Saturday, September 28, 2013

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I’m heading out to Lafayette to meet up with a couple of friends at the Lafayette-Moraga Staging Area parking lot for a counter clockwise loop out to the new urban development on Schaefer Ranch Rd-Dublin Hills.

From Holiday Highlands Park, I take my standard way out of Martinez on Center to Vine Hill and Morello Ave. The climb up Taylor Blvd takes me up and over into Lafayette.

The Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail takes us through Lafayette Valley into Moraga. On weekends, this trail is heavily used by families out walking their dogs, kids on bikes, runners and other cyclists. We exit the trail on Rheem Blvd and take St Mary’s Rd for a stop at Moraga Commons.

We stay on St Mary’s Rd to Moraga Rd and continue on Canyon Rd. The short climb on this less traveled road goes along the north end of EBMUD Valle Vista Staging Area to the intersection with Pinehurst Rd.

The climb up Pinehurst Rd from the canyon goes through the gorgeous redwoods up to the summit at the Pinehurst Gate staging area. It’s a 1.5 mile climb with an average grade of 4.1%. The fast twisty descent drops us down to Redwood Rd.

Redwood Rd goes along the east edge of Chabot Regional Park through the San Leandro Hills out to Castro Valley. It begins on gentle rolling terrain for the first two miles up to Bort Meadows.

From Bort Meadows, the gradient increases to ranges of 5-8% up to the false summit. The descent leads to the next 5-7% climb up to the summit at Marciel Gate. The sweeping descent takes us down to the flats to our lunch stop at Willow Park Golf Course.

We continue south on Redwood Rd and make our way to E Castro Valley Blvd on Heyer Ave and Center St. E Castro Valley Blvd is heavily congested with traffic around the I-580 interchange, Crow Canyon Rd and the climb up towards the shopping center-be cautious!

Dublin Canyon Rd is a frontage road that parallels I-580; it’s a gentle climb along the canyon with grades of 3-5% with minimal traffic. This remote area has a couple of ranches and a Lockaway Storage facility.

The turn on Schaefer Ranch Rd leads us under I-580 for the short steep 11-13% climb up to Dublin Blvd. Schaefer Ranch is the newest urban development, it offers gorgeous views of the rolling hills and open space around Dublin Hills. There’s also a very nice facility at the park with water and restrooms. I also get a nice surprise of running into Kitty G on a training ride for the 508.

The fast descent on Dublin Blvd takes us down to San Ramon Rd in Dublin, We make a quick stop at the Chevron Fixtation on Alcosta Blvd to top off some air for my rear tire, I had a flat earlier on along the Lafayette-Moraga Trail.

We continue north along the flats on San Ramon Valley Rd and Danville Blvd into San Ramon and Danville. We weave our way through Walnut Creek on Castle Hill, Lancaster, Lilac and Newell to Olympic Blvd.

From Lafayette, I reverse my route back to Martinez and take Pleasant Hill Rd back up to Taylor Blvd. I stay on the city streets on Morello to Vine Hill and wind my way back on Arnold and Fig Tree Ln to Holiday Highlands Park.

Thanks to Jackie for inviting me on this ride! I had a wonderful day riding with friends.

Garmin Stats:
67.69 Miles with 4239′ of elevation gain
Max elevation: 804′
Max grade: 13%
Terrain: Moderately hilly

Weather: Wonderful! Sunny & warm with clear blue skies. Temps ranged from the low 50’s to the high 80’s. N winds with 58% humidity

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Fabulous friendships multiply the good in life!
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Click here to view the interactive route map & elevation profile

Follow this route for today’s ride: