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08-27-09, 12:50 PM
Okay interest has been shown and so the ride is on for Saturday September 12. Meet up at 8:00am here:
Starbucks
624 Blossom Hill Rd, Los Gatos, CA (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=624+Blossom+Hill+Rd,+Los+Gatos,+CA+95032&sll=37.252749,-121.934091&sspn=0.013425,0.025814&ie=UTF8&z=17&iwloc=A)
The route: http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=81622
Original post follows:
I did this loop solo back in June and liked it enough to want to do it again and make a BF group ride out of it. Personally I think it's a great loop through some very scenic and car-free roads. That said I recognize it might not be for everyone due to:
* Relatively long distance (88 miles and maybe 7000 feet of climbing)
* A couple dirt sections (about 3 miles total)
Anyway without further ado here is the route (click to view at gmap-pedometer.com):
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8505/mtmadonna.jpg (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3109728)
This ride starts at the Starbucks on Blossom Hill road in Los Gatos and then follows the loop clockwise. Here's a rundown of some significant points:
Miles 8.5-10: Get the legs warmed up on the steep part of Hicks Rd
Miles 16-34: Mostly flat terrain along McKean, Uvas, and Watsonville roads. There should be a prevailing tailwind
Mile 34: Fill up water bottles at Chitactac-Adams park
Miles 39-40.5: The pavement on Mt. Madonna road ends and becomes hard packed dirt for 1.5 miles. This section is all uphill and climbs 700' for an average grade of 8.8% Totally doable on a road bike IMO
Miles 42-46: Descend the west side of Hecker Pass. Keep up with cars! Lots of fun.
Mile 49: Stop at the Casserly store for water and food or snacks before hitting beautiful Hazel Dell Rd
Mile 57: Another possible food and water stop at the Corralitos market.
Miles 57-74: Eureka Canyon Rd and Highland Way. This is a gradual climb along that starts by following a creek under a canopy of trees. Eventually the tree cover gives way and the road levels off around 2000' following the edge of a hill with views of the ocean, tree-covered hills, and not much else. It feels very remote.
Mile 74: Summit store, another great place to get snacks.
Miles 77-80: Descent of Old Santa Cruz Hwy. Very smooth pavement and sweeping turns mean you can blast down with hardly a touch of brakes
Miles 85-86.5: More offroading on the Los Gatos Creek trail. This is gravel and mostly downhill. It is doable but tricky on a road bike.
I was thinking of doing this on September 12th or 13th. I know this is a ways in the future and also the same weekend as the Auburn Century. But I wanted to stake my claim to a weekend early enough to not have them all get taken by other BF rides :lol:
So with all the scary dirt sections is anyone interested in doing something like this? There aren't really many options to shorten the ride but there are plenty of ways to lengthen it to a century or add another thousand feet of climbing or more :)
Starbucks
624 Blossom Hill Rd, Los Gatos, CA (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=624+Blossom+Hill+Rd,+Los+Gatos,+CA+95032&sll=37.252749,-121.934091&sspn=0.013425,0.025814&ie=UTF8&z=17&iwloc=A)
The route: http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=81622
Original post follows:
I did this loop solo back in June and liked it enough to want to do it again and make a BF group ride out of it. Personally I think it's a great loop through some very scenic and car-free roads. That said I recognize it might not be for everyone due to:
* Relatively long distance (88 miles and maybe 7000 feet of climbing)
* A couple dirt sections (about 3 miles total)
Anyway without further ado here is the route (click to view at gmap-pedometer.com):
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8505/mtmadonna.jpg (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3109728)
This ride starts at the Starbucks on Blossom Hill road in Los Gatos and then follows the loop clockwise. Here's a rundown of some significant points:
Miles 8.5-10: Get the legs warmed up on the steep part of Hicks Rd
Miles 16-34: Mostly flat terrain along McKean, Uvas, and Watsonville roads. There should be a prevailing tailwind
Mile 34: Fill up water bottles at Chitactac-Adams park
Miles 39-40.5: The pavement on Mt. Madonna road ends and becomes hard packed dirt for 1.5 miles. This section is all uphill and climbs 700' for an average grade of 8.8% Totally doable on a road bike IMO
Miles 42-46: Descend the west side of Hecker Pass. Keep up with cars! Lots of fun.
Mile 49: Stop at the Casserly store for water and food or snacks before hitting beautiful Hazel Dell Rd
Mile 57: Another possible food and water stop at the Corralitos market.
Miles 57-74: Eureka Canyon Rd and Highland Way. This is a gradual climb along that starts by following a creek under a canopy of trees. Eventually the tree cover gives way and the road levels off around 2000' following the edge of a hill with views of the ocean, tree-covered hills, and not much else. It feels very remote.
Mile 74: Summit store, another great place to get snacks.
Miles 77-80: Descent of Old Santa Cruz Hwy. Very smooth pavement and sweeping turns mean you can blast down with hardly a touch of brakes
Miles 85-86.5: More offroading on the Los Gatos Creek trail. This is gravel and mostly downhill. It is doable but tricky on a road bike.
I was thinking of doing this on September 12th or 13th. I know this is a ways in the future and also the same weekend as the Auburn Century. But I wanted to stake my claim to a weekend early enough to not have them all get taken by other BF rides :lol:
So with all the scary dirt sections is anyone interested in doing something like this? There aren't really many options to shorten the ride but there are plenty of ways to lengthen it to a century or add another thousand feet of climbing or more :)