Ed. Ride host Chris Chiang submitted the following report.

First off, congrats to Sara and Larry for completing their first Three Bears! Sara is a consistent and strong rider and a great road companion. Be sure to learn from her easing into the ride and finishing strongly on every challenging climb. Larry has come a long way since joining in June. He’s started to use me to pace like my own shadow but has tried to move ahead once he studies the route and elevation. I now have to up my own game!

The Three Bears is no walk in the park. I created this ride after doing a fabulous version led by Cathy and Nancy early June. The standalone clockwise loop from Orinda is around 18 miles, 1,800 feet, and back-loaded. Why not just leave out that front end and distribute—but increase—the load more evenly? So out came a counterclockwise version starting from Lafayette that includes big climbs on Reliez Valley Road and Pig Farm Hill, at 30 miles and 3,000 feet.

Dismissing my concerns and counsel, Stephen insisted I make the day even tougher and longer with more climbing, thinking that the club would have lots of post-ALC riders jonesing for difficult, nostril-flaring routes. So I slipped in my recently-devised Martinez loop instead knowing it’s not difficult and would provide a pretty diversion out to a new favorite coffee shop, at 47 miles and 4,100 feet.

We got nine riders for this ride: David G., Kurt, Larry, Nancy, Rick, Roger, Sara, and me at Lafayette BART; we met Stephanie down the road. Kurt is a newer member having ridden with David a few times but never on a club ride yet. Once we got on Reliez Valley Road riders slowly separated on this first climb. As I shifted to low gears, I suddenly heard metal-on-metal rattling. Rats, the chain had popped off and was stuck between the cassette and spokes. The plastic spoke protector experienced an unscheduled rapid disassembly and the indexing was now off as well. Rick double-backed and we managed to get the chain back on the cassette. No more shifting to the last gear or the chain will pop. We met up with the group and Stephanie at the turn onto Franklin Canyon Road. Big smiles and laughs, small cleanup of black grease.

Franklin Canyon is a charming climb. It’s a residential area mixed with front yard vineyards. A sugary, fermenting odor wafted in the air. Larry noted to Roger and me that this must be grapes drying into raisins. I chimed in that we three grew up in the Central Valley, which is raisin territory. We laughed and swapped tales about old local happenings there. I then watched Kurt up ahead miss the turn onto McEwen and yelled for him to return. More laughs. McEwen has a higher grade but not by much. It reminds me of Stage Road down in Pescadero and offers the spicy scent of wild sage that grows along the road. When the road began the quick descent, Rick zoomed by and Larry went after him. At the bottom of McEwen’s final 15% plunge, we took a sharp right to climb Carquinez Scenic Drive after waiting for Larry, who had taken a wrong turn. Thanks to Rick for thinking quickly and calling Larry by phone. Even more laughs. Carquinez Scenic Drive rides like a bigger sibling to Tiburon’s Paradise Drive, with water on one side and undulating climbers and rollers on the wheels. At one point we heard Amtrak down below heading into town on its way to Sacramento. Near downtown Martinez Kurt had a flat but quickly changed tubes. Larry’s battery-operated tire pump came in handy. Having a chill and collaborative group of cyclists makes a ride more enjoyable and safe.

When we got to downtown Martinez, we sure earned that cup of joe! Many other groups of cyclists were hanging out and Stephanie seemed to know a few. I happily chugged an icy cold-brew from my water bottle like a toddler with a sippy under the sun. David and Rick shortened the ride and returned to Lafayette while we continued westward on Alhambra Valley Road. After more dramatic bike-chain moments near Pig Farm Hill (with Kurt and Roger providing assistance), I was determined to finish strongly even if the bike was now functionally a low-gear fixie. This ride leader is covering the whole hog!

From the top of Pig Farm Hill I watched Roger zoom off and saw him next when he waited on Bear Creek Road. At the top of Mama Bear, I came to the group with Kurt fixing another flat. More laughs and club chats. I then watched each cyclist gradually pull away on the road, thankful that they’re with Stephanie while I’m playing catch-up. She’s a strong, experienced cyclist, a former ride coordinator, and a local who knows these roads well. We talked several times about co-leading a ride together, and now she’s the de-facto ride leader. While climbing the seemingly endless Papa Bear, I nearly slipped and stopped to steady. Once I began the rapid descent, I broke out into a big grin but then remembered that Baby Bear next is a small lump of steep bad ass. Imagine the elation when I crested that little twerp but then—clang!—the damn chain popped out of place.

