Another Favorite NorCal Road Ride: Lucas Valley - Tomales Loop

I love this ride. It has just about everything I could want:

Easy access
Good roads
Great mix of terrain
World-class scenic views
Rest stops nicely spaced
Great food choices

What else do you need for an excellent ride?

Let me lay it out for you -
Roll out Lucas Valley Rd for a nice warm up before you hit your first manageable climb. Cresting the beautiful summit, you'll enjoy a nice downhill through a redwood forest -- just like going to summer camp!

Hit the "T" and turn right to roll into the quaint little town of Nicasio. The town is like a movie set for Pleasantville USA. A general store and portable toilets standing by.

Continue to the next intersection with Pt. Reyes - Petaluma Rd. and head right for your second noticeable climb. I tend to move through this section fairly quick as cars are moving fast and the road shoulder comes and goes.

As you drop down the other side and hit the flats, you'll come to the cheese factory. Great rest area with restrooms, picnic tables, and a fountain to refill your water.

Head down the road a bit further and hang a left on Hicks Valley Rd. This is where the real rural fun begins and you can get away from the cars and enjoy some good ol' country roads.

Rt on Wilson Hill (there's another hill here) drop down the other side then left on Chileno Valley Rd. Take this to the end and turn left on Tomales - Petaluma Rd. You will eventually T into Hwy 1. Make sure you turn right here for the detour into the town of Tomales. There's a bakery there that shouldn't be missed.

Once you carbo load on some fresh baked sweets, backtrack a bit and continue south on Hwy 1. Now you'll begin one of the most scenic sections of this ride as you head down the shores of Tomales Bay. Unbelievably beautiful. On this trip, we stopped at one of the oyster farms along the way. We bought a dozen small oysters and borrowed a shucking knife. That was basically our lunch stop.

Continue south and head into the town of Point Reyes Station. If you're not down with the oysters, there are plenty of options here for you to refuel and rest up before the last leg. My favorite stop is the Cowgirl Creamery where they make cheese. They have a deli for sandwiches and a nice yard area to eat and relax. At the far end of town is a killer burrito stop. If you need a spare tube or something checked out, go see my buddy Mike Varley who operates Black Mountain Cycles. Stop in and look around at some killer old school mountain bikes. Hang out on the couch and rest up before you head back.

From Pt. Reyes Station, backtrack north back up Hwy 1 for a bit and take the right turn on Pt Reyes - Petaluma Rd. Take this back to Nicasio Valley Rd. and then backtrack all the way over Lucas Valley Rd. back to the start location.

One sweet ride.

Edit 5-25-14: So, maybe you'd like a few more miles? Here's the same ride with a few bonus miles up north: http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2709728
Once you hit the hwy 1 / valley ford area, there's a nice little deli with great sandwiches. It's about 48 miles into the ride -- near mid-point of the ride. Total ride distance with north loop add on = 106 miles.

San Francisco By Bike!

So much fun!

I've been wanting to ride my bike around San Francisco for quite a while.  Seeing the city from a bike seemed like a great little adventure.

Although I've ridden parts of the city before (across the Golden Gate Bridge and into Crissy Field, Pier 39, and the Embarcadero), I've never taken my bike on BART or toured the other great San Francisco neighborhoods.

I started out with about a 45 minute Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train ride into San Francisco, getting off at the Embaradero station.  This put me about a block away from the Ferry Building at the waterfront -- near the base of the Bay Bridge that spans over to Treasure Island and back toward Oakland.

It's about 4 miles of mellow cruising along the waterfront filled with tourists, restaurants, shops, etc. until you reach Pier 39.  Thankfully, there's a decent bike lane that makes biking easy and enjoyable.  Pier 39 is a zoo though -- I try to get through here quickly. 

Another mile or two brings you to the Crissy Field area, where the Presidio meets the water of the bay.  I love it down here.  Paths roll along between sand dunes and beaches on one side, and grassy play areas on the other.  People are out flying kites, playing fetch with the dog, bbqing.  Lots of young local beautiful people out for a jog or a stroll with the kids.

Up to the southern base of the Golden Gate Bridge -- another heavy tourist zone.  Didn't spend much time here.  Passing under the bridge brings you to one of the most spectacular neighborhoods I've ever seen - Sea Cliff.  The most beautifully maintained vintage homes overlooking the Pacific Ocean, just to the west of the Golden Gate Bridge.  To live there must be a magical life.

I've been riding in an arc that followed along the shore of the bay.  From the Bay Bridge, I rode north, looping to the west.  From the Golden Gate Bridge, the route along the edge turns south.  I passed by bunkers that date back to the early days of California and helped protect the bay from attack.

Here's my weapon of choice for today's urban assault.  It's an old Klein Pinnacle set up with dirt drop bars and bar end shifters.  Fun bike!

