Day 21 | A "Golden" morning
Distance
75.7 miles
Elevation Climbed
4,663 ft
Landscape
Urban neighborhoods; modest rolling coastline and sandy beaches
Weather
Overcast to sunny, 60 F
Kirsten’s Notes:
It was fun to be back in my old stomping grounds today both to see and ride in familiar places but also to see and ride in places that were only am arms length away that I had not yet been to. Seeing my old neighborhood perched on the horizon from afar, the colorful, uniformly designed homes, the small crashing waves that I used to surf and getting whiffs of Eucalyptus trees brought back a lot of fond memories. Something I didn’t realize before about the coastline down in this neck of the woods is that it is much more amenable to beach goers and surfers – there were some places in Washington and Oregon definitely but the coast is much more dramatic and rocky, with water going straight into the cliffs vs down here where sandy beaches seem endless.
The clouds starting burning off as passed through San Francisco and by the time we reached Half Moon Bay there was barely a cloud in the sky. The wind picked up throughout the day right at our backs and we were flying! I had a lot of fun charging out of the saddle on my highest gear to see how fast I could go (and also to make up some distance with my dad), seeing 26-28mph speeds when I was coasting after those pushes. I will say that this wind when it became a cross-wind instead of at our tails was terrifying though – if I didn’t lean at least 15 degrees into the wind and pedal into the wind towards 11 o clock I’m confident I would’ve gone straight into the guardrail.
Fatigue and pain were very minimal today despite our 4.5k+ elevation gain due in large part to the tail wind and the mellower rural rolling hills than we had seen up north.
Lars’ Notes:
Today, we had the exciting experience of riding The Golden Gate Bridge. I came within 5 or so miles of our starting point. The GPS was a bit confusing, but we got there after climbing a fairly substantial hill as we approached the bridge. The visibility was great, you never know if the bridge will be immersed in fog, but there were cloudy skies and a stiff cross wind. There is a dedicated lane for bikers and walkers so the entire experience was exhilarating, not terrifying. We stopped several times to take photos. We then proceeded the northern and western part of the peninsula and passed by Lands End, Ocean Beach, the San Fransisco Zoo, Lake Merced and then climbed another huge ascent along Skyline Boulevard. Once we reached Pacifica, it felt less urban as we traveled south.
We reached a point called Devils Slide, a route that followed the old Rt. 1. Route 1 at that point had been upgraded and a new tunnel shortened the route and minimized the steepness of the ascent. According to the books we read, the tunnel had a generous shoulder, but the old route was worth the extra effort. We were happy we did, the climb was substantial, but the overlooks were awesome. It was also exciting to descend a 9% plus grade with no cars. Following the coastline again, we passed through El Granada, Miramar and Half Moon Bay. We stopped for a break at Miramar along a relaxing bike path and even found a spot with bathrooms and water to refill our near depleted water bottles. At that point, the grade was gentle and we were cruising at 18+ mph almost effortlessly. Now, it could be that Kirsten and I are in amazing shape to keep up that vigorous pace OR there was some wind involved. Watching the American flags constantly flying straight south, the occasional leaf or light piece of grass actually pass us was a sure sign that it was the wind, not our supreme fitness at work. If there was ever any doubt, it became quickly apparent how much wind there was whan we took a 90 degree turn. The crosswinds were significant and we really needed to be careful. The winds were at our back for probably the last 30 miles or more. It was so fun to be cruising at 20+ mph with minimal effort. In fact, the winds were so favorable, we decided to take advantage for a few more miles in order to shorten tomorrow’s ride a bit. We concluded the day’s ride in Davenport. A 75 mile ride today.
