Bay area adventure.

I was up in the San Francisco bay area for almost two weeks. I did a lot of great bike rides.



This is part of the beautiful coastline along highway 35 skyline south of San Francisco.

My stay in the bay area took me up to wine country in a town called Winsor, about an hour north of San Francisco. I did some research of local bike rides in the area. I found a beautiful road called Pine Flat, not flat at all; 12 miles of climbing out into the wilderness. Stunning views and wild animals throughout the demanding course. At the end of the climb there were several ramps of 21%. Ouch, I was tacking all the way up those. At the top someone had put a picknic bench to sit and watch the view. I sat content staring out all the way to the bay and the ocean about as far away from Tokyo imaginable.

The coming weekend I stayed at my friends house in Pacifica, a fog covered town nestled along the ocean among tree covered slopes south of San Francisco. On Saturday we returned to the north for the Marin century. We did the first fifty miles at racing speed. The next twenty five perhaps a tad slower, then the last section suffering in the inland heat as we turned in from the ocean toward wine country again. We finished the ride with an average speed of 31 kph despite unmesurable amounts of climbing. The next day started with smooth rolling roads along famous highway 1 heading south towards redwood stands and cool foggy breezes. Then my "friend" decided to show me every steep difficult climb he knew in the area. I suffered from aching sholders and back from the endless ups and downs. The forests were dreamlike and the views from the tops of the ridges were like a postcard but I couldn't enjoy much of it. My form nevery really came around and I struggled back to Pacifica with a mere 80 miles for the day.

Then Tuesday night I met up with my friend once more for the imfamous Tuesday night massacre. A hard core training ride done at race speed. I was not really in the mood to ride but did hold my own. I was surprised and pleased about my form and it was a huge boost of confidence that the training I do in Tokyo isn't too bad.

A few days later I left the bay area by Amtrack, only four hours late. Not quite up to Japanese standards. However the cycling trip was a total success and lived up to my expectations. I used a bike as my form of transportation and for recreation for almost two weeks. Not only did I save lots of money on not using a rental car, I had some great rides in one of the best cycling areas in the country.