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

lessee, Saturday I got chewed up and spit out at the Copperopolis road race (42 miles, 5k climbing, took me about 3 hours). Sunday I went on the very fun group ride from this forum (3 hours, probably 3k of climbing).

Today I can hardly walk. :D

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?

The family and I were out there on Saturday! OK, we weren't in the 12 Hr Challenge thingee, but we were out there on our Michael Johnson tandem. We got smoked by a bunch of guys on the Challenge headed out of Winters (eastbound w/ the tailwind), but, yeah, the run into Winters on Putah Creek Road was a real slog. Brought back great memories since the SO and I are both alums, and the whole family got to put a few more miles on their bikes.

Sunday I went on the NorCal BF ride mentioned in another thread. Fantastic ride and one that I hope becomes a regular group ride because as a complete package it's really got a little bit of something for everyone, and the people that were on the ride was just icing on the cake.

I did a climbing and descending clinic (Level 1) with the Sterling Sports Group. It was really cool... but not as easy as one would think for a Level 1 class. Doh! We rode up Stevens Canyon, Mt. Eden and one other quick hill with an 18% grade... forgot the name. The final hill was to be Montebello but both my thighs rebelled against me and decided to cramp up so I didn't make it up Montebello. :(

It was cool that riders form the Los Gatos Bike Racer club were there. But it was a little intimidating at first since I'm just a shmuck not used to hills. As were everyone elses bikes. I think 4 of us out of about 11-12 had non-CF bikes. And out of the 4 one was a Ti bike and the other a sweet Cervelo... But I tried my best to keep up.

All in all it was a really good class. Thanks to Matt for being a fun teacher. Lisa of the LGBRC for your kind words and the other lady, who's name I forgot, (kick my head!) that helped me when I cramped up! She had a beautiful Look 585 bike with Campy Record components.

I learned a great deal! I recommend this class to anyone, no matter what your experience.

Gary

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.
^^^^ What 'nother said, 'ceptin I did all of the Sunday ride, too! :)

We rode up Stevens Canyon, Mt. Eden and one other quick hill with an 18% grade... forgot the name.

Was it Redwood Gulch?




All in all it was a really good class. Thanks to Matt for being a fun teacher. Lisa of the LGBRC for your kind words and the other lady, who's name I forgot, (kick my head!) that helped me when I cramped up! She had a beautiful Look 585 bike with Campy Record components.

I learned a great deal! I recommend this class to anyone, no matter what your experience.

Gary

Which class was that?

Sunday ride- Fremont Freewheelers Getting to Know Us ride. Almost 30 miles.

She had a beautiful Look 585 bike with Campy Record components.
Umm, maybe you coulda left it a "She had a beautiful look." :)

Rode the tandem from San Mateo Park to Peet's in Los Altos - 54 miles. It was cloudy and cool but no rain. We did not see any other tandems which is unusual. Depending on tomorrow's weather, we hope to get out again.

Today, I did a local club ride. Started from home in Santa Clara, and met up with the gang at Gunn HS in Palo Alto. Adds an extra 10 miles each direction to the actual ride. Basically the ride went through the hills of Los Altos, to Woodside, then ending up in Redwood City, before turning back home (finish it before the rains come).

First bump was up Mora ... so far, so good. Then, climbed some normal hills around Los Altos, eventually ending up in Woodside. We were on our way to the Woodside General Store (the historic landmark), but on the way, made a left on Summit Springs Road. That was insane ... true, it was not long, but I think my computer was registering 20% grade for a good portion of it. Ok, that's the 2nd bump. Then, we went north of Canada, battling headwinds, climbing Edgewood, then making a left to climb Crestview (in Redwood City). That was the third bump. Not sure of the grade, but think that was 16%.

Why do I torture myself like this?

Stats:
Distance: 67.93 miles
Total Climbing: 4392 feet
Avg Speed: 13.4 mph
Max Speed: 38.8 mph

Raining here so I did a spin class.

CGallag & I rode a reverse Winters Loop on the tandem, just staying loose for tomorrow's century. It was cloudy & cool; the rain held off until about 2. Hope this front blows through so tomorrow's ride will be dry.