I ended up near the Legion of Honor -- a spectacular building atop a bluff with great views east back toward the city

I continuing south along the western edge with views of Baker Beach.

A short distance further, I rolled passed the old remnants of the Sutro Baths

And the Cliff House (where it looks like a great place to enjoy a meal from a window seat)

From here, you have views to the south along the long stretch of Ocean Beach

From the Ocean Beach area, I ducked into the far west end of Golden Gate Park on JFK drive and started heading back inland, away from the coast, into the heart of San Francisco.


 Festivities were everywhere

Exiting GG Park at the east end of the "pan handle", I dropped into "The Haight"

Had to find the corner of "Haight - Ashbury" -- there's a Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream store here.  Great area filled with interesting shops, the smell of pot, and lots of people.  I grabbed a latte in a local neighborhood coffee shop -- Coffee to the People.

From here I continued a bit east and down through the Castro district.  It did not disappoint.  The area was filled with lots of colorful people from all walks of life.

Next, a little more east, I hit the Mission District of San Francisco.  I made a brief stop at Delores Park.  Lots of locals just hanging out on the grass -- smoking grass.

One of my main goals was to eat Mexican food in the Mission District.  I chose a little place called La Taqueria on Mission Street.  It did not disappoint.   I watched them make these "el dorado" style tacos and had to order two.  (A crispy tortilla with cheese inside a soft tortilla, loaded with meat, salsa and all kinds of goodness).  Get some!

It was about 3:30pm when I finished with my tacos so I needed to start heading back.

Here's the whole route loaded up from my GPS



I didn't really know what I was doing when I started out.  I did a little research in the morning on various GPS sites where others had done similar routes.  I also downloaded an iPhone app ("bikeroute") that did a pretty good job of showing me the best bike routes through town.  I did notice though that my AT&T iPhone was struggling over here.  Yelp was hanging up, other apps were running way too slow or not functioning at all.  Not sure if it was just a bad day or if that is typical.  It did hamper me getting around a bit because I was sort of figuring it out on the fly and the iPhone was my primary resource.

Anyway... the bikeroute app let me know that Folsom Street was a good route northwest back to the Embarcadero where I jumped back on the BART train for the trip back home.

Great day!

Tour De Fuzz (2012)

I made a last minute decision Friday night to log in another century. I traveled two hours north (leaving at 5am) in order to ride the Tour De Fuzz century. This century is a fund raiser for law enforcement agencies in Sonoma County.

I did this ride last year and thought it was one of the best centuries I've ever participated in. When it came up this year, I didn't want to miss it. This is the third year in a row that they've put this on. I've ridden the last two.

What makes this a great century:
 * Route -
The Northern CA wine country and geysers area is remarkably beautiful.

 * Support - 
Lots of friendly volunteers available every step of the way.  Want to challenge yourself?  The 4-mile Geysers hill climb is an optional timed event if you'd like to participate (I ended up 8th in my age group of 28, and 20th out of a group of 87 -- I'm a solid mid-packer! :-)

 * Food -
Nice breakfast spread before you even hit the road. Rest stops were nicely spaced and stocked with good cycling-specific products such as Clif Shots, shot blocks, GU's, chews, etc. in addition to the traditional bananas, cookies, nuts, PB&J sandwiches, bagels, baked mini potatoes (love those things!), etc.
Lunch included a nice selection of pre-made sandwiches along with an outstanding and healthy pasta salad. The post ride meal was over-the-top -- pulled bbq pork (and tons of it) along with BBQ chicken, potato salad, and free-flowing Lagunitas beer!

 * Entertainment -
Music, law enforcement demo's, silent auctions, raffle drawings, swimming pool, shower, etc.

 * Value -
Excellent route/scenery, support, great food, T-shirt. All adds up to be one of the finest centuries around.

CA Central Coast: Rides and Fish Tacos!

Recently enjoyed a short but sweet family get away to Cayucos CA, along the beautiful central California coast.

Just north of the gigantic Morro rock in Morro Bay, CA
Just south of San Simeon, CA and the Hearst Castle

Know the place?

Anyway... it was awesome.

If you go -- or even pass within 50 miles -- you must stop in at Ruddell's Smokehouse for a smoked fish taco. It's a little shack -- so small, you can't even eat inside. You have to grab your food and hope there's room on the few rickety tables outside... or walk across the street and sit on the beach.

Even if you're not hungry -- get a taco and take it with you. They're wrapped up pretty well and should hold up until you do get hungry.

I'm not exactly sure what's in there besides the smoked fish (you have several choices of smoked fish... and if you're there early enough, you might even have the option of smoked oysters). Looks like chopped lettuce (the fancy red stuff), onion, celery, apple (gives a nice little sweetness), and some powdery magic sprinkled on (maybe Old Bay?). So damn good!

