Sunday, May 29, 2011

View the entire Google Web Album

Today, Michael and I are leading a ride that meets up in front of the Woodside
Town Hall which is located in San Mateo County.

We exit the parking lot and take Whiskey Hill to Sand Hill and Portola Rds.

The next turn is on Old La Honda Rd which is one of the highlighted climbs on this route. This classic climb is a little less than 4 miles on a narrow single lane road with many switchbacks. You’re riding under a canopy of redwood trees and it’s absolutely gorgeous back here! The average gradient is around 7% with several sections ranging from 9-10%.

There is a quick regroup at the top which is at the intersection with
Skyline Blvd. The descent on Old La Honda is very narrow with many blind turns. Be cautious! Watch out for oncoming cyclists and the washed out portion of road.

We head southwest on Hwy 84 all the way to the coast. We all get hit with massive headwinds. The terrain is a slight downhill with a few short rollers in
between. We cross Stage Rd and ride pass the San Gregorio Store to the Cabrillo Hwy.

The run along the coast is amazing! The ocean views are magnificent; combined with the sweet tailwinds, it really can’t get any better than this! There
are a few climbs before the turn on Bean Hollow Rd. Traffic is very heavy on
this Memorial Day weekend.

The climb on Bean Hollow is a little over a mile long. We get hit with headwinds
again on the descent into Pescadero. The views from the top of the ridge
are spectacular!

The lunch stop is at Arcangeli’s/Norm’s Market. You can order a variety of
sandwiches and purchase fresh baked goods which include their famous
Garlic Artichoke Bread, Chocolate Chip Cookie and Croissants. There is a large
picnic located at the back of the store. Porta-potties and water are
available.

The route continues on Stage Rd for the next 9+ miles. It’s a series of 3 climbs
with fun descents in between. The average gradient is around 5% for the first
climb. The second climb is a bit steeper with an gradient of around
7-8% and sections maxes out at 10%. The last climb out from San Gregorio has an average grade of about 5%.

We head north on Hwy 1 for the next mile and a half to Tunitas Creek Rd. There is a brief regroup at the Bike Hut.

The climb up Tunitas Creek starts at the intersection with Lobitos Creek
Cutoff. From there, it’s a 6 mile climb all the way to Skyline Blvd. The
gradient starts off gradually at around 3% and steadily increases; the
beautiful landscape is a great distraction to the climb on this narrow single
lane redwood covered road. The gradient averages 8-9% and maxes out at 11%! The gradient eases up at around 3-4% for the last few miles.

The 5 mile descent down Kings Mountain Rd is on a narrow road with many tight hairpin turns. Proceed with caution! Traffic can also be a bit heavy on the
weekends.

We arrive back at the start. It’s great to see Pat back on the bike! They did an
abbreviated version of the ride and climbed Tunitas Creek back too-congrats!

Thanks to everyone for joining us on this windy hilly route. The headwinds made us all work a little harder and it was well worth the effort for this ride.

26 people in attendance with 1 tandem

57.9 miles with 5631′ of elevation gain

Weather: Fabulous! Blue skies, sunny & warm with NW winds. Starting temp of 57F and reaching a high of 73F for the day.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>RIDE ON!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>