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Redwood/Pinehurst loop
What I remembered about the Redwood/Pinehurst loop bike ride is the fast descent down Redwood on the far side of the east bay hills, and then the ever-steepening climb up Pinehurst to get back to Skyline. I've been thinking about the ride ever since I got back to the Bay Area, but I wasn't sure I was in shape for it, and I was worried about doing it by myself in case something went wrong on a back road far from home.
Last weekend I climbed Grizzly Peak "backwards" (northbound), descended into El Cerrito, and visited a friend who lives at the north end of El Cerrito. And then biked home (on the flats) after stopping at 99 Ranch for a 20 lb bag of rice. All told 30 miles and 2500 feet of elevation gain. I was surprisingly creaky the next day! I don't usually get sore from biking.
This morning I decided to quickly oil the bike chain and then try the Redwood/Pinehurst ride, since I had basically done a training ride for it the week before, and the weather was gorgeously warm and sunny. When I had the bike up on the stand, I noticed that the back brake was rubbing. Maybe that's why I was extra-tired!
I finished oiling the chain and stashed the bike back in the shed for future problem-solving when the bike shop is open, since a quick web search didn't show me how to fix the problem for disc brakes. I set out on my old bike, which felt awkward at first, but I soon settled in.
I had completely forgotten that the last bit of Skyline before turning onto Redwood was a busy divided road. I remembered a much smaller intersection. Not sure if it changed, or I had elided that part. Sadly the remembered fast descent down Redwood was marred by terrible pavement. On the positive side, I had forgotten how beautiful it is riding between a park and protected watershed on the back side of the hills, especially in spring when everything is still green. And while Pinehurst does get progressively steeper, my perspective on "ridiculously steep" has changed after following my Portland biking buddy up some very steep hills, and I completed the climb without problems.
I was also playing leapfrog with several other riders who were going about the same speed I was. I'd pass them, and then stop to drink water or take a photo and they would pass me, or vice versa. Good to know that if something went wrong, there were other people around. Altogether 30 miles and 5000 feet of elevation gain.
Got back, had lunch, and rode my usual bike to the nearby bike shop. The mechanic did a quick adjustment of the brake pads and said it was fine now. I asked him to show me how, so now I can adjust them further if needed with a 3mm allen wrench.
Now I'm contemplating the Grizzly Peak Century on May 5. It's not a ride I thought I would ever be in shape for again, since it puts all the east bay hill climbs into one ride. They have a 50 mile route that I could conceivably do, although getting to the start on the far side of the hills is hard without a car early in the morning. They have a car-free start at Tilden, so I could bike up Tunnel and join the route to get there, and take BART home at the end, since I'm sure I won't be in the mood to climb Pinehurst then.
I'm also contemplating the Cinderella Classic, which I used to ride every year, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle to ride BART for an hour and then bike 7 miles before starting an organized ride. And then doing it in reverse after riding all day.
Last weekend I climbed Grizzly Peak "backwards" (northbound), descended into El Cerrito, and visited a friend who lives at the north end of El Cerrito. And then biked home (on the flats) after stopping at 99 Ranch for a 20 lb bag of rice. All told 30 miles and 2500 feet of elevation gain. I was surprisingly creaky the next day! I don't usually get sore from biking.
This morning I decided to quickly oil the bike chain and then try the Redwood/Pinehurst ride, since I had basically done a training ride for it the week before, and the weather was gorgeously warm and sunny. When I had the bike up on the stand, I noticed that the back brake was rubbing. Maybe that's why I was extra-tired!
I finished oiling the chain and stashed the bike back in the shed for future problem-solving when the bike shop is open, since a quick web search didn't show me how to fix the problem for disc brakes. I set out on my old bike, which felt awkward at first, but I soon settled in.
I had completely forgotten that the last bit of Skyline before turning onto Redwood was a busy divided road. I remembered a much smaller intersection. Not sure if it changed, or I had elided that part. Sadly the remembered fast descent down Redwood was marred by terrible pavement. On the positive side, I had forgotten how beautiful it is riding between a park and protected watershed on the back side of the hills, especially in spring when everything is still green. And while Pinehurst does get progressively steeper, my perspective on "ridiculously steep" has changed after following my Portland biking buddy up some very steep hills, and I completed the climb without problems.
I was also playing leapfrog with several other riders who were going about the same speed I was. I'd pass them, and then stop to drink water or take a photo and they would pass me, or vice versa. Good to know that if something went wrong, there were other people around. Altogether 30 miles and 5000 feet of elevation gain.
Got back, had lunch, and rode my usual bike to the nearby bike shop. The mechanic did a quick adjustment of the brake pads and said it was fine now. I asked him to show me how, so now I can adjust them further if needed with a 3mm allen wrench.
Now I'm contemplating the Grizzly Peak Century on May 5. It's not a ride I thought I would ever be in shape for again, since it puts all the east bay hill climbs into one ride. They have a 50 mile route that I could conceivably do, although getting to the start on the far side of the hills is hard without a car early in the morning. They have a car-free start at Tilden, so I could bike up Tunnel and join the route to get there, and take BART home at the end, since I'm sure I won't be in the mood to climb Pinehurst then.
I'm also contemplating the Cinderella Classic, which I used to ride every year, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle to ride BART for an hour and then bike 7 miles before starting an organized ride. And then doing it in reverse after riding all day.