Date: Saturday, July 23
Meet time: 8:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 9:00 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: 2 - moderate pace (10-12 mph)
Terrain: 3 - rolling hills with some steep climbs
Miles: 44
Description:
Welcome to a weekly series of eight training rides to help you get ready for the Double Bay Double and/or Seismic Challenge! These rides will gradually increase to about 80 miles and will take place every Saturday from downtown Mountain View. The main focus is on gradually building your ability to deal with moderate hills, but we'll hit a bunch of other training points as well as we travel throughout the Peninsula and South Bay, with maybe a venture or two into the East Bay.
To get things started, we'll visit the Arastradero Nature Preserve and then head up Alpine Road. But where most training rides turn at Roberts Market, we'll continue going ... all the way to the end of the paved road, another 3.4 miles up into the foothills. It's mostly a moderate climb with just a couple of very brief moments of steepness, and the road surface is excellent and lightly traveled. We'll pause briefly at the top and then turn around and go back down the way we came.
Then, we'll pass through Woodside and head a bit up Cañada Road, where we'll do Jefferson Avenue in the downhill direction. Finally, it's an easy spin along Alameda de las Pulgas and Foothill Expressway back to Mountain View.
Before attempting this ride, you should have completed at least one ride of 30 miles in the past month. If you've been off your bicycle since the end of ALC10, don't make this your very first ride -- do at least one practice ride in advance.
RSVPs are requested but not required. 