59 miles, 7,500 vertical
Map: Click here
Challenging
One of my favorite loops lately has been a loop to Big Basin and back starting at Lexington Reservoir, just west of Los Gatos. It's a challenging ride that begins immediately with a climb up to Summit Road.
A 3/4-mile stretch of Mt. Charlie (what a great name for a road, eh?) is the last steep pitch up to Summit Road, a beautiful stretch of road that follows a ridge north, through Christmas tree farms, some short, steep sections, and then a gradual climb up to Castle Peak at 3,000 feet, one of the highest points in the area.
Then the descent starts with a 500 foot drop down to Highway 9 where you turn left and head down several miles to Big Basin. This is a wonderful little climb up through majestic redwoods, past China Peak road (tough climb!) and down into the park. Here you can take advantage of the restrooms and fill your water bottles before a gradual climb up out of the park, then another fun descent down into Boulder Creek.
A left turn onto Highway 9, then a quick right onto Bear Creek Road. A few miles of small rollers takes you to a consistent and moderately difficult climb back up to Summit Road where you can turn right and retrace your route (as is shown in the map) or you can just take Bear Creek Road back down the east side, back to Lexington Reservoir.
Do this ride early on a weekend morning and you will barely see a car, except for the climb up Bear Creek, where caution is advised, as local residents can take the turns pretty fast.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Kings Mtn to Coast and Back, San Mateo County
54 miles, 6,000 ft of vertical
Map: Click here
Moderate/Difficult
Every weekend the roads that snake through the coastal hills south of San Francisco become the cycling playground for hundreds of cyclists. There are many great roads that take you to Hwy 35 -- "Skyline" -- a road which runs along a ridge from Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz, with plenty of options for getting over to the coast and back. It's my backyard, and I know just about every bump and technical turn on the road.
Kings Mountain, Old La Honda, Page Mill, Highway 9, Black, Bear Creek, Montebello, and Old Santa Cruz Highway will all get you to Skyline. Black, Bear Creek and Montebello are steep, difficult climbs of nearly 2,000 vertical feet in just a few miles. The others are no picnic, but are much more accessible (and thus more crowded).
I like to avoid cars, motorcycles, and groups of cyclists as much as possible. Seems like lots of cyclists on the road just makes drivers more likely to give you a hard time or become outright hostile. Highway 35 is the favorite stretch of road for motorcylces. It's a great road, but after 9am or so you will have to put up with the noise, speed, and danger of these whizzing rockets.
One route I ride a lot has plenty of climbing, incredible scenery, and relative solitude. I start from my house, but a good place to meet up is at Hwy 280 and Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park. There's a convenient place to park just west of 280.
The route winds through the foothills, through the town of Woodside, then up to the beginning of the first climb up Kings Mtn Road. There's a "secret" way to avoid the first section of Kings Mtn, which is narrow and has the most traffic. By turning right onto Greer Road just past the old Woodside Store, you can climb up through Huddart Park. You will definitely warm up on this road, as it ends with a short, steep section. Once onto Kings Mtn it's a steady climb all the way to Skyline at 2,000 ft elevation.
Continue straight across Hwy 35 to Tunitas Creek Road for the descent down toward the coast. Up until a couple of years ago it was a descent to avoid, as the road was full of potholes. There are still a couple of sketchy parts, but much of it is very smooth (and very slick when it's wet). It's a technical descent, so don't get overly ambitious. The first two miles are a gentle down, and this is the worst part of the road, but definitely tolerable with the gentle slope. Once you hit the steep part it's mostly well paved.
You can continue on Tunitas all the way to Highway 1 on the coast, but I prefer to take Lobitos Creek Road, which takes you back up on a short climb through some amazing landscapes, then back down to Highway 1, where you can take Purissima Creek Road back inland through more great countryside, another small climb, then a quick descent and nice flat on Higgins Canyon Road, all the way to the southern edge of Half Moon Bay.