Ooops -- this is Red Rider hacking cgallag's laptop...busted!

On the Garden Highway today. It was a bit breezy, shall we say?

Started in Los Altos yesterday, did two of the more famous climbs in the area - Old La Honda and Tunitas Creek, with some rollers in between. 75 miles, 7,500 feet of climbing. It really wasn't windy in South Bay yesterday, especially compared to what's been blowing recently. Humid, though - sweaty on the climbs, cold on the descents.

I especially appreciated the name of a street part way up Old la Honda - it was called "Up-e-nuff".

JB

rode (more or less) the spectrum route yesterday, although at a much lower speed. Went from my house down Foothill, up Alpine, Portola, through Woodside and out Canada to 92. Turned around from there and came back home. Now I'm pondering where I feel like riding today. :)

Weathermen...:rolleyes: Who would have thought today was going to be great based upon the forecast? We wanted to ride road bikes but opted for the tandem, (fenders on) and the back bag stuffed with rain gear. Went for a fast tandem ride training on aerobars from Canada/92, Whiskey Hill, Sand Hill, Alpine, Portola, Mountain Home loop - 30 miles. It was a beautiful day, sunny with the temperature in the low 60s. It was a little windy on the way back but no big deal and not a drop of rain. Not many cyclists out...saw one other tandem.

Raced Master 55+ 4/5's at Wente on Saturday. Came in 6th and got the last bottle of wine & T-shirt. My teammate, Larry, won and graciously gave me his bottle of wine, too! Today, I went out with my younger daughter on our singles. Rode up from Cupertino and did the Portola Loop. Stopped at Peet's in Los Altos on the way home and met Jill McLaughlin of Touchstone Cycling, who was on the A/V A-Ride today. I congratulated her on an impressive win in the Wente Women's Pro/1/2 road race yesterday, charging across the line at high velocity and not another of her competitors in sight.

- SteveE

Tandem ride w/ one of my boys on the tandem and the other on a single along with a friend and his son on another tandem yesterday. Flat, uneventful, blah...
Today, did a loop from the house incorporating the (in)famous Bohlman/On Orbit climb in Saratoga. Got bit by a dog on Bohlman. Hopefully the dog wasn't licking his a$$ before he bit me...:rolleyes:
Other than that it was a good ride, though.

Did the Primavera Century. Despite the gloomy forecast of a rainy sunday, it turn out to be an absolutely beautiful day. I still brought raingear with me, but didn't need it after all. At least I got in my April century.

We rode the tandem north from Carmel and played around on some hills in the Santa Cruz Mtns. before heading home. It was mostly sunny (although with a few sprinkles of rain) and, as it always seems to be these days, incredibly windy. Total distance: 105 miles.

Heh, I dragged my girlfriend out on our bikes after a long day in downtown SF on Sunday. We must have road like 5 miles.. sigh (she was tired).

Anyway, we road a quick loop around Alameda de las Pulgas in San Mateo (near my house).


I am still setting up the fit on her bike (bar angle), so her excuse is acceptable ;) ... since there was no bar tape, and she didn't have her gloves.

I ride more during the week commuting, than I do on the weekends. I'd like to get some more riding in on the weekend.

We should do a BF group ride, like I have heard about in the past.

Raced Master 55+ 4/5's at Wente on Saturday. Came in 6th and got the last bottle of wine & T-shirt. My teammate, Larry, won and graciously gave me his bottle of wine, too! Today, I went out with my younger daughter on our singles. Rode up from Cupertino and did the Portola Loop. Stopped at Peet's in Los Altos on the way home and met Jill McLaughlin of Touchstone Cycling, who was on the A/V A-Ride today. I congratulated her on an impressive win in the Wente Women's Pro/1/2 road race yesterday, charging across the line at high velocity and not another of her competitors in sight.

- SteveE
Congrats Steve ... I'm in awe of you guys ... I'm too chicken to race, and plus, there's this little thing called physical ability!

Today, I did a local club ride. Started from home in Santa Clara, and met up with the gang at Gunn HS in Palo Alto. Adds an extra 10 miles each direction to the actual ride. Basically the ride went through the hills of Los Altos, to Woodside, then ending up in Redwood City, before turning back home (finish it before the rains come).