At San Pablo Dam Road, we said farewell to Stephanie and headed toward Orinda. Kurt took BART home (exactly as I had intended for this option when I created the route, for backup and convenience) while Nancy, Sara, Larry, Roger, and I grabbed a quick meal. Nancy and Sara got ready to leave while we boys continued to chew and I mentioned to them that could they could take BART one station over to Lafayette if they had driven in. “Nah, no thanks.” Their composure said they knew a thing or two about challenging rides and they took off. Roger, Larry, and I followed shortly and returned to Lafayette where this fun, high-intensity ride began. Unexpected circumstances and contingencies conspired but failed to derail our plans.

Haha, we’re back and we’ll keep coming back.
–Chris Chiang

Ed. Ride host Chris Chiang recounts how his ride went on Saturday, November 1.

Redwood-Norris loop is a route I’ve been looking forward to ride. Tony had originally posted it on short notice back in May but I wasn’t able to make it then. I had an inkling that since it starts in the East Bay on the eastern side of the Caldecott Tunnel and runs for almost 50 miles and 3,000 feet, it would attract a special group of riders open to new experiences. Long story short today’s ride was fan-damn-tastic especially with Cathy, Larry, and Peter onboard! (Poor Rick called in sick so we’ll see about making it up in the future.)

The morning was foggy and dreary but my mood lightened up when I saw sunshine and blue sky on the other side of the Caldecott. From Orinda we took an easy pace through Moraga and turned onto Pinehurst Road. The climb was consistent and moderate as Peter and I commented about how Cathy and Larry effortlessly moved ahead with the former having announced earlier that she’s expected to be slow and the latter being a newer cyclist finally hitting his stride.

When we descended to Redwood Road, I noted about the road being on sport car enthusiasts’ radar so we should be alert. A few loud motorcyclists and sport cars zoomed by but maintained respectful distance throughout the length of Redwood Road. The climb happens in three stages with the third being the steepest. After the descent—be careful of potholes!—we stopped by Redwood Canyon Golf Course for a quick refuel and restroom break. This is a nice public golf course popular with passing cyclists and people have always been courteous and friendly from my previous stops. The nice golfer who took our group picture asked about our ride and mentioned about doing the Headlands on following day. When I told him of the sidewalk closure on the GGB for an event, he quickly said he’ll head for San Bruno mountain instead on his mountain bike. All the fellow cyclists you get to meet when you go beyond your usual comfort zone!

Leaving Castro Valley Peter and I took the wrong turn based on some internal glitch within RWGPS. After a course adjustment, we were then underway onto Crow Canyon Road. This is a fairly utilitarian regional road used by commuters to and from the San Ramon Valley. Surprisingly there was quite a bit of Saturday traffic. When the bike lane ended and the road narrowed, we moved cautiously in single file with me at the back with red blinking lights until the turn to Norris Canyon Road. Peter noted the newer pavement here. It’s mostly quiet and under tree canopy which would be so welcoming on a warm summer day. It starts at moderate grade but has two short stretches that go up to 10% as if to tease what’s to come. On the final climb I saw the canopy giving way to blue sky up ahead and I pushed to conquer that finishing 10%. At the top the road flattens with rolling pastures and farms on both sides. We took some selfies and were all smiles, amazed at how the big climb seemed far less taxing than expected.

After the descent and roll through the suburbs, we arrived for lunch at Sultan’s Kebab in Danville, another delightful and reliable go-to from Tony. Peter and Cathy got the combo (chicken and lamb) shawarma salad, Larry got the chicken, and I got the lamb. For my dish the dressing was tangy and the meat was smokey and gamey, just what lamb kebab should be. We lingered a bit and chatted while Peter ordered Turkish coffee and dessert. On the return we took the Iron Horse Trail instead of Danville Boulevard. The street route from Walnut Creek to Orinda seemed a bit long on a full tummy with some unexpected climbs and turns but Peter expertly navigated us back to Orinda BART. This route is a definite keeper for the adventurous.

—Chris Chiang

Ride Leader Kate Dresher sends in this report on last Sunday’s ride to Stinson Beach:

Four riders—Nancy, William aka Milo, Darrell, and I—tackled the Mill Valley-Stinson Beach loop, returning via the climb to Pantoll Camp out of Stinson. It was a gorgeous ride, pedaling into and out of fog several times during the morning. Weather was superb—nice mix of cooler temps on the hills and the warmth of the sun shining in clear skies elsewhere. We considered shortening the ride when we arrived at a somewhat foggy Four Corners on the way out—to avoid possible pea-soup conditions along the coast between Muir Beach and Stinson—and are so glad we didn’t! Gorgeous day, fun outing and a great hill workout. No pictures were taken of the group. Oops! I think Milo took some vids of the fog….

