Do-it-yourself training ride: Quarry Hills
In discussions with a couple of riders, I've been asked about the best places to get some quick hill training in the Mountain View area. Here is a 15-mile ride that I use for exactly that purpose; it's got about 1,250 feet of climbing, with nearly all of it concentrated in the middle 8 miles of the route.
With all of the hills around here, why do I like this route? It's close to home (and to our usual Mountain View meeting point, which is where I officially start this ride), it's got an easy 3-mile warm-up and cool-down, the hills are challenging but not impossible, and there are a few places where I can bail out if I run short of time or get tired. It's also mildly scenic, especially the first time you do it; if you've never seen the Quarry Lake area, you're in for quite a surprise -- and I won't spoil it for you any more than that.
This is not an easy ride -- at least for me it's not. I did this ride today, and my average speed on the ride was a full 3 mph less than my usual pace these days. Many of the descents on this ride are especially narrow, winding, and steep, and extreme caution is advised.
If you're a novice rider, you probably shouldn't do this ride by yourself the first time you attempt it. But whether you're a newbie or an experienced rider, it's entirely possible that you'll get lost in the maze of tough-to-find turns and winding roads. But don't panic -- if you get lost, just head generally downhill, and you'll eventually make your way to Foothill Expressway, from which you can find your way back.
I've even gone to the trouble of making you a turn-by-turn route sheet in handy ALC-like format. Here it is.
Ride report: Cat-3 Distance Training #2
Go, riders!What an intrepid group you are. Despite an uncertain weather forecast, 31 riders showed up this morning for our 45-mile ride into the Peninsula hills and the Pulgas Water Temple (pictured at right), marking the western end of the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct. We braved light mist, a few sprinkles, a few minutes of almost-rain, and (depending on your pace) even a few minutes of sunshine. And by my late count, we also braved at least 11 flat tires during the course of the day!
As miserable as today's conditions were at times, this ride was actually good practice for ALC. Many years, the beginning of Day 1 is almost exactly like what we encountered today. The ride from Daly City up to Skyline Blvd. is often chilly and misty, and there's often a light drizzle as we head down the Peninsula. (We'll be riding this part of the Day 1 route later on this season as part of Ride 7 in our set of 10 rides.) Today's conditions certainly weren't my favorite conditions for riding, but it's important to get experience with this type of riding because, sooner or later, on ALC or somewhere else, it'll happen again. (And just think of our ALCers in less temperate climates who deal with snow at this time of year!)
Although we had 31 riders start today's ride, we had two DNFs (cyclingspeak for "did not finish"). Ride leader Ken had two of the forementioned flats in just the first two miles, so he returned to the start and very graciously became a SAG (cyclingspeak for "support and gear") driver for the rest of the day. That became very important when one of our riders fell while cycling on Cañada Road. Fortunately, the rider only had a few scrapes (and a mangled leg warmer), but his bicycle didn't fare quite so well, and he wasn't able to keep riding. Ken brought him back to Mountain View, so we were very fortunate to have Ken's services today. On my longer rides, I will have at least one SAG driver for just such eventualities, and I'm trying to get some drivers for our upcoming "shorter" rides (i.e., less than 100 miles) as well.After riding in today's conditions, your bike was probably as dirty as mine. If you haven't done so already, take some time to thoroughly clean your bike, including the chain and gears. Water often is acceptable (but not in a high-pressure car wash!), and bike shops sell various types of cleaners that often work well on your bike's components. I use a "citrus-based" cleaner that wipes things down rather easily and also serves as a good chain cleaner.
A few notes from the road:
Today's route traveled roads that are popular with many of the area's high-end cycling and racing teams, and we saw several of those groups today. I'm sure you noticed that they usually don't ride according to the same rules that we do! While many team riders are generally law-abiding, some are not, giving cyclists in general a poor reputation in communities such as Woodside. (We could go on for hours about the pros and cons of large racing teams on rural Bay Area roads, but I digress.) For us, the best strategy usually is to give the team riders a wide berth (they'll usually be passing you, instead of the other way around) and allow yourself plenty of leeway in case one of them does something unexpected -- like nearly crossing the center line, as one of our riders saw happen today.