Prevailing winds in this area are almost always from the North/Northwest, so once you turn south on Highway 1 you get a nice tailwind, a couple of small bumps, and a wonderful view of the ocean. On those days when the winds are from the south, you take this stretch in reverse and you get the tailwind going up Highway 1, but the roads through the hills shelter the wind enough that you don't get much of a headwind going back.
There are several ways to get back, but a good one to start is to just take Highway 1 about 10 miles back to the beginning of Tunitas Creek. The first few miles are relatively flat, plus you can stop and refuel at a cycling hut, built by a local resident. It's the only such hut I've ever seen. It's a small shelter with food, water, and an honor system of reimbursing the owner. You will definitely want to be hydrated and fueled up before you head back up Tunitas Creek.
Tunitas is a long steady climb, with a stretch of about 1.8 miles that is pretty steep. There are hardly EVER any cars or motorcycles on this road. It is by far the least traveled road in the area, perfect for cycling. OK, West Alpine is great too, but that's another post waiting to happen.
The descent down Kings Mtn is fast and fun with just a couple of technical turns. Go slow when it's wet!
Map: Click here
Moderate/Difficult
Every weekend the roads that snake through the coastal hills south of San Francisco become the cycling playground for hundreds of cyclists. There are many great roads that take you to Hwy 35 -- "Skyline" -- a road which runs along a ridge from Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz, with plenty of options for getting over to the coast and back. It's my backyard, and I know just about every bump and technical turn on the road.
Kings Mountain, Old La Honda, Page Mill, Highway 9, Black, Bear Creek, Montebello, and Old Santa Cruz Highway will all get you to Skyline. Black, Bear Creek and Montebello are steep, difficult climbs of nearly 2,000 vertical feet in just a few miles. The others are no picnic, but are much more accessible (and thus more crowded).
I like to avoid cars, motorcycles, and groups of cyclists as much as possible. Seems like lots of cyclists on the road just makes drivers more likely to give you a hard time or become outright hostile. Highway 35 is the favorite stretch of road for motorcylces. It's a great road, but after 9am or so you will have to put up with the noise, speed, and danger of these whizzing rockets.
One route I ride a lot has plenty of climbing, incredible scenery, and relative solitude. I start from my house, but a good place to meet up is at Hwy 280 and Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park. There's a convenient place to park just west of 280.
The route winds through the foothills, through the town of Woodside, then up to the beginning of the first climb up Kings Mtn Road. There's a "secret" way to avoid the first section of Kings Mtn, which is narrow and has the most traffic. By turning right onto Greer Road just past the old Woodside Store, you can climb up through Huddart Park. You will definitely warm up on this road, as it ends with a short, steep section. Once onto Kings Mtn it's a steady climb all the way to Skyline at 2,000 ft elevation.
Continue straight across Hwy 35 to Tunitas Creek Road for the descent down toward the coast. Up until a couple of years ago it was a descent to avoid, as the road was full of potholes. There are still a couple of sketchy parts, but much of it is very smooth (and very slick when it's wet). It's a technical descent, so don't get overly ambitious. The first two miles are a gentle down, and this is the worst part of the road, but definitely tolerable with the gentle slope. Once you hit the steep part it's mostly well paved.
You can continue on Tunitas all the way to Highway 1 on the coast, but I prefer to take Lobitos Creek Road, which takes you back up on a short climb through some amazing landscapes, then back down to Highway 1, where you can take Purissima Creek Road back inland through more great countryside, another small climb, then a quick descent and nice flat on Higgins Canyon Road, all the way to the southern edge of Half Moon Bay.
Prevailing winds in this area are almost always from the North/Northwest, so once you turn south on Highway 1 you get a nice tailwind, a couple of small bumps, and a wonderful view of the ocean. On those days when the winds are from the south, you take this stretch in reverse and you get the tailwind going up Highway 1, but the roads through the hills shelter the wind enough that you don't get much of a headwind going back.