First bump was up Mora ... so far, so good. Then, climbed some normal hills around Los Altos, eventually ending up in Woodside. We were on our way to the Woodside General Store (the historic landmark), but on the way, made a left on Summit Springs Road. That was insane ... true, it was not long, but I think my computer was registering 20% grade for a good portion of it. Ok, that's the 2nd bump. Then, we went north of Canada, battling headwinds, climbing Edgewood, then making a left to climb Crestview (in Redwood City). That was the third bump. Not sure of the grade, but think that was 16%.

Why do I torture myself like this?

Stats:
Distance: 67.93 miles
Total Climbing: 4392 feet
Avg Speed: 13.4 mph
Max Speed: 38.8 mph

i thought you might be spingineer. i was the one who followed you, cheryl, steve, and adrian home after the crestview climb.

i thought you might be spingineer. i was the one who followed you, cheryl, steve, and adrian home after the crestview climb.
Yup, that would be me. I split my time between the NorCal forum and the SoCal forum.

Rode the tandem from Canada 92 to Peet's in Los Altos. It was a beautiful day and nice temperature. It was great not to wear anything but shorts and a jersey. We rode 40 miles and averaged 20 mph for the ride- time trial no drafting:D . It was one of those days when everything clicked and the cyling gods smiled upon us.:)

Mt. Hamilton Challenge. Rode with SteveE, HillMut and several other club/teammates. Fun, but tough day, with temps a lot warmer than we've had recently really played havoc with the electrolyte and fluid intake plans.

I took a long-cut commute home from Palo Alto to Campbell last night - Arastradero to Foothill Expy south until it became Foothill Blvd then Stevens Canyon Blvd - Instead of turning down McClellan I continued up Stevens Canyon to Mt Eden Road. Lovely climb up Mt Eden and a very fast and fun descent down Pierce took me to Saratoga/Sunnyvale, underconstruction, so I took Cox to Quito to Pollard, popped out by the LG creek trail and moseyed home on the bike path.
The 27 miles was 8 more than my regular commute and lots hillier. Good fun, hope I can get out early next Friday too!

Mt. Hamilton Challenge. Rode with SteveE, HillMutt and several other club/teammates. Fun, but tough day, with temps a lot warmer than we've had recently really played havoc with the electrolyte and fluid intake plans.Mt. Hamilton Challenge was tough this year (and fun up to until around 100 miles) due to the heat. I want to give a big "Thank you!" to 'nother for staying with me on the seemingly interminable stretch on Calaveras Rd. where I was reduced to barely a crawl due to cramps.

I appreciated the company, bro!

^^^ Hey, no problem Steve! Been there, and "been done by that"...riding solo sucks when you're hurting! Hope you are recovering sufficiently today...

I'm getting over a nasty head cold so I took it easy yesterday. I rode from my home near the bay in Union City, along the AC Trail and then Niles Canyon out to Sunol. I was still feeling OK so I went up Calaveras, but only to the false summit, where I turned around and headed back to Sunol. I treated myseld to a Haagen-Dazs bar at the little store in Sunol, and hung out for a bit on the porch and watched the world go by. Nice.

Yeeks, it was hot though, I was thinking of the folks on the Devil Mtn. Double & the Mount Hamilton Challenge. Mines Road must have been a gawdawful convection oven, especially considering that it was our first really warm weekend so people haven't had a chance to acclimate to the heat.

'nother and Steve E, when I was heading back to Sunol around 2:30-ish, I passed a group of riders on Paloma Rd (the road just outside of Sunol and before 680) heading towards Calaveras - were you in that group? I was riding solo wearing a purple sleeveless jersey (and probably a bright red face on account of the heat, gah :p)

I hope to do the Mt. Hamilton Challenge next year.

i thought you might be spingineer. i was the one who followed you, cheryl, steve, and adrian home after the crestview climb.

You guys should have gone on to lunch. We beat the rain back even with lunch, though only barely. I treated myself to a cranberry muffin at the lunch place on Ralston, figured I deserved it after Summit Springs and Crestview...

