Marsh Valley Road to Brentwood

This Saturday took me on a route I have ridden before, well at least most of it. Basic route was Marsh Creek Road on the North side of Mt Diablo. Ride through the foothills out to the flats of Brentwood. Gorgeous rolling California hills with Mt Diablo rising to the South - once out in Brentwood, pretty much flat, ugly suburbs, but, that offers some flat lands to get some basic mileage in. Route is here.

Got on the road around 10:00, a bit late, but felt good to get out the door at a comfortable hour. It took about an hour to get really into the groove of the ride. First hill is significant, but not anything as bad as I remember from riding it in October. Guess I'm getting in better shape! Hills were super green and creeks were flowing, although not with raging water.

Plaque and my transport

Last time, I turned up Deer Valley Road - this time, I decided to go a bit further east, to the completion of Marsh Creek Road. And, I am glad I did! Discovered a really cool historical landmark with a plaque telling about Dr. Marsh, first doctor in California, who settled this area. Guess that is who the creek is named after.

Hot dogs!

Worked my way up Walnut Ave., which is interestingly, still lined with orchards, cherry I believe. A nice site to see in the suburban sprawl of Brentwood. Rode through Brentwood and stumbled onto a hotdog stand - thought I died and went to heaven - I LOVE hotdogs. Good dog, iced tea and some cookies for dessert. I noticed a few questionable stickers in the window, "Freedom does not come free" and another one, but didn't think much of them until I stepped away from the stand to take this picture. Notice the cross on top of the building - now it all fell into place. Interesting to me that the woman and the two teenage girls working with her (probably her daughters) were incredibly nice - very tempted to strike up a conversation and see where it went, but alas, gotta ride. I love stumbling onto stuff like this!

My ride continued out Lone Tree Way, way too many cars on that road, but it's tolerable. Then back to the countryside on Deer Valley Road. I was apprehensive about the ride back, knew I'd have wind in my face and 1000' of climbing, but it went faster and easier than I thought. Nice to see!

Ride Statistics

• Mileage: 50
• Time Riding: 4:00
• Avg Speed: 12.2
• Avg Cadence: 76
• Physical Feeling: Tired at the end, but not extremely so. No pain or bad aches. Did Ibuprofen before the ride, stretched and iced afterwards. Felt fantastic at the end, not too wiped out that evening and next day, all was fine. Minimal to no leg sensation and energy was good enough to do 25 min of rowing on Sunday.

Lucas Valley Road to Pt. Reyes Station

This ride was on Saturday May 8. Started on Lucas Valley Road, near Hwy 101. The route is here. A clear and windy day - somewhat apprehensive of the wind, which was out of the West, meaning in my face as I rode out to Pt. Reyes. But, apprehension not needed, the wind was a challenge, but not that bad. I'm a sailor, the wind is my friend.

The ride along Lucas Valley was serene and incredibly scenic. Green carpeted hills, blue sky, trees and few cars. Ideal riding conditions. The hill getting me up and over to the Nicasio side was significant - had to take a few rests, but did it fine. Great vistas from atop the hill! Nice downhill, into the redwoods and then, off to Nicasio on Nicaso Valley Rd. Short stop at the grocery store to take a bio break and rest a bit.

Looking E from atop the hill

Looking E from top of the hill

I love Nicasio - it's an incredibly small and old town, hard to believe it is just a hop away in Marin County. The church is always a treat, as is the school house. Once out of the town, the reservoir opens up to provide more incredible scenery. Look closely and you'll see the rough water the wind was working up. Wind in my face, but it was enjoyable!

Nicasio Church

Nicasio Reservoir

 The ride around the reservoir was super nice. Felt good, decent energy and soaking up the scenery. Making pretty good time to get to Pt. Reyes Station by lunch time. Just after the turn to head out to Pt. Reyes Station, I saw this boat in someone's yard - had to grab a picture!

