Northern California - Mt Tam Ride Report Oct 27th

What a great ride! My first actual official Group ride with the NorCal Bike Forurm. It made me feel 20 again. It was really cool that two of my old friends from my old bike club showed up for the ride! John and Vic. I had not seen Vic in about 20 years. It was awsome to do one of our old favorite rides and bring everyone into our old stomping ground. Not to sound too corny but somewhat a passing of the torch. It's really great to be able to ride and enjoy the company of so many young bike enthusiasts, gives me hope for the world. Everyone arrived on time and the group took off towards Mill Valley. Weather was perfect. I think having such a large group and finding restrooms is a spot of bother that we'll have to deal with more as the group grows. Just a ton of cyclists out there today. I kind of enjoyed the double takes as our "team" went by. Riding into Fairfax was smooth and uneventful. By the time we got to Deer Camp at the foot of Tam, I was regretting that I was doing the short ride :( I felt my legs out there and felt ready to go for it. Oh well at last I had to turn and say goodbye....That sucked.. Three of us went back after too short of a ride and ended up doing the Tiburon loop which was a great ride anyway. About 38 miles all together and we got back a little ahead of the Mt Tam group. I'll post Picts in the next post.
Thanks everyone, can't wait to do it again.
Pete

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/IMG_2292.jpg
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http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/IMG_2311.jpg

oops duplicated

Pete, thanks a lot for organizing this ride, it was very enjoyable. Thanks for the 'young bike enthusiasts' comment, at 50 that's always appreciated.
The weather couldn't have been better, never too warm and the cool in the forest after the dam was easily overpowered by the sweating up the hill.
The numerous regroups made the ride much more pleasant with many opportunities to socialize.
My favorite parts were crossing the bridge, riding through the marshlands in Mill Valley, and Ridgecrest Blvd. It was outstanding seeing Bolinas Lagoon and Stinson Beach from above. The views made the climbs easier.
As I started at the bridge my total was 50+ miles (how appropriate) for 4152' of climbing in 3h43m of riding time.
Georges

I'm back.

80 miles total.

It was a fun ride.

It was nice seeing Henry, who is in good spirits :)

Thanks for the ride everyone. It was good to see those who regulars, and meet the new people; that's always a plus! I think the regroups were excellent and just right. Today's ride pretty much showed how much out of shape I've gotten since the last time we met. I came home, ate a big lunch (at 4pm), and passed out.....I woke up just now, hoping to see some pics from today. :)

The little girl at the 7-11 was soooo cute!!!

Great ride today! Perfect weather, great scenery. Best of all, a great group of folks. Pete, you're a wonderful host! Thanks for the hospitality.

The ride was great, good weather and rode with a group of nice folks. The end of the climb was brutal for me. I had major cramps in both legs about 1/2 mile from the end of the climb. I tried to grid my teeth and will myself up but had to get off a few times to stretch. Much more work is needed to get back into shape and time to go to the compact crank. Until the next one.

Thanks Pete for organizing this.:beer:

Yeah the climb after the dam and the Seven Sisters were definitely challenging.

However, I felt pretty good on the climbs today. :)

What else can I say? Thanks again Pete for a great ride, and please thank John and Vic for leading the group through Mt. Tam.
Also, thanks again JIN for guiding me through the city, I'll try to remember all those shorcuts.

Now, here are some photos:

All the photos can be found here (http://community.webshots.com/album/561198923RkLfCU?vhost=community)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-000.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-004.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-007.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-011.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-014.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-018.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-024.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-030.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-032.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/Garmin-1.jpg

Some more photos. Enjoy :)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-036.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-040.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-042.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-048.jpg

Had a great time seeing new and familiar faces. Great weather and company. Glad to have brought up the rear... someone had to do it! And, yes, that little girl on the bike at 7-11 was adorable. Thanks to Pete for organizing and to those that showed us the way up and over when he departed.

http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p86249242-4.jpg

http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p309668371-4.jpg

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http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p109716605-4.jpg

http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p107998463-4.jpg

http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p146884942-4.jpg

And the rest can be found here (http://alainp.zenfolio.com/p343628680/).

Great pics. There's lots of new faces that I've not seen before.
uspspro, msincredible, and spingineer stopped by on the way home.
It was nice to see people after being out of it for nearly a week.
I look forward to the next ride.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2218/1785757767_12aeab4367_b.jpg

It was indeed a great ride! I got home and my legs were sore, sore, sore. Had some soup and recooperated (sp?) like a zombie then went to bed early like an old guy. I'm glad I didn't try the climb this time, as my knees are OK this morning, but wish I could have cruised up there with y'all. Next time for sure!

