Date: Sunday, August 24Meet time: 9:40 a.m.
Ride-out time: 10:00 a.m.
Meeting place: Stevenson Elementary School, 750 San Pierre Way (map)
City: Mountain View
Rain policy: Rain cancels
Category: 2 - moderate pace (10-12 mph)
Terrain: 4 - some steep hills; one long climb
Miles: 58
Description:
After a month of flirting with the coastal mountains (who knew we could be such a tease), today we finally begin our full-throttled assault on our altimeters.
Our quest is the summit of Montebello Road, a climb of 5.2 miles to a top elevation of about 2,560 feet. (That's just about as high as Mount Tamalpais!) But you can think of it as three separate climbs. The first mile averages 9% and is moderately challenging. The middle three miles average only 6% and offer some relief. The final mile averages only 7%, but it has a few very steep (double-digit) pitches on the way to an epic dead end with amazing views of the valley. Your reward for all that climbing? An epic 5.2-mile descent, but watch out for wildlife, oncoming traffic, and debris.
But if Montebello were our only destination of the day, that wouldn't be a very long ride ... and it wouldn't simulate the riding on Day 1 of DBD4, when we have a couple thousand feet of additional climbing after we reach our peak altitude of almost 3,200 feet early in the day. So we've packed today's ride with a few extra bonus (smaller) climbs both before and after Montebello. We've got the backside of Pierce Road from Highway 9 to the Mountain Winery (the easier direction), the backside of Mount Eden (OK, not so easy), and Barley Hill. And we'll also do West Loyola Drive, the same hill that began last week's ride ... but it's at the end of the ride this time, and you might notice some difference in how you feel about it!
Ride With GPS reports about 4,300 feet of climbing for this ride.
Our new location is an easy 1.1-mile ride from the Mountain View Caltrain station; the first southbound train from San Francisco arrives in Mountain View at 9:29 a.m. We've adjusted our meet time so Caltrain riders can make our meet time.
Toilets and water are available nearby at Stevenson Park; Safeway and Jack In The Box are a half-mile away at Shoreline Blvd.
Click here to RSVP now
RSVPs are recommended but not required.
