RoboCheme

This will be pretty tame stuff for most of you folks, but it is early in the season it may suit the rest of us well. This one has parts of my favorite ride; nice constant ascents and speedy, yet safe, descents.

It starts at Orinda BART at 9:05 am.

North on Camino Pablo to Wildcat
Up Wildcat to Inspiration Pt. (wait for Cliff)
Wildcat to Shasta Road to Grizzly Peak Rd. (wait for Cliff)
Up and down Grizzly Peak to Claremont (wait for Cliff)
Continue South on Grizzly Peak
Left on Skyline to a trailhead rest stop with bathrooms at Ridge Top road (wait for Cliff)
Continue South on Skyline to Joaquin Miller Rd. (fun descent)
Left on Miller to Redwood
Left on Redwood to Pinehurst (Stop and decide who wants to do the add-on, see below)
Left on Pinehurst to Canyon
Right on Canyon to Moraga Way
Left on Moraga Way to Orinda BART

About 31 miles and 2500 feet of climbing

https://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path...ildcat-Redwood

The add-on is to go south from the Redwood-Pinehurst junction to the Willow Park golf course. This would add about 16 miles and 1100 feet of climbing. I am not committing to this, but others are welcome to it. It's got a really fun descent.

https://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path...cat-WillowPark

There's no football on TV so there are no excuses (except for rain). I'm shooting for a 9:05 start to accomodate a BART train from SF which gets in at 9:02 (plenty of warmup time for those folks).

If you're worried about the "wait for Cliff" stops, that's the penalty you pay for going on a ride with a slow coordinator. At least no one should be left behind!!

In:
RoboCheme
Taxi777
DG Going Uphill (at bottom of Shasta)
BikingShearer
cccorlew
gpelpel
ROJA

Cliff

taxi777

If the weather's good I'm in!

DG Going Uphill

I might join you. Might also meet you on the Berkeley side. If I go, I would be up for taking a group from N. Berkeley BART to Shasta and Grizzly -- about 30 minutes.

bikingshearer 

Sounds like fun (well, except for Shasta). I hope I can join in, especially since work reared its ugly all of this past weekend. Maybe I can get bigbossman to tag along, too.

Of course, if I come along, it won't be waiting for Cliff - it'll be wondering how slow can bikingshearer possibly be on a climb. (The correct answer is: pretty damn slow.)

bigbossman 

I'd love to, but cannot. I have some family business in L.A. to tend to this weekend.

Beaker

Awe shucks, Cliff. I'd love to join but I've a prior arrangement to ride to the devil's mount with some of my work colleagues at the same time - this is might also take ROJA out of the picture as well, so you'll probably need to find someone else to make the ritual eyewear sacrifice this time.....

Lanceoldstrong

Cliff,

Thanks very much for posting a great ride. I really appreciate the time and thought that goes into it. I love the rides that get organized here, they are the cycling equivalent of pick up basketball games on the playground. So cool.

I just can't make Saturdays right now and I really miss all you guys. My wife is doing TNT training rides as she prepares for her first ever century, Solvang 3/18. This leaves me home with our kids on Saturdays. By the way she broke the 50 mile barrier last weekend: 54 miles. Go Mrs. Oldstrong!

I am still riding my usual average of 300 - 400 miles a month to keep in shape so I will be out there with y'all again soon.

Have a great ride Saturday.

ROJA

Cliff- Can't make it this time, but have a great time and hope to ride with the Contra Costa folks again soon!

jobob

This looks really tempting, Cliff, I'll try to make it.

Oh, and guys, I'm a slow climber to begin with, and I'm recovering from the Head Cold from Hell, so you'll be waiting for me.

Except I'd rather you didn't wait for me, I'm very good at finding my own way.

taxi777

Me too big time, but I got it in the lungs too...I feel like I've gone bacwards 6 months!

RoboCheme

Look at it this way, you won't have to wait as long for us on Saturday.

cccorlew

Depending on the next two days, I'll try to come.
But I'm pretty sure all this "I'm sooooo slow" is just roadie set-up talk an dyou guys will blow my doors off if I show up.

jobob

Precisely what I'm thinking.

RoboCheme

Pete (Taxi777) may blow your doors off, but not moi. He's a very strong rider (he should be considering how much he rides), but he'll often ride with the rest of us and keep us entertained as we suffer.

Cliff

DG Going Uphill

So, I'm thinking of meeting you all at the Brazil Building (foot of Shasta). Not sure if I'll ride the whole rest of the way or peel off at Tunnel (I originally was thinking of going all the way around with you until Pinehurst, taking Pinehurst back to home, but I'm not sure I want to do that climb this Saturday).

What time do you think you will be at the Brazil Building? If anyone wants to join me from the N. Berkeley BART, it's a 30 minute ride to the meeting point.

- Dan

bikingshearer 

Not from me it isn't, as any NorCal BFer who has waited for me at the top of Diablo, Cantelowe or Hamilton can attest.

Maybe in your universe . . . .

gpelpel

I am a may be.
I have ridden this loop many times but always in reverse. For some reason I never tried climbing Wildcat. It is intimidating, going down is fun but up?

RoboCheme

Excellent. How about 9:45 at the foot of Shasta?

RoboCheme

I hope you can make it.

I hate going down both Wildcat and Pinehurst because the turns are tight and the roads are crappy. I'm riding the brakes the whole way. Going down Skyline to Miller and down Redwood is great - nearly brake free turns and good surfaces. The best descent is on the extension, i.e. the drop down into Castro Valley. I'm going 30, but it feels like I'm on the Tour going 55.

Going up Wildcat and Shasta is a challenge, but no harder than the top of Diablo or Bear Creek Road going east.

Cliff

DG Going Uphill

Well, there are a couple of ways to go, percent incline vs distance. It always seems to take longer than what the clock says. I did it yesterday at maybe 60% Taxi pace and it was 30 minutes. With all my extra fat from the holidays and the bad weather, I don't think I'm moving any faster than the rest of the supposedly slow folks out there.

DG Going Uphill

See you there. Double check the list Friday night, but I'm pretty sure I can make it.

DG Going Uphill

Wildcat is a mind game. It is just at the break point between fast and steep, so you can either kill yourself or take your time -- the hill doesn't decide for you. With three switchbacks, it really isn't bad in that direction as long as you set your own pace (it's steeper on the other side).

Beaker

Really? I can't believe that! Given the couple of times I've ridden with you Georges, you'll have no problem whatsoever with climbing wildcat. I actually quite like it and honestly think it's pretty easy. You don't need to reach for the biggest cogs at the back, and it never gets as steep as say the top of Pinehurst even. Another bonus is that it also gets easier the further up you get.

RoboCheme

I agree with Becker. I've rode with you; you will have no problem with Wildcat or Shasta.

gpelpel

It's all in the mind. I just remember driving it up on the way to Inspiration Point and seeing riders puffing it up. I thought they were nuts. That was before I got into serious biking, the trail at Inspiration with the kids was about as tough as I was riding back then.
For some reason it stayed in my mind.