One thing that disappointed me a bit today was that I didn't hear "CAR BACK!" as much as I would like. In general, you should call this out whenever a vehicle is approaching from behind and you're not riding in a bike lane or on a wide shoulder. Even on city streets with a 25 mph speed limit, "CAR BACK!" is important so that we can co-exist with the other users of the road. If you hear "CAR BACK!" behind you, you should call it forward, all the way to the front of the line. Sometimes you should wait a second or two before calling it forward, depending on how fast the vehicle is moving. Otherwise, the person at the front hears "CAR BACK!" so early that there's a long time before the vehicle actually reaches them, and they don't know when the "CAR" is really "BACK!". And if you didn't figure it out, I put "CAR BACK!" in all caps because you really should use your "outside voice" on this and all other verbal alerts to other riders.
And for those who are wondering about the amount of climbing in today's ride, most of the remaining Cat-3 Distance Training rides don't get much more hilly than this, at least in terms of feet per mile over the entire day. Sure, we'll have some bigger hills -- and Ride 6 to the coast is a very hilly ride -- but all you'll need to do for most of the rides is be able to sustain today's pace over a longer distance.That leads us gracefully into our next ride. On Saturday, February 7, we'll do a 50-mile ride that will take us to the very same grocery store in Woodside that we went to today. But we'll take a roundabout route: We'll start by going to Santa Clara and then back up the Peninsula through downtown Palo Alto. The first half of the ride will be nearly flat, but all of our climbing (almost as much climbing as we did all day today) will be packed into the second half of the ride. This will be an interesting exercise in learning to pace yourself and, for many of us, forcing yourself to ride at something less than 100% intensity for the first half of the ride so that you have the energy to ride the hills of the second half -- another skill that you'll find very handy to have in June. Details and RSVP are here.
Don't forget to do other training rides in addition to the Cat-3 Distance Training rides. It's time to get in the habit of riding on at least two consecutive days. Depending on where you live, consider the Sunday Cat-2 rides in San Francisco, the East Bay, or Sunnyvale. Cat-3 and stronger riders are always welcome!
Thank you for being part of AIDS/LifeCycle.
Saturday morning weather update
Good morning, riders!
Today's ride is ON.
Although a couple of forecast models continue to say we might get wet, most folks are saying that our part of the Bay Area will be dry until early evening.
Part of our route involves riding down the moderately steep hill on Edgewood Road from the I-280 junction. There's a rocky hillside immediately adjacent to the bike lane, and it's possible that the rain will cause rocks to be in our path. It's easy to quickly build up speed on this hill, so be especially careful when descending Edgewood! Also be careful in shady areas, and watch out for debris such as tree branches and large accumulations of leaves.
It's possible that we'll encounter a few light sprinkles during the ride, so bring a jacket. The good news is that the overcast conditions kept the temperature up overnight, and it's in the low 50s even before sunrise -- but it won't get much warmer than that during the day.
Today's ride is ON.
Although a couple of forecast models continue to say we might get wet, most folks are saying that our part of the Bay Area will be dry until early evening.
Part of our route involves riding down the moderately steep hill on Edgewood Road from the I-280 junction. There's a rocky hillside immediately adjacent to the bike lane, and it's possible that the rain will cause rocks to be in our path. It's easy to quickly build up speed on this hill, so be especially careful when descending Edgewood! Also be careful in shady areas, and watch out for debris such as tree branches and large accumulations of leaves.
It's possible that we'll encounter a few light sprinkles during the ride, so bring a jacket. The good news is that the overcast conditions kept the temperature up overnight, and it's in the low 50s even before sunrise -- but it won't get much warmer than that during the day.
