Quadrophenia Prelude #4: More, More, More (12/15/2013)

Date: Sunday, December 15
Meet time: 9:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 10:00 a.m.
Meeting place: Parking lot at Villa and Franklin streets, Mountain View (across from the Tied House) (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: 40

Description:

Our final prelude ride gets us into the spirit of what's to come in the main Quadrophenia rides starting next month: not just one attention-getting climb per day, and even more places where no training rides have gone before.

We start with the full climb up Magdalena Road in Los Altos Hills. Next, it's just a hop, skip, and a jump over the freeway to our next challenge, Highlands Circle (in the easier direction). Then, we get about 11 miles of relative calm (including a rest stop) as we make our way to Los Gatos for the main event: More Avenue. If you've never been there, I don't want to spoil the surprise, but there's a reason why the Strava segment for this street is simply called "Boing." After a second rest stop, we'll finish with another rare treat: a reverse Mount Eden climb, which is definitely the tougher direction (but, believe it or not, easier than the way we'll get there later in the season). After all that, you'll be plenty ready to join us in January when we begin our main Quadrophenia rides!

Ride With GPS reports about 2,620 feet of climbing; most GPS devices will report a little bit less.

This ride is Caltrain- and VTA-friendly. The first southbound train of the day leaves SF at 8:15 and arrives in Mountain View at 9:29. We're about four blocks from the station.

These rides are for experienced cyclists who know to safely handle their bikes on climbs and descents. Please RSVP even if you're not sure you're attending. We use the RSVPs to plan support (including free bagels!), and if the weather might cause problems, it's important that we be able to reach you. Also, join our Facebook group to get additional updates and scintillating conversation.


Click here to RSVP
RSVPs are requested but not required.

Quadrophenia Prelude #3: Egdirtsew (12/8/2013)

Date: Sunday, December 8
Meet time: 9:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 10:00 a.m.
Meeting place: Parking lot at Villa and Franklin streets, Mountain View (across from the Tied House) (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: 32

Description:

Our third prelude ride begins with a trip to Foothill College and the little climb up Taaffe Road, which might not hurt as bad because we're doing it at the beginning of the day. (Route through Los Altos Hills is subject to change, depending on the status of a major water main project.) After that, we'll take an easy ride to our rest stop in Menlo Park and then head counterclockwise around the Portola Valley loop to our main destination of the day: Egdirtsew.

Egdirtsew? That's reverse Westridge! In the forward direction, Westridge is quite steep -- and, in fact, it's how we'll begin our first official Quadrophenia ride in January. But in the reverse direction, it's considerably mellower, relatively speaking. The biggest challenge is the mind game that you'll play as you confront not one, not two, but three false summits on the way to the top of the hill! After that, it's all icing on the cake: the usual route through the Arastradero Nature Preserve and back home via the wooden bridge from Palo Alto to Mountain View.

There's a bit of climbing on this ride, but it's fairly well spread out across the day. Ride With GPS reports about 2,630 feet of climbing; most GPS devices will report a little bit less.

This ride is Caltrain- and VTA-friendly. The first southbound train of the day leaves SF at 8:15 and arrives in Mountain View at 9:29. We're about four blocks from the station.

These rides are for experienced cyclists who know to safely handle their bikes on climbs and descents. Please RSVP even if you're not sure you're attending. We use the RSVPs to plan support (including free bagels!), and if the weather might cause problems, it's important that we be able to reach you. Also, join our Facebook group to get additional updates and scintillating conversation.


Click here to RSVP
RSVPs are requested but not required.

Quadrophenia Prelude #2: Sarahills (11/10/2013)

Date: Sunday, November 10
Meet time: 9:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 10:00 a.m.
Meeting place: Parking lot at Villa and Franklin streets, Mountain View (across from the Tied House) (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: 27

Description:

For our second prelude ride, we're off to Saratoga. But before we get there, we'll climb to the Parker Ranch area near the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve to see (but not ride) some of the steep hills we'll be tackling later in the season. Then, it's time for our main climb of the day: Sarahills Drive, a little-used connector between Saratoga-Sunnyvale and Pierce roads. It's only 0.4 mile, but feel free to take a break or two to savor the views and prepare for the descent. After a brief rest stop, we'll return to Mountain View on a mostly easy route ... well, except for our little detour on Cristo Rey Drive and through the Rancho San Antonio area. Can you feel it?

Ride With GPS reports about 1,400 feet of climbing; most GPS devices will report a little bit less.

This ride is Caltrain- and VTA-friendly. The first southbound train of the day leaves SF at 8:15 and arrives in Mountain View at 9:29. We're about four blocks from the station.

These rides are for experienced cyclists who know to safely handle their bikes on climbs and descents. Please RSVP even if you're not sure you're attending. We use the RSVPs to plan support (including free bagels!), and if the weather might cause problems, it's important that we be able to reach you. Also, join our Facebook group to get additional updates and scintillating conversation.


Click here to RSVP
RSVPs are requested but not required.

Quadrophenia Prelude #1: Alta Tierra (11/3/2013)

Date: Sunday, November 3
Meet time: 9:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 10:00 a.m.
Meeting place: Parking lot at Villa and Franklin streets, Mountain View (across from the Tied House) (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: 22

Description:

For ALC 2014, the Mountain View training rides are new, new, new! We've got a set of rides that are lovingly called Quadrophenia -- our tour of some of the steepest (and, often, little-known) hills of the Peninsula and South Bay. Quadrophenia begins in January, but before that, we've got four "prelude" rides that will help you reawaken your climbing legs with some moderate challenges.

For our first prelude ride, we'll play around in Los Altos Hills. We'll visit Barley Hill on our way to the little-known Alta Tierra Road. It's a bit steep, but it's only 0.2 mile, and there's no shame at all in walking some or all of it. After that, we'll climb to Neary Rock Quarry from the (easier) Foothill College side and finish with a trip around the easier side of the Los Altos Golf & Country Club.

This might sound like a lot of climbing, but it's not: Ride With GPS reports only about 1,365 feet of climbing; most GPS devices will report a little bit less.

This ride is Caltrain- and VTA-friendly. The first southbound train of the day leaves SF at 8:15 and arrives in Mountain View at 9:29. We're about four blocks from the station.

These rides are for experienced cyclists who know to safely handle their bikes on climbs and descents. Please RSVP even if you're not sure you're attending. We use the RSVPs to plan support (including free bagels!), and if the weather might cause problems, it's important that we be able to reach you. Also, join our Facebook group to get additional updates and scintillating conversation.


Click here to RSVP
RSVPs are requested but not required.