Fifty Plus (50+) - Ride Report - Classic Coastal Ride

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).

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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.

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Here we are getting ready at the car. We started about 4 miles from the first climb to warm up.

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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.

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Our underpowered hardware among the beasts.

Here is the area after the descent.

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Here is a landmark stop, San Gregorio General Store, right before we began the climb up Stage Road to the ocean.

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Here is the view of the Pacific Ocean taken by Velodiva from the back of the tandem at 35 mph.

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The actual ride along the coast was short. We turned east on Tunitas Creek and began the climb. The beginning of Tunitas Creek gave us a few miles of easy climbing. Here are a couple of pics while the going was easy.

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As we snaked among the redwoods, the road pitched up and began to inflict some pain.

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We made it to the top of Tunitas and climbed 2250 feet. We put on our wind vests and arm warmers and got ready for the 6 mile 6.7% descent.

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The descent down Kings Mountain was fast and curvy with numerous switchbacks. At that grade the tandem accelerates really fast and we are upon the next turn quickly. Our 10 inch disc brake worked really well and we were able to hit the turns with the perfect speed to maintain control.

It is a great ride and highly recommended. Just make sure to bring your climbing legs and brakes.

Wow - well done! I've done OLH a couple of times, but returned on 84 each time. Your narrative and pictures makes me want to try this loop.

Steve

7800 ft of climbing in 46 miles? That is some very serious climbing.

Looks like a wonderful ride! Great photos! Thanks for sharing.

Great ride report and beautiful pictures!

Man is that a ride or what, beautiful, thanks.

Thanks for posting these photographs. It reminded me of the time I lived in Sunnyvale and rode those roads. My favorite memory was going up Tunitas Creek Road in the rain! Boy I miss the bay area!

Some of those sights look awfully familiar, especially since I took a ride down the coast, myself, this weekend. The Store -as we call it- is certainly well-known to me as we play there every month. Weird to see someone else' picture of it.

7800 ft of climbing in 46 miles? That is some very serious climbing.

It is but...YMMV.

You raise a good point. The download to the Garmin Training center from our 305 resulting in total elevation gained being 10,500 feet. We knew that was totally bogus. Part of the problem is the terrain itself and the trees. It is hard to have three satellites at all times in clear view to get reasonably accurate GPS data. I uploaded the GPS data to Motion Based and used their Gravity Data Base. This data base takes surveyed points on the route and uses them versus the GPS elevation data provided by the 305. However, Motion Based states that for steep terrain (how steep?), the Gravity Data Base overstates the elevation gained (but they do not say by how much) and they are working on the problem. I have another program that allows one to plot a route in the Bay Area and create elevation profiles. That program had the elevation gained at 4,200 feet which seems like it captures the peaks but not the subtle up and down. Go figure.

Is Alice's Restaurant the bar/restaurant in La Honda where Ken Kesey used to hang out, or am I thinking of a different place?

The one I'm thinking about is in La Honda, and has an old VW Microbus with a psychedelic paint job "permanently parked" nearby. Inside they keep a chair permanently reserved for Kesey, in case of a re-appearance...

The last time I stopped in there the band on the back patio was playing a bunch of Buffalo Springfield songs. Between that and all of the tie-dyed t-shirts it was like a trip (no pun intended) back in time, to the mid-late 60's.

You can get anything you want,
at Alice's Restaurant,
Excepting Alice.

Is Alice's Restaurant the bar/restaurant in La Honda where Ken Kesey used to hang out, or am I thinking of a different place?

The one I'm thinking about is in La Honda, and has an old VW Microbus with a psychedelic paint job "permanently parked" nearby. Inside they keep a chair permanently reserved for Kesey, in case of a re-appearance...

The last time I stopped in there the band on the back patio was playing a bunch of Buffalo Springfield songs. Between that and all of the tie-dyed t-shirts it was like a trip (no pun intended) back in time, to the mid-late 60's.

It is Alice's Restaurant in Sky Londa at the top of Skyline. You can see it on the map. La Honda is further south and we passed through it on the trip. The entire area is very retro. Others may be able to shed more light on this than I.

You can get anything you want,
at Alice's Restaurant,
Excepting Alice.

My wife had her eye on the motorcyclists. I did not see anything I wanted except water.

My wife had her eye on the motorcyclists.

I only wanted to pose with them for a photo, but Hermes thought it was not such a great idea.

Some of those sights look awfully familiar, especially since I took a ride down the coast, myself, this weekend. The Store -as we call it- is certainly well-known to me as we play there every month. Weird to see someone else' picture of it.

While we were at the store, there was a woman performing. Here is a pic of her.

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/rallen94402/Coastal%20Classic%20Ride/PICT0015.jpg

I have a Bikers Cafe on one of my rides. You name the Bike and it will be there but it is the bikers that get me. They have all this powered Machinery and when the T turns up- We have problems eating our breakfast with the questions. The bikers may be unfit and Overweight but whenever the T turns up covered in Mud- They turn into little boys and you can see them all wanting to be offered a ride on it.

If you go there again- Find the Biggest hunkiest Biker with the biggest Harley and get some pics with you sitting on the back of his bike (And I mean You Velodiva- not Hermes)

[QUOTE=Hermes;5544561]While we were at the store, there was a woman performing. Here is a pic of her.

I can't tell you how odd that seems to me.
It's almost like seeing a picture of your home with someone else living in it.

I also, use that piano as a musical "workbench". I juggle a lot of stuff when we play.