'nother and Steve E, when I was heading back to Sunol around 2:30-ish, I passed a group of riders on Paloma Rd (the road just outside of Sunol and before 680) heading towards Calaveras - were you in that group? I was riding solo wearing a purple sleeveless jersey (and probably a bright red face on account of the heat, gah :p)

Don't recall your jersey. Actually we were moving along pretty well through that section; it was Calaveras that got troublesome. We were a group of 4: 3 of us wearing Webcor/Alto Velo jerseys, one plain white.

^^^ Hey, no problem Steve! Been there, and "been done by that"...riding solo sucks when you're hurting! Hope you are recovering sufficiently today...Much better today, thanks. I had leg cramps the rest of the day. My calves are a little sore so no riding today.

Mt. Hamilton Challenge was tough this year (and fun up to until around 100 miles) due to the heat. I want to give a big "Thank you!" to 'nother for staying with me on the seemingly interminable stretch on Calaveras Rd. where I was reduced to barely a crawl due to cramps.

I appreciated the company, bro!

Its pretty clear that we need an AV support vehicle and domestiques to shuttle water and energy packets to the lead guys.:D Congrats SteveE and 'nother.

Had to work yesterday so no riding. :(

More than made up for it today. My girlfriend, recovering from ITB, planned on a Gordon Valley loop. We ended turning around at Mankas Corner. We then rode back to V-ville and out Pleasant's Valley Rd. to Putah Creek rode. Turned around & went back to town. By the time I got home I racked up over 57 miles and thoroughly enjoyed the entire ride.

Sierraville north on 49 to Chilcoot, up to Frenchman Lake (600 foot climb) and back. 70 miles. Weather was nice, until the wind picked up in the afternoon.

Climbed Old La Honda and descended Hwy 84 today. 34 miles of riding. Realized that counter-steering takes a lot of effort during the descend. Will continue to train myself until I feel comfortable joining the AV B-ride again! :-)

Don't recall your jersey. Actually we were moving along pretty well through that section; it was Calaveras that got troublesome. We were a group of 4: 3 of us wearing Webcor/Alto Velo jerseys, one plain white.

LOL, sorry, I meant to say I passed by you going in the opposite direction! :o

Could have been you, but I see so many AV jerseys out on my rides (whizzing by me)

A friend was working a couple of the rest stops on the DMD yesterday. She said there were a lot of DNFs on account of the heat, and one poor guy had to be helicoptered out from the Junction on account of severe heat-related problems. She doesn't know if he was on the DMD or the Mt. Hamilton Challenge.

Spent the weekend in SoCal, and did the Tour de Santa Barbara II ... in summary ... it was HOT! Lotsa pics in the SoCal forum.

yep I saw a shot of you taken by merider

Saturday I took a nice flat ride in Fremont out to Coyote Hills via a regional bike and ped trail. It eventually took me out along the bay north of Fremont. Beautiful ride, glad I brought the sunglasses for bug protection. I did about a 12-13 mile loop. I took my wife on the same trail to show her on Sunday. Had a great time!!
Saw all kinds of colorful birds, ducks and geese, little muskrat swimming, and what apeared to be a carp? not sure if the water is fresh or brackish. Where I saw the fish it was pretty far up the stream so it probably was fresh water at that point. Nice easy ride though. Great start to find my limits and build my confidence.

briank, I ride that trail (the Alameda Creek Trail) out to the bay & Coyote Hills and to the other end at Niles Canyon very often. Since I live near the bay end, it's my starting point for many of my rides.

Someday when you're up to it, and comfortable riding along a moderately busy road, I could take you out to Sunol along Niles Canyon Road. It's a really nice destination, only about 6 flat miles or so from the eastern (Niles) end of the AC Trail. After that, perhaps you'll be ready to try Calaveras or Palomares - lovely (albeit hilly) roads.

Another not very strenous ride is to go to near the eastern end of the AC trail, but then get onto Mission Blvd heading south. It's a shallow, gradual uphill along Mission Blvd up to the Mission San Jose area. Hang a right at Washington Blvd just past the Mission, and 3 or so buildings down you'll see Mission Coffee. It's nice to hang out on the porch there and have a snack. Plus, the return is a nice long gradual downhill :) Mission Blvd is a busy street but it has very wide shoulders, for the most part.

