Year: 2011

Saddle Challenge – 1st Update/Two Weeks down

The 2011 Saddle Challenge has just nine participants so far, but that has not kept riders from logging some miles. This update covers the first two weeks of the challenge, but it’s never too late to sign up. Just go to http://dssf.org/dssf_html/sc and enter your first and last name, and the password [ask us], and then you can retroactively enter your miles of the month.

As of yesterday, Danni Mestaz is leading the pack, one of three members with a 500 mile goal for the month! She is at 67% or 335 miles, ahead of everyone, way to go Danni! Great to see both a female AND a new member in the lead. Following closely both in mileage and percent of goal are Gordon Dinsdale, also a new member from Napa, followed by board member, David Goldsmith.

With mileage goals varying from 200 miles for the month (which is 50 miles a week, quite doable), up to 500 miles, the Saddle Challenge makes it easy for any member to participate and not feel like they have to a fast or high mileage rider to compete.

As a reminder, the Saddle Challenge is the club’s annual event in March to challenge each other to get out on our bikes and ride! Choose a goal for yourself: 100 miles, 300 miles, 900 miles…!
Whenever you come back on the SC page, you’ll be able to log your miles, watch your progress and see what other members are doing.

Don’t forget: every mile counts. So, if you commute with your bike, it’s even better!

The Saddle Challenge is also a way for members to raise money for Project Inform where Ron Wilmot, a long time DSSF member who started a fund-raising ride, the Ron Wilmot ride. You can choose to pledge per mile or a lump sum. Of course this part is entirely optional.

Again, just go to http://dssf.org/dssf_html/sc and enter your first and last name, and the password [ask us] to join up.

Other stats: 1,636 miles have been ridden so far. And we’ve raised $149.

Happy riding!

Planet of the Apes

This all started because I wanted to find an alternative route to the west coast of the Peninsula (Half Moon Bay, San Gregorio) without having to go through Skyline and Hwy 92. I had heard about this old road, predating Highway 1 and nicknamed “Planet of the Apes” (its real name: San Pedro Mountain Road) because of the erie feeling you are supposed to get riding it, like you were in a post-holocaust world.

I tried a couple of years ago, but I chickened out a bit after Pacifica and ended up riding Hwy 1 at Devil’s Slide. Oh my. If there was a road hostile to cyclists, that was it. No shoulders, one lane of heavy traffic with drivers just coming out of the freeway part of Hwy 1, on a climb.

So this time, I decide to try it again. I posted the ride the day before, starting from my place. Needless to say, I was not expecting company. So imagine my surprise when I saw no other than Thomas showing up at 10am sharp in front of my garage.

Off we go, the first miles completely uneventful, until we reached the start of the trail. Tony had warned me, but I still felt a bit hesitant when I saw it: it really look like a dirt road with no apparent (even old) pavement. It got better: most of the time, we got to ride on some very old pavement, but pavement nonetheless. The whole road goes over the aforementioned Pedro Mountain, so it climbs for 2 miles. We had to ride so slow anyway, because of the road conditions, that it didn’t feel much of a climb. As a matter of fact, the descent was much more unpleasant, especially since that side of the road was in worse condition. And the weather was not cooperating: we were going through a heavy fog, indistinguishable from a drizzle, and the pavement/dirt was becoming very wet. At one point, my iPhone jumped off my handlebar bag, without me noticing it. Without Thomas, I wouldn’t have realized it before a couple of miles, and it would have been a nightmare trying to find it. Thomas, I owe you big time…

Pedro Mountain Rd

But we finally made it to Hwy 1 and that oh-so-smooth ride to Half Moon Bay, where we enjoyed a nice albeit late lunch. Originally, I had planned to ride back through Tunitas Creek Rd (I know, I know…) but it was so late that we would not have made it on the other side of Skyline before dark. Notwithstanding the fact that it would have probably killed Thomas.

So we had no choice but taking Hwy 92, which I had never ridden eastbound. Well, I probably never will, if I can avoid it. The traffic is awful, and the shoulders inexistent or worse, treacherous. Worse than westbound. But we made it and finish the ride in a light rain towards Millbrae BART station.

I am glad I did this Planet of the Apes, but it’s clearly not a road bike option. On the other hand, with a mountain bike, it’s a peace of cake. Oh, and about this “post end of the world” feeling, I was frankly a bit disappointed: it is just a trail.

Here is the complete route and some photos.