Decent lunch in Pt. Reyes station at the I forget it's name cafe. Saw a group of ALC riders also having their lunch - must have been 20-30 of them. Nice to see. Rested about 45 minutes with my lunch, then headed off on my return. Nice climb back up Sir Frances Drake - a hill I have driven many times in the past and always commented on bikers pedaling hard to get up the hill - now I am one of the bikers! Overall, great ride back with the wind at my back for most of the ride. Picture below is atop the Lucas Valley Hill, on my return. Boulder pretty much marks the crest of the hill.

Crest on Lucas Valley Road

Date: 5/8  Saturday

Ride Statistics

• Time: 3:50
• Dist: 46.5
• Average Speed: 12
• Avg Cadence: 75
• Feeling: Good overall. No aches or pains, decent energy. Some lower back pain on left side, usual, but walking it out helped alot. Ibuprofen in the morning, ice afterwards. Felt fine next day.

Tiburon Loop and Belvedere

What a day! First very warm weather of the year - great excuse to take my hubby Ross and close friend Steve out for a ride. No more beautiful place to ride than the Tiburon Loop. Route is here.

We met up with some of Steve's coworkers in Larkspur, rode the usual loop, with no wind and 75 luscious degrees of warmth. A nice stop at Cafe Acri for some pastries and then, over to Belvedere for some incredible views of the bay and San Francisco. This was the first ride for Ross in many months and he did super - a new ride for Steve, he had never ridden here and, it was a treat to experience it through his 'virgin' eyes.

Ross and Steve

Ride Statistics

• Distance: 22 miles
• Time Ridden: 1:50

Day on the Ride - ALC (Saturday April 23)

What a day this was! This is an event that ALC puts on to give us an idea of what a typical day on the ride is like. It's a fully supported ride - rest stops, lunch, marked route, maintenance help, sag wagon - it's all there, including the people and the lines! The route is here. Was to be my longest ride yet and, with more hills than I have done, period. Over 4000' total climbing, yikes!

Inside Mike's Bikes

The ride started at Mike's Bikes in downtown San Rafael. Fantastic support from these guys, basically lend their store and parking lot to ALC for the day. Lots of people, food, and starting speeches to get people going. We took off around 8:20, in waves.

Rest Stop One

Nice ride through San Anselmo, then out Sir Francis Drake Blvd. First significant hill was, well, significant. Quickly peeled off all extra warm clothing - leg warmers and coat. Quickly adopted a good strategy to keep me safe, injury wise that is. Would stop on hills when I felt tired - just rest for 3-5 minutes, walk it out. Then continue riding. Seemed to be a good strategy. Rode out past Woodacre - past Spirit Rock Meditation Center, then up Nicasio Road to the reservoir. First rest stop just past Nicasio. Got some chow, drink and got to talk with some of the Poz Peddlers - I am curious to learn more about them and look forward to talking with some members during the ride.

Some Different Spokes Friends

Cheese Hill

Out on the road again, it's around 10:30. Off to the Cheese Factory, which means climbing the Cheese Hill. Pretty long and challenging, but again, with a stop midway, not too bad. Besides, the green carpet that spreads in every direction, the singing birds and sweet air - well, they all are a great motivation to just keep peddling. Absolutely stunning countryside.

Atop Wilson Hill

The most significant hill of the day was Wilson Hill, about 1/2 way to lunch. Killer steep hill and pretty long. But, with a rest midway and motivation of a coworker, Steve, made it to the top! Felt very good to get up this hill.



After lunch, was starting to feel the tiredness. Slow pace for a while. Some hills to climb, but I knew we were headed home. Rest stop 3 was a charm - by Stafford Lake near Novato, very pretty and very relaxing. Nice to sit down for a while, stretch, eat and relax. Ride from this point, back to San Rafael was pretty easy, pretty flat too. Pulled into Mike's Bikes around 5. Not a super fast pace, but I did it - my longest ride so far and other than very tired, felt fine. Happy to know my back/leg were able to take it.