Friday the wife and I played hooky and went for a bike ride. We got the kid off to school, and took off mid-morning. It was such a nice day that we decided to try for a decent 30-40 mile loop. Taking a familiar route up towards Diablo we felt pretty good, so when we got to the park entrance we decided to go on up... what the hell.

The South Gate approach to Diablo is a southern exposure, in full sun. We started up at about 10:30am, and soon discovered the temperature was rising past expectations. We got a good workout and went through a lot of water, but we had plenty and so had a good time. We came down the North Gate road into Walnut Creek, lunched at the Walnut Creek Whole Earth Market, and looped back to San Ramon and home via San Ramon Valley Blvd.

All told - 40 miles, 3,100 or so feet of climbing, and a little over 3 hours in the saddle. It was a nice day.

Some pics:

The Spousal Unit feeling frisky, dropping me early on in the ride:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20042707/Lynnette_1.jpg

Chasing the rabbit:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20042707/Lynnette_2.jpg

A broken fence, at the beginning of the climb:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20042707/brokenfence.jpg

Looking down the first couple of miles on South Gate Road:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20042707/lookingdownpanorama.jpg

Looking up, from the same location - a little over a mile to go to the 1st ranger station:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20042707/lookingup.jpg

Looking towards home (trees under the last ridge, far left):
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20042707/towardshome.jpg

A field of poppies in bloom, midway down North Gate Road:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20042707/poppies.jpg

North Gate Road, descending:
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t267/jd6572/Diablo%20042707/goingdown.jpg

jobob-



Someday when you're up to it, and comfortable riding along a moderately busy road, I could take you out to Sunol along Niles Canyon Road. It's a really nice destination, only about 6 flat miles or so from the eastern (Niles) end of the AC Trail. After that, perhaps you'll be ready to try Calaveras or Palomares - lovely (albeit hilly) roads.



I would love that very much! Thanks for the invitation.

sadly, I didn't get to ride at all this weekend. I was dealing with car junk, but now that's all done.

As seen in the other thread, I rode solo this Saturday. Although, there were a ton of riders out do to the warm, clear, low-wind weather.

My starting point was my home in San Mateo on 24th Ave (halfway between El Camino and Alameda de las Pulgas)

I rode Alameda to Crystal Springs, climbed Crystal Springs, L on to 35 near the reservoir, L on 92 to Canada, Canada to Woodside, Mountain Home to Portola, Climbed Old La Honda, Got to 35, turned around and decended OLH, went home the same way.

I met a few cool riders along the way.

On my way home on Canada, I rode with a guy from PenVelo who was very cool. We were chatting it up at around 23mph into the wind :)

Then I met a clan of riders that were going down Crystal Springs and rode with them towards my house.

Total Ride was 41 miles, average speed was 16.5 mph.

This was my first time clibing Old La Honda. I had to stop a couple of times on the climb (once for my back, and once because I need to increase my climbing endurance ;) ) I was averaging around 8-10 mph on the climb.

It was pretty hot out there, aournd 80 degrees.

uspspro-

That area in woodside is my old stomping grounds. I grew up behind the golf course there at Woodside Road and Alameda. I was a semi pro archer who practiced daily up at the archery range in Huddart Park. When I moved out from home, I rented for 2 years off of Bear Gultch and Hwy 35. Beautiful area. Congrats on your ride. Sounds like a solid ride.

Starting from Carmel, we cruised up the coast to Santa Cruz to have breakfast with friends, then headed southeast through Corralitos and Aromas to San Juan Bautista, where we had a leisurely lunch at the bakery. Then home over San Juan Grade and across the Salinas Valley. Everywhere we went we saw lots of others out on their bikes enjoying the sun. Total mileage for the day: 113

I rode my single from Woodfords through Markleeville and up Ebbett's pass. The road was closed from about half way up to the top so NO CARS! It was a beautiful thing.....The snow hadn't been plowed from the summit west, but it added to the adventure.....