Saturday A-Ride 1/4 - Big Basin + Bear Creek

Hello friends and happy new year! What better way to kick off 2025 than with a nice chill ride to Big Basin? We’ll go up Redwood Gulch and come back on Skyline/Page Mill. I plan on doing a quick stop for a snack at Jenna Sue’s Cafe before we go up Bear Creek, and then we can get water at Castle Rock on the way home if necessary. We are strictly going at an ENDURANCE pace - I will be doing no more than 3 w/kg on the climbs. I understand spirits are high with the festive holidays but it is still the middle of winter and we don’t want to hammer it and risk burning out before the racing season even begins. Also in general please descend Hwy 9 and Page Mill with care as there has been a lot of dirt and gravel in the road from all the rain.

If it is exceedingly damp up on Skyline and it seems unwise to descend into Big Basin we can play it by ear and improvise another route, but I’m really looking forward to riding down there and getting some solid climbing in with you all. Hope to see you there!

Route: https://www.strava.com/routes/3109228900816175550

Summary: 83 miles / 8,300 feet: Summit Bicycles > Foothill/Stevens Canyon > Redwood Gulch/Hwy 9 > Big Basin > Bear Creek > Skyline to Page Mill > Summit Bicycles

Start: Summit Bicycles, Palo Alto

Time: Meet 9:00 AM, Leave 9:10 AM

Ride etiquette: https://www.altovelo.org/ride-rules 

Ride Leader: Richard Red