David, checking us in at the end

Ride Statistics

• Distance: 65 miles
• Time: 5:50
• Rest stops: 3 including lunch
• Avg speed: 11 mpg
• Avg cadence: 67
• How I felt: very tired, but no undue pain. Lower back pain for sure, tight and sore quads, but not overly so. Took ibuprofen before and during the ride (2 pills). Stretched before and after ride and iced after ride. No bad affects on Sunday nor Monday, seems like my body took to it pretty well.

Contra Costa County Ride with Low Rollers

I continued to introduce rolling hills on this ride. This ride was on Saturday April 16. It was roughly the same distance as the previous week, 48 miles, with more total climbing. Ride is here.

Rode with Larry, a friend of Steve, my friend who inspired me on this whole adventure. Larry is also riding the ALC ride in June. Early meet at the Orinda BART - 7AM, ouch. But, it sure is beautiful at that time! I could actually hear the birds singing as we rode down Moraga Way, or was I in a sleepless stupor just imagining it?

Larry

The ride took us out through Moraga, past St. Mary's College. Incredibly green, incredibly pretty. Worked our way through Lafayette to the south end of Walnut Creek. Not my favorite roads to this point - pretty, rural, but no shoulders and feels a bit scary. But it's worth it and better early in the morning when there is less traffic.

Continued down Danville Blvd, which has a GREAT shoulder. Nice flat ride for a bit. Turned east on El Cerro, which turns into Blackhawk Blvd. This skirts the south side of Mt. Diablo, nice rolling hills, nice open, green countryside. Joins in with Camino Tassajara, which we rode as a nice several mile downhill. All feeling good to this point.

Quick return on Danville Blvd, through Lafayette. Skipped the short, but wall of a hill on Reliz Station Rd, taking the Lafayette-Moraga trail instead. Good choice, still trying not to overdo it with hills.

Finish up with a filling lunch of greek food in Orinda, good chat, then back to the cars to head home. One nice thing about a 7AM start is that we were finished by 1PM. Overall, not too tired, minimal aches. Next day, Sunday, was pretty tired though.

Ride Statistics

• Distance: 48 miles
• Time riding: 3:50
• Average speed: 12.5
• Average cadence: 69
• How I felt after the ride: Minimal achiness, a bit of tingling in the leg. Definitely tired, but not overly so. Took Ibuprofen before I rode and perhaps that helped, especially for the day after the ride.

Jersey Ride with DSSF

Rode with the Different Spokes club on Saturday April 9. This is their monthly Jersey Ride. It was pretty much perfect for me - 47 miles, mild hills, some of them significant, good lunch spot and INCREDIBLE scenery. The ride is here.

Rode out from Peet's in the Castro, through Golden Gate park, through the Presidio to the Golden Gate Bridge. First time I have ever ridden over the Golden Gate - been under it many times (in a sailboat), but never over it on a bike. It's a great experience, incredibly pretty and, requires alot of attention. Pathway is not that wide and there are plenty of other bikers on it. Getting around the towers is an 'interesting' experience! But, I did it fine. Followed the group down over the bridge, down the hill into Sausalito. Then, along the bike path towards Mill Valley. Love the path, good riding. Have seen it for years from Hwy 101 - now, finally rode it. Up over Camino Alto - long hill, but not a bad climb. Felt good to make it to the top, then a nice downhill. Gotta thank Joseph from the club for being the BEST sweep ever - guy just watched out for me, knowing I'd be going a bit slower and did not know the route that well. Super guys in this club!

Lunch at Cafe Acri

David - One of the ride leaders

Evan - Performed my
wedding

A short ride now to the Tiburon Peninsula. Rode this with my hubby Ross and friend Pete in October of last year, nice ride. No flat this time and, I was more warmly dressed. Incredible ride - views are killer. On the way, get passed by a woman in a DSSF jersey - imagine that. It was Nancy - she was catching up with the group, started late. We chatted as we rode and it wasn't long until we pulled into Tiburon to eat at Cafe Acri. Good lunch and good rest.

