Tunnel Road to Skyline Blvd - The Hills are Alive

This was my first Autumn ride. Friday, September 24 - took the day off because my dad was visiting. Got out for an early ride, gave him time to wake up and do all the stuff, slowly, that an 88 year old guy does. He actually doesn't do that much, just takes a loonnng time.

The ride was up Tunnel Road, a steady climb to Skyline Blvd. You can see the ride here. This ride was a good test of hill endurance - a steady climb from about 150 feet at the house to 1500 feet at the highest point on Skyline - climb was over 6 miles. Nice goal that I wasn't sure I could do. Took it at a slow to moderate pace, 5-7 mph on the hill, and sure enough, did it!

Bay Area from Skyline

The ride is incredibly beautiful. Funny, I've never been on Tunnel Road  to Skyline - it's great to get out on the bike, gets me to places I haven't been before. The ride goes through much of the Oakland fire zone from the 1991 fire - all is rebuilt now and many trees regrown. Only thing strange is the preponderance of 4000 sq ft homes on the hills, looks crowded. Very obvious why people died in the fire - the road is thin and has many hairpin turns - no way you could possibly escape with a wind-blown fire on your ass.Good reason to ride a bike.

Turned left where Tunnel Road takes you to the beginning of Hwy 13, onto Caldecott Lane. OMG, feels like you are already on the top of the world. Pedal about a half mile to where Tunnel turns off to ascend the hill. Ahh, I'm curious how hard this climb will be. Surprisingly, not too bad for the first mile, steady climb, in lowest gear, but not very hard to pedal. Busy looking for a good place to stop to take a picture, but am lazy, don't want to stop and decleat - just want to keep riding. The views are awsome. It was 9:30 when I started the ride, so not too hot yet. Today is the first day of some predicted heat - really great to have a warm day, finally. Many of the hairpin turns bring incredible vistas of the Caldecott Tunnel as well as the entire Bay Area - from SF Airport all the way to Mt. Tam in Marin county. Gotta love living here!

I did it!!

The miles go by and the climb seems to be consistently moderate, but believe me, I notice each mileage sign. Tunnel Rd is a bike path - so Oakland has it marked with mileage signs identifying various destinations, like the East Bay Regional Parks. I am pleasantly surprised to get to the intersection of Skyline and Tunnel Road, a marker for me. Almost to the top (or so I think)! And, I am not too tired - not huffing and puffing (able to carry on a conversation with myself - damn I'm a good conversationalist or just bloody crazy), no burning legs, no aches or pains anywhere - yet. Really cool to feel my conditioning getting better. Here is a pictures from the intersection of Broadway Terrace and Skyline, proof I was there.

It really feels good to get to the area where Skyline flattens out. Ride by several East Bay Regional Parks - Sibley, Roberts and finally Redwood (my favorite). Lots of trees and very few cars - nice to be able to get out on a weekday when there are few cars. Ride by the house we rented when we first moved out here in 1981 - still looks the same. (8081 Skyline)  The ride is relatively flat, many pine trees, houses on the West side of the road, past Chabot Observatory and into the middle of Redwood Park, a place Ross and I love to hike. Hmm, there is a significant hill down to the intersection of Joaquin Miller. I can tell I am getting a bit tired. There is a half mile more to Joaquin Miller and I elect to bag that last half mile. Enough hills for the day - goal is to keep these rides fun, so I do! I stop, eat my Cliff Bar and get ready to ride the return trip. Oops, learn a good lesson - never take a chocolate covered Cliff Bar again and stash it in the bike jersey - it was like chocolate syrup - yummy, but a friggen mess. Continue to be careful to drink plenty of water - even getting it down to drink while I ride - another small feat of coordination for me. Also practicing some standing pedaling - not sure I like that much, yet.

The ride back is, well, fantastic. Try 3-4 miles of relatively flat shaded riding followed by 6 miles of downhill. OMG - this is why people take this ride. Amazing ride, beautiful downhill, no cars, total fun and feeling very good about balance on the bike while going fast. Hit 32 mph as maximum speed - plenty for now. Got back in no time - about 45 minutes. Great feeling of accomplishment!

Ride statistics:

• Distance: 20.5 miles
• Time riding: 2 hours, 10 minutes
• Average speed: 10 mpg
• Total climb: 2100 feet
• Highest elevation: 1498 feet
• Physical feelings
• Not out of breath
• Careful to keep well hydrated - drank 1.5 bottles of water
• No burning legs
• Slight ache in left hip, usual ache there
• A bit of numbness in hand as descending the hill, due to too much time in fully crouched position
• Rest of the day
• Somewhat tired, but not wiped out
• Drank much water, ate a great lunch and dinner, trying to eat well in recovery time
• Legs feel tired, but no soreness
• Ate a bit more on Thursday and Wednesday to prepare for the ride (tip from a book)