, but then 49 was the shortest route back for my worn out body.

Total trip stats: 70 miles, 9,321 feet of climbing. Poor road conditions on Sheepranch Road and Jesus Maria Road.

Check it out on Motion Based: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2352475

The really bad part was that I was so tired, I had difficulty staying awake on Highway 4 between Angels Camp and Stockton! I made it back home to American Canyon without incident, though...

I eschewed the club ride so I could ad lib. Took on Cantelow about 8:30, dropped into Pleasants Valley and rode hard & fast into Winters. Cut through the orchards & farms on the east side of 505, caught Allendale to Timm to Peaceful Glen back to Cantelow. I accumulated 38+ miles in just over 2 hrs. (That's 105 miles for the week; can I call it a century? Heh.)

Tomorrow? For certain we're riding...where remains to be seen.

jwill911: your ride (alameda to mt. diablo) is a big reason i like being in the East Bay.

... Saturday I went riding with the AIDS LifeCycle East Bay Cat 2 group. (Don't have to be registered w/ ALC to ride.) 3 Bears then a loop thru Danville/Alamo via Lafayette and Rossmoor. 65 miles. A good mix of riders. You can take it easy or grab a faster wheel and just go.

Did the Saturday River Ride. Tried to spend a fair amount of time up front to do my share of the work. A big group and not much of a wind so the whole group stayed together.

Rockpile road north of Healdsburg in California.

3/31 Wife and I rode our road bikes with neighbors from San Mateo Park to Portola Valley and back – a 36 miles. 4/1 rode our tandem Canada /92 to Los Altos Hills, and back 42 miles.

I did a Winters Loop from Fairfield. Cantelow seemed not so bad in the mild temps. I'm sure I'm fooling myself on that one. 44 miles round trip. Red Rider, was that you and your captain I saw on Pleasant's Valley Road about 10AM?

I did a very hilly 80 miles from Folsom: Green Valley, Deer Valley, Jurgens/Luneman (this road is great but at the bottom of the canyon you have to take your shoes off and carry bike + shoes across a 8" deep ford -- too rocky to ride across), Lotus, Prospector, up to Georgetown, 193 to Cool, then Salmon Falls back to Folsom. I feel a little ill right now...

No, that wasn't us...we were going toward Winters on PV maybe 15-20 min. earlier, on our half-bikes. We don't know who that tandem was.

My girlfriend is recovering from tendonitis; my hubby was overseas the past two weeks, so for them my recovery ride was a good workout. It was a beautiful day for a ride.

My sister and I did the Geysers. We started in Healdsburg, went up to Cloverdale to Geysers road, and back to Healdsburg. Pretty hard climb, but the descent was insane as always. Hardly any traffic on Sunday morning. Awesome ride.

On Friday, a friend and I did a century ride up to Mt. Hamilton. Started from Milpitas, up Calaveras, Felter Rd., over to Pleasanton and Livermore. Then rode 25 miles along Mines Rd to the base of Mt. Hamilton and climbed it at mile 75 (ugh). 103 miles and 8000 ft total.

It was my first time on Mines and Mt. Hamilton. That's some of the prettiest roads in the Bay Area! Highly recommend routes.

Anybody else do any errands on the bike? I made a couple of hardware store runs yesterday. It's always better on the bike.

Anybody else do any errands on the bike? I made a couple of hardware store runs yesterday. It's always better on the bike.

I just purchased an old Specialized Crossroads strictly for errands. Threw on a rack and had some panniers already. Now I am looking for reasons to go to the store. :)

On Sunday, I rode out to the American River bike trail for the first time in quite a while. It was a really nice ride up until the closed portion. Didn't want to turn around yet, so I went over the levee, through the mud, and continued on Exposition Blvd. Exposition is no bike trail, that's for sure. Ugh. Got tired of it and turned around at Ethan. Got the honk & buzz treatment by some ****** in a white Suburban on the way up the overpass before the onramp (hey, no bike lane or shoulder! Swell!). Made it back onto the trail, and suddenly, the ride became pleasant again.

All in all, it was a nice ride on a nice day. Can't wait for the trail to reopen. I wanted to keep going.

mostly rode around the Auburn and Newcastle area finishing up with a fun ride up Ridge Rd last night.

It occurred to me that there's a "backdoor" to the CalExpo parking lot that has very little traffic and would be a lot better than putting people on Exposition. Who do you think would be a good place to call and complain/suggest a better route?

did a 60-miler across the Dumbarton, up into Hayward and then back down along 237 on Sunday. Crappiest 60 miles I think I've ever done between the constant wind and the blech-tastic scenery of Hayward/Union City/Fremont.

did a 60-miler across the Dumbarton, up into Hayward and then back down along 237 on Sunday. Crappiest 60 miles I think I've ever done between the constant wind and the blech-tastic scenery of Hayward/Union City/Fremont.
Agree with your description of the scenery :) . Why didn't you head West and ride to the coast or something?

It occurred to me that there's a "backdoor" to the CalExpo parking lot that has very little traffic and would be a lot better than putting people on Exposition. Who do you think would be a good place to call and complain/suggest a better route?you're talking government officials now...:eek: good luck!

It occurred to me that there's a "backdoor" to the CalExpo parking lot that has very little traffic and would be a lot better than putting people on Exposition. Who do you think would be a good place to call and complain/suggest a better route?

Hmm, I noticed all of the Cal Expo lots were closed off, but it didn't occur to me to sneak between the barriers.

A quick Google search didn't come up with much other than the American River Parkway Foundation (http://www.arpf.org/). They might be able to tell you who to talk to about the detour.

