Thanks to new roads that have opened in the past year plus an old, largely forgotten bike path that's still in marginally usable condition, I've got the South Bay loop down to 41 miles, verified with a test ride. We'll use this route on our December 12 training ride.
Then, later in the season, we'll do the super South Bay loop ... a full 100 miles!
Bay Area randonneuring events for 2010
The two main randonneuring (self-supported long-distance cycling) groups in the Bay Area have announced their 2010 event schedules, and they're good news for ALCers.
The main Santa Cruz Randonneurs schedule doesn't begin until late June, after ALC9 has ended. This is a big change from 2009, when all of the events were in the spring and conflicted with ALC training (and when most of us weren't yet in top form anyway). Of particular note is a 200km ride from Santa Cruz to Moss Beach that's scheduled for July 24 -- an almost-perfect time for ALCers, with just the right amount of post-ALC recovery.
And on August 21, there's a 300km ride from Santa Cruz to Greenfield that covers nearly all of our traditional Day 2 route -- and then comes back the same way, something we never get to do during the ride.
But if you're really
There's also a full year-long schedule of events from San Francisco Randonneurs, including a 200km ride to Point Reyes and back on January 24. Expect chilly, challenging, dark conditions for this one.
If you can handle the distance (even "just" a 200km ride), most ALCers should be fairly comfortable with randonneuring. The style is very similar to our training rides, and there's a genuine sense of camaraderie. There are generous time limits on each ride (13.5 hours for a 200km ride), but randonneuring is also very much a ride and not a race.
And a reminder: Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 15, 2010. That's when I'm offering the Third Annual Altamont Pass Double Metric, 200km from Mountain View to Altamont Pass and back, my final training ride for ALC9. Start training now, and you can do this!
Photo: My medal from the Chualar 200k in 2008.
News from the Day 6 route
One of the most beautiful parts of the ride is along the shore near Ventura toward the end of Day 6. (Those of you who rode for the first time in 2009 missed this!) But much of that part of the ride also happens to be on very busy, high-speed U.S. 101. The Ventura County Star reports that some changes are on the way in a couple of years, including a new separate bike path:
Caltrans plans to break ground in 2011 on a new carpool lane for Highway 101 as it passes Mussel Shoals, La Conchita and Rincon Point. The $151 million project will also include a bike path that is separate from the highway lanes, a new walkway under the highway between La Conchita and the beach, and the closing of the left turn lanes in and out of La Conchita and Mussel Shoals.
However, not all is rainbows and happiness. Some residents are unhappy about the possible loss of parking along the highway:
The residents’ biggest concern right now is the California Department of Transportation’s recent decision to move a bike path that’s part of the widening plan from the mountain side to the ocean side of the highway.
Caltrans officials say they would have preferred the bike path to be on the mountain side, but the California Coastal Commission asked them to move it because it wants to encourage development of a network of coastal trails that stretch from Oregon to the Mexican border.
Once construction actually begins, here's hoping that Caltrans keeps the existing bike access fully available. There's no other viable way into Ventura (just look at how the highway is wedged in between the ocean and the mountains), so this is an essential part of the ALC route.
Photo: Day 6 of ALC5
Saratoga via Mt. Eden (12/5/2009)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 5
Meet time: 9:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 10:00 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 - medium pace (10-12 mph)
Terrain: 3 - rolling hills with some steep climbs
Miles: 33
Description:
After leaving downtown Mountain View, we'll head through Cupertino and then ride through the rolling hills of scenic Stevens Canyon. Next comes our significant climb of the day: the 0.7-mile ascent of Mount Eden out of Stevens Canyon. It's steep but not ridiculously steep, and you can always walk part or all of it. (Come back later this season to see how much you've improved!) We'll take a break in Saratoga Village and then go part of the way toward Los Gatos before heading back on an easy, mostly downhill route.
Total climbing for the day is about 1,550 feet.
Riders from all over Northern California are invited! Southbound Caltrain from San Francisco arrives at 9:29 a.m. Note that if you arrive via train or light rail, you'll need to walk three blocks northwest from the station, across Castro Street, to the corner of Evelyn and Franklin. The meeting place is not at the station itself.
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, Michael Casas, Kevin Hunter, Ally Kemmer, Linda Kemmer, Paul Vargas
RSVPs are requested but not required. Portola Valley (11/21/2009)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 21
Meet time: 9:30 a.m.