There are several ways to get back, but a good one to start is to just take Highway 1 about 10 miles back to the beginning of Tunitas Creek. The first few miles are relatively flat, plus you can stop and refuel at a cycling hut, built by a local resident. It's the only such hut I've ever seen. It's a small shelter with food, water, and an honor system of reimbursing the owner. You will definitely want to be hydrated and fueled up before you head back up Tunitas Creek.
Tunitas is a long steady climb, with a stretch of about 1.8 miles that is pretty steep. There are hardly EVER any cars or motorcycles on this road. It is by far the least traveled road in the area, perfect for cycling. OK, West Alpine is great too, but that's another post waiting to happen.
The descent down Kings Mtn is fast and fun with just a couple of technical turns. Go slow when it's wet!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Penryn, Placer County
34.5 miles, 2,850 ft vertical
Map: Click here
Easy/Moderate
OMG, I think I died and went to road cycling heaven today. I hope I wasn't dreaming.
While visiting my family in the Rocklin/Roseville area just east of Sacramento, I scoured online maps to see where I might be able to find a scenic 2 hour ride in the vicinity. Somehow I wound up in the ideal starting spot, at Trailhead Coffee & Cycling Lounge in Penryn. Unfortunately, they don't open until 8am on Sundays, so I started out heading north on Taylor Road without coffee, but still optimistic.
Just as I was approaching Hwy 80, I caught a road sign out of the corner of my eye for Ridge Rd. I made a quick turn and thus began a magical journey on such roads as Gold Hill Road, Mt Pleasant Road, and Garden Bar Road.
Suddenly I was in a pastoral wonderland of rolling hills and early winter greenery. I crossed three different streams that were all designated salmon habitats. Mountain-fed streams of fresh water would soon be homes to spawning salmon, more than 100 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Mandarin orange and persimmon orchards dot the landscape.
Ridge Road was a fun descent and a great climb to end the short out and back. Looking more closely at the terrain and roads in the surrounding area I can see there must be miles and miles of such roads in the Penryn/Auburn area. I want to investigate the hills east of Auburn, as it looks like many small roads leading to lakes and reservoirs.
Next time you are driving to Tahoe, or if you happen to be in the area, make sure you check out the quaint litle town of Penryn, and stop for a homemade trail bar at the Trailhead Coffee & Cycling Lounge. The coffee isn't very good, but it's a great place to start a ride, or to get some local knowledge from the two owners.
Map: Click here
Easy/Moderate
OMG, I think I died and went to road cycling heaven today. I hope I wasn't dreaming.
While visiting my family in the Rocklin/Roseville area just east of Sacramento, I scoured online maps to see where I might be able to find a scenic 2 hour ride in the vicinity. Somehow I wound up in the ideal starting spot, at Trailhead Coffee & Cycling Lounge in Penryn. Unfortunately, they don't open until 8am on Sundays, so I started out heading north on Taylor Road without coffee, but still optimistic.
Just as I was approaching Hwy 80, I caught a road sign out of the corner of my eye for Ridge Rd. I made a quick turn and thus began a magical journey on such roads as Gold Hill Road, Mt Pleasant Road, and Garden Bar Road.
Suddenly I was in a pastoral wonderland of rolling hills and early winter greenery. I crossed three different streams that were all designated salmon habitats. Mountain-fed streams of fresh water would soon be homes to spawning salmon, more than 100 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Mandarin orange and persimmon orchards dot the landscape.
Ridge Road was a fun descent and a great climb to end the short out and back. Looking more closely at the terrain and roads in the surrounding area I can see there must be miles and miles of such roads in the Penryn/Auburn area. I want to investigate the hills east of Auburn, as it looks like many small roads leading to lakes and reservoirs.
Next time you are driving to Tahoe, or if you happen to be in the area, make sure you check out the quaint litle town of Penryn, and stop for a homemade trail bar at the Trailhead Coffee & Cycling Lounge. The coffee isn't very good, but it's a great place to start a ride, or to get some local knowledge from the two owners.
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