Or you could call UP and tell them to hurry the hell up. :p

Agree with your description of the scenery :) . Why didn't you head West and ride to the coast or something?

meh, I was secondarily going over to that neck of the woods to visit someone. I won't likely do that again tho.

Here's my ride...

http://a5.vox.com/6a00c2251e57f0549d00d414269425685e-pi

Posted more about it on my blog (link in sig)

Did we see any of you AV B-riders at the liquor store across from Alice's? My friend had the Cervelo P3 that everyone was ahhing over.

Hmm, I noticed all of the Cal Expo lots were closed off, but it didn't occur to me to sneak between the barriers.

A quick Google search didn't come up with much other than the American River Parkway Foundation (http://www.arpf.org/). They might be able to tell you who to talk to about the detour.

Or you could call UP and tell them to hurry the hell up. :p

I think I might send an email to SABA and see if that gets any action.

Saturday 42 mile tandem ride from Canada and 92 to Los Altos Hills. New personal best on speed averaging 19.1 mph:D . Easter Sunday rode our road bikes with Bike Forums group from Sarratoga up Highway 9 to the top of Skyline back via Page Mill - 35 miles.

Saturday: 58-mile hammerfest on my club's B ride which is not supposed to be a race but felt eerily like one. We climbed Kings Mountain Rd, then proceeded southward along Skyline Blvd., West on Hwy 84, then another short climb up Old La Honda West. Dropped down the east side of 84 and back to the start in Los Altos. Very high-energy ride right from the start. I suffered on the climbs but had a lot of fun chasing and getting chased along the rollers on Skyline.

Sunday: did part of the BF group ride mentioned above by Hermes. 29 miles rt from my house in West SJ.

Saturday morning: 42 miles from my house in Sacramento to my folks' house in Wheatland. Most of it was along lightly traveled levee roads and I saw many, many birds: common and redwinged blackbirds, coots, grouses, quail, ducks, egrets, blue herons, black and redtailed hawks, sparrows, kites. Just beautiful. And because I had a steady tailwind all the way, I made the trip in less than 2 hours, for a very easy 21mph average. Just wonderful.

Saturday afternoon: Once around the park with my three year old son. At one point when we were "racing" he hit 7mph according to my computer. On 12 inch wheels! (What's that work out to on a 700c wheel?) Great fun.

Saturday: Party Pardee metric century starting in Ione, in the foothills of Amador County. A very well-organized and well-supported ride. 65 miles, about 3200 ft of climbing, a lovely, fun, roller-y route.

Sunday: my East Bay loop. Starting from home in Union City, I rode along the Alameda Creek Trail to the eastern end at Niles, then onto Niles Canyon Blvd, up Palomares, west on Castro Valley Blvd., up Redwood Road, Pinehurst, and Canyon Rds., took Moraga Blvd. to Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette, Pleasant Hill Bldv to Olympic Blvd. to Walnut Creek, S. Main to Danville Blvd, thru Danville to San Ramon Blvd then onto Foothill into Sunol. My husband picked me up in Sunol. :o 72 miles, about 3600 ft.


did a 60-miler across the Dumbarton, up into Hayward and then back down along 237 on Sunday. Crappiest 60 miles I think I've ever done between the constant wind and the blech-tastic scenery of Hayward/Union City/Fremont.
Hey Platypus, while I agree there are some blech-tastic areas to behold over here :p, have you gone up Palomares or Redwood/Pinehurst/Canyon Roads, or Calaveras Road? It's really lovely up on those roads, especially right now.

Since I was on-call the whole weekend, I wasn't able to enjoy the glorious weather. However, I did sneak out at 6 PM. Figuring I had about 1-1/2 to 2 hours to ride, I did a loop from Santa Clara to Mt. Eden and back.

Didn't have enough time to do Montebello.

Since it was Easter Sunday, I couldn't get away until late in the afternoon. So, I went for a short 30 miler from Benicia to Fairfield again via Lopes Rd. Someday I'll venture out towards Vacaville and Winters to ride around Lake Berryessa.

By the way, it was so windy on my ride that with a tailwind, I was doing 26 mph on the flats!

All the way up Montebello Road, past the gate, to the transmission towers, then down on Pagemill to Black Mountain and home. Sunday was truly a beautiful day for riding.

Rode the Baylands on Saturday with the family on the Steven's Creek Trail from Landels school to the boathouse and back. Fortunately, the wind was blowing most of the Redwood City auto parts fire away from us. Mmmm, I love the smell of burning brakes on a Saturday afternoon - I thought our new dryer was malfunctioning.

Saturday, we hauled out the tandem and did the Davis 12 Hour Challenge. No other tandems showed up, so we could have won the tandem division by just riding around the block, but instead we (stupidly?) fought the hills and winds for the full 12 hours and finished with 213 miles. The addition of Cobb Mtn. and the hard head winds made our double century time almost half an hour slower than our Davis Double time. The final run south to Winters was particularly painful!

Sunday, we ate two breakfasts each at Cafe Bernardo.

I thought Davis was supposed to be the tandem captitol of the universe. Where was everybody? Or are you all just too smart to do something like that on a windy day?

Saturday, we hauled out the tandem and did the Davis 12 Hour Challenge. No other tandems showed up, so we could have won the tandem division by just riding around the block, but instead we (stupidly?) fought the hills and winds for the full 12 hours and finished with 213 miles. The addition of Cobb Mtn. and the hard head winds made our double century time almost half an hour slower than our Davis Double time. The final run south to Winters was particularly painful!

Sunday, we ate two breakfasts each at Cafe Bernardo.

I thought Davis was supposed to be the tandem captitol of the universe. Where was everybody? Or are you all just too smart to do something like that on a windy day?

Congrats on the ride and performance.:)

Ended up not riding on Sunday. Saturday was too painful to re-live.