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Old 11-26-09, 04:33 PM
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south bay traffic advice

I'm considering riding from San Jose to San Francisco on El Camino Real tomorrow (black Friday). I'm concerned about whether the expected shopping spree will make El Camino a rotten and dangerous place to ride. Any thoughts?

I'd be open to other routes, but El Camino is direct and pretty much flat, as far as I can tell. This will be a utility ride, so I don't want to climb into the mountains. I'll save that for Sunday.
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Old 11-26-09, 04:53 PM
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All i can say is you'll be dealing with a lot of agitated people who are out way earlier then normal. Just watch for people making that unexpected stop or quick "I missed it" turns.
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Old 11-26-09, 05:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Boyd Reynolds
I'm considering riding from San Jose to San Francisco on El Camino Real tomorrow (black Friday). I'm concerned about whether the expected shopping spree will make El Camino a rotten and dangerous place to ride. Any thoughts?

I'd be open to other routes, but El Camino is direct and pretty much flat, as far as I can tell. This will be a utility ride, so I don't want to climb into the mountains. I'll save that for Sunday.
You should see if you can use any of the routes detailed here: https://sf2g.com/
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Old 11-26-09, 06:21 PM
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Except for stretches where it's unavoidable (RWC mainly) the ride on el camino is way crappier than it needs to be. Constant traffic and way , way, way too many stop lights for decent riding.

Check this N-S commuter route instead , that shows a good route N of palo alto:

https://bikesiliconvalley.org/files/n...nsroutemap.pdf

S of palo alto i'd just take central - alma - bryant, or cut over to foothill at Arastradero and take it to Homestead.

In fact it was riding this route in the N to S direction that I met Blastradius back in 2006
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Old 11-26-09, 10:04 PM
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I second the Bryant/Foothill option. El Camino is just about the worst choice short of riding on the highway, although at least there you'll have a shoulder.
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Old 11-27-09, 12:09 AM
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Originally Posted by ahpook
Except for stretches where it's unavoidable (RWC mainly) the ride on el camino is way crappier than it needs to be. Constant traffic and way , way, way too many stop lights for decent riding.

Check this N-S commuter route instead , that shows a good route N of palo alto:

https://bikesiliconvalley.org/files/n...nsroutemap.pdf

S of palo alto i'd just take central - alma - bryant, or cut over to foothill at Arastradero and take it to Homestead.


In fact it was riding this route in the N to S direction that I met Blastradius back in 2006
I was just talking about meeting you the first time with Slonie yesterday. That was the NAHMBS Alleycat recon ride.
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Old 11-27-09, 12:05 PM
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Hmm. Rain puts me in the car today, unfortunately. I have to be presentable at the far end of the trip. I will check out one of those routes next time. Thank you so much for you help!
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Old 11-27-09, 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by BlastRadius
I was just talking about meeting you the first time with Slonie yesterday. That was the NAHMBS Alleycat recon ride.
The thing I remember the most was that your thigh cramped up at one point and you cursed Gatorade and just punched your own leg a few times to work out the cramp, without stopping! I thought "D@mn that is hard core!"
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