Cat-3 Distance Training #6: San Gregorio and Pescadero (3/21/2009)
Meet time: 7:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 8:00 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: Rain cancels
Category: 3 - moderate-fast pace (12-15 mph)
Terrain: 3 - rolling hills with some steep climbs
Miles: 81
Description:
Get ready to climb! Today we're going to the coast via Old La Honda Road, with the long, thrilling descent down Highway 84 to San Gregorio. From there, we'll travel down the coast for a few miles on Highway 1 into Pescadero, and then we'll return to San Gregorio via the hills of Stage Road. From there, it's back up Highway 84 for 14 miles to the summit, with an easy return through Woodside. Total climbing on this ride is about 5,400 feet.
This ride has a 65-mile option that omits the Pescadero loop and reduces the total climbing to about 3,600 feet. Do not attempt the full 81-mile ride unless you already have done a hilly ride of 65 miles or more this season.
Because there is so much climbing on this ride, most riders will probably be closer to the low end of the Cat-3 range than the high end, and that's OK. Limited SAG vehicle support will be available.
After the ride, many of us will be gathering for celebration at a Mexican restaurant near the meeting point. Details will be sent in the Rider's Briefing that you get when you RSVP.
Route sheet for this ride is here.
Be sure to check the Training section of the ALC website for information on how to prepare for a training ride and what you must and should bring.
Leaders: Chris Thomas, Susan Fish, David Gaus, David Goldsmith, Paul Rammer, Kirk Rivera, Antonio Velasco
RSVPs are requested but not required. Evil Twins in April?
The past two years, I've offered a Quadbuster training ride in the spring. Both years, however, bad things have happened, so the superstitious side of me has decided not to offer the ride this year.
However, in discussions with another training ride leader, an interesting possibility arose: What about a training ride to the Evil Twins? That's the set of hills west of Paso Robles, the beginning of Day 4 of the ride -- the long climb that culminates in the triumph, hustle, and bustle of "Half Way To L.A." (pictured at right, in a behind-the-scenes view you don't usually see in all the pretty photos). At an elevation of 1,762 feet above sea level, it's the highest point on the whole ride, and if the skies are clear, we get a breathtaking view of Morro Bay and the ocean.
Paso Robles is just about equidistant from the Bay Area and Southern California, a drive of about three hours one-way. We'd have an appropriately late start time (perhaps around noon), and the ride is about 35 miles round-trip with about 2,800 feet of total climbing. (It's quite hilly but not extremely steep.) If we rode on a Sunday, that would give folks a chance to drive there the night before, but then you'd have to drive back right after the ride. Also, there are limited services (read "none") along the route, so you would need to bring enough stuff -- including liquids -- to be self-sufficient for the entire ride.
Update: Folks have correctly pointed out that Sunday, April 12, just happens to be Easter, thus making it not the best day to schedule this ride. Saturday the 11th seems to be working for folks, though, so if we go ahead with the ride, this looks like the more likely day.
So I'll put it in your hands. Here's an unscientific, nonbinding poll.
Cat-3 Distance Training #5: Coyote Valley (3/7/2009)
Meet time: 8:00 a.m.
Ride-out time: 8:30 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: Rain cancels
Category: 3 - moderate-fast pace (12-15 mph)
Terrain: 2 - rolling hills
Miles: 76
Description:
This very popular ride is back with a few fun changes this year. We start by taking a moderate route into Saratoga (no Mount Eden) and Los Gatos. From there, we traverse south San Jose before heading around Calero Reservoir and down the Bailey Avenue hill. We return along Santa Teresa Blvd. and then go back through Los Gatos, Saratoga, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Los Altos Hills, and Palo Alto on our way back to Mountain View. This ride has a wide variety of road conditions and traffic levels. Total climbing on this ride is about 2,200 feet with no excessively long climbs.
