On Saturday 7/26 I joined a Grizzly Peak Cyclist ride that started at the Pleasant Hill BART station. It was predicted to be quite hot, so I was glad to start in Pleasant Hill and then move on to parts closer to the bay. It was surprisingly hot at 9 am!
We left the station and got on Alhambra Avenue, which we took all the way to downtown Martinez for a Starbuck's stop. We continued from there to get on to the Benicia bridge. It was uphill most of the way across the bridge with a pretty good head wind. We continued through Benicia making our way into Vallejo.
There was a misprint on the cue sheet, so I went the wrong way on Sonoma Blvd, but it wasn't very far. Unfortunately, as I was getting back on to the ride route I got a flat tire. Not sure what it was, but it made a noticeable albeit small cut in my brand new tire! A number of members from our group came along moments later and kept me company while I changed the tube. We carried on across the Carquinez bridge and had lunch at a deli.
After lunch we took Carquinez Road to Cummings Skyway. By now, the temperature had gone up noticeably. The climb wasn't very steep, but it was fairly warm. We had a nice long descent down Franklin Canyon. We regrouped at the intersection with Alhambra Avenue.
The rest of the group continued a short way back to the BART station. To get more training miles in, I went to Alhambra Valley Road, over Pig Farm Hill, Castro Ranch Rd., and then San Pablo Dam Road. I continued home from there. Alhambra Valley Road was the hottest part of the ride, but I could feel the cooling breezes start on the other side of Pig Farm Hill. I had been thinking of ice cream, but by the time I got home, it was so cool that I didn't feel the need for it any more.
Hmmm, I don't seem to have any pictures of this one. In case you are wondering, I have not posted the training rides without pictures (until now).
Stats:
64.49 miles
3,378 feet of elevation gain
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