 Git one! Ruddell's Smokehouse

(Here's a youtube video I found showing the place)


And of course I brought the road bike!

I was able to steal away for two road rides near by. Decent levels of climbing and distance -- enough to allow me evening cocktails and apps on the beach guilt free. That's all I'm ever after -- guilt free indulgence!

Day #1 Ride: Headed Northeast on Old Creek Rd right out of town. Climbed up and crossed over Hwy 46 (road becomes Santa Rosa Creek Rd on the other side of 46), climbed a bit more before downhilling into the town of Cambria, CA. Just a tip - Santa Rosa Creek Rd. is a little rough. I forgot to top-off my air pressure before heading out and ended up with a pinch flat after hitting a rough section. Once you hit Hwy 1 it's about 13 miles south back to Cayucos.
Day #2 Ride: Headed north on Hwy 1, then climbed east up 46 (about 10 miles of climbing) before downhilling southwest back to town on Old Creek Rd.
If you do these rides, you'll roll through Harmony. I was sad to learn that only 18 people live in Harmony. Really?

Both rides above head through beautiful country.

Had we stayed longer, I probably would have ridden north on Hwy 1 to San Simeon and the home of the famous Hearst Castle for an out-n-back ride. I think it's about 23 miles each way. I did this a few years ago.

A few things about Morro Bay...
I was craving some good fresh sea food -- particularly fresh, raw oysters. I headed down the road to Morro Bay and was referred to Giovanni's -- right down on the water near the harbor. They had a large selection of fresh fish. I grabbed a dozen fresh oysters and shucked them myself (I keep an oyster shucker tool in my truck -- just cuz'). I have to be honest, 3 of the 12 oysters were bad, and I threw them out. The rest were good though.
Giovanni's looks like a good place to grab lunch if you're down there walking around. You can walk up to the window and order all kinds of freshly cooked sea food items. They also serve bbq'd oysters right outside for $2 ea. or 3 for $5, and have all the sauces out to doctor 'em up.
We had a nice breakfast down in Morro Bay one morning at Frankie and Lola's. I'd give this place 2 thumbs up. Great menu and the food was awesome.
"Da Bomb"

Great trip... Just too short!!

Update Aug. 2014:
Added a new, longer loop to the mix. This will take you south from Cayucos, down to Morro Bay, then inland to SLO, and back to the coast at Pismo Beach. Great ride, with the exception of the headwind as you head northwest on Los Osos Valley Rd.



On this trip, I also opted to ride a previous loop in the opposite direction, here's what that looks like. I think this is the preferred direction. Although the climbing is tougher, you end up climbing the rough portions of the road (rather than descending the rough stuff) and when you finish the downhill, you're right back in Cayucos -- rather than dumping onto Hwy 1 for a 15 mile trip along the hwy.

Vintage, Rigid, and Dirt Drops

Yay for vintage leisure time!  I was able to escape for a nice relaxing mountain bike ride on local trails with one of my favorite "tanks" this past weekend. I brought out my old fillet brazed Fisher Mt Tam fitted with WTB drop bars and Suntour Barcon shifters.  I'm talkin' old school fully rigid, friction shifting and biopace chainrings -- It's awesome!

Solo, with no where to be, and no particular direction in mind -- one of my favorite ways to start the day.

I launched from the little nature preserve park of Sycamore Grove operated by the city of Livermore, then transitioned into the East Bay Regional Park of Del Valle.

It was a great day out on the trail.


On the way back, I hit a couple of the steep hills with Strava segments. I was feeling pretty good and thought I might try for a new PR. Sadly, when the ride was loaded, I had to settle for a new 3rd best time. I really thought I had it!

Here's the ol' rig

It was a great little 3 hour escape.

I'm kinda hooked on riding the dirt drops lately. I have another dirt drop bike in the works that I'm excited about. Looking forward to riding that beast the next time I can break away.

Break the Ice: You Never Know

All of this training I put in for the Death Ride left me with this desire to take advantage of a fitness level I may never see again.


At the last minute, I signed up for the Santa Cruz Mountains Challenge -- it's a road bike century ride in the Santa Cruz mountains along the central California coast. The "Challenge" part comes from the fairly significant amount of climbing that's involved.


The 100 mile option has just over 11,000 feet of climbing. For the past two years, they've offered a "Double Metric" or 200k (about 120 mi.) with a total of about 15,000' of climbing.


I opted for the shorter 100 mi., 11k' version.

