Building Up - Riding the Iron Horse Trail

Beat the rain again! Rode the Iron Horse trail, which runs from North Concord all the way south to Pleasanton. It runs along the right away of a petroleum pipeline. Great easy ride, which was a perfect next step for me. Slight elevation gain - 300 feet over the 13 miles I rode south.  You can read some about the Iron Horse trail here and see my ride here.

I was aiming for 30 miles round trip - got to 28 easily. The trail starts near Hwy 4 in North Concord, very non-descript beginning, to the east of Buchanan Field. It follows the Walnut Creek (the namesake of the town for sure) to downtown Walnut Creek. Took a picture of a small water falls on the creek, somewhere in Concord. There was a significant amount of water flowing, no surprise.

Danville Park - Turnaround point

Riding through downtown Walnut Creek is a bit hairy, many streets to cross, but only for a few miles. Once I reached Rudgear Rd., the trail crossed under I-680 and follows Danville Blvd. south. Very easy to ride, no big streets any longer, just short side streets coming off Danville Blvd. Very green and peaceful. I felt a little tingling in my leg and promised myself I would not push too hard, so decided to turn around a few miles early. Good turn around point at a Danville city park - bio-break, rest, water and some Goo (yum!). Figured if I still wanted a bit more riding, could add a few more miles at the north end. 

Ride back seemed easier - once I saw the ride profile, I realized why. Slight downhill the whole way. Ride went quickly. Just into Concord, I passed this garage and turned back to get a picture. The bright colors drew me in at first - then I notice the saying on the upper right side - wow, blew me away. "If you want to see a miracle, be the miracle." Really touched my heart.

If you want to see a miracle, be the miracle!

Continued the ride north, did an extra 2 miles at the north end by the airfield and then, back to the car, loaded up the bike and drove home. Stopped in Orinda for a Casper's hotdog and some chocolate milk - my riding friend David would appreciate the food ending! I sure did.

My wheels

North end of the Iron Horse Trail

Ride Statistics

• Distance: 28.5 miles
• Time riding: 2:15
• Elevation Gain: 300'
• Wind: Minimal
• Physical Feeling: Some tiredness in legs by 12 miles or so. Some tingling in left leg too. Decided to turn around at 13 miles, instead of 15. Ride back was easier, did some higher gear riding - did all low gear, high cadence on way down. Felt fine, but tired, by end. No pain afterwards nor next day. Rolled out and stretched both before and after the ride.