Northern California - Santa Rosa group rides?

I searched but found mostly old information or people referring to the Santa Rosa cycling club website. I will be up in Santa Rosa on the 17th and 18th (and maybe the 19th) of July and would like to find a competitive-type group ride for the Saturday, the 17th. The srcc site didn't have anything listed for that date that I could see.

Sunday, the 18th my wife is doing Vineman, so I'll be hanging around Windsor and will try to sneak out for a ride when I can.

Monday we may stick around Santa Rosa or maybe head down to San Francisco.

I'd look into hooking up with the Red Peloton (Norcal Bike Sport) ride. Too bad there's no grasshopper....

Norcal Bike shop saturday morns are THE rides for competitive cyclist

http://redpeloton.com/eliteMen/?page_id=618

Thanks!

bump

Come to Peninsula. Santa Rosa is too far away.

Where is Peninsula? I'll be in Santa Rosa and my wife will have the car. I'm just north of San Rafael right now...

A challenging ride would be the second half of the Terrible Two. Skaggs Springs west to HW 1 south to Fort Ross then back east.

Oh and I am definitely going to be in San Francisco on Monday. Is it possible/worth riding over the golden gate? I'm staying at union square and will ride about 3 hours.

That's enough time to ride over to Mt. Tam and back. Weekdays you have to use the East side of the GGB which means sharing with tourists.

Allow yourself 4 hours to enjoy the scenery. I know you are fast so 3 hours may be possible.
Here is a stunning route:
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/70277

And yes, crossing the GGB is worth it.

If anyone wants to join me either day...

If anyone wants to join me either day...

either day being Saturday or Monday? Santa Rosa is too far, but San Rafael is near enough Mt. Tam/Marshal Wall. Are you occupied Sunday?

either day being Saturday or Monday? Santa Rosa is too far, but San Rafael is near enough Mt. Tam/Marshal Wall. Are you occupied Sunday?

His wife is doing Vineman on Sunday....
On Saturday Pizzaman is doing a Mt Tam/Stinson Beach/Mt Tam ride from the South Side of the GGB starting 8:15a. Pizzaman would be the person to ride with if you want a challenge.

Saturday I'm in Santa Rosa, Monday I'm in San Francisco.

Good luck to your wife with the Vineman. It's a beautiful course. Has she gone over the bike course yet? It's quite flat, but there can be a headwind as she heads north.

Veronica

She did it a few years ago

I got a response from the red peleton contact. Nobody is sure if there is a ride tomorrow and he is out of town so I'm just going to head out that way and see. If no ride, I'm going to cruise up to guerneville and do the vineman bike course for s&g, then back to Santa rosa. Round trip about 85 miles.

Monday, heading out to mt Tam sounds good.

Two rides today, the red peloton group ride in the morning and some exploring in the afternoon. It got really hot and even though I refilled my bottles after the first ride I got massively dehydrated. Lost 9 pounds from start to end.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40787575

The climb in the middle of the second ride was stupidly steep. Sustained over 15% for much of it, over 10% for the rest and over 20% for a good part.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40787563

Tomorrow I am going to explore some more of the guerneville area while she is biking and maybe cruise th run course while she is running.

Monday I am most likely doing mt tam.

Nice. I did that Sweetwater climb (but only from Guerneville) on my folding bike. That was a tough ride, especially because my folder doesn't have very low gearing! Hope you enjoyed the rides!

Mt. Tam is a cool accomplishment, but I actually prefer the Alpine Dam/Seven Sisters loop. You can add a climb to Tam onto it very easily if you want. This way you avoid the ascent from Mill Valley to Tam, which is not fun because of the cars (maybe it's better during the week). Here is the route if you want to check it out or put it into your Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/18115416 (to add the Tam summit, turn left at the parking lot at the end of the 7 sisters (gorgeous ridge ride with rollers) and you go another 4 miles or so to the peak (there is a sign).

Nice. I did that Sweetwater climb (but only from Guerneville) on my folding bike. That was a tough ride, especially because my folder doesn't have very low gearing! Hope you enjoyed the rides!

