Recommended Bay Area climbs, long rides and clubs?
Hi folks,
I'll be in the Bay Area for a few months starting mid-August and want to stay in shape for my Mt Fuji-area rides while I'm away from Japan. Would love to know about some good places to train long climbs, preferably somewhat rural so there are some trees or views and not too many cars and trucks. Ideally I'd like to train climbing where there's a 700 m to 1.5 km or more elevation gain and at least about a 5% average grade. Would also be interested in finding out about places that have segments with 12 to 20% grades.
For those who watched the Olympic men's road cycling race Saturday, my weekly training climb in Japan is two consecutive runs up the 6.5 km-long segment near the end of the race that's mostly 10 to 20% grades and a total elevation gain of 700 m per run. Some weeks I instead ride up Mt Fuji which is only about a 6% average grade with 1.5 km elevation gain over 24 km distance. Something comparable to or more challenging than either of those would be ideal.
Any suggestions? Would be into trying a few different places to see where's most enjoyable.
And any advice about nice, long rural rides away from heavy traffic? My usual range is 80 to 200 km.
Also if there are any local riding clubs you could suggest with people who like to do long or hilly rides, please let me know. I'll be based in Walnut Creek but will have lots of time on my hands and would be happy to travel anywhere from Santa Cruz to the North Bay for good rides. 2x Moderna vaxxed.