Route sheet for this ride is here.
Be sure to check the Training section of the ALC website for information on how to prepare for a training ride and what you must and should bring.
Leaders: Chris Thomas, Susan Fish, David Gaus, David Goldsmith, Bill Henry, Maggie Vande Voorde
RSVPs are requested but not required. Perception is not always reality
Although I write ride reports for all of the training rides that I organize, I also participate in many other training rides throughout the season. This weekend was no exception; I did a 22-mile ride out of Palo Alto on Saturday and a 20-mile ride from Sunnyvale today. (I rode to and from both rides as well, so each one clocked in at just a little more than 30 miles.)
Today's ride in Sunnyvale was the first ride in the South Bay series of Cat-2 (10-12 mph) training rides. In recent years, these rides have acquired a reputation for being somewhat hilly, so I probably shouldn't have been surprised when I looked at the route sheet for today's ride and saw a twisty path through the hilly side streets of Los Altos Hills. I remembered those hills from past rides, and I groaned just a little bit inside. Some of those hills are steep! As in really steep!
So I did the ride with a smile on my face ... and an average speed of about 14.8 mph. Then I came home and mapped the route to see just how hilly it was. And the answer surprised me. In that 20-mile route, the total climbing was just a little bit more than 700 feet. Only 700 feet. We do nearly that much climbing just in a "flat" loop around the South Bay! My upcoming ride this Saturday has nearly three times as much climbing! Yet I don't freak out over those routes. What's the deal?
All of today's hills were very short. But they were indeed steep. Sometimes I could count on momentum to get me as much as halfway up them. The rest of the time, the climbing never lasted for more than about a minute, if even that much. Compare that to the 1.3-mile climb up Highway 84 to Woodside that we did on Saturday's ride: not as steep, but much longer, and probably more tiring. And later on this season, I'll be taking us back to that old nemesis, Old La Honda Road, where a 3.3-mile climb gains more than 1,000 vertical feet.
Yes, today's hills were steep. But they were not long at all. And the strategy for riding a short, steep climb is often very different from riding a longer climb. One thing is for sure, though: The Sunday Cat-2 rides from Sunnyvale will offer plenty of experience in climbing, and I recommend them as a weekly companion to my own Cat-3 Distance Training rides.
Today's ride in Sunnyvale was the first ride in the South Bay series of Cat-2 (10-12 mph) training rides. In recent years, these rides have acquired a reputation for being somewhat hilly, so I probably shouldn't have been surprised when I looked at the route sheet for today's ride and saw a twisty path through the hilly side streets of Los Altos Hills. I remembered those hills from past rides, and I groaned just a little bit inside. Some of those hills are steep! As in really steep!
So I did the ride with a smile on my face ... and an average speed of about 14.8 mph. Then I came home and mapped the route to see just how hilly it was. And the answer surprised me. In that 20-mile route, the total climbing was just a little bit more than 700 feet. Only 700 feet. We do nearly that much climbing just in a "flat" loop around the South Bay! My upcoming ride this Saturday has nearly three times as much climbing! Yet I don't freak out over those routes. What's the deal?All of today's hills were very short. But they were indeed steep. Sometimes I could count on momentum to get me as much as halfway up them. The rest of the time, the climbing never lasted for more than about a minute, if even that much. Compare that to the 1.3-mile climb up Highway 84 to Woodside that we did on Saturday's ride: not as steep, but much longer, and probably more tiring. And later on this season, I'll be taking us back to that old nemesis, Old La Honda Road, where a 3.3-mile climb gains more than 1,000 vertical feet.
Yes, today's hills were steep. But they were not long at all. And the strategy for riding a short, steep climb is often very different from riding a longer climb. One thing is for sure, though: The Sunday Cat-2 rides from Sunnyvale will offer plenty of experience in climbing, and I recommend them as a weekly companion to my own Cat-3 Distance Training rides.
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