Mt. Tam is a cool accomplishment, but I actually prefer the Alpine Dam/Seven Sisters loop. You can add a climb to Tam onto it very easily if you want. This way you avoid the ascent from Mill Valley to Tam, which is not fun because of the cars (maybe it's better during the week). Here is the route if you want to check it out or put it into your Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/18115416 (to add the Tam summit, turn left at the parking lot at the end of the 7 sisters (gorgeous ridge ride with rollers) and you go another 4 miles or so to the peak (there is a sign).

Hmm, that looks like it will probably take too long for the amount of time I have. I have to be back in time to check out of the hotel at noon.

I'm having trouble uploading to Garmin Connect from the hotel, but I rode out to Mt Tam, then back in SF I went up to and down Lombard St, then up to Coit Tower, over to the Embarcadero, up Market and around Union Square before returning to my hotel (near Union Square). 54 miles, 3:42, ~4800 ft of climbing. I took a few pictures from the top of Mt Tam with my phone but of course you couldn't see much because of the fog. The ride out on the GG was ok but on the way back it was "hella" windy and a slalom through the tourists. I brought my video camera and will have some videos of the mt tam descent and the GG crossing when I return home.

"hella"
:thumb:

I'll be looking forward to that video. And I'm falling behind, I still haven't been to Mt. Tam, and I'm only 40miles away o.0

I threw in the hella for you northies. Tam was great, nice climb and beautiful descent. Smooth roads, not too much traffic. I ran into another guy on the way out (pilot for British airways) who said he was heading to "tunnel pass", and pointed to the white ball thing (radar?) that I ended up passing near the summit of Tam. He went a different way, is there another way up there or did he do the big loop around?

Which way did you climb up?

Sounds like a fun ride, too bad that the days didn't seem to mesh with anyone else.

It's too bad you couldn't do the GG ride at like 1pm on a Sunday. The Blazing Saddles peloton is an obstacle course that redefines dangerous riding.

Is blazing saddles all those damn rental bikes?

I went up off the 1.

Glad you got to climb Tam. It is a classic SF ride. The views are pretty sweet and that descent is a real blast. Next time try to do the Seven Sisters ride that I mentioned- it is even more beautiful as you ride along the ridge. You can drive to Fairfax and start from there if you are tight on time.

Not sure what the pilot was talking about. There is only one (paved) way up to the top from the junction with the Seven Sisters (Ridgecrest and Pantoll). The only tunnel I know of is on the backside of the headlands loop (Bunker Road).

Is blazing saddles all those damn rental bikes?

Ahah. YES! If you go the Sausalito route on a summer weekend, on the return trip you get to watch all the tourists on oversized hybrid bikes coast down into town/try to push their way up the hill home. It makes the bridge crossing even more perilous. The last time I was up there, it was literally (and I do not use the word lightly) a parade of end-to-end, rear tire to front tire, rental bikes weeble-wobbling across the GGB in a 40mph crosswind. It was at once one of the most awesome and most terrible things I've seen.

I did see some of that, of people trying to get up the hill to the bridge.

Finally home, and was able to upload my data
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41154613

Interesting how the GPS tracks get messed up between the tall buildings. I noticed that in a crit that I did in a downtown area earlier in the year as well.

I did see some of that, of people trying to get up the hill to the bridge.

Finally home, and was able to upload my data
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41154613

Interesting how the GPS tracks get messed up between the tall buildings. I noticed that in a crit that I did in a downtown area earlier in the year as well.

I love Tam, one of my favorite rides, though getting out of the city can be a pain.

What's up with the 67.7 mph..??

I love Tam, one of my favorite rides, though getting out of the city can be a pain.

What's up with the 67.7 mph..??

Garmin hiccup.

I've never actually climbed it that way. Have always gone to Bolinas/Fairfax and up the North side.

How way hwy 1 to climb? trafficy, or not bad on a Monday?

Not too bad, like 10am on a Monday I guess. When you say "the north side" I assume you mean to get to the road for the last 4 miles?

He means taking the local roads to get up through San Anselmo and Fairfax, then riding south on Bolinas Fairfax road to the dam, then to Ridgecrest. On the weekends the HW 1 route you took getting there is miserable with non-stop traffic heading towards Stinson Beach. It gets better at the fork in the road where most of the cars are heading left down to the ocean.