Sunday 3/7 Calaveras Ride Report, Something new and different Options

[Flash]

It's been a long time since I've been downhill skiing, but after the ride today I felt like I had been out on the slopes all day from first run to cold, shadowy last run. Dragging your tired body back to the cabin, the only things you desire are a long, hot shower, then a fortified tall drink, then a really good meal. I got all that. It was a good day.

20 of us (leaders Rachel and Z-Rider, Stuart, new guy Doug who rode strong, Lisa, Bob, RicknAmy, Zack, Ed, Nideker, Gwyn, MacG, Staci, Harold (Mr. Pink) Hart, Dr. Bruce, and 3 others I'm spacing on right now as I don't have the sign in sheet) took BART to Union City, and began a long trek, about 15 miles, to the start of Calaveras Road. It was pleasant going, rolling terrain, but mostly flat. Speaking of flats, only one today just before Calaveras. When you drive down Hwy. 80 you notice the continuous wall of hills to the east. We crossed over these hills, and it is a grind up to Ed Levin park, which was quite beatific. After resting there, another grind up and over the crest to the other side which is a series of up and down rollers, in which the reservoir can be seen to the east. I've never seen such beautiful green hills, filling the horizon. This goes on for about 10 miles, then the road drops... at the bottom of the drop was Welch Creek, and I thought about taking a little tour up there, just a wee ways, but everyone was too strung out. I really messed up Staci's tempo, who was pulling strong along here, by yelling for a slow down to turn up Welch Creek, then changing my mind. Sorry Miss T. Tom took over pulling duties and really got up a good, long head up steam on the Pinarello v.2, and I figured this was good partial payback for my helping make his Italian Stallion as superb as it is.

We took a lunch stop in Sunol proper, and it took awhile for both groups to find the place (there is another store at the junction before town), but we were all together, except Zack, who attacked a little too hard on his 10 lb. Orbea and somehow jammed his freehub bearings, so I think he disappeared for the nearest bike shop. The rest of us took various sustenance while being soothed by the sounds of dual piped Harleys. The wind had come up, the fog was rolling in, and we split into nearer Dublin BART group vs. further BART group, ie, Palomares to Castro Valley BART. My CV BART group was Harold, Staci, Bruce, MacGyver, Rick 'n Amy, a hale and hearty band to share the extra workout with.

There was a chilling headwind on Niles Canyon road, but we soon warmed up on the climb, but it was quite the effort compared to last time I rode it this direction, the day of the Kondosaurus catered party up at the top, which I think was 2 years ago. We had a rest before the top, and Rick and Amy missed the best fish sauce related conversation in a long time, but they added their own sauce when they showed up. As always, the down hill was a blast as Bruce led out Staci, and I had to put my chin on the stem at 45mph to gain anything on them. Staci reported she had to brake to keep from running Bruce down!

The last part was that always dreaded death march up the hill just past the freeway, which featured a nice chilling headwind, so by the time we got to BART at around 3:45 it was clear we had made the right decision. Talk on BART was about Margaritas and whether Rick would deliver fresh blended cocktails to our houses. We can dream, can't we?

Highly recommended route. Thanks Rachel and Gwyn for collaborating to make this happen. 54 thoroughly enjoyable miles.

Images by Dr. Bruce are already up! http://teamalameda.shutterfly.com/195

[harold]

Had a BLAST!!!

thanks Rachel, Gwyn and Flash for leading this ride and to everyone everyone else for such a fun day of riding.

[Gwyn]

Thanks to Rachel for suggesting a ride up the Calaveras "Wall" for Team Alameda. I am glad that it didn't rain this time so that I did get to use the ride sheets that I had prepared for this very same ride nearly a year ago (March 15, 2009). Sorry about the small font on the ride sheets.....I will make it much BIGGER next time. My eyes are a year older too!

The weather was perfect. The hills were a gorgeous shade of green and were a great backdrop to the first "Wall" climb for about half of the group. I did hear in Sunol that Staci climbed the Wall and then asked over the rollers when the Wall was coming up.....she is quite the mountain goat! No wonder she was taking it easy on the Saturday ride so she could take KOM points on Sunday!!

I agree with Flash that after this weekend, my legs feel like I have spent a full day out on the slopes skiing black diamond runs and moguls. Well, I will get to test that soon as I will be skiing for a week in Tahoe mid-month.

Thanks, Everyone, for coming out and experiencing the "Wall". See you all after my ski trip!!

Gwyn

[Stacie_T]

What a ride! Thanks to all who put this together and lead the various groups! Calaveras was an amazing ride, both the scenery and the road. The descent/rollers "after" the wall was the most fun I've had on a downhill - minimal car traffic and nice turns where you can see what's around each corner, so you could ride a nice line through the turns!

Adding Palomares had me experiencing something new - sore arms as well as legs! I must have been pulling hard on those bars trying to catch Harold! The next ride up Palomares should start earlier as a few of us would have liked to stop at the 3 wineries on that road if we had time. I know, one-track mind!

After the welcomed hot shower I did have a margarita in honor of RicknAmy!

Stacie

[z_rider]

What an experience riding with such a group of fun and fit TA riders. Yes, I also loved the beautiful natural landscape together with the horses, cows, deer and beautiful birds -oh don't forget the turkey crossing the road Thanks Rachel and Gwyn for working out the details of the route and everyone who came out to make it happen. Although at a slower speed than some of you, I had a great riding day!!!.
Z

[lisa]

What an experience riding with such a group of fun and fit TA riders. Yes, I also loved the beautiful natural landscape together with the horses, cows, deer and beautiful birds -oh don't forget the turkey crossing the road Thanks Rachel and Gwyn for working out the details of the route and everyone who came out to make it happen. Although at a slower speed than some of you, I had a great riding day!!!.
Z

Yesterday and Saturday's hill ride made up one of the best ride weekends ever. Great scenery, good climbing, superb downhills and just a lot of darned good cycling with fun folks. Gary, who met us in Sunol, (after thinking we were leaving from Fremont BART) was telling us on the way home that he's ridden with several groups...and that Team Alameda is "by far the friendliest and most fun" he's met. That just about sums it up, and I couldn't agree more. Thanks to our weekend ride leaders for their planning and getting us out there! Hope all the groups that headed out had a great time.

[rickenbacker]

Yeah - what you all said! We were toast when we got home, but the ride was fantastic. Thanks to Rachel, Z, Gwyn, and Flash for getting us all home. Shel, Tom, and Dave will add to 20. With an earlier start, and no wind, we might have opted to pedal home (the most direct route, though). I'd be interested in knowing what everyone's max speed was - my Garmin read "60" but that can't be right. I know it was more like 45. Still, some very nice hills.

Rick

[melne]

I'd be interested in knowing what everyone's max speed was - my Garmin read "60" but that can't be right.

If you have your Garmin on while you're on BART--your max speed will be recorded as that of the BART train.
:-/

Gotta turn off the Garmin before you board!

melne

[rickenbacker]

You mean I wasn't really doing 60??!!!

Bruce - great photos - thanks for doing that.

Rick