Ride leader Chris Chiang submitted this report on last Saturday’s Mt. Diablo ride.

On this inaugural Spicy Saturday ride Kevin, Peter, and I formed a mighty trio as we aimed for Mount Diablo Junction. I put the ride together last minute when the day became vacant without a club ride. I was relieved that both Kevin and Peter joined to keep me honest and committed to the ride and thought it was phenomenal with just two-day notice. They’re both good riders and pretty chill road companions. From Pleasant Hill BART we made an easy and efficient pedal. At the North Gate ranger booth, we stopped to chat with the ranger to confirm road and weather conditions. There have been online chatters about certain ranger(s) issuing tickets to cyclists for seemingly technical and minor infractions. We did our best to establish rapport and flash some pearly whites before getting underway.

The climb is no joke and there are 8-12% sections right from the start. Kevin, being the superstar climber, pulled away like a little billy goat while Peter and I focused on our own rides. We passed multiple cyclists and were passed by others. There was hardly a single car as the day begins to warm. The road is narrow for two-lane traffic with moderate cracks in places and no shoulders.  There are bike pullouts in places which cyclists are expected to use to allow trailing vehicles pass. A-okay and no problem. But it was also at a bike pullout where a cyclist got ticketed for not hand-signaling the return/merge back to the traffic lane. Apparently that ranger followed the cyclist and issued the citation even though there was a hundred feet or more separating them with no effect to any flowing traffic. Not even a warning, but a ticket!

I took plenty of water breaks while Peter passed me. I then passed him for the next few turns. We kept up this game of leapfrog until Kevin descended to us about a mile from the Junction after getting there himself. This time of year is Mount Diablo’s tarantula mating season. Male spiders from four to seven years of age leave the safety of their burrows to look for female spiders, including crossing the road. Someone showed Kevin a male spider and helped it gingerly to the other side safely. Typically the male dies in the winter after mating while the female lays eggs and get to live up to 25 years.  The female might even kill and eat the male after mating especially if she’s hungry! If I were a tarantula, I’d gratefully be a fabulous gay one that safely climbs uphill to meet with my buddies.

Kevin showed us a rest stop with water spigot a quarter mile from the Junction. We then made a beeline to the Junction for some selfies and more hearty laughs about the poor male spiders. The descent was cautious but efficient as Kevin stopped to take pictures of Peter and me going downhill.  When we were near the bottom where Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard widens and begins to flatten, we each instinctively accelerated and started spinning. Peter chasing Kevin, and me behind responding, us laughing about the seemingly easy effort when we stopped at traffic lights.

We arrived at Lunardi’s in Danville in what seemed like 30 minutes, but…er…probably closer to 40. Kevin’s husband, Christian, joined us there and we had a quick meal together. Lucky Kevin then got in the car with hubby to spend the day with family. Peter and I decided to go off the planned route and just ride leisurely down the Iron Horse Trail. This is the nicer part of the Trail because it’s in between established residential area and mostly under the shade. We returned to Pleasant Hill BART a little past 2 PM.  A quite enjoyable few hours on a Saturday with no worries to optimize weekend plans or commodify experience.  Spicy climb indeed, and that’s why we ride.

TLDR: Same route, different refreshment.

“We forgot to take a photo!” Chris blurted out at the end of our little Ladies Who Lunch confab. So sorry, you will all have to settle for words, probably too many of them and of slight import to boot. But occasionally quantity does not belie quality–you be the judge.

It’s become a formula: start in downtown Lafayette and head up the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail to Moraga Common and back, then relax and enjoy some food and maybe an adult beverage of the hoppy kind. That last meal to Tutu’s had me thinking of doing a repeat but I also wanted to try someplace different. This time we ended our ride at Batch & Brine, which is just around the corner from Tutu’s and the Lafayette Public House.