Resting in Sausalito

The fountain in Sausalito

Then, off to ride the hills (gentle ones) of Belvedere. Another place I have sailed around and seen for many years, but have never been on the peninsula. Love my bike - it's gets me to places I have never been to before! Continue riding and soon pull into Sausalito. Catch up with Roger and Frank and take an ice cream break with them - well, they had the ice cream, I had a Cliff Bar (forever being healthy!). Then, we mozie across the street and lay in the grass, by a fountain and rest/nap for a bit over 30 minutes. Just what the doc ordered - perfect! Felt so good and gave me the energy to ride up Alexander, a significant hill up to the Golden Gate Bridge. Nice ride across the bridge with an INCREDIBLE cross wind - I was really surprised how strong the wind was, probably 25-30 knots and at a cross angle. Made for some interesting riding!

Back to the car around 4, ahh, tired but felt good to have ridden this far. A nice goal to have achieved.

Ride Statistics

• Total Distance: 50 miles
• Time Riding: 4:20
• Elevation Gain: 2380 
• Average Speed: 11.5 mph
• Average Cadence: 70 rpm
• How I felt: Good steady ride. Felt a bit tired after 20 miles. Good rest at lunch. Some minor lower back pain, left side, as usual. Did Camino Alto hill slowly, but no problem. No severe discomfort. Did Belevedere hills fine. Decent speed on flat lands - around 13-15 mph. Took a long rest in Sausalito (30-45 minutes), ate Cliff Bar. Was able to make it up Alexander Ave. fine - slowly, but did it. Some climbing too in the Presidio. Lesson for next time: walk bike around towers on Golden Gate if windy or crowded. Next day, just tired and sore muscles, no problems though. 
• Definitely tired the next day, sore legs, both of them. Noticeable increase in tingling on Monday. Remember to take Ibuprofen before I ride to keep inflammation down.

Canada Road (Sunday April 2)

Today's ride was a perfect increment for me. Rode with the Different Spokes bike club from San Francisco. The ride was a decent amount of mileage and, the introduction of some real hills. Nothing major hill-wise, but some decent hills nonetheless.

Rest Stop at Arastradero Park

We started at Gunn High School on Arastradero Road in Palo Alto. Rode through Woodside, past Robert's Market (more on that later), onto Canada Road. The ride was gorgeous, few cars, lots of trees and good people to ride with. I've never really ridden through Woodside - it's an experience. Feels so far away from the urbanity of the Bay Area and yet, you are right in the middle of it. Great place to ride.

A few miles up Canada Road, at Edgewood Road, cars are blocked off on Sunday. Well, it was Sunday and yes, NO CARS. That freedom starts just past Filoli Gardens. Wonderful to ride freely on the road. We got up to Hwy 92, our turnaround point. Rested a bit, chatted, took some pictures and rode back, with a stop at Robert's Market for lunch

Crystal Springs Reservoir

Canada Rd from turnaround

Robert's Market - well it's as upscale as it gets. Incredible selection of foods, which is really dangerous when you are hungry from a ride. Got a great turkey sandwich, pint of milk and stationed myself outside, in the sun, next to the other riders also eating their lunch. Nice, relaxing time. Only hard part is getting back on the saddle to finish the ride - body really enjoys the rest!

Ride back was mostly downhill, the ride over to Sand Hill and along Sand Hill was in open fields. Really pretty this time of year - felt like the hills of Ireland it was so green. Got back to Gunn High School somewhere around 1:30, said goodbye and then, off to see my brother at Stanford Hospital. Very nice to be so close to him on this ride.

Ride Statistics

• Total Distance: 35 miles
• Time Riding: 3:00
• Average Speed: 13.5 mph
• Average Cadence:
• How I felt: No problems with leg or back. Hills were no problem. Did eat every hour, did try to get off bike periodically - walk it out for a few minutes. Tired the next day, but nothing major.