Friday, November 15, 2013
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Today’s clockwise loop begins with a gorgeous hilly climb up Mt Tam from Mill Valley followed by a flat run out around the peninsula along Paradise Dr into Tiburon.
We begin with a short flat warm up on Miller Ave to the town square off Throckmorton Ave. The turn on Cascade Dr takes us through Old Mill Park and into a beautiful residential neighborhood nestled deep in the towering redwoods. The narrow winding road goes up through the canyon along Marion Ave to Edgewood Dr and Sequoia Valley Rd.
At Four Corners, we head NW on Panoramic Hwy; this road runs along the top of the ridge with gorgeous vistas of the natural settings surrounding Mt Tam.
Panoramic Hwy weaves through the hillside neighborhoods up to Mountain House Inn with steep grades of 9-11%. The road continues along the ridge before gently descending into the redwoods.
Panoramic Hwy weaves under a splendid canopy of pines and redwoods and winds its way up to Pan Toll Rd with an average grade of 6.5%.
Pan Toll Rd takes us into Mt Tam State Park; the climbing continues for 1.5 miles up to the Rock Springs parking lot. Take the time to enjoy the spectacular views of the Pacific along the top of the ridge!
From the parking lot, we continue on E Ridgecrest Blvd for the 2.9 mile climb up to the summit. The average grade is 6% with one short steep 13-15% section beginning at the entrance to the Air Force Base tower.
Ridgecrest Blvd continues on rolling terrain up to the summit with stunning views of Mt Diablo, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and SF Bay! At the base of the upper parking lot, we take the Old Railroad Grade Trail up to the Visitors Center.
The views from the summit are magnificent!
The climbs from the summit lead us to the sweeping descent to Rock Springs. The rolling terrain on Ridgecrest Blvd runs along the top of Bolinas Ridge with spectacular views of Stinson Beach and the Pacific Ocean!
The rollers continue along the ridge to Bolinas Fairfax Rd with many beautiful vista points; stop and enjoy the spectacular views!
The twisty bumpy descent on Bolinas Fairfax Rd takes us down to the dam at Alpine Lake.
Bolinas Fairfax Rd continues to climb out from the lake followed by a few fun S turns through the gorgeous redwoods.
The last climb up to the summit at Pine Mountain is 7/10th of a mile with an average grade of 7%.
The descent on Bolinas Fairfax Rd drops us down into Fairfax. We exit town on Center Ave and take the bike route along San Anselmo Ave through the towns of San Anselmo, Ross and Kent. From Corte Madera Ave, we hop onto the Corte Madera-Larkspur Path off Redwood Rd.
This path leads us out around the shopping areas of Corte Madera with gorgeous bay views.
Paradise Dr is a popular cycling road that runs 8.4 miles on gentle rolling terrain; this glorious road winds around the estate homes along the Tiburon Peninsula with million dollar bay views!
Paradise Dr takes us down into Tiburon with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Sutro Tower and SF Bay!
After our cookie stop at Café Acri, we take Main St through the historic little downtown area of Tiburon and continue on Beach St to the next little town of Belvedere.
San Rafael Ave leads us around a residential neighborhood along the edge of Belvedere Island with beautiful views of Richardson Bay.
The Tiburon Linear Park path takes us along Richardson Bay to Blackie’s Pasture.
We continue along the bay on Greenwood Beach Rd and hop onto another path along Harbor Cove Way for the short steep 21% climb up to Strawberry Dr.
Strawberry Dr goes up and around the neighborhoods to Strawberry Point and becomes Seminary Dr; this road winds around Richardson Bay with fantastic views of Richardson Bay Bridge.
Redwood Hwy Frontage Rd takes us under and around US-101 to Hamilton Dr. The multi-use path off Hamilton takes us through the soccer field to the little bridge crossing over Pickleweed Inlet. We exit the path onto Sycamore Ave and take Camino Alto back to Safeway.
This is a beautiful scenic route with two of my favorite rides combined into one; from the redwoods up to the top of the mountain to the stunning run along the ridge down into the forests and lake. Concluding this ride with an easy jaunt around the Tiburon Peninsula makes this a winner all around!
Garmin Stats:
56 Miles with 4882′ of elevation gain
Max elevation: 2503′
Max grade: 21%
Terrain: Extremely Hilly for the first half to flat and rolling for the last 30 miles
Weather: GREAT! Sunny and cool with clear blue skies. Temps ranging from the high 40’s to the high 60’s. Mild ENE winds with 67% humidity
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The world is a playground. ~Yes Man 2008
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Click here to view the interactive route map & elevation profile
Follow this route for today’s ride:
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