Thanks for the great company to all the ladies and gentlemen on the ride, especially Pete for sparking it off!

Hey Henry, as soon as you get better you can come up and we'll do the ride to Tam again with you. I was looking forward to seeing you race in GG Park :( . Are you going to go anyway just to watch. if you're feeling up to it? let me know I'll hang out there with you. We'll get some falafals out there.
Pete

It was indeed a great ride! I got home and my legs were sore, sore, sore. Had some soup and recooperated (sp?) like a zombie then went to bed early like an old guy. I'm glad I didn't try the climb this time, as my knees are OK this morning, but wish I could have cruised up there with y'all. Next time for sure!

Thanks for the great company to all the ladies and gentlemen on the ride, especially Pete for sparking it off!

Hey it was fun riding back with you, thanks for stopping and letting me get that bagel, I thought I was going to fall over from not eating, but it was great after that. See ya next ride.
Pete

Ok, here's my ride report.

Wow, what an amazing ride. There were multiple rides within this ride. First, a group of us met together on Caltrain, and we decided to ride to Mike's Bikes, across the GG bridge. Yet another group rode over from GG Park, across the GG bridge. A third group came over on Bart, and rode over GG bridge, to Sausalito. Wow, so many different groups coming together ... you would think coordinating this would be a mess, but it all went very smoothly.

For me, my day started at 6:45 am. I was trying to go to Starbucks, and get a quick muffin and coffee, to server as my breakfast. However, this one stop light would not turn, and had me there waiting and waiting. By the time I got to Starbucks, I realize I may miss the train. So I went instead to Caltrain station. I met mtnwalker and Sanjosebob there, and we got on Caltrain at Lawrence. Msincredible, Sesamecrunch, and uspspro boarded the train a little later. We met up with Bostic at the Caltrain station at 4th and King.

We didn't catch up with any of the other groups on our way across the GG bridge, so we figured we would meet everyone at Mike's Bikes. The ride across the GG bridge was nice at that hour. There was no one on the bridge, so we didn't have to deal with newbie riders who would be unpredictable on the bridge.

We got to Mike's Bikes about 9:45 am. That's pretty good timing ... so if you want to get to Sausalito by 10 am, take the very first Caltrain available :)

As others mentioned above, Pete did a great job. The regroups were nice to keep this a social ride. We had a total of 20 riders, with 3 going back the short way with Pete, with an extra loop around Tiburon. The rest of us did the climb to Mt. Tam.

The hill climb did me in. I was just about the last one up to the top. I figured since I wasn't going to make it up there with the rest of you, I would take in the scenery, and observe my surroundings ... yea, that's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it ... :p

I don't know how long they were waiting, but Jin and I eventually met up with the group at the dam. Then, more climbing ... eventually, everyone regrouped near the top of Mt. Tam (we didn't go all the way to the top ... good thing for me). The views were amazing. This was my first time up Mt. Tam, and it was incredible. Down the hill we went, and met up with the short group back at Mike's Bikes. They were only waiting about 5 minutes before we showed up.

Ok, main part of the ride is done. Everyone who rode up from the south side now trek back across the GG bridge. The bridge was a bit busier this time. All the rental bikes were out in force, so we had to ride conservatively over the bridge.

Msincredible, uspspro, and myself all went on Bart to go see Blastradius. I'm happy to say he is doing very well. Prognosis looks good, and he may be back on the bike in about 6 weeks. Oh, and the condition of the bike? It's still awaiting prognosis from bike shop mechanics.

On we continued back home. We climbed from Blastradius's house, up to Skyline. Wow, these were tough, but short climbs. They were probably in the range of 20% grades. After 69 miles, that's tough. We negotiated our way onto Sawyer's trail, and I definitely was not up to speed. After getting through Sawyer's Camp, uspspro proceeded on home (and was getting dark, and he didn't have a light). Msincredible and I continued on towards Woodside. We were really suffering on energy, so the mandatory stop is at Roberts ... fuel!!!!

From there, we went our separate ways back to our own home. I decided to take the boring route home, going on El Camino. My idea there is more street lights. Anyhow, I finally got home @ 8:30 PM. So started at 7 AM, ended at 8:30 PM. A 105 mile ride lasting 13.5 hours!

I want to msincredible is probably the most patient rider out there. I was trailing so far behind, and thankful to her that she stuck it with me ... all this, just to say I fulfilled my century-a-month for October. This was a tough one, but I finally did it.

Stats:
105.90 miles, 6717 feet climbing, riding time 8:40.

Don't worry, I've got pictures. Gotta upload them now.

Cool shirt 50 plus...jaja!

Whats the address to go to that place?

Can you post the route or if you have different levels of the route like 30 - 60 - 100 those are welcomed as well.

Try just to resize the images, I have to readjust the bars to read and view them, just a suggestion.

Ok, here's my ride report.


From there, we went our separate ways back to our own home. I decided to take the boring route home, going on El Camino. My idea there is more street lights. Anyhow, I finally got home @ 8:30 PM. So started at 7 AM, ended at 8:30 PM. A 105 mile ride lasting 13.5 hours!

Stats:
105.90 miles, 6717 feet climbing, riding time 8:40.

Don't worry, I've got pictures. Gotta upload them now.

Jeesh Ron! Are you like a Cyborg or something? Is there something we dont know? ;) Maybe you should just go for it and, do the RAAM!
Pete

SanJoseBob and Mtnwalker on Caltrain
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260001.jpg

Spingineer on Caltrain
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260002.jpg

De-boarding Caltrain in San Francisco
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260003.jpg

Mtnwalker, uspspro, sanjosebob, and sesamecrunch
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260004.jpg

Riding in the city
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260005.jpg

Bay Bridge
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260007.jpg

Bostic
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260010.jpg

USPSPro
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260011.jpg

Sesamecrunch and msincredible on Bay St. in SF
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260013.jpg

Jeesh Ron! Are you like a Cyborg or something? Is there something we dont know? ;) Maybe you should just go for it and, do the RAAM!
Pete

Msincredible did almost the same distance. She truely deserves the title msincredible.

Meeting the group at Mike's Bikes
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260014.jpg

On the bike path
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260015.jpg

http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260017.jpg

http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260019.jpg

Our fearless leader!
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260021.jpg

Riding through Mill Valley
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260023.jpg

Rest stop at 7-11
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260024.jpg

Alpine Lake
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA260027.jpg

http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270028.jpg

Alpine Dam
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270029.jpg

Msincredible did almost the same distance. She truely deserves the title msincredible.

Plus she mentioned she ran 3 miles with her dog that morning too. :eek:

Regroup at Alpine Dam
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270030.jpg

Rolling on from Alpine Dam
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270032.jpg

http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270033.jpg

Entering Mt. Tam
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270036.jpg

Climbing Mt. Tam
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270038.jpg

Is that Stinson?
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270039.jpg

Regroup before descending Pan Toll Road
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270042.jpg

Sesamecrunch and msincredible
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270043.jpg

Zorro
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270045.jpg

More pics at http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride.html

Plus she mentioned she ran 3 miles with her dog that morning too. :eek:

... and who knows how many miles she ran after she got home to walk her dogs!

LOL... Is this me??
EDIT: Never mind Sweet&Sour and I were together at the start of the 2nd climb

http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270033.jpg

Angel, do you happen to have a full size version of this pic w/out the subtitle?

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/zorrov/BikeForumsMtTam102707-032.jpg

Looking for a wallpaper ...

Msincredible did almost the same distance. She truely deserves the title msincredible.

Well we already know she's the bionic woman...She's got her own TV show to boot!
Pete

The hill climb did me in. I was just about the last one up to the top.



That would be me.:o

You rode home after that climb:eek:.. WOW.

Gary

http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p107998463-4.jpg

http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p146884942-4.jpg

And the rest can be found here (http://alainp.zenfolio.com/p343628680/).

Hey Alain,
Why the artistic imagery? I like the other versions you have on the web site.

That would be me.:o

You rode home after that climb:eek:.. WOW.

Gary

Yea, I did ... but I was not fast. Just ask msincredible and uspspro. I was probably the last one to get home.

Hey Alain,
Why the artistic imagery? I like the other versions you have on the web site.

No reason. Just trying out a photoshop action for kicks :) .

The "unedited" versions:

http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p94408600-4.jpg

http://alainp.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p201891497-4.jpg

For those disappointed by not going all the way to the top: we can do it again soon. There's a shorter route through Mill Valley. It's about 40 miles (64 km) from the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Victor

There was someone who really showed their disappointment ... I regret not summiting myself.

