Originally Posted by KJ43

Gotcha.

Yes, the Bay Trail connects to the Baylands area in Palo Alto. I've done a loop around the South Bay and returning over the Dumbarton Bridge that starts in Palo Alto Baylands and uses the Bay Trail for a large portion of the ride. It's a fun, flat ride and could be done on a road bike though there are some gravel sections that are a bit loose. For a 45 mile loop it takes me about 2 1/2 hours if I ride at a good pace.

For road riding I highly recommend getting used to looping through Portola Valley. It's very bike friendly and will get you used to some rolling rides without making you climb for long periods of time.

Also, Foothill Expressway is a good flat road to get some miles on that will eventually link you to other stuff both north and south when you get more endurance. And again, Canada Road is super bike friendly too.

How comfortable are you with climbing?