Finished a two-day, 200KM bike ride around the south San Francisco Bay. Felt great and rewarding after the BIG RIDE 2021.
Most of the ride is on the wonderful San Fransico Bay Trail. While the total 500 miles of trails are partially finished and most of them are not paved, it is still a nice trip riding thru miles of shorelines, seeing a very different silicon valley.
I am writing this post, hopefully as a resource for others who want to try it. I will cover the route planning, equipment, packing, and point of interest.
Routes
Day 1, 115KM, from Alviso Marina County Park to Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point
Day 2, 107KM, from Alameda back to Alviso Marina County Park
Schedule
Day 1 -
- 9:00 AM Started at Alviso Marin Park
- 10:30 AM Stop at Palo Alto for a break and snack
- 12:00 Noon Lunch in Foster City
- 2:00 PM start the afternoon ride (riding through SFO is so cool)
- 3:30 PM take a break at Millbrae
- 4:00 PM heading toward San Francisco, a slight climb
- 6:15 PM arrive at the Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point and complete the day
- Took our car and drove to the City of Alameda for dinner and hotel
Day 2 -
- 9:00 AM Started from Alameda downtown
- 10:30 AM took a break at Oyster Bay shoreline park - so tranquil and beautiful
- 12:00 Noon Lunch in Union City - nice hot pot
- 1:30 PM start the afternoon ride (riding up and down on the hills of Coyote Hill regional park)
- 2:45 PM take a break in the City of Fremont
- 4:00 PM arrived at Alviso Marin Park, ride the Slough Trail, it is rough and windy
- 5:00 PM Complete the big ride 2021!!
Equipment
Because the ride went through various terrain, also, the goal is to experience different parts of the beautiful Bay Area, instead of speed. I chose to ride my commuter bike - Marin Fairfax 3 bike with 700X32 commuter tires. It is slower but more comfortable than my road bike. I installed a simple cycling mirror for safety.
I pump the front tire at 55PSI and the back tire at 60PSI. It is a bit higher than recommended but decided so to reduce some road resistance. The ride on-road was great but on gravel was a bit rough.
Packing
- Two bottles of water
- Three protein bars
- Cell phone plus a 6,400MA backup battery and a cell phone mount
- Replacement tube, tube changing tools, and small hand pump
- Sunscreen
- Thin cycling jacket - some parts of the bay can be windy and chilly. Some can be dry and warm on the same day
- Gloves, backpack, helmets, sunglasses, riding shorts, etc - the usual long-distance riding outfits.
Summary
So glad that I did the ride. There is a minimum climb. The bay shore is extremely beautiful. It is surprising that just a few miles from the bustling Silicon Valley with headquarters of Facebook, Apple, Google, Oracle, there are hundreds of miles of quiet trails. I did it in September so it is a bit warm on the east bay, but overall, the weather was nearly perfect. If I do it in the fall, the temperature will be lower but it also means the sunset will be earlier so the last hour of the ride each day might not be as safe. I will try to the do the same circling the north San Francisco Bay next time!
Note
There are miles of the trails that are away from any city or stores, so prepare to repair the bike yourself if needed.
I rode half of the trip with my son, half by myself. It is recommended, as any ride, to go with a group of 2 to 4, for safety and fun.
Since I use Google Maps as a navigation tool, the battery drained fast, make sure you pack a backup battery with a charging cord. I charged my cell phone fully, plus the 6400mA battery connected at all times, I have about 20% power left at the end of the day.
I would recommend bringing a second cell phone or a small point-and-shoot camera so you don't have to unmount the cell from the bike. There are so many great points to take photos.
Start training three to four weeks before the big ride, I rode about 20 miles every other day for two weeks, most on hilly Carmel and Pebble Beach, which prepared me well for the long ride. At the end of the BIG RIDE, I felt very energetic.