At the top of the timed Jamison Rd Hill Climb, I connected with an older gentleman I noticed earlier in the day. He looked like a vintage rider from back in the day. What first struck me was that he was not wearing a helmet. I'm not the "helmet police", but I do know that ride organizers usually have a pretty strict policy regarding helmets and I was surprised they hadn't yanked him from the course.


As we talked and recovered from the timed hill climb, I learned that this man was on the US cycling team in 1960 (before I was born) and again in 1964. In 1965, he was the US national champion, and traveled to Europe and raced in Italy. He also once held the US double transcontinental record (Santa Monica - Atlantic City - Santa Monica)
Victor Vincente of America

Victor (Born Michael Hiltner) was also inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1989 for early innovation and promotion of the sport of mountain biking.
MTB Hall of Fame: Victor Vincente
My Friend Sky, who operates Velocult.com, owns one of the supposed 26 Topanga mountain bikes produced by VVA: Topanga!


So anyway... My thoughts are this... You may be surrounded by interesting people and have no idea unless you take the opportunity to break the ice.


There are a lot of folks out there with an interesting story to tell.

Willits Ride!

Beautiful evening ride on my only 29er... Fully rigid Willits 29er Townie built by Wes Williams who was once an Ibis employee back in the company's early Petaluma days.
I always have fun riding this bike.

I'm not sure if Wes is still building Willits bikes, but his website is still up Willits site link

Today's Diet: Dirt and Anchor Steam

All the road bike training in preparation for the Death Ride made me miss dirt. With the Death Ride box checked, and the memory beginning to fade, I can get back to my roots and do something that I really love -- Cruising Mt. Tam on one of my vintage steel relics without a care in the world. I started in Mill Valley with a gentle climb up Railroad Grade to West Point Inn, then onward to the summit. Droping down to Pantol Station, I then grabbed the Coastal View singletrack downhill to the coast.

Northern California coastal beauty at it's finest.

I rolled through the Muir Beach area, then climbed back up to Pantol on Deer Flat fire rd. On the climb up, I ran into an old activist buddy from my younger days -- Mountain Bike Hall of Fame legend Michael Kelly. We chatted for quiet some time as we worked our way back up from Pantol to West Point. Michael is still going strong in the Mtb activist world -- working with IMBA and other national level groups. I can honestly say that mountain bikers would not have the access we currently enjoy if it were not for the efforts of this man.

MTB Hall of Fame - Michael Kelly

 After dropping down Railroad and back into Mill Valley (where all the beautiful people live), I indulged in one of my favorite post Tam ride adventures -- Parking at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and riding into San Francisco to weave in and out of the locals playing in Crissy field and tourists trudging along the Embarcadero. I ended up grabbing a crab sandwich and an Anchor Steam at the wharf. Most awesome carefree day I've had in some time.

Death Ride: Bucket List Gets a Check Mark

Well....July 14, 2012, finally hit.  It was time to step up to the plate.  All the anticipation and anxiety would finally end.  Would I survive?  Would I crash and burn? Would I conquer with great success?

The Tour of the California Alps -- The Death Ride, was upon me.

For the past seven months, every pedal stroke I put toward a bike was for this day.  Planning, training, researching....To fail would be devastation.

Well.. I did it.  I survived, and it was an amazing experience.  Riding over car free roads in some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen.  Mile upon mile of leg burning climbs followed by 50 mph descents.  Surrounded by friends and bike-loving enthusiasts.  With the most perfect weather.  I couldn't have asked for a more prefect experience.
 
The sun rising from the east shedding light on our side of the Sierra as we climb Monitor Pass for the first time.

View south east from the eastern Sierra as we climb up over Monitor Pass for the second time.

 Topaz Lake in the distance to the east as the sun is rising in it's morning arch.

View up the east side of Ebbetts Pass. 

 Advertised as 130 mi. with 15,000' of climbing -- the longest and hardest ride I have completed to date.  12hrs and 20 minutes on the course.  9 hrs and 43 minutes of wheels rolling.

Edit: July 2014
This marks my 3rd anniversary celebrating the Death Ride. Here's are two YouTube videos I shot this year: Monitor Pass and Ebbett's Pass descents.

1987 YETI FRO

One of my all-time favorites:




1987 YETI FRO (For Racing Only)
One of the earlier 1" FROs with a round top tube
(Story is that they would occasionally run out of the oval top tubes and use the standard round tube)
Built with Shimano XT M730 / M732
Black hubs and cantilever brakes
1" Tioga T-Bone quill stem
1" Epoch headset (not shown)

More pics:

YETI F.R.O (1987)

Bicycle Therapy

My name is Joe, and I have a problem....

I have a healthy obsession for bikes and riding.

I plan to periodically add pics of old mountain bikes and stories of bike adventures.  Consider this my personal desktop therapy for the times I'm unable to tinker or ride.

Your clicks help.

Thank you.