There was someone who really showed their disappointment ... I regret not summiting myself.


Me too, a little, but I still had a bunch of riding ahead of me (rode with Paula and Ron to Henry's and then back home to San Mateo). So it was fine with me.

I will go back and summit another time, I guess :)

Does this mean we have another BF ride to the top of Mt. Tam? Ventoux? uspspro?

I'm down.

Does this mean we have another BF ride to the top of Mt. Tam? Ventoux? uspspro?

I am in as well for a ride all the way to the top.

I'm down only if we go the full circle, either same route, or clockwise. :D

OK then, let's set a date. What about Nov 10 or Nov 18? Meet at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge, near the statue of Joseph Strauss at 09:30. There are bathrooms and water there.

Victor

OK then, let's set a date. What about Nov 10 or Nov 18? Meet at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge, near the statue of Joseph Strauss at 09:30. There are bathrooms and water there.

Victor
Vic, do you go up from Miller drive, Molimo or do you go the "Dipsea traill" from Mill Valley center? I've done the Dipsea way and it's more serene less traffic. I think if we go up through Mill Valley we should have an optional route, from summit down ridgecrest, alpine and Fairfax.. I'd lead that one if you want.
I'm chomping a the bit for a real pounder and I'll be ready for that.
Pete

Vic, go ahead and post a new thread for this ride with a date and we can work from there, It sounds like most everyone is up for it.
Pete

Damn, I can't make either date. I promised my friend, who is doing a triathlon at Treasure Island, that I would be there for him.

Is that Stinson?
http://web.mac.com/ronng/iWeb/bikeforums/Mt.%20Tam%20BF%20Ride_files/PA270039.jpg

Not Stinson, Bolinas (I'm pretty sure).

I think it's both. The long sandy strip is Stinson Beach and just past the far end of it (as seen from this view) is Bolinas.

Victor

I think it's both. The long sandy strip is Stinson Beach and just past the far end of it (as seen from this view) is Bolinas.

Victor

Correct.

For those disappointed by not going all the way to the top: we can do it again soon. There's a shorter route through Mill Valley. It's about 40 miles (64 km) from the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Victor

Count me in for the full trip! Gotta get to the top.

Great ride on Saturday -- thanks for organizing it, Pete. I'm in for the next ride all the way to the top.

And, not to complicate things, but if there was any interest in forming a sub-group for that ride that wanted to take the Railroad Grade fire trail up to East Peak, I'd be happy to lead that. It can be done on road/cross/touring bikes (http://bike.duque.net/mixed-terrain-rides-photos.htm?pic=136) -- but it's good to have at least 700x30 tires. And a low gear of at least 39/27 would be highly recommended, with the lower the better. Once at the top, we'd descend with the main group on the regular roads.

Greg

Thank you for organizing the ride Pete. It's been several years since I have been over in that area and this ride was a new route as well. Great pics everyone!

I attempted my normal practice routine at the rehearsal studio in the evening. No coordination in the legs at all on the kicks. I would have been more productive trying to solve a Rubik's cube than keep steady time.

Great ride everyone! Pete, thanks for organizing, that was a lot of fun. Alan, thanks for the encouragement while I was bonking on the way back to the bridge. Ron and Marco, thanks for the company on the way back home, I think we all kept each other going. And Henry, it was great to get a chance to stop in and see you. Those hills leaving your place were tough (at least after all the previous riding)!

Total distance: 97:57 miles
Total time: 7:24
Total climb: 6053 (I'm pretty sure my new computer is underestimating this)

If I had been able to see my computer in the dark (I got home around 7:45) I might have done an extra loop around the neighborhood to push myself just past 100. I consoled myself with the thought that my 3-mile morning run and 2-mile evening walk with the dogs pushed me over. ;) The run the next morning was a lot tougher though! :p

A couple of bad driver spottings:
Descending Mt Tam, I came around a blind corner to find a driver more than half over the double yellow :eek: as she tried to pass some climbing cyclists. That certainly made me a lot more nervous and cautious for the rest of the descent.

And later on, a few of us were stopping at a T-intersection to let a truck turn onto our road. Well, the truck stopped in front of us and then went into reverse. As we suddenly changed our mind to go around him, he started screaming at us for not stopping! :mad::rolleyes:

I'll post pictures a little while later.