Thursday, August 29, 2013
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Today’s century route will first take us over the Benicia-Martinez Bridge for a loop around Benicia on Columbus Pkwy to Lake Herman Rd. It continues north through Suisun Valley and Wooden Valley for the climb up Mt George into Napa.
We begin from Martinez and cross the Benicia-Martinez Bridge from the Bike/Ped path off Mococo Rd to the other end at Park Rd.
From Park Rd, we drop down on Adam St to E Military and W 5th St. The 1.4 miles on W K St takes us through the residential neighborhoods with cute colored Victorian style homes and larger waterfront houses. The bike path through Benicia State Park leads us onto the I-780 crossover on Rose Dr.
The climb up Columbus Pkwy takes us along the edge of the residential subdivisions of Vallejo and Benicia. Lake Herman Rd is 5.1 miles from Columbus Pkwy to the other end at Lopes Rd. The rolling hill climbs takes us through the open ranchlands around Sky Valley and Sulphur Spring Mountains with minimal to low traffic. The road drops down to Lopes Rd with gorgeous views of Suisun Bay and the Mothball Fleet-WOW!
We continue on Lopes Rd; this road runs parallel to I-680 with beautiful views of the marshlands and sloughs along Grizzly Bay. The flat to rolling terrain takes us through the city of Cordelia.
We cross I-80 to Green Valley Rd and continue north through the acres and acres of vineyards and open fields surrounding Green Valley.
The right turn on Rockville Rd takes us east for a short climb up towards Rockville Hills Regional Park with fantastic views of Green Valley. The fast descent drops us down into the town of Rockville.
Suisun Valley Rd goes north through the gorgeous Suisun Valley American Viticultural Area; a wine appellation in Solano County. The flat 5.6 miles goes through the many vineyards and wineries located in this valley.
Wooden Valley Rd continues north for another 6.7 miles through Suisun Valley and crosses the Solano County line into Napa County. The gentle terrain continues through a few ranches and passes the acres and acres of vineyards around Wooden Valley below Okell Hill.
At the junction, we head west on CA-121/Monticello Rd for the climb up Mt George; it’s two miles long with an average grade of 5.1% and steeper pitches hitting 9%. The sweeping fast descent takes us along the flats to Trancas St for our lunch stop at Nob Hill Foods in Napa.
The return on CA-121/Monticello Rd up Mt George is a longer 3.2 mile climb with an average grade of 6.7% and steeper pitches of 10-11%. The descent takes us back onto Wooden Valley Rd.
We’re riding the reverse direction through Wooden Valley Rd and Suisun Valley Rd. Many of the post boxes along Suisun Valley have interesting metal artwork including one of a huge humming bird!
The turn on Mangels Blvd takes us back to Green Valley and Cordelia. The remainder of the route is pretty much flat with long stretches on Lopes Rd and Goodyear Rd. You get great views of the sloughs and marshlands along Grizzly Island, the Mothball Fleet and Mt Diablo!
The short climb up Park Rd leads us back onto the Benicia-Martinez Bike/Ped path to the other end at Mococo Rd.
We take the long way home by riding towards the Historic Downtown Area of Martinez on Marina Vista Ave to Berrellessa St and through the business district on Alhambra Ave.
The last climb up Muir Station Rd gets us to Center Ave and we’re back on Muir Rd to Glacier and Arnold Dr.
The Bike/Ped path across the Benicia-Martinez Bridge offers so much riding opportunities around the North Bay, we just have to get on our bikes and pedal! The vast majority of this route is along beautiful roads with minimal to low traffic and fantastic views of the vineyards around the gorgeous valleys around Solano and Napa counties.
Garmin Stats:
100 Miles with 5554′ of elevation gain
Max elevation: 1229′
Max grade: 11%
Terrain: Flat to rolling hills with one long climb
Weather: MARVELOUS! Early morning overcast skies turning to brilliant sunshine by mid morning. Temps ranged from the mid 50’s to the low 90’s. NW winds with 83% humidity
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EAT, PLAY, SLEEP and REPEAT
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