It was the usual East Bay crowd: Roger and me, Lamberto and Joe, and Chris. Joining us this time were Kevin, a brand new member hailing from Seattle, and our club president Stephen. Kevin moves fast in more than one sense. While flying down here from Seattle for an extended work assignment he joined Different Spokes! He’s a member of Outspoken, the newish Seattle/San Diego LGBTQ club. Stephen intended to join us a couple of months ago but punted when he got too busy. This time he managed to show but minus the bike, so he met us just for the post-ride meal. Kevin on the other hand had to take off for a meeting so he couldn’t hang out over a meal. (Or, at least that’s the story he told us… maybe he’d had enough of us. Talk about hooking up!)

Although I didn’t get a chance to converse with Kevin more—he was up ahead most of the time and I was at the back—he did tell me he was relishing the Bay Area weather because Seattle is moving quickly into winter. I didn’t tell him that this wasn’t exactly normal. It has been an unusually mild summer and early October often brutalizes us with raging heat, which may be great for taking in Fleet Week and the JR but also can be a gruesome hurrah for raging wildfires. I expect we’ll see more of him on club rides unless he’s kidnapped by the ALC crowd.

When I greeted Kevin at the start he said he’d just met Stephen on BART coming over. Huh? Just an hour before Stephen had told me he couldn’t make the ride but would come afterwards. Yet he was already in Lafayette? A mystery. When we met Stephen after the ride, he said he decided to come over to inspect Lafayette, a burb he’s never been to. I suspect a lot of SF Spokers rarely set foot in any of the Contra Costa communities except on a club ride. That brought back a chuckling memory. (WARNING: club history dead ahead!) Back in the 1980s a particularly vitriolic hate organization, Lou Sheldon’s Traditional Values Coalition, was active in the Walnut Creek area. The Reverend Lou got his start with Anita Bryant saving children from evil homosexual men and lesbian gym teachers who preyed upon America’s youth. Lou started his own organization and a chapter promptly popped up in Walnut Creek. Back then Contra Costa was a red state. Pretty much everything east of the Caldecott was conservative. Club rides out here were jokingly referred to as secret forays into enemy territory ‘to gather intel’ despite the fact that Contra Costa was crawling with gay people who just weren’t as visible as the ‘newsworthy’ freaks paraded on TV every Gay Pride. Walnut Creek must have been a den of iniquity with its two rather non-discreet gay bars at that time.

We started the ride an hour earlier because the days are shortening quickly and we didn’t want folks to have to bring lights. Plus, it’s just safer to ride in broad daylight. The jaunt up the trail was a bit busier this time but not at all crowded. I ended up at the back talking with Joe all the way up. We did a quick turn-around at Moraga Common and zoomed back down arriving at Batch & Brine with plenty of daylight. By the way if you haven’t been on the trail yet, I highly recommend it. The Iron Horse Trail gets all the glam attention yet there are actually several rails-to-trails in Contra Costa that are a soothing getaway from traffic. The LMT is, in my opinion, the nicest and has the most rural ambiance of them all.

Although Roger and I had eaten lunch at Batch & Brine before, we weren’t sure how crowded it might be after work. It turns out Lamberto and Joe also had eaten there once when they couldn’t find another place that was open and they thought it was pretty good. Our fear was unfounded: it wasn’t crowded at all and we were able to grab a set of tables on the front patio without any problems and with our bikes parked right next to us. That’s when Kevin had to go to his meeting.

It was another long dinner that ended well after the sun had set. We didn’t leave until almost 8 PM. Roger and I got the fish & chips, Chris got a fried onion blossom, Lamberto the ribs, and Stephen an ahi tuna bowl. Joe had what I should have gotten, eggplant with curried lentils. It all looked great when it arrived. Unfortunately Roger didn’t like his fish and chips whereas I thought they were a solid “B”: the fish was cooked just right and the batter wasn’t soaked with oil. This time no one got dessert. Hmm.

This was another atypical Spoker meal confab: not a word was mentioned about club business or goings-on. Instead the conversation veered off into family histories; what growing up Catholic was like in the “old days”; why parent’s don’t raise their kids bilingually; dialect variation in France, Japan, and Italy; “world Spanish” versus Castilian; ex-pat life in Panama, segregation in New England; and cycling in Taiwan. Whew! There was a time when Spoker conversations unerringly ended up on three topics: club happenings, juicy gossip, and bikes. Times have changed. Or have we?

Daylight Savings Time ends on November 2. So the next Happy Hour in the East Bay will likely be next March or April after we’re back on DST. I’m thinking we may start in Walnut Creek next time to ride one of the other MUPs. On the other hand there’s a Filipino restaurant in Lafayette that might be a good place to end the ride. Stay tuned!