Ride-out time: 10:00 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 - medium pace (10-12 mph)
Terrain: 2 - rolling hills
Miles: 29
Description:
The Portola Valley loop is one of the Bay Area's most popular cycling routes, attracting everyone from novice riders to professional racers. Join us as we take a gentle route from Mountain View to Stanford and then tackle the long but very gradual ascent into the foothills. There are a couple of short, attention-getting hills as we head back toward Menlo Park, but after that it's all easy going on the Bryant Street bike boulevard through downtown Palo Alto.
Total climbing for the day is about 1,250 feet.
Riders from all over Northern California are invited! Southbound Caltrain from San Francisco arrives at 9:29 a.m. Note that if you arrive via train or light rail, you'll need to walk three blocks northwest from the station, across Castro Street, to the corner of Evelyn and Franklin. The meeting place is not at the station itself.
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, Tim Huang, Kevin Hunter, Mayor Bob, Ally Kemmer, Linda Kemmer, Ken Plough, Paul Rosas, Paul Vargas
RSVPs are requested but not required. Welcome to the new season
The AIDS/LifeCycle 9 season officially got under way this morning with kickoff rides in San Francisco and Los Angeles. And even though just four months ago I said I didn't know whether I'd be back ... well, I'm back.
I'm sure things will somehow be different this time; they always are. I'm hoping to have a smoother training season, although the early weather forecasts suggest that we'll be dodging rain for much of the winter and possibly into spring. I'm again looking forward to making new friends and reconnecting with veterans from past rides. And for me, that's a rather numbing thought -- at five years in ALC, that apparently puts me in about the top 15% of riders for longevity, and it means that I've now been around for more than half of all the ALCs. (That doesn't count the earlier California AIDS Rides, of course, and there are many folks who have been around far longer than I.) I've been more active in the preseason this year, helping teach this year's new classes of training ride leaders, and I skipped most of my traditional time off to lead a series of training rides for the recently completed Seismic Challenge.
Since I've already proven to myself that I can do this ride -- even when somewhat injured and in suboptimal health, as I was this year -- this clearly isn't about me meeting any physical challenge anymore. So why am I coming back? I'll admit that the social aspects have become an increasingly important part of my life. The year-round exercise is also important -- probably more than I realize as the years go by. But for all of the reasons why we ride, we share one common goal: to help fight HIV and AIDS so that the ride is no longer necessary.
To first-year riders and those considering joining us: Welcome aboard. This is a journey quite unlike anything else you've ever experienced. You'll experience just about every emotion in the book, and all of the videos, pictures, and words that you see about the ride really don't do justice to the unique experiences that you -- and only you -- will have.
To returning riders: Thank you for coming back. You already know how important the ride is, and your continuing involvement in the ride helps carry our message forward. And whatever kind of ride you had last time you did it, chances are you'll experience something completely different this time.
To my supporters: Giant thanks! I, of course, wouldn't be able to ride without your generous donations, and your support is more important than ever in these challenging times of drastic budget cuts. I know it's tough to be asked year after year to give what you can, and I'll again appreciate whatever support you can give the San Francisco AIDS Foundation on my way to reaching my $3,000 minimum and my $5,000 goal. (And if you can give sooner rather than later, that's a big help -- your money goes to work immediately, and it helps me stress out less about meeting my minimum.)
Thanks to all of you, and stand by for action!
Hwy. 84 at Alameda de las Pulgas
This letter appears in the latest edition of Gary Richards' column in the Mercury News:
Q There is a fairly big intersection at Alameda de Las Pulgas and Woodside Road on the Peninsula. If heading east on Woodside but wanting to go right at the Alameda, there is a bike lane and white painted markings that indicate that you should not get into the right lane until fairly close to the intersection. I can't tell you how many times cars speed by me in the bike lane. Is there a way to let these drivers know what the rules are?
Laurie Bassin
A Redwood City police get a ton of complaints about this behavior and say it is clear that only bicycles are allowed to travel on the right side of the roadway for most of the shoulder. They recently were out cracking down on these scofflaws and will likely make a return appearance.
This spot will be very familiar to Seismic Challenge riders as the site of Rest Stop 2 on Day 1. We also use it regularly on many of our Peninsula rides. It's a tricky spot because bicyclists usually are still moving along at a rather high speed after completing the mile-long descent from Woodside.
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