Meet time: 6:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 7:00 a.m.
Meeting place: Three blocks west of the Mountain View Caltrain and VTA station, in the overflow parking lot at the corner of Evelyn Avenue and Franklin Street. (map)
City: Mountain View
Rain policy: Heavy rain cancels
Category: 3 - moderate-fast pace (12-15 mph)
Terrain: 2 - rolling hills
Miles: 88/110
Description:
Today, we're traveling all the way down to Gilroy. We head through Saratoga and Los Gatos, then go around south San Jose and up to the Calero and Uvas reservoirs, then in the back way to Gilroy. After that, we travel up the east side of the valley to Morgan Hill, back up Santa Teresa into south San Jose, then back through Los Gatos and Saratoga with a little attention-getting hill right at mile 100 just for fun.
The biggest challenge on this ride is the possibility of strong headwinds on the second half of the ride, making the flat terrain much more challenging. There's a bailout option at about 88 miles by taking the slow VTA light rail back to Mountain View -- not much faster than cycling.
Total climbing on this ride is about 2,900 feet. Our outstanding SAG service will be available.
The meeting point is next to some condominiums, so please keep noise to a minimum when arriving at this very early hour. The police station next door will notice if we become loud. Restrooms will not be available, not even at the police station, so take care of your needs before you arrive.
Leaders: Chris Thomas, Kathy Sherman, Thomas Fortin, Bob Katz, Amir Barzin, Linda Kemmer, Paul Vargas, Randy Files
RSVPs are requested but not required.